It's funny how your past catches up with you. I discovered today a blog that I kept an indeterminate amount of time ago, and it was something of an eye-opener. I'd completely forgotten about it and it was only when I was clearing out some old emails this evening that I saw that it existed.
And it is completely embarrassing. To discover that my mind at the time was completely devoted to one single issue wasn't so much of a shock (it wasn't THAT long ago), but to devote so many words to it was. I don't know how many ways there are of saying a single thing, but I must have broken the record over that two months (which, if I'm honest, wasn't a very exciting time of my life). Loosely, each post was like
"blah blah blah worry blah blah blah ask God to help me make the right decision". I'm glad it had a readership of no more than one or two (I only wrote it at the behest of my cousin who stopped caring about two posts in. I don't blame her). I wish I could go back in time and give myself a good slap on the face, but it gave me a chance to reflect and see if much had changed since then.
I won't go into much detail about it, but I'm pleased to say I am handling it a lot better in its current state than I was then. I guess you experience things over time that help you deal with later problems in life and perhaps time is, ultimately, the best thing for some issues. I want to write more about the role of time in the universe but I think I should go to bed.
If you want to visit my old blog go to
www.youmustbejokingifyouthinkIwilldirectyoutothis.com
(Google can't find it. Trust me, I've tried)
Monday, 26 November 2007
Monday, 19 November 2007
Pub quiz ettiquette
What is proper when it comes to pub quizzes? Well, wonder no more as I present to you the unwrriten (but now typed) rules of the pub quiz. My thanks to James Gray (no, the other one)for assisting me.
Arrive on time
The first thing about pub quizzes is that everyone is present for every question. Therefore if the quiz starts at 9, take some time to order drinks and take in the atmosphere, at around half eight if the quiz is a popular one. Once there, settle in and introduce yourself to any team members you may not know, since group cohesion is vital. Make sure that you pay your fee and split it evenly if one is required.
Team name
The team name is not so important, unless there are points on offer for best name. Bear in mind that an "amusing" name may get annoying as the evening goes on, so make sure it has longevity. If it is your first time doing the quiz, don't pick names with swear words in them since the quizmaster might not like that so much (especially inappropriate in a church quiz) and he may mark you more harshly. However, if you know the quizmaster is fine with it, then by all means, as long as it is funny. This also applies to insults towards the quizmaster and his or her appearance/girlfriend/mum.
Make sure it's easy to read and not too hard to pronounce, and no silly Prince-style symbols. If you want to make a name for your team, simple is best. The best quiz name I know of was
"Operation: Harold Bishop".
Team size
Ideal team size varies. The golden rule is check out the other teams to see how big they are. No size is too small, but if appropriate, split up into two groups of roughly equal size. Do not help each other's teams as this will be the same as having one big team.
Writer-downer
A writer-downer is to be appointed, and should be someone with neat, legible handwriting. They need not be the same for the whole quiz, but should realise that someone else may want to do it and be gracious and let them do it. For more see "Questions" and "Moguls".
Questions
The quizmaster will ask the questions, and while he or she is doing this, chatter should be kept to a minimum. When a question is read out, shouting out a ridiculous answer is not appropriate-it wears thin very quickly.
If the writer-downer knows the answer he or she can write it down, but should show everyone else the answer, just in case someone wants to correct it.
Moguls
A Mogul is defined as somebody in a pub quiz team who seems to have a high degree of knowledge in every area.
There are two types:
The first is the team-worker mogul. He or she will have an answer ready, but will consider everyone else's response before asserting that their answer is the correct one. It is worthwhile having one or two of these on a team.
The second is the dominant mogul. He or she will want to hog the paper and not accept anyone else's answer as correct, perhaps even being stubborn enough to insist that an answer they know is wrong is correct. It is vital that you do not give the mogul the task of writer-downer. I would suggest not having more than one such player on a team, since the whole point of the quiz is to have fun, and one person's selfishness can ruin it for everybody.
