An email - that means a reader!

Blimey tonight I received an email from someone asking me to add a bit more contextual information about myself - which means someone other than me has read this. Why that excites me I have no idea, perhaps at my age, and with my demeanour (grumpy in a happy sort of way) it's nice that someone took the time. So, I am married, for the second time, but who isn't on at least number 2 when they get to their 40's? It seems to me that more and more are on number 3 or more these days. My theory is that we cheapen love via our diet of sensationalism and celebrity, and our "information rich" society. We know we have choices now, they're in our face at every turn, whereas back in the early and mid 20th century perhaps the awareness or societal acceptance of choice wasn't readily available to most. I also have 2 children, one almost a teenager and the other is nearly 8. I , of course spoil them rotten, mainly because I can. I won't apologise for that - life's too short and if I lose my job or die then cloth will be cut accordingly. In the meantime "make hay whilst the sun shines" seems a good maxim to me. One thing about the teenager though - was I really like that? All that is important is music and magazines and the opposite sex - which was the least important thing a year ago. Why don't I remember being obsessed by music and fashion? Why do I remember my Dad as always being cool, whereas my teenager thinks I am as uncool as it possible to be. The other day Teenager described "Bank Robber" by The Clash (sorry to patronise) as "old fogies music". I was apoplectic with rage and indignation - when all I hear is Britney Fucking Spears, Christina Bloody Aguilera, some wanker called 50 cent (wouldn't have got 10 bob in my day - ohh that was old wasn't it?) and Eminem (yeah i liked Stan, but everything else sounds exactly the same). I told Teenager that 50 Cent and Eminem weren't really relevant to their life, being from London (a middle class part) originally, and now living in a 4 bed detached house that I have worked my nuts off to pay for. "Irrelevant" was the paraphrased answer I got back - with no reasoning behind it. So, I have taken it upon myself to torment Teenager at every opportunity. Ever seen the Catherine Tate Show (BBC2 Mondays) - she does an excellent caricature of a teenage school girl (younger than the equally brilliant Vicki Pollard in Little Britain) who just retorts with "Am I bothered? Do I look bothered? Is this face bothered?" - Teenager hates it, so i do it all the time - a small but growing pleasure in my life.

I had pizza tonight - it was not low fat, low carb, low sodium. It had peppers, pepperoni and cheese and tomato - not quite the 5 portions of fruit and veg the Ministry of Health Facism recommends - it tasted fucking marvellous! Oh yeah - finally got the assignment done - it will be a crap mark, but hey who said doing a degree should be easy? I'm in a good mood - funny just because of an email so perhaps I'll share some secrets from the Guild of Grumpy Blokes tomorrow ....