Man v Food

Friends of mine were telling me about this show and last night I happened to catch an episode of Man v Food Nation. I thought it was a great show. Some of the food looked really tasty but the portions were extreme. There is something about American family businesses that I like, especially where good quality tasty food is concerned. Some of the oldest establishments serve up simple food that hasn't changed since the business started and I think that longevity is something to be proud of. It is a sign that the food has a constant appeal to each new generation. I was interested in a visit the presenter made to what I believe claims to be the place where hamburgers were first made: Louis's Lunch. I call it a burger on toast and funnily enough I had eaten a burget sandwich for lunch the day I watched the show. I like the old broilers, I still don't really know what a broiler is but I like the name.
All this food has inspired me to show you what I cooked for my lunch today.
I thought I would photograph the sequence for you, it was so tasty I got carried away eating it though. The pictures don't need any words. I used ketchup but a slice of tomato would have been better, we are out of tomatoes unfortunately. Louis's don't allow ketchup so my dish wouldn't get on their menu!

Mankind: crazy world of Earth seals it's own destruction

I've known the world is crazy. But the violence in the Middle East and North Africa (see this interesting Google map) apparently over a stupid film is just beyond belief. Not only is the violence inexcusable but it is surely only promoting the film in the most disgusting way. Would the public at large ever have seen the film had this violence not brought it so much attention? I think not. I know I certainly wouldn't have been interested. I've watched the 13 minute trailer and believe me it is beyond bad, I would say it is sick. There will always be sick individuals who create content. Is not attacking the US, German and UK embassies and burning down a branch of Kentucky Fried Chicken and causing deaths of innocent people even more of an outrage than a film? History teaches us that coordinated peaceful protest is the most effective form of protest, would it not have been more effective simply to ignore and consign it to the depths of obscurity that it deserves? I wonder how many actually involved in the violence have even seen the film? It seems unlikely to me that this is just about the film. We live in a divided world and ultimately if this cannot be healed it will lead to our destruction. How can mankind be so clever at one extreme and yet so crazy at the other? We must pour all our efforts into understanding ourselves better and learn to live as one world in peace.

Chinese Delight With Impending Diet

I had a Chinese meal on Wednesday night, I wasn't expecting too much however it turned out to be quite a nice meal. I had vegetable spring rolls followed by beef and green peppers in black bean sauce with egg fried rice. I also dipped into other food on the table such as a beef and curry sauce, prawn crackers and chips. It wasn't high class or anything, although the restaurant is very clean and the staff are very hospitable but it did provide a nice change since I haven't eaten at a Chinese restaurant for a while. What's your favourite Chinese food?

Classic Albums: AC/DC - Highway to Hell

I've been a long time AC/DC fan, they were one of the earliest bands I listened to when growing up.
This album has a great collection of songs. It contains the song Touch Too Much, which was probably one of the first 7 inch singles I ever bought.
I love the cover with the devil horns coming out of Angus Young's head.
Their songs have a lyrical playfulness to them. Usually some double meaning to them refering to sexual prowess.

9/11 Remembered

The eleventh anniversary of that infamous day that changed the Manhattan skyline is upon us. I still clearly remember where I was that afternoon. I just couldn't concentrate on my job and the internet seemed to be really slow, the BBC news site was failing to cope with the demand. I listened to the news on my radio in my car on the way home and I got home to find my wife glued to the news that seemed to constantly be about the attacks even days afterwards.

Those bastards destroyed the iconic twin towers. I was watching the film Moonlight last week with my wife and I saw the towers in that iconic night time view. It hit home again what was lost on that day, not the towers really but what they represented and all the people who worked there and lived nearby.
The events of 9/11 seemed unbelievable at the time. I think it was more shocking because it exposed a free democratic world to the vulnerability that our freedom brings. A shock like the London bombings in 2005 and the 2011 Utoeya Massacre in Norway.  Evil has many forms but none seem as stark as the mass killing of innocent and unsuspecting people just going about their daily lives.

May the souls of all those innocent individuals affected by the events of 9/11 rest in peace and know that they are not forgotten by those who loved them.

TLOTR or BOTR

Are you the type of person who thinks Lord of the Rings is really cool or do you find it more Bored of the Rings? I'm interested because I watched the first film in the series with my children this week. It was the first time my son, age 9 (soon to be 10), had seen it. I thought it might scare him a little, it scared me a little when I first saw it - the part where Galadriel (Cate Blanchett) shows Frodo what she might become if she were to have the master ring.

