If you met me I'd probably be awkward and say something inappropriate. Then you would either agree with me that this wonderful world is tilted on its axis - or you'd get all offended and climb into a shell.

When I meet a fellow sufferer I know that they want me to say something inapproriate back and we get on like a house on fire - with people running around screaming.

It's great to have people excited about things that mean more than the the fluff in their own belly button - that have greater scope than the immediate space in front of their eyes.

The funny thing is that people seem to stuggle when they do try to just sort themselves out. An open and outward orientation seems to help put that "personal shit" into perspective. Though I dont mean by that travelling and "discovering yourself" - they have mirrors for that.

All this dating and attractiveness malarky might once have flown organically from the conditions of social life. For some reason it doesn't now: both a problem and an opportunity?

I'm completing a degree in journalism, a career switch from twenty years as a mainly self-employed computer programmer. I'm quite political from a libertarian / people come first standpoint. I'm into lots of things in culture, sport, science etc. - ideas especially turn me on.

I am jobbing work to pay for study time:
Current projects: social networking website for the Olympics / University, editing transcripts of speech (people dont errhgh... people dont, you know, they say... well they dont speak how dialogue is written in a novel, let's put it like that)

Then study time:
For study looking at magazines, Zigmunt Bauman, celebrity, Habermas, and journalism law (yuk). I'm being a swot and reading before new term starts (3rd year second half)

I know I can make a living from programming computers.

I'm pretty sure I can write and hopefully am beginning to put that to the test.

I think I'm really bright, but the writing will confirm that or nay.

Movies
Happiness by Tod Solontz
(in fact anything by Solontz seems to be good)
I love Holywood blockbusters with heroes. Independant film makers occasionally make great films. However, some cheese excepted, mainstream movies are sometimes really superb e.g. 16 Blocks

Books, this year liked
King Lear, read it for first time this year, its a mind-fuck, no honest
Venus as a Boy was superb

Music
Nina Simone, Amy Whatsherface, Debbie Harry, Dolly Parton.
Plus loads of fast beat stuff - work or walk music.
And of course Eminem

TV not mentioned!!! I selectively adore television - our window on the world. House has been unmissable for several years now. As has a slew of drama from the USA.

It's amazing what you can get used to being without. Humans are very flexible.

the relationship between public and private sphere.

reading with a couple of hours of TV or a movie.

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