The Blog of Lone

I’m pleased to announce that through the lovely Helium.com website I’ve just sold my first article to Name.com. I’ve been published in the past, both online and offline (see Sentinel Poetry for examples) but this is the first time I’ve had the privilege of being paid for my work. So I’m feeling pretty happy about it, even if the amounts of money involved at this point are rather small. Hurrah.

It’s that time of the year again when I leave my hermitage and go and and brave the dangerous world of socialising once more (and with my friends it is dangerous!). So duly I will be wrapping myself in my winter furs, trimming my wild beard, and donning my strap on liver protector and going out to see people and be seen by people. First off is coffee with my exotic friend CJ who is just home from ‘Nam, then a night at Em’s new flat in the equally exotic Essex, then a night out in Harps and later to the casino for Dom’s quarter century celebrations, and then another night in Harps to see all the people I’ve missed the night before. Then off to Rachel’s after Christmas for a week. Somehow I’m fitting my entire year’s socialising into this one weekend. It’s going to be messy. And sticky. But mostly messy.

Bushism of the Day:

“Let me tell you my thoughts about tax relief. When your economy is kind of ooching along, it’s important to let people have more of their own money.” —George W. Bush, Boston, Oct. 4, 2002

It’s been a busy week in Blogland folks, very busy. Hence the lack of posts. Once again I find myself apologising for being a lazy blogger. But you’re probably used to it by now, so maybe you’ll forgive me, indulge me, allow me my eccentricities, just shrug and say ‘hey, that’s just his way’. Or maybe you won’t, maybe, just maybe, you actually look forward to reading this. Perhaps, at the far range of the possibility spectrum, perhaps you even enjoy coming here to swim among the drifting tides of my often rambling writings. Perhaps after reading a post you pull yourself from the warm sea of inanity and sun yourself in the warm fuzzy feeling of once again being up to date with the to-ings and fro-ings of the Blog. It might just happen.

Anyway, where was I … oh, yes, busy - busy busy busy.

So it’s been Guy Fawkes night over here in the UK, where we celebrate our shared heritage by blowing things up. Personally I went down to the Tenterden Bonfire with my lady and bro. It was a slightly creepy experience, with the town crier slowly walking down the high street in all his antiquated finery, ringing his bell and the entire town’s population falling into step behind him and following like a herd of sheep towards the bonfire site. It was all very Invasion of the Body Snatchers. The bonfire itself was huge and awesome, the Guy an oversized blue teddy bear. Blue because burning any other coloured effigy is seen to be inciting racial hatred. The country has gone PC mad. The fireworks were amazing for such a small town, drawing a suitable amount of oohs and ahhs from the crowd. It was great really feeling part of the town for the first time, laughing and enjoying the kids excitement at the spectacle, enjoying it twice over - once for myself and again for the reflected appreciation of the crowd around us. My favourite firework had to be the machine gun like one which hurled hundreds of individual tiny fireworks across the sky in a constant stream of sparks and colour. Ohh, ahh!

It’s also been my birthday this weekend, which has been a quiet family affair really. Thanks to those of you out there in Blogland who left birthday messages in a bewildering variety of electronic formats, facebooked, emailed, myspaced, texted. Funny that no one just posts a birthday card anymore. A big thanks to my lovely lady for coming the width of the country to come visit, having you here really made the weekend special for me.

And also - I know, I know, so many updates!! - I got the results for my MA today. I am happy to announce that I PASSED, and rather well too. I’m not really fully on the ball with the marking schemes but I’m hoping to pick up a merit or distinction above and beyond the pass - not that I’m not chuffed just to have passed it at all! So at least 4 years of Uni weren’t a total waste. Bit of a shout out to the other Sussex PG’s in Brighton, doubt you’ll ever read this, but I hope you got the marks you were wishing for, I know you all deserved it! So now I pick up another set of initials - Lone. BA. MA. Now it’s down to me to make use of all that learning in the real world and try to do something worthwhile with all that education!

And that’s you up to date at the Blog!

Bushism of the day:
“The problem with the French is that they don’t have a word for entrepreneur.” —George W. Bush, discussing the decline of the French economy with British Prime Minister Tony Blair

Here at the Blog I’ve decided to pay some tribute to our favourite chimp faced war mongering little Hitler across the pond.  That’s right, everybodies favourite power crazed dictator is going to getting his due props here at the Blog.  So look out for a Bushism, those little words of wisdom from that wonderful spiritual and political pioneer, included free and at no extra charge with every post from now on at the Blog.  Hell, I get so excited about Bush I might just throw in some photographic silliness for you to enjoy as well.  Who says I’m not good to ya?
President George W. Bush, we salute you! 
Heil Bush!!

“Some call this civil war; others call it emergency — I call it pure evil.” –George W. Bush, on the Iraq war, Washington, D.C., March 28, 2007