Never previously blogged. Not sure if it will be worth the effort or what is the purpose over and above the message boards. We'll see.

Anyhow, I'm beginning to feel like I'm in a state of permanent (if not necessarily overt) protest. I seem to be surrounded by those who expect conformity - largely religious, but also political, social - in fact it seems a general human trait to demand that others agree with our own ideas and practices. And it becomes tiring.

At work, it's always the latest managerial fad at which we must all smile and pretend it's a good idea. I now have to fill in forms to tell those above me how I intend to do my job - which rather gets in the way of getting the job done. So I ignore the forms (by and large) - a little protest that, so far, has caused some frustration but no real reaction.

In the church which I frequent with Mrs. Ellinas, my sullenly silent protest at their religious daftness is noted but not questioned by them. But then there's the right wing political leanings of these people as well. Mind, they maintain that they are apolitical; odd given their every pronouncement on social or legal matters is somewhere to the right of Genghis Khan. So, a couple of weeks back, I fixed a soviet communist hammer and sickle badge to my trapper hat and in the coldness of last weekend wore it to the church. It was both gratifying and entertaining, the evident discomfort when several saw it, commented on it being there but carefully skirted round any mention of its' significance.

Presumably the inclination is not to engineer a confrontation with me. Whether I am glad or even more annoyed by that, I do not really know. As ever, for the sake of the Mrs, I keep my counsel. But one day, one day, perhaps I'll be in a position to vocalize at least some of these little protests openly and in ways that cannot be ignored. Until then, onward the quiet revolution!