It is the 30th October, we have fallen into that period of inbalance and hesitation caused by circumstance. It is not a new period it happens every year, and every year I sit here thinking the same and trying to decide where to best manouvere next so that things are best tackled as the next period confronts us.........
Tomorrow is Halloween, people will knock on the door, dressed in a variety of ghoulish costumes, with parents in tow as they are young and need protecting, but all looking for sweets, because they feel they are deserving of them, and as I have not the heart to say trick, nor do I want my car trashed, I give them sweets!!
Then we have firework night, another night of excess when all sorts of explosives are sent into the air, as we are surrounded by teenagers, we will spend the following few weeks having a variety of fireworks let off at stupid times and at inapropriate places. Eventually someone gets hurt and it stops until New Year!!
As a Pyro person I also shudder when I see small children with Sparklers, when will parents realize that these are white hot pieces of metal that we give to young children to wave around, then grasp with acrylic and wool gloves that melt into burning little hands and fingers!!!! Forget the injury when they poke each other in the eye!!
PLEASE USE GLOW STICKS INSTEAD!!!!
It is half term, so the children are also starting to say how bored they are, and what is a solution - Do their Christmas list??!!
And that is the period of inbalance..............
The clocks have gone back so now it is dark early, therefore it must be winter!! If it is not light they can't really go out on their BMX late, or to the park, so moan. As it is now winter where is the snow??? As it is not yet snowing that is my fault!!
All children have a belief that Santa knows the pages and item numbers in the Argos catalogue. They also are certain he has an Elf department whose sole job is to ensure that firstly the North Pole has always got all of the Argos supplements, leaflets and Christmas specials, and then to also make sure that regardless the items held on the pages are ALWAYS available!!!
A sensible use of this period of dullness would be to do the Christmas lists, but no, why would anyone want to provide anything to make life easier, why would a child want to allow Santa a bit of breathing space when the 20th of December is a far better date to announce what is really wanted!!
So here is that "no-mans land" of time, the music channels are not playing Christmas music, the film channels have not woken up to Christmas movies yet. Supermarkets are 70% there, but children do not go there often, and other shops we keep them away from, the food channels on the TV have not yet begun the endless rounds of festive recipes and treats, and the terrestrial channels have not yet started the usual round of Children in Need, Heroes at Christmas, Pride of Britain etc...
It is just a nothing time, a time when we all have great intentions to write cards, buy early gifts, and prepare food for the freezer. The reality, we run around as a taxi service, realize what is actually needed and then start to worry how we are going to do this, and I am sorry to sound like doom and gloom, this is not a James negative rant, but, if I just look at things with a pure financial slant, no one has a chance, I know I don't!!!
Does this mean that the time has arrived to turn the clock back, I don't know to when, but surely, Christmas is a time of togetherness in this time of neither Christmas or Summer we should prepare for this. We should also remember the words of Burton Hillis -
"The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other."
Surely now as we just meander we need to state, "forget the thousands of pounds, this year here there just will not be that, have each other instead"
Do we think it will work......................
Tuesday 30 October 2012
Wednesday 17 October 2012
Protect My Family............
This entry has come about as a result of my reading my friend Lisa in the USA's blog (www.imakemslookgood.weebly.com/blog.html) and how it set me thinking............
Here in the UK there have been a couple of high profile child abduction / murders lately. Everyone is up in arms and asking how and why?!
Well I am a bit confussed, if my car is stolen I tell Tracker who turn on the microchip thing and very quickly the police find my car, if they are really clever they then time things properly and catch the thieves as well!!
Why are my children, my wife and me and if you like, not also therefore microchipped?
I do not care if a "big brother" type wants to know I am in my house, or at the shops. I do however want to know that if my kids, wife or even me, are missing we can be located and rescued VERY,VERY quickly!!!!
I figure that someone is fairly aware of what I am doing most of the time anyway; most of the post I get seems to have some sort of "serial number" included on it, that is always the same, regardless of who the sender is. Therefore I have to assume somewhere a database is logging what I get. Google, I am told, is seeing where I go on the net, so is Microsoft!! I believe, again from what I am told, Orange, and all other mobile operators, are more than aware of my mobile activity.
I am absolutely certain that "agencies" are montoring all internet and phone traffic from EVERYONE, not listening in or reading, but if certain words or phrases hit a certain trigger, different levels of monitoring swing into action, it is fairly simple software to devise, and like it or not, I feel it is a vital part of homeland security.
Alongside all of this activity that is very hands-on we are surrounded by a network of cameras that follow our every move in towns, on roads and in shops. At all times and in all places information is being gathered on our movements and activities.