I have read The Hobbit but have not read the books of TLOTR. I knew the story because I listened to a radio dramatisation of the book when I was much younger. The films really bring the story to life though and indeed it is an epic story in an incredibly detailed and believable world. I am not the kind of reader who goes for this genre of fiction usually, probably why I've never read TLOTR.

Well, my son wasn't really scared at all and thought the riders hunting the ring were like Harry Potter's Dementors. The troll in the Mines of Moria didn't scare him either. Neither did the demonic Balrog, which did surprise me because he is quite vocal about good and evil.

I have been considering buying a fantasy book, which I believe is part of a series of books. I keep seeing it everywhere and have stared to wonder what its about, I believe I've seen it is also a TV series. It's called Game of Thrones and the book is by George R.R. Martin. Any idea what it's like?

Good weather weekend

We have had good weather since Thursday and the prospects are looking good for the remainder of the weekend. I like this time of year for the weather, when the mornings have a chill in the air but the day turns out hot and sunny.

I had some time today to drift around town on my own. I picked up a retractable clothes line my wife asked for. I bought a comb for grooming the kittens, even though they are just short hair moggies. I looked for a toast rack but couldn't find one, not even in the shop that seems to sell just a whole load of odd things you don't expect - like meat thermometers, fried egg rings etc. I visited a tiny little shop that sells comics but I felt a bit uncomfortable in there, I think because the guy who I assume owned it was a little bit too over-welcoming. I just wanted to go in and anonymously browse to see what they had and whether anything struck my imagination but instead he tried too hard to engage me in conversation. I'm not hard to talk to and like a conversation as much as the next guy. However, I still felt like an outsider and I don't know whether it was some barrier I subconsciously put up or something about him.
Later in the afternoon I did some work in the garden, digging over the flower beds which had caked into hard soil and grown weeds. We're putting a line of short stubby fencing in and I was hammering those into the ground, at least I was until the barrier wood I was hitting split and broke. Have to do more of that tomorrow I guess to drive the fence stakes deeper.

Paralympian Heroes

I've been watching the Paralympics with enthusiasm each night. I'm amazed with the number of sports, the enthusiasm of the crowds but even more amazed by the athletes themselves. I've really enjoyed the athletics and swimming. There are some awesome paralympians, I'm so glad that the Paralympics 2012 are in Britain. It has made them some how more special.

The Grind Begins Again

Since the beginning of August I have been quite lucky to have some holiday days I could take, which has meant that I've been working shorter weeks than normal. Last week was a four day week and this week coming I am working a 3 day week but the week after will be a full on five day week.
I have been enjoying some additional time for recreation but I know soon enough that will change to feeling that weekends are too short and the working day will start to feel longer as the nights begin to get darker and the autumn and winter seasons begin. It is already feeling a bit cooler than it was and we're only just into the beginning of September.
I've been enjoying blogging but I worry that my free time will be eaten up just trying to stay afloat amid the chaos of daily family life. My son starts a new school this week, I hope he enjoys it and that he makes some good friends at the school. I hope we do too as parents actually. We have started to make some inroads into that, we were invited to afternoon tea at the parents of a friend of our daughter's on Saturday and had a nice time. They seemed a very nice couple and their friends seemed nice too.
My wife starts back at her school this coming week, so it's really all back to the grindstone again. No wonder we look forward to holidays.

Films to see

Not being a regular cinema goer there are a few films from this year that I would really love to watch.

The Amazing Spiderman
Total Recall
The Bourne Legacy
Batman Dark Knight Rises
Expendables 2

I don't have any subscriptions to film services like Netflix or Love Film. They all seem to offer the same choices of method of delivery. But I guess I'd probably end up buying the DVD for films I really liked anyway. So that's why I haven't subscribed and I think I could get films via a pay as you use service in my TV (but I haven't researched this option yet, so I might be wrong about this).
Lately, I have tended to watch films I already own or have recorded from the TV. They might not be the latest blockbusters but I pay enough for my children to see the latest films so I think I am contributing to the cinema economy through paying for them.
Are there any films you would love to see but have missed at the cinema?

Underworld (film franchise)

When the first film came out back in 2003 I missed it completely. My introduction to it came via Tara's blog, I think Tara even had an image from the film as her avatar. I have watched the film a few times, including this week when I bought a double disk version on DVD. I also picked up copies of Underworld Evolution and Underworld Rise of the Lycans. I am watching them in order. There is a new film in the series from this year, Underworld Awakening I think it's called. I haven't seen this yet, I guess I'll be waiting for it to come out on DVD release before I see it. The image below is of Kate Beckinsale who plays the role of Selene, I've seen Kate do an interview recently because she is also in the new version of Total Recall that is hitting cinemas. I'd like to see that. She is both very clever and very beautiful too, which doesn't hurt while watching the films.

