So life begins at 40 does it?

New Years Eve Or The Death Of This Year?

2011-12-31T19:45:00.000Z

New Years Eve 2011 and i'm sat here pizza in oven and unable to talk following a rough dose of flu that as a parting gift rendered my speechless, literally!

I've wanted so much for this year to draw to a close, it's symbolic I think that the 1st of January really is a clean slate with yet another batch of skeletons, bad experiences and decisions locked safely away in the cupboard.

I got to thinking just what I've learned from this year, what is it I can take forward to make things better. In all honesty I really don't know. It hasn't been a good year for so many different reasons, personal and financial. I would have hoped however that I would be able to see quite clearly the reasons why the wheels had fallen off so many things but quite simply I can't.

Don't get me wrong, I can analyse past events and see what part my actions and reactions played in how events have unfolded but the most important motive for our decisions is emotion and sadly I feel unable to understand my own emotions. Things make us feel good and other things make us feel bad. It's that simple in essence but when we are immersed in situations that involves the feelings of others then very often things become unclear. We are able to base decisions on how we feel at any given moment. That would be rash however and as adults we try not to be rash, after all that's expected of us isn't it?

The conclusion I have come to is this. Regardless of age, experience and wisdom we are all children when it comes to affairs of the heart. Sure I can learn from financial or investment errors. I can ensure that those mistakes aren't repeated and put them in a box knowing that they were my fault, my responsibility. Personal situations however I really can't analyse in the same way, why is that? I think its because there are forces at play that simply cannot be quantified. Lust, love, trust, guilt, pleasure, emotions that we've all felt but rarely understood or even been able to control.

So in summary, I can offer you this. Don't berate yourself for your errors, for things you've made a right mess off. All we can do I suppose is to review for time to time what it is that's important to us, oh and talk about things! That is one important thing that I have learnt this year. I had been used to being unable to talk with past partners, simply and bluntly put I have had violent and unreasonable female partners in the past who would rather throw something at me or damage something valuable of mine rather than discuss any problems that I tried to raise. As a result if things are wrong in a relationship I tend to go quiet. Its been a self preservation tool. What I have learned this year is that not all females are this way and are receptive (well not receptive per se but certainly not violent) to any problems that I want to discuss.

Well my pizza is ready and so there's nothing more to say other than I wish you well for the coming year.

Steve

The Right Path

2011-08-01T08:06:00.001+01:00

It looked like the right path
Just like the others before it
Something felt right
Something different

Honesty, integrity, deception
We've all been deceitful in the past
To what extent? isn't a deception just that?
Does it need to be grave to count? are all our perceptions different?

Expectations, are they a variable?
Do they change with intensity?
Are not all people entitled to expect?
We should only hope that we may

An untruth, a slight of mind
Witholding detail, false statements
Tiny fragments of deception
Not monumental but collectively perhaps worse

And so the path turned out to be wrong again
Back at the crossroads once more
Cynical, beaten and late enough in the day that the light is failing
Fairytales my friend, lay down your bags and rest, give it up

The Final Curtain

2011-07-14T14:46:00.000+01:00

A work in progress - A short story - Steve Grady

The clock ticked relentlessly, tick tock...tick tock... Each turn of the cog signified that the deadline of his hope was a moment closer.

It went on for days, tick tock... tick tock... he resisted any contact knowing it may be misconstrued, he didn't want that, he didn't want any more misunderstanding, he was using the endless days to reflect, he knew she would be doing the same, he hoped she would be doing the same, would she? Yes of course, his own conviction was no comfort.

The day finally arrived, it was a sunny day, not at all how he had expected it to be, a sign that the rest of the world neither knew nor cared about the days significance. He lit another cigarette and inhaled deeply. He was confident there would be one other who was aware of the tick tock of the clock.

As the deadline drew close the clock seemed to slow as if it was buying time, even the clock was hoping. Would she call? maybe not, she'd write though surely, it had been too sudden, nothing that valuable ends with just one message, it can't can it? There isn't a switch for this sort of thing, It's not just a matter of switch off and move forward is it? There will be things to say, even if not constructive. There will be a summary, a final word, a second thought? There was still an hour, that was plenty of time. She was organised, he knew that, she would have set aside time to say what was needed.

The final seconds, tick tock... even the clock couldn't look him in the face now, it felt the gravity of the situation and even attempted it seemed to dull the sound of its tick so not to sound indifferent.

The deadline passed, the plane had flown and with it had all hope.

He looked into the box one last time. It was all there, the happiness, the sadness, the frustration, the jealousy, the fuck ups, the sex, the kiss, the hope, the destruction. All laid bare staring back at him. He looked back at it for a few moments, experiencing the past year in a few seconds. Music to magic to end.

He took hold of the box with both hands and with an intake of breath he closed the lid and turned the key. Exhaling, he looked to his right out of the window, the sun was still high in the sky. He looked back at the box and placed his hands on it, He closed his eyes, he knew when they reopened that the box would no longer be there. It would never be opened again.

Relationship Chemistry - The break up

2011-07-12T22:18:00.002+01:00

Following on the same theme as my last post I got to thinking about what exactly is it that causes the pain following a relationship breakdown. Assuming that there was no foul play, for instance infidelity by either party which would be an obvious cause then what is it that we miss?

We've all experienced love, not for that of our families and friends but for a sexual partner. Some of us have experienced what we could believe was true love, a feeling of nirvana that is beyond that of love and that couldn't be described with just words. When a relationship of this kind breaks down which often due to its intense nature it will then what is it that causes the pain? What is it that we miss?

I have given this a lot of thought since my last update and no doubt you could add to this list but I come up with the following:

We miss the company of the partner
We hurt knowing that the partner no longer feels the way they used to
We miss the intensity
We miss the intimacy
We miss their smell

Ultimately however I came to the conclusion that what we miss most of all is how the other person made "us" feel. All the above had a profound effect on all our senses,

SIGHT - We miss seeing our partner, each inch of them became a masterpiece in its own right
SOUND - Our ex partners laugh, voice, music that was shared
SMELL - A certain perfume, natural body odour, pheromones
TASTE - The kiss, oral sex,
TACTILE - The touch given and received

All these things made "us" feel special, the way your partner responded to your touch, your kiss, your jokes. All these senses stimulated at once are responsible for this feeling of nirvana that we miss. When two people appeal equally to each others senses in this way and respond accordingly the feeling is almost chemical. At 43 I feel qualified to say that this balance or equilibrium in a relationship is really rare. To find it once in a lifetime is akin to a lottery win. To hold onto it and enjoy it daily is all we can hope for. To lose it is tragic.

One love, one life.........

You may want to read the previous related post to this one HERE

321 you're back in the room

2011-07-10T08:16:00.005+01:00

Its getting on for 18 months since I updated this blog, and if you were to press me for a reason for this barren period I would struggle to give one.

So what has changed? I'm 43 now, even more cynical and after another failed relationship I'm back where I started once again albeit with a heavier heart than last time.

So I'm guessing I'm not alone in this, a brief scan through my blogroll indicates that this emotional storm visits many of us on a regular basis. Why the fuck do we continue to build our defences so weak after the storm passes. We live on relationship fault lines as humans, we know that our happiness will one day without much warning disappear into a crevice in the ground and yet we continue to live in the faux security that a relationship seems to offer.

Great sex turns to fond affection and if you're lucky that remains, what usually occurs however is familiarity, then complacency and finally the final stale crumbs of the relationship smell of contempt. This is if the relationship lasts that long! Why is this? Why can two people not get it on long term? Is it our expectations? Two people need to constantly know that they have their partners approval, attention, affection. When these start to slip, which they inevitably will it seems, then negative feelings prevail, jealousy, rejection, confusion. The more you seem to be matched to that person the greater the risk of failure simply because of the high demands we place on each other. We each have different experiences to draw on from previous relationships, that in turn means we each expect something different from a new relationship, we each have different insecurities, expectations and ideas on how a partner should act or conduct themselves. We have different ideas about what represents commitment. If our partner behaves differently to what we expect then we hurt, we question their actions and it destroys what we have.

So why then do we bother? Why risk giving it all to somebody knowing that there will be hurt down the line? I can't answer that, Maybe it's the endorphin rush that once experienced we will chase forever. Do we want life companions or do we just want to chase and be chased? I don't know. I suppose the answer is in the Hank Moody quote "Better to experience a morning of awkwardness than a night alone" or is it?

One night stands seem sleazy these days, it's not where I want to be. That said I don't want to spend my days alone, so what is the answer? Do we just need friends? Friends of the opposite sex maybe?

As religion plays a lesser part these days in the Western world, so too does marriage and all it stands for. Are we still trying to hum the tune that was forced upon us in childhood, Marriage, mortgage, kids? Is this a natural state I wonder, can man and woman live together happily for a lifetime? Should we just be friends, fuck buddies, holiday companions, should we lower our expectations maybe then we could all get along? We don't have these unrealistic expectations of our same sex friends so why are we each so demanding of our lovers?

The game goes on, day after day, even as I write this its safe to assume that thousands of people the world over are sitting or lying somewhere nursing that break up pain, Reliving the moments of intimacy, the look into each others eyes during lovemaking, the small moments of happiness and well being that were felt over the duration of the relationship and yet when the tears dry and the hurt subsides they will catch a glance from a stranger and get back on the merry go round once more.

It's fucked up, I can't say more than that, I can't even begin to analyse it and offer a summary other than it's fucked up.

You may want to read this related post here

Hoodie gangs - Someone is to blame

2010-02-19T16:00:00.004Z

I called in at my local Waterfields shop this lunchtime and in front of me were two hooded teenagers. Clothed in the usual drab colours their "street soldja" image includes dark hooded top or coat or both, scruffy black tracksuit bottoms and dark coloured trainers or boots usually untied.

I was close enough to hear one of the creatures try to communicate "ow much are those like?" to which the lady serving replied, " They are £1.20 or 2 for £2.00" the creature then responded without making eye contact, "bangin' gis two den" . His street soldja comrades meanwhile were loitering outside communicating with each other at around 90db about the ample chest of a girl who had just passed by. After the creature had "bort his dinna" he joined the other pondlife and proceeded to generally be noisy, anti social and menacing to the "normal" people who were shopping.

