50 pure dead giveaways that you’re Scottish!

28 11 2008

In amongst all the busyness of the time of year, I thought I should post this, which I received on a Rangers list I belong to:

50 pure dead giveaways that you’re Scottish!

1. Scattered showers with outbreaks of sunshine and a cold northerly
wind, is your idea of good weather.

2. The only sausage you like is square.

3. You were forced to do Scottish country dancing every year at high
school.

4. You have a wide knowledge of local words, and know: Numpty is an
idiot, Aye is yes, Aye right is No, Auldjin is someone over 40, and
Baltic is cold.

5. You have an irrational need to eat anything from the chippy, as long
as its deep fried – Haggis, pizza, black pudding, sausage, fish, chicken
and battered Mars Bars.

6. You used to love destroying your teeth with – Penny Dainties,
Refreshers, Wham Bars, Cola Cubes, and Soor Plooms.

7. You always greet people by talking about the weather.

8. Even if you normally hate the Proclaimers, Runrig, Caledonia , Deacon
Blue, Big Country, etc, you still love it when they are played in a club
abroad.

9. You have an enormous feeling of dread when Scotland plays football,
even when they’re playing a diddy team.

10. You are proud that Scotland has the highest number of alcohol and
smoking deaths in Europe .

11. You used to watch Glen Michael’s Cartoon Cavalcade on a Sunday
Afternoon with his lamp Paladdin.

12. You got Oor Wullie and The Broons books Every Christmas.

13. You only enjoy Weir’s Way on the telly, when you are p****d.

14. You are able to recognise the regional dialect,
( Glasgow ) ‘Awright pal, gonie gies a wee swatcha yir paper nat, Cheers,
magic pal.
( Aberdeen ) Fitlike Loon? Furryboots ya bin up tae? Fair few quines in
the night, min.
( Inverness ) Ah-eee right enuffff! How’s you keeeepeeeen?

15. You know the police are about to arrive when you hear someone shout
‘Errapolis’.

16. You have witnessed a ‘Square Go’

17. You know that when you are asked which School you attended they
really mean, ‘Are you Catholic or Proddy?’

18. You have eaten the following: Mince and Tatties, Cullen Skink,
Tunnock’s Teacakes, Snowballs and Caramel Wafers, Porage, Macaroon Bar,
Baxters Soup, Scotch Pie, Oatcakes.

19. A Jakey has ask you for 10p for a cuppa tea.

20. You wait at the shop counter for 1p change.

21. You know that the right response to ‘you dancing?’ is ‘you askin?’
followed by ‘am askin’ and finally ‘then am dancin’.

22. You associated sawdust with vomit, coz the ‘jannie’ always, used to
pour it over sick in school.

23. You lose all respect for a groom who doesn’t wear a kilt.

24. You don’t do shopping, you ‘go for the messages.’

25. You’re on a bus and the drunk picks you to sit next to.

26. You are able to conduct a 20 minute phone call using three words
only,– Awright, aye, and naw.

27. When you refuse the offer of a drink, you hear, ‘ You no well?’

28. You have heard the following:

You canny fling pieces oot a 20 storey flat,
700 hungry weans’ll testify to that,
If its butter, cheese or jelly,
If the breed is plain or pan,
The odd against it reachin’ earth,
Are ninety-nine tae wan.

29. You know that going to a party means bringin a Kerry oot.

30. Your holiday in Benidorm is ruined when you hear there is a heatwave
back home.

31. Scotlandgo 2-0 up against the French, and you immediately think,
getting beat 3-2 was ‘no a bad result’.

32. You can pronounce: McConnochie, Ecclefechan, Milngavie, and Kirkcaldy.

33. You’ve eaten deep fried Pizza and liked it.

34. You can’t pass a Kebab shop after being at the pub.

35. You are used to four seasons in one day. (winter, winter, autumn,
winter)

36. You can fall when drunk and not spill your drink.

37. You see people wearing shellsuits with Burberry accessories, and
think ‘that’s class’.

38. You measure distance in minutes.

39. You understand Rab C. Nesbitt.

40. You have had a caravan holiday in Saltcoats but spent all of your
time in ‘the amusements’ because it was p*****g it doon.

