tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-128463542024-03-13T21:56:31.732-07:00From Beer to Paternity'It's life, Jim, but not as we know it...'Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1242125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12846354.post-9766936954937882032023-12-31T11:32:00.000-08:002023-12-31T11:32:24.870-08:00Goodbye 2023 & Hello 2024...<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMkhkbP7lv2rTUfnIsLg_eFZNIhIh5H_Ra20Zgydz3SODYH7dMJphosbM0qNd7830ZVJ2_s7rQUniVIhTPHpHKLXFdcQ_D-FWmS9IjtFp9AkruaWNotwC89rcAqgvGI0FORRmR-O3-kmliHWycbe26L50YbfxYzs2CmPeybSXwLp4onBQAzNUn/s3000/IMG_20230625_204943_MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMkhkbP7lv2rTUfnIsLg_eFZNIhIh5H_Ra20Zgydz3SODYH7dMJphosbM0qNd7830ZVJ2_s7rQUniVIhTPHpHKLXFdcQ_D-FWmS9IjtFp9AkruaWNotwC89rcAqgvGI0FORRmR-O3-kmliHWycbe26L50YbfxYzs2CmPeybSXwLp4onBQAzNUn/w400-h400/IMG_20230625_204943_MP.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This year has been both shit and fabulous. It's been shit because the Missus suffered a bad fall and incurred a wrist injury in January that required some pretty serious surgery. She now has a lovely scar, plus various bits of metal and several screws holding bones in place. Needless to say, her ceramics work went on hold for a while. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">On top of that, her knee injury is slowly deteriorating, meaning she's in constant pain as she waits for her name to reach the top of the surgeon's list. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We also lost our much-loved new cats, Dotty and Dolly, within the same two-week period in the same month. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">January was, quite frankly, a month that can fuck the fuck off and stay fucked the fuck off.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Fortunately, the rest of the year did get better with a relaxing holiday in Greece in the summer and a slightly flasher holiday in the Dominican Republic to celebrate the other half's 60th in November. Other highlights included the Boy publishing the third installment of his excellent comic, <i>Sagas of the Shield Maiden</i>, and some memorable gigs catching up with old friends.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">From my point of view, I set myself four big goals in 2023:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Get a new job</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Complete 175 classes at BJJ</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Write a new play </span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Get my brown belt at BJJ</span></li></ul></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The one I failed on was the new play. The new job was a biggie, and doing 175 classes and getting my brown belt at BJJ were huge ones to tick off. But the play didn't happen.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfzo0-8-_Wo-uJSqtioGqAgEFYbqQOl4qjsTpC_dSgCMtPO9OnNGurOkBwa1hIMtm7aemBF0B4GLTSdeIaShx5LfkTARVPJIEcSkaN19ljh965chdI-tR28vnU4W7gKMkTcqMqiIahGLmMCXqCj4pvLcZUPYI_UwhAHr-b2A_NMvtGohsgsV5q/s1600/IMG-20231128-WA0002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1580" data-original-width="1600" height="395" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfzo0-8-_Wo-uJSqtioGqAgEFYbqQOl4qjsTpC_dSgCMtPO9OnNGurOkBwa1hIMtm7aemBF0B4GLTSdeIaShx5LfkTARVPJIEcSkaN19ljh965chdI-tR28vnU4W7gKMkTcqMqiIahGLmMCXqCj4pvLcZUPYI_UwhAHr-b2A_NMvtGohsgsV5q/w400-h395/IMG-20231128-WA0002.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Sadly, my own writing has fallen by the wayside in the last two years as work became all-encompassing. With a new job, though, I'm now travelling into London twice a week, so I'll have two one-hour commuting/writing sessions where I can kick back in. And that will make a new play, and a couple of smaller creative projects for 2024, a real possibility.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Purely to be accountable to myself, here are my goals for 2024:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Draft No.1 of new play by June </span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Draft No.2 of new play by December</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Pass probation period at work</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Complete 150 BJJ classes </span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Complete 100 BJJ weight training sessions </span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Compete in 10 BJJ tournaments </span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Read 5 books by Charles Dickens </span></li></ul></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This is all do-able. But let's see where we are in six months. Because we know life can always boot you up the arse when you least expect it...</span></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12846354.post-72914229109355738562023-08-16T09:30:00.003-07:002023-08-16T10:43:50.221-07:00Grappling with Grappling: New Beginnings...<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLunLKC8GT-ak03V3Oz15WI0zPDA_UAgqeKGy4Sw3wk02AjwKfPqh5gG9oiKDGmaCIq-f_Gek9j5jBRCPwq3l5EUqeu09Nz_KIqAkk-0cWYnrswYukdepejQCrpazRJS5GDQAf8zJC7RVIAz-IaWgjj52gSp8LB06VdyarxhyWvU9p5tf1OPOR/s1600/BJJ%20No%20Gi%20Class%202023.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLunLKC8GT-ak03V3Oz15WI0zPDA_UAgqeKGy4Sw3wk02AjwKfPqh5gG9oiKDGmaCIq-f_Gek9j5jBRCPwq3l5EUqeu09Nz_KIqAkk-0cWYnrswYukdepejQCrpazRJS5GDQAf8zJC7RVIAz-IaWgjj52gSp8LB06VdyarxhyWvU9p5tf1OPOR/s320/BJJ%20No%20Gi%20Class%202023.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">My BJJ is important to me. And not just for keeping me active. It's amazing for my mental health. I go to classes, I forget whatever is happening at work, and I simply try to get better at what's in front of me. I can solely focus on that. And just that.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Everyone else is focusing on the same goal, too. It's a beautiful environment, and all the martial arts schools I've trained at remain amazingly supportive and safe spaces. Which is odd if you consider the fact you're basically training to punch, kick, throw, choke or joint lock people.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Having now trained in martial arts for more than a couple of decades, I know I'll never be really good at them. And I'm not fishing for praise. I've trained with enough good people to know what their general standard is and what mine is. Even on my best day.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But I'll be OK at them and I'll slowly continue to improve. And I can live with that. Connecting the mental to the physical is not a skill set I have. My brain doesn't work like that. I genuinely admire athletes in any discipline that can see a move or a technique and immediately translate it and absorb it into their own physical vocabulary. In another life, I saw stage performers and dancers who could do that. It was as impressive in that environment as it is in this one.