On the drive home I got to wondering how we can rid society from this gang culture that is now affecting every city, town and village in the UK. Look at the picture above, look familiar? Youths in drab clothing making stupid handgun gestures and generally being offensive and threatening to normal citizens.

I started first of all to think of the influences that these kids have. TV, music, movies and so on. I then discounted that as we all have influences. How many of you have watched the "Saw" movies? How many of you then have gone on to torture people beyond belief? exactly? So how about lack of opportunity? Ok I guess that is a problem. So why not bring back national service?

I'm serious, If a kid leaves school he should have 6 months to either secure further education, or employment. Failure to do either would result in National service. They would then be trained, shown some discipline and taught some respect for themselves and others! In return they would receive a training allowance. After 2 years they would have the choice to continue in the armed forces on full pay.

Ok so that would deal with those of school leavers age but what about those who are still at school? Well this is where it gets simple. Who buys their clothes? who on Gods earth would allow their son to dress like the creatures in the above picture? Come on own up! I certainly wouldn't, My kids have worn some odd stuff over the years, In fact my son on nights out regularly wears Versace velvet jackets with multi coloured bowler hats! He lives in London and works in the city, He buys the clothes, he chooses to dress that way at weekend! When I was buying for him though there would simply be no way he would dress like a hoodie.

I like hooded tops per se. As "sloggy" wear they are great, I own a few of them. I'll wear them on a Saturday maybe with combats and trainers. I own different colours, They are versatile. It's only when combined with all the other accessories such as black tracksuit bottoms with elasticated ankles, and black trainers etc, oh you know the script look at the photos above!

So, If you are one of those parents who allows their child to dress in such a way then do yourself, your child and the rest of society a favour, bin his clothes right now, even if he has to wear a dressing gown until the next pay day just get rid of them. In addition, if you see your son doing that stupid handgun gesture thing or talking like that Dizzy rascal bloke then
1) Slap the little shit across the face,
2) Ground him for a month,
3) Remind him that he is not 50 Cent or Snoop Dog
4) Congratulate yourself for putting your foot down and accepting some parental responsibility.

Seriously and all joking apart, If your kid looks remotely like the ones in the top picture then aren't you ashamed? If not then maybe you need to take a long hard look at yourself! This look just screams ASBO! which brings me onto another point. The parent of a child who receives an ASBO ( anti social behaviour order) should themselves be cautioned and warned that if it happens again then they shall have charges brought against them too. If an Employer can be held responsible for the actions of employees then I'm damn sure that parents should be held responsible for the actions of their child.

If you know someone who's child looks like this then PLEASE email this post to them. They need to be shamed.

Rant over! :)
PS If your child does look like this and this post has in anyway offended you, then GOOD! get a grip!

Brit awards - knobheads and fat f*cks

2010-02-17T20:43:00.007Z

CAUTION.... THIS POST CONTAINS LANGUAGE OF AN ADULT NATURE

Last night the Brit awards were televised. As usual it was an entertaining evening for all concerned and this year the controversy came from the ego of Liam Gallagher.

For those of you who have been cryogenically frozen for 20 years, Liam and his brother Noel were part of the incredibly successful Manchester band Oasis. Last night Oasis and in particular one of their albums "what's the story morning glory" were nominated for an award Best Brits album of the last 30 years. Liam made a surprise appearance to collect the award.

Walking on stage with that daft swagger similar to that of Harry Enfield and Kathy burke aka Kevin and Perry you could just tell he was on a mission. The broadcasters chose to mute part of what was said but it is understood that between expletives Liam thanked his former band members but omitted to mention his Brother Noel. He then tossed his microphone into the crowd and left the stage. It is unclear if he also threw his award.

Oasis split up last year after Noel left saying "I could not work with Liam for a day longer".

The awards were being hosted by funny man Peter Kay who slightly lost for words at this bizzare action tried to lighten the mood by saying "what a knobhead" which seem to get one of the biggest laughs of the evening. Cick here to watch

But Liam's bad behaviour didn't end there.

During ITV2's post Brits coverage, Liam left his wife Nicole red faced after he asked her to come and take Class A drugs with him. The outburst was captured live on ITV2 as he was interviewed by her and her former All Saints bandmate Melanie Blatt. Click here to watch

It has also emerged that the star was involved in a backstage bust-up moments after walking off stage, when he shoved a young woman employed by Brit organisers to pose as a human statue outside guests' dressing rooms. After she stumbled back, the drunken star then launched himself at her a second time leaving her splayed on the floor in agony. The unprovoked attack was witnessed by dozens of onlookers who looked on in horror before rushing to help the stricken girl. Gallagher had to be restrained by two members of his own security team who wrestled him out of the backstage area and returned him to his seat in the auditorium.

Liam has always brought trouble to the Brit Awards. In 2000, Robbie Williams challenged him to a fight after enduring months of insults from him.

In 1996, Liam accepted an award on stage from Michael Hutchence. But he humiliated the INXS singer by demanding: 'Why is a has-been presenting to the gonnabes?'

Today, Liam has hit back at Peter Kay by posting the following on Twitter
"Listen up fat f**k as a real northerner I was brought up 2 say s**t 2 people's faces not behind their back. Live forever LG"

I'm a Northerner, I'm aged somewhere between Liam and his brother Noel, As a Northerner I've actually discovered fire therefore I've given up acting like a caveman. I've learned to grow up and stop walking as if I've soiled myself, I've learned that bullying is simply not acceptable nor is dressing like John Lennon in the vain hope that you are a reincarnation of him. I would hazard a guess that calling someone a Knob head on prime time TV is on a par if not better than calling them to their face.

An attempt to look cool by swearing a lot and throwing microphones on TV may have worked in the 1990s but your almost 40 Liam, The kids don't think your hip now, in fact they've all grown up and have got mortgages and kids themselves. Your an ageing rocker man, act like it. Learn a little decorum. If John Lydon can be a gentleman then you can be too!

Anyway, on a lighter note, Lady GaGa wore a stunning outfit! And welcome back Robbie!

Photo courtesy of The Daily Mail

Aprés valentines day thought

2010-02-15T18:20:00.005Z

Whilst reading a post on a fellow bloggers site the other day I noticed this quote in her left column.
I asked permission for me to use it as it really struck a chord. So it is with Amy's (http://shewritesherenow.blogspot.com/) kind permission that I have shared this quote with you today.

To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket- safe, dark, motionless, airless--it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.
C.S. Lewis

Google it

2010-02-13T22:03:00.001Z

I was preparing and valeting a car today, A late model Mini Cooper, for some reason the rear tailgate which has an electronic release wasn't working. Having checked the fuses which were ok I set about looking for a manual release mechanism but with no luck. I thought to myself, "I'll go indoors, make a coffee and Google it" Needless to say, I found a solution simply by typing the words "mini cooper tailgate not working" into the Google search bar

It wasn't too long ago (late 1990s) when I remember using a search engine called "toxic lemon" Then there was Ask Jeeves, Yahoo, Hotbot Asta Vista, Lycos and more.

In 1996 two students had created Google, According to Wikipedia "The name "Google" originated from a misspelling of googol which refers to the number represented by a 1 followed by one-hundred zeros (although Enid Blyton used the word decades earlier in "Google Bun"- Chapter IX, The Magic Faraway Tree)

By 1998 the Google homepage still had "beta" on it but was considered by many to be better than the competition.

From 1999 the company moved to Silicon Valley and then the growth was simply astounding.
Having found its way increasingly into everyday language, the verb, "Google," was added to the Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary and the Oxford English Dictionary in 2006, meaning, "to use the Google search engine to obtain information on the Internet."

And that is what it is, It is a verb, one that is used everyday in this house. Not a day goes by when someone doesn't say, "Google it". The impact on everyday life has been immense. With just a few short keystrokes we can research history, find a plumber, discover who the actress was in a movie we watched last week. It really is astounding. When was the last time you used the Yellow pages? When was the last time you looked in an encyclopedia? The internet and in particular Google has and is still changing the face of the world.

My new iPhone 3GS has a google app on it that is simply brilliant. You simply lift the phone to your ear, (the phone senses the movement), you hear a beep, you then speak whatever it is you want to "Google", look at the screen and the results are there! Brilliant!

Google has marketed itself brilliantly. It entered the market quite late but is one of the very few companies who has managed to get their brand recognised as a verb. Can you think of any other companies other than Google and Hoover who have achieved this?

Michael Jackson Autopsy, Dr charged with involuntary manslaughter

2010-02-10T06:23:00.005Z

I was going to report on the Autopsy of Michael Jackson today however love him or hate him, after reading through the 50+ page publicly available Coroners report I felt that the last shred of dignity that the man had has now been taken from him. I understand that his Doctor has now been charged with involuntary manslaughter.
I realise that such an in depth autopsy was necessary as foul play was suspected however the level of detail disclosed in the report is, I feel, intrusive. 'll leave it to the tabloids to reveal the secrets that the autopsy uncovered about Jacko. I couldn't bring myself to publish it, he was after all a human being not just a media spectacle.

Personally, I wasn't a huge fan, I admired his work but also was puzzled by the way in which he managed to implicate himself in some bizarre and worrying situations.

Instead of publishing the coroners report which I feel is distasteful I have found a link to full online auction catalogues of items from Neverland that were planned to be auctioned BEFORE his death. Some of the items are fantastic whilst others are vulgar. What is incredible however, truly incredible, is the amount of money this guy spent! Go and take a look:

http://www.juliensauctions.com/auctions/2009/michael-jackson/catalog-list.html

What I'm currently reading (and proof that I'm in touch with my feminine side)

2010-02-08T01:04:00.002Z

Ok, so the cover looks a little "Girly" I agree and I'll concede that I wouldn't have bought this off a shelf in a book shop for that very reason.

I'm glad to say however that I stumbled upon Maria's blog by chance and it was there that I discovered that Penguin had published her book. After following the link on her blog I read an excerpt (that word always looks and sounds wrong I think) and instantly purchased a copy on the strength of it.

