Absolutely fabulous coupling

No, it's not what you think it is, just a conflation of two comedy series I've just been watching. Reruns are what the BBC do best, and they're showing the entire set of Absolutely Fabulous in three-episode blocks. Coupling has only just reached Turkey, and it's the funniest thing I've seen since Blackadder. I've just watched the episode with the funeral, Reservoir Dogs and the giggle loop.

"To know about the giggle loop is to become part of the giggle loop."

I must have laughed half of the tar out of my lungs.

Semantics

From an interview in The Guardian: "Dholakia is, unsurprisingly, loyal about Charles Kennedy's leadership, insisting that for all his laidback image, Kennedy's adrenalin starts to flow once an election is in sight. 'Give Charles an election, and he's like a terrier and he will literally tear others into pieces, and actually project himself as an honest, decent politician.'"

Dholakia may be an admirable person and the closest thing to an honest politician, but please - "literally tear others into pieces"? Sorry, but if you literally tear people to pieces, it's pretty hard to project yourself as honest and decent.

At the risk of sounding racist, I'm surprised to hear this coming from a Gujerati, most of whom speak much better English than the rest of us. He must have been in politics too long, and should read Orwell's "Politics and the English Language" quickly.

Volleyball

I watched the volleyball match between Turkey and Slovakia tonight. Volleyball is definitely more fun to watch than football because (a) you get a goal every thirty seconds and (b) it's played by hot chicks. What more could a guy ask for?