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">One path to a better understanding for me at my first martial art was teaching and running classes. Because I knew I had to understand it in a different way. My knowledge had to be vertical and have depth rather than just be horizontal and cover lots of ground with no real foundations. And I had to explain it and translate it.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">So getting the chance to teach a beginners' class at No Gi BJJ is a real win. It means I have to drill down into whatever I am teaching and re-familiarise myself with things I know and do, then have to explain them.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I call the classes my 'Learning to teach' classes and, five in, I'm thoroughly enjoying them. I'm sticking to things I know reasonably well and learning loads more about them as I prepare my lessons. It's a genuine privilege.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">My first martial arts teacher's teacher was a hapkido grandmaster who'd trained since childhood in a monastery with other martial arts masters in Korea. This may sound a bit Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. But when Japan invaded Korea, indigenous martial arts were banned. This saw lots of Korean masters seek sanctuary as monks in monasteries where they continued to practise their skills in secret until they could do so again in public. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">He always said, "Through teaching, we educate others. We also teach ourselves." </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">It's so true. It's also a new route on my continuing journey. I'm a competitive fighter at 54 and I'm now teaching BJJ. Who'd have thought that would be a thing for a speccy Yorkshireman with a love for cue sports, comics and the Sisters of Mercy</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">? </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Not me. But it is. And it's really cool. Even if I am not.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12846354.post-28501056676403811002023-07-08T01:00:00.060-07:002023-12-31T11:34:30.141-08:00All Greek to Me...<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3WrIQhL_X_t60kM3Nr_mqwPTccDcgUlWCvZuzNJQv8pzhzmPZ0jkFZbEXtty6e5p-X9BOMTNyrI6R51nUWF0WvspajmFQIdfP8joZdMfAVRtFhXaJEyt0QFTuZ7296tCtEzVf9aDqVBapNZKhf9iSrLD2E-TXikoZ5gGrwag9aqB9RygQ_O6c/s2048/357149957_10161366673971929_6284638853691856699_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3WrIQhL_X_t60kM3Nr_mqwPTccDcgUlWCvZuzNJQv8pzhzmPZ0jkFZbEXtty6e5p-X9BOMTNyrI6R51nUWF0WvspajmFQIdfP8joZdMfAVRtFhXaJEyt0QFTuZ7296tCtEzVf9aDqVBapNZKhf9iSrLD2E-TXikoZ5gGrwag9aqB9RygQ_O6c/s320/357149957_10161366673971929_6284638853691856699_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Work has been stupidly busy and the Missus has been feeling tired and dealing with constant bouts of pain as she waits for a knee operation. Thank Christ for an 11-day break in Kos.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We like Greece and we've been lucky enough to travel to quite a few of the country's islands. But we'd never been to Kos before and it was pretty fabulous. We spent most of our time sat on a beach reading books on sun loungers and swimming in the sea, then heading out for food in the evening.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The town of Kardamena where we were based was big enough to have everything and small enough to not be over-populated with tourists. We also ventured to the island capital of Kos and we did some museum and visitor exploring stuff. This included seeing the Tree of Hippocrates, where the Father of Modern Medicine educated his followers. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We also saw an amazing blood red moon. It was a pretty relaxing holiday. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwjRFi0uUCLjIfmbqXcxFI5IkvyUhOth1q9G8oR7_G63L5n7pMrMZTXDoEbxv7N9aFD5qt3C5GUGnmQ4Ouv3PJy3ylL_BjfjLobtrZbRvEVimojXQTXOomzafDszBYkS7qvEJDvndArCAmfAKq3M0JWuAiL3b7SLFGNGKEVXDwnIjROA1bLz-_/s2048/358020044_10161378018446929_491073555395437146_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwjRFi0uUCLjIfmbqXcxFI5IkvyUhOth1q9G8oR7_G63L5n7pMrMZTXDoEbxv7N9aFD5qt3C5GUGnmQ4Ouv3PJy3ylL_BjfjLobtrZbRvEVimojXQTXOomzafDszBYkS7qvEJDvndArCAmfAKq3M0JWuAiL3b7SLFGNGKEVXDwnIjROA1bLz-_/s320/358020044_10161378018446929_491073555395437146_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Then, on the last day, British Airways cancelled our flight home with about four hours notice. Cue a stressed period or trying to find alternative flights and book new hotels rooms. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">British Airways</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> were no use whatsoever during this process. Nowhere to be seen. And un-contactable by phone. It was the worst customer service I've ever had. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">And the cunts still owe me the additional money I had to shell out.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12846354.post-84269525423858290582023-05-31T01:00:00.005-07:002023-08-11T08:06:06.829-07:00Football Crazy...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQgUXKAXaaAXCuDONwqx0Bust7L9jekvcbY7-JmLYvH-2Zc4UlmuFIONX7vLh9QzyeGI9Mcm-6uoBwvIhf3O0DN9mVv6m_H0SufX0bqQ_IN9G0JZPTkmTkMaZgbRxJRPto9LCvOous54AFfKwFXSl_4LVbjJBdwomjZeTTxtolL3aKBZ-3AA/s3000/Dirking%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2442" data-original-width="3000" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQgUXKAXaaAXCuDONwqx0Bust7L9jekvcbY7-JmLYvH-2Zc4UlmuFIONX7vLh9QzyeGI9Mcm-6uoBwvIhf3O0DN9mVv6m_H0SufX0bqQ_IN9G0JZPTkmTkMaZgbRxJRPto9LCvOous54AFfKwFXSl_4LVbjJBdwomjZeTTxtolL3aKBZ-3AA/s320/Dirking%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I quite like football. I didn't like it much for a long time because my dad was a local footballing star and I eschewed the sport. I mean, who wants to follow in the footsteps of their parents, right?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But I needed an identity crutch when I arrived at college, so I rediscovered my brief interest in Leeds United and it's stuck ever since. I haven't seem Leeds live since the play-off finals in 2008 at Wembley. But I remain a TV supporter who'll also listen to them if the commentary is on the radio.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This year, I've also jumped on the Wrexham bandwagon. I've seen them play at Aldershot. This was such a good day out that I also ventured out to see another National League match in Dorking v Scunthorpe.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The National League is quite good. The tickets are cheaper, you're closer to the action and the players are less churlish. The way Leeds United are playing, I may as well get used to attending such fixtures as it looks like we're heading back down there.