Sinister: I should be celebrating

[Will Salt]

Hello, Sinister.

I should be celebrating.  I have just managed to become a student
again.

The University *finally* let me know that they were offering me a
place as a postgraduate, on the Thursday of Freshers Week.  Right up
until the last minute, I was thinking I'd have to go and get a
*proper* job somewhere.  Instead, not only am I a student again, I
even get an office to work in.  Admittedly, I have to share it with
numerous other people, but I like it anyway; it's a tiny room in a big 
old Edinburgh building, at the bottom of a steep spiral staircase (the 
internal phone book lists it as "Spiral Stair Room").  I now have
three more years to learn how to be a Proper Archaeologist -- even
though I've already been studying for four, it seems like I haven't
learnt a thing.

I am very grateful to all those people who have been discussing kids'
TV shows.  It's been about fifteen years since I forgot the name of
Battle Of The Planets, and I've been trying to remember what it was
called ever since.  Actually, I can't remember much about it at all,
except that my mother thought it was rubbish, as it only had the one
bad guy.  Still, it was better than Ulysses, not to mention
Thundercats.  I never trusted Thundercats after I continued watching
through the credits one day and saw "Child Psychologist" listed (yes,
*really*).  You can tell I was an Annoyingly Clever child, because I
knew (well, vaguely) what a Child Psychologist was.

Really, though, there's one thing I have never doubted: the best kids
show ever was "Mysterious Cities of Gold".  It was Bluddy Great!
Action, adventure, a big twist at the end, *and* it went on for months 
and months -- not to mention all the cool solar-powered machinery.
All those other cartoon series that went on for months and months were
a bit pants by comparison -- including, let's be honest, Belle and
Sebastian.  Small child with big dog?  Girls' stuff, if you ask me.

I noticed recently that a lot of these old shows are being released on 
video; presumably for the Student Market.  I have the Willo-the-Wisp
one, but I can never watch a lot at a time; it's too concentrated.
After, say, three or four five-minute episodes, you start shouting GET 
THAT DAMN THEME TUNE AWAY FROM ME!!!! at the TV set.  You can also get 
Bod on video, but Bod was *really* rubbish.  Even *I* could draw Bod.
When I was three, I could have drawn Bod.  I admit, getting me to draw 
Farmer Barleymow is pushing it.  But Bod's *easy*.

Still thinking about cartoons -- I shall have to investigate the
Powerpuff Girls, if the soundtrack is that good.  The only time I've
seen it was on a visit to a MacDonalds once, and the sound was turned
off.  I do like Dexter's Lab, though -- it's not just on satellite,
CITV show it sometimes.

One last thing, and something new to talk about (hopefully, it'll take 
your minds of genocide and other serious stuff of that ilk).  Beards: 
a good thing or a bad thing?  I woke up the other morning, looked in
the mirror, and realised I had suddenly acquired one.  Must be all
that "not shaving" I've been doing lately.  My girlfriend announced
the other week that she wants us to split up; I think there may be a
connection here.  Any views on the goodness, badness or otherwise of
beards gratefully accepted.  Should I shave or should I no?  (Bugger
grammer; I couldn't resist that line).

If it helps you contemplate:  I have long, blond hair, but my beard is 
dark (it matches my single across-the-forehead eyebrow).  I should
send you a picture to help your deliberations, but I can't be arsed to 
get the scanner working; and anyway, it'd forever doom my chances of
getting any List Crush votes.  I could draw you a self-portrait, but
I'd probably end up looking like Bod.

Yours, ramblingly,
-- 
Will S.


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