It's not what you've got...

[silver_notebook]

Saturday was the fortieth of an adorable man I once shared a flat with.  It’s interesting to see the shape that people take on with time, and from the cool, spiky peroxide haired, muso-dude with the record collection to die for, he has become a loving father still imbued with his sprightly eyes and naughty wit.  I sat next to one of his close

Comments

[dasenergi]

We live in completely different worlds.

[silver_notebook]

In that I am a single woman living in a small flat with no car and am professionally slightly 'behind' where I 'ought' to be; while you have wife, children, home, four wheeled drive and an excellent (if sometimes tiresome) job?

In London there are many different worlds that run along side each other with frequent occasions that they overlap. Sometimes in that overlap people move between the two; but this takes both chance and concerted effort, especially if you wish to move into a more expensive or exclusive one (these are NOT the same in London).

One of the reasons the ex is an ex and not the husband he might have then liked to have been is that I could see his goals for life were very different from mine with a much more pecuniary focus. There are other reasons, but while I am very fond of him, we are very different people.

[dasenergi]

And with all that you've said, I am envious of your life. Perhaps we could switch for a month?

[silver_notebook]

I imagine after a week you'd be hankering for yours again. Apart from missing sex your kids, my life is very dependent upon the social networks I've developed, which is something intrinsic to the success of single life. I'd have to email/ phone all my friends and tell them that if some friendly american contacts them over the cause of the month they're to treat him nicely and pretend that he's me!

Re: Boink

[silver_notebook]

They world you speak of is way beyond that which I refer to. I've worked as a waitress at such 'dos' (what is the plural of do?), where they've had party designers and canapes and the like; but there's always been some underlying 'corporate' theme to such things. (I remember one such do where there was unlimited champagne, but only one case of Dom Perignon, and we had to ensure that the right people got it. The guy in charge of drinks made sure that all the half decent staff who'd helped him lug boxes and had been generally amenable had a glass or two of Dom. It really didn't seem to be that remarkable.)

Though rich, these people aren't in any way in that league, so I guess they still feel they have something to aspire to and strive towards, and there's definitely not a feeling that the money is limitless. They are the new upper middle classes, with those you speak of being in a quite rarefied league.

Re: Rich aspiration

[silver_notebook]

I remember hearing of the money and staff required by a rich business man to maintain his yacht and helicopter. It all becomes rather surreal.

Oh I'm not a labels whore: Veuve'll do me fine; but I like to save all of it for special occasions.

Re: And foidermore

[silver_notebook]

The people you describe are entirely the worst aspect of this. The kind who , as you say, acquire the look, not the manner, or the aesthetic.
They're not actually bad people, I think. Smelly Helly was a nice, modest, unassuming scots lad who probably voted left of centre as a student. His wife is perhaps a little elitist, in the way that those from smart families who have lived or worked or are from the Indian Sub-continent can sometimes be (this is not intended to be racist and applies to British 'colonial' types as well as Indians/Bangladeshis/etc). I imagine they actually have some liberal sensibilities and believe in the principle of state education.

Their wealth is a waste.
I'm incline to agree, but that's terrible superior of me to do so. In some ways it's quite sad that it's still so hollow in spite of all they have.

Hedge Funds are the toilet of capitalism and entirely unethicalYer, I have a certain unease about all the money that's 'made' in the City. Little money is 'made' in the city: it's filtered off from industries

Re: Mrs Hedge-Fun

[silver_notebook]

God: I'm feeling like Grand Bitch now. She's not that bad: there was just a mis-match between their hospitality and apparent wealth. Perhaps I caught them on a bad occasion.

[accidentprawn]

I checked the link for Smelly Hellys and laughed aloud. Poor thing. Haha.

I like architecturally minimalist interiors; but when they’re not right, they’re like laminate flooring: someone has seen the image of what should be ‘stylish’ and bought into the package without any understanding or feel for their essence.
I love how you say this, I wish I was able to think of these analogies with this kind of clarity. That said, I think it's worse when the package becomes the next big thing trend-wise and is suddenly everywhere, making you want to run, screaming. Eee.

I like my curry with rice too. Then again, Filipinos tend to eat most everything with rice.

[silver_notebook]

I checked the link for Smelly Hellys and laughed aloud. Poor thing. Haha.
He was a mountain climber and hill runner, so it was kind of excused, but I remember his flat being the stereotypical skanky male engineering student flat back then.

I think it's worse when the package becomes the next big thing trend-wise and is suddenly everywhere, making you want to run, screaming
It is sort of the case with faux Italian minimalism, with people buying complete furniture packages from the developer who sold them their home, with everything of 'neutral' developer style taste and "a fraction of the price because it's made in bulk in China - really good copies though" (this is pretty much a quote froma friend who's bought such a furniture pack. It can go onto the mortgage and saves time and stress apparently, even though it means they have soulless homes. A home should be something that takes its form gradually and a reflection of one's own taste and choices, not something safe one buys based on others' judgement