Walter Mitty
Apr 22nd 2012 | 1:59 am
#61
Not allowed opinions.
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 4,565
From: Sydney
Re: Walter Mitty
It's how you deal with them though without, perhaps, resorting to mediocrity. There comes a tipping point, I think, when people slow down and remember more than they do...in some ways, I am as busy as ever, when I consider the diversity of what I do, if not the intensity...
I reckon it's sensible to stop after awhile before burn out or to idle back a bit.
Your point still resonates with me:
I've just put down the Australian. In there is the usual round up of Anzac stories.
The reality is that they don't seem to make them like that anymore, (apart from serving soldiers of course and service workers).
I work in an office, and in a city. I look at my fellow workers with their Iphones and suburban lifestyles and I really wonder what they would make of men like the academic Bage who in the words of the paper' walked with Mawson in the Antarctic, 'and was felled at Gallipoli' knowingly walking to his death.
That was the idea. I have admitted to changing very subtle details on these pages due to it being a public forum but often trying very hard to keep the flavour of the original....infact I've been reduced to a sweat in finding the balance...and occasionally given up!
I reckon it's sensible to stop after awhile before burn out or to idle back a bit.
Your point still resonates with me:
I've just put down the Australian. In there is the usual round up of Anzac stories.
The reality is that they don't seem to make them like that anymore, (apart from serving soldiers of course and service workers).
I work in an office, and in a city. I look at my fellow workers with their Iphones and suburban lifestyles and I really wonder what they would make of men like the academic Bage who in the words of the paper' walked with Mawson in the Antarctic, 'and was felled at Gallipoli' knowingly walking to his death.
That was the idea. I have admitted to changing very subtle details on these pages due to it being a public forum but often trying very hard to keep the flavour of the original....infact I've been reduced to a sweat in finding the balance...and occasionally given up!
I might also point to Rory Stewart:
- Educated at Eton and Oxford,
- tutor to Prince William and Harry
- Army Officer
- Diplomatic Service in Indonesia
- British Representative to Montenegro
- walked across Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, India and Nepal, a journey totalling around 6000 miles, during which time he stayed in five hundred different village houses,
- Deputy Governorate Co-Ordinator in Maysan and Deputy Governorate Co-ordinator/Senior Advisor in Dhi Qar, two provinces in southern Iraq.
- Fellow at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard University.
- Executive Chairman, the Turquoise Mountain Foundation, a human development NGO in Afghanistan
- Ryan Family Professor of Human Rights at Harvard University
- Director of the John F. Kennedy School of Government Carr Center for Human Rights Policy
- His first book, The Places in Between was an account of his 32-day solo walk across Afghanistan in early 2002. It was a New York Times bestseller, was named one of the New York Times' 10 notable books in 2006 and was hailed by the NYT as a "flat-out masterpiece". It won the Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize, a Scottish Arts Council prize, the Spirit of Scotland award and the Premio de Literatura de Viaje Caminos del Cid. It was short-listed for the Guardian First Book Award and the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize. The book was adapted into a radio play by Benjamin Yeoh and was broadcast in 2007 on BBC Radio 4.
- Stewart's second book, The Prince of the Marshes describes his experiences as a Deputy Governorate Co-ordinator in Iraq. It was critically acclaimed with The New York Times saying "Stewart seems to be living one of the most remarkable lives on record." His books have been translated into French, Spanish, German, Danish, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Lithuanian and Bosnian. Stage versions, TV documentaries and film scripts have been optioned.
- Author of numerous articles in newspapers and magazines from the New York Times and the Guardian to the London and New York Review of Books.
- Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
- He was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his service in Iraq at the age of 31
- Elected to the House of Commons in 2010
He is STILL under 40..........
No doubt on BE people would be calling him WALT......
The difference is he got off his arse.
Apr 22nd 2012 | 2:05 am
#62
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 16,623
From: Hill overlooking the SE Melbourne suburbs
Re: Walter Mitty
I disagree to some extent about not making them like that anyone. A couple of CVs landed on my desk recently, and they were bloody impressive, not just in education, but also in the work that they had done.
I might also point to Rory Stewart:
He is STILL under 40..........
No doubt on BE people would be calling him WALT......
The difference is he got off his arse.
I might also point to Rory Stewart:
- Educated at Eton and Oxford,
- tutor to Prince William and Harry
- Army Officer
- Diplomatic Service in Indonesia
- British Representative to Montenegro
- walked across Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, India and Nepal, a journey totalling around 6000 miles, during which time he stayed in five hundred different village houses,
- Deputy Governorate Co-Ordinator in Maysan and Deputy Governorate Co-ordinator/Senior Advisor in Dhi Qar, two provinces in southern Iraq.
- Fellow at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard University.
- Executive Chairman, the Turquoise Mountain Foundation, a human development NGO in Afghanistan
- Ryan Family Professor of Human Rights at Harvard University
- Director of the John F. Kennedy School of Government Carr Center for Human Rights Policy
- His first book, The Places in Between was an account of his 32-day solo walk across Afghanistan in early 2002. It was a New York Times bestseller, was named one of the New York Times' 10 notable books in 2006 and was hailed by the NYT as a "flat-out masterpiece". It won the Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize, a Scottish Arts Council prize, the Spirit of Scotland award and the Premio de Literatura de Viaje Caminos del Cid. It was short-listed for the Guardian First Book Award and the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize. The book was adapted into a radio play by Benjamin Yeoh and was broadcast in 2007 on BBC Radio 4.
- Stewart's second book, The Prince of the Marshes describes his experiences as a Deputy Governorate Co-ordinator in Iraq. It was critically acclaimed with The New York Times saying "Stewart seems to be living one of the most remarkable lives on record." His books have been translated into French, Spanish, German, Danish, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Lithuanian and Bosnian. Stage versions, TV documentaries and film scripts have been optioned.
