GO! Discover New People and Places
April 5th, 2008 by mike
I’m interviewing Julian Barnes at the moment. Julian is an award winning author of over 10 novels, two of which have picked up Booker nominations. In the past he has been, amongst other things, the deputy literary editor for The Sunday Times, the London Correspondent for the New Yorker magazine and has appeared on Desert Island Discs.
Anway, one question I asked him was …
In Nothing to be Frightened of, you say that if you were to live your life again then you “could discover quite new sorts of disappointment.” Are there things that you would still like to try and do you think they will deliver or, as you say, lead to further disappointment?
Yes, I think I said: discover new pleasures and interests as well - some of which will probably end in disappointment. That’s the nature of life. Given an eternal lifespan we like to imagine we could succeed at most things. But let’s be realistic: given the time left, I reckon that if I took up, say, the tango it’d probably end in disappointment. I think what I want to discover from now on are new places and new people rather than new skills.
So flower smellers, are there places you would still like to discover and people you’d like to meet?
I would still like to meet Mr Nelson Mandela and his young wife - and ask him how he keeps going at the age of almost 90
arvind’s last blog post..7 Tips to Stop Losing an Hour of your time EVERY Day
are you a fan of terrorists then Arvind?
how about Michael Stone?
Johnny Adair?
Adams?
Oh mike what a question….
OF COURSE Ues..
I wish to travel to europe.. Hubby wishes to go heaps of places…. Lapland was mentioned years ago…
We wish to meet the founders… and travel around the Uk… and heaps of places… one day it will happen…
need a passport though.. must remeber to get one….
aussiecynic’s last blog post..Dont Panic! its all good!
You and your clan are always welcome to stop over at Emmas and my place if you get to the UK. We could watch Dr Who and drink beer!
Mike’s last blog post..Mike Interviews: Julian Barnes Part 1 of 3
thanks Mike…
Might take you up on it when we get there…
We had been aiming for last January but life happened and we couldnt…. aiming for 12 months or so… but being flexible…
Would love to meet you all… Moppet is hanging to me the Dr again… lol..
Who do you have in the national?????
Hubby wants to know he has his thoughts…
aussiecynic’s last blog post..Dont Panic! its all good!
I have : Joe’s Edge
Emma has : D’argent
Matthew: Mckelvey
Joel: Philsons Run (as he has a yellow rider and that’s Joels fav colour!)
Tabitha: Point Barrow
Who does your hubby think will win?
Mike’s last blog post..Mike Interviews: Julian Barnes Part 1 of 3
Well Mike..
He’s backed..
Slim Pickings
Point Barrow
and Bewley’s Berry..
Hubby’s top three picks..
good Luck
Joels horse has to be good… yellows cool!
so long as they get around safely… its a tough race…
aussiecynic’s last blog post..Dont Panic! its all good!
fancy Butler’s Cabin, reckon the boy McCoy has got to get his 1st elusive Grand National win …
you’ve got some good gigs - interviewing Julian Barnes? I’ll take a gander when i get back from the bookies, & look forward to the rest of the interview.
bobbins - Butler’s Cabin with Mr. McCoy fell at Becher’s Brook (again). Sorry, Mike, looks like you went with BCabin, too.
ahh well, least it gives me a chance to shoehorn 70s fave ‘On the Busses’ catchphrase ‘I’ll get you Butler(’s Cabin)’ into th proceedings …
update from Emma..
Just had to re-adjust as Joes Edge was a reserve and we got a free bet
Mike now has Butlers Cabin and Comply or Die
Tabitha changed from Point Barrow when she discovered the Jockey’s top wasn’t pink enough - changed to D’Argent.
Emma added Slim Pickings
Mike’s last blog post..Mike Interviews: Julian Barnes Part 1 of 3
just realised - bombed on Butler’s Cabin but nailed it with Comply or Die … congratulations … hey everybody drinks are on Mike - huzzah & hurrah … mine’s a jerobome of Krug ‘69, cheers
Nice - what odds did you get Mike…
Heres our tribute to Butler (’s Cabin as inspired by O’DB)
Yeah I won - odds were 10 to 1
I bet £10 to win and won £100 !!!
Okay drinks are on me flowers I haven’t won since I bet on Red Rum as a kid!
Going to the bar now - what do people want
Mike’s last blog post..Mike Interviews: Julian Barnes Part 1 of 3
Come on chaps, stay on the subject. I’d like to meet Big GIC in China.