It arrived Saturday and I read 16 chapters in one sitting, I also FAILED to attend a shooting competition on Sunday because I overslept after sitting up until way past the witching hour reading. I urge you to go check it out! The book (so far) is all things, humourous, sad, moving, emotionally charged and most of all incredibly well written. If you are female or male you will find it a great read. Incidentally guys, for reading in public you will find that a dust cover from a Jeremy Clarkson hardback will cover the "girly" outer up just fine and will also provide a perfect alibi for any outbursts of laughter that you may not be able to control.

PIG AIDS aka swine flu

2010-02-05T21:42:00.001Z

So, as quickly as it came it would seem that there is no longer a swine flu pandemic in the UK.

The 24 hour helpline is now closed and the hysteria is over. Apparently around 400 people in the UK died from Swine flu. This figure is unconfirmed but is wildly lower than the estimated 65,000 deaths
Just because the UK has declared the pandemic over the international community will need the nod from the World Health Organisation in Geneva. An announcement is expected in the next few weeks.

I'll round up this brief post by asking you to consider this:

2007 - Chinese year of the Chicken - Bird Flu Pandemic devastated most parts of Asia .

2008 - Chinese year of the Horse - Equine Influenza decimated Australian racing.

2009 - Chinese year of the Pig - Swine Flu Pandemic caused hysteria around the globe.

2010 - Year of the Cock...........?

The Stephen Fry method of weight loss

2010-02-04T00:31:00.002Z

I've had to resign myself to the fact that I'm lazy. Inherently so, in fact, I'm considered an expert at delegation. I think it stems from years of having staff around both in work and in the home. Although I only had a domestic at home I would often enlist a factory member or fitter if I needed some handy work doing. This was largely due to the fact that I worked long hours and so didn't have the time to do DIY. I also had a couple of rather keen PAs who would see to the day to day stuff like taxing my car, phoning my dentist, ordering lunch etc. Sadly, PA duties often spilled over into my personal life and things got messy once or twice! I digress!

Now that I've sold the business I have to do more myself and I'm cool with this as I now have the time. I still have a domestic though :)

There is one thing however that I simply cannot delegate and that is exercise. I've tried joining a gym but it was full of mouth breathing Neanderthals who appeared to train beyond their limits and spent more time making primitive noises than they did training. Then there was a more upmarket gym that must have been run by Match.com and was full of ageing tanned females in Mercedes convertibles and greying businessmen reading the Independent in the bar! In the end I bought a rowing machine, strider and step machine and instantly converted one half of my conservatory into my own home gym. That was last Summer.........

Last week I sold my gym equipment on ebay! In acknowledgement of my failure I stated in the listing that it had only been used 6 times and in true Ricky Gervais style I included the word "LAZY"

You see, I get bored easliy, I dislike training, it is such a bore. In summer I am very active but in Winter I lack the motivation to do anything and that includes sitting on noisy apparatus in my conservatory in order to stay in trim. As a result I have put a fair few pounds on since last summer. I read recently about Stephen Fry and his well reported weight loss. I rather like Stephen, He is an absolute gent, genuinely funny and incredibly well educated. He has suffered with Bi Polar over the years and despite other personal problems he still remains a thoroughly likeable person.
Stephen lost 6 stone recently and other than some sensible changes to his diet like cutting out bread, potatoes and sugar his main change was that he started to walk everywhere. He listened to talking books on his iPod to pass the time whilst walking, he would walk to meetings, appointments and back again. To look at the pictures of him it is astounding!

Now although I dislike training, I actually love walking! In addition, my little soldier (Cairn Terrier named Enzo after the late Enzo Ferrari) also happens to love walking and so this week we have started our fitness campaign! I am comitted to walking at least 5 miles each day, regardless of the weather, regardless of other commitments. I have just bought some more army surplus clothing, It is ideal for the crap weather that we have at the moment. There are so many good walking areas around where I live. Plenty of open spaces to let Enzo off his lead too. Yesterday I went over to a disused US airbase in Burtonwood Cheshire. The Range Rover has a dog guard in the rear so I put some doggy towels down as the weather was dire and drove over there. We must have been out for hours. Enzo had a great time running in and out of the bushes and I was quite happy mooching up and down the old runway service roads, a bit of Urban exploration if you like! The day before we had a walk around an area that was once a coal mine but is now a nature reserve. This is literally minutes from my home. The weather was much brighter but bitterly cold still.

So I'm hoping to get back to my normal weight soon and in the process bond a bit more with Enzo (who incidentally is charged with perimeter security at home, he takes his job seriously and has just been promoted to Corporal :) )

So Stephen, If you happen to follow the link from Twitter and read this post I should like to thank you for your inspiration!

Steve (and Corporal Enzo)

Japanese Scientists Create Elastic Water | Disinformation - StumbleUpon

2010-02-03T00:39:00.000Z

Japanese Scientists Create Elastic Water | Disinformation - StumbleUpon

Shameless plug

2010-02-01T22:37:00.004Z

Hey all, why not visit my other blog, it's in it's infancy just yet but it will be growing daily.

http://motor-traders.blogspot.com/

It is aimed at people who are looking to make money buying and selling cars. I'll be giving away tips and tricks and will also be giving details of a book on the subject that I hope to publish in the coming months.

Legislator or Dictator?

2010-01-28T21:23:00.001Z

Whenever a topic is raised that involves censorship or the legalisation of something that is currently illegal opinions and reasons always clash. I will point out that I will not air my views in this post. I am merely observing an argument.

Lets look today at two topics. Prostitution and Cannabis. I think the key to considering both arguments are not to let individuals decide what is morally right or wrong but instead to consider the merits of legalisation for society. We need to look at the problems currently faced by society and look at if these would be solved, reduced or increased if they were legalised. Sex between consenting adults should be legal surely? Regardless of if payment or reward is part of the act. Morally I see the objection. What of people who can't for one reason or another go on a date? Should they be denied the joys of the flesh? A basic human instinct?

Sexual relations are handled differently in countries around the world. Most countries encourage varied forms of monogamy, others polygyny. Even in the case of monogamy, there are numerous countries that impose no restrictions on prostitution, unlike a majority of the communities within the United States and the UK.

In order to discover if legalization is proper, one has to first familiarize oneself with the U.S. prohibition of alcohol in the 1920s and the legalization of abortion in the 1970s. The implementation of prohibition was a result of an abolitionist philosophy and caused great harm to the country through lost taxes, increased crime rates and higher suicide rates. Similarly, when the U.S. abandoned its abolitionist stand on abortion, the country benefited from fewer deaths from botched back alley abortions. This proved prohibitionist thinking to be baseless and actually detrimental to communities.

There are many benefits to legalized prostitution. The benefits include (1) allowing law enforcement agencies to respond to more important crimes, (2) freeing justice systems from nuisance cases, (3) helping women who are trapped by prostitution, and (4) preventing teens from being ensnared into prostitution.

When data from countries that ban prostitution is compared with data from countries that do not, many startling discoveries can be observed. Countries without anti-prostitution laws have less murders, less rapes, and prosecute/imprison less people. HIV/AIDS is less of a problem; suicide rates are lower as are divorce rates, too.

Critics of the legalization of prostitution offer no alternative to a troublesome problem. These people would rather adopt the status quo model, which virtually abandons lower strata, low socio-economic prostitutes. Instead of managing the problem, these critics view the continued downward spiral of this subgroup as acceptable.

The critics of legalized prostitution rest comfortably within relatively new moral codes. The religions that now reject prostitution once used to manage it. However, even though religionists publicly denounce prostitution, too many hypocritically entertain like services and commit adultery. The Catholic Church has covered up institutional paedophilia at the expense of demeaning religious values and the lives of those who aspire to follow them*.

Enlightened people within civilized societies pride themselves on the contributions made to others who are less fortunate. Low strata prostitutes clearly rest within the domain of the less fortunate, but the countries who cling to anti-prostitution laws choose to abandon these people and thereby negatively affect the crime, health, and general safety of those nations. One must reconsider whether or not those countries are truly civilized.

The same argument can then be applied to Cannabis. Is there any reason not to legalise it? The people who use Cannabis will use it regardless of it's legal status. Currently the Cannabis trade around the world turns over billions of dollars in revenue. This could be taxed, regulated and would in one swoop reduce gun crime, gang fights, and access to cannabis by minors. There is absolutely no reason why a substance such as cannabis which has no worse effect than alcohol or tobacco on a persons health remains illegal.

Is it time to rethink why such things are illegal?

*references - Liberator, M. (2004) Legalized Prostitution: Regulating the Oldest Profession.

Back scratching!

2010-01-26T01:05:00.000Z

Really scraping the barrel for post ideas today you may think!
Well ok maybe but I thought earlier in the shower about being single and scrubbing your back. What do you guys use? What is the favoured method? I have a sort of loofah strap which is ace and is so abrasive it you could sand the paint of an armoured car with it. I love it, I almost draw blood with it :)

I personally don't think that there is enough inventions out there for back scrubbing,

How about a large loofah mat that you could attach to the wall in the shower and rub against like a bear would? or how about a large round headed brush that could be battery operated and have a revolving head? Or how about rent a scrubber? you could pay someone to come round once a week to give your back a good scrub with a pumice perhaps? Maybe a good franchise idea here?

We had joy we had fun...........

2010-01-21T17:35:00.000Z

Today has been one of those perfect days. The sun was shining and there was a premature feel of Springtime in the air.
My thoughts turned to Summertime and days spent doing whatever it is we do in Summer be it having BBQs, walking the dog, going out on the Motorbike or just lazing around the garden. Then I thought, that is it! That is the holy grail. The meaning of life! Surely? We enjoy the colours of Autumn (read Fall if stateside) endure Winter, enjoy the coming of Spring but we live for the Summer. So enjoying Summer is the meaning of life then? Time spent alone or with family, In our homeland or overseas, all time spent is more enjoyable when basking in the rays of our sun.

With this in mind could we live with perpetual sunshine? Do we need Winter just so we appreciate the Summer? Just as we need bitterness to appreciate sweetness? Would living in perpetual sunshine result in a happy and more content sense of being?

I may have mentioned that I have been wishing to move overseas. I haven't decided on a destination as yet. Southern France and Spain appeal although the language barrier could be an obstacle. That said there are more expats in Spain than anywhere else in the world. The USA appeals massively too although immigration is to stringent even for Brits.

