getting closer to christmas.......

Just before I start I would like to apologise for the BBC link below....when I actually get around to redesigning the layout of this blog, it will be sorted!
Anyhow, it seems the closer we get to Christmas, the crazier people seem to get. Whether its obvious 'bah-humbuggery' or just, and what I find more upsetting, the deeper, more insidious form of depression and underlying frustration that sets in. The cause of this seems to be either, and the more obvious, financial pressures, to people finding that they are failing in conforming to the 'Christmas Card' family type, a construct that no matter how hard people may try and attain this fictional normality, they have no hope in hell of achieving it, whether it be because they have a split family, or just plainly don't get on with their partner. Or maybe one of the family has to work. Whatever it is, it gets to people. And thats what gets to me. I don't really care if I'm by myself or surrounding by little fucking pixies all Christmas day, watching the Queen and throwing up mince pies, but when people feel inadequate to some impossible to attain bollocks it upsets me. And society. Anyhow, rant over. Here are some cheery Chrsitmas stats. Enjoy.

Dissecting comedy is like dissecting a frog.....it's not funny and the frog dies - Barry Cryer....(although had to post this as it does give some great insights)

Blair Peach review reopened

Been a while since my last post and quite a bit has happened. I think one of the most important pieces of news is this http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/dec/14/blair-peach-case-review. I think its worth a read.

Friday I was in Bury, Saturday Birmingham, Sunday Staffordshire, Sunday night art exhibition in the East and just needing to find time to recoup.

So busy and really need to sit down and give this blog what it deserves, but it'll happen. In time. Things always do.

facebook friends and my privacy panic

Woke up this morning and found that my privacy was being held up at gunpoint by facebook once again. Really annoyed as it was one of those moments where I'd pressed the 'continue' button instead of the 'skip this step' one in a bleary eyed way and finding myself in the position where all my friends could be seen by everyone. Looked around for a while to find a way of getting rid of them from my profile and just to help the rest of you out there who may not know, once you sign in to your profile, click on the pencil above your friends list and uncheck the box that says 'show friends on profile'....this works at the moment, don't know how long for, but I, like many people, do prefer to keep this list private.
Apparently this has been done to keep up with Twitter in its ability to make connections more transparent, but facebook should be clear that people enjoy at least a little privacy even if it is all a facade. It is true that these people do hold a lot of information about us and do control it and can use it anyway they wish, which is what we signed up to. It isn't your facebook profile, its facebooks profile about you, but my main concern is a couple of psycho ex-girlfriends and some not too pleasant villains who'd probably enjoy this extra access to my personal life. Anyhow, check you settings people and give away what you feel comfortable with.

Luck

Thought it might be good to consolidate a lot of what I have read recently concerning luck and whether we make our own or are just all 'lucked upon'. For some reason, during my research for other pieces and works I have come across a lot of study on luck etc.. One, written by John and Anne Spencer, breaks luck down into 6 distinct categories. What I mean to say is, there are six distinct things that can help in make someone lucky.

1- Knowing the rules
2 - Natural skills
3 - Knowing who to trust and who to be wary of
4 - Having a grasp of reality
5 - Adaptability
6 - Being a 'yes' sayer.

From these headings you can guess what the different parts involved and as a summary of how to create your own luck I think these are pretty good things to go by if I am not already living my life by these points already (maybe more by luck than judgement though.....see what I did there).

I'd say I've always been relatively lucky and I would count myself as one of the luckiest people I know. Not in terms of winning things...that sometimes does happen, but generally things aren't too bad. I do have a habit, though, of comparing myself to the global population as opposed to just my immediate environment....most of us are luckier than some poor starving child in some remote village. So am I confusing luck with being an optimist/realist...or just grateful? You guys can decide, whoever is out there...not too many, if any, but it helps me anyway.

Oh, more news....saw 2012....it was shit.

twitter and other problems

Well, slightly redesigned blog and thought that it would be a good idea to add a twitter widget (so all of you can keep up with the rest of the mundanity in my life!) and what do I find but that the widget is broken and all it displays is someone elses tweets. The username of the character is 'undefined', so I guess you can see what has happened there!
I contacted the guy, who was obviously very much aware of the issue having hassle from just about anyone who has a twitter feed on their blog. Apologetic, but not overly so (not his fault I guess). This gives rise to me receiving a tweet from another user having the same problem. Anyhow, all quite dull I guess.

Still pressed with time, some hassle with the kids this week throwing up all sorts of interestung stuff I will talk about when I can sit down for an hour and write properly.
Other stuff has happened this week in the news. Amanda Knox was found guilty in the Kercher Italian sex case.
and a few other stuff that could define this week 'newsically', Russian nightclub fire.
Four police officers gunned down in apparent 'hit'.
Oh yeah, and I saw a documentary called 'The Dark Side of Elephants'. Trust me. Don't mess with an elephant

Marrakech part one

Just returned from 12 days in Marrakech (well 10 to be precise, 2 spent in Essaoura, but more about that later). i have to say what a wonderful place it is, completely intoxicating and I am desperate to go back for more. The reason that this is part one is because I am absolutely shattered and part two will be posted in the next couple of days to relate my experiences in this amazing part of the world.

No Smoking

So yes, finally given up smoking. Well, trying, anyhow. My wife has also given up at the same time and I can honestly say that it is the worst move to ever make with someone you love. I've broken once, just now, had half a cig and stubbed it out. Rank. Maybe this time it will work. Who knows. Back on the inhalator. Guess that's better than a respirator in later years. That's if smoking is actually bad for you. I mean, who knows? (apart from all the dead people/cancerous/pulmonary blockaged up bods and the like)Meant to be good for the sex life, but to be honest if your so pre-occupied with lighting a cigarette whilst your doing it you're not going to get very far.

Anyhow, other news. Cats have new collars and hardcore catnip. Morocco very soon, just organising what we are buying to bring back. Talking with local business bods about what the village needs and what we can provide and do. And of course, no fags! Got to say the Nicorette Inhalator works amazingly. Went from 20-30 a day to, well, half in 3 days. So thats good.

At the moment organizing a dinner party for thursday, so have to sort that one out. Don't know what to have, there'll be loads of people and I honestly can say that every single one of those w**nkers smokes. So that'll be fun fun fun....as long as the wife breaks properly first that'll be ok.

So what really happened?

Loads of things seem to have happened in the world, but really its just been a very important event which may, as important events seem to do, change the way the world is viewed. This event was the Fort Hood shootings at Americas largest military base by, it seems, a Muslim member of the army. A Major, no less and a member of the medical profession, psychiatry. The real problems seem to be with the story and the subsequent anti-islamic and other conspiracy theories coming from it. Here are a few to read. All I have to say is it doesn't make any sense to me (the official story). I'm gonna piece together a theory over the next couple of days. I'll let you know.....
www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/11/441366.html
www.kob.com/article/stories/s1235603.shtml#disqus_thread
(the thread above is interesting)
http://bit.ly/1hiGLM

Just woken up...

All set to write a great piece on whatever came out today, but unfortunately stayed in bed! Fortunately CBS, The Guardian, altnews, BBC and all the other fantastic news sites out there are dealing with it all in there usual fashion....now, I need to keep writing otherwise way behind schedule!

cats and other problems

Slight concern about the cats escaping from the back garden this morning. Don't know why, they are cats after all, and adventure is their game, I guess, but they are still little ones to me. Anyhow, the least of my worries. Other family issues coming and going as always, either building stress levels or just showing how good I am at dealing with crises I never really know which, to be honest. I'm even getting worried about Derren Browns builders after reading his tweets!
Anyhow, time to continue writing my new novel for Nanowrimo.