[Just your average movie goer]

I'm amazed at your ability to recollect so much from your childhood, Barend, whether it was greatly traumatic or not. I know for a fact from my parents, I went through a lot of physical trauma when I was a kid (some of it medical, but most of it self-inflicted) and for the most part, I can't remember any of it.

[Just your average movie goer]

Oh, wait. I just thought of a question for you, Barend. You seem to have the best ability to recall the earliest years of your life ... and you can even remember things from before you learned to speak.

Can you remember what you thought when you first opened your eyes and looked around at the world we live in? Were you impressed?

Although I'm probably being far too hopeful that anyone can remember their VERY first impression of this place. But you never know.

[Just your average movie goer]

Another random thought - has anyone noticed this mean edge that slow elderly ladies have?

Sometimes I find myself stuck behind two old ladies in a narrow space. I cannot fault them for being slower than myself - the body gets a bit worn after a lifetime of use. So I patiently wait until I there's some room to the side, so I can quickly overtake them and be on my way.

However, without fail, these women suddenly fan out when that space becomes available, making any chance of an over-take impossible.

It is malicious - and senior citizens should really know better than to engage in such cruel, childish pranks.

[barend]

young poeple do it to... I hate padestrian rage...

Can you remember what you thought when you first opened your eyes and looked around at the world we live in? Were you impressed?

good god!!! that is being far too hopeful !

sorry... no that is way too early. I remeber early impressions...
so i guess yes. i was impressed. I was born when 70s wall paper was around. there was much to dazzle a young mind.

I remember the whole discovery thing, like when litterally everything was facinating...

so many trips in the car, in the saftey seat, being able to see nothing but telegraph poles, and wondering what was happening on the ground...
i remember the first time I got held up so i could see the road, it was the coolest thing.

ahhhh, innocent wonder!!!

i really miss being able to feel like that... that's why i envy kids and stupid people so much...

that's why stupid people are always happy, cause everythings such a wonderful mystery to them

i do rember being totally absorbed in things...
i remeber this food coloring we had... it came these four tear drop shaped containers. they were yellow, blue, red, green. and really small.
I thought they were the coolest things, i can't describe them any better, but i remember being totally obsessed with them... they ran out when i was about three... and i got to keep the containers, I was super chuffed!!! although i lost them all within a year...

weird little things like that... (and heaps of cool toys of course)

like many kids I was dumped in front of TV to be brought up that way...
a majority of my memories are movies, and TV shows...
which is why i don't have the strongest australian accent.
it's funny, I remember TV shows no one else my age does...

Quark, the Beatles cartoon show, Beachcombers, space 1999, the tommorow people etc.

[Just your average movie goer]

That's quite a good collection there, Barend - and you've jogged my memory about something...

food colouring.... play dough! That stuff was fantastic! Ah, happy innocent times.

And yeah, I do envy the way little children get a much more fascinating world than we get. Everything is so much more interesting for them.

[Heccubus]

I hate walking behind people period. Doesn't matter how old they are, they're almost always walking slower than I. I'm a rather swift walker.

[Just your average movie goer]

You're right. I'm that way too actually. I also hate crowds.

[Just your average movie goer]

Okay, quite a few new random thoughts today. I'll post them seperately to make them easier to distinguish -

Today's first random thought -

I'm a gentleman. I hold the door for ladies, I always pay for meals when I go out with my girlfriend, I give up my seat on public transport if a woman is standing and I treat women kindly and with respect.

However, I fear that when I pass on, I will be stuffed and put in a museum with a little label saying "Gentleman - Homo sapien gentius. Now extinct." And museum curators will tell visitors things like "This man held the door open for women." And the visitors will go "Whoa.... weird..."

When I stayed in Japan, most guys did these following things (and often, all of them) -

- made the girl ride the bike, while they sat on the back for a free ride
- rode their bikes and made their girlfriends run after them
- didn't help their girlfriends carry heavy shit
- knocked over little old ladies to get to the empty seats on the train before them

In Korea, I think the guys are generally a lot better, but I see guys who pretend to hit their girlfriends (and there is NOTHING funny about imitating domestic violence) and I see male students who physical threaten and abuse the female students. Sure these students are kids, but I can't help thinking I'm looking at a whole new generation of misogynist pigs who will beat their wives.

Okay, most Korean men I see are quite friendly and kind. And I see many gentlemen. So all in all, I'm probably over-reacting. But when I see misogyny still at work in our world, especially in the younger generation, it makes me worry. We're trying to stamp it out but from what I see, it's going to bother us for at least another generation (unless someone locks these kids away before they do the damage).

But is the idea of guys treating girls with respect and kindness under threat? What do you guys think? Are gentlemen a dying breed?

This post has been edited by Just your average movie goer: 18 June 2004 - 06:23 AM

[Just your average movie goer]

Today's second random thought -

The US stance on Iraq is so absurd, in so many ways (many of which are presently being discussed in other forums)... but I thought one of their justifications for invading the country is particularly strange -

They have claimed at some stage, more than once, to be liberating Iraq from a oppressive dictator and restoring freedom to that country. And they want to free oppressed people everywhere.