Football Premiership Season 2012/13

Two games in to the new Premiership season and the team I support (West Bromwich Albion) have got off to a great start beating Liverpool by enough goals to humiliate them (3-0) and drawing with Tottenham Hotspur in the last minutes of the match on Saturday.
I'm looking forward to seeing how they fair this season. They have a new manager, Steve Clarke, because last season's manager Roy Hodgson is now the England national team coach. I wonder how they'll perform against the bigger teams in the Premiership league like Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea.

Driving Inspiration - Paralympic animation

The 2012 Paralympic Games start this coming week. This animation is a great endeavour to celebrate the diversity and spirit of cooperation.

Blog legacy

Do you ever wonder what happens to a person's blog after they die? There must be thousands of examples surely?
In a way, a blog could serve as a kind of tribute to one's life, showing part of their personality that would otherwise be hidden. My children don't know I keep a blog or are only marginally aware. My wife similarly. I can't decide whether this is something that they would ever want to read or not. Perhaps after my death they'll read it and possibly understand me a little bit more. Either that or it will all be wiped from disk in error by Google and there will be no legacy.

Imagine if there was no ...Google... (hums tune of Imagine by John Lennon)...it's very hard to do....

Movie memories - Blade

I watched the old Blade movie from 1998 this week. It's a bit of a daft film really but it does have some good sequences and some funny lines that are enjoyable to hear.

There is a good story behind the film, although the script is more unintentionally amusing than it demands. Not enough is made of the vampire true blood elders and the way the villains in general were portrayed don't convey much threat. The henchman Quinn plays a particularly amusing clown-like role.

If you haven't seen Blade before (where have you been?) it's worth it for the amusement.

007

We visited London on Monday, somehow the days we choose to go into London involves some issue with trains. We were delayed but things weren't so bad.

My main objective was to go and see an exhibition devoted to James Bond. style. It was great, there were clips from the films, the costumes, models and storyboards and other artwork. I thoroughly enjoyed it. My only quibble would be that I'd have liked it to be a little larger. The book for the exhibition looked good but was 30 pounds, just a little bit more than I could justify buying on top of the ticket price.
I have my memories I suppose and I think my kids will remember it in future. Here's a photo from just outside the door, no photography inside unfortunately.

Back pain

As I get older I have started to become more aware of my physical limitations, especially where lifting goes. There was a time when I would try my hardest to lift anything, even including things that I shouldn't have even tried. I still seem to have some of that mindset. My wife and I visited a garden centre and as we were weighing up compost prices we decided to get two of the heaviest and bulkiest bags. They were the most economical. However, getting them in and out of the car and into the back garden was the problem. I got them into the car fine, with my wife's help. The problem was that when we got home we needed to lift them up a step from the drive into the back garden. I must have twisted as I lifted, I did have my knees bent and tried to keep my back straight but something happened and I knew I had done my back.

So, I've done it again and now have limited mobility and pain for a while. I hope not for too long. I seem to do this to my back two or three times a year. I have continued with my back exercises since the last time I did it. They do help.

My body is just not as flexible as it once was and I now have a belly. When I first started dating the woman who was to become my wife, she always says she found it attractive that I had no fat on me, that I was lean. Although, I don't think I've ever been as flexible as I could be, trying to pull a few yoga moves or trying to do dance moves shows me up as someone who doesn't really have a skill with moving my body.

I would like to be able to lift heavy stuff when I need to, without the indignity of hurting my back and not being able to put socks on, bend down to pick something up or twist in my car seat to see behind when reversing properly as a result.

Holiday period

Last week I was in the fortunate position of being able to rest and spend some time with my family. I was on annual leave and not working. It was a very needed week of rest. I had been feeling quite run down and tired. I just needed some time to recharge my batteries.

I didn't have a plan. I took each day fairly easily and watched quite a bit of the Olympics on TV, my wife and I clubbed together to buy ourselves a new TV. So it was a good week to take off with the massive number of medals that Team GB won, I couldn't believe that we came third after USA and China. It just goes to show what having the tournament on your home turf can do for you.

This forthcoming weekend I have Friday and Monday off. I'm going to take my kids to see their gramps on Friday and on Monday may go into London to visit a James Bond style exhibition. So I have more of a plan for the days with this next holiday chance.

