Chris Hansen’s blog

Polygamy happens in many societies; polyandry in relatively few. If you’d like to hear why women shouldn’t be polyandrous, but it’s OK for men to be polygamous, read this article. But if you think I would agree with it, please don’t.

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…but for how long, only $DEITY$ knows.

…and many happy returns of the day.

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I’ve been very remiss about recounting what’s going on around here…my bad. So spank me…please!

HWMBO is now in Singapore. He’s been there for a couple of days, visiting his parents and our friends. He’ll be there for 2-1/2 weeks. So I shall be pretty lonely. Any of my Singaporean lj friends who sees him out and about should say “hi!”.

I’m not totally alone, though. arrived Thursday morning and will be here until Tuesday. We’ve had some meals out, and may have a few more. He’s helped me with my network and my backups, so has more than earned his way. I think I’ll keep him! What a sweetheart he is&#8212I’m lucky to know him.

I myself am still struggling through with my foot ulcer and diabetes. The air boot is very bulky and a bit heavy. Yesterday I went out to central London to do some shopping at computer fairs. The main one that used to be at Jury’s Hotel has moved up north of Goodge Street. So I turned up at New Oxford Street and missed out on a tricycle taxi ride up to the new site. I walked it. The map they gave was seriously out of scale. Then I walked back down to New Oxford Street, which was mobbed. Because of people who would not walk at a normal pace nor get out of the way, I nearly missed a number 1 bus back home. So I was in a foul mood by the time I got home.

I made a “Hearty Chuck Wagon” soup from a recipe I got via email. I will tell y’all if it’s any good— and I will be having some for lunch today. Assuming we both survive, I may make it again when HWMBO gets back. It’s a crock pot recipe, and it does smell pretty good. On Friday I made Boston Baked Beans in the crock pot and and I had some for lunch. Not bad, except you can’t get salt pork here so I had to use British bacon, which isn’t as good a substitute.

invited me to join him and his mates at Compton’s for a pint then Chinese food. I dutifully went out and, halfway to the Tube, just felt that I was too tired to be sociable, so I called him and said, “I just can’t drag myself all that way—please go on without me.” I then went home, had some leftover chicken and a few slices of bread, and fell asleep in my easy chair.

Went to bed at 11 pm, forgetting my statin pill. So I woke up around 2 am and thought, “Why am I awake?” When I remembered that I hadn’t taken the pill, I came downstairs and took it. This morning, however, I woke up at 6 after not having slept very well, and when the day had penetrated the fog, realised that I was having a hypo episode. So I came downstairs and tested my blood—it was 4.4 (normal is 4-6 but 4.4 is low for me). I had a small glass of orange juice then ate breakfast somewhat early.

Today is the church’s Patronal Festival. I expect that it’ll be dire as usual. There is a barbecue after church in the Rectory garden, but I always skip these as the food is fat-laden. Next week is Back to Church Sunday, but I’ll be in Manchester visiting my friend Nicky next weekend, so won’t be here.

…LiveJournal syndication seems to be working again. Hurray!

The “Family” section of the Grauniad had two articles that I enjoyed this week. One I have already written about. The other is called “A letter to…” and I think that might find it interesting.

I read the “Family” section of the Guardian each week. As it deals with parents, children, and grandchildren mostly, you wouldn’t think that it would be of much interest to a gay man. However, I suppose that I am a son and brother (not an uncle, unfortunately), so I find it very interesting and a compelling read.

This week there is an article about Philomena Lee and her search for her son, adopted out against her will when she gave birth “out of wedlock” in an Irish convent.

I don’t know whether you will, but I know that I did shed a tear upon reading it. The Irish Roman Catholic church has many things to answer for: the Magdalen Laundries are but one example of the cruelties that were visited upon Irish Catholics by the priests, brothers, and nuns in the name of religion.

Oh, and there is a gay angle to it. Read it and find out.

…and many happy returns of the day.

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As (I think) pointed out in a tweet yesterday, Live Journal syndication is broken. No syndicated posts from blogs outside of Live Journal have surfaced in more than a week.

I am seriously annoyed at this.

I kid you not, this English breakfast is free if you can eat it in 20 minutes.

As they say, “A moment on the hips, a lifetime on the hips.”

Only, in this case, the lifetime could probably be measured in minutes.

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So farewell, then/Henry Gibson;
You used to be
in Laugh-In.

We’d sit there and watch you
with your flower and your line
“A poem…
by Henry Gibson”

But now you’ve recited
your last poem.
And we can say that
you’re now on “Laugh-Out”.

by E.J. Thribb, age 98-3/4

Another blog entry! It never rains but it pours.

