Things are better today, though I'm under the weather myself. Orion, the little boy that was in ICU should be coming home today. His mother went into early labor yesterday, but she's doing better as well. My family is well, so that's good, but I just found out another couple of friends are dealing with cancer in their families! OY! I'm thankful for what I have, but feel very empathetic to them. Lost my brother-in-law to a brain tumor in 2000. All this stuff going on, and maybe the fall chill as well has made me a bit melancholy.
How goes it with you?
Okay.I'm a callous hard-hearted bastard I'm afraid and while I could tell a similar,if not worse,tale about my earthly companions this disgraceful character trait of mine at least serves to protect me from becoming down and disillusioned and thus able to provide a reasonable performance level to my alloted duties which I fear would be impossible if I became melancholic.
What cheers you up fastest?
Oh man, that depends! Little ones about 2-years-old - I just love 'em and the thought of mine at that age; a really good joke, good wine & company... Maybe not all that at once - Do I ask too much?!
Yes you do.Really good jokes are few and far between and hardly suitable for an audience which probably contains a proportion of young,idealistic people.I think my Totnes joke was slightly above average for the Acronym thread although I will admit to a warped sense of humour.
Good company is a problem too.One needs to work at that.I find that those I have known longest are the best.Often an interesting newcomer arrives in the pub but on a slightly longer acquaintance one usually finds oneself listening to tales of woe often associated with medical problems or being half way through some woman's mangle.
Good wine is quite easy.Anything above 12% and cheap.
Isn't it a pity that these little ones have to mature?
All good observations, my friend! And the las is almost saddest. Seems we spend our lives trying to get back to that place in one way or another! I mean the innocence, carefreeness, without the pouting, fussing, & whining that comes as they age - OY! Babysat (Orion)the 2-yr.-old's sister last night, and oh, what a little bear! Granted her family has been through a lot this week, but it was all I could do not to rip her cute little head off when she got to screaming! I'm thinking you don't deal too much with little ones, do you? They were my favorite subjects to study in college.
What's your favorite (school) subject?
Geography I think but I more or less love everything.
The 9 month little girl who was here for 8 weeks took to smiling enchantingly at me.Her parents were slightly jealous.I didn't tell them I had been slipping her bits of candy when they weren't looking.They had banned sweet things from her diet until she is 12 months which she nearly is and anyway it was only tiny pieces I gave her.She can belt it out too which amuses me no end as it causes her parents to fuss a lot."Go on",I would say,"give the buggers hell!"It is very good exercise for their lungs which are not fully formed at that age.I suppose it's a bit like jogging.
Do you ever go in for that ridiculous activity?
Which? Acting the child? The frustrated parent? or mischeivous candy-giver and general instigator?!
Yes! Guilty to all of the above! You had a family with a baby stay with you? Relatives? This I'd like to hear!
Yes.They had returned from the wilderness of Vancouver and had nowhere to live.I had to go and pick them up at the airport which I must say was a trifle forbidding.I grabbed the little darling as quick as I could and carried her into England.I handed her back though when she started doing an impression of magsie's avvie.
Can you do one of those?
Ah, yes! I've been famous or rather infamous for some of my laugh-inspiring faces! How about you?
To some extent but when I discovered that I couldn't match that famous photo of Marcel Proust I burned all the record except the coloured print which was the prize in a beautiful baby competition which I inexplicably won at an Easter festival.I'm shown only wearing a blue string vest slightly off the shoulder.
Do you ever wear off the shoulder garments?
Only on very special occasions! You?
I was meaning in public and no,I never do.I find the unneccessary exposure of flesh faintly distasteful.I find ruffs and chokers and long skirts sexy on women and,I'm told,they find uniforms sexy on men.
Do you find uniforms sexy on men?
Depends on the man, and the uniform, I suppose!
Do women ever look sexy in uniform?
Ooooow yeeeesiree!Maam.
Nurses.When they walk fast and determinedly.Not otherwise.All the others look a bit daft to me.
Not male nurses need I add.
Did you ever think of becoming a nurse?
**Pub time.It's Sunday early closing.
Never. I'm not good around illness in strangers, only with the family. But I'm not squeamish.
If I had my time again I might be a doctor though, might you?
If I could be Chief Medical Officer I might consider it but otherwise forget it.CMOs don't have any contact with patients and the money's not bad and you get to be on telly now and again if you know how to manage a good scare story.
I always fancied being a duke's fourth son.And the apple of his eye.Out of his favourite maidservant.
Do you think that would be any good?
Absolutely not, because you would inherit nothing. Even apples of eye were blighted after the old boy had drunk himself to death. I suppose it's marginally better than being a second or third son, having to go into army or church, but the first son is the best, surely? Think of the credit you can run up being a Duke.
Do you fancy being a gambler, playboy and wastrel?
Oh yes.I really fancy that.As a Duke's favoured 4th son it would be easy with no politics,no army and no church to bother about and I would steal all the original paintings and anything else I could lay my hands on and I would use my position to solicit bribes and so on and so forth.
The scientists reckon I'm only a monkey anyway and what else would any self respecting monkey do bearing in mind most of the top people dine with the old man regularly?
In China the monkeys only attend dinners to have their brains eaten.
Do you read newspapers, magazines?
There's usually a Sunday Times in my work place and I often cast my weary eyes over it's contents but more especially book reviews or any articles relating to sexual politics.I also try to see the paper's review on Sky News after my nightly visit to the pub.I find that a general sense of what is going on can be glimpsed from what the editors of our national papers lead their front page with.
I tend to thumb through magazines.
Would you like to live in China?