Vehicular Fame

Just being out and about sometimes I come across cars that are copies of famous vehicles, here are just a couple of the ones I've seen very recently.

When I was much younger I used to see a lot of these cars and they always made me go "Wow!", I haven't seen one for absolute years though.

They were called Bond Buggies and you can read more about them here. I thought they must have been related to James Bond, but sadly no.
While I'm on the car theme, somewhere I don't usually go, my first car was a Volkswagon Polo. The photo is just for illustrative benefit, mine was a maroon colour.

A stroll in the park

On the first day of my holiday I took the family to a country park we've not been to before. It's not far away and I had no real expectations. However, I thought it was quite a good morning out and my kids, who were grumbling, within the first half hour were both playing well and asking if we could stay.
A nice touch was some of the wooden things embedded into the park at unexpected places. You'll see what I mean when you look at the photos below.

Omen Trilogy

What do you think about these films? Do you have to watch them from under the duvet with the lights on? Or don't they scare you?

There are few movies that send a chill down my spine quite like these ones. If I watch these films I don't do it lightly, I make sure I'm with good company.

What films set you a little on edge?

Poppy fields

Having a relatively wet summer this year may have a correlation with me noticing a larger spread of red in the countryside. A number of fields I don't normally think twice about are awash with the red of poppies. It's quite lovely to see.

Go Team GB Go!

I feel obliged to give a massive shout-out to the Team GB Olympic competitors. The first week of the Olympics is over and they have done the whole nation proud.

Cycling, rowing, shooting, swimming, gymnastics, riding, tennis, athletics, sailing, judo - it's been so entertaining to watch. I've had tears in my eyes nearly every day. It has been a fantastic competition. There's a lot more to come as well! The audiences have been fantastic, exploding with encouragement and our players have responded brilliantly to it. I love it!

Bigtrak

When I was a young lad I thought Bigtrak was so totally cool. I never owned one myself though. I'm not sure now why that was, perhaps I was just at the point where I felt I was too old for kids stuff (that's a typical teenager trait isn't it?). Well I'm younger than that now and I saw Model Zone were selling them at a discount of 50% so I bought one for my son and me. I have to say what an awesome tank it is, with programmable instructions including the photon laser. It's every bit as good as I thought it was.

Multiplayer Mayhem

My son and I like to play videogames. We sometimes play together and enjoy the thrill of going head to head in splitscreen multiplayer. He recently visited a friend and got playing a James Bond videogame title "Nightfire" on PS2. Since moving on to the Xbox360 I gave my son my PS2 console and I've bought him a few game titles for it (Star Wars related and Lego ones mainly). But Nightfire is an older game and I knew it was selling relatively cheaply compared to new games so I picked it up and we have been playing it on multiplayer. It's pretty good and has lots of options. It's a good introduction for him to games we can play together when he is older.

I don't like him knowing too much about wargames and the like, I try to keep him away from that stuff but it's hard when all of his friends parents seem to think nothing of buying the latest Call of Duty games for their youngsters. Just because they are games doesn't mean they aren't making an impression. I do worry about this stuff.

Hey you deejay! Put a record on!

If you had to do a DJ set for twenty minutes what records would you play?
Okay, perhaps a little unfair without any context. So let me give you a scenario:
- it's a set that will run from 1am to 1:20am
- you are a DJ at a bar in a city
- the clientèle have been in the bar since 8pm
- ages range from 20 to 55
- they have been dancing/socialising for the last couple of hours

Hit me with a song or two of your choice and say why you think it's appropriate.

Fitness and weightloss

It sounds so simple. But eating healthier foods, giving up alcoholic drinks and taking exercise is a lifestyle change. As such it's very hard to change a lifestyle you enjoy to one you don't. I want to change my lifestyle but I don't have the willpower to make it happen.
Where do you find the inspiration to change your lifestyle?

London 2012

What a tantalising spectacle is in prospect. The 2012 Summer Olympics are finally here. It has been a long time coming. I remember I was eating lunch in a restaurant in Birmingham with work colleagues when I found out. I've moved on since those days.
The time for sport is about to begin. I must admit I'm going to be interested in the events and human stories behind the athletes competing. I was fascinated by a programme on tv last week about women's cyclist Victoria Pendleton.
The minority sports are always worth a watch.
The real shame about the games is that the ticketing has been completely mishandled. My family isn't going but we applied for tickets and were not successful. If all the relevant information had been available we might have decided on going to watch another event. But it wasn't very clear what we could or could not do.
The opening ceremony is on now and is looking good so far!

