Sensible, prudent and rational?

A few actions and conducts that appear to be sensible, prudent and rational, but are really just another poor excuse to repeat yet more quotations:


Plan for the future, but live for now; don’t live for a future that might be better, because it may never arrive.

“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.” ~ Albert Einstein

“It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.” ~ Yogi Berra

“Go for it now. The future is promised to no one.” ~ Wayne Dyer


Be yourself and say what you think.

“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” ~ Dr. Seuss

“It is better to be hated for what one is, than loved for what one is not.” ~ André Gide

“Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are.” ~ Kurt Cobain


Enjoy luxuries in small doses; too much of any one thing reduces the pleasure you take from it.

“The saddest thing I can imagine is to get used to luxury.” ~ Charlie Chaplin


Don’t complain; either do something about it or forget it and move on.

“Say and do something positive that will help the situation; it doesn’t take any brains to complain.” ~ Robert A. Cook

“Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain — and most fools do.” ~ Dale Carnegie


Tell the truth; being untruthful will almost always come back to you.

“If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” ~ Mark Twain

“You never find yourself until you face the truth.” ~ Pearl Bailey


Help other people; that too will almost always come back to you.

“Help others achieve their dreams and you will achieve yours.” ~ Les Brown

“No man can help another without helping himself.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

“No matter what accomplishments you make, somebody helped you.” ~ Althea Gibson


Don’t assume anything; assumptions stifle your thoughts and actions.

“If you see the teeth of the lion, do not think that the lion is smiling at you.” ~ Al-Mutanabbi

“Many people might have attained wisdom had they not assumed they already had it.” ~

Source Unknown


Travel to new places.

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” ~ Mark Twain

“Travel teaches tolerance.” ~ Benjamin Disraeli

“To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries.” ~ Aldous Huxley

“The more I travelled the more I realized that fear makes strangers of people who should be friends.” ~ Shirley Maclaine


Don’t expect money to make you happy.

“Money makes a good servant, but a bad master.” ~ Francis Bacon

“The only thing I like about rich people is their money.” ~ Lady Nancy Astor

“If you marry for money, you will surely earn it.” ~ Ezra Bowen


Don’t spend too much time either on your appearance or worrying; neither will solve anything in the long term.

“We would worry less about what others think of us if we realized how seldom they do.” ~ Ethel Barrett

“Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight.” ~ Benjamin Franklin

“Stop worrying — nobody gets out of this world alive.” ~ Clive James


Have the courage to do things; most of the time you will be successful.

“Do something. If it works, do more of it. If it doesn’t, do something else.” ~ Franklin D. Roosevelt


Achieve things that matter to you.

“You never achieve real success unless you like what you are doing.” ~ Dale Carnegie


Work without interruption on one single thing at a time.

“The shortest way to do many things is to do only one thing at a time.” ~ Sydney Smiles


Keep your mind open to new ideas, tools and techniques.

“There will always be a frontier where there is an open mind and a willing hand.” ~ Charles F. Kettering


And last, but not least; when you do something, do it well.

“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson


But remember:

“Believe nothing you hear, and only half of what you see.” ~ Mark Twain



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Quotations



A man walks into a bar…

Fairly short ones…

A man walks into a bar…A man walks into a bar with jump cables. The bartender says “You can come in, but don’t start anything!”

Two men walk into a bar, the third one ducks…

A man walks into a bar with a newt on his shoulder. “What do you call him?” asks the bartender. “I call him Tiny, because he’s my newt!”

A skeleton walks into a bar and says “Give me a beer, and a mop.”

A soccer ball walks into a bar; the bartender kicks him out.

A baseball walks into a bar; the bartender throws him out.

A man walks into a bar and says “Ouch.”

A man walks into a bar with a duck on his head. The bartender says “Can I help you?” The duck says “Yes, you can get this man off my butt!”

A corn stalk walks into a bar. The bartender says “Want to hear a good joke?” The corn stalk says “I’m all ears!”

A hamburger walks into a bar and the bartender says “Sorry, we don’t serve food in here.”

