"What we have here is the top 106 books most often marked as "unread" by LibraryThing’s users. As in, they sit on the shelf to make you look smart or well-rounded. Bold the ones you've read, underline the ones you read for school, italicize the ones you started but didn't finish. Here's the twist: add (*) beside the ones you liked and would (or did) read again or recommend. Even if you read 'em for school in the first place."

I feel the need to go clubbing soon. Goth or industrial (but preferably more tuneful / less noise).

Failing that, going in a completely opposite direction I'd take psytrance, but I haven't seen much of that ilk in Edinburgh of late.

It really has to be a Friday or even better, a Saturday in order to fit in with the horrors of adulthood.

Where should I go and when?

Tonight, Eddie Meyer uttered the word 'bastard' more times within one episode of PM than I have ever heard it used in several years of listening to Radio 4.

We like the mooooon!

Not at pub with colleagues.

alienspacebat's parents are about to turn up for the weekend and the place is extremely untidy.

Eep!

PC World's website is being most odd. It seems to accept my password in order to change said password. Nonetheless, regardless of what said password is, it obstinately refuses to accept that it is correct when I wish to use it to alter a delivery address.

I would like to live in a society where logical judgements reach without recourse to religious texts were given the same respect as those based on religious requirement.

In reality, I couldn't care less whether or not someone covers their hair or wears a cross and I'm not going to fight for my equivalent right to wear a hat or particular jewellery at work. I understand the reasons that we make allowances for religious beliefs and try to accommodate them, though I may not understand those particular beliefs myself.

Nonetheless, in my ideal world, my desire to wear a hat all the times because I choose to - for example - would be given the same weight as someone else's insistence on wearing religious garb.

It's a bizarre society in my view where a request that young people not wear hooded tops because they are 'threatening' and 'obscure the face' is seen as reasonable, whereas a request that someone remove a garment that covers most of their identifying features is seen as intolerant.

I can now understand how France came to the position it did, though it would not be my own position.

I do not wish to live in a society which says 'same rules for everyone except the religious'. I do not wish to live in a society which tiptoes around making exceptions and concessions based only upon religious belief, but will not make exceptions for other kinds of deeply held conviction. Such a society is one where I as an atheist will undoubtedly be expected to be understanding of such beliefs without reciprocity. That, I find grossly unfair.

Right now, I am becoming enraged with this increasingly nonsensical and thin-skinned debate.

Hello you lovely people :)

As some of you know I'm taking part in The Edinburgh Moonwalk this weekend, in aid of breast cancer research. The event's a power-walking marathon around Edinburgh, starting at midnight, so spare a thought when (some of) you are out getting pissed!

If you feel able, I'd be delighted if some of you would sponsor me.

My employer will be matching the sponsorship pound for pound up to the first £500, so I'm looking to get as close to that target as possible.

Thanks!

Michael Buerk sounds off about women & society. I may have to watch this, although alienspacebat might have to remove all the pointy / tv damaging objects from the house first.

The sun sets slowly over Edinburgh. I'm sitting in the Meadows, book in one hand, beer in the other. I've just done some poi, but I'm a little tired - out of practice. Sitting next to me is Tim, intrepid explorer hat {tm} on his head, also sipping a beer and grinning, as we watch a pair practicing acrobalance nearby.

Suddenly there's a great wheezing sound, a honk and then a loud droning. I'm awakened from my dreamy state by a short, bearded man with wiry ginger hair. He's huffing and puffing into an unfeasibly large set of bagpipes (or perhaps he's just unfeasibly small), while doing a little jig around his group of lager-swilling, sunburnt anti-hippies. His friends cheer him as he goes shrieking up towards young couples lying on the grass; groups of students with guitars and drums, valiantly continuing to play as he makes his presence felt. The entire Meadows are aware of him now.

Someone shouts, 'Gie it a rest', but he continues unabated - wild-eyed and dancing as though were he not to dance, the pipes would take him over with their sheer weight.

The mood shatttered and the midges out in force, people start packing up their things. He finally lays down the bagpipes. I finish my beer and head home.

