Habit, Habit, Habit....where have all the nun's gone?

Okay. Some more observations about this internet dating malarkey. Hopefully this will be the last for now.

All sites ask to describe yourself set against certain criteria. For example, ethnicity, sex and that sort of thing. A few things amuse me about one particular site. There is a question about drug usage. Do you do drugs? Its a good question. But hardly one that someone is truly going to be honest about eh. The options are No, Yes, and wouldn't like to say. Erm. Forgive me for stating the obvious. But doesn't saying "Wouldn't like to say" an admission of guilt? There are some people who are going to say, its nobody's business but there own. What a load of rubbish. If you do, then you do. Pills, powder, injections, smoke whatever. If its a part of someones life then why both lying about it. They'll get found out soon enough. If you do then don't be shy. Describe what kind of sh*t your into. Bit a brown? E's, tab's, ganj? Better to get it out of the way. As ever the curious person that I am, I set about including this as a pre-requisite to a persons profile. Not to actually partner up with I hasten to add. As you've read some of my articles in the past I'm not a big fan of anyone who lives for drugs. Moderation I say. Only kidding. Now out of several hundred thousand people signed up to the service, amazingly twenty two women had admitted to being a user. Now that's what I call having balls. My hat off to you my dears for the honesty. Slightly worrying however are the number of people who might contact them just to get the number of dealer as their own have probably been nicked. Scary thought eh?

The other one is size. That's body size. The usual apply, fat, thin, curvy, some poundage, and hardly suprising, wouldn't like to say. What??? Are you telling me that their ethics solely lie in the realm of "but at the end of the day its all about the personality". This is true. But the truth of it, is that in this game, some degree of physical attraction has to be present. After all would you have the stomach to shag a Hippo-croca-pig? (Credit goes to an old friend of mine with no sense of decency). Really! If you're have some poundage, sooo what. I've met some extremely sexy ladies with additional curves to their already beautiful curves. Stick thin? Who gives a toss. All these varieties of physiques are to cater for all kinds of tastes. I can understand people's reluctance to answer these personal questions truthfully but if they are ever going to meet someone then they have to be truthful. No one likes a liar. You wouldn't go and answer an advert for a shiny new car only to see it for real and realise its only got three wheels, no bonnet and no seats? Would you buy it or call the owner a stinking liar? Same thing. If they lack so much self esteem, they are only going to be feel worse for everytime they get knocked back after being discovered. Everyone feels low in the beginning. Time and being with the right people I think ultimately resolves a lack of confidence and self esteem.

Now some clever arse is going to think, but Mr know it all TwoDarts, maybe size isn't important to some people, to which I would swiftly and calmly state......your right.

What am I a flaming agony aunt? Shut it two darts!!

A Drunk French President? No way!

A Belgian newscaster has apologised for accusing the French President Nicolas Sarkozy for being drunk at the G8 summit. Here is the clip.

He wasn't at all drunk. There's more chance of a cocktail of coke, E's and Crystal meths being dropped in his morning coffee. Or so the performance would suggest. Allegdly.

Pubs

Whilst on the road to recovery from a particularly nasty cold I pondered the meaning of "The Local". This is in reference to ones local drinking establishment. The pub. In my case, quite reluctantly is the Sports and Social. For many years it has courted controversy, you know the kind I mean, sex, drugs and rock and roll. Heavy boozing until the early hours once upon a time was common. Besides all of that, not a bad place to drink. Not great for the singletons amongst us until Thursday/Friday night where some of parliament's finest female researchers and pals congregate in what most describe as an old man's pub. In fact for most of the week it is very much that. An old mans pub.





This got me thinking. What constitutes a local pub. What are the ingredients to make a pub a local. So recalling some of the conversations I've had over the past few years with everyone from my Dad to friends who have established themselves in certain pubs for a number of years I came up with a list of what makes a local, a local.