A Möbius strip walked into a bar, sobbing. The bartender said “What’s wrong?” The Möbius strip replied “Where do I even begin?”

A brain walks into a bar and orders a pint of beer. The bartender says “I’m not serving you; you’re out of your skull!”

A priest, a rabbi, a doctor and a lawyer walk into a bar. The bartender looks up and says “What is this, a joke?”

or…

A polar bear, a giraffe and a penguin walk into a bar. The bartender says “What is this? Some kind of joke?”

A priest, a rabbit and a minister walk into a bar. The bartender says to the rabbit “What will you have?” The rabbit says “I don’t know, I’m only here because of autocorrect.”

Shakespeare walks into a bar and asks for a beer. “I can’t serve you.” says the bartender “You’re Bard!”

Freddie Mercury, Venus Williams and Bruno Mars walk into a bar. They did wonder what on Earth was going on, but they didn’t planet.

A goldfish walks into a bar and looks at the bartender. The bartender asks “What can I get you?” The goldfish says “Water.”

A dolphin walks into a bar. The bartender ignores it on porpoise.

A duck walks into a bar and says to the bartender; “Give me a beer and put it on my bill.”

A weasel walks into a bar. The bartender says “In all the time I’ve been tending bars, I’ve never served a weasel. What can I get you?” “Pop” goes the weasel.

A pterodactyl walks into a bar and says to the bartender; “Ptwo ptequilas, pthanks.”

Descartes walks into a bar. The bartender asks “Would you like a beer?” Descartes replies “I think not” and disappears.

A bear walks into a bar and says “I’ll have a beer………………………..and some of those peanuts.” The bartender says “Why the big pause?”

A baby seal walks into a bar. “What can I get you?” asks the bartender. “Anything but a Canadian Club” replies the seal…

Ironically, a baby seal walks into a club.

A horse walks into a bar. It earns a four fault penalty.

A horse walks into a bar. The bartender says “So, why the long face?”

A warhorse walks into a bar. The bartender says “So, why the long film?”

A Norse walks into a bar. The bartender says “So, why the long boat?”

The Eiger walks into a bar. The bartender says “So, why the North Face?”

A dog with his leg wrapped in bandages hobbles into a bar. He looks around and announces “I’m lookin’ fer the man that shot my paw.”

A Scotsman walks into a bar, on the stool next to him is some footwear. He says to the bartender “What’s this, a boot?”

A woman walks into a bar and asks for a ‘double entendre’. So the bartender gave her one…

An amnesiac walks into a bar and asks “Do I come here often?”

A man walks into a bar… and fails to win the International Limbo Championships.

A dyslexic man walks into a bra…

A blind man walks into a bar…

A ventriloquist walks into a gar…

An untalented gymnast walks into a bar…

Charles Dickens walks into a bar and orders a martini. The bartender asks “Olive or twist?”

A magician walks down an alley and turns into a bar…

C, E flat and G walk into a bar. The bartender says: “Sorry, no minors.”

A Sans Serif font walks into a bar. The bartender says “Sorry, we don’t serve your type here!”

A man walks into a bar and says “C a n I h a v e a p i n t p l e a s e ?” The bartender replies “Are you okay? You sound a bit spaced out.”

A pedant walks into a tavern, because of course ‘bar’ means the serving counter rather than the establishment itself. He drinks alone.

A man walks into a bar and orders 15 litres of wine. The bartender asks if he brought a container. He replies; “You’re speaking to it.”

A man walks into a bar and requests a large glass of prune juice. The bartender asks “Is that to go?”

A man walks into a bar with a slab of asphalt under his arm and says “A beer please, and one for the road.”

A bar of gold walks into a bar, a bar of silver turns around and says, “AU, get out of here!”

A man walks into a bar in Trinidad and the bartender says “If you’re here about the limbo dancer job you’ve just failed.”

A meme walks into a bar. The barman says “Drinks for everyone?” The meme asks why and the barman replies “Because you’re getting around.”

The past, the present and the future walked into a bar. It was tense.

An oxymoron walks into a bar, the silence was deafening.

The bartender says “We don’t serve time travellers here.” A time traveller walks into a bar.