I have been using Thunderbird for a few weeks now. I’m pretty well used to it, and found only a couple of things annoying. I found the solution to one annoying thing today, hurrah!

When an email with images in it is opened, unless the sender is in my address book, Thunderbird, “to protect my privacy”, asks me whether I want to show images. Well, MailWasher Pro protects my privacy pretty well, so I’ve been putting all the senders in my address book.

However, some senders vary their email addresses with every email: one information aggregator emailer, for example, gives an email address of, say “mail.asdflkjhqweriouyasdjsdflkjh@…” one time, and “mail.cxbmnsdfgljhxmnzxlasdflihjxbmnvz@…” the next. The random character part is varied each time. Thunderbird was asking me to add each one of these “addresses” whenever the aggregator sent me an email. I was quite annoyed.

There is, however, a way to tell Thunderbird to always show images, but they don’t want you to do it (and blame them for any privacy violations, I suppose). I discovered it and changed the parameter, and lo! no more questions about showing images.

A small victory, but a very useful one for me. Now to try to get it to contract subfolders after I move an email into one.

Today I was interviewed by a market researcher cum ethnographer. You may remember that a month or so ago I was filling out a questionnaire on my media habits, as well as keeping a diary of what I was watching on TV, listening to on radio, or surfing online—I left out the naughty bits of that. Well, a few days ago I got a phone call that they found my diary so interesting that they wanted to do a more in-depth interview in my home, for which I would receive a honorarium. Well, in my current unemployed state, honorarium was music to my aures, so I agreed. The interviewer came to the house today and we spoke for three hours, most of which conversation she was filming and recording.

She was a young lady who seemed a bit disorganised. When she came to the door I asked her for ID, since she was someone I didn’t know who was going to be in the house. She had no ID. She scrabbled through her bags for a business card, which she failed to find. After a few minutes she offered a credit card with her name and her company’s name on it. I accepted that, and hope that she’s learned her lesson. She sat on the sofa and got her video camera adjusted.

She was quite interested in the house—she asked many questions about my favourite places in the house—did I enjoy my easy chair in the living room more than sitting at my computer? What kinds of TV shows did I watch? Why did I only listen to BBC Radio 4 among the UK radio stations on offer?

In the middle of the interview Daring Squirrel came to the window for her lunch. The interviewer was surprised when I started feeding the squirrel, and filmed that along with everything else.

At the end of the interview I went through the channels on our internet radio: everything from Radio 4 to Radio Australia and Radio New Zealand, with a large number of US news radio stations in various cities and WKCR and WQXR in New York. She put her camera together again and recorded me talking her through the radio.

Afterwards I reflected about the questions she asked me. I find it difficult to believe that there is anyone else in the UK whose media habits are like mine. We hardly ever watch BBC or commercial terrestrial television. I use the iPlayer for radio, but rarely or never use it to time-shift programs I’ve missed. I listen to internet radio stations that couldn’t be heard here over the air. I read the Grauniad …er… Guardian, the Economist (when Royal Mail deigns to deliver it), Private Eye, the Church Times and New Scientist. Not your usual reading material, to be sure.

As for my online habits—since the advent of Twitter and Facebook, my online activity has changed utterly. I used to blog relatively frequently, even if it were only a blog entry titled “Today’s XXX URL:” where XXX would be something funny, or sad, or notable for the day. Nowadays, I tweet such things, and they appear in my blog only when my Twitter aggregator publishes it there at the end of the day. I follow Facebook, republish non @-directed tweets there, and generally keep up with people in that space. I occasionally (but not as often as I used to) use MSN or Yahoo! Messenger to communicate with people. I read my Live Journal Friends page every day. I keep up with emails and email lists, but don’t reply to the lists as often as I once did.

What does this all mean? Am I weird? Out-of-touch? Not acting my age, but acting my shoe size? (Size 9 UK/10 US, if you must know…)

It is very telling that she was relatively uninterested in my iPhone, although she filmed it. She was quite interested in our wireless Skype phone and our various computers. I am very surprised that she wasn’t interested in the iPhone, as I believe that the iP(hone/od Touch) will be a major delivery venue for the media of the future.

She asked me what the BBC or TV in general could do to get me interested in watching TV again. I thought for a long time and said, “Nothing, really.” As for the license fee, I said that it has made the BBC complacent, fat, and sassy. The best thing for the BBC would be for the license fee to be abolished and the BBC have to support itself through advertising or subscription fees (easy to collect when all terrestrial TV broadcasting is ended and only Freeview, Virgin, or Sky carry the BBC). I know that’s not a totally popular view, but most of the BBC output these days is aimed at the lowest common denominator in British society. Since everyone pays the license fee, there must be programs for everyone from the booboisie to the monarchy—which are sometimes the same—and from academics to illiterates.

