James M. Todd profile picture

James M. Todd

I am here for Friends and Networking

About Me

I suppose the best way to go about describing myself is to quote other people.

On Being Idle

by Jerome K. Jerome
The gentleman who, when I was young... used to say he never knew a boy who could do less work in more time...Idling has always been my strong point. I take no credit to myself in the matter - it is a gift. Few Possess it. There are plenty of lazy people and plenty of slow-coaches, but a genuine idler is a rarity. He is not a man who slouches about with his hands in his pockets. On the contrary, his most startling characteristic is that he is always intensely busy.

"To appear well dressed, be skinny and tall." — Mason Cooley

"I may be old fashioned, but I am right." — Max Beerbohm

"The making of one's life into art is, after all, the first duty and privilege of every man." — Arthur Symons

"I like work; it fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours." — Jerome K. Jerome

"Here was a new generation, shouting the old cries, learning the old creeds, through a revery of long days and nights; destined finally to go out into that dirty gray turmoil to follow love and pride; a new generation dedicated more than the last to the fear of poverty and the worship of success; grown up to find all Gods dead, all wars fought, all faiths in man shaken..." - F Scott Fitzgerald

"Desire is born of defective knowledge." - Thomas Mann

"Blue jeans are not the pants for me." - The Duke Of Windsor

But Onward and Upward...

In My Own Words

I'm a snob - an amiable one, but a snob nonetheless. I rarely offend but have been found offensive; particularly by those who can be thought of of insecure. I adore love but rarely find it in people. Philosophically, I'm a stoic Epicurean, attempting to balance my ataraxia with the demands of life.

Feel free to contact me on Aol Instant Messenger at: DucDesEsseintes. if I can ever get the blasted thing to work properly...

Get Your Own Voice Player Manage

My Interests

A continual persuit of being interesting, whilst still, with great fervour, allowing my interest in sartiorial "matters of the cloth" and its related affectations to consume many of my waking hours. Beyond the aforementioned, I enjoy reading and the rare civility of good conversation, made all the better by the presence of tobacco.


I also take pleasure in collecting 1st editions of books, mostly, those of the 'fin-de-siecle'. Ephemera from the Victorian and Edwardian era also seem to command a great deal of my time, (and money).

I'd like to meet:

Interesting people. Anyone who does not claim to "have it all figured out" - I would rather not be lectured about my lifestyle.

Music:

A lot of different music. Here is a brief list (in no particular order) which will hopefully encompass my odd collection: Primus, or any Les Claypool side project, Radiohead, The Kinks, Scott Joplin, George Gershwin, Ella Fitzgerald, The Libertines, Oasis, Blur, Primal Scream, Razorlight, Kaiser Chiefs, Kasabian, 22-20s, Bloc Party, Graham Coxon, Interpol, The Killers, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, David Bowie, The Cure, Babyshambles, Franz Ferdinand, The Pixies, Beck, Mudhoney, Sonic Youth, The Clash, The Sex Pistols, Gang Of Four, Depeche Mode, The Strokes, White Stripes Led Zeppelin, Steve Miller Band, The White Stripes, The Violent Femmes, The Animals, The Specials, The Who, Modest Mouse, The Velvet Underground, Pink Floyd, Noel Coward, Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darrin, Franz Schubert, Frederic Chopin, Henri Mancini, Domenico Scarlatti, Verdi, Bach, alas, there are many more that should receive mention, but due to a lack of interest on the part of the reader, and a lack of interest on the part of the typist, they shall remain unmentioned.

Movies:

Are a matter of personal taste, as for mine: Bright Young Things, Good Night and Good Luck, North by Northwest, To Catch A Thief, Brideshead Revisited (although it is not truely a movie, it is not shown on television, either), Star Wars, Indiana Jones, The early James Bond movies, and several more of which I cannot remember at this time.

Books:

Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Ian Fleming, Oscar Wilde, Max Beerbohm, Honre de Balzac, Jules Barbey D'Aurevilly, Marcel Proust, E.M. Forster, Thomas Mann, Jerome K. Jerome, J.K. Huysmans, , P.G. Wodehouse, Evelyn Waugh and F. Scott Fitzgerald, amongst others.

In the realm of peotry, I enjoy: Charles Baudelaire, George Gordon Byron, Rupert Brooke, William Wordsworth, William Blake, Edgar Allen Poe and Quintus Ennius, also, amongst others.

Heroes:

Beau Brummell, Noel Coward, Max Beerbohm, Cary Grant, Benjamin Disraeli, Frank Sinatra, Coco Chanel.

And this charming fellow.

..

My Blog

Rocket Man

She packed my bags last night pre-flight Zero hour nine a.m. And i'm gonna be high as a kite by then I miss the earth so much i miss my wife It's lonely out in space On such a timeless flight And i t...
Posted by James M. Todd on Thu, 22 Mar 2007 11:43:00 PST

My newest fan.

"You look ridiculously homosexual. Stop with the pseudo-intellect gimmick until you at least learn basic grammar skills. Grammatical Errors FTW!"I was flattered when I noticed this lovely message in m...
Posted by James M. Todd on Thu, 16 Nov 2006 05:23:00 PST

We don't need no education...

...teacher, leave those kids alone!.So as of today, Friday, October 6, the full-time faculty of my college has confirmed that it will be going on strike, starting next Monday.  The rumour is that...
Posted by James M. Todd on Fri, 06 Oct 2006 01:50:00 PST

So it appears I look like a woman...

...
Posted by James M. Todd on Wed, 13 Sep 2006 03:08:00 PST