Pavlov walks into a bar. The phone rings, he says “Damn, I forgot to feed the dog.”

The Sahara walks into a bar. The bartender says “Long time, no sea.”

A Roman walks into a bar, holds up two fingers and asks for five beers.

A cowboy walks into a bar wearing paper clothes. The bartender asks him what he’s doing and the cowboy replies “Rustling…”

A termite walks into a bar and asks “Is the bartender here?”

Medium sized ones…

A man walks into a bar and sees a horse serving drinks. The horse says “What are you staring at? Have you never seen a horse serving drinks?” The man says “No, I just didn’t think parrot would sell the bar.”

A grasshopper hops in to a bar. The bartender says “You’re quite a celebrity here; we have a drink named after you.” The grasshopper says “You have a drink named Steve?”

A drunk walks out of a bar and sees a nun at the bus stop. He goes up to her and punches her in face. She falls down and he screams “Not so tough now, are you, Batman?”

Two yoghurts walk into a bar. “We don’t serve your kind in here” says the bartender. A yoghurt asks “Why not, we’re cultured.”

Dr Watson was in a bar, it was past closing time and he was a bit drunk. “Come on” said the barman “Haven’t you got Holmes to go to?”

A pirate walks into a bar with a steering wheel sticking out of his trousers. The bartender asks “Isn’t that uncomfortable?” The pirate responds “Aarrrr, its driving me nuts.”

A Roman centurion walked into a bar and asked for a martinus. The bartender said; “Don’t you mean a martini?” The centurion replied; “If I’d wanted a double I would have asked!”

A saw and a hammer go into a bar and some other tools join them; the saw turns to the hammer and says “You know the drill, don’t you?”

A pig walks into a bar orders ten beers. When he’s finished, the bartender asks “Don’t you need the toilet?” The pig says “No, I go wee wee wee all the way home.”

A penguin waddles into a bar, goes to the counter, and asks the bartender “Have you seen my brother?” The bartender asks “I don’t know, what does he look like?”

Very slightly longer ones…

A man walks into a bar and sits down next to a woman and a dog. The man asks “Does your dog bite?” The woman answers “Never!” The man reaches out to pet the dog and the dog bites him. The man says “I thought you said your dog doesn’t bite!” The woman replies “He doesn’t. This isn’t my dog.”

A man walks into a bar holding an alligator. He asks the bartender “Do you serve lawyers here?” The bartender says “Yes, we do!” “Good,” replies the man “Give me a beer, and I’ll have a lawyer for my alligator.”

A blind man walks into a bar with a guide dog. When he reaches the centre of the room, he picks the dog up by his collar and starts swinging him around and around. The bartender says “Hey, what the hell are you doing?” The blind man says “Just having a look around…”

A pony walks into a bar and coughs “Hi, COUGH. Give me a bu COUGH, a beer COUGH.” The bartender serves him and says “What’s the matter with your voice?” The pony says “Nothing, I’m just a little hoarse.”

A man walks into a bar and notices big lumps of meat hanging from the ceiling. He says to the bartender “Why have you got all this meat hanging around?” The barman says “It’s a little bet that we’re running. If you can jump up and grab a piece of meat in your mouth then you get all of your drinks bought for you, but if you fail you have to buy everyone else in the bar their drinks for them. Do you want to try it?” The man shakes his head and says “No, the steaks are too high.”

A leprechaun walks into a bar. The bartender serves him and says “That’ll be £2.50.” The leprechaun puts two pound coins on the bar and starts walking away. The bartender shouts “You’re a little short!”

A piece of rope walks into a bar and the bartender says “We don’t serve your kind.” The rope goes outside, ties himself in a knot and frays one end of himself. He walks back into the bar and the bartender says “Weren’t you just in here?” The rope replies “No, I’m a frayed knot.”

A very small man walks into a bar and slips on some vomit. Minutes later a huge rough looking man walks into the bar and also slips on the vomit. The small man says “I just did that” and gets punched in the face.

A kangaroo hops into a bar and orders a beer. The bartender says “That’ll be £10. We don’t get many kangaroos coming in here, you know.” The kangaroo says “At £10 a beer, it’s not surprising.”

