Funfare for the Common Man

I put on deodorant yesterday. For the first time in 34 days. Now, that I’ve got your attention, let’s get cracking. By this point, we’re all starting to crack – or crack up – if we haven’t already. No matter what your state or condition during the lockdown, it’s bound to be affecting you in one way or another. Have you reached your breaking point yet? In this post, a couple of brief stories about anger management and fatherhood; a couple of pretty shitty links to share, along with some ‘acquired taste’ comedy; and a ‘panic at the supermarket’ article that is much more uplifting and enlightening than you think. (if you’re looking for some of the best kind of panic, you could do worse than listen to this: the best type of panic )   All this, plus I rekindle my inner music journalist by sharing a ‘get through the pandemic’ chill-out playlist and wax nostalgic about the good old days of mix tapes and my teenage years. Not to sound too flippant about this, bec...

Herewith part 3 of my weeklyish set of recommended links. For part 1, click here . For part 2, click here . I’ve stopped wondering what day it is. Instead of saying it’s Tuesday or Thursday or what-have-you, it’s just easier to say that today is ‘Day’. ‘What day is it today?’ ‘Day.’ A few links, interspersed with my inner rumblings, to keep your minds occupied. 1 Longtime, loyal readers will know how much of a crank I am, and how I often love to wax vitriolic about the foibles of the human race. My list of behavioural pet hates stretches into the hundreds. And after nearly 10 years of living in Kyiv, I have often been pretty harsh in my attacks on local superstitions and archaic shibboleths. So it’s with quite a bit of relief that whenever I go into local shops and supermarkets, there doesn’t seem to be any sign of irrational panic buying of things like toilet paper. Remember, readers, I’m not here to offer up any cogent analysis of the situation, but rather i...