I have sent alienspacebat for wine, chocolate and flowers. Admittedly the latter are for tomorrow's flat viewing, but the first two are definitely for me.

We will then watch Lost in Translation, as my Amazon order finally turned up today.

I will not be in theauldhoose, since I'm unfit for human company, being as spiky as a hedgehog with piles.

Given that I couldn't go out while waiting for a gas engineer, I decided to eat fairly chewy pizza and drink beer. This was clearly an error, as I'm now filling out rather large size 14 trousers quite nicely, would like to go to sleep and facially, bear some resemblance to a hamster.

White bread is bad.
Most beer is at least non-good.
The combination was foolish.

If you've not already seen this, The Independent are launching a campaign for electoral reform, including an online petition.

Make Votes Count and the Electoral Reform Society also have a petition.

This is something I think is desperately needed - especially after the recent general election result.

Tim: You combine a lot of demographics - a bit geeky, ex-goth, bit of a hippy...
Me: Am not! And if you say that again, I'll throw this shoe at you!
Tim: *hysterical laughter*

*looks down at 'Birkenstock' label*

Oh dear.

Went to the pub last night for the first time in ages. Fun was had (and terribly serious conversations with scunthorpe. Politics, religion and no casualties - excellent :)

Also good to catch up with figg. Hopefully catch up with more people at the weekend: I've been hiding for too long (and December is likely to be more than a little crazy).

Had a fabulous meal out last night at Librizzi's with alienspacebat. I'd never been along before, but I'd definitely go back. It's a Sicilian restaurant and I found it refreshing to go to an Italian restaurant that doesn't have the standard Scottish-Italian menu with lots of pizza. It wasn't too expensive either, despite its appearance and the fact that it seems to be popular with suited New Town types.

This morning I went to see my old singing teacher, since it seems likely that I'll be able to afford the odd singing lesson now that I'm working. I haven't arranged anything yet, since I don't know my hours, but it'll be good to get back into things. Unfortunately I don't know what I want to sing: I've always done opera in the past, but it doesn't look like there's much amateur opera of interest going on in Edinburgh right now (well, there's Aida, but I'm a little young for that!). I had even toyed with the idea of trying some jazz or something, but I'll wait and see what Irene says when I've actually been for a lesson. My voice has almost certainly changed over the past year and a half, so I'm not even sure what would suit me nowadays.

This afternoon I shall go and get girly eyebrow dying stuff done and possibly have another attempt at shopping for work clothes (yesterday being an unmitigated disaster in that respect), before heading out to the gym with a certain blond physicist who has offered to show me what I should be doing with free weights. After my cycling up hills embarrassment the other day, I'd really rather not do anything foolish like drop the damned things on my foot (or worse, his). This could be an adventure :-)

Good weekend so far: highlight including Ed Byrne on Friday night (go see, he's very funny) and dinner last night at The Waterfront in Leith for alienspacebat's birthday. Unfortunately this involved eating rather later than expected and erm, being in Leith, so there was no way we were going to make it to martling's party by a respectable hour.

Don't go and see Wendy Spero - Who's Your Daddy? - possibly the worst Fringe show I've had the misfortune to sit through. I don't know, maybe it would have been funnier if I were (a) American or (b) Jewish, but somehow I doubt it. (I mean, in what country is going on about what a stoner you are funny in and of itself? Unless that is, you're one of Cheech and Chong. She wasn't.)

Today I will take my boy out for birthday breakfast and hope that the weather lifts sufficiently to go out in the sunshine. Somehow I have my doubts about the latter.

Since I'm sitting around bored, waiting for B&Q to call, have a meme:

Ask me two questions. The first one HAS to be "What do you think of me?" but the second one can be anything you want. And as with any memes of this form, do the same thing in your own journal after you post the questions. Or not, whatever.

Meh. Something is punishing me for having such a good day yesterday. In the afternoon I read in the Meadows before cycling out to the gym for yoga. Now I have the cold and feel as though someone's trying to blend my brain.

Today's entry is: bah.