Thrash Metal

I occasionally listen to a genre of metal that is absurd in most ways but exciting in the best way. It has to be good thrash metal by bands like Anthrax, Metallica, Megadeth and Slayer. Pretty much all of the output of these bands is worth listening to. These bands are probably very old school but I still really like them.These albums are a good place to start if you ever want to experience this musical form.

iPhoneography

I had not come across this term until this last weekend. It's a term for describing photography with an iPhone, as you might guess. I bought a slim but excellent book of the same title and there are lots of intriguing suggestions for photo projects. I am contemplating starting another space online for my iPhone photographs. But I'm having trouble deciding where to go...

• Blogger
• Wordpress
• Tumblr
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Flickr
• Photobucket
• Zapd

and this is just scratching at the surface. I'm certain that there are a gazillion I haven't heard of. How in the world does one decide...?

Pain

My throat feels like shards of glass are sticking into it whenever I swallow. It's hard to function properly when I'm in pain like this. My voice is beginning to go too.
I seemed to spend the weekend being a taxi for my son and a house cleaner and gardener. My daughter was questioning why everytime I gave her a task, that and saying no a lot. So I ended up doing most of the cleaning tasks myself. Both kids came round in the end but I had to show them that every member of the family has to pull their weight.
We're allowing the kittens into most of our busiest rooms in the house now. They seem to have gotten used to that and have found sleep spots to go to when someone is home with them. They seem to like being in a room with a family member, rather than finding somewhere quiet on their own, which is nice. I like watching them play together. We let them come sleep on our beds if they want to. I am slightly worried that I might roll onto one of them and accidentally squish them!

How do Ubuntu?

Over the course of several months I've been experimenting with a new operating system. The copy of Windows XP on my laptop has not been ageing well, getting slower and slower to boot. I've recovered the drive a few times, each time beginning again with a fresh install of Windows XP. But XP doesn't delight in the same way that Windows 7 does. I've been moving more content to the web in what I do as well - Google and Windows Live and Dropbox - as well as my blog. So, to cut a long story short I completely removed Windows XP and have gone over to Linux and Ubuntu in particular. I love the font and the colourful and large and uncluttered desktop buttons. My netbook is now much similar to how using a Mac feels. I'm pleased so far. I can watch and listen to my media.
I've also set up wireless printing, which is something I never got around to with my netbook before. I have also fixed a problem, which bugged my WinXP O.S., that meant my netbook seemed to just freeze for about 4-7 minutes on booting, now it boots without pausing at all.
I've been installing some cool software on my netbook too. I think that's because a lot of software for Linux is free, which is a great bonus.

Library Sale Goodies

Well we took a stroll down to the library sale and bagged us a few goodies this Saturday. I watched The Italian Job last night, what a perfect picture it is. Entertaining, not difficult to understand, good clean fun, good car chases and a reasonably short length. They don't seem to make many films like this nowadays do they?
The photo below gives you an idea of the bounty. We did go back a bit later because they don't open all the boxes they get sent at the same time, they have several tables full of stuff on at once and replenish when they need to.On our second visit we also picked up season one of The West Wing, which is one of those series I've just missed (there are lots of those!). So I look forward to catching up with the rest of the world on that one. I'm also looking forward to watching The Dead Zone too.

Good luck Andy

Something pretty spectacular is happening later. An Englishman is playing in the Wimbledon final. I never expected it to happen. So, despite the odds against I hope there is lots of support and encouragement for Andy from the crowd and virtually from the internet too.

Wet wet wet

Well the Roald Dahl festival began in lovely weather. So much effort had gone into the models and handheld wavy things.

Then, just when most of the procession had passed us the rain started. It really came down in buckets and didn't stop. I felt so sorry for all the kids, parents and teachers. Including my family and friends who were part of it too.

Rain

There seems to be a surplus of water everywhere in the UK over the last few months. In the first quarter of the year, there were drought warnings and we were talking about the poor plants not getting enough. It's completely turned around now.

We have big events coming up, like Wimbledon finals and, obviously, the Summer Olympics. I hope the rain diminishes so that the best of British weather turns up on show.
I feel sorry for the organisers and volunteers at smaller events happening at weekends. Things like summer school fetes, festivals, open gardens, art walks, fun runs and such like. We're going to a Roald Dahl festival procession later this morning. The school children march with bands and show off the character models they have made and painted. These structures can be impressive and have to be carried by several people. The weather can really put a damper on it because the models are made of papier mache, so they just dissolve when it rains.
There is also a big event in the calendar for the library. They set stalls up outside and sell off some stock. I usually end up with a few good items from these. It's important to get there early.
Have a good weekend all!

