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Thursday 7 June 2007

Now I'm 64.


I am getting old - it's official.
I went out last night to watch the football - England, in a European Championship qualifier, no less. In my flukey youth I would have been excited all day about the prospect of a match of such importance. Those days have long gone.
I got a taxi down to my local to pick up my pal Fatal (he's fat and his name is Alan) and the landlord to take them on to another pub to watch the game. My gaffer no longer has Murdoch-Nazi-World-Domination telly as they demand six weeks' takings for a month's viewing. Another reason for moving to pastures new was that little landlord has had a rough time of things lately and so needs to be taken away from the hostelry which is his life once in a while.
Anyway, said landlord is a little, Northern Irish-type chappy. He's a former ardent and active Loyalist who laid down his strident views and spud gun some years ago when he came to the conclusion that "they're all a bunch of fekking nutters!" That is relevant, honestly. Just bear with me.
Well, the footy was shaping up to be about as interesting as watching snooker in black and white and so we fell to talking about life, the universe, women's chests and how brill they were. I know I am an old man now because, and I swear what follows is true, when the first England goal went in we were facing away from
the screen, talking about the possibilities of power sharing succeeding in the province! When the second was scored we also missed it because
we were arguing about the truth behind the myth surrounding Roman Emperor Nero! Seriously! When the third went in we had logically progressed to Churchill's
line about "history will be kind to me for I intend to write it"
and how that had influenced the writing of the Bible, as opposed to the more believable Rosicrucian version of events!!
What the fuck is happening to me? An entire 90 minutes of international football which produced three England goals and we didn't see one of them! Not a word all night about overlapping half-backs, the long-ball game or Christmas tree formations. No shouts of "play it square!", "on his head, son!" or "the referee's having a giraffe!" Yes, I am old. It IS official.
Getting old can go to Grantham.

4 comments:

Betty said...

I don't think it's so much a case of getting old as England's football team being so bloody uninspiring to watch most of the time. I used to make an effort to watch matches - even friendlies - but imagine how many hours of abject boredom I've had to endure over the past thirty odd years! We just kept the match on in the background last night - often we don't bother watching them at all these days.

Barry Lawrence said...

Thanks Betty,
That's cheered me up. I hadn't thought of it that way. You're right - England FC can go to Grantham.

Anonymous said...

England FC? Is that right?

Anyway, I agree with the sentiment. Looking forward to watching those jessies play footy these days is a bit like eagerly anticipating the magazines on your way into the dentist's waiting room.

BGT

Barry Lawrence said...

And verily, some shall fall on stony ground.

WEDNESDAY, 21 NOVEMBER 2007

SHORTS DON'T MATTER! 1. From the greatest programme ever made about association football, Barnstoneworth United FC manager Mr Dainty delivers one of the finest English soliloqiues of all time.......and afterwards, spare a thought for the club steward's wife Vera (YOU ONLY HAVE TO WATCH HALF OF THE CLIP!!).

Monday, 12 November 2007

Not everyone who agonises over their life is a painter. Some of us agonise because we're NOT painters.

....And On the Subject of Great Public Services

I know most of you have heard this marvellous song by those doctors who are the Amateur Transplants......but I think the video is a nice addition. P.S. If there are kids in the room I'd shuffle them out before hitting play.

...There's More

On the subject of those great doctors, here is their version of More Than Words which presents their challenging views on women outside Watford. The very-soon-to-be ex-Mrs Pither, coming from Cumbria, is a huge fan. Again, get those kids out of the room!

Leave Britney Alone, Ok!!!

Oh...........my............God!!!!! My heartfelt thanks go to BGT for this. I won't say much more, I don't need to. Mr Loony of Loonytown, USA (I think it's a bloke, anyway), says it all. I fear he may be wound too tight for.....well.....well for everywhere, really!

Tuesday, 18 September 2007.

I wish I'd sung this! For non-Americans, and with apologies to all the smart arses out there who already knew, the FCC is the Federal Communications Commission and it monitors TV and radio output in the States - a sort of broadcast police - while the EPA is the Yanks' so-called Environmental Protection Agency, a body which does exactly the opposite of what it says on the can. (P.S. We went to the same school, you know? Eric and me, that is, not George, Martha, Dick and Condoleeza and me. I don't think they went to school.) P.P.S. Please see below if you are I Like The View, Malc or Doris.

To Make You Laugh and Cry

I was listening to this on a Sunday, the very-soon-to-be ex-Mrs Pither is a Catholic, Tom Lehrer is one of my all-time heroes and this is one of his best.............no other reasons. On a more sombre note (and with thanks to Fish for coming up with this Woman's-Own-passes-the-time-in-the-dentist's-waiting-room nonsense), why not get a computer to tell you that you are a waste of space and your life is a sham of a mockery of a farce? Ok, it's from one of those poxy dating sites but...go on, take the test. You ain't got much to beat!!
This Is My Life, Rated
Life: 4.2
Mind: 4.1
Body: 2.7
Spirit: 8
Friends/Family: 1.6
Love: 0
Finance: 5.9
Take the Rate My Life Quiz
Apparently, in my case, "computer say 'no!'"

I First Saw This When I Was Little - And Loved It! I Hope That Explains a Few Things

Fuck, Fuckety, Fuck, Fuck, Fuck

It has been pointed out to me that, particularly for one whose profession is supposedly literary, my language is getting worse. My use of the "F" word is, I am told, far too prevalent and hence loses impact. To those who share this view I suggest you watch the following:

Tony Blair Isn't a Burglar - But If He Was.........

In the spirit of Gustav Holst's Jupiter and Manfred Mann's Earth Band, I feel like raising a smile today. The Big Green Thing alerted me to this and, for no other reason than to raise a smile on an otherwise crap Wednesday, I think it has to be shared. Grantham shall not have him - when he gets out of prison.

Life On The Edge - No Net.

I was wrong when I feared it might be a dull weekend, what with my pals being away, my soon-to-be ex-wife in rehab and only the dogs to play with. How wrong can a man be? This much fun must surely be illegal? Just click to see the japes and hoots I am having! Click again to see how things got REALLy exciting! Tomorrow we're going to chase pigeons.

The Good Old U.S. of A. - Guardians of Freedom and Democracy. Nothing to Be Scared of, Then?

Be honest........

IT'S THE QUIZ OF THE WEEK! JUST SCROLL DOWN AND HIT "FULL QUIZ".