Monday, November 09, 2009

So, fireworks

... a bit 'meh' these days, no? Overexposure I expect. Even at the most extravagant display, five minutes is enough, isn't it?


I mean, I know lots of other things are a bit meh, such as A Question of Sport, Starbucks, religion vs atheism, most soups, the M6, jugglers, The X Factor, misconceived critiques of The X Factor, tennis, interest rates on savings, meerkats, the Government, poetry, ready-salted crisps, golf shoes, Esperanto, buying stuff, American Exceptionalism, ten-pin bowling, clothes from Next, movie car chases, lists of disparate things, documentaries about sharks, the last few series of Shameless, jogging, sandals, Leicester, brown rice, The Godfather Part III, apricot yoghurt, Punch and Judy, anything starting with the prefix 'Euro', lane swimming, DH Lawrence, gravel, Tuesdays, the eight times table, eating fish in restaurants, The Silmarillion, sweetcorn, Scotland and, in hindsight, the musical legacy of Michael Jackson, but fireworks seemed the most topical this weekend.

20 comments:

Gareth Williams said...

Surely, the M6 and jugglers are 'eeurgh'? There are one or two 'Mmms' in there too.

Nige said...

Shouldn't that be eating chicken in restaurants?

malty said...

I'll give you the rest, but ready salted crisps, never, sacrilege, how dare you sir! The planets favourite labour saving device.

Brit said...

I thought I might be playing with fire in this post.

Anonymous said...

From the Me decade to the Meh decade? Sounds like a bestseller to me.

My additions: Halloween ("Oh boy, more candy!"), explosive video graphics on sports shows, animated Disney films, social justice, American healthcare, synchronized swimming, being accused of confusing phenotypes with genotypes, Twitter, endangered coral reefs, Africa and condoms, libertarianism, Jon & Kate, Prince Charles, packaged holidays, reports of new species in Asian jungles, American Idol, the clash of civilizations, mystery novels about women cops being chased by serial killers, gay parades, tirades against modern poetry, pregnant women in tight tops, organic food, Dr. Seuss, beach volleyball, thongs, nachos, computer geeks, Olympics opening ceremonies, Jennifer Aniston's love life, the multiverse, Sweden,...I could go on.

Nothing but butterflies and rolling in cow shit left to awaken our repressed childlike sense of wonder. Maybe cupcakes too.

martpol said...

Re. the original list, I am intrigued by "most soups". Which varieties, in Brit's estimation, retain that devil-may-care reminder of a life lived to the full?

Personally, I'm still quite happy with Heinz tomato.

malty said...

Peter, although I have always suspected it, I see that you are a person of not inconsiderable sophistication and outstandingly fine taste. Choosing Sweden puts you right at the top of the leader-board, award yourself a packet of Walkers finest pre-salted.

And martpol, your culinary finesse is beyond reproach, award yourself a Greggs pastie.

Sweden, populated by beings who are injection moulded using recycled LDPE, spray painted by robots using high lead content polyester powder and assembled by hand, underwater.
Very usefull if you need to invade your neighbours and want to use their rail network.
Pro's..Hasselblad, Ingmar, that fish restaurant in Göteborg.
Con's..the fact that they are all still drawing breath.

worm said...

ahh, the 'meh' folder, somewhere below the 'hmm' folder

Almost everything in the world is currently in my 'meh' folder, apart from good books, good food, autumn, friends and youtube videos of dogs being stupid.

Frank Key said...

martpol is correct to query the inclusion of "most soups" in your otherwise judiciously-selected list.

Let us not forget that ever since Esau sold his birthright for a mess of pottage, soup recipes have been one of humankind's greatest achievements.

The much-maligned stamp collector Ayn Rand once claimed that smoking is "man's triumph over fire". By the same token, one can view soup as man's triumph over the primordial slop.

Gareth Williams said...

Frank, Esau got the better end of the deal, then? Perhaps Covent Garden do Mess of Pottage, it must be good.

worm said...

soup - it's bascially just posh gruel.

malty said...

The remote supplied with the Humax Freesat box, as the song goes "nothing compares"

martpol said...

Malty:

I can relate. So all-conquering is that handset, we can use it with our TV when its own remote doesn't work. I'm not sure how it fits in here, though.

Brit said...

Heinz Tomato is one of humankind's greatest acheivements. The rest is noise.

Anonymous said...

...he said to his bored daughter as they were exiting the Guersney Tomato Museum.

OutaSpaceMan said...

Let this be a warning..
This is what happens to people who don't take up an opportunity to roll down a grassy incline when it presents it's self...
They become all 'meh'

Now, who'd like a Gregg's sausage roll..?

Brit said...

By some distance the most appetising-sounding word in "mess of pottage" is "of".

David said...

It is universally true that yesterday is "meh" and tomorrow is "wow." The test of the individual is how he reacts to now.

Gadjo Dilo said...

As a fan of apricot yoghurt and 63& of soups I'd also have to take exception to a couple of items, but otherwise a great list. I'd just add fruit machines, adverts using computer animation, and RyanAir.

Anonymous said...

i hope you're aware that rolling down hills was once of Dr Johnson's pastimes. If it was good enough for Dr J it should be good enough for you.