A bird walks into a bar and asks the barman “Got any bread?”
The barman says “No.”
“Got any bread?” “No.”
“Got any bread?” “No.”
“Got any bread?” “No, and if you keep asking I’ll nail your beak to the bar.”
“Got any nails?” “No.”
“Got any bread?”

A man walks into a bar and from a bowl of peanuts hears a voice say “I think you look great.” Then he hears the cigarette machine say “I have never seen such an ugly face.” He tells the bartender, who replies “The bowl of peanuts was complimentary, but the cigarette machine is just out of order.”

An Indian, a Frenchman, a Swede, a Brazilian, an Australian, a Chinaman, a German, an American, a Canadian, an Italian, a South African, a Scotsman, a Dane, an Argentinian, a Nigerian and a Russian walked into a bar. But the barman said; “You can’t come in here without a Thai”

A man walks into a bar and orders a pint of beer. He notices that Vincent Van Gogh is sitting at one of the tables. He goes up to him and says “Would you like a pint?” Vincent replies “No, thanks, I’ve got one ear.”

A scientist walks into a bar…

A microbiologist walks into a bar and asks for a small one.

A geneticist walks into a bar to buy a drink and says to the bartender; “I think I have some change in my jeans.”

A climate change scientist walks into a bar and says; “Where’s the ice?”

A seismologist walks into a bar and asks for their drink to be shaken and not stirred.

A mathematician walks into a bar and says to the bartender; “Give me ten times the number of drinks everybody in here is drinking.” The bartender replies; “Now that is an order of magnitude.”

f(x)=2x+1 walks into a bar and asks for a drink. The bartender replies; “I’m sorry, we don’t cater for functions.”

A man walks into A::f() and asks for a drink. The bartender replies; “I’m sorry, this is a private function.”

Two robots walk into a bar. The third one had a better steering program.

A blowfly walks into a bar and says to the bartender; “Is that stool taken?”

An infectious disease walks into a bar. The bartender says; “We don’t serve your kind in here.” It replies; “Well, you’re not a very good host.”

A room temperature superconductor walks into a bar. The bartender yells; “Get out!” It leaves without putting up any resistance.

Argon walks into a bar. The bartender says; “Get out, we don’t allow noble gases in here!” Argon doesn’t react.

A neutrino passes through a bar.

A planetologist walks into a bar and chats to Vastitas Borealis; “Long time, no sea.”

Schrödinger walks into a bar with a box, which is searched; “Did you know there’s a dead cat in here?” He replies; “Well, now I do!”

Schrödinger’s cat walks into a bar. Or doesn’t.

An electron and a positron go into a bar.
Positron: “You’re round.”
Electron: “Are you sure?”
Positron: “I’m positive.”

Two hydrogen atoms walk into a bar. One says, “I think I’ve lost an electron.” The other says “Are you sure?” The first says, “Yes, I’m positive…”

A neutron walks into a bar and orders a beer. “How much will that be?” asks the neutron. “For you?” replies the bartender, “no charge”.

Two chemists walk into a bar. One orders H2O. The other says “I’ll have H2O too.” The second one dies.

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For other stuff in this blog, click on these links:

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Quotations

Blog Meme; It’s all about me me me


Well, it’s two me’s and without the space.

I copied this list/meme quite a while ago, but it’s just been sitting in a folder, relaxing, for months and I can’t remember where I copied it from now.

The intro text said: ”Create a new post, copy and paste this message, delete my answers and type in yours. Then tag 10 good friends and family including the person who tagged you. The theory is that you will learn one new thing about each of your friends.”

But, even though I’m very nosy, I mean interested, I don’t wish to intrude or impose on friends and family, so I’m just going to fill in my answers and leave it to anyone who might or might not be passing to read/complete/ignore as they/you see fit.

It’s not easy, well, its not easy in our affluent portion of this beautiful, flawed and unequal world, to choose just three things; how do you put a tripartite limit on an infinite and fascinating variety of food, drink, music and places to visit?

Anyway, I’ve learnt some things about myself; I like Fridays, chocolate and checking .