Madder Rose - Car Song

I loved this band.

Retro chronograph

It's been a long time since I have had a new watch. I have an analog watch that I like to wear for work. But as far as digital watches go I haven't worn one for years. But a couple of weekends ago I was very glad to see that Casio still make a watch I wore for the first time probably when I was in my teens. The good old reliable F-91, what a functional classic! I'm glad I'm reunited with it.

Hit by Sugarcubes

When I began to buy compact disks instead of vinyl, this was probably my third or fourth new compact disk purchase. The whole album is good. Bjork has an interesting voice I think, never gets boring.

Jacket or shirt?

In the current climate of hot weather wearing thin summer clothes seems an obvious decision. BUT! The wind can suddenly pick up and be quite chilly, especially if you are in a shady place that doesn't really warm up. With air conditioning in public areas there isn't much temperature control we can exert and some places can be very chilled. It's worse when you know you will have to traverse very hot and very cold areas during the day. What would you decide: wear just a shirt and accept you might be cold or wear a jacket too, knowing you might get a bit hot and sweaty.
I know removing a jacket might be the obvious answer but you have then to carry it around with you and have to remember to pick it up again if you put it down anywhere. If you also carry a bag you have to decide whether to put it in the bag or perhaps its a smart jacket and putting it in a bag would crumple it. You know that carrying a jacket and a bag in the hot weather is just going to tie up your hands and make them sweaty.
Today, I'm wearing a shirt and trousers but even though the forecast is good I reckon I might be cold at some point. I have a long walk to and from the office though so that will probably negate the cold.

New family members

One of the promises we made the children was that after we moved we would get them cats. Well, it's been 11 months and we have finally sorted out the necessary and two new kittens are now installed.

They are both quite playful with each other, so much so that it's difficult to get a photo they move about so much. They like to climb the scratching post and jump onto the windowsill to get a view out to the garden but they're not allowed out yet. They're pretty adorable though, I didn't think I'd be quite as smitten as I am with them. I'd better get back to them actually, so more photos will no doubt follow, watch this space...

The predictability of chemicals

I've just eaten a lovely nectarine. It was very ripe and juicy and was one of the white flesh variety, I don't know which country they originate from. They are very very nice though, shame there is only 4 in the pack.
I was thinking that nearly all sweets have chemical flavourings to make them taste similar to the fruits we love. The advantage of chemical flavouring is that the flavour can be strong and predictable, which is as we all know, not exactly always the experience we get with real fruit. It is a shame that the taste isn't as important as the fibre and nutrients.
What's your favourite sweet that tastes like fruit?Probably worth a clarification here: by sweets I mean confectionary items.

.com or .co.uk ?

Hmmm, my domain seems to be furtivewangler.blogspot.co.uk now, I'm pretty sure it always used to be .com

I wonder why Blogger has made this change? Perhaps it's related to a lot of new domains coming out?

Father's day

Here in the UK today (Ed: and US as it turns out), it was Father's Day. I actually remembered the day for my father and sent him a card and gift. My kids came in to wake me this morning and deliver cards, gifts and chocolate. It was nice, I just wish I hadn't drunk a bottle of wine last night on my own. I was a little bit tired and probably still had alcohol going around my system. I went back to sleep for a bit after they had gone.
For lunch it was my treat to my family, so I took them to eat at the local Chinese buffet, my son loves the food there. I really enjoyed the duck pancakes with Hoisin sauce I started with today. You can easily eat too much when the food is help yourself, I managed to eat with some self control and left the place with some dignity. It was quite busy due to Father's Day, lots of folks eating with their fathers.
My wife worked out that I've been a dad for 4,382 days. That seems like a lot of days to me. It doesn't really feel that many. I don't think I'm a shining example of a dad, I do hope my kids remember me more for my good points than my bad ones. We learn from our own parents and I have some bad habits I picked up from my own parents, notably the ability to be fiercely annoyed one minute and fine with everything the next. My parents are loving and kind and were like that when I was young, I do remember some episodes when they got annoyed though. I suppose that can't be avoided. It's hard being a parent and difficult to analyse your own behaviour when you're trying to juggle lots of things at the same time.
Anyway, here's a shout out to all the good father's out there.