Why do I want to move, one reason really, I hate, no actually I'll rephrase that I HATE WINTER in the UK. I can't ride my bike, I can't wash or polish my bike/cars. I can't sit in the garden reading, I can't cook outdoors, I can't watch the sunset with a glass (or bottle) of wine. I'm so happy in Summer, I wear nothing but shorts and vest tops. I love the colour that my skin turns. I love the late nights, the songs of birds, the smell of BBQs and the taste of cold beers. I can enjoy the planet on which we live when there is sunshine.

What is your favourite season and why?

Pillows, soft hard, fat, slim. What do you prefer?

2010-01-18T22:12:00.000Z

I recently stayed over at some friends house in the spare room. I had an horrendous nights sleep due to the pillows being hard and thin. If I didn't know any better I'd say that they were like paving stones in a cotton slip (obviously they weren't) I have duck down pillows at home, 3 including the dress pillow. They are plump but oh so soft and deep. I love them, I truly do. There is nothing finer than to put your head on those pillows at night and leave the mad world behind for a few hours. I have a really thick and fluffy duvet to match too.

I'm getting more and more intolerant of crap pillows. I find very few hotels have decent pillows either which makes for a most disturbing nights sleep. In addition they also have sheets and blankets instead of a quilt. How on earth can you sleep under sheets? Especially if they are all tucked in, Arrrrrgh!

I can't believe how fussy I have become given that a few years ago I would sleep in the car whilst following the British Rally Championship around the forest stages of England. I would have a sleeping bag and a rubbish pillow. I t must be my age, I've hit 40 now and I'm a big comfort lover.

What pillows /quilt/sheet combo do you prefer?

Down Encompass Dual Chamber Standard Pillows (Set of 2)

Power to the people

2010-01-15T20:56:00.005Z

I'm a bit of an oddity when it comes to politics, I'm a big believer I suppose in the Laissez-faire or free market economic ideals. I don't like unions, I don't like censorship, I don't like the level that government intervene.

That said, I'm not easily placed in a left or right wing camp either. I have things that I believe work and things that don't.

What has impressed me recently however is the sheer power of social networks, This was apparent during the run up to Christmas when Rage against the machine took the Christmas number one slot of the UK music chart all thanks to one couples silly idea of starting a Facebook campaign for a bit of a laugh! Jon and Tracy Morter from Essex started a group on face book entitled "Fed up with Simon Cowell's latest karaoke act being Christmas No. 1?" and with the viral power of Facebook the membership of the group grew within days.

The couple had suggested a song from the rock band "Rage against the machine" as an alternative. Incredibly, they succeeded and Simon Cowell's X factor winner had to settle for second place.

Jon Morter came up with the crazy idea after hearing that bookmakers no longer take bets on what will be the Christmas number 1. The X factor winner traditionally bags the top spot and Jon thought that was just wrong. So, it would seem did hundreds of thousands of people across the UK!

So, have we turned a corner now? Surely activist groups must have pricked their ears up at this small coup? The next couple of years will be really interesting.

In the past, the meek and inoffensive people of Britain have demonstrated in our traditional "oops sorry, excuse me, thank you" sort of way against things like fuel tax increases. Truck drivers drive slowly in convoy for a few hours to express their displeasure, or drive to Downing St to present a petition. I've often admired how the French deal with it.....

They park their trucks in the road, let their sheep wonder about, block all the ports and generally just bring the country to a standstill until they are heard. That is pure people power and I can't help but like it.

It is one thing to elect a government democratically but what do you do when that government start to act against the will of the majority? Maybe, following the success of Jon and Tracy Morter's Facebook campaign we will start to see very strong, organised protests and even protest votes organised through Facebook. Interesting times ahead!

In the words of Robert Lyndsay aka Citizen Smith "Power to the people"

What Facebook campaign would you like to see?

Make a killing writing iPhone Apps

2010-01-14T01:16:00.002Z

Apple have really played a blinder over the past few years. The iPhone is one of the best products to hit the mobile market in a long time.

The winning combination of sleek looks, quality construction and the simple yet brilliant design of using fingertips to navigate around the device has appealed to millions worldwide. Another reason for the success of iPhone is the huge number of applications available from the itunes App store. For those of you who don't know, an application is a little piece of software that can do anything from make noises like a Jedi light Sabre to connect you to Twitter, tell you the weather in your area or turn your iPhone into a spirit level.

Apple have created an opportunity whereby ANYONE can become a software developer literally overnight. For just $99 per year ANYONE can become a development member. All you need then is a Mac computer, some time, and a little knowledge.

The app store has thousands of apps, some are free (they gain revenue by also displaying advertisements) some are just 99p (or cents) whilst others such as TomTom software are around £50 ($80) Apple take a percentage of app sale revenue but the developer gets the lions share.

Even the most stupid apps make money. There was one available called iSteam which gave the effect of steam on the screen when you breathed into the microphone. In truth you'd probably only use it once or twice to demonstrate the genius of your new phone to your mates before deleting it. the developer grossed a cool $100,000 from this app.

Another App called iFart which, you guessed it, played fart noises was earning the developer $10,000 PER DAY!
You can see then the potential that becoming a developer offers. In addition to creating your own apps, developers who know there way around can command exceptional fees for creating apps on behalf of corporations who want to get in on the iPhone party.

I've done a little bit of digging as it does seem something that with a little effort could bring exceptional rewards

iPhone apps are written in the programming language "Objective-C" and Cocoa touch. These languages although not easy can be learned within a matter of weeks if you are dedicated enough to learn. There are some great resources out there (and some crap ones) a good place to start would be to read this book, "Teach yourself iPhone Application Development in 24 hours" this book assumes you have no previous knowledge of programming but does rely on you being able to use (and own) a mac. Another good book is from the renowned "dummies" series iPhone Application Development For Dummies

Both these books will have you writing iPhone apps by the time you have finished them. You then simply need to take what you have learned and come up with an app that people will want.

If you do hit the big time, remember me when you are ordering your first Bentley! :)

What sort of app would you like to see on the iPhone?

Trust in a bottle!

2010-01-13T01:37:00.001Z

Ivan Pavlov was a Russian Psychologist who discovered or pioneered a theory of "conditioned reflex" In addition to other methods Pavlov recorded that a dog would salivate before being given food. He then conducted tests which involved using a stimulus such as ringing a bell just before he fed the dog. After repeating this procedure the dog then associated the sound of the bell with food. Pavlov then observed that the dog would salivate when the bell rang even if no food was present. This was a "conditioned reflex"

NLP (Neuro Lingusitic Programming) is a modern program of psychotherapy not generally accepted by the Psychology profession but embraced by Hypnotherapists, stage magicians and business training companies. I have studied NLP in depth over the years and adopted some of its methods with reasonable success whilst developing sales training programs for my staff.

An important part of NLP is anchoring. This essentially follows the Pavlov theory in so far as an Anchor is a a memory or feeling triggered by the senses. For Instance, When I first visited Egypt I used Hawaiian Tropic tanning oil, whenever I smell the stuff now it takes me right back to that holiday in Egypt, the feeling, the ambience. It has become an Anchor for me. Whenever I hear "Bat out of hell" by Meatloaf it takes me back to being a kid at the Ice Rink, at the end of the night the speed skaters were allowed on, the lights were dimmed and Meatloaf was played, another Anchor.

A huge industry has now sprung up around these Anchors, Marketing gurus understand the concept well and use them to the full potential when selling to us.

It is amazing just how powerful our senses are in influencing how we feel and what we do. Supermarkets buy aromas to simulate the smell of freshly baked bread. They pump it into the air around the bread aisles to stimulate sales of fresh bread products.

I've spotted a couple of products lately when browsing through affiliate sites. One is Pheromone Spray and the other is Trust Spray. Both are targeted at men who are wanting to attract females although I did spot one that claimed to be specifically for Gays. How or if these sprays work I have no idea but they do rely on Anchoring facts to sell them.

The Pheromone spray seems straight forward, It would appear that we are each programmed to be attracted the the natural niff of our sexual opposites much as animals are. If pheromones can be reproduced in a laboratory then it is perhaps safe to assume that they would attract the opposite sex, or a pack of randy dogs, or they may just make you smell as if you haven't showered all week! who knows?

I do not know what aroma is involved in these so called "Trust" sprays that would appeal generically. For instance, You may well have trusted your Uncle Bill as a child and he may well of had the smell of tobacco on him. This would subconsciously make you trust people who had a tobacco smell on them. But this doesn't mean the same smell would work for your friend. Their Uncle may have been very mean and cold and also had a smell of tobacco so for them the anchor would be reversed. The smell of tobacco on a person would make them avoid that person.

I'm using tobacco as an example, Kind Uncle Bill may have carried the smell of petrol or treacle toffee or Chanel, you get my point. that Anchor would be personal to you so how can a generic trust smell be produced?

NLP is a really interesting subject if you are involved with dealing with the public or selling or negotiating. Check it out.

What Anchors do you recognise in your life? A certain smell, a certain song,

Monday controversial subject - GOD - fact or fiction?

2010-01-11T11:49:00.003Z

I deliberated for a while before writing this post, In fact as I write it is only Monday and so I was going to schedule this post to go live as the Friday "controversial" post. I am aware that there are subjects or subscribers of different religions who read this blog and I do not wish to offend, alienate or otherwise any particular religion or reader.

I do hope however for some interesting and thought provoking replies.

DISCLAIMER: THIS POST IS NOT INTENDED TO OFFEND ANY RELIGION, PERSON OR BELIEF - IT IS BEEN WRITTEN PURELY TO PROVOKE THOUGHT

Ok, so God, What is God? According to Wikipedia, "God is a deity in theistic and deistic religions and other belief systems, representing either the sole deity inmonotheism, or a principal deity in polytheism.^[1]"

^{At this point it starts to get confusing so rather than discuss topics such as Monothesim and polytheism we'll just stick to the basics and discuss how God or the belief /disbelief in God or a God affects us personally and the world we live in.}

^{I will at this juncture disclose that although I do not like labels, I suppose my belief/disbelief would put me somewhere between the atheist and agnostic camp therefore I have no bias towards any religion.}

So to explain my standing a little, at age ten I lost my Mother to cancer, Ovarian Cancer that had spread to her lungs before she even knew that she was ill. She was just 34. So, at the age of ten I simultaneously lost my belief in Father Christmas and God. There was no other reason for Mum to die other than she had Cancer, that was it. It wasn't her time, she hadn't committed a crime. The simple fact was, she had cancer and it had taken her life.

