Norman Geras bought me dinner this evening. I accepted on condition that he let me do the same for him next time we met. More importantly he was excellent company and even more interesting in real life than he is on his ‘Blog—which is saying something. He is also taller.
This very effectively took my mind off a frustrating afternoon trying and failing to get somebody to sell me either 1) a bridge-playing computer as an increasingly belated birthday present for my dad and 2) a 35mm SLR camera that takes film—you know, the glossy stuff that changes colour on exposure to light.
I have recently invested in a decent 35mm slide/film scanner, which means that my 35mm SLR is going to have a new lease of life.
And Norm is a top bloke, who must surely, by now, hold the record for most face to face meetings with UK bloggers than anyone else.
“More importantly he was excellent company and even more interesting in real life than he is on his ‘Blog—which is saying something. He is also taller.”
Taller than he is on his blog? That wouldn’t be hard – on his blog he’s about 9 inches by 12 and rectangular. But he does come across as a top bloke.
I suppose it’s a total waste of time my mentioning the Chess and Bridge shop on Euston Road, because it’s the first place you’d have tried. I’m also cursed with bridge-playing parents, and quite honestly the best present for them is a new hobby.
Thank you very much for the suggestion. I didn’t go there because I am an idiot, but my dad suggested somewhere online and I’ve ordered one from them. Next time I’m in the Smoke I’ll have a look at the Chess and Bridge shop.
Oh gawd. Not another New Labour supporter boasting how he met up with an ageing a ex-Marxist nobody. You are such a saddo, Damian.
Norm Geras isn’t a nobody. He was a professor at Manchester University, the best university in the world bar none, in my unbiassed, neutral, and objective opinion.
Norman Geras isn’t an ex-Marxist either. Generally I don’t agree with Marxists, but I am proud that one as clever, thoughtful, and original as Norm took the time to meet me—so yes, it’s fair to say I was boasting too. We are all ageing. I am indeed a sad New Labourite. Though, if you had been there to challenge our respective world views with your piercing criticisms, David, I am sure Norm and I would both have left the restaurant as fully paid-up Lib-Dems.
Clever, thoughtful and original?
Oh come on! A brief peruse of his blog shows he is far from original. Its the same world view can be found on hundreds of blogs. There is nothing original about his whinging.
Norm Geras must be much amused that he has such a loyal – although tiny – fan club. People who breathlessly and sanctimoniously describe meetings with the great guru.
First Harry Hatchet, now you!
Very amusing indeed!
I can see this is going to be a long day. I should reply in kind with something like, “Nerr nerr, nerr-nerr nerr! I’m the king of the castle and you’re the dirty rascal!”
What the hell, let’s feed the troll.
“Oh come on! A brief peruse of his blog shows he is far from original”
As you pointed out so gracefully earlier, Prof Geras has been around for a while. There’s a bit more to him than his (excellent) ‘Blog. But his CV couldn’t possibly have escaped a laser-like intellect like yours, one that with its very first comment identified an online diary called “PooterGeek” as self-parodic.
“Norm Geras must be much amused that he has such a loyal – although tiny – fan club.”
One notable thing about Norm’s “fan club” is that its membership includes people who disagree with him strongly. Chris Brooke, for example—no supporter of Norman Geras’s line on Iraq—went out of his way to defend Geras on Harry Hatchet’s site. In its comments pages at the time Norm’s reputation was subject to abusive and insubstantial attacks that read a lot like yours here. Who’s unoriginal?
I wonder if people who violently disagreed with you would go out of their way to defend you in public.
What’s the prob with the camera? Plenty of used Nikon FM2’s on eBay, and who could possibly want anything better?
Someone with three Minolta lenses. I’ve been on eBay too and lost several auctions. One sale closed before the seller emailed me too late that the winner had pulled out.
What is this urge to be so vindictive towards people?
I’m in the “saddo club” to and proud of it.