Magazines

I don't currently buy a regular magazine. But I have done in the past. It's probably a habit I got from my brother because he used to buy a lot. They covered computing, music, photography, cycling, cars and camping/outdoors. Magazines I've bought regularly (more than 5 issues) in my past have included:

Crash (ZX Spectrum games)
Kerrang (heavy metal)
Select (alternative music)
Classic CD (classical music)
Xbox 360: The Official Magazine (gaming)
Q (music)
Metal Hammer (heavy metal)
Classic Rock (heavy rock)
Maxim (mens general fashion/style)
Linux Format
PC Plus
PC Advisor
Computer Arts
PC Answers
Photo Plus
.Net
Computer Arts
Digital Photographer


If I added up the cost over the years it would be a bit of an eye opener. The main reason I used to buy magazines for was to read reviews. I did read feature articles but they were not driving the purchasing decision. The second reason was to hear music or install some new software.

The niche that magazines fulfilled for me has largely been taken over now by the web. It's really a surprise that magazines are still being published today with so much free content available on the web. Reviews can be published instantly without having to wait. Software is widely available for download. Podcasts and vodcasts can be recorded and distributed with a few clicks. Feedback can be given instantly too through comments and liking and rating. No longer do we have to wait to see readers letters published.

Yes, magazines are having a hard time at the moment. I still enjoy the covers and the paper and the glossy photos though. Perhaps devices like the iPad can keep magazines alive in the digital world.

Can you imagine walking into a newsagent and instead of physical paper magazines seeing a wall of monitors where you can browse digital editions by touching the screens? Well, that could be done at home on the Smart TV screen I guess. My, how life is changing for us with technology that's out there now.

This started out as a post to say how much I used to like buying magazines and a lament that I don't feel I have to buy any now. But it has turned out to be a comment on the digital age

Breakfast favourite

If you had to name one favourite breakfast ingredient from The Full English breakfast, what would it be?

Mine would be hash browns, I love them.

Solitude vs Social

There are times when I need to be alone. Times like this are usually when I haven't had much break from either work or family duties and I'm tired of looking out for others. If I don't have the right balance I can get irritable, it sort of takes over and I spiral into a descent of feeling undervalued. Nothing I do is appreciated. I know now (in a relaxed, neutral state) that this is not true but when I've not had chance to relax and rest I get a bit paranoid.
I like company and I actually prefer it but I also need time on my own. I think that people like me can be hard to understand when compared with people who are social and like the company of others at all times. I like to just do my own thing sometimes and this might seem like withdrawing to those who are social. It's not a comment on others, it's just part of me. It can be difficult with a family, there are responsibilities that mean withdrawing completely is not possible.
On the spectrum of solitude to social, where do you think you are? I would be closer to solitude but some way in from the pole.

Jubilee Weekend

This weekend Britain celebrates 60 years of the Queen's reign. I imagine it will be quite a public spectacle of concerts and street parties and schools events up and down the country. It really is amazing how something like this draws the whole country in. We also have an extra national holiday day on Tuesday (Monday is a traditional public holiday too), so I'm grateful for that.
The monarchy probably doesn't feature much in the everyday lives of the majority of people, who go about their busy routines of work and family life. However, the Royal Family does play an important part in the psyche of the nation - if a whole nation can have something like that. I wonder if it is because they are a family and we each see something of our own family's journey reflected in this? They are not famous for what they do necessarily (although they seem to do a lot of things), I mean they aren't entertainers or wealthy entrepreneurs and they don't have a unique talent (as far as I know). And yet despite this, they do have influence and we hold great affection for them and so do other countries, America, other English speaking countries and the Commonwealth countries to name but a few.
So, here's a toast to the last 60 years and another for the next!

Morning rush

How quickly can you get ready to leave the house? How difficult would you find it if you had to leave the house in 15 minutes from waking up?

I would be terrible. I have my rituals in a morning, one thing I always have to do is make a cup of coffee. Even if I don't have time to drink it, I always at least have a few sips. Next I always have to make my son's lunchbox up that he takes to school. After that I can start to get myself together. I need at least 45 minutes to do everything but I like to take longer. In the past I could get ready earlier but now I don't think I could rush it. I hate rushing in general.

Eurovision Song Contest 2012

I always look forward to this time of year. On Saturday night there is something to look forward to because the Eurovision Song Contest happens. The Eurovision is such a cheesy show but can sometimes deliver some good songs, not to mention some awful costumes. It is a long show, there are 26 live songs performed on the night and the voting almost takes as long as listening to the songs. The votes are split 50/50 between jurors and televotes. Countries in Europe vote and I always like the part of the show where they visit each country's celebrity to read out the scores from their voting. More information is available on the songs here, along with some videos if you choose to watch. I haven't seen or heard any of the songs yet, I prefer to hear and see them performed on the night - that's how I judge them. I'll be printing out my score card and scoring them. My selection always differs from the final scores not surprisingly. I do it just as bit of a laugh really, my daughter scores them too. She enjoys it as much as I do.
This year the host country is Azerbaijan because they won last year. I must confess that I know not where Azerbaijan is! But Baku must be a famous city, perhaps even their capital - gosh I'm so useless at geography I'm going to have to look this up after finishing this post I can tell!

