Listless

• Richard Fair
• 31 Jul 07, 02:30 PM

I can’t be doing with lists on Blogs. I know the hypocrisy of that statement as one who used to have a blog with nothing on except shopping lists. But that was different, that was social comment on the purchasing patterns of… Actually as I’m writing this I’m thinking “what a loser – get a life you sad person”.

Anyway, lists. What’s the point? Does anyone really care about your ‘Top Ten Things I’ve Done With A Shoe’? Or ‘My Top Ten Paving Stones’. Are we a country obsessed with lists of every kind? Apart from that small diversion with shopping lists, generally I’m not a list person. I’ve tried making lists, but they tend to be To Do lists made up of stuff I’ve already done so that I look really efficient.

I realise that the more organised of you out there rely on lists. I knew one woman who had a list of all the lists she had – one of which showed a detailed plan of all the Christmas presents she’d bought and for who over the past ten years, which is fine so long as you don’t sit next to her on a busy train when she unrolls it.

Making lists so you don’t forget things is a good idea, but why make lists of random things? The worse ones are the ‘100 Things About Me’ lists which still seem popular and pointless. I’m not sure I even know 100 about me, so why I’d want to know a hundred about you is beyond me.

All this was sparked by The Marple Leaf who has listed “ten things worthy of comment” following a trip in Manchester. It includes Piccadilly Gardens and Chavs. Despite what I’ve said about lists, this is probably one of the better ones as it wasn’t just a list of single words and provided a little more substance. But it is a list just the same.

Awards
I’ve already mentioned that I’m judging this year’s Manchester Blog Awards again. Here’s an early one – the Award For The Blog Entry That Was Great Until The Second Sentence Went And Spoiled It All. It goes to A Free Man In Preston for “Me and Girlfriend tramped through the fields looking for somewhere to let off my rocket.” For the rest of this post, click here. I should be ashamed of myself.