This is how much I think

Journal Archive

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2003
JAN	FEB	MAR	APR	MAY	JUN	JUL	AUG	SEP	OCT	NOV	DEC

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December 20, 2003: Holiday

YYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!! Going to Sweden on holiday in five weeks!!! V. excited.

December 16, 2003: Heard On The News Pt II

European countries have agreed to give out to the USA the name, address, phone number and if applicable credit card number of every European passenger who flies to the USA in the future. The excuse for this unbelievable breach of privacy? The war against terrorism, still and again.

I'm not a terrorist. Fuck off.

Even more worrying, here in the UK this amazing, shocking, worrying agreement only got a 30-second mention on BBC News. I haven't read or heard anything more about it. I'm fairly sure people who weren't necessarily watching BBC News just then would like to know that Baby Bush will know where they live as soon as they check in with their toddlers on their next trip to Disneyworld, FLA.

Music: Megadeth - Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?

November 30, 2003: Homesick. Homesick. Homesick.

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Mood: Vill g� hem.

November 18, 2003: Me, I don't like them.

I don't like the English. As a people they annoy me no end. Now don't get me wrong, I know lots of fab English people, one on one. But as a nation, sorry but yuck. There is something fundamentally anal-retentive about the English, as well as something fundamentally hypocritical. It's all in their culture, in the way they're raised.

I've lived all over the place by now. England - to stay fair I have yet to set foot anywhere else in Britain - is the only place I've ever been made to feel that my quirky foreign ways are unacceptable and that I should be striving to blend in. Screw that. It's not like I'm a cannibal or have dinner plates in my ear lobes for God's sake! Besides, people, you're bland and drab and miserable. I don't want to be bland and drab and miserable.

As for hypocrisy. Another "Excuse you", "Excuse this", "Excuse that", "Sorry for being nosy" and I'm going to bite. The bottom line is, you sneeze, yawn, burp and look out the window as much as any other people, so just bloody come to terms with it!

In my country you do it as quietly as possible and don't call attention to it by making a fuss afterwards. If you can't be discreet then you apologise.

How shockingly foreign.

Music: Sin�ad O'Connor - She Who Dwells...

November 3, 2003: You're joking... right?

Spotted in our kitchen today: Christmas Washing-Up Liquid. From Marks. Need I say more?

GAH!

Music: Sophie B. Hawkins - Tongues and Tails.

October 31, 2003: A Technosexual Paradox

Ever noticed how car size relates to penis size? The bigger the car the smaller the willy. Now, ever noticed how mobile phone size relates to penis size? The smaller the phone the smaller the willy.

That's our problem these days. Our relationship to modern technology is just not consistent. No wonder The Matrix trilogy was such a hit.

Music: Imogen Heap - I Megaphone.

August 31, 2003: What Happened To My First Paycheck

Music: Fiona Apple - When The Pawn Hits.

August 2, 2003: Drought

Surely I must have had some thoughts? You don't just go five weeks without one single measly little thought? Getting v. scared now. Perhaps I have the Simpsons gene.

June 24, 2003: As Seen On TV

Heard on the ITV lunchtime news during a report on a White Paper about gene therapy: "It should be made an offence to steal someone's DNA for mischievous purposes." Hadn't realised it had come to that, how very sci-fi. I'm not sure whether to be blown away or just plain scared.

June 19, 2003: Pourquoi Tant De Haine?

There seems to be an inherent brutality of the French language. It has become perfectly normal in any conversation to swear, and insult each other, and other such pleasantries. It's such a very odd thing, and I find it quite unsettling really. I wonder to what extent it reflects society. Well French society is very brutal and permeated by more or less concealed aggression.

Worrying, I say.

June 17, 2003: A most \m/ day

Ha ha! Guess who I met today? Let me give you a clue, mmmm, think low growl, think "Rooooooots, bloody roooots", think Brazil. Sepultura! Yep! Honest to God. Sepultura were giving a concert in Lille tonight which I did not go to of course, but I did go to the signing session they held at the big record store this afternoon, with Brother. So we spent the afternoon trying to find a pen they could use on his guitar case (one of those soft, fabric affairs), then we got him the guitar case, the new album and a poster signed. Very cool moment. \m/ and all that. Not that many people there really, which is hardly surprising, but it was odd how young the crowd was. I was literally among the oldest people there. I didn't know Sepultura were still in with the kids.

