Monday, June 24, 2013

Laughter in inappropriate places

I was in a carpark, when I laughed aloud (I would say it was at an audio book I was listening to on my headphones, to seem less mad, but in truth - and I may as well be honest here on my very own blog as not - I was just laughing at a memory).

To my shock (not having realised anyone was around) a drunk guy on the other side of the wall shouted "What you laughing at?!" I froze, really worried. He continued angrily, "Come back here!"

I stayed still and was relieved to hear another man shout back something incomprehensible. He was wise enough to keep going rather than return as instructed. The drunk kept shouting for the other bloke to "come back here", and I stayed out of sight until they'd both departed.

Phew.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Female Eunuch

I have just finished listening to Germaine Greer's The Female Eunuch. It's kind of shocking really that I'd never read it, but there you jolly well go. She read it herself for the audio book, and was pretty expressive.

It was interesting to see how much still seems relevant, given it was first published in 1970. I need to think on it some more, but I'm just pleased with myself for having got around to it so I thought I'd post about it.




January

Green Mars / Kim Stanley Robinson
Blue Mars / Kim Stanley Robinson
The Changeling / AE van Vogt - re-read
Rage / Stephen King (Richard Bachmann) - re-read

February

Black Sheep / Georgette Heyer

March

The Fry Chronicles / Stephen Fry - audio book
The Liar / Stephen Fry - re-read

April

Mistakes were Made (but not by Me) / Carol Tavris & Elliot Aronson - audio book
Daggerspell / Katherine Kerr - re-read
Missing Pieces / Joy Fielding - re-read
The Ancestor's Tale / Richard Dawkins

May

Why be happy when you could be normal? / Jeannette Winterson - audio book
Driver / Taiye Selasi - short story on audio
The Family Portrait / Jon Ronson - 4 short stories on audio

June

Dreams from My Father / Barack Obama - audio book
Sleepyhead / Mark Billingham
The Female Eunuch / Germaine Greer - audio book

Tuesday, June 04, 2013

Wait, what?

I came across someone complaining that atheists are constantly trying to dissuade her from her faith and another poster replied "As a Christian, I get this all the time. I don't push my beliefs on anyone beyond asking if they were interested and felt they needed it they were welcome to attend my church."

I'm not sure if this reply was serious or a pisstake. Either way, tee and indeed hee.


Don't get me wrong, this isn't like full-on thrusting a Bible into your hand and extorting you to save your soul before it's too late - but it is opening a door to a particular kind of conversation. Perhaps all the response the person wants is a 'no thank you' if it is a negative. But you don't always get your preferred response, cos people aren't psychic robots out to please you. OK, an over-zealous atheist leaping forth with 'en garde' and 'let us duel to the death with our well-trodden arguments that we've both probably heard before' may well not be what you want, but you can't in good faith say you didn't start it.