:^)

Three names I go by:

1. Roy (mostly)

2. MumblingNerd (online)

3. Dandy (but not for about 50 years)

Three jobs I have had:

1. Graphic Designer (now)

2. Corporate Design Co-ordinator

3. Publicity Assistant (Nottingham City Transport)

Three places I have lived:

1. Nottingham, UK (now)

2. Leeds, UK

3. Leicester, UK

Three TV shows that I watch:

1. QI (Quite Interesting)

2. Star Trek

3. South Park, Dr Who, Coronation Street, Big Bang Theory… (there are far too many to choose from)

Three favourite channels:

1. BBC1

2. BBC2

3. Comedy Central (UK)

Three places I want to go:

1. Melbourne, Australia

2. Singapore

3. Hong Kong

Three of my favourite foods:

1. Chocolate

2. Nuts

3. Fruit

Things I am looking forward to:

1. Friday (I don’t work on Fridays)

2. Holidays/travelling

3. Memory chip neural implants

Three favourite bands/singers:

1. Ian Dury and the Blockheads

2. Rolling Stones

3. Sinéad O’Connor

Three favourite sports to watch:

1. Tennis

2. Tennis

3. Tennis (I don’t really watch sport, apart from Wimbledon, and that’s Sue’s fault)

Three favourite drinks:

1. Water

2. Coffee

3. Red wine

Three favourite hang outs:

1. Home office/computer room

2. Nottingham city centre

3. New York

Three things you must do daily:

1. Check Twitter :^)

2. Feed Max the cat :^)

3. Shave :^(

Three ‘F’s:

1. Family

2. Food

3. Funny

3.1 Flippancy

3.2 Frogs

3.3 Fortitude

3.4 Flagellate

3.5 Formaldehyde

3.6 Frangipane

3.7 For crying out loud…

Elephant Jokes

Something I Tweeted recently reminded me of the elephant jokes that were popular in the 1960s:

How many elephants can you get in a Mini?

Four; two in the front and two in the back.

How many giraffes can you get in a Mini?

None; it’s already full of elephants.

How do you know if you have an elephant in your refrigerator?

There are footprints in the butter.

How do you know if there are two elephants in your refrigerator?

You can hear giggling when the light goes out.

How do you know if there are three elephants in your refrigerator?

You can’t close the door.

How do you know if there are four elephants in your refrigerator?

There’s an empty Mini parked outside.

Why do elephants paint their toenails red?

To hide in cherry trees.

How do you get an elephant out of a tree?

Stand it on a leaf and wait until autumn.

How do you get down from an elephant?

You don’t, you get down from a duck.

What time is it when an elephant sits on your fence?

Five o’clock. Trick question

Why is an elephant big, grey and wrinkly?

Because if it was small, white and hard it would be an aspirin.

Why are elephants grey?

So you can tell them apart from plums.

How do you make an elephant float?

Two scoops of ice cream, an elephant and lemonade.

Why do elephants have Big Ears?

Because Noddy won’t pay the ransom.

How do you stop an elephant from charging?

You take away its credit card.

Actually, this is a new one on me; I didn’t come across credit cards until my first Access card in 1973.

Why do elephants wear trainers?

To creep up on mice.

Why do elephants wear green trainers?

To hide in the tall grass.

Why do elephants wear red trainers?

Because their green ones are in the laundry.

Why do elephants paint the soles of their feet yellow?

So they can hide upside-down in bowls of custard.

What’s yellow and dangerous?

Shark infested custard.

Oh, sorry, gone off message a bit.

:^)

 

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Tweety Treats To ReTweet

A very small selection of some favourite Tweets.

@5tevenw
Cigarettes are just like ferrets, perfectly harmless until you put one in your mouth and set it on fire…

@seanmtully
Ah – the quiet and persistent genius: RT @MumblingNerd: I’d give my right arm to be ambidextrous :^)

@JoyLashes
Fave tweet! @MumblingNerd Apparently there’s a theory that chocolate slows down the aging process; it may not be true, but why take the risk?

@mlomb
I love defenseless animals, especially in a good gravy. #humor

@ComicTwit
What if there were no hypothetical questions?

