Rum Doings Episode 128: Twelve Hour Bride
by John Walker on Feb.01, 2013, under Rum Doings
It’s episode 128 of Rum Doings! This week we don’t discuss the illegality of trains and windmills. John speaks from deep inside a cold, while Nick speaks from the bottom of a well, as we discuss John and Laura’s freshly launched blog, Pregnant Pause. And thus the machinations of masturbating in a hospital.
Nick needs viewing suggestions for his flight, and John did the very impossible and stayed in a good British hotel. Nick rules that John and Laura will take 8.5 months to get pregnant, and then John decides the economy’s going to be fine. We remember everyone’s favourite Nazi, Walt Disney, remind you to be listening to Cabin Pressure, and ponder Timbuktu.
Secret rooms, FOSDEM, and Nick’s pledge to reveal his Linux examination results see us toward the end.
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[audio: http://rumdoings.jellycast.com/files/audio/128_rumdoings.mp3]
February 1st, 2013 on 14:18
I listened to this one, OK?!
And Laura Junior is the best name for our daughter that we’ll have in 8.5 months.
February 1st, 2013 on 15:26
I’m only part way through, so hopefully I will think of something else to say later. But, there was a minor to-do about the NHS spending money on porn a couple of years ago.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3129151/Taxpayers-foot-bill-for-donors-porn-on-the-National-Health-Service-says-2020healthorg-report.html
From memory, it did not come to much, but showed the desperation of some when it comes to demonising the NHS.
February 1st, 2013 on 23:35
You won’t have her in 8.5 months. You’ll conceive her in 8.5 months.
February 3rd, 2013 on 13:18
Nicholas! Whilst I feel hesitant (and pedantic) correcting your maths, this episode marks 7 bits, not 8.
February 3rd, 2013 on 13:58
I meant to say “we’ll now need 8 bits” ;-)
February 4th, 2013 on 08:47
Nice to hear that John’s willy waving has been put to good use this week.
February 4th, 2013 on 16:25
Best of luck to John and Laura and will be following the new blog with interest. I have two close friends who are currently going through a similar experience and I find the many apparent taboos around the subject baffling and somewhat upsetting.
Having followed your recommendation for Cabin Pressure a while ago I initially found it somewhat disappointing but decided to stick with it and have been comprehensively won round. Marvellous stuff.
John is still wrong about Proteus though.
February 4th, 2013 on 23:00
Did you listen to our episode with John Finnemore?
February 5th, 2013 on 09:37
Indeed I did. I am one of the diehards who have been here since episode 1. That does mean that it was quite a long time ago though (a quick check suggests very nearly 3 years – crickey). Is there a particular reason to revisit?
February 5th, 2013 on 11:03
I think so, bearing in mind how the characters have developed over the years. Nice to hear where he was at the first series.
February 5th, 2013 on 13:56
A friend was responsible for stocking the “masturbatorium” at the Liverpool Women’s Hospital. Before you criticize the range of literature provided, have some sympathy for the poor junior member of staff sent out to buy it. Anyhoo, Tom needed quite a few drinks before tottering off to the local garage to buy 20 assorted jazz mags. I think this counts as an unusually large purchase and the bloke gave him an infuriatingly sympathatic smile as he totted up the bill. The worst of it, however, was having to ask for a receipt. As Tom tells it, “It was like an admission that I was a professional wanker rather than an occasional tosser”.
February 6th, 2013 on 07:56
I think the big difference between Community’s moralizing, and say the moralizing of South Park or The Simpsons, is that it’s not so much an episode by episode need for a wrap up lesson, rather than the fact that Dan Harmon has a thesis to the show. It very much is the case of authorial intent with regard to an overarching theme, so much so that it’s the central metaphor of the title. He even goes to lengths to have it neatly summarized in the third season (his final season) finale.
Now whether this makes it any more or palatable for Nick, who seems to find any level of moralizing in comedies a bother (and fair enough) is a different story, but I think you can agree that it’s a meaningful difference for a work to have a central underlying message, versus an ad hoc episode-by-episode need for a lesson to tie everything up in a little bow.
It’s a real shame that Nick can’t get on with Community, as it’s an amazing show, clever, funny, some excellent compelling (and deeply flawed) characters, but yes, it undeniably has a lot of heart, which turns off some people.
Now if Nick is looking for a good TV comedy that makes no attempt at moralizing, that really is just 22 minutes of hilarious nihilism, I’d recommend It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. But then again, its delivery can be rather shrill and strident, so maybe that won’t work for you either. Still worth a try, I figure.
February 6th, 2013 on 11:17
Couldn’t agree more with everything you say Hidden_7, especially re IASIP. I have to say that I don’t really the issue with a degree of moralising. To reject it in all it’s forms leaves you with a very limited cultural range.
February 7th, 2013 on 10:13
A) Although I’ve never been able to put this into practice out of the fear of missing a good joke, I can’t help but think that it would be a good idea to turn 90% of sitcoms off a couple of minutes before the end so you can skip the moralising. This is especially true with Community, where even the most mean-spirited episodes (not that Community ever manages to be particularly mean) have to have a twee conciliatory bit tacked on at the end.
B) I was a huge fan of Larry Sanders, and I’m sure I missed some episodes because of BBC2’s scheduling (no BBC, I would not rather watch snooker or darts or whatever minority-interest sport takes your fancy this month thank you very much). The thought of rewatching it all is rather appealing — thank you for the idea.
C) The one time I’ve had to submit a sample of my amazing manliness I was able to create the sample from the safety of my home. I can’t imagine having to do it in a seedy little pseudo motel room. That sounds horrible and discouraging and I’m surprised anyone can even manage it. Maybe that’s why it the result was only “normal.”