(no subject)

[essayel]

Feeling chuffed today because I am now officially thin! Yes! Mike (tall thin leggy son) has thrown out a pair of jeans because they are 'too short in the leg' (I reckon it's really because they are no longer the complete and stygian black that they were when they were new) and they fit me!! Yay, go me. So I am a size 10 (think that's an eight in the US) at the waist and below. Sadly still a 14 to 16 in the top hamper but heck - if you've got it why not flaunt it. Now, of course, I need to tone it. Sit ups anyone?

I've just been watching Bowling for Columbine. Was that a scary movie or what? And it poses utterly unanswerable questions. I can't see thatthe US has any more violent a history than we do here. Good grief I don't think there's a country in the world that the British Empire hasn't turned over, invaded, pillaged, insulted or otherwise interfered with. For a moment I almost said 'with the exception of Iceland' but we went to war with them over bloody codfish back in the 70s (nothing formal, you understand. Just Royal Naval ships ramming their coast guards and stuff. Don't think anyone was killed - or if they were we weren't told.) No, we Brits have the sort of track record that means wherever we go we have to apologise, so that can't be it.Gun rules are strict - so the only people who have guns now are the ones who shouldn't be let out with a pea shooter. Gun crime is becoming more common - sure fire way of getting resect I suppose, people may still despise you but there's no way they'll say so. Oh dear, what the US does now Europe will be doing sometime next decade but I hope the gun culture doesn't spread. Our country is just too small for guns that can shoot right through house walls. It's very hard to make a case that you're hunting vermin when you're carrying a semi-automtic weapon of some kind. I mean, wood pigeons might crap on you but they don't shoot back. Fingers crossed that we stay quaint rather than becoming exciting.

Comments

[maystone.livejournal.com]

I hope the gun culture doesn't spread

I hope it doesn't, too. I'm a Yank (live in Massachusetts on the East Coast of the States), and trust me - most of us are as worried about guns as you are. I know a number of people who own hunting rifles, but only two who own handguns, and one of those is a sport shooter. (The other is just a nut case; there's no nice way to say it.) We're all wary of how many guns may be out there. I hate that it's happened to us - gun proliferation, that is - and I'd hate to see it spread to other countries.

[metallumai.livejournal.com]

You're right, scary movie. I saw it here last year, with my husband, a Brit musician passing through, and three teenagers. Very little conversation on the way home, mostly from the kids, who all voted to move to Canada.

I too wear my kids' castoffs. Of course, it's not as much of a "because I can" feeling, because, skinny as they are, they all wear clothes several sizes too big. Can't claim an 8 yet, but working on it. I join you in situps.

[innerslytherin]

As an American weirdo, I believe in our right to bear arms, but I think it's absolutely ridiculous the sorts of arms people bear these days. What reason does any civilian have to own an AK-47 or M-16? And yet there are people out there with them. I don't think there is any good reason for private citizens to carry semi-automatic or automatic weapons.

But then I've always wanted to be a cowboy, and I'd like to learn how to shoot a rifle. I'm just a little bit too American, eh? ^_^

[essayel.livejournal.com]

Well, I always wanted to be a cowboy too. And I learned to shoot a rifle but, frankly, I hated the bangs!! The longbow is much quieter and, I like to think, more elegant.

[gonzothegreat.livejournal.com]

Exactly, under the 2nd amendment you can bear whatever arms you wanna; I'm partial to keeping a sword in the house, but that is just because there was an incident in the city where I lived where it was useful. ;) If you are looking for power, I'd go for a crossbow, they make nice little one hand jobbies that'll do the trick. (alright, now I'm just being silly)

[essayel.livejournal.com]

Ah...but a longbow is really intimidating - the prospect of having ones thighs nailed together is quite daunting and even if you can't get an arrow on the string it's a big six foot stick with sharply pointed ends made from polished buffalo horn - poke someone in the nads with that and they'll fall over. Besides, crossbows were banned by the Lateran Council in 1139 and I'm not sure the ruling has been revoked.

[gonzothegreat.livejournal.com]

(snicker) At least you'd never be accused of a consealed weapon.

[innerslytherin]

This is true. If I had to choose, I would probably take the longbow over the rifle myself. But what I really want is a sword. I've heard rumours that they're going to be releasing Eowyn's sword from the movies. That's the sword I will truly covet and drool over.