A Tiny Fraction of All History

Was it always this way? Have people in general always lacked a long-term historical perspective? Probably. Perhaps this is the most aware era, though I'm not convinced. The Victorians seemed more or less obsessed with the past and either upholding its standards or not repeating it. Not always to good effect.

I only ask as some browsing on many message boards lately has annoyed me (as so much does) by people stating things are 'best ever' or 'most disastrous' and so on. Most of the time it's nonsense. As a society are we given to hyperbolise at the least little thing? I guess so...people look instinctively for superlatives when less grand qualifiers would do. Is it a tabloid thing, or is the tabloid thing a reflection of what we do in the first place?

But despite all that, my cat is the cutest thing ever. So there. Coochie coochie and, I venture, coo.

Why is it that some shows go out on BBC2 to about 2 million people but as soon as the very same show gets punted to BBC1 it gets about 10 million more? Are people really as sad as just to watch the main channel?

Though most TV is shit of course, much like most of anything.

I blame the parents.

So, I might throw some poetry this way now and then.

If you're lucky, I might just throw you out of the airlock first.

None of my best stuff, mind, just the dregs. Well, maybe not quite that. I do have some self respect you know.

Teenage Fanclub...hmmm.....good band. Grand Prix is the best, but I am digging Man Made lots. Cool as anything. You'd guess they were west coast all right, but not West Coast of Scotland.

No, not Yaffle. I know what you're thinking.

Anyway, how are you?

Isn't cheese great? I'm quite fond of it let me tell you. Not all sorts mind: those really strong whiffy ones like Stilton and so on don't do it for me. But a nice clump of Brie, smoked or maybe chivery sort is fine.

What about the 17th century view on poultices?

Anyone watching the reruns of I Claudius?

They're fabulous! I'd often heard tales of how good it was way back when, but was a little lukewarm at first: dodgy scenery, a lack of dramatic flourishes and very flat staging, I thought...but after a while it started to burrow inside my brain, and now I see that it doesn't need any of that stuff. It has a fine plot, expertly written and realised, and some top quality acting - from John Hurt's superbly creepy Caligula, through Brian Blessed's spectacularly non-shouty (well, mostly non-shouty: give the man some shouts or it isn't worth casting him!) Augustus, and best of all Sian Phillips' wonderfully amoral Livia. Jacobi is excellent throughout and many of the supporting turns are impressive too.

Makes HBO's lurid and tacky overacted 'Rome' look like the badly scripted lump of dirt it really is. Bah. (Though it does lack the nudity. Which is probably for the best mind you in most cases...)

See, that's the level of imagination you're dealing with here. 'Entry one'.

Anyway, this is designed by kind persons to let me randomly babble for no good reason.

Will anyone ever read it? By definition someone has. Ergo, it's a success!

I'll surely touch on politics, history, music, art and whatever else fits snugly into my crinkly cortex. If I can be bothered updating it past this first time.

We'll see.

Anyway, to open, a question: What have you done with your hair? I'm impressed. It suits you much better than that old cut.

And while we aren't on the subject, just who will win the Australian Championship this year?