So why in this day and age are we suffering with a plague of children being taken. Maybe I am just being niaive, we moan if we find a stray dog that is not chipped, we moan if our car is stolen and not chipped, and yet here is a solution to keep tags on our most precious people, and yet this is seen as an invasion of privacy. If I give all of my children certain makes of phone, with the GPS bits turned on, I could use a similar phone to find out where they are, but I do not want my young children with phones as well, I want them going to school, after-school clubs, and other activities, without having more gadgets with them, this is before cost is brought into the equation.
Well I am sorry, privacy does not come into the picture if it is the only thing between me and losing my children or wife. I have an emergency bracelet thing for me I wear at home, in case I have a fall and need help. I do not want this for the rest of the family, just put an invisible chip somewhere under their skin, and if, God forbid, if I ever need to find them, quickly, we just turn it on, like Tracker on the car and Hey Presto..............
Please Chip my family, it must be a safer solution than just hoping it will be alright.................
Here in the UK there have been a couple of high profile child abduction / murders lately. Everyone is up in arms and asking how and why?!
Well I am a bit confussed, if my car is stolen I tell Tracker who turn on the microchip thing and very quickly the police find my car, if they are really clever they then time things properly and catch the thieves as well!!
Why are my children, my wife and me and if you like, not also therefore microchipped?
I do not care if a "big brother" type wants to know I am in my house, or at the shops. I do however want to know that if my kids, wife or even me, are missing we can be located and rescued VERY,VERY quickly!!!!
I figure that someone is fairly aware of what I am doing most of the time anyway; most of the post I get seems to have some sort of "serial number" included on it, that is always the same, regardless of who the sender is. Therefore I have to assume somewhere a database is logging what I get. Google, I am told, is seeing where I go on the net, so is Microsoft!! I believe, again from what I am told, Orange, and all other mobile operators, are more than aware of my mobile activity.
I am absolutely certain that "agencies" are montoring all internet and phone traffic from EVERYONE, not listening in or reading, but if certain words or phrases hit a certain trigger, different levels of monitoring swing into action, it is fairly simple software to devise, and like it or not, I feel it is a vital part of homeland security.
Alongside all of this activity that is very hands-on we are surrounded by a network of cameras that follow our every move in towns, on roads and in shops. At all times and in all places information is being gathered on our movements and activities.
So why in this day and age are we suffering with a plague of children being taken. Maybe I am just being niaive, we moan if we find a stray dog that is not chipped, we moan if our car is stolen and not chipped, and yet here is a solution to keep tags on our most precious people, and yet this is seen as an invasion of privacy. If I give all of my children certain makes of phone, with the GPS bits turned on, I could use a similar phone to find out where they are, but I do not want my young children with phones as well, I want them going to school, after-school clubs, and other activities, without having more gadgets with them, this is before cost is brought into the equation.
Well I am sorry, privacy does not come into the picture if it is the only thing between me and losing my children or wife. I have an emergency bracelet thing for me I wear at home, in case I have a fall and need help. I do not want this for the rest of the family, just put an invisible chip somewhere under their skin, and if, God forbid, if I ever need to find them, quickly, we just turn it on, like Tracker on the car and Hey Presto..............
Please Chip my family, it must be a safer solution than just hoping it will be alright.................
Wednesday 10 October 2012
Space The Final Frontier
Space, the final frontier, a whole and vast expanse of galaxies that lead to an unquantifiable amount of stars, planets and further galaxies.
We look at the planets that we are aware of, we see the planets we can visit and explore, and they are..........the moon!!!!
And even that is a struggle, we can send an unmanned craft to Mars and through our "advanced technology" can use rover vehicles to explore. some, of the planet. If the vehicle falls down a ditch, goes out of range or breaks down, it is game over!! And to go to Mars takes in excess of 6 months to get there, that means the rocket has to be pretty big with a lot of fuel, oxygen and food. As for the disposal of rubbish and toilet waste I am not sure I want to go there!!
But let's us think of a greater expanse than just the little area that we call "our universe." We know from looking far into space that there are an infinite number of universes, and as such an even greater number of solar systems like ours. Systems based upon the basic structure of having a larger "sun like" star that other planets rotate around. The system may have one or many suns, it may have a few or many planets. All we know at the moment is they are there.
This then in turn raises the question of "Quantum Leaping". Right now this is a theoretical type of travel based upon a vibration theory and an infinite number of universes and Doplegang versions of us. In theory there are millions of galaxies, all overlayed and all with a very close version of ourselves, but not quite the same. The leaping bit means we can travel all of these galaxies at will and when we want. Any of these parallel universes are available to be visited.
There is a problem here though, the galaxies are more of a virtual entity than a real thing. Like the world in Avatar, they exist, however, their accessability is through the mind and not the body.