And that event formed my belief. I couldn't accept that a creator of such outstanding talent could build in a flaw into mankind such a cancer without correcting his mistake. If Ford make a car with a steering defect then they issue a recall notice and all the defects are repaired. Why wasn't this the case with God? I could only work on facts from that point onwards. And the facts as I saw them age 10 were :

1) Father Christmas couldn't possibly have visited every kid in the world in one evening. Where was his factory / warehousing situated? Father Christmas it seemed was an imaginary character used to keep kids "in check".

2) God simply cannot exist (If Father Christmas couldn't be everywhere in one night then nor could God) Where is heaven? We have been to the moon, surely we should have found it? God was an imaginary "concept" used to keep society "in check"

3) Cancer kills

So since the age of 10 I have lived without any influence from the church or religion of any kind. I'm aware that there are Christians and Mormons and followers of other religions who read this blog and who have blogs that I follow. I wont pretend to understand the differences between religion. Nor will I attempt to understand what religion offers people. I guess it offers strength and focus certainly in times of trouble. I suppose that I understand that although I had to find the strength within, I suppose there is little difference.

I know in general that most religions believe in an afterlife. It is this one point that prevents me from saying I am an atheist. I certainly believe in spirits. I was having this conversation with a friend the other evening. When a person dies and you see the body then that is all you are a looking at, a body that the person used whilst on this earth. But where has the life gone? The spirit that gave this person a unique personality, a sense of humour, a set of beliefs, an education. So I believe an energy, a spirit, call it what you will, does exist and that is what gives us life. A body will decompose after death but what becomes of this life force? Does it go to earth as electricity would? Does it go to heaven? if so where is this heaven?

As a race we have developed so much over the past 2000 years that we are able to prove and disprove pretty much any theory. 2010 years ago Somebody died named Jesus. I actually do believe this bit. Well I believe he actually lived. I'm not sure how we would know either way if he was born in a manger to a married Virgin. (I may have gotten this bit wrong so please correct me) I do believe however that there is a strong possibility that Jesus was not dissimilar to David Blane for instance in so far as theatricals were concerned. I believe he had good intentions however and that his legend was created by fanatical followers.

Anyone who follows Motorsport will have heard of the late Fangio. You will hear stories of his driving abilities that portray him as a racing god. Yes he was good, yes he won some races but he got infinitely better once he had died. And the more years that pass the more legendary he has become. If truth be known he wasn't that good at all, not by modern standards. Schumacher has surpassed all Fangios achievements against much stiffer competition. But legend, and myth has created a racing god by whom all others who follow are judged.

King Arthur is another classic example. A Mythical tale of King Arthur and the knights of the round table were made even more potent by stories of a sword named Excalibur. A 12th Century fanciful book tells how King Arthur led the defence of Britain in the 6th Century against invading Saxons. It is widely believed that although King Arthur didn't actually exist per se, the character was based an an actual Romano-British leader.

I would dearly love proof that King Arthur existed all those years ago. Truly I would. The recent movie "King Arthur" starring Kiera Knightly and Clive Owen is a fantastic story of bravado and gallant actions. The chances are however that he didn't exist. At least not as King.

Regardless of if he did or he didn't it wouldn't change my life today. I'd still have bills to pay, I'd still worry over my Fathers health.

So back to religion. As far as I am aware the main cause for war and terrorist acts around the world today is differences in religious beliefs. This is where it gets really difficult for me to understand. In the UK there are many churches/places of worship. These are still relatively popular although numbers have waned over the years. The people who frequent these establishments strike me as being caring, sensible and upright citizens. Why then are there followers of religion around the world who are willing to pilot an aircraft filled with other humans into a building? Why are there faithful subjects who are willing to strap explosives to themselves in the name of religion?

If someone could provide me with something concrete then it would change my perspective. I've looked at different religions at various times in my life with curiosity. The one that appeals to me most is Buddhism as it seems to rely more on inner beliefs and strengths rather than external beliefs. It is more a philosophy than a religion.

So what place does religion have in a modern society? Which religion is right? They obviously all can't be right. What does the church mean to you? Is it a security blanket? A social centre? Why can't subjects of each religion just coexist in peace? Do you have blind or absolute faith or do you have no doubts at all to the existence of your God?

Roots

2010-01-10T03:39:00.001Z

Ok, I must confess, before we go any further,I am mind numbingly drunk as I write this so 1) forgive any typos and 2) forgive anything I say.

It hit me tonight whilst I was out and growing older by the hour. The minute we put down roots then that's it, game over. We are then tied to an area for life like it or not. Ive had several thoughts this evening, none of which I'm willing to share on this blog in public but that reinforce the fact that I am tied and bound to my life.

Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't turn the clock back on lots of things but to those of you reading this blog who are young enough or luck enough to have not yet put your roots down then please take my advice and proceed with caution.

DO NOT settle down until you are 100% sure that it is the right thing to do.:

OK, rant over, i'm pissed, need to sleep, it's terribly important! :)

Friday controversial thread - The right to die

2010-01-08T19:14:00.006Z

Below is a story published on 31st Dec 2009 by http://compassionandchoices.org It seems that the courts of the world are recognising peoples right to choose to die.

What is your view?

HELENA, MT – Montana physicians, terminally-ill patients and Compassion & Choices, the nation’s largest and oldest nonprofit organization working to improve care and expand choice at the end of life, today hailed the Montana Supreme Court’s ruling that terminally ill Montanans have the right to choose aid in dying under state law. There is no further appeal from this decision, as the Montana Supreme Court is the highest court available to decide State issues.

Compassion & Choices Legal Director Kathryn Tucker, co-counsel to the plaintiffs/respondents, said, “This case was about the right of mentally competent, terminally ill patients to request a prescription for medication from their doctors which they can ingest to bring about a peaceful death. The Montana Supreme Court has determined that this is a choice the public policy of Montana supports. Montanans trapped in an unbearable dying process deserve, and will now have, this end-of-life choice. This is the first state high court to find protection of this choice, and makes clear that in Montana, patients are able to make this choice and physicians can provide this care without risking sanction.”

Roberta King, of Missoula, the daughter of plaintiff Bob Baxter, said, “My father died without the peace and dignity he so dearly wanted for himself and others. He feared when he filed this lawsuit that he would not live long enough to benefit from it. I’m sure he would be deeply gratified that other terminally ill Montanans will have the choice and comfort that aid in dying affords them.”

Dr. Stephen Speckart, a Missoula cancer specialist and a plaintiff in the lawsuit, said, “This decision affirms that a terminal patient’s fundamental right to self-determination will guide end-of-life health decisions. I regularly treat patients dying from cancer, and many of these deaths are slow and painful. Terminal patients will no longer be forced to choose between unrelenting pain and an alert mental state as they approach the end of their lives from terminal diseases. The comfort this brings to their last days can have an immeasurable benefit.”

Missoula attorney Mark Connell, who argued the case to the Supreme Court on behalf of the plaintiff physicians and patients, described the decision as “a victory for individual rights over government control.” Connell added: “The Montana Supreme Court has now recognized that, where intensely personal and private choices regarding end-of-life care are involved, Montana law entrusts those decisions to the individuals whose lives are at stake, not the government. I know Bob Baxter would be very pleased that the court has now reaffirmed that these choices should be left to the terminally ill people in our state.”

Steve Johnson, 71, of Helena, is terminally ill with brain cancer, hailed the decision and asked the Montana medical profession to provide patients like himself with aid in dying. “I approach the end of my life with a clear mind, and I would like to work with my doctor to minimize the pain and maximize the peacefulness in my dying. I would like my physician to be able to respect and honor my choice to die with dignity. Adults like myself should have the option, if terminally ill, to request physician aid in dying.
It’s only compassionate to minimize unnecessary suffering at the end of life, and to let me make the choice about how much suffering to endure, based on my own values and beliefs,” said Johnson.

Montana State Sen. Christine Kaufmann, Rep. Dick Barrett and twenty-nine other state legislators; the American Medical Women’s Association, the American Medical Students Association, and a coalition of Montana clinicians; the American College of Legal Medicine; the American Civil Liberties Union of Montana; the Montana Human Rights Network; the Northwest Women’s Law Center; terminal patients’ surviving family members; Montana religious leaders; and Montana’s leading constitutional law experts had urged the Court to find in favor of the terminal patient’s right to receive aid in dying from their physicians.

Compassion & Choices encourages terminally ill patients to call 800 247-7421 if they would like information about aid in dying, or suggestions on how to open a dialogue with their physician and loved ones.
Final Gifts: Understanding the Special Awareness, Needs, and Communications of the Dying

Fiat 131 replica abarth For Sale (1980) on Car And Classic UK

2010-01-07T15:47:00.004Z

Fiat 131 replica abarth For Sale (1980) on Car And Classic UK

What a fantastic car. I had one of these in Orange when I was a teenager. Ooh I'm tempted! What a great track day toy!

Fiat 131 Abarth #1 1979 Rally Costa Brava Winner A.Zanini/J.Petisco 1/18 Kyosho

Facebook, good or bad?

2010-01-05T11:17:00.002Z

When Facebook first became viral it was a real novelty, We could connect with friends who had moved away, we could announce social events and share photos with family and friends alike. When its creator developed the code he probably had no idea how successful the concept would become.

Fast forward to 2010 and Facebook is now almost 6 years old. I registered back in the early days but soon realised that a huge part of my day was spent reading pointless status updates, poking and superpoking friends, commenting on photos and playing poker. I witnessed my employees at the time spending time with facebook on their computer screens, we then had our IT people restrict access to the site on work computers only to then have employees using their mobile telephones to access Facebook instead!

So other than being an unacceptable invasion of privacy and a nuisance for employers what other effects is Facebook having on society?

When my ex wife had an affair that was responsible for the end of our marriage, I became aware of her infidelity by spotting unusual activity on her itemised mobile phone statement. This was the late 1990s and was a time when SMS text messaging was in a growth period. Everyone suddenly had a mobile telephone and so instant communication had become a part of everyday life and as a result affairs sky rocketed as people discovered as I did the extent of their partners activities.