Yesterday I listened to Sir Terry Wogan on Radio 2—since he’s about to retire, and is a British Institution, I thought I ought to listen at least once. His program segu

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• 07:46 @jerricklim lots of Ugly Angmohs around…we see ’em here & try to export ’em. The Ugly American is a stock character in travel writing. #
• 10:44 My orthodontist is pleased:RT DentonPolice: twitpic.com/hrf91 – 09/14/2009 | 18 yrs | ESCAPED FROM CUSTODY #
• 14:45 @mheusser I am a Freemason and if the law were to be broken in our Lodge, I would be honour-bound to report it to the authorities. #
• 17:15 @urbanbohemian turn in your Queer Card[TM] immediately! #
• 17:34 have been cleaning house, installing software, and generally away from teh intarwebz this afternoon. Have y’all been playing nice meanwhile? #
• 19:00 @cemab4y congratulations! Safe journey and then safe working. #
• 19:30 @legalmoose Seven years? That must be some sort of record. Rivals Jarndyce v. Jarndyce. #
• 22:23 @GaySkyHooker if you’re interested in sounding I have a friend who is good at it in NYC and will pass your email address to him if you wish. #
• 22:27 @Naoij i’m sorry to hear it. my condolences. i will keep your grandpa and your family and you in my thoughts and prayers. #
• 23:10 @GaySkyHooker done. he’s coming to London on Thursday so I can talk to him about it. #

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• 08:46 Lakeitha looks fierce: RT DentonPolice: twitpic.com/hnqc2 -09/13/2009 | 29 yrs | County Record: tinyurl.com/mun5bs #
• 08:52 RT @urbanbohemian: I’m making my own version of bit.ly/3a9vW right now, but it’s called “Birthday Steak” Mmm, with a nice Syrah! #
• 08:54 @GaySkyHooker: There is an air of “A Clockwork Orange” about this picture yfrog.com/4r7b3j #
• 08:58 Wasn’t hot enough–you’re still in shorts! RT @Naoij: Fuck it’s getting hotter. Too hot to say no. twitpic.com/hn5tx #
• 10:52 @Naoij oh dear…well, whoever he is, he needs to drop the shorts. #
• 17:41 A real cutie: RT DentonPolice twitpic.com/hpph3 – 09/14/2009 09:53:54 | 17 yrs | BURGLARY OF HABITATION #
• 17:52 RT @papababa miss and piss is just a 1-letter difference yet the feeling is so vastly different #
• 18:31 @legalmoose the “muffin top” look is ubiquitous in the Western world. #
• 22:29 RT @se1: Members of the RMT at Waterloo are concerned about the “Swine Flu academic” bit.ly/SyLXk #

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• 07:29 @pedroissexy twitpic.com/hjjdm – wow…great pic! #
• 07:31 @pedroissexy twitpic.com/hjj9g – perfect! lickable… #
• 07:32 @pedroissexy twitpic.com/hjj2a – make sure it’s not too heavy as navel piercings are difficult to heal. #
• 07:35 @makemydayblog 1 more comment: use a link shortener & put the entire link in the tweet. what you’ve put in is not clickable. Joined-up ‘net. #
• 18:55 evening all. absence of tweets today due to preaching and a huge Sunday lunch at the Vicarage. #

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• 10:20 RT @GaySkyHooker: Went for a smoke in courtyard wearing just foot shorts-elderly couple next door looked at me in disgust. I touched myself #
• 10:52 good morning all. I must settle down & write my sermon for tomorrow…have no inspiring thoughts yet. Mk 8:27-35 eludes me somehow. To work! #
• 14:15 Roderick is yummy! RT DentonPolice: twitpic.com/hf9ss – 09/12/09 04:45 | 20 yrs | County Record: tinyurl.com/mugqk5 #

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Thanks to my friend dancingintheholycircle for this video. My maternal grandmother was from Nova Scotia, from the town of Lunenburg. She was an Acadian, one of the French-speaking community which makes Nova Scotia so vibrant. I loved this video, even though I have never been there. There’s no “Visit Nova Scotia” caption, no URL, but the beauty of the scenery tells me that I really need to go.

