Grim times

[lobelia321]

1. Just had a very exhausting phone conversation (aka shouting match) with a friend who also opposes t'war but for quite different reasons from my own. This is what' difficult about this new world situation (as opposed to the nice, old clear-cut Cold War situtation - well, you know how I mean that, I hope). Even the opposition is a multifarious bunch and I don't want to be bedfellows with all of them, necessarily.

2. Possibly we are going down to London to demonstrate on Saturday. With the kids. Will a porta-loo fit into my knapsack?

3. On a more trivial note (and my thoughts have been veering wildly from war worries to nugatoriness all day - it's been difficult to concentrate, actually): I found some non-pouty Orli pics! See? I'm not so recalcitrant that I can' t be swayed by a few obviously non-fashion shoot pickeroonies. Especially the between-cars one is rather nice. (What is that strange woollen sausage around the man's neck?)

4. I also found some lovely pics of Karl and Viggo in a temple. But my favourite of the bunch is this one:



You gotta love both their poses!





5. On a non-war note, I discovered that my son is learning utter rubbish in school. In history, they are doing the history of the school! My god, how boring and pointless is that. At home he has a Greek history book and his father gives him research tasks like "What was the role of women in ancient Greek society?" No wonder he's bored out of his brain at school.

Still, they're weaving a felt placemat so that's a very transferable skill in case he's ever stranded on a desert island and needs to set a dinner table.

*bangs head on a placemat embroidered with the national curriculum*

6. TV news are crap. Radio is better.

7. My brain is so addled that I'm confusing the real war aims with the shenanigans of Geoffrey, Mr Wainthropp, Tony, George, Saddy et al.

Comments

[cupiscent.livejournal.com]

I love those pictures. They are such adorable munchkins. Trying very hard not to download that one of them both in front of the temple and title it: "We are Responsible Young Men."

Heh. (Yes, I am ignoring the war in favour of pretty. This, I find, is the path to happiness.)

[ladymoonray.livejournal.com]

If you need help finding things while on the Peace Shuffle on Saturday, just ring me. Ditto if you want to meet up (though I understand about the family etc).

Don't worry too much about the loo situation, all the pubs along the route will be open.

[lobelia321.livejournal.com]

Thank you, that's kind. What kind of things would I need to be finding? Good tip about the pubs. :-)

Re:

[ladymoonray.livejournal.com]

Pubs with loos, I sort of meant. I wrote that comment several times, and completely lost the point somewhere along the way.

That is entirely normal for me at the moment

[sheldrake.livejournal.com]

Oh. That 'tourist' photo is so completely lovely I nearly fell over. And I'm sitting down! For this, I forgive him the poetry.

[lobelia321.livejournal.com]

You forgive the poetry? Mwuhahah! Have you read Average, wherein badgermonkey and I rather take the piss out of the poor man's poems...

But don't they make a lovely tourist couple? Damn, I wish I weren't so bloody Karlvig-resistant so that I could slash this to pieces. But I *will* ogle. Make me smile, actually, those photos. I can't get over their *poses*. A lovely change from fashion poses.

[sheldrake.livejournal.com]

Of course I've read Average - my favourite Viggo ever! And very funny. But the real thing is far, far worse.

Make me smile, actually, those photos.

Me too. Ridiculously endearing. *muses* You know, I'm starting to think I like Viggo because he's a terrible poet, rather than in spite of it. Hmm... There's something very wrong there.

[lobelia321.livejournal.com]

I'm starting to think I like Viggo because he's a terrible poet

Hah! The plot thickens! I love it. Yes, if we could twist his poetry into an endearing character trait, like Elijah's nailbiting, we could be onto something. *pats Viggo's shaggy head*

But mwuahha, the notion of him whispering sweet love poems into Karl's ear by the moonlit lotus pond...

[sheldrake.livejournal.com]

the notion of him whispering sweet love poems into Karl's ear by the moonlit lotus pond...

