U And Non-U
Just one of those little moments that raise a smile:
I found myself listening to the Women's Hour omnibus on Radio Four yesterday, and in particular an item about use of language that stemed from a complaint by a parent that their child's teacher had used the work 'toilet' when they preferred the child to use 'lavatory'. This set off a discussion about the distinction between what Nancy Mitford called U and Non-U.
One of the contributors, in an effort to resolve one of the classic dilemmas of this debate, recounted how she'd asked the poshest person she knew whether he would refer to a particular room as a lounge, a sitting room, or a living room, and was left more confused than ever when he replied "None of them my dear, I'd call it a saloon."
The War That Wouldn’t Go Away
Tony Blair must surely never have had a worse run of weeks than those he's had recently.
Tomorrow's Observer front page runs yet more coverage of the perceived problems with the legality of the war in Iraq, and the apparent U-Turn of the Attorney General on that status. You all know how I felt about the war in the first place, so I ought to feel a certain amount of satisfaction over all this. But really I find it all rather embarassing. Once again this government seems to be demonstrating that not only is it willing to do whatever it feels like, raegardless of law or consequence, but it's also not even very good at covering it up.
Time To Take A Break?
I'm sort of thinking of putting things on hold here for a while. I haven't entirely decided to do so, but I'm seriously thinking about it.
I have a couple of reasons which are somewhat linked. The first is time - I don't feel that I have enough of it to do enough around this place. I already got rid of every other section of the site but the blog, and I've commented plenty of times over the last few months that I haven't even been very good about keeping this as active as I'd like. I hate the idea of this thing just falling steadily into disuse, with me not posting and no one bothering to visit. It strikes me that a definitive break might be better to have.
The other thing is my general slackening of interest in all things online that aren't just about work. All my other online outlets and communities I've lost touch with over the last four months or so, and in some ways I'm just feeling that I need to do some different things.
I'm not entirely decided on this course of action - maybe I'll suddenly find inspiration *and* time. But maybe not.
Just thought I'd let you know.
Culture
"I've been to the Royal Opera House this evening, darlings! No, not the main auditorium, it's getting far too commercial. We were in the Linbury Studio. Much more intimate, more of a space if you know what I mean.
What were we seeing? Well sweetie, it was this terribly daring, outré little piece called Silence Of The Soul by Walker Dance Park Music. Oh yes, modern dance. Highly imaginative. Challenging? Well yes, I suppose it was just a little."
Seriously though - pretty damn' impressive. And fucking hell were these people fit.
I started out with the typical worry you get with modern dance - Is it going to be an hour of people running into walls and miming being pulled by ropes while someone hits a cymbal every 32 seconds exactly?
And there's a few minutes at the beginning that do trigger concerns. It's a bit abrasive, and the music leans towards the rhythm being more apparent in its absence. But by the ten minute mark they've got you. The whole exercise becomes integrated into yer actual experience, the movements begin to draw you in as you start to spot the cycles and the structure, and you get very glad you're seeing it. And as is often the case, among the tightly-structured overall piece, some of the smallest individual movements make the most impression. Highly sensual, occasionally with too much going on around the stage to take it all in, but with moments of both technical excellence and emotional resonance.
WDPM are an unusual operation in that the composer and choreographer work together to develop each piece from scratch, as a whole entity rather than music coming first and then dance being fitted over the top of it, and then dancers and musicians perform together. Silence Of The Soul is their biggest piece to date, coming in at an hour, but it flies by. The applause at the end was loud and long and thoroughly deserved.
And fucking hell these people are fit.
What’s Happened To The Old Neighbourhood?
I suddenly feel like I'm living in the middle of a gritty drama series on BBC FOUR. On Sunday evening, some kids kicked in the main door of my block, and this evening I've come home to find that a scooter has been torched at the bottom of the steps leading up to that same door. There's a vile smell of petrol and smoke hanging around the place that's making me feel quite nauseous.
Things sure have changed here on Walton's Mountain.
The Difference Between Me And Dave
This is it in a nutshell:
Dave spots a new mobile phone: This one, in fact; decides it's pretty*, and makes a call to buy it. It will arrive tomorrow.
Dave shows me the same phone, I agree that it's pretty* and decide that I'd like one too. Then I decide that I ought to wait until I actually *need* to replace my current phone, which after all does everything I need it to do**, and even when I get to that point, I'll do a lengthy comparison of features and cost before making a final purchase decision. So I may have a new phone before the end of the year. Or I may not.
Spot the difference?
*and has a range of useful features too of course.
** make and receive phone calls, basically.
Grrrrrrrr (Again)
Honestly, I really am turning into Angry of Tunbridge Wells.
On the bus this morning was a man reading The Sun, and I just couldn't believe the headline story they were running. (And no I'm not linking it - they don't deserve it.) 'Sick Britain!' was the banner, above a story about how all of these sponging foreigners who are about to swamp Britain will be denied access to benefits but will still be entitled to use the NHS. *SHOCK!*
Well maybe it's just me, but;
And....?
David Blunkett, the Right-Wing Wet Dream That Walked Like A Man (and then tripped over the kerb*) has made the point that 'new-EU' migrants will indeed not have access to benefits, but will be able to work. Which means that they'll pay tax and National Insurance. Which surely gives them every right to use the NHS.
*Sorry, that was very bad of me, but I really can't stand the man.
Gay Marriage Too
The subject that I wrote about last weekend has continued to be an active one throughout the week, with many more people heading to San Francisco, two (failed) legal challenges to the mayor there's action, and now Governor Schwarznegger himself stepping in to put a stop to it.
I'm more exercised about this situation in the US than I am about the pros and cons of gay marriage generally, because as I noted last week 'the defence of marriage' has become a code phrase for 'the attack on gay people' in the US, and the prospect of an amendment to the Constitution which would effectively make it impossible for there ever to be equality of gay and straight relationships is all-too-likely.
Brrrrrrrr
Good lord but it suddenly got cold last night. 1.30 this morning I woke up shivering and I of all people, who've been known to walk around without a jacket in sub-zero temperatures, actually had to go and get an extra cover for the bed. Admittedly the stuff I usually use is the lightest I could find, but even so. Bit of a shock to the system....
Villains And Heroes
So to the shock of, well, probably no one, Verisign have been named the internet villains of the year.
Sounds reasonable to me, not just because of "the domain name system hijacking scandal", but because of the utterly diabolical service they've always acted like it was beneath them to provide to this business we make our livings in. Fuckers.
I'm equally in agreement with Steve Linford's placing as hero of the year, by the way.