@OriMeissa
RT @MumblingNerd Wear short sleeves and support your right to bare arms! :^) << Groan!! Now that’s a 2nd amendment everyone can live with :)

@5tevenw
2 Eskimos in kayak were cold. They lit fire in the craft, it sank, proving once and for all that you can’t have your kayak and heat it

@5tevenw
My wife says I never listen to her….or something like that.

@mrjuggles
RT @MumblingNerd: I’ve been thinking about Tweeting to someone in jail, but the sentence was too long :^)

@waivethesale
@PembDave There are 10 kinds of people in the world. Those who understand binary & those who don’t.

@pissyserver
Why don’t people google things? Some of my smartest friends send me emails asking me shit when googling it would yeild faster answers.

@shitmydadsays
“A mule kicked Uncle Bob once. Broke his ribs. He punched it in the face.. My point? You have an ingrown fucking toenail. Stop bitching.”

@shitmydadsays
“I hate paying bills… Son, don’t say “me too.” I didn’t say that looking to relate to you. I said it instead of “go away.”

@shitmydadsays
“The baby will talk when he talks, relax. It ain’t like he knows the cure for cancer and he just ain’t spitting it out.”

@duhism
rt Duhism Master @MumblingNerd: I bought a new jersey in Newark, Nottinghamshire, but now it’s in such a state I only wear it in the garden

@maineroots
Brilliant! RT @MumblingNerd: Why would you need both a carrot and a stick, when a very large raw carrot could fulfil both roles?

@shitmydadsays
“I turn the kitchen faucet on and the shower burns you, yes, I get it…No, I’m not gonna stop, I’m just saying yes, I get that concept.”

@Hipchickadee
I have C.D.O. It’s like O.C.D. but all the letters are in alphabetical order as they should be

@BrazenlyLiberal
RT @MumblingNerd: Read Tweet. Right wheat, rate trait, right to eat, raid treat; right sweet! Ride tight, right trite… retreat. Re Tweet.

@MumblingNerd
@indykitty I had a flat in Nottingham in the hilly bit, before that I had a flat in the flat bit, now I’m in the hilly bit without a flat

@indykitty
As soon as you make something idiot-proof, along comes a bigger idiot.

@indykitty
Two rules to live by: First, look out for #1. Second, don’t step in #2.

@MumblingNerd
Found a woollen jumper by the bus stop this morning; perhaps a driver had to pullover :^)

@TheWritersDen
New strangest tweet of the day~ @MumblingNerd ~ To wear is you man, two four give deep vine.~

@StoryofMyLife
Cool Twitter name of the day: @MumblingNerd #fb Yay!

@YouLookGreat
says take life one day at a time, but take doughnuts two at a time.

@norcross
90 people get swine flu and everyone wants to wears a mask. A million people get AIDS and yet no one wants to wear a condom. Just sayin.

@harmonyjones
Life is now. There was never a time when your life was not now, nor will there ever be.

@A_McLordy Pope says atheists pick & choose their morals. Correct. Today I will be frowning on child abuse & not having a problem with homosexuality.

@rationalbritain
RT @ MumblingNerd Friar Tuck doesn’t like spoonerisms. Heheheh…

@deathbychoccy
Men are always whining about how women suffocate them. Well, if you can still hear them whine, you’re not holding the pillow hard enough!


For other stuff in this blog, click on these links:


Humour

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Quotations



Exceptional Nottingham

I put the original version of this description of Nottingham on ‘Where I’ve Been’, well, it’s more like an extended list than a description, which is down to my writing skills, lack of that is, but I love living in Nottingham. It’s an outstanding city.

Clumber Street

Nottingham is a vibrant city, with first-class shopping attracting millions of people every year and consistently ranked in the top five UK shopping destinations. There are over 1,300 outlets; independent retailers, designer boutiques and high street favourites, with shoppers spending around £1.8 billion a year.

The city’s famous Old Market Square is the largest public square outside of London and is dominated by the 200 foot high dome of the Council House, the traditional centre for Nottingham City Council.

