Yesterday evening I asked a friend of mine why her brother had moved to New York—her reply: “Because he was bored of Norwich.” When a man is tired of Norwich, he is tired of life.
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16May05 — 11
My New Fashion Guru
I went to Auriol‘s wedding Auriol, Pete, and all[click image to enlarge] dressed like this: Counsell when I could have gone dressed like this: Rodman Dennis Rodman: there’s a man who knows how to accessorize a pair of shades. [Stolen from Go Fug Yourself.] [The rest of the pics should be on their way to […]
Read More15May05 — 1
Roadkill
I once put it to Norm jokingly that one reason he has the patience to pick through the foul-smelling giblets of articles like Madeleine Bunting’s in yesterday’s Guardian is that he has spent years marking terrible student essays. The truth is it’s because he is a top bloke. Rather him than me though.
Read More14May05 — 0
Ch- Ch- Ch- Changes
I’ve been tinkering a bit, so do please tell me if you have any difficulty posting comments here or linking to any part of this site. In addition to the under-the-bonnet/hood modifications, I have started using the “Links” feature of WordPress for things I notice that are either too small for a full post or […]
Read More08May05 — 2
Grumpy Old Mancunians
One day I must buy my dad and Norm a couple of Test match tickets, drop them off at the entrance to Old Trafford, and leave them to spend the day swapping this kind of gripe. [I know you didn’t mention it dad, but yes, I did notice that I had used “licence” as a […]
Read More02May05 — 0
Why It’s Been So Quiet Around Here
I am just back from Auriol‘s wonderful wedding in Wales and have a stinking cold so there probably won’t be anything new to read at PooterGeek until this evening at least. If any of the people involved in the celebrations or in getting me home afterwards are reading this, thank you!
Read More25Apr05 — 0
Marxist Mog
I met snappy Hak yesterday in London. She was only really snappy when, for example, a mad Islingtonian bint all but knocked her down, dashing across Upper Street to hail a taxi; otherwise she was a charmer. We had a nice lunch; discussed politics, psychiatry, and property; and fondled the shiny things in the Tottenham […]
Read More17Apr05 — 4
My Straight Trousers
The menswear floor of the Cambridge Grafton branch of Next: Leasey and I are practising low-stress tag team male/female shopping, a mode of consumption made possible by mobile phone technology. At last an end to blokes idling morosely in Monsoon while the women they are browsing with compare a succession of near identical burgundy velvet […]
Read More13Apr05 — 6
Seeing Paris The Hard Way
Congratulations to Claire on completing her first marathon!
Read More12Apr05 — 3
Suicide Watch
Here’s a couple from booklover Judith. Firstly, the first line of Amazon’s first editorial review of Robert Crais’s thriller Hostage: “Robert Crais is the real thing: a writer who keeps topping himself…” Secondly, she’s found a celebrity chef who just might displace Nigella in my dreams.
Read More03Apr05 — 1
Not Kissing, Not Telling
You might have noticed that I never write about my own love life here. This is mainly because I don’t have a love life, but neither do I mention foolishly inattentive members of the opposite sex who have accidentally allowed me into their company in the past. Cryptic and multiply-distorted versions of other people’s affairs […]
Read More02Apr05 — 0
Tomato Genome Update
The Koreans have taken a surprising early lead in the race to unravel Solanaceae DNA with the Dutch, perhaps more understandably, right behind them.
Read More30Mar05 — 65
Anastacia By Numbers
The Anonymous Economist lent me a copy of the most recent album from Anastacia (or Shouty Woman, as my officemate Jo calls her). The main producer credited is Glen Ballard. Having listened to the tracks [if I still had dreadlocks they would have trailed back from my head horizontally while I sat in front of […]
Read More15Mar05 — 0
Dead ‘Blog Watch
By way of shaming His Comatose Stoatness I give you PooterGeek’s very own Dead Socialist Watch.
Read More10Mar05 — 0
Preemptive Excuse
I’ve just come back from a nice dinner at the Anonymous Economist’s and have posted twice about genetics after I’ve been drinking. I can’t hold my drink—so both my most recent submissions are subject to editing in the cold light of day. ‘Night, Europe. Hello, America.
