Sunday, June 29, 2008

Supermarket Clothes

Here I am modelling my fashionable 'all supermarket' collection, comprising clothes bought entirely from Sainsbury's. I look rather like the builders who congregate at the local pub at lunchtime, standing outside for a cigarette. Also in picture - plastic flowers, mandolin, Buffy comics, Slade CD, fairy book, and corner of table at which I write. And a backgammon set, which I haven't played for years, and am really bad at. I don't even like the game. I should throw it out.

And on the subject of supermarkets I was surprised to see a blog in the Guardian where a woman was complaining angrily about middle-aged men ogling her 18 year old daughter as they walked round the shop. She seemed quite irate about the whole thing.

Well really. I mean to say. If you can't ogle someone's 18 year old daughter in the supermarket, what's left? That's about 80% of my sex life, dammit. Hey, I didn't like your daughter that much anyway.

I'd better just spend my time lying on the couch instead. Yesterday I spent most of the day watching the Paramount channel. It usually shows reruns of old American sit-coms. I watched various shows quiet contentedly but became uncomfortable with their repeats of Frasier. I used to like that programme, but went off it when they introduced a bunch of English characters - Daphne's family - who were so objectionable as to be barely human. Quite what these characters were meant to be was baffling. Had the writers actually ever met any English people? They appeared to be escapees from some mental asylum, unable to either walk or talk like normal human beings. It really put me off the programme.

Right, I'm going to read my new Buffy comic and then I'm going to write something.

11 comments:

  1. Anonymous12:06 pm

    I hated these English characters in Frasier

    - Jackie

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  2. I don't mind being ogled by supermarket going middle aged men as long as it ends at ogling. I'm glad to see that a fellow writer can't seem to keep his place tidy either. I am afflicted with chronic messiness too. I'm staying with a friend in Paris and it's driving her mad.

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  3. Anonymous9:49 pm

    MM for God.

    Reasons for:

    (i) deserves it
    (ii) if he - sorry, He - wears clothes from Sainsburys, noone else needs to worry about dressing up
    (iii) compulsory crumble (mmmm - crumble)
    (iv) He is omnipotent and thus can create numerous books at will - so we find out what happens to Thraxas.
    (v) just a generally good idea

    Negatives:
    (i) crumble is nice - crumble is good - but a life with only crumble ...?
    (ii) so busy being God, he (sorry, He) doesn't have time to write more books
    (iii) .... that's it.

    The ayes have it.

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  4. Anonymous1:58 am

    Looking good Martin - even for a Pommy in shorts. (It's a term of affection...really)
    If you think the American treatment of the English is bad you should try being an Australian! At least they know where England is, sort of.They have no idea, it's sad really.

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  5. Anonymous1:02 am

    Some woman is mad because men ogle her daughter? Geez, that woman needs to pick her battles or she's gonna be a cranky mess. And besides, like *she's* never ogled. Everyone ogles, even crabby middle-aged women. In fact, *especially* crabby middle-aged women. (I should know.)

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  6. I thought the purpose of supermarket was to offer a place where one could ogle.

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  7. Well, there seems to be a solid feeling of support for the practice of ogling in supermarkets her, which is undoubtedly a good thing. I expect I will carry on till I'm thrown out in shame by the security guards.

    Anita, you have my sympathy for people's lack of knowledge about Australia. Personally, have encountered many interesting Australians in my years in South London...

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  8. I agree, pick your battles, sounds like her 15 minutes of fame to me...

    Hurrah or writing!!!!! We need more.

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  9. Anonymous5:23 am

    Im laughing at that because I lived near South London myself for a while. It's an Aussie right of passage!

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  10. Anonymous1:35 pm

    I am sorry but how on earth can you possibly simplify your objections to the ogling of young woman to that which occurs within a supermarket? Not that I am totally agaist this. It happens everywhere and we deal with it. Surely it should be the daughter disgusted at this display rather than the mother? After all it is not her being ogled! (maby that is the problem?) PLus as an 18 year old girl I can safely say that there are worse places to be ogled - the swimming pool for instance - at least in a supermarked you can walk up beind them and ask if it was them who dropped the incontinance pads... works a treat :) xx

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  11. That seems a little harsh, ro[bot]. Speaking on behalf of harmless aging oglers everywhere, that is. The incontinence doesn't necessarily arrive for a while yet!

    Perhaps fortunately, it's some time since I've been to a swimming pool...

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