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12846354.post-54598353755545172632023-05-01T15:53:00.006-07:002023-08-11T08:03:41.167-07:0054 Not Out! Part III...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_dgdS2kfe5VhhYb5Sp8vT13b0fK2ejGwJtYmDQZuq4xGgB53hzUauu0vXkyVpOB8dCLw-tLWnMJdNoRUbFkj8TA9eGAqZ4qusOT4KxhlFqO_Mx1fF2fMgg1hMN3_Eq1288nKevE0QVRND5w5Uk36XoHgh1jW0SNfxpMTc8SvPUUojh4uZNA/s2048/BJJ%202023.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1943" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_dgdS2kfe5VhhYb5Sp8vT13b0fK2ejGwJtYmDQZuq4xGgB53hzUauu0vXkyVpOB8dCLw-tLWnMJdNoRUbFkj8TA9eGAqZ4qusOT4KxhlFqO_Mx1fF2fMgg1hMN3_Eq1288nKevE0QVRND5w5Uk36XoHgh1jW0SNfxpMTc8SvPUUojh4uZNA/s320/BJJ%202023.jpg" width="304" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">My first classes at BJJ as a 54-year-old were an exhausting affair. Three hours long and I was done at about the two hours and 30 minutes mark. </span><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I still felt a bit like a dude, though. Given, it was an absolutely fucked and ready-for-bed dude, but it was a dude none-the-less.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">When I got home, I had the below waiting for me:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfOYofmvWTl_xPBpICy9u3FJJlw26IABMPoW58sAvY3t9Q_VP20Jc1VVtRXx5CDOke8C8q3ldrBbTH8Xc64xR4heW0kZyCXuLMeeWxXej-afsIqUGkun3r8ZYUtMDdVQRhDXAqAe8jZAmBU4F-rnI-pvXtZ6sCATAMgIxEC-EnLnJWlyIF4w/s2860/NHS.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2860" data-original-width="2401" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfOYofmvWTl_xPBpICy9u3FJJlw26IABMPoW58sAvY3t9Q_VP20Jc1VVtRXx5CDOke8C8q3ldrBbTH8Xc64xR4heW0kZyCXuLMeeWxXej-afsIqUGkun3r8ZYUtMDdVQRhDXAqAe8jZAmBU4F-rnI-pvXtZ6sCATAMgIxEC-EnLnJWlyIF4w/s320/NHS.jpg" width="269" /></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">It was a leaflet about a test for bowel cancer. Because the elderly are most at risk. Don't get me wrong, I'm utterly delighted to get this. I already owe the NHS my life. The fact they want to extend this gift is amazing. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But it could have waited for a few days. My body was so buggered, I didn't need a reminder that I was that bit older...</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12846354.post-66452068302026402362023-04-30T15:37:00.004-07:002023-04-30T15:39:01.062-07:00Proud Dad...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh_TC7aF4_-wVFkHgcYiQw48YeLxXmLiK6q0EmKS6wKlkf0ITnhDrL8FujiuY5uO2FblIcQSVu7W5wRfw77vGvg_Gbh6AmKbCCJnRLEvgpoMI0rfEOiqseBdGQGAlFKGcH6w7RaveyyYd2j9m-b-tsmjl6I8EjZ3OC5IQjKYNXEOiof1yE-w/s1600/Shield%20Maiden.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh_TC7aF4_-wVFkHgcYiQw48YeLxXmLiK6q0EmKS6wKlkf0ITnhDrL8FujiuY5uO2FblIcQSVu7W5wRfw77vGvg_Gbh6AmKbCCJnRLEvgpoMI0rfEOiqseBdGQGAlFKGcH6w7RaveyyYd2j9m-b-tsmjl6I8EjZ3OC5IQjKYNXEOiof1yE-w/s320/Shield%20Maiden.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">“Alexa, please show me a picture that makes me massively proud and happy…”<br /><br />“No problem. Here’s a picture of the first volume of your son’s Viking Western graphic novel series, <i>Sagas of the Shield Maiden</i>, in Gosh, your favourite comic shop in London.”</span><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br />“Thank you, Alexa.”<br /></span><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12846354.post-25574495702397166862023-04-16T14:41:00.001-07:002023-04-16T14:42:10.783-07:0054 Not Out: Part II...<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBi8GUPtBY7r_YCvjrvr3HB-rPlzVaNcczX-4lnpjWzofDpMrKthqjjxOmqfKGaiBt22UmrVaijdT_ICeiKJFbNiXzPNpV_k1b8VH9SlplqSVb7P_dYD71K2x2rSqJS914uAtr6P-Sf51Q28vCif1x_j6XIqi9ZfUbTYFTONPXDikzO_BiAg/s3750/BJJ%20Medal%20Hanger.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1592" data-original-width="3750" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBi8GUPtBY7r_YCvjrvr3HB-rPlzVaNcczX-4lnpjWzofDpMrKthqjjxOmqfKGaiBt22UmrVaijdT_ICeiKJFbNiXzPNpV_k1b8VH9SlplqSVb7P_dYD71K2x2rSqJS914uAtr6P-Sf51Q28vCif1x_j6XIqi9ZfUbTYFTONPXDikzO_BiAg/s320/BJJ%20Medal%20Hanger.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">It was my birthday recently and the Missus excelled herself on the present front. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Among a superb booze selection and several other ace gifts was a wall display for my BJJ medals. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I've always been a bit ambivalent about winning trophies and medals, particularly as my BJJ haul is mainly silvers and bronzes. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">As my coach reminds me, however, I turned up and fought for these. I wasn't given them. It's OK to be a bit proud of them. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">So I'll now hang them up in a discreet bit of my office. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">It was a sweet and considered gift. She knows me very well. </span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12846354.post-83115728313189859432023-04-16T14:23:00.007-07:002023-04-16T14:31:47.839-07:0054 Not Out: Part I...<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI4TyJqsklTjUUca9Au-BAqM6qY3yeE1o83KotRRH4mxCtwaijsKfasjQdHy6Wn-RNd5bmsyQTBPTbcqV03IdhHbIvIINwWG8kXQ5XWvES-QWmpo0r8bRtB-zSjxxiS9IfaTQv5KopaUOHYj-ELvkz8uw_lb7P1kM-cmHg6g4Bf31pTCwZJA/s4000/IMG_20230414_125854_MP.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI4TyJqsklTjUUca9Au-BAqM6qY3yeE1o83KotRRH4mxCtwaijsKfasjQdHy6Wn-RNd5bmsyQTBPTbcqV03IdhHbIvIINwWG8kXQ5XWvES-QWmpo0r8bRtB-zSjxxiS9IfaTQv5KopaUOHYj-ELvkz8uw_lb7P1kM-cmHg6g4Bf31pTCwZJA/w300-h400/IMG_20230414_125854_MP.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Being 53 was pretty cool. OK, it was a year where I accepted far too much freelance work and did virtually none of my own scriptwriting, and one where I spent far too much time over-delivering at work. But there were better bits...<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The holiday to Sicily with the Missus, the Boy and the Boy's Other Half was fabulous. Pottering around with the Missus, and seeing family and friends was also a joy. Training was a constant source of exhausting happiness, too.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But 54 needs to be a more disciplined year. So I'm heading into diary and scheduling overdrive. I have a new job to secure, new plays to write and BJJ events to win, and the only way I'll get it all done is if I am more ruthless with myself. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I'll report back on how it went in 12 months. Wish me luck...</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12846354.post-9348191871453634892023-04-04T00:15:00.002-07:002023-04-04T00:15:34.436-07:00Them's the Breaks...