Feel Frisky, it’s Friday
Well well, what a momentous week it’s been. Some brown fellow won an election in a trivial Chinese client state somewhere in the former British colonies, but far more importantly Glasgow Celtic managed a very creditable draw against Manchester United in the Champions’ League despite not actually passing the ball to one another more than half a dozen times during the entire ninety minutes. Momentous, I tell you. What a day for Scotland.
Snigger. Sorry, that was mean.
No, what I really meant was that it’s about time our side started winning elections again. There was a rash of lefty wins in the mid-nineties as Clinton and Blair won, accompanied by similar successes in France and Germany by Chirac and Schroeder. I know ‘lefty wins’ is not really the picture in retrospect, but at the time it seemed like social-democrats were winning all over the place. It’s odd, then, that as America finally shakes off the governance of fear and insularity, some of us in Europe seem rather worryingly to be embracing it: Sarkozy is a right-wing nutjob, and the Austrians have basically elected the Nazi Party. Cameron may be in a position of some strength in the UK, but he’s really far too wet and insubstantial to be considered much of anything, not that this can really be described as a good thing.
I know it’s going to take a different kind of politics to deal with the rise of the Indians and, particularly, the Chinese, who don’t seem to give a shit about anyone but themselves, but I am not sure nationalistic jingoism is quite the solution. We’ll see though.
And how about next week we try and make the prevailing topics of conversation a little lighter in tone, eh? We’ve had cultural witch hunts and dramatic elections these last two weeks, and it would be nice to get to the end of the week with nothing more grave than titties and beer on my mind, for a change.
So de-lurk, come out of the shadows, say hello and join in. And if you want to pick next Friday’s five, then email me with your picks – details on the Contact page.
1. Favourite U.S. state name.
2. First tipple of the evening.
3. Last tipple of the evening.
4. Blonde, brunette or redhead?
5. Nicest looking alphabet, with link if you can.
5 and a half. Can anyone identify that picture? Bonus points if you can.
Weddings, Parties, Anything – Father’s Day (Live)
Joe Cocker – Hitchcock Railway
Liz Green – Bad Medicine
The Fiery Furnaces – Single Again
Giant Sand – Red Right Hand
1. Wyoming
2. Green ginger wine – I have a cough and my mum always said it was a great cure. I had a few shots, just to make sure.
3. Cough medicine – just in case.
4. If you’re asking what I am, it’s redhead. If you’re asking what I prefer in a significant other, brunette.
5. http://www.ebaumsworld.com/pictures/view/870379/
1. Wyoming. I have no idea where it is, but it’s a nice noise. Wyoooooming!
2. A pint of Kronenbourg – in about twenty minutes.
3. Well there’s some white wine in the house, but I pray I don’t get desperate enough to touch it. Filthy stuff.
4. Deep dark and reddish, I think. But in general, the darker the better, whatever the colour.
5. Erm, I’ve always liked the Japanese alphabet. But actually, my favourite is probably Arabic.
Snap!
And, ooh – redhead! Mmm!
Great minds…
And, unfortunately, fuckwits too.
1. I was thinking Wyoming too (possibly proving the fuckwits comment), but now I’ll just look like I’m jumping on the bandwagon, so I pick Minnesota.
2. A bloody Jim Beam, as the uni bar’s woefully understocked.
3. If all goes to plan then I’ll end on a chilled flute of Moet, but if past form is anything to go by it’ll be some bloody vinegar-wine.
4. Brunette (she’d kill me if I said anything else…
5. I’d go for the Ruski one; it looks very severe and scary, but in a good way (http://kodeks.uni-bamberg.de/AKSL/Schrift/RussAlphabet.htm).
5 1/2. Is that Joerg Haider’s car? The scary right-wing Austrian who was allegedly doing twice the speed limit when he crashed and died?
1.Illinois
2. After last nights mess I am thinking a nice cup of coffee.
3. Sweet tea. helps you sleep – though I won’t struggle on that front tonight.
4. red head or brunette normally.
5. english alphabet but in tomato sauce please.
1. Maybe Iowa. Just cos it looks like a spelling mistake.
2. I shall be abstaining from alcohol this evening.
3. Honest.
4. Really, your shallowness surprises me, Matthew. Do you really care that much what colour of hair a lady has? Does attraction and interest really hinge on such a superficial detail? What does it matter? Just as long as they put out, I’m happy.
5. I like this one, though there’s a chance I may have misunderstood the question.
1. Arkansas – it’s not phonetic, it confuses people
2. Diet Coke
3. Something decaffeinated
4. Brunette
5. Er…oh Lord…are we talking typeface, probably not? Japanese looks cool…
51/2. Er…it’s a crash somewhere in the UK…
as for future elections the vote Ed for an achievably Socialist Scotland! Where rich people would not be able to go off and live in tax exile, and public sector workersw got better pay!!