Group participation
It is vital that everyone feels valued as a quiz participant, after all, everyone paid an entrance fee. Thus, those who seem to be answering fewer questions should perhaps be given the task of writer-downer, so they feel included in the group.
Guessing
You may not know an answer. If someone has a vague inkling to an answer and noone else does, then put that down. I have some all-purpose answers for guessing
"Winston Churchill" and "Margaret Thatcher" are useful for "history" for example. Leaving blank answers is the ultimate no-no in pub quizzes. If you can't buy a ticket you won't win the raffle. Also, don't put stupid answers down as this will annoy the marker, which is not what you want. You might find that type two moguls won't accept guesses the "know" to be wrong. If they don't know the answer, tell them it's a good idea to put something down, ven if it seems wrong. Lastly, for true or false type questions, if none of you genuinely know the answer, then take a vote or toss a coin, then no individual can be blamed.
Mobile phones
There's no harm in keeping your phone on, but in the interests of fairness and transparency, try to use it between rounds when your team has handed in the answers. It's more fun to win by not cheating.
Specialist rounds
There is no avoiding the music and picture rounds. Usually, there are double points on offer for artist and song, and perhaps extra for naming the film whose soundtrack it was on, or the album or year of release. Be considerate by not speaking too loudly during this round, but you need to communicate your answer to the writer-downer so whisper or speak softly if needs be.
The picture round is usually a badly photocopied piece of paper with pictures of A-list celebrities in their youth or in some amusing situation. No writer-downer is required for this round as it's usually played over several "question" rounds and can be filled in at your leisure. Make sure your answers are sensible and legible and that everyone is content with the answers before handing in.
There may also be sport and current affairs rounds, but these are fading out and all the rounds seem to come under the banner "general knowledge". This is a great pity, but progress is progress. Where these rounds still exist, one player may nominate him or herself as a specialist. They should not be given writer-downer duties so everyone can object to an answer that was given, and not just assume they were right because they were a "specialist". I would keep specialisations to myself, personally, as it is easy to get annoyed when someone usurps your position.
Reading out of answers
The golden rule is that the quizmaster is always right even when (s)he's wrong. So when they read out an answer you disagree with, accept it with good grace. They're only human too, you know. Likewise, excessive cheering over an answer probably won't win you too many friends.
Results
Ideally, results will be read from the bottom upwards, so the team that finishes last will be read first. Finishing last is, for some, a great honour and will often be awarded with a booby prize. It is only polite to applaud the team's efforts as they collect it.
It is generally not the case that you applaud everyone else's name as they are read out. The teams in question probably aren't too bothered and will probably not want to be "congratulated" for mediocrity. When the second-place team (and hence the winner) is announced, applaud them, even if while cheering for victory. Likewise, applaud the winners. If you were dissatisfied as to their conduct, don't applaud them, but don't boo them either.
Prizes
Should be shared equally throughout the team, regardless of participation.
Arrive on time
The first thing about pub quizzes is that everyone is present for every question. Therefore if the quiz starts at 9, take some time to order drinks and take in the atmosphere, at around half eight if the quiz is a popular one. Once there, settle in and introduce yourself to any team members you may not know, since group cohesion is vital. Make sure that you pay your fee and split it evenly if one is required.
Team name
The team name is not so important, unless there are points on offer for best name. Bear in mind that an "amusing" name may get annoying as the evening goes on, so make sure it has longevity. If it is your first time doing the quiz, don't pick names with swear words in them since the quizmaster might not like that so much (especially inappropriate in a church quiz) and he may mark you more harshly. However, if you know the quizmaster is fine with it, then by all means, as long as it is funny. This also applies to insults towards the quizmaster and his or her appearance/girlfriend/mum.
Make sure it's easy to read and not too hard to pronounce, and no silly Prince-style symbols. If you want to make a name for your team, simple is best. The best quiz name I know of was
"Operation: Harold Bishop".
Team size
Ideal team size varies. The golden rule is check out the other teams to see how big they are. No size is too small, but if appropriate, split up into two groups of roughly equal size. Do not help each other's teams as this will be the same as having one big team.
