Penseroso - ProfilesArchive

About Me

I'm a native of Liverpool, although I have absolutely no interest whatsoever in football.

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My Interests

Italian literature and art; English literature and art (excluding art of the later 20th century / early 21st century, which is rather a waste of everyone's time and money)

I'd like to meet:

My younger self, and give him a good talking to!

Music:

Mostly classical now: William Byrd, Monteverdi, Dunstable, Palestrina, John Taverner, Bach, Wagner, Puccini (occasionally).

Movies:

Can't think of a single one to be honest, and those I used to like I now abhor.

Television:

Arty erudite nonsense, as is to be expected; but also Life on Mars, Doctor Who(m), and of course The Simpsons, without which life would be null and void.

Books:

Anything by the trecentisti (Dante, Petrarca, Boccaccio), and modern Italian authors such as Eco and Calvino. Chaucer is always good fun, as is Thomas Wyatt. I rarely get round to anything relatively confectionary (not through choice).

Heroes:

Caravaggio, Homer Simpson, Gene Hunt, Alan Clark, Guy Fawkes, Zap Brannigan. A poet named Samuel Rowlands, who had the genius to name one of his works, 'Look to It, for I'll Stab Ye'.

My Blog

Wreckreation and Golden Oldies

Wreckreation, n. [f. WRECK, cf. med. L. wrecare, and RECREATION, cf. L. recreationem] The preferred leisure activity of the ASBOTIC. 27 June 2008 Pete Bogg, Council Worriers Weekly, 3: 56 'I aw...
Posted by Penseroso on Fri, 27 Jun 2008 02:32:00 PST

Taughtology

Taughtology, n. [f. TAUTOLOGY, and TAUGHT] 1. The repeated warnings found on alcohol packaging and other substances (e.g. foods heavy in saturated fat), which, whilst claiming pedagogical value,...
Posted by Penseroso on Fri, 09 May 2008 02:40:00 PST

Twhat

Twhat, n. [f. TWAT, cf. TWATTISM; and HAT, f. OE. haet, hood.] 1. The haberdashery of a TWAT. 23 February 2008 Sue. E. Sidle, Celebrity Sniper's Almanack, 37 'I had Doherty's ironic porkpie in ...
Posted by Penseroso on Sat, 23 Feb 2008 07:46:00 PST

Eggsplosion

Eggsplosion, n. [EGG, the spheroidal body produced by female birds and other animal species, f. OE. oe3; and EXPLOSION, the act of exploding, f. Lat. explodere, explaudere, to expel from the stage via...
Posted by Penseroso on Wed, 20 Feb 2008 10:31:00 PST

Jigolo

Jigolo, n. [f. JIG, a lively, springy dance: etym. uncertain, poss. f. OF. Gigue, a kind of rustic fiddle, cf. Mod. F. gigue, a dance; and GIGOLO, a male dancing-partner or escort, f. masc. corr. of...
Posted by Penseroso on Mon, 28 Jan 2008 03:33:00 PST

The Changeling

I recently had the pleasure of seeing English Touring Theatre's production of Middleton's (and Rowley's) The Changeling. Overall the performances were measured, give or take the occasional hint o...
Posted by Penseroso on Mon, 19 Nov 2007 07:29:00 PST

Il Trovatore

Went to see WNO's production of Verdi's Il Trovatore. At times there was a sense that the voices were struggling against the orchestra rather than working in conjunction with it, and the subtitles wer...
Posted by Penseroso on Tue, 30 Oct 2007 03:43:00 PST

BIMP

Bimp, n. [Abbrev. of BEERIMP, f. OE beor (etym. uncertain), + IMP, f. OE impa, scion.] 1. An anthropoloigcal personification of alcohol-related amnesia; a mythical creature which steals memories...
Posted by Penseroso on Mon, 29 Oct 2007 04:27:00 PST

Asbotic

Asbotic, n. [f. ASBO (acronym: anti-social behaviour order [UK Crime & Disorder Act introduced 1998; implemented 1999] + TIC] A person who possesses or aspires to the possession of an ASBO; someo...
Posted by Penseroso on Wed, 15 Aug 2007 04:31:00 PST

Kulturbeige

Kulturbeige, n. [f. G., KULTUR, ad. L. cultura, cultivation; + BEIGE, F., a. describing a yellowish-grey colour] The predominant culture and ontology of the 1990s and 2000s in the United Kingdom, exe...
Posted by Penseroso on Wed, 15 Aug 2007 04:47:00 PST