So Mr Bush, when are you going to get rid of Robert Magabe in Zimbabwe?

What's that? You're not going to get rid of him? Why not? Doesn't he have any... OIL?

[Just your average movie goer]

Today's third random thought -

When people shop for nice home appliances and hardware, etc, sales assisants help them by making sure that they don't get something that won't work for them.

For example, if somebody is going to buy an expensive shelf for their DVD collection, a sales assistant might say "Oh no, that's a really heavy duty shelf for carrying encycopaedia sets. You'd be much better off with this lightweight one that's specifically designed for your purpose."

Now, I think that kind of thing would just be wonderful if it took place in CD stores. You could get some guy carry a Jennifer Love Hewitt album to the counter and the sales assistant would say "Oh no, you shouldn't buy that one. That's really bad. Here, what you really need is The Best of David Bowie."

That'd be fantastic. It would also be one of the reasons why I'll probably never be allowed to work in a CD store.

[Just your average movie goer]

Today's fourth random thought -

The elimination of the world's bad music could actually provide full time jobs for some lucky (or desperate for work) people.

What a fantastic public service this could be! In order for this to work, what you need to do is select a panel of people with a fairly diverse range of music tastes... so most musical styles have someone who enjoys that particular style on the panel.

And then, what they do is listen to all the songs in the world, one by one (in alphabetical order or something) and decide what needs to go. And every time the whole panel unanimously votes for a song to be purged from existence, that song will be gone.

Special police will locate and destroy every copy of it (and no compensation will be provided for people who bought these songs because they shouldn't have bought terrible music in the first place).

Just imagine how much full time work that could provide. It'd be great for tackling unemployment and the jobs would have genuine long term prospects - they could even get people through their entire working careers.

And in addition to this, awful songs will be gone. Ever accidentally switched radio stations in the car to be suddenly assaulted by a Jessica Simpson song? If this government program was to be initiated, such horrible experiences would be things of the past.

This post has been edited by Just your average movie goer: 18 June 2004 - 06:45 AM

[Rory]

"But is the idea of guys treating girls with respect and kindness under threat? What do you guys think? Are gentlemen a dying breed?"

Generally, I wouldn't worry. If anything, as we abandon preconceived notions of a woman's role in society (and in relationships), we are treating women with more kindness and respect.

However, some things previously considered "gentlemanly" are bound to go. For example, its no longer necessary for a man to pay for a women's dinner anymore. Assuming both people involved in the relationship have jobs that pay roughly the same amount, its certainly more fair, and I would go as far to say, more respectful to both parties, if the dinner is split 50/50.

[SimeSublime]

Exactly. I would be annoyed if we were both in finacialy equal situations and I had to pay for everthing. I mean, sure, I would willingly do it without complaint, but I would resent it deep down. I'm cheap like that.

[Heccubus]

These places do exist, they're known as "Those Really Typical Independent Record Stores That Are Run By Snobs". Seriously, it doesn't matter whether someone is wasting their $20 on the new JLH album, that's their problem. End of the day, you're still probably going to see more people in the store scouring the old releases in the metal/punk/rock section than any other (or at least, this is what I see every time I go into a record store).
Also, I make it a point to check behind me and be sure that no one is coming before I let a door swing shut after me. It's just good etiquette, and every time somebody lets a door close in my face (say, if my attention is diverted), I make it a point to say something like "Thanks, pal, nice hustle" or something to that extent, just loud enough for them to hear it. I make it known that they are, in fact, an asshole.

[Despondent]

I went through a divorce recently (horror of horrors.) I'd waited to get married, and it seemed that we had a lot in our favor, just didn't work out. She wasn't happy married (to me, or prior- that's her problem we both agree) and I've always wanted for her to be happy.

But when we were married I'd always end up going out for takeout, picking up the check, and cooking. I'm a good cook so I didn't mind. But I did resent always paying for all the food and groceries. We had an arrangement where she would pay the bills, I'd write her a check for half expenses and that was that. So she's moved out now and I pay the bills, live on a tighter budget and kept the puppy dog and washer/dryer and the mac which we purchased together. Not a bad deal entirely.

I might add she paid for a lot of wedding expenses and rang up debt. My food contribution was to offset payments she would allegedly be making towards that. (which she didn't. do I feel guilty? no. I was overpaying her, I'm learning now that I'm responsible for all the bills. Add that up over 4-1/2 years and you get half of her debt.)

So now she has less disposable income also. It was her decision.

that's my take on half and half. (a unique take that) didn't work for me, and I'm the wiser and better off now. (Get a joint checking account I've heard is good advice.) And I don't have to come home to an empty house thanks to my furry friend. (subject of my children's book, which I gotta get published. and the riches will be all mine!)

_________________________


here's my random thought. When I go to the cinema, and I order my ($6.00) popcorn, I always ask them to rake it from (pointing now) where the freshest (right out of the hopper) popcorn is.
But I keep my voice low so everyone else doesn't pull the same thing.