Facebook is now the catalyst behind 20% of divorces. Lawyers have said that 1 in 5 divorce petitions contain Facebook references. That is a shocking figure that is only set to rise. More and more companies are now embracing the business opportunity that such an invasive venue provides. Facebook is able to target very specific demographics as it has access to location, age, income etc. It is almost impossible to escape being lured in to Facebook now, itunes have been running a "12 days of Christmas" promotion on the iphone that enables a free download of an app, movie, song etc for each day over christmas. In order to download the app you are encouraged to connect to Facebook, this I guess would then alert all your "friends" to what you have just downloaded and therefore trigger viral downloading by others.

The Viral aspect of Facebook is awesome. it really is an advertisers dream. Recently as you may know a Facebook user managed to use the viral power of Facebook to influence the Christmas number one song, no doubt to the amazement of Simon Cowell. Will society harness the people power that this exercise has demonstrated?

So what does the future hold for Facebook? Will it become a venue for just kids? Will people continue to publish their entire life in hour by hour segments for all to see? Who knows? It's all about clicks, getting clicks through to advertisers, that is how the whole thing works. In addition, we are by nature voyeuristic, that is why the program Big Brother is so successful. I can't help to worry about how dangerous it is to have people in your neighbourhood knowing your every move and thought. How many times have you surfed Facebook jumping from friends list to photo albums and back again simply being nosey about people who you know well or not so well? Rest assured, people are also poking their nose into your life too!

The services of a condemned man

2010-01-05T09:27:00.002Z

Some years ago the UK government agreed to the Kyoto protocol. Several major countries such as the USA and Australia refuse to be bound by it's terms and yet our limp wristed goody two shoes leaders decided that our small nation should be involved despite it providing even more red tape and tax burdens for our ever decreasing business community.

The Kyoto protocol is concerned with reducing so called "greenhouse gas emissions" the commitment from the UK government has seen all manner of ridiculous changes such as the legal requirement to have "energy saving" coated glass in all replacement windows and new houses. This caused so much grief in the once buoyant "window industry" ( I used to own a window factory) as machinery needed to be changed, pricing structures, handling procedures etc. In addition, the government set up a body called FENSA which is an acronym for something stupid in order to "police" the window industry to ensure that they were meeting the new standards. This involved another army of limp wristed inspectors driving around the country checking on window installations. The green house gases involved in manufacturing this coated glass, manufacturing new equipment to handle and process the glass, the administration and day to day running of FENSA is incomprehensible.

The government then turned its attention to motorists. The latest scheme which went hand in hand with the global credit crisis was a "scrappage allowance". I think the USA run a similar scheme called Cash for clunkers? The aim I think was two fold. Boost the ailing motor industry and get dirty old polluting evil cars of the streets. What a stupid scheme. My father runs a 10 year old VW golf which is in immaculate condition and is regularly serviced. It's emissions are lower than some new cars available today and yet his car qualifies under the scheme to be scrapped! Furthermore, we are seeing classic cars go to the crusher in the UK under this ridiculous scheme.

The Government then introduced new "road tax" rates depending on how green your car is. Some cars today are actually qualifying for free road tax as their emissions are less than a cigarette lighter. At the other end of the scale however drivers are heavily penalised for driving anything bigger than microwave oven. I like big cars, I always have and as you may know if you read my blog I have recently bought a Range Rover Vogue. This attracts an annual road tax fee of £440 because the government believe that Range Rovers are the creation of the devil.

This morning I was delighted to see that over 4" of snow had fallen overnight. First I received a phone call from my eldest daughter, could I run her to work as she couldn't move her car? no problem. My driveway goes uphill as do some of my neighbours drives. I jumped into the Range Rover at 7.30 am, fired up the engine, switched on the heated screen, heated, seats, heated steering wheel and waited for a few minutes, all the while pumping toxic nastiness into the atmosphere. I reversed up the driveway with ease and went to collect my daughter.

Mission completed I returned home to see several neighbours desperately trying to clear a path on their driveway to get their environmentally friendly but hideously inefficient cars off the drive. Needless to say NONE succeeded.

If you look at this photo, It was taken from my bedroom looking up my driveway. You can see the incline, you can also see just one set of tyre tracks, they belong to my devil car, the condemned vehicle, the anti-christ of motoring. You may be able to make out the marks in the snow on the right where neighbours have tried to get their cars to move without success.

Needless to say, I have offered my services to a number of neighbours this morning, and have successfully driven two of them to their place of work, The Range Rover has played its part in keeping the UK working today. It doesn't need the services of the salt spreading trucks or snow ploughs and all the associated greenhouse gas that they emit. It doesn't rely on recovery patrols to rescue it. How many people wont make it into work today? How many of those people will now be sat at home with the heating turned to override? How bad is that for the environment?

So the poor Range Rover may be a condemned man in this age of fanatical environment care and it is taxed heavily as a result, but just how well thought out is this Kyoto nonsense? The world is known to have a changing climate, we have had ice ages before. Apparently, the whole of mankind only contributes 5% to global warming, the rest is naturally occurring!

The Phantom of the Opera

2010-01-03T19:52:00.003Z

I haven't posted for a few days. I have been lucky enough to travel down to London to watch Phantom of the Opera that has been playing at Her Majesty's Theatre in the West End since 1986. For those of you who haven't seen the 2004 movie adaptation I urge you to get a copy and watch it. For those of you who are lucky enough to live within travelling distance ( I drove a 500 mile round trip) of either London's West End or Broadway then I urge you even more to go and see the theatre production.

Originally a novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux in 1909 the story was given the "Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber" treatment in 1986 and to this day remains a must see production.

Having watched the DVD many times I was eager to see the stage show. I've got to say it was simply stunning. Her Majesty's theatre is relatively small with just an 1100 seat capacity but it has so much character. From the start the production was breathtaking. The set changes are seamless and the effects are technically brilliant. The story stirs more emotion on stage than the DVD can manage despite me having a superb home cinema. An unforgettable performance that will stay with me forever.

The wrong choices

2009-12-29T18:52:00.001Z

It hit me today, like a brick wall. We make some terrible choices in life. Choices that sometimes come back to haunt us. Choices such as life partners who we bump into years later. People who we turned down in favour of others.

We are far from perfect, we have to make choices. Sometimes these prove to be wrong. I've just spent the afternoon with an old mate who I have known for many years. He ended up dating a girl who worked for me for years, a girl who I paid little attention to in the past and who has turned out to be a great partner to him. I am happy for them of course but also a little jealous as he has found happiness.

"My kingdom for a horse" is I think a speech made famous by King Richard III. I should like to make an amendment to this speech. "My kingdom for true love". ;(

She LOVES it!

2009-12-26T09:35:00.000Z

What a busy day I've got tomorrow!

2009-12-23T23:21:00.003Z

Christmas eve tomorrow. Whilst I'm receiving texts from friends asking If I'm making an appearance at the local pub in the afternoon I really don't think I'll manage it this year.

I'm up at 8 and I have to go to the post office to collect parcels that couldn't be delivered today whilst I was out at court (see other posts). Then I have to shoot over to Nantwich in Cheshire (bearing in mind the snow is hammering down at the moment.)

Then I have to go into town to pick up some last minute items, Then over to the florists to pick up a roll of ribbon to wrap a car! My youngest daughter turns 17 in February and I have bought them all cars when they turned 17. This is the last one I have to buy and I couldn't wait until February so I have bought her a car for Christmas. She has no idea. I'm putting the key in a jewellery box and then gift wrapping it and hiding the car in the garage wrapped in ribbon and bows. I bought the car a few weeks ago and it has been hidden at a friends house.(see pic) I've booked lessons for her with a driving school that has female instructors and operates in the Merseyside area Monarch Driving School.
I have to then call at my Dads house to visit and deliver his and my stepmothers gifts then once it is dark I need to shoot down to the cemetery to light a candle on my dear mums grave.

Back home before opening a bottle of red and wrapping some last minute stuff for the kids.

Oh if only I had time to call in at the pub to have a drink with friends. It just isn't going to happen.

Phew!

Merry Xmas all!

I've had a shit of a day

2009-12-22T23:56:00.000Z

It started at 8am. I took delivery of the Range Rover yesterday and proceeded to sit in the thing for a few hours last night figuring out all the gadgets, pairing the bluetooth to my phone etc and I discovered that there is a facility to set a timer to turn on the heaters, heated seats and steering wheel and defrost the screens etc. I thought it would be nice (given there is snow on the ground) to have a warm car this morning and so I set the timer for 7:00 am.

So back to 8:00 am this morning, Sure the car was warm and free from ice but would it start? No, I had drained the battery after a few hours messing about with the gadgets and then setting the heater timer. Time to call my buddy again and ask him to pop over with his jump leads! Whilst I was waiting my neighbour came out to his car, commented on the Range Rover (that by now had the hood up) and we had a little chuckle (well he did).

To top it all I am in court tomorrow. I sold a house over 2 years ago. I had a dispute over the agents fee. He claimed it was £7400 and I had it worked out at £3500. Regardless, I wrote to him to discuss and he immediately started court proceedings. I requested mediation no less than 5 times and he ignored my requests. I eventually settled pre trial and paid them £7500. Tomorrow however I am in court regarding a further £7800 that they are claiming in costs. If I lose this can then apparently double because of a success fee (what a crock this is) which means that potentially I can be looking at another bill tomorrow of over £15000. that would mean that the agents fee in total for selling my house was over £22500!

The solicitors phoned me today to offer me a settlement of £7800, I told them no. I have been sat in my dining room since 5pm (it is now almost midnight) preparing a file for court tomorrow. There is a chance that the cost judge will wipe their cost claim altogether as they have refused mediation several times and this apparently contravenes the Civil Procedure Rules part 44.3(5) We'll have to see. The behaviour of the other party (who happens to be a nationwide chain) has been scandalous. I may post about it one day if I am legally able.

So all in all a shit day. I'm now going to make a cup of tea as I've been drinking Magners whilst preparing the file. and then I'm going to go to bed and sulk. Wish me luck for tomorrow!

My early Christmas present.