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcL7z0-65cIBq7bognHL54xJMhAVKZzsW7V1_GiBj7ibBBftfW9Pc__2QHfI7M-9fvjM1AuEePvJuo4YZmg2Ev2pgu-t2ol-QtcHCzmIzoMwqRckAteXdF08IL_AZtfzS9kPO9_lh4E-Pg5hRVpm6ciKBbtoHOnVMqnvJ9h02lKMwEzOgEyQ/s1280/Sling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="929" data-original-width="1280" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcL7z0-65cIBq7bognHL54xJMhAVKZzsW7V1_GiBj7ibBBftfW9Pc__2QHfI7M-9fvjM1AuEePvJuo4YZmg2Ev2pgu-t2ol-QtcHCzmIzoMwqRckAteXdF08IL_AZtfzS9kPO9_lh4E-Pg5hRVpm6ciKBbtoHOnVMqnvJ9h02lKMwEzOgEyQ/s320/Sling.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Wow! It's April already. Where did the time go? Well, most of it went on work and training. And being a domestic goddess. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The latter is nothing new. One of the plus points of having a low-level tidiness and things-in-straight-lines mania is that Brooks Towers is generally pretty neat. The Missus, however, fell over and broke her wrist in spectacular fashion a few months ago, and she needed a plate and screws inserted to knit her bones back together. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">So I've basically been domestic staff for a few months. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I'm obviously not complaining about this. Needs must and all that. But it's made me realise that either we don't need a house this big or I must get a better-paid job so we can hire a cleaner. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">With people and cats dying, work being pretty grim and the Missus injured, 2023 is so far not living up to expectations. Things seem to be settling down now, though. I hope we have a bit of routine normal for a while.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12846354.post-77815385817575616222023-02-10T07:00:00.002-08:002023-02-10T07:11:18.608-08:00New Cats: Part VII...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5_KSx_EhY35PfoziXhwQYd-QFYm98tytbUq-09Z7Pkd07xipiFWblpFXtYiIArxV3-1B-Atm_N4ZikT-wBav8F_VcCAAjjz4Pp6E0xXqaFSHLGHOBeiYbH17xPOMm4pSUjwkaza41gsFMbZKqWWtG4JkIord3gwSCx-XJiXcjQvGFbYv3bA/s4000/IMG_20230126_205811_HDR.heif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5_KSx_EhY35PfoziXhwQYd-QFYm98tytbUq-09Z7Pkd07xipiFWblpFXtYiIArxV3-1B-Atm_N4ZikT-wBav8F_VcCAAjjz4Pp6E0xXqaFSHLGHOBeiYbH17xPOMm4pSUjwkaza41gsFMbZKqWWtG4JkIord3gwSCx-XJiXcjQvGFbYv3bA/w300-h400/IMG_20230126_205811_HDR.heif" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Frankly, 2023 can fuck the fuck off at the moment. Hot on the heels of losing Dotty, her sister, Dolly, was hit by a car and left to die in our front garden less than a fortnight later. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I found her early in the morning already dead. Then I had the grim task of taking her to the vet for cremation. I loved both of our cats. As did the Missus. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We're now in a bit of a grieving process. In denial, I'd get new cats tomorrow because the house is too quite and empty without them. The Missus, however, can't go through with losing any more at the moment.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I get this. I hope she'll change her mind given enough time, though.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12846354.post-71604972262099061922023-02-09T07:00:00.005-08:002023-02-10T07:00:04.894-08:00Religion? Nah...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3RzxlgphAuAJWojvljb_AOPrpein9Cj-HSAcpiYvBSKN4MYUg90LVF43UkpLvp9bmJ_FW9II3GW6DxVpmHzPEvacctRFjUpVsCJwAEMUquGO6FUm8P6gPI4AvsmGKRg70kzD0wVBdQOpyPJnE486Z2XgM1wv6--YDqdMbPjuOMRdTtolL1Q/s1080/329321818_844618259950045_6710916570066284411_n-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="820" data-original-width="1080" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3RzxlgphAuAJWojvljb_AOPrpein9Cj-HSAcpiYvBSKN4MYUg90LVF43UkpLvp9bmJ_FW9II3GW6DxVpmHzPEvacctRFjUpVsCJwAEMUquGO6FUm8P6gPI4AvsmGKRg70kzD0wVBdQOpyPJnE486Z2XgM1wv6--YDqdMbPjuOMRdTtolL1Q/w400-h304/329321818_844618259950045_6710916570066284411_n-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I dabbled with religion as a teenager and I've been a devout atheist ever since. <br /><br />But if you are searching for divinity, I thoroughly recommend enjoying a beer in a piping hot bath after two hours of BJJ training.<br /><br />It's the bomb. As young people say.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12846354.post-24048140660532134742023-02-07T06:00:00.005-08:002023-02-07T07:31:45.209-08:00New Cats: Part VI...<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh2eJBXnEdHpTXZzDAb19RjesWlZPl2QQ-jOi8YQ2L3Nd-C9iE_j0UfeqRikfl3HD0gIXvUt0l520c56co02_VwEVNB8_BWQrpEdNsI5hxnDx9Qn0UL3LuYlAwz2h_IP4HgQ6jT5cK9aLqGJdwv5cgljN9mzYV1qP297nlXV4Soj_FEURFkg/s4000/Dotty%20Jan%202023.heif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh2eJBXnEdHpTXZzDAb19RjesWlZPl2QQ-jOi8YQ2L3Nd-C9iE_j0UfeqRikfl3HD0gIXvUt0l520c56co02_VwEVNB8_BWQrpEdNsI5hxnDx9Qn0UL3LuYlAwz2h_IP4HgQ6jT5cK9aLqGJdwv5cgljN9mzYV1qP297nlXV4Soj_FEURFkg/s320/Dotty%20Jan%202023.heif" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We recently had to say goodbye to Dotty, one of the pair of bonded sisters we adopted just under two years ago. She was the more timid of the two, constantly curious and massively affectionate. <br /><br />She went out in the recent freezing weather and came back clearly out of sorts. We took her to see the vet and it turned out she had a bite on her leg. But this was the least of her issues. Whatever had bitten her had grabbed her by the tail and shaken her, meaning she had nerve damage, and no feeling in her back end, and no bladder or bowel function. And there was no chance of it coming back. <br /><br />Terminating the life of a pet is never fun. I've had to put three cats down previously – one because of old age, another because of a car collision and another because of liver failure – and it never gets any easier.<br /><br />It's fair to say that me and the Missus were a bit broken by this latest one because she was very young.<br /><br />There was also a moment of dark comedy. As we were waiting in the room for the vet to come in before Dotty had her last injection, my phone calendar helpfully sprang into life to remind me it was date night. Even my technology is capable of taking the piss.<br /><br />Rest in peace, Dotty. You were massively loved in the brief time we had you with us. You remain massively missed now you're no longer here. <br /><br />Sadly, the baked-in price of loving anything or anyone is the risk of losing them.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12846354.post-23470174743962224982023-01-27T06:00:00.001-08:002023-01-27T06:22:06.309-08:00A Content Consumer Recommends...