Whatever you do this weekend, have fun and stay safe.

A sunny spell at last

I heard yesterday that our country might be about to enjoy a couple of weeks of decent weather. April and May were very wet and even on Saturday the weather was chill outside. So I look forward to wearing T shirts outside and generally enjoying being outside. The only shame is that we're not given time off work, so we are still expected to hide our bodies in stuffy buildings while outside other people are enjoying freedom of movement. I do wonder where is the sense in this modern world?

Bad Blogger, Naughty Blogger

I have so neglected this blog. There is really no excuse. I'll stop going on about it now. I'm not a ranty person and I tend to have to forgive myself a lot in life generally.

Here's a question for you. Have you ever had your heart broken? And a supplementary, do you think it made you a stronger person? One more question: would you say it would benefit everyone to have their heart broken at least one time?

I was reading a blog post somewhere else that said it was good because it made them a person who was able to empathise and be resilient and not so certain about everything.

I have some sympathy with the view but it depends on the degree. I've experienced heartache and heartbreak in different ways and neither experience was enjoyable but yes I think you have to have been loved and in love to appreciate the cliff you fall off when things turn bad.

Here's another question for you: do you think a clean break is better or do you keep in touch with old lovers? It may say more about me but I've never managed to stay in touch with any old loves. It's always been a clean break. Partly that's been down to geographical distance but also because the nature of the split. With one person we mutually decided it had to be all or nothing and the time just wasn't right for us, so it ended with nothing. It still stings a bit in a way but I know it was the right thing.

If you have any thoughts on these questions, I'd be interested to hear them.

Somebody that I used to know

Improv

How are your improv skills? Can you think on your feet?


This is one of those blog memes. I thought I'd give some of these things a try as I've been absent from blogging for a while. 


One of the games I enjoyed as a child was Charades. I like games where I have to think on my feet. Pictionary is good for that too. I enjoyed creating characters as a child, I would often record myself with an old cassette recorder putting on funny voices etc. If I can be creative or imaginative when thinking on my feet I'm strong at it, however I'm not so good at thinking on my feet on practical matters. I'd be no good in a crisis for example. So for me, it's a bit of a mixed picture: I'm good at times at improv and other times I'm just not.
I did enjoy the comedy series Whose Line Is It Anyway? and when it first came out I thought it was hilarious, but I think comedy improv wears a bit thin after a while. On the stage, I know that some apparent improvisations are actually scripted but they always seem to amuse the audience anyway. 

Easter Come and Gone

I'm sorry I've been very lax over here on this blog this year. I've concentrated on other areas of my life I guess. I had a couple of extra days tacked on to the Easter weekend last week, which were nice, but now Easter has come and gone and my kids are due to return to the normal school week tomorrow. That's another milestone of 2012 out the way, the years go by so quickly.

I've been living with a sensitive tooth for months, since November. I have a dental appointment in a couple of weeks when I hope I can get it fixed up. I think it's a result of not filling it properly last time. I had two fillings re-filled in November and one was fine but the other hurt and the pain has just got worse. I'm okay normally but if I get any cold in my mouth I really feel it and I hate tooth pain.

My work life has been really busy and at home it seems like there is never enough time to sort things out, like we need a new fridge but are getting by with the one we have even though it's not refrigerating as often as it should - we're coping by swapping out the blue plastic ice blocks from a chiller bag every 12 hours. We've been doing this for months. Also there is a light switch needing to be fixed in one room, so we just taped over it and don't use it for now. Then there is a plumbing issue to sort out in another room. Instead of sorting these things out we are busy cleaning, cooking and shopping to keep everything on the straight and level.

My eyes are feeling very itchy this afternoon. I hope it's got nothing to do with the weedkiller I was spraying on the lawn earlier.

I watch X Men First Class last night on DVD, I enjoyed it. Thought it was worth seeing again in the future, I haven't bought it yet though but if I see it cheap I would buy it. I borrowed X Men Origins Wolverine from my dad a few weeks ago and haven't seen it yet. I'm looking forward to watching that now.