2009-12-20T22:07:00.001Z

My Friend runs a Land Rover Discovery thingy. Yesterday I gave him a lift to the Land Rover dealers in Cheshire to collect a new battery for his car. Whilst there I had a browse around the showroom. I particularly love Range Rovers. I had one in 2003 for a year or so. They are simply stunning vehicles, Equipped with the luxury of a Bentley yet with the practicality of a true 4WD.

This morning saw a few inches of snow. This then froze and as my driveway is uphill this imprisoned me in the house as I simply couldn't get traction to get up the driveway. Time for an early present to myself and time for a return favour. I called my friend who came to pick me up, this time he gave me a lift to the Land Rover dealers where I promptly did a deal and left a deposit on a rather splendid Range Rover Vogue. They didn't offer me the right money for my BMW so that is for sale privately (at an excellent price if anyone is interested ;) )

So hopefully as of tomorrow I will be able to conquer the snow again!

A reason to light a Monte Cristo

2009-12-19T09:48:00.002Z

I moved back to my home town a couple of years ago. I managed to find a nice house that to the rear has what was once farmland, there are a couple of old timber barns and the land is host to fox, squirrels, bats, owls amongst other wildlife. It really is a joy. My house is elevated from the land by around 3 metres and from my conservatory I have a great view. You can imagine then my disappointment when little over a month ago I received a letter from the planning department notifying me of a planning application to build 14 houses on the land.

I wrote a letter outlining my concerns of privacy, the effect on wildlife etc and I also contacted the Bat conservation society. I was totally unaware how much power this organisation has. It can prevent anyone from disturbing roosting bats it would seem. Anyway to cut a long story short, I received a notification yesterday that the planning application had been formally withdrawn. Yippee!

This was a cause for celebration and so last night with some friends around I selected a Monte Cristo* from the humidor. I love it when a plan comes together!

*for those that don't know, a Monte Cristo is a premium cigar, much too expensive to smoke on regular occasions unless your name happens to be John Travolta!

Tattoos, love 'em or hate 'em?

2009-12-16T13:11:00.001Z

Up until I was 40 I had only one tattoo, A small one on my left upper arm. It is Masonic and for various reasons I am unable to tell you the tale as to its existence on my arm on a public blog.

Being in business since being very young and eventually the Chairman of a parent company with plenty of employees meant that for years I couldn't be seen to have tattoos or pierced ears. After selling up I rebelled and had two large upper arm tattoos, I ditched my Versace Suits and Gucci shoes for a Vest, shorts and leather flip flops, left the big car in the drive and rode my motorcycle everywhere. What a sense of freedom.

My other two tattoos both have meanings, one is of St George, the patron saint of England. My late mother was born on St Georges day and so I wanted to pay homage in some way to her.

My other tattoo has a long story but is basically 4 Ace playing cards. Instead of the traditional suits, Hearts, spades etc. I have the ace of spades and then 3 corporate logos, The first is the Rolex crown, The second is the prancing horse of Ferrari and the last is the Omega symbol. (you can't see that in the pic)

The ace of spades signified that in my early life I always had to have an ace up my sleeve, I lost mum when I was ten and I left home very early and started my adult life living in the back of a Mk2 Escort van for a few months.

If you have read one of my previous posts you will see that for many years the lure of a certain Rolex and certain Ferrari fuelled my ambition. On reaching my goals I realised that whilst material possessions were nice to have, my health and happiness were more important. On retiring I bought a less "in your face" watch, an Omega, still a classic timepiece with a similar price tag to a Rolex but much more subtle. It marked an end to my days living on nervous energy in the business world, an end to jousting with the Inland Revenue, The HSE and every other government body that exists to make life hell for business. Omega is the last letter in the Greek alphabet and so is the last letter in that chapter of my life. So that is the explanation of my tattoos.

Personally I like them, My sister says that I look like a thug now! I don't think so, they mean something to me, they are part of my story. They are only visible in summer if I wear a vest top.

What do you think?

It really is none of my concern but....

2009-12-16T10:37:00.001Z

Since selling up and ducking out of the business arena after 20 years as an entrepreneur/businessman/Director/ General tax collector I should really not concern myself with matters concerning business but I can't help it.

I'm astounded that the Government are pressing ahead with the plan of increasing VAT back to 17.5% in January despite them being painfully aware how badly industry and retail are doing.
What annoys me about any elected Government is that they worry too much about the next election instead of making a difference during their term in office.

I emailed Mervyn King (Governor of the Bank of England) in 2007 and warned him that his interest rate rises were coming too thick and fast and that we were heading into recession, I received a rather patronising reply that basically said "shut up, I know what I'm doing boyo" clearly not!

I have a simple plan for VAT:

Reduce VAT to 10%, remove the threshold so that EVERY business needs to register. This will even the playing field between the cash cowboys and real business and as 10% is acceptable people will be less inclined to dodge it therefore removing the need for an army of VAT investigators. I reckon that the revenue generated will be more than is generated now, everyone benefits!

A touching Poem that I found on a blog by Coachdad

2009-12-15T17:17:00.002Z

The free bird leaps on the back of the wind
and floats downstream till the current ends
and dips his wings in the orange sun rays
and dares to claim the sky.

But a bird that stalks down his narrow cage
can seldom see through his bars of rage
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings with fearful trill
of the things unknown but longed for still
and is tune is heard on the distant hill
for the caged bird sings of freedom.

The free bird thinks of another breeze
an the trade winds soft through the sighing trees
and the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright lawn
and he names the sky his own.

But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings with a fearful trill
of things unknown but longed for still
and his tune is heard on the distant hill
for the caged bird sings of freedom.

An eye opening weekend

2009-12-14T11:30:00.000Z

Saturday was my big sisters birthday. She is 5 years my senior. A table had been booked for family and close friends in a Greek restaurant in the town centre. As I'm not a big drinker I would normally drive however I thought I'd get a cab and live a little.

After being transported at well over the speed limit in a 15 year old Mercedes taxi that was pumping out the latest dance floor sounds in order to disguise the fact that a ball joint on the front suspension needed changing, I arrived at the venue. It is a small friendly sort of place and most of the guests were already there. I exchanged hugs, kisses, friendly remarks with my family and my Sisters friends all of whom still imagine that I'm a cute 12 year old boy I think!

The meal was lovely and then afterwards a belly dancer gave a performance along with some short lessons for those who had consumed enough alcohol. There was a short traditional plate breaking session also. At around midnight as the more elderly members of the party started to order cabs my Nephew, Niece, Daughter and respective partners suggested that I join them for a drink at a bar in town. Stupidly I agreed. We arrived at what was known as "Chicago Rock Cafe" when last I was in town circa 5 years ago only now it was renamed "Running horses" for no apparent reason. We paid to get in and then waited for around 20 minutes to get served. At the risk of sounding old I have to say that the volume of the music was perhaps bordering illegal and certainly made conversation impossible.

After about an hour or so of people watching, I concluded that this was a ridiculous way of socialising, nobody could hold a conversation and people were literally stood around watching each other! Bizzare! There was perhaps one security guard to every ten patrons giving me both a feeling of security but also making me wonder why security needed to be so tight! What sort of place had this become? I remember it five years ago as a pub/club that was furnished with comfy brown leather sofas, low tables, a mixture of music at a reasonable level, now everyone seemed to be stood up and the only track that I recognised was "pokerface" albeit it was remixed.

So we made our way into the bitterly cold evening and took the short walk to the taxi rank, this is when things got really odd. Normally I would telephone a taxi from wherever I was, most of the time I would drive or occasionally I would have arranged a member of staff to chauffeur me and paid them overtime and given them use of a vehicle for the weekend. So, I can honestly say, this was the first time I had ever been to a taxi rank. The taxi rank in question turned out to be a sordid little shop with vinyl seating and no heating and a ticket booth behind which sat a large dirty looking chap who handed out tickets and occasionally spoke through a microphone to cab drivers. Some party goers were already seated and were exhibiting different levels of consciousness depending on the level of alcohol/drugs that were in their bodies. The look of alarm on my face must have been apparent and set my daughter of laughing, "look at Dads face" she exclaimed and the rest of my party all laughed I remember remarking that it was like walking into the bar in the Star Wars movie. My Nephews girlfriend came to my side and linked my arm "Come on we'll go an wait outside" she said.

Outside was no better really, I lit a small cigar as a comfort as I was now well outside my comfort zone. There was a large framed girl outside dressed in what I assumed to be a fancy dress fairy costume, she was with a second girl and a boy, all were around 19 - 20 years old. The girl in the pink fairy costume was holding her nose and there was evidence of blood on her dress. Amid the incessant swearing and use of words that had been modified for no apparent reason (such as wiv = with, ma=my, smacked up = high) I managed to work out that a boy who she had walked past on the way to the taxi rank had punched her in the face for no reason!

Within a few minutes my taxi had arrived. Thankfully my Daughter lives close by to me so we shared a taxi and I was able to rest knowing that she was safe.

I cannot believe that young people subject themselves to that each weekend. It was only around 5 years ago when I stopped going to town centre venues and although it was sometimes a bit raucous it was never on the scale of what I witnessed on Saturday night. Why don't our youngsters sign up for the armed forces instead? I'm sure a career in the army would provide an equal level of danger but you would have the benefit of being paid too!

Another scale model

2009-12-12T17:46:00.004Z

I've been putting the finishing touches to another scale model today. I have a friend who is nuts about old Porsches and I didn't know what to get him for Christmas this year so I decided to build him a scale model of an old "barn find" restoration project. The images aren't great as I used my iphone in the garage so poor lighting etc but you get the general idea. Ignore the other stuff in the background. I'll post another day maybe on here or my squidoo page about how I aged it etc. The tarpaulin was still wet when the pics were taken and so was a little transparent. The tarpaulin idea was inspired by "Cancars" on youtube.

Basic Painting & Weathering for Model Railroaders

Could someone please help?

2009-12-12T10:17:00.003Z

WTF is Twitter about?

I've tried, I really have. I've tweeted, I've followed Stephen Fry, Eddie Izzard and a few others but I still fail to get it. I can't seem to navigate around the site either. I've managed to "tweet" from my iPhone but it wasn't the easiest thing in the world to achieve.

So could someone help? Could someone tell me a use for Twitter? An easy way to access Twitter, An easy way to understand Twitter?

Also, what is with all the offshoot sites like "chirper, squirter, twatter" etc?