Read More07Mar05 — 4
Wonderful Gifts
I had some superb birthday presents this year. I’d especially like to thank Judith for Keane’s Hopes And Fears, Leasey for Ultraviolet, and the Anonymous Economist for the Pierre Marcolini chocolates. Despite the cliché title, Hopes And Fears is a real delight. It’s indie rock descended from the Radiohead-Coldplay line, but without the guitars. She […]
Read More28Feb05 — 1
“Doing The Patriotic Thing”
Yesterday I had lunch with a “fellow” Catholic whose grandfather used to hide fugitive members of the “old” IRA in his house in the Irish countryside. We discussed the disgust being expressed by republicans north and south of the border at the behaviour of the supposed descendants of his grandad’s lodgers. Cathal (not his real […]
Read More25Feb05 — 1
How Many Times?
“The decor looks like an asylum! Where’s my ‘Blogroll link? I want the pretty finger back! I can tell you how to fix that comment spam!” For the next week or so the only complaints I want to hear from you rabble are if your legitimate comments are being bounced, otherwise please stop griping about […]
Read More19Feb05 — 9
It’s Academic Now
I also often disagree violently with the politics of the Anonymous Economist (AE) especially when it comes to Iraq. Yesterday, as we are wont to do, we had a vigorous online debate about British higher education. This is not surprising since we both currently have a professional interest in the subject. At the end of […]
Read More18Feb05 — 0
The Threat From The Curds
Hot Wheels Helena now has her own ‘Blog, but I am not allowed to link to it yet, which is why half of the posts this week are courtesy of her. Because Her Boy had (administrative, not financial) problems with his plastic we had to shop for dinner on Wednesday immediately beforehand. As I wandered […]
Read More17Feb05 — 3
Built-In Obsolescence
Last weekend, as I regarded the wreckage from my most recent computer system balls-up (again), I decided that I should at least squeeze some good from the bad and upgrade PooterGeek’s software to the latest version of WordPress. I stayed up late on Sunday night carefully moving my modifications from 1.1 to 1.2, and also […]
Read More16Feb05 — 0
Class War: Two Things
Hot Wheels Helena did mention that my account of the boxing tournament between Cambridge students and residents might have given the impression that I didn’t have a good night out. I did, in fact, have an excellent time. She also mentioned that—further to my amusement at one of the university’s champions being called “Hugh”—she and […]
Read More11Feb05 — 0
Excuses, Excuses
If it’s any consolation to you, my last remaining reader, as you vainly reload this page expecting new material, I have at least been getting out a bit more over the last few days, even as far as Wales. There, Auriol and Peter treated me to a superb meal, a browse through a couple of […]
Read More09Feb05 — 0
Class War
Last Friday I went to the Cambridge Union Society to watch the Town versus Gown boxing. I should explain to non-Brits that the Cambridge Union is Cambridge University students’ debating chamber and cross-college social focus. Several members of the various Thatcher cabinets were elected officers at the Union when they were undergraduates. Friday night’s event […]
Read More31Jan05 — 9
Crystal Balls
Brian Whitaker in The Guardian—where else?—writes under the heading “Fig-leaf Freedom”: “portrayals of the election as ‘historic’ are way off mark” Unlike the election, Brian’s insights will ring through the ages like Orwell’s. He is, after all, the Middle East specialist who wrote of the US Presidential election: “What interests Arabs most is America’s attitude […]
Read More30Jan05 — 1
Clap Clap Clap
The “file not found” error message on counsell.com features Maryam, the daughter of my friend Nicholas, whom I last saw when I turned up one week early for his and Hind‘s Christmas dinner party. We shared a frozen pizza in his kitchen. Hind was on a train. This week computational-biologist-turned-epidemiologist Nick became the second one […]
Read More28Jan05 — 7
Comedy Genius
At lunch yesterday afternoon we were discussing infinite swimming pools. This led to a debate on how one might construct an infinite waterfall. I said I was going to make an infinite dance record and call it “DJ Counsell versus MC Escher”. The ensuing silence was so complete that the vapour rising up from my […]
Read More26Jan05 — 5
A Day In The Life
Leasey: Hi, Damian. Who are your new friends? PG: The naked one with the beach ball painted grey and labelled “rock” is Sissy; the one in the cape and eye-mask is Benjy. Benjy: You LIE. I am ANON, crusader for TRUTH and JUSTICE. PG: Nice cape, Benjy. Leasey: Are these weirdos coming to the cinema […]
Read More07Jan05 — 12
Norm Is A Top Bloke
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 […]
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