- Author of numerous articles in newspapers and magazines from the New York Times and the Guardian to the London and New York Review of Books.
- Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
- He was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his service in Iraq at the age of 31
- Elected to the House of Commons in 2010
He is STILL under 40..........
No doubt on BE people would be calling him WALT......
The difference is he got off his arse.
I know of a Roy Stewart, purveyor of smut..is a different man.
Apr 22nd 2012 | 2:10 am
#63
Crazy Cat Lady
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 65,493
Re: Walter Mitty
Why? If someone has done what they say they've done then great. However, the point of this thread was that there are most definitely people on BE who are Walter Mitty types. I'm not aware of anyone having a go or getting shitty about it other than one or two who seem to think they're being picked on. It's a fact of life that there are fantasists in the world, therefore the chances are there are some on here.
Apr 22nd 2012 | 2:11 am
#64
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 23,400
Re: Walter Mitty
I disagree to some extent about not making them like that anyone. A couple of CVs landed on my desk recently, and they were bloody impressive, not just in education, but also in the work that they had done.
I might also point to Rory Stewart:
He is STILL under 40..........
No doubt on BE people would be calling him WALT......
The difference is he got off his arse.
I might also point to Rory Stewart:
- Educated at Eton and Oxford,
- tutor to Prince William and Harry
- Army Officer
- Diplomatic Service in Indonesia
- British Representative to Montenegro
- walked across Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, India and Nepal, a journey totalling around 6000 miles, during which time he stayed in five hundred different village houses,
- Deputy Governorate Co-Ordinator in Maysan and Deputy Governorate Co-ordinator/Senior Advisor in Dhi Qar, two provinces in southern Iraq.
- Fellow at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard University.
- Executive Chairman, the Turquoise Mountain Foundation, a human development NGO in Afghanistan
- Ryan Family Professor of Human Rights at Harvard University
- Director of the John F. Kennedy School of Government Carr Center for Human Rights Policy
- His first book, The Places in Between was an account of his 32-day solo walk across Afghanistan in early 2002. It was a New York Times bestseller, was named one of the New York Times' 10 notable books in 2006 and was hailed by the NYT as a "flat-out masterpiece". It won the Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize, a Scottish Arts Council prize, the Spirit of Scotland award and the Premio de Literatura de Viaje Caminos del Cid. It was short-listed for the Guardian First Book Award and the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize. The book was adapted into a radio play by Benjamin Yeoh and was broadcast in 2007 on BBC Radio 4.
- Stewart's second book, The Prince of the Marshes describes his experiences as a Deputy Governorate Co-ordinator in Iraq. It was critically acclaimed with The New York Times saying "Stewart seems to be living one of the most remarkable lives on record." His books have been translated into French, Spanish, German, Danish, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Lithuanian and Bosnian. Stage versions, TV documentaries and film scripts have been optioned.
- Author of numerous articles in newspapers and magazines from the New York Times and the Guardian to the London and New York Review of Books.
- Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
- He was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his service in Iraq at the age of 31
- Elected to the House of Commons in 2010
He is STILL under 40..........
No doubt on BE people would be calling him WALT......
The difference is he got off his arse.
Yep you are probably right on that.Bet you have some good stories to tell though Slapphead (as in real ones I hasten to add)
Apr 22nd 2012 | 2:17 am
#65
Not allowed opinions.
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 4,565
From: Sydney
Re: Walter Mitty
Why? If someone has done what they say they've done then great. However, the point of this thread was that there are most definitely people on BE who are Walter Mitty types. I'm not aware of anyone having a go or getting shitty about it other than one or two who seem to think they're being picked on. It's a fact of life that there are fantasists in the world, therefore the chances are there are some on here.
That would be the case for Stewart if he popped up on BE, however it apparently is completely true.....
Meaning that we cannot judge others by our own achievements.
Apr 22nd 2012 | 2:32 am
#68
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 10,959
From: Somewhere South... Not Telling YOU
As I say, I bet you have a few life experiences that many would find interesting.
Apr 22nd 2012 | 2:36 am
#71
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 10,959
From: Somewhere South... Not Telling YOU
Re: Walter Mitty
Shush... Dont mention the bird... Mumbles might hear... And I dont want the world to know about my killer hound from hell... Who is brighter than me, i mean FFS I couldnt get into that cage so christ knows how she did it....
Apr 22nd 2012 | 2:56 am
#72
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 23,400
Re: Walter Mitty
Incidentally, my bird has taken to lobbing chunks of dried fruit at the cat.
Apr 22nd 2012 | 3:37 am
#75
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 10,959
From: Somewhere South... Not Telling YOU
Re: Walter Mitty
Sorry, did some one say summit... She asks through a mouthful of feathers???
Ok... I confess... The poor bird that the australian ferral damaged and we had to go out and spend over $100 (cant remember how much it was) on a preloved outdoor cage from gumtree for coz it couldnt fly...and I felt rwsponsible and wouldnt let HIM put it out of its misery... Was killed by one of the hounds from hell... Not mentioning which one, but if you guessed the snobby long legged, pedigree longer than my arm, more blue blooded than the royal bloody family (unlike her adopted family who she feels is more like the Royale family) weimeranna .. You wouldnt be far off the mark.... Who opened the very hard to slide open door on the cage... And snaffled it.... And I KNOW it was her, because it was in and around HER mouth and the other hound from hell would never have let her near it if he had been bright enough to get it...
But I didnt mention it, coz i was embarassed... And thought it would spark a barage of abuse about people who let their cat hunt pidgeons during daylight in australia, only to feed them to their dogs... Its a bloody australian ferral... Its NOT british!!!!
Ok?
