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Saturday, 24 April 2010

Just me, myself and I.

Don't get me wrong I enjoy writing with a hint of humour and I do enjoy hearing the complements received after making someone laugh (thank you Mamma W). However every now and again in a blogger's life one writes purely for ones self. I know what you are thinking, maybe something along the lines of 'Oi you, and your inner feelings, Go get a room!' But I am afraid my psyche and I are too lip locked to take much notice.

My plan is to close this blog in September, because by then I hope to be pursuing writing of a more academic nature. This plan has been on a low light for sometime now, and I have been plodding, behind the scenes, towards my goals. Many things have been put to one side, and sometimes comfort has been sacrificed over frugality. The proof of the pudding is in the eating and very shortly I will find out if my plan is at all viable; and that is what is giving me the emotional heebie jeebies. No one likes failure and I have the added problem of a genetic predisposition towards absolute fear of rejection.

For now, I have finished snogging with my inner psyche, and perhaps we are off for some relationship counselling. If after all that, you feel bloated and flatulent with inner angst, I do apologise but only slightly, do not fear I will be back to your favourite subjects tomorrow.

Sunday, 18 April 2010

The Green Mile


Sunday is the day where I bring my ramblings closer to home and hopefully share a little of the apple pie existence that is ours. Words from our beautiful homestead nestled in a picturesque village, in the province of South Leeds. [1]

In our village it is custom to use resources carefully, for example by sharing recycling bins. Those who live in streets without, feel it is their duty to share without complaint, or failing that use the community based recycling facilities known affectionately amongst villagers as Da Street.

Our village council ensure the needs of those applying for a recycling bin are genuine by making them ask for approximately 3 years and firstly supplying applicants with a 'test bin'. This is duly uncollected and returned.

It is policy to then wait for a prolonged period and to offer applicants a second recycling bin, ensuring that collection is guaranteed. To ensure no misuse of recycling facilities it is a further requirement to fill appropriately, leave correctly and then bring back on to property, uncollected, at least twice. The village council look at each case individually and deem collection necessary based on the frequency and vehemency of further phone calls from applicant.



[1] The author of this blog will not take responsibility for any foreign travel to the province of South Leeds based on reading of this here post.

Saturday, 17 April 2010

Chirpy Chirpy Tweet Tweet.


I have discovered the joys of Twitter. In my own mind I see my daily tweets to all 4 of my followers (soon to be 3 after clicking on one the tiny urls!) as a service.

To me, twitter is a wonderful source of finding out and providing information, I now follow interesting folk like Yoko ono, Stephen Fry and John Brockman

The wealth of information at my disposal! And all discovered by messing with this blogging malarkey! You see I need a purpose and if not to draw in thousands of readers (my comfort is I am scribbling for a niche demographic... of 2); it is pursuit of knowledge, a mental stretching of a flabby mind. The mental fog brought on by the thought of voting in the general election coupled with the fact I haven't read a complete book for about 5 years, is making me doubt my wee inner voice.

I like the idea of providing others with sweet morsels of knowledge, perhaps it will lead you to a thought never thunk before. By the way if you have a chance could you send those thoughts back this way, 'cos I haven't got the foggiest who I've linked and what they're on about.

Sunday, 11 April 2010

Pulp Fiction


Last night a dj saved my life. Actually it was tonight and it was our good friend Jarvis Cocker, www.bbc.co.uk/6music/shows/jarviscocker he in his understated manner noted that an artist sees things in a different way. This difference was viewed positively and necessary, I do hope I caught the gist of the discussion with Laurie Anderson correctly. Sigh! A different point of view seen as a complementary aspect of society, not just an irritant.

Of course I am no artist, but I live with one so surely that allows me to make claims on platitudes. Feeling good by proxy, sounds vaguely Freudian. I'll have a piece of that.

I have been so pleased with myself, my readership appeared to be growing. I gained a rather dedicated reader from London. London that's a sophisticated bunch, they'll know about the ways of the world. It turns out that I am that sophisicated reader, my aging computer is playing tricks on me.

Micro Meditation




Firstly apologies for my tardiness, a day behind (somewhere in the back of my mind I can hear 'I told you so'). The husband and I have not been at home for a day. We have been off having fun, something the pair of us need to get used to.

The children have been busy with sleep deprivation training, in adult terms a sleepover. This training will help them with the sweet but brief 'party years', just before the fatigue of realising your dream job isn't out there and there is no romance in poverty.

It has been a week of quiet contemplation in those micro seconds between the kids demanding, whinging and being recklessly optimistic (half term again). I was lucky enough to enjoy some retail counselling from the assistant at Gap. That rare moment in modern living where you feel calmer and more valued after speaking to a company representative than before. Simple acts like exchanging damaged goods without receipts can be done in a way that uplifts one's soul. 'I like that man mummy'; high praise indeed from a child which two minutes previously had been shattering windows with her tantrum scream.

And of course I have received some feedback from 50% of my readership, thank you, that one comment will keep me going for a while.

Wednesday, 7 April 2010

Blogging For Dummies

I visited the library yesterday and came away with Blogging For Dummies. At the moment that speaks volumes, what began as a private therapeutic action is continuing to fall head long into uncontrollable obsession. You may be shocked that I am posting uncharacteristically during The Week ; this is mainly due to my aforementioned growing obsession and partly cos I want to check out a couple of new gadgets. I think they might be slung into the cyber bin, but I am hopeful they will work. One of the things that I have picked up through my quick squizz of blogging for dummies is the notion of a blog being interactive. In my eagerness to write and comment humorously about my everyday occurrences I've missed the point of interaction. Indeed only this morning I was providing my husband with a monologue about the onesidedness and tedium of monologues. So all two of you, feedback please. If I have held your attention for more than a couple of seconds, please tell me whatcha liked. And of course, the hard bit, the side of this I am not really built to take.... tell me what's bad.

Sunday, 4 April 2010

Dem Bones. Dem Bones.


Against my better judgement I purchased the album Pop Party 7 for my 6 year old. It is really quite unsuitable. One song in particular promotes the misconception that equality of the sexes is achieved by ladies adopting a sexy but don't touch attitude. This is irksome enough, however what I really object to is the mathematical improbabilities which are being thrust at impressionable minds.

According to the song, these lovely ladies would become billionaires if they had a dime every time a 'silly' boy stopped to stare. This requires one to be stared at 10 billion times. Now, these 'babes are reportedly in a club, one which presumably flouts all health and safety recommendations on capacity or perhaps more reasonably these stares are calculated over a period of time. Further research and the assumption that a stare be approximately 2 seconds would result in an an accumulative stare of 20 billion seconds. On this recommendation those 'silly' boys have become very disturbing boys and are exclaiming 'Hey Sexy!' at some captivating skeletons, perhaps littered with a few writhing bikini clad worms. The only feasible explanation is that these women have accrued a rather large but dedicated group of stalkers, which are permitted certain liberties in order to validate their sexual equality.


For those looking for a Bank Holiday Monday project, the following from WikiAnswers may help with any calculations which may arise.

1 min = 60 seconds
1 hour = 60 min = 60 x 60 seconds = 3,600 seconds
1 day = 24 hours = 24 x 3,600 seconds = 86,400 seconds
1 year = 365 days = 365 x 86,400 seconds = 31,536,000 seconds

To get the number of years for 1,000,000,000 seconds, we just divide
1,000,000,000 by 31,536,000

It should give us : 1,000,000,000 / 31,536,000 = 31.71 years


10 billion dimes = 1 billion dollars.