<div><b style="font-family: helvetica;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjT2E-oNGol8vMTaC0OCjE_Fycco8taLmXbOTR_ZfvdmlbhMGiqlxlA-QMWIappYHUQthWJ9toUnoh1C7M_ImFPDHWM8dVU9LnyNwjPjmTgYtUWGVKkAkPdORbWVgEMM3qtaVok2AA9wkwfOLhXFUypVSrtNdZ6xnFZC5TwXDX5DwCgVMhFgg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjT2E-oNGol8vMTaC0OCjE_Fycco8taLmXbOTR_ZfvdmlbhMGiqlxlA-QMWIappYHUQthWJ9toUnoh1C7M_ImFPDHWM8dVU9LnyNwjPjmTgYtUWGVKkAkPdORbWVgEMM3qtaVok2AA9wkwfOLhXFUypVSrtNdZ6xnFZC5TwXDX5DwCgVMhFgg=w400-h225" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /></b></div><div><b style="font-family: helvetica;">Film</b></div><div><b style="font-family: helvetica;">The Banshees of Inisherin: </b><span style="font-family: helvetica;">A cracking script by Martin McDonagh and amazing cinematography of Ireland combine with Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson as two life-long friends who fall out. Funny, moving and beguilingly seductive.</span></div><div><b style="font-family: helvetica;">Amsterdam: </b><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Beautifully acted, visually stunning, and genuinely enjoyable and intriguing thriller. Christian Bale, John David Washington and Margot Robbie lead an all-star cast that also features Rami Malek, Anya Taylor-Joy and Robert De Niro.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>TV</b></span><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>The Undeclared War:</b> Enjoyable six-part thriller about national cyber security starring the rather excellent Hannah Khalique-Brown and Herman Segal. Simon Pegg, Mark Rylance and Kerry Godliman are also pretty superb in it.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>1899: </b>Slick-looking eight-part thriller about a ship and its passengers facing mysterious circumstances. After a promising start, it ends involving some pretentious concept bollocks I didn't care enough about to even try to fully understand. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Everyone Else Burns:</b> </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Six-part sitcom that satirises fanatical religion in a funny, charming and accessible way. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">It's the sort of comedy that only Channel 4 would ever produce in the UK and I'm already wanting to see a second series. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Music</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Out of the Blue by the Electric Light Orchestra:</b> Rediscovering the joys of one of Birmingham's finest musical exports. It still sounds like music from a better future nearly 50 years later.</span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Angles by Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip: </b>Rediscovering the dynamic UK duo's album that made me want to learn more about other types of hip-hop. The opening track and the song about Tommy Cooper remain joys. </span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>The Logic of Chance by Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip: </b></span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Rediscovering the s</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">econd album by the UK duo. It still has tracks on it that delight and amuse me after all this time.</span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Repent Replenish Repeat by Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip:</b> Third album, whose existence I was unaware of until I chanced on it via the internet-web. Still working my way through this.</span></div></div></div></div></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12846354.post-5112889939323456892023-01-09T08:00:00.001-08:002023-01-09T08:00:00.165-08:00The Pyjama Game ..<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpsEY4ZUtPrzVUnvnEKqRho9QMG4gfdj5Zc-xtGxBS4Ye8TZsf9tfVqC0hBRlPublYNOyDbmFljbVz0w4qyg5L8-qZtlTwM97cpGPklN1djbG0k-kc9aRyMqTGyLEA_HW_4ZbkmOsZWsXL0Qc103fiKeYNdZDLIvtpv3MTgpP-jQ-KQyEsWQ/s910/Jimjams.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="727" data-original-width="910" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpsEY4ZUtPrzVUnvnEKqRho9QMG4gfdj5Zc-xtGxBS4Ye8TZsf9tfVqC0hBRlPublYNOyDbmFljbVz0w4qyg5L8-qZtlTwM97cpGPklN1djbG0k-kc9aRyMqTGyLEA_HW_4ZbkmOsZWsXL0Qc103fiKeYNdZDLIvtpv3MTgpP-jQ-KQyEsWQ/s320/Jimjams.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I'm hunting for a new job after realising my current one will not get any better. Just before Christmas, I landed an interview for a role I really wanted at an institution I've targeted as a future place of work.</span><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I'm aware that my ripe old age of 53 may be off-putting to some employers, so I always shave the grey out of my beard, craft chunky sideburns and have a skinhead before any interview. It's hipster chic. Or 1970s docker seeing the turn at the club on a Saturday night. Choose the description that works for you. Anyway, these actions may be utterly pointless, but they make me feel less old and boost my confidence. Because I do sometimes lack this.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Sadly, I didn't land the gig, but I felt good following what I thought was a good interview and I felt like I looked OK, too. I was a young and vibrant thruster! I was a go-getter who can cut it with the youth. Go me!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Then the Missus buys me pyjamas for Xmas. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">It's true that I have bought jim-jams for her in the past, but I know she hates the cold and these were cute things. Not quite slut wear but certainly not pensioner wear. I also sleep in boxer shorts because I'm reasonably confident that my bowel control is strong enough to ensure I won't casually shit the bed. And, of course, limited nightwear is less cumbersome to remove if I get lucky. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But I fear this spells a major change in the relationship. The Missus now no longer sees me as a sexual partner and the hottie she married. I'm the old bloke she shares a bed with who brings her a cuppa in the morning.</span></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12846354.post-16150272104293047962023-01-05T06:00:00.001-08:002023-01-06T06:38:07.235-08:00Beer Review: Buried at Sea Milk Stout<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0LeJTOZfNCw74nxSqlvovMzeDxatEffh_xmD9TpHnUMW7GWdukNLZy_-b2uO4RJeWhtB0C8e36iyuU3nJAvf1ZEJrasp1QJI8I6kteEcXCd7wkwOHzJOXhu7qLqPbZ7QwP24M/s1783/Buried+at+Sea.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1445" data-original-width="1783" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0LeJTOZfNCw74nxSqlvovMzeDxatEffh_xmD9TpHnUMW7GWdukNLZy_-b2uO4RJeWhtB0C8e36iyuU3nJAvf1ZEJrasp1QJI8I6kteEcXCd7wkwOHzJOXhu7qLqPbZ7QwP24M/s320/Buried+at+Sea.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Galway Bay Brewery's Buried at Sea Milk Stout doesn't try to be massively complicated. It has a robust but not overpowering taste and texture, and it's liqourice tang pleasantly loiters around without mugging your tastebuds.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /><b>Expert comment:</b> Eminently drinkable and smooth in a self-assured but not showy-off way. Like the sophisticated, older girl you fancied at school.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12846354.post-86350104473063105312022-12-31T17:00:00.001-08:002023-01-01T10:49:49.035-08:00Grappling with Grappling: 2022 and Done!<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvSVvohwmNJ-YHmZOwQhUt06LhcLM3hZ4Ue0rbCi4hWN-k9BEzHM6Wz7A0JXFCJOcq21xS_oVpuciVcbqnH61W5MsOyIiXBSQxh-MfIklMH6ZgKDF1ZjYJcnb6F-tG8wkl42sA/s1600/1672183280410749-0.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvSVvohwmNJ-YHmZOwQhUt06LhcLM3hZ4Ue0rbCi4hWN-k9BEzHM6Wz7A0JXFCJOcq21xS_oVpuciVcbqnH61W5MsOyIiXBSQxh-MfIklMH6ZgKDF1ZjYJcnb6F-tG8wkl42sA/s1600/1672183280410749-0.png" width="400" />
