I may as well write it out on the blog.
Seriously. M&G has revealed that the RSA goverment spies on us. Not that this is exactly a revelation. The apartheid government was infamous for this. The issue is: people were under the impression that this was something the bad government did rather than a South African tradition. Or perhaps it has something to do with the South African government's reverence of China.
Either way, I can't claim to be horrified. Oh, don't get me wrong, I don't like it. I think it is shameful. But if rumours are to be believed, the United States Government, under the wise leadership of George W., has been allowed to read all my emails and drop in on my international phone calls.
Thus, since everybody knows everything about me, it will come to no surprise to you to hear that I have recently discovered myself swooning over Ben Goldacre, he of the book (and articles) Bad Science.
Wait, I may have lost you. Let me back up. Every so often Husband reads a book and decides I must read it too. (I do this as well, but he is much less likely to actually act on my suggestion.) This is why I know more ways to die on Mt Everest than I ever wanted to know (along with the ethics surrounding cutting the rope). This is also why I know that Mt Everest, while being the tallest mountain in the world, is not actually the most impressive or technically challenging climb (yet, you can still die, so there's that). And so on...
The latest book to cross bedside tables is Bad Science. My working theory on why Husband bought this is that he did so in order to harass certain loved ones about their devotion to homeopathy. But it is just a theory. In the meantime we've had conversations that kind of go like this:
H - Do we have any homeopathic remedies in the house?
Me - I don't know. Maybe. What's this?
H - Well, 123 comes in two forms, there is the real stuff and the homeopathic version. . . hey, why doesn't this bottle say how much is in it?
Me - Probably not a good sign, then.
H- Why did you buy it?
Me - Because X told me it might help with those bruises and we had that party to go to. I was doing everything else (like ice) and thought, oh heck, why not?
H - Did it help?
Me - No idea. But I couldn't wear shoes, remember? So perhaps not.
H - You don't have to do everything X tells you.
Me - I was trying to be nice. X is your ...
H - See, that's probably why it didn't work. You have to trust for The Placebo Effect to work.
Me - I never said I didn't trust...
Ah, marriage.
Anyway, I mentioned to my physio that Husband was reading the book and she told me, 'Oh, that is a brilliant book. You must read it.'
So there you are, I am.
Then the other day I flipped to the back cover and saw Ben Goldacre's photo and went, 'Ahhhh.'
Husband asked what the heck was going on. I explained.
Husband was gobsmacked.
1 - Husband was not even aware the man's photo was on the back cover, despite having read the entire book.
2 - Husband found it puzzling that I found Ben at all attractive.
Frankly, I can't explain it myself. (Sorry Ben, but there is a lot of eye candy out there and, well...you just don't come off as the average pin-up model.) The only explanation I can come up with that combined with decent looks the man is also intelligent. A person's intelligence was a big factor when I was dating. Like Husband for example. Husband is physically attractive, but I really, really love that he has a BRAIN, and (do not underestimate the significance of this next point) he READS BOOKS, and he understands my Monty Python jokes. (Actually he was flabbergasted that an American had actually heard of Monty Python. I told him he needed to get out more. He has.)
Back to the reason I bring this up (other than allowing you all to laugh at me for swooning over Ben Goldacre for no good reason) is that it made me think of all the debates over whether the attractiveness of women writers matters. Or writers in general. Husband didn't even know what Ben looked like. Wasn't even aware there was a photo. But still, rather nice for The Guardian that Ben takes a decent head shot, yes? (Not that this had anything to do with why The Guardian hired him. I have no idea why they hired him. Perhaps because he is a doctor?)
Anyway, there really isn't a point to this post. However, if Po is reading this, I would love to hear if you read Bad Science, and if you have, what your thoughts were on the book. (You do not have to give your opinion on Ben's attractiveness. Unless you want to give the BFG a laugh. Think Husband is still laughing.) Of course, all of you are welcome to chime in as well. In fact, that would be lovely.