Passion

OK, first an update on the floor. I took the day off on Friday to begin varnishing the boards. it’s now Monday morning and I have put two coats all over. I have enough left for almost another coat. I may just go over it again lightly, or at least just the parts that I think will experience heavy foot traffic. I have learnt that using silicone sealant to fill the cracks between the boards was not the best idea, since you have to go over the entire floor again with sand paper afterwards to ensure there is no residue. The varnish won’t stick to it. I have also learnt that when painting a floor one should check that the back door has not been bolted from the inside. Then, when you go round the outside of the house to turn off the kitchen light you don’t end up swearing to yourself in the back garden. I now have hands that are calloused and hard. I feel quite manly.

My continual complaining and griping at First Great Western has resulted in a four-page apology letter and £50 in compensation. That means my season ticket for this month is discounted by almost 20%. This is a good result, but we’re still at war of course. This compensation was for being stranded twice since July. It’s worth complaining.

OK, two little stories in the news caught my eye today. Firstly, a cult christian group known as the Twelve Tribes based in Devon has upset the children’s charity NSPCC after a newspaper investigation revealed that they beat children with willow canes to discipline them.

Of course, this could be far less serious than it sounds, but the Twelve Tribes are an international band of nutters and it would appear that the German section has already been raided by the authorities who removed 40 children and placed them in care after reports of extreme cruelty.

I am fundamentally opposed to telling other parents how they should bring up their children, but I am also of the opinion that brainwashing children is morally indefensible. On balance I hope they take the loonies to court on this one. It’s just another example of how religion tries to control people by mediaeval means. I shall watch how this story develops.

And finally, Stacey Schnee, a topless equality activist from Leicester, Massachusetts has been doing all sorts of things in her local area with her boobs on display. I say “on display”, in fact she wears pasties on her nipples because she claims it prevents a lot of argument. Incidentally, I had no idea what pasties were until I read this article. In any case, the law appears to be ambiguous in that part of the world and no one is quite sure whether women are allowed to go shirtless like men, or not. Things are further complicated by the fact that single mother Stacey is also a transexual. Does that mean she still has a willy? Anyway, it’s a great story about boobs, and I love Stacey because she is passionate about her cause.