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</div><br /></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">While lots of 2022 was lost in a much too much work and some grim other stuff involving people I love, my grappling adventures remained a source of compelling challenge, frustration and joy. </span><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I had three goals at BJJ in 2022. They were:</span><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span> * </span>Attend 150 classes</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span> * </span>Win my first fight at purple belt</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span> * </span>Make the improvements to be considered for brown belt in 2023</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">And I managed all of them.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I was a late starter at martial arts. I didn't discover it until my early thirties. But I'm delighted that I did. It's been a constant journey of self-knowledge and self-improvement in all sorts of ways. And it's why I'll keep doing it in some form until my body will no longer wear it. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In 2023, I'm also applying the discipline I invested in BJJ in 2022 to restart my playwrighting work. If I can find the time to train, roll and spar with skilled people in their twenties and thirties, I can also find the discipline to create time to do something I enjoy and I'm good at. </span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Anyway, there'll be a new play by the end of June. Just saying...</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12846354.post-3346888548273457732022-09-28T07:00:00.056-07:002022-09-28T07:32:54.014-07:00Competition Time...<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho8Q0rD1gbV-bb6XaIcFGiE3PVGf5usiweYcmi4K2pcjvxyClbOo4_l9-6gA0WduV02Qn_a6IDT95JTIZgKwWlJTxyNfQZLvgPTL3CSrs1jzE8tRmWpMWZJh__Bq-X3va-IgXfh503cuQ7YRVmEED8duWB38_1v3QMus1uY97CqehisWTwCQ/s2048/302319435_10160623378241929_8382939493868792295_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho8Q0rD1gbV-bb6XaIcFGiE3PVGf5usiweYcmi4K2pcjvxyClbOo4_l9-6gA0WduV02Qn_a6IDT95JTIZgKwWlJTxyNfQZLvgPTL3CSrs1jzE8tRmWpMWZJh__Bq-X3va-IgXfh503cuQ7YRVmEED8duWB38_1v3QMus1uY97CqehisWTwCQ/w400-h300/302319435_10160623378241929_8382939493868792295_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Finally! At the fourth attempt, my first wins at purple belt.<br /><br />My opponent in gi was a no-show, so I went into a three-man event in no-gi. This is not my preferred discipline of the two. Result: two fights and two hard-fought submissions against skilled and gracious opponents, and a gold medal. </span><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">There were points in both fights I had to hang in a bit. But as soon as I got my closed guard shut, I felt like I was reasonably OK. There were also points in both fights I thought, 'I can win this.' That quickly became, 'I can win this. Don't fuck it up by being overly creative.'<br /><br />I was decent at this event, but I've been around long enough to realise I also had a day where I got everything right. I also leveraged a couple of small position errors my opponents made to force myself into a better position.<br /><br />There will be other days where stuff goes wrong and I get smashed again. But I'll take today.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12846354.post-25091644510392282532022-09-22T09:40:00.003-07:002022-09-22T09:40:43.181-07:00Work Meeting Notes: Amsterdam...<div style="margin: 0cm; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp82pa6RXJeNLCMmx4hqA-AyCjMxrZ_m-mviVzhlIvYn10C7Cs-0y16Km0iDSraTiI05foNas7Oh3ig0qKf2bcwluxSEtPYakWEhYInqovNif6l6TgWb8lTzcaP8qzfq1w3_HLsn05VSuXT1dI_J3_jMY8oca44zt6nU1Wzv8UC35nc4I69A/s851/306123147_10160644822126929_7477922941933997457_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="851" data-original-width="784" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp82pa6RXJeNLCMmx4hqA-AyCjMxrZ_m-mviVzhlIvYn10C7Cs-0y16Km0iDSraTiI05foNas7Oh3ig0qKf2bcwluxSEtPYakWEhYInqovNif6l6TgWb8lTzcaP8qzfq1w3_HLsn05VSuXT1dI_J3_jMY8oca44zt6nU1Wzv8UC35nc4I69A/s320/306123147_10160644822126929_7477922941933997457_n.jpg" width="295" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="margin: 0cm; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit;"><div><span>An occasional series based on my Tuesday morning presentation updates at work:</span></div><div style="margin: 0cm; text-align: left;"><span style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit;"><br /></span></div>Morning. It’s National Don’t Go into Work and Curl up Under a Duvet Day. (</span><i style="font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">Yawn</i><span style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">) Which is good news for me as I’m back from four days in Amsterdam. And, yes, I fully indulged in all the traditional Dutch recreational pleasures. In fact, I indulged in a heroic amount of traditional Dutch recreational pleasures. Probably explains the comedown. (</span><i style="font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">Lips smack</i><span style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">) I fancy a Muller Corner.</span></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">Amsterdam was great. I bumped into Amsterdam’s oldest man. I said, “I’m a newcomer to Holland. From another country. Can you give me the location of Anne Frank’s house?”<br /></span><span style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">He said, “I’m not making that mistake again.”</span></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span><span style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">This week. I’ll be mainly be writing and reading stuff. </span><span style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">(</span><i style="font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">Lips smack</i><span style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">) I really fancy Peanut M&Ms.