• Dimly lit atmosphere


• Smoke hovering permanently at approximately five feet above the ground


• Juke box with the most modern music around the late eighties


• A knarly old bloke with no teeth who is already in the pub before opening time


• Ornaments on the walls of things that nobody can squarely identify but look old


• Worn out carpet usually a patterned red, but can't really make out as it is too dirty


• Mens toilet on the ground floor and womens toilet upstairs


• Pub food


• Foreign student working behind the bar hardened by regular abuse from the mid afternoon drunkard


• The mid afternoon drunkard


• Ales served that you've never heard of before and nor have the regulars


• Toilet door that doesn't lock properly


• Worn out darts board


• Bunch of mates you only ever see in the pub
• Musty, damp smell of cigarettes and spilt beer

These are some of the things that make a local pub. Perhaps what I've listed desccribes a fantasy local pub. No actually a stereo-typical local pub.

Is there such a bad thing as a local pub when some of the more modern outfits seem more like hospital wards or hotel foyers? Don't know. All I know, is if you feel welcomed, happy to spend a night in one place without getting hassled, get pissed that night and no-one bats an eye lid the next morning about your shameful antics the night before, then its good enough for me. Rock and Roll!!

Life on the Edge

An interesting term that. One more commonly used for rock stars, stunt (wo)men, and people who jump off buildings with parachutes. Base jumpers.

Lets look a lttle closer to home though. There are people who are expert at what they do for a living. The ability probably comes naturally to them to a point where its second nature to them. This tends to breed complacency. Which breeds the desire to to something stimulating. I know a great many intelligent people who spend there time after work seeking there thrills in one way or another. Take one example. Getting hammered every night and waking up the next morning with an almighty hangover and still doing there job as expertly as though they were sober. Then there are the people that hoover up huge quantities of Columbian marching powder and do exactly the same. People who have sex with different people every night. There are other people that play sports or read or do group activties. For the majority of people I know it just doesn't quite cut it though. What is stimulation? What is thrill seeking? The science bit makes these things explainable but I for one do not wish to approach this subject from that angle. It takes all the fun out of it.

Does anyone remember the buzz out of getting drunk or high for the first time? Yes most probably it felt nauseous. After which it gets better and better and better. People who relax by taking drugs or drinking are regular normal individuals that get a thrill in a different way to other folk who prefer to watch TV or read a book. What I'm particularly fascinated by is why some people push the boundaries of getting high to an extent that it becomes dangerous. Is it about seeking ones limitation? I think its a little more simpler than that. Whether its doing drugs or drinking lots it really points to something else. Hands up who enjoys their job? A few people here and there. I raise my hand as I have a fulfilling job. Who thinks a job is an obligation? The majority of people will raise their hands to that. The trouble with working is that the majority of peoples lives are spent in a constrained environment without much ability to express ones self. Some people do feel shackled. How many people can't wait for the end of Friday to go out and have some fun? Again loads of people. Why? Because people see it as a reward and go out and get hammered to the point that the precious weekend that they had is spent recovering from Friday. What if those rewards are given during the working day and so there is less of a need to get mashed at the end of the day? Am I suggesting that people take a quick line here and there? Or a few pints every couple of hours? No. Rewards come in different forms. Its really up to people to find them out. That in itself could be reward enough.

Why do I mention all this? I work for an organisation where the drinking culture is massive. The majority of people I know drink at my local drinking establishment day in and day out. All social activities centre around one place. There is no such thing as a lunch time drink. Its a "anytime you like" drink. People have been reprimanded for drinking all day before but it never changes the habit. Personally I think it is a shame this happens. Does anyone do anything about it? No.

Going for a drink doesn't have that same sense of occassion in that place anymore. Celebrating a birthday or something like that would have made no difference. Except that those people who normally don't buy rounds would.

I used to have a friend of mine who used to go mad on E' s and coke every Friday night. Working out a quick calcuation that amounted to about one hundred and fifty quid for a night, well a night and day. That's a lot of drugs. I have no problem with the kind of drugs that were taken, it was the quantity. That was too much. Interestingly though this person now lives a relatively Buddhist life. Healthy eating, no smoking, drinking once a month, goes cycling out in the country etc. What fascinates me is what was that trigger that made them stop such a life style and replace it with one apparently less stimulating? I'll have to ask that question one day.

I know of a person who is retiring soon and I must admit it got me thinking. What will I do if I get to that age? Spend my days in the local boozer from dawn till dusk? Or will I use my time wisely? More importantly, do I have to wait that long to make that decision? I do wonder sometimes how much people of my age/generation spend on things that only give us a quick fix and a hangover.

Seeking thrills for an otherwise unstimulating life.....