1. I always liked the sound of Alaska. Unfortunately it now has unpleasant associations.
2. Pint of ale; whatever the pub across the road has on tap that looks interesting.
3. Talisker, because it will seem like a good idea at the time.
4. Black (is that dark brunette in your scheme?)
5. Mongolian looks pretty cool; though I agree that Arabic probably wins on the basis of allowing you to have a signature that looks like this.
5 1/2 (Tom: Yes)
I know what the picture is.
1. A lot of the names are evocative because of the prevelance of American culture. I think Louisiana flows quite nicely as a word though.
2. Last night? Some minging San Miguel that needed its lines cleaned.
3. Last night? Some minging black sambuca that could be used for line cleaning.
4. Yes, please.
5. I always thought Sanskrit looked nice.
5 1/2. Tom’s right.
I thought it was knight rider.
So did Joerg.
Is 5 and a half ashley cole’s car after he found out he’d only been offered £55,000 a week on his new Arsenal contract rather than £60,000
“When I heard Jonathan repeat the figure of £55,000,” writes Ashley, “I nearly swerved off the road. ‘He is taking the piss Jonathan!’ I yelled down the phone. I was so incensed. I was trembling with anger. I couldn’t believe what I’d heard.”
1. ohio
2. pint
3. Whisky Mac
4. Blonde, brunette or redhead? yes please
5. my dyslexic one
5 and a half. Joerg Haider’s car…..wanker…..hope it hurt
hope it hurt
Actually, yes, if anyone deserved to bleed slowly to death while the emergency services casually discussed the possibility of bothering to try and free him then it was Joerg.
Although Ashley Cole is not far off.
I think Mongolian is winning so far, but the Arabic signature is pretty fucking cool. Actually, we’re probably all on some CIA database now for even mentioning it.
hello folks.
1. massachusetts (gesundheit)
2. red wine for nights in, larger or guiness for gigs.
3. on wednesday night it was clear, in a shot glass, removed my head and beyond that, a complete mystery.
4. maybe all three. maybe not all at once.
5. hindi
http://www.anu.edu.au/asianstudies/hindi/homework/alphachart.gif
5andahalf. wednesday night.
1. Delaware
2. Monday: Stella. Tuesday: Stella. Wednesday: Grolsch. Thursday: Merlot. Friday: Cabernet Sauvignon
3. Bourbon, soda water, one cube of ice (any night of the week)
4. Redhead all the way.
5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hieroglyph
1. Kansas – mainly because most of Kansas City isn’t in Kansas. Gotta love the yanks.
2. Sailor Jerry’s and Coke
3. Sailor Jerry’s and Coke (I bloody love it)
4. Redhead, most definitely
5. Simply ’cause of that signature, Arabian.
1) Massachusettes … I don’t why, I just like the name. Oh, and the Bee Gees song is pretty good.
2) G & T naturally.
3) Whatever comes to hand.
4) Hmmm, I lean towards redhead.. but anything except platinum blonde is fine. The latter is just wrong.
5) Microsoft Word fonts ‘Calibri’, ‘Trebuchet’ and the quite excellently named ‘Poor Richard’. It’s a great way to procrastinate, font-testing so it is. What, I’m cool? Was old Joerg in the batmobile when he crashed?
I leaned towards a redhead the other night. Just got a slap for my troubles!
ba-dam-tsssh!
1. Not that I’m biased or anything, but my vote goes to California. Louisiana is pretty damn good too, though.
2. Strongbow (which I haven’t found in the States, boo hiss)
3. Glenmorangie or Talisker. Mmmm, single-malts.
4. I’ve always had a strong thing for dark-haired guys (blame Cary Grant), though strangely I have only dated blonds or gingers. Such is the way of the world?
5. There’s something about Russian that I quite like. Kind of like Roman script, but with enough different to make it somewhat alien and interesting. Plus, spoken Russian makes a sober person sound like they’ve had several shots of vodka…
1. Favourite U.S. state name.
United Kingdom.
2. First tipple of the evening.
absinthe
3. Last tipple of the evening.
paint thinner
4. Blonde, brunette or redhead?
Blonde upstairs, brunette downstairs, redhead in the pits.
5. Nicest looking alphabet, with link if you can.
Elvish. But the language is that of Mordor, which I will not utter here:
http://www.newmoon.uk.com/jewellery/elvish_ring.jpg
5 and a half. Can anyone identify that picture? Bonus points if you can.
It appears to be some sort of motorized vehicle, broken, and there’s a lady or effeminate man next to it.
You’ve had a couple, haven’t you mate?
I’ve had couples, threesomes, you name it.