Hey Mike I remember RED RUM..
Oh thats Scary….
Havent heard what hubby did… he is still asleep.. sat up to watch it ..2.15am this morning… I fell asleep 10 minutes before bugger……
aussiecynic’s last blog post..Dont Panic! its all good!
Nice. I’ll have a Tequilla Sunrise complete with multifluity of cocktail umbrellas, garish plastic stirrers, etc. a la Del-Boy Trotter. Merci bucket.
Is Lapland a country?
Dubai Guy’s last blog post..Go! Smell The Flowers
Nope, juts a figment of AC’s imagination
I agree, At a certain age the learning skills take longer to ’sink in’ So God willing for the rest of my life, I too hope to meet new friends and visit new places, and even go back to old places that I loved ie Croatia. A wonderful country and people are so kind and pleasant. Veronica.
great interview BTW… be back for pt2… excellent…
did you do via email or in person… I think the latter..
aussiecynic’s last blog post..Dont Panic! its all good!
Heh heh great that you think the latter. No it was e-mail although I go to and fro a few times when I interview to try and make it seem natural and more of a two way thing.
I would have loved to meet him though.
Mike’s last blog post..Mike Interviews: Julian Barnes Part 1 of 3
he seems fascinating…
Is his book out yet i did ask on Tales…
I would like to get my hands on it… think ita worthy read..
aussiecynic’s last blog post..Dont Panic! its all good!
Yes it is out, and yes it is very good - makes you think - in fact it is right up your street AC.
Mike’s last blog post..Mike Interviews: Julian Barnes Part 1 of 3
The only way I can get a copy is through the Library for the moment.. will go on Monday and hunt it out…
No book shop in town… and to get one through the post.. is hard at the moment weather..
aussiecynic’s last blog post..Dont Panic! its all good!
Nice one Mike, Jim here…
Your interviews over at your blog The view form here GO! from good to great…
Our list has just started….LOL with the references to Tango as Em has just convinced me to take up Salsa with her. I turned up with a bag of dipping chips and it went downhill from there….
Our tagline here ‘one journey, many discoveries’ relates well to your article as we keep adding more and more onto our list of things to do and people to meet….
Em is in Turkey at the moment (describes it as a cross between Dubai n France) on her way to a leadership course in Barcelona which was on her list last year - I’ll do a bachelor post soon…
Anyway we decided to make it happen, as Arvind would say and she’d back in 10 days!
Long term we intend to see parts of South America, Canada, Galapogas islands, Costa Rica, Malaysia, the hills of Iran, Northern lights, Iceland and a balloon safari over Masia Mara - all before dinner….Syria, Egypt and Morocco and Maldives still 3-4 hours aways that we’ll do ‘ one day’
I’m excited just typing this - getting twitchy…
As for people - well we’re open whoever meets us along the way…..
Group hug anyone?
I was going to say something about the tag line too!
I don’t EVER want to stop the discovery.
But, one of the reasons I’m moving back to Ohio is because of the Darjeeling Express (the movie, not the actual trip, ALTHOUGH lawd knows I’d dig a ride on that machine …)
I watched the flick in growing horror.
That was my kids.
That was me.
I said, “o hella no!”
So, there are many discoveries to made, once I can sleep well at night, knowing I did my best with the wee ones first.
Priorities.
Or, yeah.
Rufus’s last blog post..Physical Graffiti
Wait.
I said, “Express”.
I meant, “Limited”.
Rufus’s last blog post..Physical Graffiti
I think I’d have to take issue with his statement about skills. I’m struggling with the guitar but even though I’ll not be the next Lee Ritenour or John Scofield its still fun.
Places I’d like to see - Dive Sipidan Island again in Eastern Malaysia,New Zealand to watch each of their super 14 side play, Vladivostok (as I’ve been meaning to for the last 4 yrs), Alaska and Antartica. My lass wants to go to Egypt and Africa so they’re heading the list for now.
GarethinChina’s last blog post..GO! Discover New People and Places
Gareth you fly to Antarctica from here… or at least Hobart Airport.. takes and 1.5 hours to get there… very cool….
yep its that close…
aussiecynic’s last blog post..Dont Panic! its all good!
I’d like to see more dog fighting, more dancing bears and meet all the worlds dwarves and weigh them in
it realy irritated me everyone going on about the dwarf love in that is the grand national
I would also settle for meeting a trio of jamaican go-go dancing porn starlets
I’d like to meet the Dalai Lama