Glad to hear that you are in a state of content. Always refreshing to hear of another's happiness and get a vicarious thrill that it it still possible in the shitty world which we live in.

Personally, I can see the day coming when I will get to that state. It will require a bit of work, and some luck, and of course the likelihood is that it will go mammaries northwards, but its good to have ambition.

You can't try to find contentment, waste of time. Best just to 'do the right thing' and enjoy the hobbesian moment when it sneaks up on you.

QUOTE:
The first is when I'm in the presence of dogs...
The second is when I'm on the road on my bike.

What about when the first and the second coincide, Clive?

I like dogs (particularly the ancient Jack Russells that are owned by my allotment neighbours).
I like cycling.
I don't like dogs chasing me on my bike, as one did this morning, even darting between two cars to get at me.

Life is good. It usually is. It tends to treat me well. Lots of weird things have been afoot all summer, but the end result always seems to be pretty good. The end result being that I have no idea whether I'm going to be living in my lovely new flat in Wandsworth for the next couple of years, or whether I'm going to be living in Johannesburg for the next couple of years because the gf's work is all down there and it makes sense to move.

Some people might view this as killingly bad. But the way I look at it, living in the lovely new flat is great; but also living in sunny, friendly Jo'burg where (unlike London) you really can eat at all the top restaurants, and go and play with Lion cubs at the weekend or walk up the Drakensberg amphitheatre if you feel like it, is also great. Found ways in which my job becomes more-or-less do-able from abroad, so at the moment I can work in either place. And if work goes to shit (as it's often threatening to) the nice thing about SA is that vocational courses are cheap and I can train myself up to do something new and exciting (whilst, cheekily, living off the girlfriend's income for a bit).

It's all good.

But, I have to say, playing around in the Drakensberg is particularly pleasing.

Felicity, I guess so wrote:

QUOTE:

QUOTE:
The first is when I'm in the presence of dogs...
The second is when I'm on the road on my bike.

What about when the first and the second coincide, Clive?

I like dogs (particularly the ancient Jack Russells that are owned by my allotment neighbours).
I like cycling.
I don't like dogs chasing me on my bike, as one did this morning, even darting between two cars to get at me.

Ah! I was talking about motobikes/scooters (but you probably knew that). Thus, I've got the speed to outrun them, should it ever happen ...which it hasn't yet, although I've had a few dogs look like they wanted to chase me, but they were fortunately under the full control of their owners. As it is, the most danger dogs pose to me on my scooter is when I go "awwwww!" and nearly crash.

Whoever owned that dog that chased you is a cunt and can't really like dogs.

evilC: loves dogs, hates kids. Wyatt Earp: loves kids, hates dogs.

But it wouldn't do for me to write "I actually went and sat in my local park for a while, last weekend, just so I could see some kids."

Now, is that justice?

Can I quote you on that in another thread Wyatt?

Well, this thread should put to rest any suspicions that Wyatt ever was a member of the Chi-Lites.

Wyatt Earp wrote:

QUOTE:
evilC: loves dogs, hates kids. Wyatt Earp: loves kids, hates dogs.

But it wouldn't do for me to write "I actually went and sat in my local park for a while, last weekend, just so I could see some kids."

Now, is that justice?

Ha!

On the other hand, if you smile at kids, that's considered normal, but if you smile at dogs, people consider you soft in the head somehow.

Mind you, at least I can pet any particularly friendly dogs I meet. ...Best not to go there, on the kids side of things, I think!

Anyway... on a more serious note, some people find children life-affirming or charming and I'd imagine that such people don't mind being in places where there's lots of them. Thus, it surely stands to reason that these people might go to such places. Nothing wrong with that.

I'm glad to see other people like dogs as well. I saw my parents this weekend and it's always nice to be in their house, not having to worry about anything. The fact that the dog is so excited to see me that she literally wets herself when I pat her head for the first time is both disturbing and gratifying. And in no way sexual, you filthy perverts.

Incidentally, who is Stan Smith and what did he do to be commemorated by having people walk around in his trainers? He must have owned a lot given how many of you seem to wear them.

Bald old tennis guy, who won Wimbledon, and possibly other stuff.

Famous for beating the shit out of Ilie Nastase in '72. Poor Ilie... coattail hanging doubles player (no, I didnt mean that).

G.Man wants a hyphen wrote:

QUOTE:
Well, this thread should put to rest any suspicions that Wyatt ever was a member of the Chi-Lites.

Yeah, it's about time that one was nailed.

evilC wrote:

QUOTE:
Anyway... on a more serious note, some people find children life-affirming or charming and I'd imagine that such people don't mind being in places where there's lots of them. Thus, it surely stands to reason that these people might go to such places. Nothing wrong with that.

Seriously: that's absolutely true. But In Your Current Climate Of Moral Panic, forget it.

Mind you, to be honest, I dunno how perverts feel about it, but for us innocent kid-likers, they're at their worst in large shrieking crowds. A few birthday parties will soon convince anyone of that.

Good stuff: The Wire season 4. The Shield season 7. Vimto flavoured confectionary. Me and the missus have stopped rowing so much sinc eI gave up booze.

I can't be the only one who skim read that as "innocent kid-killers".