In the positive spirit of the kind comments on my last post,  The Tampon Teabag has invited me to list things of which I approve.  Long-time readers will understand what a tall order this was, but here goes (the list which follows is in no particular order, nor is it exclusive) : 

1. The Birmingham accent.  Deeply unfashionable, but very musical;
2. Marxism.  Whatever your political persuasion, an indispensable aid to making sense of capitalism, becoming more rather than less relevant in the 21st century;
3. Reality TV.  As I have repeatedly observed, those who cannot see the moments of purest TV gold embedded in the likes of Big Brother, American Idol, America’s Next Top Model, etc (as distinct from lumpen fare such as X Factor, or Any Dream Will Do, which is just weird) are truly blind;
4. Smoking.  It calms me down, it gees me up, it’s my relaxation technique of choice from sparrow’s fart to the moment my head hits the pillow.
5. The iPhone.  Having had one of these little wonders for a whole five weeks now, I can honestly say that the iPhone represents as much of a leap forward in consumer electronics as the original Macintosh did in 1984.  While lesser technology brands screech at us to proclaim their mediocrity, Apple products reinvent our world;
6. Antidepressants.  Lorna and I agree that anyone who thinks happy pills are evil has never had to take them.  I remain on a gradually-reducing dose of Venlafaxine after seven years (and after emerging from a long night of clinical depression) and, while the pills on their own did not help me recover, they possibly saved my life when it was at its worst;
7. Italy.  While I’ve never lived there, as an occasional visitor I cannot imagine how this earthly paradise might be improved.