Ah ...

... something else. Today, the front page of one of the free papers out here carried a picture of some iranian men who were hanged by the neck until dead for undisclosed crimes 'to improve the safety of Iran'. I think we can easily establish that the death penalty is inhumane and pointless as a deterent against crime. No one has the right to take life from other people. And a state should not be exempt from that.

That's one.

The second is that I found the blatant front picture very shocking ... well, actually, it wasn't the front page, I lied. The front page was a page-sized advert for sloggi underwear. There were loads of arses in it. You turned that page and then you looked at dead muslims. The irony was not lost on.

I do feel that you shouldn't just fling these pictures on the (nearly) front page. It's disrespectful and potential harmful. Previously, some things were just not shown and maybe that wasn't suh a bad idea ...

I am currently reading Executioner: Pierrepoint. That probably has something to do with my feelings as well.

It's a good book, though. Honest. I appreciate that.

At ...

... work, catching up with an old love.

Not a really sweaty one, trust me, because the lady in question doesn't know me, and besides that she has a rather gay love-life.

It is, of course, Jeanette Winterson.

Every once in a while I stumble onto her website, http://www.jeanettewinterson.com, and I marvel at how pretty it is and how relaxing a presence on this here world wide web.

She'll have a new book out soon and I'm bound to read it as I have done (nearly) everything she's put out there since Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit. I admire her language. It's poetry in a prose form and it works really well. I shall not proclaim to understand everything she writes, though I try, but it is a rich experience in language, stories and ideas.

I may not always agree with her, for instance when she writes about Harry Potter or about Disney's Hercules, and I may not even always really like her, when she's particularly preachy (maybe something in her upbringing?), or a bit too smug, or tells us how to live ... but I will say this:

The Woman Can WRITE.

I would urge people to read some of her work. It's worth the 'effort'.

Today ...

... was a new low in my job. I think I will pay for it tomorrow, however, but today ... I just sat there for four and a half hours, did the mail (badly, no doubt) and then I left. Honestly, what the fuck am I doing there. A waste of my very large talents ...

Oh, by the way: http://uss.ytmnd.com/ ... ta, chicko! Sound on, by the way ...

I think we'll take a little commercial break and we'll just mention the band Skyclad. I recently played some of their old albums again and it was a refreshing experience. Musically, it's folk-metal, the first real folk-metal band, in my opinion. Lyrically, it's anger. It's true anger. Martin Walkyier is a gifted word-smith, really in a league all his own. The man has issues and he's not above sharing this with his audience in the hope of improving society at large. Seriously.

I'd strongly recommend anyone who is capable to do so to seek out some of his work. Not from the latest two albums since he was replaced by another vocalist and this one really sucks, basically, and the anger went away ... but anything before that is just exceptional.

In other news, I recently met, shortly, with Ilse Smit (at least ... I assume that's still her name). Now, she was a friend of mine when I was at school. I hadn't seen her in a long, long time and I have to say that it was fun seeing that at least one of the people I knew then is doing very much fine. She sounded very happy. Which made me happy. So, you know, life man, dig it, it was awesome.

Also: why is music never really put together with the arts? I always find it strange that people talk about art and music as if these things have nothing to do with each other ... maybe it's because art conjurs up the image of somethingsolid and touchable ...

And: http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/news/cult/news/drwho/2007/09/03/48473.shtml

*grin* ... Empty Child/The Doctor Dances and The Girl In The Fireplace ... *grin*

"We just make some shit up!"

Have ...

... you ever known what it's like to be a goldfish?

There's an extra lady here in my room at work. Her job is to observe Rita, a fellow inmate, doing her duties. And she's just THERE. All the time. Asking things. And writing things down. It's ... unnerving.

Now, normally I'd feel a little sorry for Rita for being so heavily burdened and plagued. However, she was just rude to me (she told me that she wouldn't discuss something with me, rather forcefully, whilst I was only attempting to express my opinion on some subject. She should be eager to listen to me. It doesn't happen THAT often, you know, that I have an opinion on office matters) and I can't summon a lot of sympathy right now. Actually, right now, I hope the report on her activities wil be short and scathing. I shall have no such luck.

I'm tempted to lock them in a room together. Maybe with some sharp implements ...

Random ...

... thoughts.

All satanists should go to heaven.
Weirdo = square. Or triangle. Or dodehecadron.
Artist<society=art>society.

Thankyouthankyouthankyou.