Dispatches
Sep. 22nd, 2007 02:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
todayiamadaisyIf you had a spare dollar, you could go to the stationery shop I was in this morning and buy a 2007 diary or desk calendar. Bargain! I wonder if anyone does actually buy them at this time of year. I suppose you could use the desk calendars as notepads, but I don't think the diaries would be much good to anyone at this late stage.
If I said "I came late to the idea of, say, shag-pile rugs", I would mean that I have only recently begun to appreciate the joys of shag-pile rugs that everyone else has known for years, wouldn't I? So how to explain this from the news the other night: "Japan came late to the idea of political cakes..."? Political cakes? Political cakes turned out to be little cakes that come in boxes decorated with cartoons of politicians. They interviewed a woman who had a political cake shop (seriously, that's all she sold), and people of all ages who were buying them. Perhaps Japan stumbled onto this idea recently, but I don't think they came late to it; they seem to be well ahead of the rest of the world on this. I hope it catches on here. Our Prime Minister could have his own John Howard Jam Roll.
The paper today revealed the astonishing statistic that there are only one thousand roundabouts in the United States, compared to ten thousand in Britain, fifteen thousand in Australia (most of them are here in the City by the Sea) and twenty thousand in France. I don't have anything to add to that, but, you know, feel free to amaze your friends with it.
Finally, I have a new Mortal Enemy. Almost all my Mortal Enemies come from the ranks of "humorous" newspaper columnists (most of the rest are celebrity chefs). Chief among them is The Age's Catherine Deveny, a shrill harpy whom it distresses me to dislike because I actually agree with her in general; it's just that I don't find her funny and I do find her strident. The new addition to the list is a man called "Roger Sinclair", the pseudonym of a local writer who has a new observational column in the local paper. A staler blend of tedious half-wittery I have yet to encounter. Last week he treated us to a round of "what young women are wearing today, even though is politically incorrect* for me to look at them"; today, Roger revealed that he is a relative newcomer to the City by the Sea and gave us a column of the "don't country people talk funny?" variety. Apparently our voices "sound of indolence". Get over it, Rodge.
* My own opinion (or part thereof**) on political correctness is that the concept is perpetuated by people who like to think themselves politically incorrect in the misguided belief this makes them charmingly naughty and daring when in fact they are actually being insufferable, Roger.
** I have a whole rant about it, but I'll spare you.
If I said "I came late to the idea of, say, shag-pile rugs", I would mean that I have only recently begun to appreciate the joys of shag-pile rugs that everyone else has known for years, wouldn't I? So how to explain this from the news the other night: "Japan came late to the idea of political cakes..."? Political cakes? Political cakes turned out to be little cakes that come in boxes decorated with cartoons of politicians. They interviewed a woman who had a political cake shop (seriously, that's all she sold), and people of all ages who were buying them. Perhaps Japan stumbled onto this idea recently, but I don't think they came late to it; they seem to be well ahead of the rest of the world on this. I hope it catches on here. Our Prime Minister could have his own John Howard Jam Roll.
The paper today revealed the astonishing statistic that there are only one thousand roundabouts in the United States, compared to ten thousand in Britain, fifteen thousand in Australia (most of them are here in the City by the Sea) and twenty thousand in France. I don't have anything to add to that, but, you know, feel free to amaze your friends with it.
Finally, I have a new Mortal Enemy. Almost all my Mortal Enemies come from the ranks of "humorous" newspaper columnists (most of the rest are celebrity chefs). Chief among them is The Age's Catherine Deveny, a shrill harpy whom it distresses me to dislike because I actually agree with her in general; it's just that I don't find her funny and I do find her strident. The new addition to the list is a man called "Roger Sinclair", the pseudonym of a local writer who has a new observational column in the local paper. A staler blend of tedious half-wittery I have yet to encounter. Last week he treated us to a round of "what young women are wearing today, even though is politically incorrect* for me to look at them"; today, Roger revealed that he is a relative newcomer to the City by the Sea and gave us a column of the "don't country people talk funny?" variety. Apparently our voices "sound of indolence". Get over it, Rodge.
* My own opinion (or part thereof**) on political correctness is that the concept is perpetuated by people who like to think themselves politically incorrect in the misguided belief this makes them charmingly naughty and daring when in fact they are actually being insufferable, Roger.
** I have a whole rant about it, but I'll spare you.