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• 05:44 RT @jonk: kakaka i love this image from rescuemarriage.org twitpic.com/h94gh #
• 05:50 RT @mhisham: Safari must hate Microsoft that much to allow that bit of wind to get cut off – see link please! lolx 😉 ow.ly/i/at #
• 05:54 We like Kasey: RT DentonPolice: twitpic.com/ha3cy | 20 yrs | County Record: tinyurl.com/lp6xhz | POSSESSION OF DRUG #
• 06:06 Have just googled “botfly removal video” and discovered that people who are botfly infested seem to like filming the removal with audio. #
• 15:41 Today’s Prayer URL: is.gd/39rHV Sometimes you do not get what you pray for. #
• 16:30 @nard @pinoyboy if it were that personal then the nearest tree or a handy empty bottle would do… #
• 16:44 Need to turn router into ethernet bridge. i think i can do it but no joy. instructions are so opaque… #
• 16:47 @pinoyboy @nard it’s possible but it makes travel more than a couple of miles away from home problematic and @nard has traveled recently. #
• 16:48 @makemydayblog do post a link when you refer to your blog–makes it so much easier! #
• 16:57 @gelodelacruz your london friend misses you too… #
• 17:09 @pinoyboy @nard very good. no trees or old slurpee cups were harmed in taking care of the plumbing emergency… #
• 17:11 RT @itzJeffy: How to crack eggs with one hand. lol – tinyurl.com/kkownc #
• 18:06 RT @itzJeffy: My dad just drunk dialed me, over an international phone call. Now that’s a whole new level. lol #
• 18:08 #followfriday @jonk because he’s funny & smart; @urbanbohemian ditto. @MrPandaBehr and @nard because they’re great guys & tweet judiciously #
• 18:21 @IvyBean104 no, it couldn’t be your age… #

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• 14:01 @kalandaka You meant to say: “It’s not love, if there are no nuts involved.” Right? #
• 15:02 @mhisham could be safety glass like that used in phone booths. they break into small marble-sized pieces that have no sharp edges. #
• 15:04 @mhisham i don’t believe sg is near a major fault line–i think it goes on the other wise of java and sumatra. #
• 15:04 @Naoij sorry. hope you start feeling useful again… #
• 15:08 @mhisham well, perhaps, but they are very small size–maybe peas would be a better size comparison. i think they’d feel like hard snowfall.. #
• 16:57 RT @TheLondonEye: It was 10 yrs ago today that London Eye was raised into place and became part of London skyline! twitpic.com/h770t #
• 21:51 @phillip0125 i thot that was a sign for an elevator… #
• 21:55 @natflatt i’ll say a prayer for your job… #
• 22:25 @texasnate whatever he drank, I don’t want any. #
• 22:50 @Airrun looking for the spigot? #
• 22:54 @Airrun i do it with my tongue, usually. #
• 22:55 @Airrun oh, indeed, you’d need a very long tongue for that. don’t worry, someone else will find it for you… 😉 #
• 22:59 @jonk as long as you have pictures taken and post them, please go right ahead. #
• 23:19 well, all, time to hit the hay. Foot clinic tomorrow, then dinner with friends. I love the phrase “dinner with friends”. They make food good #

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• 07:23 Jared’s a hottie: RT DentonPolice: twitpic.com/h1z04 – 09/09/2009 00:00:44 | 27 yrs | County Record: tinyurl.com/ljs27q #
• 13:03 @hygienestudent congratulations! #
• 13:16 @therealgokwan happy birthday to you! hope your naked pictures come out well: birthday suits on your birthday. #
• 15:48 @nard next year’s 10/10/10 10:10:10, I suppose.When we get to 2013, all bets are off… #
• 16:00 You know what I really really hate with a passion? Installation wizards that aren’t. #FAIL #
• 16:48 Today’s Family Values Politician Speaks Video: is.gd/355Eb #
• 16:53 @soveren do you send packages to yourself just to welcome the FedEx boiz in your nightie?? #
• 16:55 @ashleyhill7861 we had ours last night–really good meeting blighted by news that one of our brethren, the Co-Preceptor, is seriously ill. #
• 17:02 @soveren I knew you’d enjoy it. Make sure you take pictures. #
• 20:16 The people who wrote the online survey i just tried to take are morons. Don’t put a Quit button in the place where everyone else puts “Next” #

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It probably won’t remain free for long, but the NY Times has a story about Patrick Kelly, who was unemployed and at loose ends. So, for a year, he’s going to take suggestions from the public for challenges, and do one a day.

Some people think this is a waste of talent. I say: this guy is a genius, and the book he’ll be able to write at the end of the year will be a doozy.

…and many happy returns of the day.

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