Stuff that bugs me.

Can we talk about this Ben 10 shit?Seven year old boy is obsessed with it. I've paid cursory attention to a few of the episodes and I have no idea what's going on. So he's a boy? But he transforms into aliens? And his grandfather drives around in a trailer with his cousin? Omnitrix? WHAT IS GOING ON?

Today's post is more or less a laundry list of things that bug me. Smoking is one of them. I do it which is so stupid, since I only started a couple of years ago. I'm not cut out for smoking - I never do it in the house because the smell drives me mad. The kids don't even know I do it and I aim to keep it that way. It's expensive and will KILL you. I am planning on quitting just after Easter. Watch this space. 

Next on the agenda is my bulldog's snoring. It's not his fault - his face is all pushed in so I try not to take it as a personal assault on my sleep, but recognise it as a result of what is essentially a deformity. He sleeps in the living room on his dog bed AND I close the door but I still hear him. At least twice a night I storm into the lounge and tell him to shut the hell up. I don't think I'm a natural dog owner. Look, I love him, and will look after him till the bitter end but after? I'm thinking of a seal point Siamese cat. The dirt a dog generates, even with scrupulous cleaning annoys me. Also, it's probably a phase-of-life thing but I don't require another dependent who NEEDS me, you know? Now I sound like a dog-hating jerk. 

James Joyce is next. I have tried FOUR times to read Ulysses to the end and when I get to the fourth section I admit defeat, every time. I'm no dummy, but if something takes that much effort - especially when the pursuit is ostensibly meant to be enjoyable, FORGET IT. 

Now let's talk about my mother being on Facebook. She keeps clogging up my feed with her relentless political activism, which I feel compelled to read since apparently I ABANDONED HER FOR FOREIGN LANDS. We have a very complex relationship - easy it ain't. I'm sure I'll betray her further and blog about it some point on this clandestine forum I've set up for myself. You know, since I can't do it on Facebook anymore. Actually, let's say a bit more on Facebook now that I'm on a roll here. Like most people, I'd accumulated a fairly large number of "friends". A few months ago I did a massive cull, brutally paring it down to family and very close friends because I was putting up photos of our family etc. Lately, I've started judiciously adding a friend here and there, and boy will I be glad to have a few new feeds to read. It's popular to scoff at Facebook these days, but for someone like me who lives very far away from my original home, it's great. Plus, you can dick around for AGES looking at photos and whatnot. Excuses to play on the Internet are always welcome. 

Anything bugging you guys lately?