</span></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><o:p style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit;"><br /></o:p><span style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">I saw a lot of art at the weekend and here are my two favourite pieces.<br /></span><span style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“Oh. Stars. Oh, the Moon. It’s dark, isn’t it?”<br /></span><span style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">That’s the Night Watch by Rembrandt.<br /></span><span style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“Stayed in. Stayed in. Stayed in. Stayed in. Stayed in…”<br /></span><span style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">That’s The Diary of Ann Frank.</span></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span><span style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">If anyone asks, it's nothing to do with drugs. I’m tired because I queued up for three hours at Schiphol Airport, then my flight was delayed for three hours and I didn’t get until the early hours of the morning. That’s all from me.</span></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12846354.post-3309315734954071392022-09-22T09:35:00.003-07:002022-09-22T09:44:07.156-07:00Grappling with Grappling...<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEsV3mNH1851Jlz05P4nIgtxmXiDGTPnsSNH3UVLsH4ORS4mJdsrhhB3qi7b86r9uJj6b-DZHpifT0B8TZt2Zlag7c5EmAvVq0xXC6BFBPODZd2_RMP-34JEm5jiCvJbznqqxleiI-Dw0xnMbuVKxSlJ2X9G0fFFqfhBp2W4jSaGKwQYif1Q/s2048/300879100_10160609254421929_7369951742035625107_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEsV3mNH1851Jlz05P4nIgtxmXiDGTPnsSNH3UVLsH4ORS4mJdsrhhB3qi7b86r9uJj6b-DZHpifT0B8TZt2Zlag7c5EmAvVq0xXC6BFBPODZd2_RMP-34JEm5jiCvJbznqqxleiI-Dw0xnMbuVKxSlJ2X9G0fFFqfhBp2W4jSaGKwQYif1Q/s320/300879100_10160609254421929_7369951742035625107_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I've just done a class about attacking for the kimura and the underhook back take from bottom half guard. From this, we moved into the hip switch pass from top half guard and into half butterfly sweeps.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The hip switch pass is something new for me. Alongside the knee block, plus the leg swing out and back into the chronic position from bottom half, this is going to be added in.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I also need to remind myself about all the half butterfly attacks, too, from the sweeps to the back takes to the submissions.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This BJJ lark can be quite complicated. Even though I only try to use simple stuff.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12846354.post-9198872411615659302022-08-05T07:07:00.002-07:002022-09-22T09:43:54.512-07:00Competition Time...<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlOsW0u_kYY6vOKqER8QrNSUYIy-qE4BkVv9ll3DN0i9pWt9Rh-h3EgVt6KJIOPO-X4zIKuf7QGXzqatt8UKffdG5pe0dl1ug8zmgwwhI9hx7dtAbbVKJI_yRuIH6ZM79blZYB_vsk0HI-mro4W77frxX4jA3r1c9p2IQe6HXZcUXyY5mb-Q/s3557/IMG_20220731_142303.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3557" data-original-width="2336" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlOsW0u_kYY6vOKqER8QrNSUYIy-qE4BkVv9ll3DN0i9pWt9Rh-h3EgVt6KJIOPO-X4zIKuf7QGXzqatt8UKffdG5pe0dl1ug8zmgwwhI9hx7dtAbbVKJI_yRuIH6ZM79blZYB_vsk0HI-mro4W77frxX4jA3r1c9p2IQe6HXZcUXyY5mb-Q/w263-h400/IMG_20220731_142303.jpg" width="263"></a></div><br></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Another BJJ competition at purple belt and another defeat. It's true that I was fighting somebody 10 years younger than myself. But I made a basic error early on and couldn't recover in time. It wasn't an age difference that was the issue here. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The thing is that a couple of parts of my game, namely full guard and two variations of that, are pretty decent. But I need to be able to get to those positions to be effective. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">So there's a new game plan forming for starting matches and this is what I'll be focusing on for the next couple of months. I don't really need radical new techniques. I need to make the ones I am using badly work more efficiently. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">So here are notes on things I need to add in: </span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Use the guard pull from standing that Keenan Cornelius talks about. He sets it up like a sacrifice throw, but it adds additional torque to the off-balancing of the opponent. Also use this guard pull to go straight to Del la Riva and Deep Del.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">When on bottom in half guard and I'm getting passed, use the bicep overhook and the knee block to swing out and swing back into the Chronic position. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">When passing on top in half guard, use the knee-on-belly and head grab pass. Then switch to palm up and fingers in collar grab on the passing side of the opponent and turn the forearm to apply pressure to the jaw of the opponent to keep his head turned away and limit his movement. Also threaten the cross collar choke to distract the pass.</span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I'm no longer going to take notes on individual classes or techniques as I have been doing. I now only add a technique in if I can see it adding to my game.</span></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12846354.post-33741080287699308852022-07-26T01:44:00.003-07:002022-09-22T09:37:25.316-07:00Work Meeting Notes: Hiking Holiday...<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieoXLAQOMSbPK1n3P9RqXtGoqU6M_BVi_jxGcwO06Vmh-SOr800z2BrP_cLz8f5U420JUh9FtHiv6XOpkkPq4DlkwoCbLak7QeFgLrpMoxmbQY2SGQSv7qCQQ9Q6uoB7LfWJJtpAhRILbru7yJn5fTj63tclBMZpyWXIHxBgqP4Mfs9giKbQ/s4000/IMG_20220723_100418_MP.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieoXLAQOMSbPK1n3P9RqXtGoqU6M_BVi_jxGcwO06Vmh-SOr800z2BrP_cLz8f5U420JUh9FtHiv6XOpkkPq4DlkwoCbLak7QeFgLrpMoxmbQY2SGQSv7qCQQ9Q6uoB7LfWJJtpAhRILbru7yJn5fTj63tclBMZpyWXIHxBgqP4Mfs9giKbQ/s320/IMG_20220723_100418_MP.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><div style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">An occasional series based on my Tuesday morning presentation updates at work:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div>Morning. I am back from my hiking holiday and I survived. So that’s good, isn’t it? Sadly the two people I was taking on their first walking trip didn’t. But you can’t expect everything to go according to plan, can you? <br /><br />This week, I will mainly be: </span><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Doing some writing </span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Doing some editing </span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Doing some proofreading </span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Trying to ensure we don't get sued</span></li></ul><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Finally, I thought I’d share some olde worlde homespun hiking tips I picked up from wise old hikers over the weekend: </span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Red sky at night, Tescos is on fire, don’t shop there. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Don’t eat yellow snow or to the hospital you must go. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Don’t cross a river in spate or you’ll slip on a rock, smash your head on a jagged rock and die.</span></li></ul><span style="font-family: helvetica;">That’s all for me. </span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12846354.post-16023037167519635252022-07-14T01:58:00.007-07:002022-09-22T09:37:13.568-07:00Work Meeting Notes: Pandemonium Day...<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiXg-xTFWh_Fvd3A87rR79tK3EvtzHxO_0wwVREpw48YOxYrrehAImpXLAtYHSc22_lS9kZJqqTuYCYQQNIjQKaw3hQovPFYjn-uUXKEQePNMs0NPyPx78SDhTSfL_5bkBp2rhoc0IYivQIcuxe7rIChdFxInwJyKYRRrVHp43V0i7j9Xf2zQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="528" data-original-width="800" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiXg-xTFWh_Fvd3A87rR79tK3EvtzHxO_0wwVREpw48YOxYrrehAImpXLAtYHSc22_lS9kZJqqTuYCYQQNIjQKaw3hQovPFYjn-uUXKEQePNMs0NPyPx78SDhTSfL_5bkBp2rhoc0IYivQIcuxe7rIChdFxInwJyKYRRrVHp43V0i7j9Xf2zQ=w400-h264" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><div style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">An occasional series based on my Tuesday morning presentation updates at work:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div>Today is Pandemonium Day. So everyone can do whatever they want and get away with it. For purposes of legal liability, that last statement may not be true. But it should be. </span><o:p style="font-family: helvetica;"> </o:p><p></p><div style="margin: 0cm; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><o:p> <br /></o:p>In other news, I’ll be leaving this job. As many of you know, I'm a scriptwriter and I’ve been head-hunted to write an alternative version of <i>Stranger Things</i>. It’s called <i>Ordinary Things</i> and here’s an extract: <o:p> <br /></o:p><o:p> <br /></o:p>Titles. </span></div><div style="margin: 0cm; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The words Ordinary Things flicker on a grey screen. </span></div><div style="margin: 0cm; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>The Diary of Horace Wimp</i> by the Electric Light Orchestra plays in the background. <o:p> <br /></o:p>Cut to a bed in an untidy bedroom. <o:p> <br /></o:p>A figure is under the covers. <o:p> <br /></o:p>An angry voice penetrates the silence. <o:p> <br /></o:p>‘Eleven. Eleven. Eleven!’<o:p> <br /></o:p>The figure in the bed stirs. <o:p> <br /></o:p>The angry voice continues. <o:p> <br /></o:p>‘Eleven. It’s eleven. Get up you lazy bastard. The bins need emptying.’ <o:p> <br /></o:p>A man emerges from under the covers. </span></div><div style="margin: 0cm; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">He is bearded, has aquiline features and wears glasses. </span></div><div style="margin: 0cm; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">He has the torso of a prize fighter and the looks of a male model. </span></div><div style="margin: 0cm; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">He is the sort of man that women want and men admire. </span></div><div style="margin: 0cm; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In the interests of balance, men can want him and women can admire him as well. <o:p> <br /></o:p>He looks at his watch. <o:p> <br /></o:p>‘Shit. Overslept again.’<o:p> <br /></o:p>Titles. </span></div><div style="margin: 0cm; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">End.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12846354.post-74196397908747784882022-07-06T15:16:00.004-07:002022-07-07T04:23:29.271-07:00A Thought Experiment...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div>Imagine being Boris Johnson. Today. Besieged.</span><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Now imagine being Boris Johnson in a room with Priti Patel. And the 'brains' behind the Rwanda policy is the one telling you to resign. While she stays </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">What a fucking atrocity of leadership and government.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12846354.post-34731783436839152652022-07-06T15:01:00.000-07:002022-07-06T15:01:32.557-07:00Beer Review: Salopian Polygraph Stout<p>It's very dark and it tastes a bit of liquorice. It's very sweet and it doesn't thicken too much as it chills. At 7.5 avb, it's not disgustingly strong and it's eminently drinkable.</p><p>Expert comment: Generous, welcoming and warm, it's like a sloppy kiss from an over-affectionate friend. </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12846354.post-81456291073836135112022-06-02T01:57:00.007-07:002022-09-22T09:36:12.932-07:00Work Meeting Notes: An Apology...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2KNFDHD6eaa6CaY2Ux2hjgYLFGABga6oLiI5W8CWBJ_ns9_nngSoYmtNv0qLJJp2pTTDztECCDDLxnHAR-qgpfRmlSDKtPdZYpqlddIRrasTGj76Qu3TWTeY6srWjUiclPJfrlFUgPwYQ3CXeLnMsl4vvYRgTeZqWKz_5Cco8WILTuHPtKA/s860/Screen%20Shot%202022-06-01%20at%2011.11.10.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="481" data-original-width="860" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2KNFDHD6eaa6CaY2Ux2hjgYLFGABga6oLiI5W8CWBJ_ns9_nngSoYmtNv0qLJJp2pTTDztECCDDLxnHAR-qgpfRmlSDKtPdZYpqlddIRrasTGj76Qu3TWTeY6srWjUiclPJfrlFUgPwYQ3CXeLnMsl4vvYRgTeZqWKz_5Cco8WILTuHPtKA/s320/Screen%20Shot%202022-06-01%20at%2011.11.10.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">An occasional series based on my Tuesday morning presentation updates at work:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">While recently working on my computer in the office, I opened up and lingered on a certain web page.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /><div style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This contained an image of a John Deere Precision AG Autonomous 8R Tractor engaged in ploughing action.</span></div><div style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br />I’d like to apologise to the colleague who approached my desk at this moment.</span></div><div style="font-family: Times;"><br /></div>I now appreciate, thanks to the ensuing screams and tears, that this image triggered a gruesome memory. <br /><br />This involved the sharpened blades of a John Deere Precision 20 Combine Harvester repeatedly slicing through a cockapoodle named Tinkerbell.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br />I also appreciate the term ‘dog salami’ was not a useful phrase to employ at this juncture. <br /><br />For the record, I opened this page by entirely by accident. <br /><br />I was trying to view a website called ‘Top-rated adult actors’. <br /><br />My apologies…</span></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0