The left and right stone lions that guard the entrance to the Council House are a popular meeting place for local people.

Theatre Square

There are cosy pubs, stylish bars and vibrant nightclubs, making Nottingham the regional capital for nightlife and live music.

The city has a huge variety of live music venues and a pioneering art and culture scene, there are contemporary and classical theatres, the Motorpoint Arena and art galleries such as the Nottingham Contemporary and New Art Exchange.

Castle Gatehouse

Nottingham Castle houses a museum and art gallery and has superb grounds with views across the city and over the Trent valley. There are also museums and spectacular parks at Wollaton Hall and Newstead Abbey, along with many other parks and gardens. The city’s Arboretum was the first designated public park in Nottingham and officially opened on 11 May 1852.

There are all sorts of places to visit and things to do. The fascinating Galleries of Justice Museum is based in Nottingham’s old courthouse and gaol, and takes you through the dark and disturbing past of crime and punishment. There is the award winning City of Caves visitor attraction, exploring the amazing sandstone caves beneath Nottingham city centre, the Museum of Nottingham Life at Brewhouse Yard, depicting the social history of Nottingham over the last 300 years and Green’s Windmill, a popular museum and science centre.

Nottingham has award winning and cosmopolitan cuisine; there are more than 300 cafes and restaurants just in the city centre, offering more international food outlets per square mile than anywhere else in the UK.

Trent University

For anyone interested in sport there are first-rate facilities and entertainment at venues such as Trent Bridge Cricket Ground, Forest’s City Ground and County’s Meadow Lane for football, the National Ice Centre, Nottingham Racecourse, the National Water Sports Centre and the Nottingham Tennis Centre.

Nottingham has two of the country’s foremost universities, Nottingham University and Trent University, and has the third largest student population in England, with more than 55,000 students at the universities alone.

Queen Street
Tram on Cheapside
View of the Lace Market from Castle Rock

For other information about Nottingham click here

MumblingNerd’s Nottingham destination print

Also some external links:

Nottingham is the least car dependent city in England

Wikipedia article on Nottingham

Experience Nottinghamshire tourism website for Nottingham

Creative Cities: Nottingham

Meaningful Nonsense

How to enhance the impact of official correspondence.

Some years ago I came across this method of improving the impression made by adding apparently meaningful nonsense to memos and reports.



Modus operandi

Firstly, choose a number from 000 to 999.

Then, using that number, extract the corresponding word from each column:

Column 1

0  Integrated
1  Total
2  Systematised
3  Parallel
4  Functional
5  Responsive
6  Optional
7  Synchronised
8  Compatible
9  Balanced

Column 2

0  Management
1  Organisational
2  Monitored
3  Reciprocal
4  Digital
5  Logistical
6  Transitional
7  Incremental
8  Third-generation
9  Policy

Column 3

0  Options
1  Flexibility
2  Capability
3  Mobility
4  Programming
5  Concept
6  Time-phase
7  Projection
8  Hardware
9  Contingency

Finally, insert the resultant ‘phrase’ randomly into your communication.


Examples

025: Integrated Monitored Concept
571: Responsive Incremental Flexibility
666: Optional Transitional Time-phase



The list probably needs updating, perhaps a few words such as Sustainable, Capacity, Matrix and Software.

The method’s useless really, unless you actually do have no idea what you’re reading about, but it amused and entertained me, well, for a short while anyway.



Loathed Language List

Wicked widespread words which wound wisdom.

Except that doesn’t really make sense. So, a short list of loathed words, well, words I don’t like anyway:

Whilst
Whilst, to me, sounds pompous and outdated. I think it’s perfectly well replaced by while and should have gone the way of thee and thou when they were supplanted by you.

Mucus, phlegm and diarrhoea
Dislike of the word mucus has to be because of its association with illness and infection. Mucus is a naturally clear and runny substance, with lubricative and protective functions, but it gets its repugnant yellow/green condition from nasal and sinus mucus with bacterial or viral infection.

I also don’t like phlegm, but that’s because I can’t spell it without looking it up; the same goes for diarrhoea. Actually, to be fair to phlegm, if you strip away its meaning, the word itself is quite soft, gentle and almost cuddly.

