[stephen1]

I would go to a supermarket and look out for sorry looking pensioners and slip extra goodies into their shopping bags once they were safely past the checkout.
Then I would hare off to various laboratories that torture animals for human profit, and I would release all the poor creatures and either take them home with me, or take them to friends and family.
Then I would steal myself some home made tablet from the local sweetie shop.

What an amazing person you are, Esme. I was thinking about this selfishly, and now I am humbled.

Would I consider plastic surgery?

Why? Do I look that bad, Pete? :( Uhm, not for reasons of vanity.

Would you consider hair replacement; that is, if you were going bald?

[stephen1]

If there weren’t kitkats in this world I so would be guilty.

Do you behave differently depending on who you are hanging around with?

[stephen1]

Hilarious you guys…lmao. Here’s another:

Sir Actor loving cuddles Fasty’s carrot.

[stephen1]

@cath 55 wrote:

a pm : o ))

:- :wink: :-$

Stephen

[stephen1]

Caruso would be on my list, as would Farinelli. God, can you imagine hearing a real castrato in his prime…so to speak. LOL It would be weird as hell, but apparently the sounds were heavenly.

Paris with Hemingway, Joyce, Pound, Stein…what a trip that would be. Sitting at a cafe, perhaps boinking Anais Nin. :twisted:

Stephen

[stephen1]

I will delete that in the morn.

Stephen

[stephen1]

@sharongooner wrote:

@rubyred wrote:

For Esme to pass onto Bruce :)

A Certain Lady

Oh, I can smile for you, and tilt my head,
And drink your rushing words with eager lips,
And paint my mouth for you a fragrant red,
And trace your brows with tutored finger-tips.
When you rehearse your list of loves to me,
Oh, I can laugh and marvel, rapturous-eyed.
And you laugh back, nor can you ever see
The thousand little deaths my heart has died.
And you believe, so well I know my part,
That I am gay as morning, light as snow,
And all the straining things within my heart
You’ll never know.

Oh, I can laugh and listen, when we meet,
And you bring tales of fresh adventurings, —
Of ladies delicately indiscreet,
Of lingering hands, and gently whispered things.
And you are pleased with me, and strive anew
To sing me sagas of your late delights.
Thus do you want me — marveling, gay, and true,
Nor do you see my staring eyes of nights.
And when, in search of novelty, you stray,
Oh, I can kiss you blithely as you go ….
And what goes on, my love, while you’re away,
You’ll never know.

Dorothy Parker

Oh I like that. x

I like it, too, and the Auden, and the Bauderlaire, and the….Wow, this IS a great thread.

Stephen

[stephen1]

@pikey wrote:

@Baldy wrote:

…an attitude of shocking self-centredness and self-entitlement that places import on technological trivialities over human relationships. This, in turn, diminishes our society.

@Baldy wrote:

…most of us wish to do some good.
Which is it to be? It seem difficult to have it both ways.

It is to be both ways. Human-kind lives with contradictions of all sorts, side by side. We can by turns hate someone, yet desperately desire them. We can be overbearing and rude to the people we work with, and then gentle with our family. The dichotomy of such action is everywhere.

I don’t think modern consumerist society is in any such malaise. This all just seems a flowery version of ‘The Youth of Today…’ or ‘When I Were a Lad…’. I think people, in general, are just the same mixture of ill-tempered, good natured, self centred, spiritual, cultural and charitable that they’ve always been. What era is being held up as greater than our current one in this respect?

The point you make about looking back upon former times and seeing them through rose-coloured glasses is a good one. But, I never said things were better before, I only stated what I see now. Yes, people are the same as they’ve always been, but technology is not. The technologies that have been created now, not only allow us to be more insular that we were before, but actually force us to be; at least in some measure. As to their being a consumerist malaise, I think I made it quite evident that the opposite is true. We buy for the sake of buying, because HD is the new thing, or suddenly we all need GPS to find our way around. Do keep up!

And where is the evidence for this bizarre assertion about a new prefence for gadgets over people? Who here would honestly exchange their love or even their friendship for the lastest Nokia phone or LG telly? Surely yourself and Esmeralda are proof that the arts and the finer aspects of life are just as vital now as ever they were. How many charitable fun runners and baked bean sitters are there for every mugger? How many people express their spirituality through the New Age or revival Paganism.

Are you looking for imperical evidence or studies? If it is studies, I’m afraid I can’t provide that. I have neither the inclination, nor time to spend on such an endeavour. However, I think if you look around you will see that children, in general, are more engaged with a screen of some sort, then they are with their parents. It is utterly common nowadays for there to be multiple computers in a home, and in an evening they are all being used, not a conversation in sight…at least none that are not of the cyber kind.:wink: Was there ever an era before where our children could let strangers into our homes in the wee hours of night, and all under the guise of a benign computer screen? I might ask you to show how many people are now expressing their spirituality through “New Age” or “Paganism.” I might even call such an assertion bizarre, but that would be churlish now, wouldn’t it?

Pikey, you are obviously an intelligent fellow, and you express yourself well. However, it also seems that you have a bee up your ass and you might do well to pull it out. I’m assuming by you calling me “Baldy” that you are referring to my character rather than my pate, as we have never laid eyes on one another. It seems bad manners to continue using it when my name is Stephen, but do as you will. It neither offends, nor bothers me, but it does make me think of you as an unworthy debating partner.

Stephen

[stephen1]

@sharongooner wrote:

Your so like me, I was swaying between KD lang and a sorta Alanis morisette in the looks department.

I think she will be one to look out for.

Uhm, OK. Alanis is OK looking, but KD Lang is a beast.

I think Nicole is better looking than the pair of them. She has an old-fashioned way about her, and as Sgt. pointed out, a female crooner. I enjoyed it, although the song did go a bit long.

Oh, does your husband know that you have a predilection for the ladies?

Stephen

[stephen1]

PB, who is Peco?

Damien Hurst and his contraversial “art” aint doing too badly.

People really do exist who have far more money than sense.

Sometimes Art is a euphemism for whatever you can get away with. I’m not really that familiar with Damien Hurst, but I guess he has found a recession proof niche.:roll:

Stephen

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