“But the language is that of Mordor, which I will not utter here”
That amused me greatly. Christ my cool factor is down low today.
1. Louisiana. Although you have to elongate the second syllable. I was going to spend a year of my degree at LSU, in fact my Uni here accepted my application and told me I could go, but then noticed that I’d been doing bugger all and changed their minds.
2. Tonight, and often all being well, it was a pint of Bathams
3. If I’m out I usually and somewhat disastrously end up drinking far too much whisky, but here at home just now I have a bottle of pear grappa, which, unlike what often happens with things like this, doesn’t just smell interesting but taste of nothing but booze, it actually tastes lovely and peary too.
4. Brunette.
5. This is quite good fun.
So, really, who the fuck likes blondes then? Why are all these women dissolving their hair in baths of chemicals if no-one likes it?
Aaaand that would explain why I am single. Thank you for clearing that up, Matthew.
1. Alabama! Especially the typical Yankee pronunciation: Àààlubààmu.
2. Martini Fiero.
3. Still Martini. And Martini in between. And some water as anti-hungover.
4. Dunno. Probably black-haired women for sex and brunettes for reliability…
5. I would pick Russian too. It’s a bit pesky sometimes, but I’m happy to write and speak it.
PS: as a matter of fact, I’ll choose the blondes and redheads for sex as well.
1. Arkansas – two names in one and they ban gay adoption. Go white trash!
2. Kenya Dark Blend
3. Whole Australian milk
4. Red on the head, fire in the bed.
5. American, god damnit.
Still no votes for blondes. Sorry Sarah.
eeek i’m late! I was busy being studious, apologies.
1. Mississippi – not a fun place to visit but fun as hell to spell and makes for interesting rhymes in poems.
2. Diet Pepsi
3. Big glass of water, I’m boring like that.
4. I’m a sucker for ginger-haired men, especially with beards, (no no hints here, I’ve been this way for years and years, I swear!) … and for women of any persuasion (as is my wife, thankfully!). I’ve got long auburn locks myself.
5. Japanese is all about calligraphy and this is a particularly beautiful example I think.
1.Saskatchewan
2. mojito, these days, is what i have in the fridge, and we can’t afford to go out or buy anything else. if the economy were to rebound and we were to go out it’d be vodka-tonic or cosmo… or a fancy shmancy german beer, mmmm, creamy and rich with hints of citrus.
3. water (anti-hangover… as many glasses as i had drinks)
4. tart’s right, i’m a woman of any persuasion. i will happily accept all comers, as long as they are clean, friendly, mellow, and fun. hair is entirely optional in any and all areas. speaking of which, tartlet my love, it’s been a while since we’ve had a stimulus package around here…
5. i have to agree with the folks above about arabic and the fancy signatures… have always lusted after one o’ those. (nice wikipedia link, nic.) um, but let me try to be less bandwagonny…
hmmm…
turns out, according to omniglot, arabic and japanese aren’t alphabets. arabic is an ‘abjad’ (wtf?) and japanese is a syllabary. of the things that omniglot considers an alphabet, georgian is very pretty…manchu is also very nice……………..
………..ok, this is what happens when you answer the fun Friday evening post on a depressing Sunday evening without neither alcohol nor stimulus package. sorry peeps…
My website has turned into a middle-aged lesbian marriage counselling service. My life is complete.
This post has probably long since died, and I am arriving late but Meatpocket, Saskatchewan is in fact a province in Canada. Given that globall warming is about to turn it into a fertile gorwing field irrigated by (the increasingly valuable and rare resource that is) water draining from Northern Territories I, as would most Canadians, be rather grateful if you not encourage Americans to think of it as their own.
Did you hear that Haiders deputy has come out and claimed that they were lovers. Not quite the darling of the right now are we?
As dramatic deaths go, that one just gets funnier and funnier.
http://twcnomad.blogspot.com/2008/10/austria-haiders-deputy-reveals-gay.html
well i never
Hey, we’re Americans, we’ll take whatever province we wish! (kidding, ….er, kind of)
Yes, Matthew, your life would be complete if only you would procure us a stimulus package
What’s a stimulus package?
Oh..
Fuck, that’s dull.
dylan, that was a weak attempt at an amusing yet decorously veiled reference to being joined by a third or fourth person to liven up the more salacious hours of our weekend…
probably not so amusing (and a little too veiled) if you don’t hear the words ’stimulus package’ about fifty thousand times a day on the news (reference to the $700 billion the US government is pumping down the drain to supposedly save the economy, yeah, right).
sorry.
Honestly, I was terrified to Google that term..
And then crushingly disappointed when I did.
The US is pumping its Stimulus Package where? Someone think of the children! (And not the way I’m thinking of them.)