Music: Sepultura - Roorback.

June 11, 2003: Dogshit!

Dogshit dogshit dogshit... The difference between Sweden and France isn't in the architecture, or the culture, or... whatever. It's in the dog do. Take Uppsala. Not a stray pile of dookie anywhere in sight... ever; okay maybe the odd sneaky one hiding under the snow in the winter. Swedish dog owners seem to believe that if it's buried under a 3-foot layer of snow it's not there. Little dogpoo pixies pick it up or something. Mmmmm... no. Now take Lille, where people develop a special walk, the dogshit walk. It goes after the principle that you should never, ever, ever, EVER look up from the pavement. They say Frogs from the North are shy. Nah, they're just dodging piles. It's not about avoiding eye contact, it's about avoid dog do / shoe contact.

May 29, 2003: Yikes! Fire!

There was a fire in my building last night. Some dimwit set a couple of bins on fire in one of the bin rooms - recycling is a national sport here so we have big rooms with like about 15 kinds of bins for 15 kinds of rubbish. I was quite shaken as I live right above it. And boy, the stench! Not impressed!

But I got to see firemen in a big red fire-engine, mmmm yummy. And cops. Swedish cops have the sexiest uniforms. And now we have a couple of cool melted bins slash modern art sculptures by the building door.

Music: Emilie Autumn - Enchant.
Mood: Still waiting for the morning coffee to kick in.

May 19, 2003: Boys

What a funny breed. We have far too many boys in this dorm, and while they're more than decent one to one, every time they're all together in the same room it all turns into one big "who's coolest" thing. Complete with sexist, racist, homophobic, intolerant remarks and picking on the girls (there are only two of us - thank God we get on fine).

Oooooh yeah please, call me an idiot and burp in my face, I crave it, that'll make me want to have your babies.

April 30, 2003: New New Toy

Meet my new buddy the cyber tamagotchi. I find those things infinitely entertaining. They feed my love of the camp. ("Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzap!") He's quite a good boy really, although I've always found the way they exult and hop about rapturously everytime they make a Number Two rather disturbing. Not sure a poopy fetish is such an appropriate thing in a toy.

Want one? Clicky.

April 25, 2003: Christina

I understand wanting to be rich and famous. And sexy is what makes you rich and famous. Seriously, she didn't write the rules, that girl. I understand people being upset. Jealousy. Hell if I was given a chance to get that much attention and make that much money I wouldn't think twice about it. Except I won't ever get that chance, well not in that way.

I don't understand the pseudo-feminist, I'm-proud-of-my-body, I-like-being-pinned-to-the-wall-and-wanked-in-front-of, bullsmack. I understand what she's up to and given half a chance I might do the same. But I'd have more respect for the whole plan if she was honest about it. It's a lesser evil made up for by the moneymetre ticking and ticking. It isn't something you "enjoy." Come on girlfriend.

April 23, 2003: Happy Birthday To Me

Tis my birthday today. Am now the proud possessor of a webcam, which is a cool new toy as new toys go.
That's me playing with my new toy ---->
I like this shot.
Do I look older?

April 18, 2003: Frustration Strikes

I want my voice back! I've had a horrible cold for over two weeks and I want to sing along to my funky tunes again!!!

April 10, 2003: I don't like this one bit.

Here's the situation: I have a Yahoo account, which I use a lot as it is my main account, and I have registered that address on a number of sites and all. Yet I never get any spam on that.

At the same time, I also manage my dorm's e-mail account, which is a Hotmail account. The address has never been given away except to open a Bravenet web-hosting account. Now I also have a personal account on Bravenet so I know for a fact they don't spam you in any way. Yet that Hotmail account gets absolutely drowned in spam. Drowned. Penis enlargement offers - oh yes please I would love a larger organ - and diplomas and such and such.

Get it? So: Hotmail - Bill - gives away your e-mail address to spammers. That's my conclusion. Correct? Or am I missing something? And probably makes a nice bundle out of it. Which other free e-mail services don't. How is that right? Sorry mate but that rather defeats your "we mean well, not our fault we're so big" speeches.

