If we must
Locker, damn his impertinence, has tagged me with a request to reveal six random facts about myself. Here goes then:
1. I dislike revealing things about myself intensely, but don't mind sharing ideas. And I enjoy arguing with people.
2. I would urge people not to take sides if at all possible. People who are "pro-Israeli" or "pro-Palestinian" who have never been to the Middle East (or who go there to help "their side") fill me with alarm. People who cheer for their political party as if it were a football team depress me (though Labour supporters seem far more passive and forgiving when led by a disastrously inept numpty compared with, say, England football supporters).
By way of illustration, I was born in England of predominately Ulster Protestant and Irish Catholic antecedents; just what is "my side" in Irish matters? (It's worth adding, too, that the Ulster Prod side includes, among others, Irish-speaking Catholic clerics who switched sides to keep their ill-gotten cash and leaders of the United Irishmen.)
3. I don't take most things seriously because most things are, frankly, laughable. The trick is knowing what to take seriously; and recognising that serious matters are often absurd.
4. In my experience of women from three continents, the problem with them (or me, depending on your perspective) is they tend to like me, and want to be friends with me. Arguing with them (see No 1) and trashing their deeply held views is surprisingly effective in remedying the situation.
5. Places I have never visited and would like to have done so: Cornwall; the northern and western Highlands of Scotland, the islands too; Australia; Ireland's western coast - from Dingle to Donegal; Australia; Latin America and India. I have, however, lived in Dundee and Sheffield. (In fact, I was born in the latter).
6. The title of this blog comes from the time I was Paxmanned on University Challenge after buzzing in prematurely and then suffering a mental blank. (For the record we lost – fairly narrowly, but it was a loss nonetheless – to the eventual winners. They were all postgrads, which isn't quite cricket).
I'm not going to tag anyone; but if you have a blog and feel like responding, consider this an open invitation.
1. I dislike revealing things about myself intensely, but don't mind sharing ideas. And I enjoy arguing with people.
2. I would urge people not to take sides if at all possible. People who are "pro-Israeli" or "pro-Palestinian" who have never been to the Middle East (or who go there to help "their side") fill me with alarm. People who cheer for their political party as if it were a football team depress me (though Labour supporters seem far more passive and forgiving when led by a disastrously inept numpty compared with, say, England football supporters).
By way of illustration, I was born in England of predominately Ulster Protestant and Irish Catholic antecedents; just what is "my side" in Irish matters? (It's worth adding, too, that the Ulster Prod side includes, among others, Irish-speaking Catholic clerics who switched sides to keep their ill-gotten cash and leaders of the United Irishmen.)
3. I don't take most things seriously because most things are, frankly, laughable. The trick is knowing what to take seriously; and recognising that serious matters are often absurd.
4. In my experience of women from three continents, the problem with them (or me, depending on your perspective) is they tend to like me, and want to be friends with me. Arguing with them (see No 1) and trashing their deeply held views is surprisingly effective in remedying the situation.
5. Places I have never visited and would like to have done so: Cornwall; the northern and western Highlands of Scotland, the islands too; Australia; Ireland's western coast - from Dingle to Donegal; Australia; Latin America and India. I have, however, lived in Dundee and Sheffield. (In fact, I was born in the latter).
6. The title of this blog comes from the time I was Paxmanned on University Challenge after buzzing in prematurely and then suffering a mental blank. (For the record we lost – fairly narrowly, but it was a loss nonetheless – to the eventual winners. They were all postgrads, which isn't quite cricket).
I'm not going to tag anyone; but if you have a blog and feel like responding, consider this an open invitation.
Labels: lists
posted by buff and blue at 8:38 pm
4 Comments:
Never been to Donegal, eh? That'll be why I commissioned 3,000 words about the place from you in 1999 or thereabouts...
It wasn't a travel piece, though, was it? (For the record I have been to Derry city where I have gazed across the Foyle at Donegal).
So are we to surmise from Number 4 that you are a 'confirmed bachelor'...?
Actually, I find that, as a woman, simply having an opinion is usually enough to send chaps running.
Puss
That false surmise is the problem, Puss. All that stuff about female intuition, it's just plain wrong.
The chaps you meet are probably intellectual weaklings who fear being shown up by a girl.
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