41. You can make a whole sentence using only swear words.

42. You know what haggis is made with, but you still enjoy it.

43. You know someone who planned their wedding around the football
fixtures.

44. You have been to a wedding and the football results have been
announced in church.

45. You are not surprised to find one shop selling ALL of the following:
Pizzas, Nappies, Fags, Curries, Milk, Paint, Shoes etc.

46. Your seaside home has Calor gas under it.

47. You know that Irn-Bru is a good hang over cure.

48. You could swear before you could count.

49. You would stick the heid in a terrorist if they tried to bomb your
Airport.

50. You are not only Scottish but Glaswegian when you understand the
following- Who’s comin tae Clatty Pat’s? How’s it hingin’, boggin’,
clatty, cludgie, bawheid, bawface, bawbag, and double nougat.





Life isn’t like in the movies

13 11 2008

I don’t watch much TV. Who can stomach another forensic detective show or unreal reality show? Pretty much all I watch is The Hour, Dragon’s Den, Dr. Who and Seinfeld reruns (although I have all the DVDs now anyway). Instead I watch lots of movies, perhaps at least 120 a year. I also try and read at least 2-3 books a month.

Last night, for the umpteenth time, I watched (here comes a confession) one of at least two movies that always make me cry – Giuseppe Tornatore’s classic Cinema Paradiso (the other is The Mission). If you haven’t seen this classic I won’t spoil it for you, but it is a hauntingly, beautiful story of life and growing up, with the backdrop of the local cinema in a backwater Sicilian village, accompanied by the music of movie composer maestro Ennio Morricone. If you do watch it, do yourself a favour – don’t watch the English dubbed version. Instead watch the original Italian soundtrack with English subtitles (if you don’t know Italian too well). Crank it up and enjoy the music as well.

One of my favourite moments is after Toto comes back from his military service and the following conversation takes place:

Alfredo: Living here day by day, you think it’s the center of the world. You believe nothing will ever change. Then you leave: a year, two years. When you come back, everything’s changed. The thread’s broken. What you came to find isn’t there. What was yours is gone. You have to go away for a long time… many years… before you can come back and find your people. The land where you were born. But now, no. It’s not possible. Right now you’re blinder than I am.
Salvatore: Who said that? Gary Cooper? James Stewart? Henry Fonda? Eh?
Alfredo: No, Toto. Nobody said it. This time it’s all me. Life isn’t like in the movies. Life… is much harder.

Many people who have moved away from home, myself included, have probably experienced what Alfredo talks about.  One of the few constants in life is that things change. Too many people try to live in the past or worry about the future, but spend very little time in the present. That’s sad, because they miss out on so much when they live like that.

I’m glad that life isn’t like the movies, some of them are just awful, but I do enjoy losing myself for a couple of hours or so in something with a good story that can challenge my thinking, make me laugh, make me cry and give me hope for the future. Not all movies can do that, but there are some real gems out there if you take the time to look for them.





Remember

11 11 2008

remembrance_day_jpg





The Shack

9 11 2008

It seems like lots of people have been reading and writing about Wm. Paul Young’s bestseller, The Shack, so I thought it was about time I gave it a look. I’m about half way through and it’s been okay so far. I can understand why so many people are getting excited about it.

My favourite quote so far is where Mack is questioning the Trinity about their chain of command and Jesus replies with: “Once you have hierarchy you need rules to protect and administer it, and then you need law and enforcement of the rules, and you end up with some kind of chain of command or a system of order that destroys relationship rather than promotes it. You rarely see or experience relationship apart from power. Hierarchy imposes laws and rules and you end up missing the wonder of relationship that we intended for you.”

Unfortunately that sounds all too familiar. Anyway, I hope I enjoy the rest of the book.





The ship is sinking…

7 11 2008

…so let’s make the dress code the number 1 priority. I am (not) encouraged!