h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Do you dread these big football championships? Do you find yourself dreaming up ways of avoiding the coverage? What do you do instead? Do you just have to grin and bear it?

I am looking for a cave, with all modern conveniences actually. I am not really into football though for the sake of office unity I did organise the sweepstake. I just don't give a monkey's. On Saturday I found some decent films and detective programmes on freeview and watched them. But I suspect I will end up going for walks, doing the supermarket run, indulging in my hobbies, boiling my head in a vat of acid, you know, that kind of thing.

Are you a football widow? Or the only person in your family, or among your friends, not to get swept up in the circus, arguing over the offside rule or rooting for England's boys in white?

Don't get me wrong, I am perfectly happy for England to win the World Cup. However, it is not the be all and end all. I am not obsessed, I do not have a flag of St George on my car, or my house, or indeed about my person anywhere. Hubby doesn't like football (they play with the wrong shaped balls - ahem!) so it is peace and tranquility in our house. I do have to battle a bit to watch the tennis from Wimbledon though!

Do you get annoyed that the media divides fans and non-fans along gender lines? Channels without matches are lining up fluffy rom-coms to pit against the big games, while only last week the Radio Times published an alternative World Cup cover featuring SATC2's Sarah Jessica Parker. What gives?

Not really. There are a disproportionate number of males who like footie and an equally disproportionate number of females who dislike it. Mind you, I am not wild on Fluffy-wuffy rom-coms either, so I shall probably end up listening to the radio and reading my books!

Do you think we pay a disproportionate amount of attention to the World Cup in this country? Has it reached saturation point? Do you think there's not enough thought paid to people left cold by the footie, and with few places to go to avoid it?

I have resigned myself to the fact that I can't run and I can't hide. However, even the blinking adverts have got a football focus and it is deeply tiresome. I wonder how much people will go on about the Rugby World Cup next year? At least we have a decent chance of winning that!

>>>I am looking for a cave, with all modern conveniences actually.

LOL