Tag: Me Myself I
Personal stuff
Not Doing It
Sorry, folks, but I’m just not up to blogging for a while. I’ve been hit with a whole bunch of personal issues — family stuff, of no interest to anyone else so I’m not going to share. It’s not financial.
So no postings today, the next chapter of Busking memoirs (which I’d already written and set up) will appear tomorrow, the Classic Beauty (ditto) on Sunday and Monday Funnies (ditto) for Monday. Beyond that, I don’t know.
Let’s just call it a brief sabbatical.
Shooting The Bolt
I must confess, looking back at my posts over the past few weeks, that I’m not batting up to my usual standards. For one thing, the news and current affairs just suck. If one doesn’t want to write about the Iran war (and I don’t) or talk about current political affairs (Swalwell’s resignation in disgrace, and not a moment too soon either) which I couldn’t be arsed to do either, then what’s left is guns ‘n roses Righteous Shootings, broads (see below) cars and music.
And on that last topic, I have to confess too that writing the Memoirs each week does drain Ye Olde Wryting Batterye a great deal, in terms of both time and mental effort. Never mind; I think that will all be over in about three weeks’ time, at which point normal service may be resumed. Or not, I dunno.
My brain hurts. I need coffee.
Status Report
Via Friend & Reader John C. comes this heartening report: How Are White South African Farmers Doing In The U.S.? (short video)
Just so everyone knows: I have been feeling exactly like this ever since my own Great Wetback Episode (1986), and I feel it to this day, every day.
Of course, I’m not a farmer; but I like to think that over the past forty-odd years I’ve done my bit to make this country just a teeny little greater than when I came here.
People Who Matter
In talking about how he has had to deal with online hatred and attacks, Greg Lukianoff passes on the advice he got from some wise man:
You can have friends whose opinions you don’t take seriously, and you can have opponents whose point of view you very much do. So, pick your ten. Figure out who the small number of people are whose judgment you genuinely trust, the people who know you well enough and love you enough to tell you the truth when you’re wrong, when you’re being unfair, when you’re getting carried away, or when — to use the technical term — you are full of shit. Then, when the crowd is screaming, when the internet is losing its mind, when strangers are confidently informing you who you are and why you did what you did, bring it back to those ten. Ask yourself what they would think. Ask yourself whether they would be disappointed in you. Ask yourself whether they would tell you that you had acted unfairly, or out of vanity, tribalism, or cowardice. Or even better, go and ask them yourself.
In my case, I don’t have ten people to call upon, because quite frankly, I don’t give a flying fuck what strangers think of me, and never have. I do care what certain people think of me, but that number is really small — far fewer than ten — and which people depends on which topic is under discussion anyway. I am friendly with people who are more liberally-minded than I am, or who are deeply religious, for example, so occasionally I might pause before opening my big yap to expound on what has raised my irritation level, but I have to say, I don’t pause for very long.
People who know me also know about my opinions, and by and large they accept them, or not, as the case may be. I don’t change my opinions very often anyway, because in most cases they have come after long and detailed contemplation, so (in the absence of further information) there’s little reason to change them — and “because this might offend Person X” is not a reason for change.
That said, if I am occasionally guilty of being full of shit, I will accept the excoriation from these few people and either change my position or else at least acknowledge my stupidity. Most of the time, it’s because they know more about the topic than I do, and I bow to their expertise without a second thought.
But for the rest? I don’t care a fig, and never have.
Catching Up
Stop the presses! Here’s the latest kitchen fad:
Serious home cooks looking to create a restaurant-style kitchen in their own homes are lusting after yet another piece of culinary kit.
Surfaces may already be groaning under the weight of appliances such as air fryers, espresso machines and top-of-the-range mixers – and let’s not forget the pizza oven in the shed, but middle-class foodies are now adding deli-style meat slicers to their polished countertops.
The ‘industry’ style equipment, which ranges in price from around £50 for a budget version on Amazon to the early thousands for an all-singing, all-dancing one, can precision slice through everything from smoked salmon to hams and cheeses – and even sourdough – with ease.
And while they may seem like an indulgent addition to an everyday kitchen, top chefs say they’re worth the investment – because not only will your charcuterie taste superior, but you can also buy it in bulk, which almost always saves money.
There’s less waste too, because you slice what you need, ensuring wafer-thin sheets of Parma ham don’t go unloved in the fridge.
The slicers – both hand-operated and electric – work by cutting food to uniform sheets, as thick or as thin as you’d like, which can affect flavors significantly, say those in the know.
Well, yes. The above article appeared in the Daily Mail yesterday (February 12, 2026).
Then there’s this:
…which appeared in this post, dated Nov 25, 2023.
Good grief; for once, I’m actually ahead of a trend.
No need to thank me; it’s all part of the service. (Oh, and don’t let the product description fool you. I used the above machine to slice meats like salami, ham and beef for years.)