Oh, now. Stop that. Naughty person, you are. ['Karl, did you know you are to me like shards of frozen morning dew, burning reflections of distant suns exploding on my retina, shimmering forgotten vision of yesterday?' 'Yes, Viggo, you told me earlier - and what is your hand doing in my pants... Oh, right. Never mind.']

No, no, no...

[tvillingar.livejournal.com]

Sheesh! Could they look any more like tourists? On the other hand, why should celebrities travel around the world with their own camera crew, taking pictures of them in perfect angles (obviously I'm not talking about J-Lo). This just makes them more human, somehow.

Sorry, I'm not very coherent when I just woke up.

[lobelia321.livejournal.com]

I love them when they're not being posed. There is something so endearing about Karl's hangy-downy gibbon arms and Viggo's intent knee-bent.

*cute*!

[badgermonkey.livejournal.com]

The best thing about that photo is that you can't see Viggo's face. I can't bring myself to click on an Orlando-related link, though.

My brain is also addled! I saw a little bit about Saddam on the news (well, yes, I watch it on TV. But I have Sky! We have to get our money's worth. Also I like to snark at the fakeness of it - "Just because they're showing footage of Iraqis surrendering, it doesn't mean they are!") and I had a little flash of "Oh, look, he and Mr Wainthropp would make such a cute couple!" Then I realised that I am, clearly, insane.

But if I am insane, I can, too, blame it on the National Curriculum. Namely the Year 9 Booster Kit for English that doesn't capitalise names of books correctly ("Enduring love") and suggests as a useful, productive and educational revision lesson for SATs that we *cut up the mark scheme* and get the kids to match up the criteria to the level. Clearly, one is not supposed to teach them anything about literature, but how to pass tests. Also, the Shakespeare tasks are ludicrous; one for Macbeth is "You recently read a review of Macbeth in the school magazine. Write a review of a play, book, film or game you enjoyed." Not a review of Macbeth, mind. I am so glad it's Friday!

[lobelia321.livejournal.com]

Oh, look, he and Mr
Wainthropp would make such a cute couple!" Then I realised that I
am,
clearly, insane.

Um. I can't disagree with your self-assessment there.

National Curriculum exercise:
Match the following symptoms with the appropriate points on the insanity scale.

1. T'war is clearly a gigantic jealousy tiff between Georgie, Saddie and Mr W.

2. Sad and Bob look *so* good together.

3. Geoffrey has uncovered a terrible conspiracy and hence languishes in a New Jersey gaol.

4. Orli's mouth is bigger than GWB's brain.

5. Decapitation refers to the swallowing of the head of the male sexual organ for purposes of erotic stimulation.

a. mildly insane

b. totally and utterly screaming mad

c. two shingles short

d. 3 1/2 shingles short

e. well-adjusted and rational

[badgermonkey.livejournal.com]

I couldn't possibly answer, because I don't know the markscheme, assessment criteria or objectives. How many marks can I get for this question? Honestly. And at least I am being honest about my insanity.

I am quite taken with no 4, though, and am trying to find ways of incorporating this into RL conversation (heh, and IRL, I got *disapproving looks* from other trainees when I told them about my anti-war poetry lesson. Yes! I thrive on disapproving looks. Bring them on!)

BTW, with recent developments, it strikes me that the Wainthropp oeuvre has moved from whimsical to wilfully esoteric. Will anyone else understand what's going on? Should they?

And with that, I shall desist from spamming other people's LJs in lieu of acually posting in my own...

[lobelia321.livejournal.com]

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<it strikes me that the Wainthropp
<i>oeuvre</i> has moved from whimsical to wilfully esoteric. Will
anyone
else understand what's going on? Should they?</i>

Yes, I think *should* may well be the operative word here. I have no idea myself what to think of recent developments in the "oeuvre" (a label I highly approve of, *snort*) but can only refer ourselves back to t'insanity scale. I plead innocence: 'twas the war that did it, your honour, it addled me.

Let me just confirm something: Mr W and Geoffrey are *fictional*, right?