And so the question is brought up about all these universes and galaxies. If there are so many, a number that is so huge we cannot begin to compute it, there must be more life than merely the species on this one tiny planet. It cannot be possible that out of all of these opportunities, in this limitless expanse and wealth of variety, that only life has developed here on Earth.
What has to be acepted is that life is very unlikely to exist in a form that is currently recognizeable to us as humans. It is unlikely that life supported in this solar system is the same as that supported in another. There may well be others that have life forms similar, but there will be many where life forms differ hughely.
From this variety of life there must also be a huge variety in development levels accepted; as such we must accept planetary lifeform as being above, below or at our level. We have to grasp the greater technology with both hands. It must become our role to learn from above, develop the technology to our understanding and then mentor lesser lifeforms,
So there is a vast, untapped area, a huge unknown. We cannot take our current technologies and just go off exploring, we can only use the limited amount of resource we have to probe outer reaches that we can reach. All we are doing is scratching the tiniest surface of the unknown, all we can hope is that another, more advanced, lifeform, sees our attempts, does not rub their hands in glee as they see a soft target to destroy, but come to our aid in the never ending struggle to explore, learn and expand our knowledge.
We look at the planets that we are aware of, we see the planets we can visit and explore, and they are..........the moon!!!!
And even that is a struggle, we can send an unmanned craft to Mars and through our "advanced technology" can use rover vehicles to explore. some, of the planet. If the vehicle falls down a ditch, goes out of range or breaks down, it is game over!! And to go to Mars takes in excess of 6 months to get there, that means the rocket has to be pretty big with a lot of fuel, oxygen and food. As for the disposal of rubbish and toilet waste I am not sure I want to go there!!
But let's us think of a greater expanse than just the little area that we call "our universe." We know from looking far into space that there are an infinite number of universes, and as such an even greater number of solar systems like ours. Systems based upon the basic structure of having a larger "sun like" star that other planets rotate around. The system may have one or many suns, it may have a few or many planets. All we know at the moment is they are there.
This then in turn raises the question of "Quantum Leaping". Right now this is a theoretical type of travel based upon a vibration theory and an infinite number of universes and Doplegang versions of us. In theory there are millions of galaxies, all overlayed and all with a very close version of ourselves, but not quite the same. The leaping bit means we can travel all of these galaxies at will and when we want. Any of these parallel universes are available to be visited.
There is a problem here though, the galaxies are more of a virtual entity than a real thing. Like the world in Avatar, they exist, however, their accessability is through the mind and not the body.
And so the question is brought up about all these universes and galaxies. If there are so many, a number that is so huge we cannot begin to compute it, there must be more life than merely the species on this one tiny planet. It cannot be possible that out of all of these opportunities, in this limitless expanse and wealth of variety, that only life has developed here on Earth.
What has to be acepted is that life is very unlikely to exist in a form that is currently recognizeable to us as humans. It is unlikely that life supported in this solar system is the same as that supported in another. There may well be others that have life forms similar, but there will be many where life forms differ hughely.
From this variety of life there must also be a huge variety in development levels accepted; as such we must accept planetary lifeform as being above, below or at our level. We have to grasp the greater technology with both hands. It must become our role to learn from above, develop the technology to our understanding and then mentor lesser lifeforms,
So there is a vast, untapped area, a huge unknown. We cannot take our current technologies and just go off exploring, we can only use the limited amount of resource we have to probe outer reaches that we can reach. All we are doing is scratching the tiniest surface of the unknown, all we can hope is that another, more advanced, lifeform, sees our attempts, does not rub their hands in glee as they see a soft target to destroy, but come to our aid in the never ending struggle to explore, learn and expand our knowledge.
Monday 1 October 2012
I Tried, I Fought Against This............
I have done everything in my power to fight against this, I have fought inner demons and battled with my conscience repeatedly. I have had an Angel on my right shoulder telling me how good I am to resist and ignore, and on my left is that little red Devil telling, no, yelling, at me to "DO IT, WRITE IT DOWN, MAKE IT HEARD!!!!"
The battle started at the end of the summer, an event that is clearly marked in my mind by "The Last Night of The Proms" not the pseudo events that take place around the country as an excuse to get people to sit in a field and pay money for the privilege, but the real event, the actual event at the Royal Albert Hall. In my mind, and shared by others, that one event alone, and regardless of all the mumbo-jumbo about Indian Summers and hot weather fronts, is the true end of Summer. It is like Labour Day in the USA, it is the salient event that triggers the start of a whole host of chain reactions.
And so the battle starts...........