Writer-downer
A writer-downer is to be appointed, and should be someone with neat, legible handwriting. They need not be the same for the whole quiz, but should realise that someone else may want to do it and be gracious and let them do it. For more see "Questions" and "Moguls".
Questions
The quizmaster will ask the questions, and while he or she is doing this, chatter should be kept to a minimum. When a question is read out, shouting out a ridiculous answer is not appropriate-it wears thin very quickly.
If the writer-downer knows the answer he or she can write it down, but should show everyone else the answer, just in case someone wants to correct it.
Moguls
A Mogul is defined as somebody in a pub quiz team who seems to have a high degree of knowledge in every area.
There are two types:
The first is the team-worker mogul. He or she will have an answer ready, but will consider everyone else's response before asserting that their answer is the correct one. It is worthwhile having one or two of these on a team.
The second is the dominant mogul. He or she will want to hog the paper and not accept anyone else's answer as correct, perhaps even being stubborn enough to insist that an answer they know is wrong is correct. It is vital that you do not give the mogul the task of writer-downer. I would suggest not having more than one such player on a team, since the whole point of the quiz is to have fun, and one person's selfishness can ruin it for everybody.
Group participation
It is vital that everyone feels valued as a quiz participant, after all, everyone paid an entrance fee. Thus, those who seem to be answering fewer questions should perhaps be given the task of writer-downer, so they feel included in the group.
Guessing
You may not know an answer. If someone has a vague inkling to an answer and noone else does, then put that down. I have some all-purpose answers for guessing
"Winston Churchill" and "Margaret Thatcher" are useful for "history" for example. Leaving blank answers is the ultimate no-no in pub quizzes. If you can't buy a ticket you won't win the raffle. Also, don't put stupid answers down as this will annoy the marker, which is not what you want. You might find that type two moguls won't accept guesses the "know" to be wrong. If they don't know the answer, tell them it's a good idea to put something down, ven if it seems wrong. Lastly, for true or false type questions, if none of you genuinely know the answer, then take a vote or toss a coin, then no individual can be blamed.
Mobile phones
There's no harm in keeping your phone on, but in the interests of fairness and transparency, try to use it between rounds when your team has handed in the answers. It's more fun to win by not cheating.
Specialist rounds
There is no avoiding the music and picture rounds. Usually, there are double points on offer for artist and song, and perhaps extra for naming the film whose soundtrack it was on, or the album or year of release. Be considerate by not speaking too loudly during this round, but you need to communicate your answer to the writer-downer so whisper or speak softly if needs be.
The picture round is usually a badly photocopied piece of paper with pictures of A-list celebrities in their youth or in some amusing situation. No writer-downer is required for this round as it's usually played over several "question" rounds and can be filled in at your leisure. Make sure your answers are sensible and legible and that everyone is content with the answers before handing in.
There may also be sport and current affairs rounds, but these are fading out and all the rounds seem to come under the banner "general knowledge". This is a great pity, but progress is progress. Where these rounds still exist, one player may nominate him or herself as a specialist. They should not be given writer-downer duties so everyone can object to an answer that was given, and not just assume they were right because they were a "specialist". I would keep specialisations to myself, personally, as it is easy to get annoyed when someone usurps your position.
Reading out of answers
The golden rule is that the quizmaster is always right even when (s)he's wrong. So when they read out an answer you disagree with, accept it with good grace. They're only human too, you know. Likewise, excessive cheering over an answer probably won't win you too many friends.
Results
Ideally, results will be read from the bottom upwards, so the team that finishes last will be read first. Finishing last is, for some, a great honour and will often be awarded with a booby prize. It is only polite to applaud the team's efforts as they collect it.
It is generally not the case that you applaud everyone else's name as they are read out. The teams in question probably aren't too bothered and will probably not want to be "congratulated" for mediocrity. When the second-place team (and hence the winner) is announced, applaud them, even if while cheering for victory. Likewise, applaud the winners. If you were dissatisfied as to their conduct, don't applaud them, but don't boo them either.
