Category Archives: Personal
Book Review: Against Nature by J.-K. Huysmans
Nothing is simple about this novel, not even its title. “Against Nature” is the one the translator of the edition I own went for, but it has also been known as “Against the Grain”. Some English speakers, if required to … Continue reading
How to successfully predict major world events
Gavin Barwell, as Tory MP for Croydon Central, wrote a book called “How To Win A Marginal Seat” based on his experiences, an irony that didn’t get past more or less everyone who reported on him losing that marginal seat in the general … Continue reading
Crappy holidays:Singles Awareness Day
Looks like I’ve tapped a rich vein of material when it comes to “special days made up for questionable reasons.” Next up is Singles’ Awareness Day, which, as any fule kno, was celebrated on 15 February, the day after St Valentine’s … Continue reading
News now stalking me, need restraining order: The great (?) Christ’s College controversy (?) of 2016
As this has now been reported in the Daily Mail, I suppose this is both officially “news” and a “controversy”. Here’s your link, lest you suspect me of making all this stuff up. In summary – several Jewish students walked into a … Continue reading
A real train wreck
I should probably stop blogging so much about the news, because it’s obviously worked out where I live. At about six o’clock yesterday morning, around the time the US was realising that, yes, it had just elected Donald Trump President, a … Continue reading
Blink-182 and the deceptions of memory
This is well-known pop-punk combo Blink-182 (2015 edition; they’ve had line-up changes):- It’s fair to say that they’re looking a bit the worse for wear after nearly 25 years of rock and roll, but then who isn’t? Anyway, whilst I wouldn’t claim … Continue reading
Like Christian Grey, my desires are unconventional
I don’t have much else in common with the billionaire from Fifty Shades of Grey. On the down side, I don’t have his wealth and looks. On the positive side, I’m not a badly-written knock-off of that vampire guy from Twilight and nor do I talk … Continue reading
Anger isn’t an energy.
If there’s one thing the world isn’t short of, it’s angry people. Of course, the internet is a great place to find some impotent rage, but only because it’s a quick and easy means of expression for the pent-up anger that exists in real … Continue reading
Razors and teapots
I’ll admit it up front – I’m not very good at philosophy. It is something I’ve taken a periodic interest in, but generally what I find is that I start a chapter of some book on some great thinker or other, … Continue reading
You know another thing I failed at? Therapy, that’s what.
In yet another entry in what looks like a long-running series – I fail at something. Only this time, for a change, it wasn’t an online failure. A few years ago, deciding that my real-world social life was not exactly … Continue reading
James's space 