Doing The Ton

Doing the Ton


"The Ton" was a name for the useless
"upper" classes of Victorian and Edwardian times
who did nothing but impose their ridiculous
fantasies on the sweating hoards (Tu et Moi).
Spent their time going from place to place
trying to impress each other in the absurdity
competition.

Refer to P.G. Wodehouse's work
involving Bertie and Jeeves.
Total airheads.
They have been replaced by the "jet set"
and such.
These are the people who just recently
screwed you out of your pension funds.
They are oft seen running certain
social rackets like...oh Symphony orchestras.

But, that's not what it means to me.

What it means to me is in the phrase
"doing the ton at Goodwood" which means
lapping the aforementioned race track
at 100 miles per hour or more.

Whether it actually ever meant that
is irrelevant.

Closely related to the phrase
"going whole hog".

What it means here is that yesterday
I managed to ride 100 miles up and down
and around and in and out
by the shining waters of Lake Washington.

My butt is an aching mass of eroded flesh!!!


Doug Palmer June 2009