Prizes
Should be shared equally throughout the team, regardless of participation.
Saturday, 17 November 2007
PES predictions
I played some vital Euro qualifiers on PES today and here is how they came out. Regard these as an omen if you must...
Israel 2 Russia 1
Scotland 2 Italy 3
Northern Ireland 2 Denmark 1
So the only result that matters came out good :p but let's see how it all pans out...
Israel 2 Russia 1
Scotland 2 Italy 3
Northern Ireland 2 Denmark 1
So the only result that matters came out good :p but let's see how it all pans out...
Tuesday, 13 November 2007
Blackout
This is my sixth year in Edinburgh and up til now I've not seen a power outage.
However, tonight that all changed as most of Marchmont was plunged into darkness by a failure in a substation in Marchmont ( or Morningside, reports are conflicting). It was all quite strange as Warrender Park Road, the bottom of Marchmont Road and the West Side of Marchmont Road were all subject to the darkness, but the East side of Marchmont Road seemed to be largely unaffected. Since my flatmate's girlfriend lives there, that was the place to go.
But anyway, it was interesting seeing how everyone reacted to the darkness. As soon as it happened, you could hear everyone in the flat above scrambling for torches and going outside to check it wasn't just them.
I did the same, and it was an eerie sight seeing the place in complete darkness with only car lights to reveal anything like pedestrians and the cyclists on the pavement. I have some photos which I hope to put up on facebook soon (which may or may not show anything) and you can see for yourself.
Luckily everything was fine, but there were a few moments when I was wondering if we would have to sit in the cold and the darkness for the whole evening, or even night! Having to talk to my flatmates, now that IS scary!
However, tonight that all changed as most of Marchmont was plunged into darkness by a failure in a substation in Marchmont ( or Morningside, reports are conflicting). It was all quite strange as Warrender Park Road, the bottom of Marchmont Road and the West Side of Marchmont Road were all subject to the darkness, but the East side of Marchmont Road seemed to be largely unaffected. Since my flatmate's girlfriend lives there, that was the place to go.
But anyway, it was interesting seeing how everyone reacted to the darkness. As soon as it happened, you could hear everyone in the flat above scrambling for torches and going outside to check it wasn't just them.
I did the same, and it was an eerie sight seeing the place in complete darkness with only car lights to reveal anything like pedestrians and the cyclists on the pavement. I have some photos which I hope to put up on facebook soon (which may or may not show anything) and you can see for yourself.
Luckily everything was fine, but there were a few moments when I was wondering if we would have to sit in the cold and the darkness for the whole evening, or even night! Having to talk to my flatmates, now that IS scary!
Tuesday, 6 November 2007
How are you?
I don't like this question, not because I have some problem with revealing my problems to people, but more because these days very few people (including myself on many occasions) actually expect an answer other than "ok", "fine" or "alright". If you're really lucky, you might just get "I'm okay, just working away" or something like that.
As such, because I don't know if the person asking wants a real response (and I would guess they don't on many an occasion. I'm not judging people here, I'm just speaking from experience), I end up giving the non-commital answers, not revealing anything until the conversation gets a bit more involved.
Even when we learn a foreign language, all they tell you how to say is
"Tha mi gu math" "Ca va bien merci" "Sehr gut" "Muy bien" and so on. Non-commital answers, probably confusing Jonny Foreigner into believing that we're all emotionless blockheads.
So it is sometimes surprising when you are having a conversation with somebody, and they initially say they are okay, when in fact the things they are talking about suggest otherwise. This happened to me a while back when I was lunching with a friend. He told me things were okay, so we talked about nonsense for a bit, and I realised that he seemed somewhat distant, so I asked him again if he was alright. He insisted he was fine, so I didn't press the issue.
It turned out that, unless he had a massive coverup, he was simply stressed from work and this has since subsided.
