Book Meme

Qenny's last act before ending his blog was to post a book meme which tagged me amongst others.
I thought it might be interesting to see what the 'kid with reading difficulties' came up with.
I've read very few books in my time. My shelf consists mostly of Haynes manuals for cars.

1. One book you have read more than once. My all time favorite book, 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle maintenance'. Apart from being a good father and son road trip on one level, it also has somethings to say about the nature of 'quality'. Sanity, Problem solving and philosophy. There is drama, surprise and much thought provocation. All wrapped up in layers of analogous threads.
2. One book you would want on a desert island. Obviously some kind of 'what to do if you're ever stuck on a desert island' hand book would be good, as would a 30 Ft by 20 Ft leather bound book which would be opened up into an instant shelter, although I feel these answers are not in the spirit of the question. 'Catch 22', couldn't put it down. I loved the crazy logic. or maybe 'The Outsider' by Camus. The central character of which, I found easy to identify with.
   
3. One book that made you laugh. 'Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy'. The only fantasy story I can tolerate.
4. One book that made you cry. Don't like to admit this but after much thought, the only book I could think of that had ever made me cry directly, was one of the 'My friend Flicker' books I read as a kid. Being a big girls blouse I tend to blub, at the drop of a hat, at all sorts of cheesy movies. Indirectly the Haynes manual for the Honda C70 made me cry when it advised me to oil my nylon lined control cables and caused them all to seize up permanently.
   
5. One book I wish I had written. I'm just very glad I've never written a book. It takes me long enough just to do a post let alone pore my life away on a book.
6. One book you wish had never been written. I'm with Qenny on this one. All of the religious 'bibles'.
   
7. One book I am currently reading. I have been given three books recently and I haven't touched any of them.
8. One book I have meant to read. Every time I read a book review I want to read that book. I know I won't but I do appreciate that by not reading, I'm missing out on the kind of convenience and perspective only the written word can provide.
9. One book that changed your life. I don't know exactly which one, but one of the DIY books I read when I first bought a house made me realise I could do most things that might other wise require a professional.
   
10. I tag awaiting, ickle_bro, phlegmfatal, MJ and Kyahgirl.
    

Cock of the Rassau

The Rassau in Ebbw Vale is a tough neighborhood. With a relatively static population, reputation is everything.
To a young Mr Spider, his brain fueled by much Strongbow Cider, It seemed the perfect opportunity to raise his status and 'take out' Taffy the 'Cock of the Rassau'.
Taffy was stood at a bus stop with his back to Spider and cohorts, as yet unaware of their approach.
Through the alcoholic haze Spider, using every ounce of cunning available to him at the time, figured that a significant coupe could be achieved by stealthily approaching from behind and bringing his current, half filled, glass flaggen of 'bow, down upon Taffy's cranium as hard as possible.
In the moment after impact, Taffy's knees buckled.

But he didn't go down!

This is why he was the 'Cock of the Rassau'.
This is why you should always have a follow through or plan 'B'.
This is why the Henry V favoured longbow over strongbow at Agincourt.

When Mr spider recalls this tale, he says all he remembers next, was the feeling of lumps coming out of every part of his body.

Ali G - Wales

Ali G Investigates the nature of Wales. This will be very educational for those living outside the UK,

What is Love?

My French teacher, who was Polish, told us that the French didn't distinguish between the meaning of the words 'like' and 'love'. I bablefished the two words from English to French and came up with the words, 'comme' and 'amour'.
Maybe the language had changed from the 1960's or maybe my French teacher wasn't very good.
Whilst at it I bablefished the languages French, Dutch, German, Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. Each language had different words for 'love' and 'like'. Incidently they all had the same word for 'infatuation'.
So what is love?
My first thought was that it was an extreme form of likeing, but then so is infatuation. I'm sure most people would agree they are quite different.
So 'love' implies some sort of durability. This differentiates it from 'infatuation'. One additional unpleasant fact known about the subject of infatuation and the feelings implode.
But when does 'like' become 'love'?
Is it at an arbitrary point on a scale of 'liking' from 1 to 10. Let's say 7. So if you like someone more than 7 does it then become 'love'?
As a relationship progresses, a kind of emotional 'credit' is established. This credit is what carries the relationship through times of difficulties, or allows us to tolerate the almost inevitable flaws found in ones partners. A long history of credit will allow us to put up with a loved ones behavior going into 'emotional debit', but there comes a point when losses have to be cut.

"You'll know it when you feel it."
Maybe you will, but I'm uncomfortable with concepts I can't define.
I needed more research.

Plato started the ball rolling. He reckoned we only love the best bits of someone. Hmmm. This pre-supposes we know what love is and goes on a different tack. Sorry Plato, you're not much help.

At the turn of the first millennium, the roman writer Ovid, described love as a hunt, the lover and beloved are "shy predator and wily prey" and the nature of their love was "conquest."
Ovid......obviously a bloke then.

In 1822 the French writer Stendhal. Invents an analogy of the process of falling in love as being like a journey from Bologna to Rome. The analogy is entirely pointless so I'll cut to the chase.

Phases;-

1. Attraction. ( The 'phwar' stage )
2. Acknowlegement of return of affection. (I was looking back, to see if I she was looking back, to see if I was looking back at her)
3. Hope. ( envisioning gaining the love of the loved one)
4. Delight. (exulting, in the overrating, of the merit, of ones beloved)

Not much of a definition but some good points about falling in love are made.

Turn of the last century and the pioneer sexologist Havelock Ellis comes up with the equation.

Love = Sex + Friendship.

You may not agree, but it is refreshingly simple.

For a more complex and accurate appraisal, take a look at Triangular Theory of Love.

To me, it has to be more than Sex + Love, it has to involve some kind of connection.
So what do I mean by connection?
I don't know, maybe that's just another word for love. Which brings us back to,

You'll know it when you feel it.

Bloggers Folly.

There must be something missing in our make up to want to blog.
To spill out the details of our lives and inner thoughts for the world to see.
To seek validation from strangers. To socialise, by virtual means with people, in far flung parts of the English speaking world. People we may never even meet.

There again, it's got to be cheaper than therapy.

Getting along.

My sister and I had been agreeing on how well we'd been getting a long whilst living together.

"It's a bit like being married" I mused.

"Except you don't have to make up an excuse not to have sex."

How do you know if they're faking it?

"Chicks know how fragile our egos are, they don't like to upset us, of course a lot are going to fake it. It's not necessarily that they don't like the sex and want to get it over with, although I dare say that happens a lot, it's a kind of.......Politeness'.....Like belching after a meal in some cultures."

A wry smile crossed 'Voice of Reason's lips and his head nodded sideways lightly, the way it does every time one of his significant statements is about to be revealed.
"One way of telling when a woman is faking.."

"Go on" He has my full attention.

"When they're having one of those OMG! orgasms that make them think they'd deny all of the mans infidelitys just to feel like this on a regular basis."

"Yes."

"They don't look.......or sound.......very pretty."

I contemplate this for a few seconds before a smile of recognition spreads across my face.

"Yes." I nod.

You see the lady who looks like she's just making a final attempt to lift a heavy suit case onto an overhead rack?................. I'll have what she's having.
The word is out Sally. You'll have to revise your technique.

Tribute to Fabienne.

Fabienne died two years ago today. She was the love of my life. She was from the only black family in her village. When she died, her funeral was like that of a celebrity, the church was full and half as many again stood out side. Everyone loved her. I was so honoured to be a part of her life and even more so to have been her partner.

May she rest in peace.