March 30, 2003: What vegetable most resembles your day?

Just about any old vegetable, why? So I live with eleven people and I have yet to see a living soul today. Not like I've been in my room all the time, I've cooked a lot and I watched a movie earlier. I have seen their mess though. And cleaned it. Bit bored now.

Music: Metallica - Ride the Lightning.

March 23, 2003: Life with students (a rant)

When you leave your old coffee in the percolator for several weeks, no it doesn't just go away, yes it moulds and smells.
When you have used the mop, it is common courtesy to empty the bucket and rinse both mop and bucket. Especially when it's been a few weeks since you did.
A full hoover bag can be changed in a few easy moves. That is what we have those odd-looking paper bags in the cleaning closet for.
Empty bags of pasta and cartons of milk do not belong under the kitchen table. The rubbish bin is a suggestion that pops to mind.

It's funny though, what I resent the most is not the dirt in itself, it's the stereotyped behaviour. We're sudents so we're slobs. In my oddly wired brain being expected to be a slacker is enough to make me insanely neat just to prove them wrong. Oh well.

Music: Heather Nova - Siren.
Mood: They're making me into one hell of an old fart.

March 20, 2003: Symphony of Destruction

Here we go, the world is at war... again. I wonder what happened to the war in Afghanistan. Very telling that the Bush administration are already planning for a replacement to Saddam, some military guy of course, they never learn do they? I'm reallly beginning to believe that it's all the same as all those South American dictators whose regimes were funded by the US and then overthrown, still by the US, when they stopped doing what the US wanted them to. That includes Saddam's regime too actually.

Propaganda makes me sick, I can't believe some Americans actually believe that the French are "removing all mentions of US help during WW2 from their history books", hello, France isn't the fourth Reich. Just because they're not on the same side. Jesus. This is scary. Also, sorry, but yeah they helped THEN, what kind of a Christian nation calls to guilt/debt feelings to get support for an illegal and unmotivated war. Thanks for the help but that was ages ago, I wasnt even born, we're talking about NOW here! Just because you did something right once doesn't mean you can expect people to just nod their heads in silent agreement for centuries to come.

March 8, 2003: To Be or Not To Be... PC?

Said something smart on DT today, about freedom of speech and political correctness.

At what point does political correctness become a form of control of people's thoughts, even with the best of intentions?

The thing you said about psychiatrists is a good point, what is eccentricity and what is insanity? I hadn't thought of that, in a way it can be seen as a check imposed on our minds, which may not always be justified.

On the other hand the society thing makes me think about this huge paradox we have in our part of the world; take for example the USA, or Sweden, maybe you'll recognise Finland as well. These countries are very PC, and they're stuck in this complex situation where it means that everybody should have the right to say what they think (freedom of speech, equal value of opinions and cultures), but at the same time due to the fact that every single human view can be offensive to somebody out there still have issues with the implications of total freedom of speech, and often wonder if it should be curtailed.

Example: Sweden first. You have this movement particularly in the educational system and the media for preservation and transmission of immigrant cultures. At the same time you regularly get huge scandals around honour killings and people saying that THAT is not okay. So what is it we want? Preservation or repression? It is a traditional behaviour after all.

The USA: racism is not okay, yet because of/thanks to freedom of speech, the KKK is allowed to demonstrate.

France: Le Pen and his racist, extremist party. Some people want to ban the party by law because of its fascist opinions, while some other say that this is all very well, but if everybody can express themselves then Le Pen should also be allowed to.

I'm not taking sides one way or the other because I really don't know what to think about this particular issue. But I find it really thought-provoking, anyone else been thinking about that?

Dynomite is soooooo addictive, I'm spreading the word and getting people hooked, he he he it's all part of an evil plan but ssssshhhhhhhh.

March 1, 2003: Semledax!

Had some semlor today, I always thought they sounded like the grossest food combo you could think of (namely a cardemuma bun with an almond paste and whipped cream filling) but they were quite nice. Very messy eating, you end up with whipped cream up your nose no matter what. I hate how whipped cream takes up fridge smells though, yuck.