But I still wondered the need to be so defensive and cover it up. As with all things, however, I discovered that I was probably more guilty of this than anyone else. A while ago, I wasn't feeling exactly great and I decided to avoid answering the question all together, by asking another question. Noone really noticed, and it saved me from having to lie to people (NB I may still do this today. This is more out of force of habit than anything else, so don't read into it if I do it. Ask me again if needs be).
I guess it's merely a case of ettiquete, that "how are you" is something you say after "hello" and that "okay" or "fine" is merely a continuation of formalities. How very British is that?! Only someone from these islands would lie (or at the very least, be ambiguous) for the sake of social propriety! I know, in my case, the reason I didn't like to divulge how I was feeling was that it would be an inconvenience to the other person. They expected "fine" so they got "fine". Or at least, that's what I thought.
(I've just remembered actually, the worst answer I gave to "how are you" was "I don't actually know as I'm kind of in walking-home mode". While brilliant in its non-commital-ness, it didn't really help anyone)
Sincerity is hard to find these days, but more people are sincere with this question than you might think. I don't know why, but recently, people have been asking me follow-up questions when I say "fine" or "ok", and I actually find I very much appreciate it, and you know what, it's somewhat therapeutic. Even if you don't go into that much detail.
I recommend trying this, with questions like "good fine or bad fine". Obviously, some people won't budge, but it's worth trying anyway. You might even be surprised.
Anyway this is one of my usual late night ramblings so I should probably make my usual disclaimer that my point may not have been drawn out as much as I'd have liked it to and that it may not be entirely coherent. But at least I'm still feeling okay.
As such, because I don't know if the person asking wants a real response (and I would guess they don't on many an occasion. I'm not judging people here, I'm just speaking from experience), I end up giving the non-commital answers, not revealing anything until the conversation gets a bit more involved.
Even when we learn a foreign language, all they tell you how to say is
"Tha mi gu math" "Ca va bien merci" "Sehr gut" "Muy bien" and so on. Non-commital answers, probably confusing Jonny Foreigner into believing that we're all emotionless blockheads.
So it is sometimes surprising when you are having a conversation with somebody, and they initially say they are okay, when in fact the things they are talking about suggest otherwise. This happened to me a while back when I was lunching with a friend. He told me things were okay, so we talked about nonsense for a bit, and I realised that he seemed somewhat distant, so I asked him again if he was alright. He insisted he was fine, so I didn't press the issue.
It turned out that, unless he had a massive coverup, he was simply stressed from work and this has since subsided.
But I still wondered the need to be so defensive and cover it up. As with all things, however, I discovered that I was probably more guilty of this than anyone else. A while ago, I wasn't feeling exactly great and I decided to avoid answering the question all together, by asking another question. Noone really noticed, and it saved me from having to lie to people (NB I may still do this today. This is more out of force of habit than anything else, so don't read into it if I do it. Ask me again if needs be).
I guess it's merely a case of ettiquete, that "how are you" is something you say after "hello" and that "okay" or "fine" is merely a continuation of formalities. How very British is that?! Only someone from these islands would lie (or at the very least, be ambiguous) for the sake of social propriety! I know, in my case, the reason I didn't like to divulge how I was feeling was that it would be an inconvenience to the other person. They expected "fine" so they got "fine". Or at least, that's what I thought.
(I've just remembered actually, the worst answer I gave to "how are you" was "I don't actually know as I'm kind of in walking-home mode". While brilliant in its non-commital-ness, it didn't really help anyone)
Sincerity is hard to find these days, but more people are sincere with this question than you might think. I don't know why, but recently, people have been asking me follow-up questions when I say "fine" or "ok", and I actually find I very much appreciate it, and you know what, it's somewhat therapeutic. Even if you don't go into that much detail.
I recommend trying this, with questions like "good fine or bad fine". Obviously, some people won't budge, but it's worth trying anyway. You might even be surprised.
Anyway this is one of my usual late night ramblings so I should probably make my usual disclaimer that my point may not have been drawn out as much as I'd have liked it to and that it may not be entirely coherent. But at least I'm still feeling okay.
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