*Waits patiently*

Meet Elmo

2009-12-10T21:47:00.000Z

Meet Elmo, my daughters bearded dragon

I think I may need a wife!

2009-12-08T16:41:00.000Z

So I've been musing over moving overseas for some time now. I originally looked at France which still has a huge appeal but have since looked at pretty much every country in the world from Bulgaria to Belize. The trouble is, although I have easy passage to most European countries the one country where I think I would fit in seems the most difficult to gain entry into.

Yes I think the USA and I would get on really well. The sense of patriotism appeals to me as does the abundance of open space, the ability to drive for days if not weeks interstate and the low cost of fuel (compared to the UK) I love the real estate over there, Harleys, cigars, huge steaks and pretty girls. The USA seems to love entrepreneurs unlike the UK so I may even be tempted to start another empire out there selling Jaguar and Lotus cars with my best Hugh Grant accent!

The trouble is, I don't think I could get a visa. I've looked into this "Green card lottery" and it would seem that UK citizens aren't allowed to apply now. All other routes seem mighty difficult too unless I were to marry a US citizen!

The immigration process seems pretty straight forward if I were to marry so come on ladies, a low mileage financially secure, well educated, witty UK male desperately seeks.........

An enviable position, or is it?

2009-12-03T22:44:00.002Z

So I'm 41, My youngest daughter turns 17 in Feb 2010 My eldest daughter is 22 and lives with her boyfriend, My Son lives in London and is a trainee Stock Broker.

I sold my business over 12 months ago and although I still have some investments and interests although I am largely retired. Is this a good thing or not? I'm not sure. There was a certain sense of achievement at first when I decided that I'd had enough stress to last a lifetime and made the choice to sell up. Now however I feel at a crossroads.

I've done so much in the past 41 years that It feels like I should be much older than 41. Mum died tragically when I was just 10 and I left home as a rebel at 16 with nowhere to live. I have been in business since being 18 (I'll post about this one day) and from humble beginnings I was fortunate enough to own and operate two factories in different industry sectors. Along with this success came a great deal of responsibility and stress especially when trying to juggle a divorce, 3 kids, and a string of relationships.

So back to today. I'm retired, I have no staff placing demands on me, no more running around after the kids (I've bought them all cars and my youngest will be driving in a couple of months). Initially it was fun, I bought a big cruiser and rode to a friends house in France and then onto Germany. (see picture of the bike strapped onto the ferry from Dover to Calais) I've enjoyed countless lazy days, but now I'm painfully aware that I don't have a plan, I don't have any goals, I don't actually have a reason to get out of bed and that is now a concern.

When I was young and living in a small flat in a poor part of town I obtained a book entitled "The lazy mans way to riches" It was wrote by a guy name Joe Karbo and at the time I considered it my greatest asset. A major lesson in the book was to set goals, detailed, lucid goals as if you had already achieved them and then to review them regularly. This I did as a naive 16 year old, I listed mainly material things as that is what I considered important back then, I wrote 3 goals in my Filofax 24 years ago. They were:

1) I own a Ferrari In Rosso Red with Cream Leather interior

2) I own a Gold Rolex with Diamond Bezel

3) I own a large house in Cheshire

In 2000 I bought my first Rolex, In 2002 I part exchanged it for an 18 ct gold Rolex with diamond bezel and dial

In 2001 I bought a large house in Cheshire, In 2004 I bought a Ferrari 355 GTB In Rosso Barchetta Red with Crema leather.

And now, that is the problem, I have no goals, nothing to get up for, nothing to fight for. Don't get me wrong, I no longer want to chase material possessions, it was fun getting there. I can't describe to you the feeling of driving a Ferrari up to your Fathers house but the reality is, living at that level, having to fund that lifestyle (unless you're a celebrity) is mighty hard work and exceptionally stressful.

So I've sat and thought of new goals that I would like to set and yet I can't think of a single one! Why is that? I have dreams of moving overseas, nothing fancy, just somewhere warmer than the UK but I seem to have lost my Mojo.

Am I content then? no, quite the opposite, I'm still a little bitter about my divorce or rather the effect it had on me and my kids, My youngest was just 6 at the time her Mother had an affair. When we split my son stayed with his mum, my eldest daughter stayed with me and my youngest daughter split her time between her mums house and mine. Despite my best efforts I know they've missed out on things. My ex wife has been single since that brief affair and has fought a drink problem for the past 6 years or so. It was all so unnecessary in hindsight.

I've found myself turned 40 and at a crossroads. I've been parked up at these crossroads for over a year now, It's time to pick a route and move on. Suggestions on a postcard please!

Barn find Mercedes SL Gullwing for restoration. (1:18th scale:) )

2009-12-03T03:41:00.000Z

I've just completed this model and diorama in 1/18th scale. It is an old Mercedes SL that I have made to look like an old wreck that has been abandoned years ago and is ready for restoration,

I upholstered the seats and then aged them to look like cracked leather, there is also tears in the leather with the stuffing of the seat peeking out. I created the rust on the car using a variety of tools, materials and paints. I'll be doing some more shortly so I'll try to take some progress shots and post a step by step guide if any one is interested.

Should Men wear Ugg boots?

2009-12-03T00:12:00.001Z

Little over a month ago I was trying to buy some Ugg boots for a relative as a birthday gift. Knowing very little about them I asked for some advice from a friend and was told not to buy from anywhere except from an authorised Ugg distributor. I found the Ugg Australia website and from there found a list of UK distributors. The problem is I believe, Ugg per ser is a type of boot and also a Registered Trade mark. Genuine Ugg boots are the most counterfeited item at the moment and the number of websites claiming to be original is mind blowing so logging onto Ugg Australia is the way to go.

The Uggs I had to buy as a gift were the latest Knitted Argyle style for ladies. Whilst on the site I had a look at the guys section and thought, Why not? So I duly added a pair of traditional sheepskin Uggs size UK9 to the cart.

I have to say I love them! They are superb to wear with either jeans or combats tucked in them. My Eldest daughter tried to tell me that Uggs are for girls whilst my youngest daughter corrected her and in fact produced evidence on the internet of various male celebs wearing the same boot. So now I am an exceptionally trendy dad and can be seen regularly sporting my Uggs with a US Military issue Parka coat and a knitted Beanie! No more cold tootsies for me this Winter!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1082623/The-Ugg-ly-truth-How-men-muscling-girls-favourite-footwear.html

Big car, Small car?

2009-12-02T14:32:00.000Z

For reasons that are too boring to go into, I have another car on my driveway for a few weeks. I had to pop out this morning so I thought I'd take this thing as mine needs diesel and I couldn't be bothered stopping at the fuel station. The car in question is a new shape Vauxhall Corsa 1.2 sxi. To start with it is quite a good looking car albeit whenever I have seen them on the road I can't help but think that they are too big for a small car, does that make sense?

Now at this point I've got to point out that for the past ten years or so I've been lucky enough to be running top of the range stuff with Nav, leather, heated steering wheels etc. Everything from Ferraris to Range Rovers and certainly for the past 5 years my cars have required very little driver input and have auto transmission, auto wipers, dimming mirrors, auto lights etc, you get the picture? So it was with little expectation that I clambered into the Corsa earlier today but straight from the start I was hugely impressed. The new Corsa is cavernous inside, The windscreen seems miles away from the driver and the dash design is superb. This thing actually has remote locking, electric windows, automatic lights and several other quirky little gadgets. I spent around an hour in it this morning running around on several errands and I've got to say I'm quite taken with it, It feels like a much bigger car, the drive is excellent despite the car having very little power and the fuel gauge just doesn't move!

General Motors who own Vauxhall almost sold a majority of this company a couple of months ago. The deal with investment group Magna was called off by GM at the last minute as GM realised that Vauxhall was an important part of their future strategy and I've got to agree with them. In the past I have kept a car for two years or so and lost circa £20k when the time comes to change it. I could buy one of these things and save a fortune! My current car is due for a change soon and I've been looking at possible replacements but driving this thing today has changed my mind.

I currently drive a BMW 535d Msport. It's a nice car, looks the part, has every extra that BMW offer and has more torque than a Ferrari 360. So ok the Corsa doesn't have leather or Nav or Xenon lights or heated seats but if you take an average 2 year ownership the Corsa will probably only devalue by around £5000 compared to £20000 on the BMW, the road tax is half the cost per year, the BMW is insurance group 18 whereas the Corsa is only a group 3 which is a difference of around £900 per year in premiums. The tyres on the Beemer are run flats which are about £180 each to replace whereas the Corsa runs tyres costing less than £50 each. The BMW averages around 27mpg which for a diesel isn't great whereas the Corsa delivers an average 50 mpg. So I have to ask myself why am I still driving cars like the Beemer?

When I was in business it was sort of expected that I had a prestige motor. I went through my Mike Baldwin stage and had a few Jags then switched to a Range Rover when I started to shoot clays. I also went through the super car stage after my divorce and for a few years my garage housed such lovelies as Ferraris and Porsches. Now however I have to be mindful that my earnings are only a quarter of what they once were. My lifestyle no longer requires that I drive a car to impress or portray a certain image. So what is stopping me taking the plunge and changing to the sort of car that I associate with Car supermarkets?

Well as I mentioned earlier the Corsa has no power whereas the BMW shreds tyres at every opportunity, would I miss this sort of grunt? Perhaps not, the roads around where I live are now littered with ridiculously tall speed bumps anyway which prevent anyone achieving speeds beyond that of a disabled tortoise. I also have 6 points on my licence none of which are speed related (lack of seatbelts) so I can ill afford to be going fast on the public highway anyway. Added to that I have a Subaru Impreza which is totally stripped out for use as a track car so I have no excuse really. So what would I miss? Probably the bluetooth facility on my car which instantly connects to my phone but I'm sure Vauxhall would have this on their options list, I would probably miss the heated seats too, leather is cold in winter and the Corsa doesn't have leather so that perhaps wouldn't be an issue. I certainly wouldn't need to worry about my daughter taking the car to the shops as the Corsa will fit perfectly into the Kate Moss styled parking spaces found in retail parks. Yeah I think this little Corsa has made a big impact today. Watch this space, I may be buying a car soon that for once will win the approval of my Father!