Feb 19, 2003: Tech jinx

I must be giving off some sort of funky electro-magnetic waves (perhaps genius-related? Brain gone out of control, EEK!) Last night at work I kept breaking all the machines I walked by, seriously, sent a computer to Silicone Heaven and a photocopier to Xerox Heaven, all in the space of 20 mins. Freaky. Felt very tempted to walk away trying to look innocent but I did eventually report it to our very own Groundskeeper Willie - whose name as it happens is Guillermo.

Music: Iggy and The Stooges - Raw Power.

Feb 16, 2003: I'm a bored genius

I am a little bored. What do geniuses do of a Sunday afternoon? I'm not even procrastinating, either, I've done all my work, all my classes for the week are prepared for, I've written the dumb study plan I've been putting off making for days, I've replied to this week's e-mails from my students, everything. Might bake some buns if I hadn't baked about 65 yesterday already. Maybe I could bake some cookies? Or study quantum physics? Whatever bored geniuses do of a Sunday afternoon.
Talking of my newfound genius-dom. The reaction to the engine's action comes from the fuel, not from the surrounding atmosphere. THAT is how space shuttles work. Here's the link.

Music: Enya - Might explain the creeping boredom.

Feb 14, 2003: I'm a genius

Seemingly. These people said I have an IQ of 148, which they explain is a bit under my real IQ because English isn't my first language. Well well well. I thank you.
Here's their scale, by the way:
Average: 85 - 115
Above average: 116 - 125
Gifted Borderline Genius: 126 - 135
Highly gifted and appearing to be a Genius to most others: 136 - 145
Genius: 146 - 165 <---- That's me. Right up there with Einstein!
High Genius: 166 - 180
Highest Genius: 181 - 200
Beyond being measurable Genius: Over 200

Music: Tracy Bonham - Down Here
Reading: Alexandre Dumas - Les Trois Mousquetaires (no kidding)

Feb 7, 2003: Travelling

I worked out on a plane between Stockholm and London that: 10-7=3 and 7-10=-3, which theorizes as:
when a-b=c
then b-a=-c; yep.

Would also like to know how space shuttles work. By which I mean: when you're on a plane, I understand that the engines make propulsion possible by opposing a force to the surrounding atmosphere, that is to say they literally push on the air around the plane which makes it move forward. But. There is no "air" in space, so how do space shuttles' reactors work?

A nursery-school-type picture to illustrate my thought:

Spaceshuttle

Music: Nickelback - The State
Reading: Jay McInerney - Model Behaviour

Feb 6, 2003: Valentine's Day coming up

The odd/old question of romance. A sweet caring man who doesn't light heart-shaped candles on the dinner table isn't romantic. A cheating jerk who gets her name written in smoke across the sky is. I wish women would lay off the Meg Ryan thing. How can you walk around around claiming you're a liberated feminist, and at the same time expect to be treated like those movie blondes who are anything but liberated independent women?

Mood: Old-fartsy

Jan 15, 2003: Lord of the Rings

Now there's one thing I don't quite understand, the Aragorn phenomenon. See I like the movies because they're full of long-haired blokes. Fair enough, I've always liked long-haired men. But what is it with all those other women with meteor-sized crushes on Aragorn? From my own experience, women don't normally get close to long-haired men unless they've got paid for it, and even then still holding their nose. Just look at poor Chad Kroeger elected Ugliest Man in Entertainment, well I think Chad Kroeger is the sexiest thing this side of my man. OMG is the acronym that comes to mind when he turns up on my TV screen.
But I'm going off on a tangent here. Point is, I expected to enjoy the view, but I didn't expect to have to share it with so many other gasping females, seeing as until now I've never had much competition on the man-trolling front. What can it be? The armour? The horse? The phallic sword? It can't be the dirt now can it. Or it's the modern, feminist (picture quotey motion of fingers here) woman's inherent hypocrisy.
Women should fight for the right to a middle ground between saint and whore. For the right not to be perfect BUT with retained respect. Meanwhile, their boyfriends and husbands should be caring, dishwashing, birthday-remembering perfect. But the ones that get the hot and bothered sighs are the ones they shun like the plague.
And they say they're not irrational. Blah.

Music: Would put some on if the phone could just stop ringing

Jan 2, 2003: Surreal

Exactly what is the point of a re-run of New Year's Eve's programmes??????

Mood: Puzzled


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