From this day onwards my whole attitude changes, my whole routine changes and my whole cycle of events changes -
So let's look at the year and then I can explain the battle, but I am going to start in June, for ease -
The battle started at the end of the summer, an event that is clearly marked in my mind by "The Last Night of The Proms" not the pseudo events that take place around the country as an excuse to get people to sit in a field and pay money for the privilege, but the real event, the actual event at the Royal Albert Hall. In my mind, and shared by others, that one event alone, and regardless of all the mumbo-jumbo about Indian Summers and hot weather fronts, is the true end of Summer. It is like Labour Day in the USA, it is the salient event that triggers the start of a whole host of chain reactions.
And so the battle starts...........
From this day onwards my whole attitude changes, my whole routine changes and my whole cycle of events changes -
- Attitude - I am like a hunting dog straining at the leash, I say nothing openly, I may make the odd comment, like the dog whining, but I do not enter into diatribes and rants about future events. But I observe. I go to supermarkets and notice spaces being cleared and different stock arriving, I eagerly hunt for the sneaky appearance of give away products, and I spot these tell tale signs that others miss. I buy the Sunday Times avidly to scan through the Culture section to see what concert dates are released, these too add to my tension until it is like a bow string stretched to breaking point.
- Routine - I start scanning the trees, checking for leaf change and conker development to show the season change. I check temperatures regularly to allow for addition of jumpers into the wardrobe, and then I spend hours, literally hours reading and scanning on-line for winter weather forecasts, changes, snow reports and ice reports, just to make sure things are going OK.
- Cycle of Events - From the proms onwards things become more important, before they are not as important, but now there is a battle raging inside, I have this to deal with and control, and at the same time I am scanning papers, emails, magazines even shop windows for signs of activity, looking for the addition of extremities to buildings to hold things and places to visit. The cycle just got tighter!!!
So let's look at the year and then I can explain the battle, but I am going to start in June, for ease -
- June, July, August - Summer, long days, sun (maybe!!) and not really much to worry about.
- September, October, November - Let's come back to this.
- December, January, February - CHRISTMAS, and then a huge come down!!!
- March, April, May - Forget new life, March is Yuk!! April is a bit better and at least May is getting to Summer!!
Last Night of The Proms has kicked things off, Summer has ended and hold on tight the ride starts here, the mad roller coaster ride that happens every year and, like all roller coasters, has ups and downs and twists and turns, but always ends with a breathless rush to the finish!!
So we climb the first incline, slowly, but at every turn of the wheels the anticipation grows, the knot in the belly gets bigger, as the climb gets a bit higher and the imagination starts whirring more and more, and all the time the Angel and the Devil keep on saying STOP and GO, GO like to demented mice on wheels. I hold my breath, afraid that if I breath I may blurt out my feelings and the Devil will win over before the race is run.
Silent I simmer, still I buzz with anticipation, my Wife knows and throws me the occasional lifeline in trips to wholesale suppliers that are more ahead than retail, akin to providing a drug addict with a small "fix" occasionally these visits go some way to maintaining me on an even keel, the Angel continues to pour soothing words into my psyche in an attempt to just keep me fighting a little longer.
IT IS NOW OCTOBER!!!!!
I have held back for over a month, yes I know the Proms were 8th September, but I started looking in August!! I cannot suffer any more, I have to bow to the inevitable, I tried to to keep this silence going, I fought hard against the tied that is heralded by the time. I have laid in bed with my iPod playing tunes of this period to try and maintain my status-quo, well I just can't any longer.............
You see, September, October, November are the best months of the year, they are the run up to CHRISTMAS. As of December 1st we have 31 days of Christmas and then we have January, February and March of absolute Yuk, April is not much better, but, September, October and November are pure heaven as everywhere prepares for December!!
Shops start filling with Christmas fayre, outside Christmas lights start adorning High Streets, vendors sell chestnuts, and most importantly, people generally smile!!
I accept Christmas can be a terrible time for people, and I accept Christmas is really for the children, but it is also for everyone. Forget the religious side of things, just look around, smile at people, say hello and Happy Christmas. You will be surprised at the response. Christmas is hard for many, and we must not forget that, but to show them kindness and friendship with a smile and a few words costs nothing, I expect that those few minutes spent will mean a lot to some people.
I also want you to think of one other thing, I have a strange view on gifts, I have always had this -
The value of a gift to me is not a monetary thing, I do not really care if something cost a thousand pounds or a penny. I really don't, what touches me is that someone has thought of me, and decided I would like an item and have a use for it and therefore wrapped it for me, taken the time to think of me and decide this for me!! It might be they saw me struggle with a load of paper so wrapped a few paper clips, they saw, they thought and they acted. That is what Christmas presents mean**.
And there is the battle I have been having, I have lost, but I do not care, because now it is out there, it is the countdown to Christmas Day - 84 Sleeps, 2017 Hours, and it is on a Tuesday!!!
**Mother, if you are reading this, I struggled driving last week, and an Aston Martin would really help!!!
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