Stakeholder
Stakeholder is slightly annoying because it has two opposing meanings, but it mainly makes me wince because of its overuse in national and local government announcements; we all seem to be stakeholders now.

I only want to be a stakeholder in a restaurant in the company of a medium rare fillet (I know, but I did say that I can’t spell).

Actually, there are a whole raft of redundant words and phrases used to pepper ill considered Council documents that also make me grimace. Thank goodness for the Plain English Campaign.

Perfectomondo
It’s just bloody annoying.

Chintz
I don’t really like the sound of the word, it’s too sharp and it conjures up a feeling of tasteless, ostentatious and old fashioned design.

Beatnik and gonk
Oh the 1960s (more or less, give or take a few years). There’s nothing wrong with beatniks as a group/breed/species, but the word just feels like a phony and fabricated media stereotype. And as for gonk, well, doesn’t it just sum up some of the vile tat produced and sold in that decade?

Fuddle
Aarghh! No. This is just too cringy. The word itself is too ‘nice’, it’s finicky, fastidious and fussy, before you even get into its meaning. Then it triggers flashbacks of squirmingly embarrassing office parties and colleague send-offs where people stand around in awkward groups, holding plastic cups of warm fizzy wine, not talking and wishing fervently that they were anywhere else. I don’t even want to think about it anymore.

Talking about stakeholder and redundant words and phrases has reminded me of a list I once found of meaningless words to insert into documents. I was going to include it here, but I think I’ve already gone on for too long. I’ll add it later, along the lines of; Meaningful nonsense, or how to enhance the impact of official correspondence.


Lastly:

My wife dislikes okey-dokey.

My sister cringes at the words crotch and gusset.

My daughter detests cordial, elderflower, thorough and frozen. I’m starting to think she’s just a bit strange though.




Short list of words with creatures in them

ANTidote
APEritif
BATtery
BEARing
BULLetin
CATaclysm
DOGgerel
LAMBast
LIONisation
MOLEcule
PIGmentation
RAMbunctious
RATify
TICKlish


No idea why, just seemed the right thing to do at the time.




For other stuff in this blog, click on these links:


Humour

Puns and word-play

Quotations



Deadly euphemisms

Having used the term ‘popped my clogs’ in a Tweet recently, it made me think about the amazing range of euphemisms there are for death and dying. So it’s given me an excuse to start making lists.

It seems that people have an aversion to using words like ‘death’ or ‘dying’ either in conversation or in written communication. Why is that? Does it make us think too honestly about our own mortality?

I would prefer to be dead later, rather than sooner, but whenever death comes it is inevitable.

What’s that quotation by Benjamin Franklin? “Of two things you can be certain; death and taxes”. There is no escape from death. Some people can cheat their way out of taxes, but no one, with or without faith, or with a cryonics plan, can avoid death.

I suppose that’s the reason behind the euphemisms; you can’t evade death, but you can avoid talking about it. Postpone acceptance of the inescapable.

Anyway, back to the list I was proposing to draw up:

Bitten the dust

Bought the farm

Breathed one’s last

Burned

Cashed in their chips

Croaked

Fallen off their perch

Given up the ghost

Gone off-line

Gone west

Kicked the bucket

Left for the rats

Met their maker

Passed away

Pegged it

Permanently out of print

Pining for the fjords (Monty Python!)

Popped their clogs

Pushing up daisies

Put out of their misery

Roasted

Seeing the reaper

Shuffled off this mortal coil

Six feet under

Sleeping the big sleep

Tits up

Toasted

Turned their toes up

TWEPed (‘terminated with extreme prejudice’; probably more of a youthemism)

That’s about the best I can do; I wonder how they compare to euphemisms for death in other languages? They must be as common; use of the euphemism seems to be a very human inclination.

It’s no good; I’m going to have to do a quick Google. Here you go, some from China:

Topple or overturn the chariot

Ride the crane and return to the West

Breathe ones last

Cut or sever breath

Throw or hurl oneself into a well

Right, I’m going off-line now, but I’m dead hopeful of returning to bring back to life another list.