JacquesTheLad (3569)

JacquesTheLad
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http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/handinglove

I'm not the man you think I am...I am a poor freezingly cold soul...I have just discovered that prudence never pays. Now, we must wait for the right time
Friday September 19, 03

Tired eyes are the best

02:56 PM

I've always found one's eyes to be one of the most appealing features in a human being. They give an immediate clue as to the person's level of intelligence, amount of worldly experience, and whether they are attractive or not. "Tired eyes" are my favourite type, for it almost certainly means the person understands what life is all about, they are almost certainly of a decent degree of intelligence, and they are probably the most attractive set of eyes.

With that little prologue, I'll get on with the rest of my entry. I went to Oban today, which is a small town on the outskirts of the Scottish mainland. It's a rather peculiar place - not quite to the extent of some of the towns in the Hebrides, where it's not commonly acceptable behaviour to hang one's washing out on a Sunday, or indeed to partake in any form of activity other than worship. But it's remarkably busy, considering it's out of the road of civilisation.

It's a beautiful place - the scenery is quite breathtaking, if you like that sort of thing. I'm not a big fan of scenery, but I can see why it would appeal to tourists, and such. Shops-wise, it's terrible - a few second-hand charity shops, and if you group together the lower echelons of each category of shop, you have a pretty decent idea of what the place is like.

I went into the Oxfam with my mam and aunt, holding my breath to avoid the usual charity shop smells of old people. Whenever my mother drags me in to one such shop, I always head for the books and the records, in search of the odd bargain. Today I picked up a Michael Schumacher biography thing, which was going for £2.99. There was also an Ayrton Senna book as well, which I was going to buy. Not a giant book - slightly bigger than the Schumacher one, but with fewer pages.

Now, I prefer Senna infinitely to Schumacher - both are racing greats, but Senna won with style and class (most of the time), whilst Schumacher tried to hit Jacques out in 1997. Anyway, there's no price on the Senna book, so I take it up to the counter for a price. The lady is not the sharpest knife in the drawer (possibly another consequence of living in Oban for too long - she had an English accent as well, which is never a good sign), and she goes through the back to check. When she re-emerges, she tells me it's £12.99. £12.99!!! For a second-hand book out of Oxfam! I'm almost certain that the actual price of the book brand new is £12.99, so I leave it on principle, but I buy the Schumacher book.

Another fascinating aspect of Oban is the Scottish nationalistic pride. I suppose it is a bit of a tourist spot, but is there really any need for every second shop being dedicated to selling shortbread, tartan things, lion rampants and St Andrew's crosses? Not to mention the Scottish "music" and artwork. And the toy highland cows, the toy sheep, and the Loch Ness monsters? These shops all sell the same things, so quite why there's so many, I know not. They're broken up by fish and chip shops, which sell rather unsatisfactory foodstuffs at extortionate prices. Supply and demand, I guess.

So, that was my day. I go back to university, and worry, soon.

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