In The Public Gallery

I thought this would make a nice sister piece to the previous post as that particular one resonated with a lot of people, it seems.  This time I cover the rest of the tenses – possibly quite tenuously – with some present and future musings.  Perhaps you can all start calling me ol’ romantic shoes or something.

My mum once asked me why I analysed everything, to which I replied “doesn’t everyone?”  Dissecting things – metaphorically, I might hastily add –  is all very well and good but it’s not particularly interesting unless you add a dash of dreaming into the mix as well.

If I have one vice(!), its people watching.  I’m regularly gobsmacked by the thought of how anybody can manage to have a life.  It’s easy to imagine ourselves and our friends and such like but the world in general?  There are so many connections, so much action and thought streaming in from everywhere, it’s impossible to conceive of, let alone comprehend it all.  Still at least it’s fodder for my endless analysing fetish.

Personally I am convinced that everyone else is just standing still until I enter into the room and then they act like really people but secretly they are robots and I am the centre of the universe…but I could be mistaken.

Extract of State Speech from the People’s Republic of Mondravia

Constitutionally circumcised as our beneficent country has recently now become, it is my great honour to present to you, our Glorious Leader, a man who towers above politics and religion (for he has abolished them).  A man full of verve, utterly becoming of a driven über capitalist.

Here today issuing Proclamation 94 of the constitution (another one, not the abolished one) we are proud to announce that all people, property, national pride and culture &c, &c and now up for auction on a well-known auction site known around the world as Stebay.

with the proceeds our heroic and noble leader – may the Gods (not the outlawed ones some other non specified ones) shine on him always –  will then be able to sun himself in the magisterial climes of Abu Dhabi and revel in the five-star magnificence that he (our sainted titan of a leader) will become accustomed too.

Tickets Please – Paul Atterbury

Trains don’t really bother me one way or the other…..however I am a man of romantic nature and that’s why enjoy the ambience of a good station. I like them, the small ones, the overgrown ones, even the forgotten ones.

What I like about them is the smell and the architecture, the quaintness and the slightly sad air of reminiscence for the glory days when the station was the hub of community life. Indeed the station I like for many reason to wit I am now going to bullet point, with a short explanation that you may or may not find informative or maybe you will just find the fact i’ve gone to all this trouble somewhat hilarious:

– Architecture; Muchos variation on this one! Many different styles were used, there was no uniformity in the main design although certain things were uniform throughout the station complex. I like architecture anyway, makes you feel close to history.

– Heritage; Apparently safeguarding English things is racist or something and as that’s not allowed anymore, I want to see what’s being maintained and how stuff looks today etc. You get the point methinks. Also I want to see what’s been left to us from them black and white days.

– Culture; Liking social/economic stuff (hardcore!) I am fascinated to see how the railway became the hub of life in villages and towns and what went on and how the closing of railways led to a ‘rebalancing’ of the economic structure and focus of towns etc.

– History; T’is I fear self explanatory.