Pynchon

Spurs 2-1 The Mighty Villa.

It has to be admitted, not exactly a demolition job by us. Shame, because we played really well. We were solid and I thought that it was going to end up as another draw. What we miss is a couple of good finishers. If the rumours are to be believed, one of those finishers might be Jermaine Defoe, who did for us yesterday. After yesterday's performance I wouldn't blame Spurs for changing their minds about selling us Jermaine Defoe, assuming that it is more than just a rumour.

Still, it was a good day, except for the racist element in the Villa end that sang anti-Jew, Black and Pakistani songs throughout the game, and continued singing the same songs for the 3 hours it took us to get back to Brum on the coach. It's old, guys. It's dated. Nobody wants you. Nobody is listening. Why don't you all just go forth and multiply?

(I read this week that the historian David Irving was released from prison early and will serve the rest of this sentence for Holocaust Denial on probation. At the time of his incarceration I argued that he should never have been jailed in the first place because of the consequences for free speech. He should be allowed to sprout his paranoid conspiracy nonsense and we should be allowed to laugh long and loudly at his theories.

The racist turds at the Spurs game got me thinking. They should have been turfed out of the ground (and off the coach, come to that), but as such would we have been denying them their right to free speech? Is it OK for an apparently erudite, intelligent man like David Irving to give lectures and write books, but not for working class thugs to spew less subtle abuse from the terraces. Where do you draw the line? Should everybody be allowed to write and say anything they like?

There were signs up at Spurs asking supporters to "Mind Your Language". They didn't, so they should have been asked to leave. Austria has a law making Holocaust Denial a crime. David Irving broke that law. He went to prison. Is one right, but not the other?

Not well argued by me, but it's the best I can do.)

Back to work today. I spent the day in a state of mild annoyance, for a reason I never expected. There were a fair few people in the office and a chunk of them were spending the day dicking about. I had things I had/wanted to do at work today and I was being distracted from doing them. I do not like The Company (you know that), but if I am being paid good money to be there, even over the holiday period, I feel somewhat of an obligation to do the best job I can (being a saintly kind of guy, of course.)

I had a word with Lorraine (my boss, after all) and she had a quiet word with various people over lunchtime. It quietened down during the afternoon. It was so quiet that not a soul spoke to me.

Poor lambs. Their fun was spoilt. Call me Scrooge. Bah, humbug, Motherfucker.

I promised a list of this year's stash. Here goes.

1. "Costello Music" by the Fratellis on CD.
2. "Monster House" on DVD.
3. "The 4400" series 1 & 2 on DVD.
4. "The Office" complete series box set on DVD.
5. A "Doctor Who" board game.
6. "Doctor Who: The Inside Story" in hardback.
7. 3 bottles of red wine.
8. 3 books by Terry Pratchett - "The Colour Of Magic", "Hogfather" and "The Light Fantastic".
9. Addidas showergel and underarm shit.
10. "Bad Santa" on DVD.
11. Sony 007 Micro Vault 1GB Memory Stick.
12. "The Spy Who Loved Me" and "The Living Daylights" on DVD.
13. A Chocolate Christmas Tree.
14. A Lemonade Making Kit.
15. Towels and Tea Towels (eh?)
16. "Love" by the Beatles (twice!)
17. Book Vouchers.
18. HMV Vouchers.
19. La Fee Absinthe Kit.
20. Dilbert Desktop Calendar.
21. A Wall Calendar with loads of pictures of Oceans.
22. "Gerald's Game" by Stephen King.
23. A Wooden Clock.
24. Dessert Glasses.
25. A jumper 3 sizes too big!

It's a good stash.

I'll be back on Friday. We will be out tomorrow night at an evening of Cole Porter music at the Symphony Hall. I am really looking forward to it.

Everybody, now!

"Some get a kick from cocaine..."