I'm guessing after Bob Diamond, the Barclays bank chief executive told MPs last week big pay packets for bankers were here to stay, the Conservative ones won't remonstrate too strongly. For one thing the other bankers will love him as he said it was time to stop blaming the banks for the recession. The belligerent Mr Diamond refused to apologise to a commons select committee but he has reason to be smug, he earned a reported £60 million last year and may get an 8 million bonus this year, in my opinion its a world gone mad and divides the nation between rich and poor even more.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Who Cares?
Who cares if Anglican Priests, Bishops or whatever convert to the roman catholic faith? Is this really news BBC? They only changed faith because they didn't like the fact women can become something within the Anglican church, how backward is that, proof that faith, especially catholicism doesn't move forward, and never will. Laying on the floor too, as part of the ceremony, what is all that about?
And whilst I'm having a religious rant, what have all you religious folk got to say about the floods in Australia and Brazil? Probably something cryptic and unintelligible.
And whilst I'm having a religious rant, what have all you religious folk got to say about the floods in Australia and Brazil? Probably something cryptic and unintelligible.
Monday, January 03, 2011
Mr Postlethwaite
I was sad to see that British actor Pete Postlethwaite died today at the fairly young age of 64. I'm not going to to into any detail about him as I was only a fan of his acting but I do feel he had many more films to make and was an actor of rare quality. He had that 'bloke next door' feel to him, that common touch and I think thats why people related to him and enjoyed his acting. A sad loss so soon into the year.
Saturday, January 01, 2011
The Plan
So 2011 is here. The plan this month is to generally take it easy, save some cash, eat sensible and have January off the beer, maybe February too. I have some idea where I want to be by the end of the year but for the moment I am going to take it day by day. I do want to blog more, get involved more with secular humanism, read more and generally try to be a better person. It's not that I think I am a bad person but I always think there's room for improvement. That said I'm not going to take any nonsense on things either and I will fight for my ideals and what I believe in.
Last night was ok, fairly muted if I am being honest, it seems that New Years isn't what it used to be, not since the millenium anyway where pubs and clubs began to charge entrance and make a circus of it all. My local charged £5 last night and to be honest I didn't really think that was fair, seeing as I spend money in there all year around. Local band 'Booba Dust' whilst being a favourite of mine seemed a bit lost (probably because the local wasn't that busy). And whilst I like Blues I don't really think it's a music for New Years eve, something acoustic to evoke a reflective mood would have been good or something retro like some 80s songs to get people in the party mood, but hey, that's just my opinion.
Last night was ok, fairly muted if I am being honest, it seems that New Years isn't what it used to be, not since the millenium anyway where pubs and clubs began to charge entrance and make a circus of it all. My local charged £5 last night and to be honest I didn't really think that was fair, seeing as I spend money in there all year around. Local band 'Booba Dust' whilst being a favourite of mine seemed a bit lost (probably because the local wasn't that busy). And whilst I like Blues I don't really think it's a music for New Years eve, something acoustic to evoke a reflective mood would have been good or something retro like some 80s songs to get people in the party mood, but hey, that's just my opinion.
Friday, December 31, 2010
So That Was 2010
Some people think this year has sped rapidly by, on reflection I think it has gone fairly slow, no bad thing. On the whole it hasn't been a bad year, it's had more highs than lows. The year began with myself and friends coming to terms with the passing of big Russ and so I think it's fair to say the year began on a very subdued note.
An erroneous phone call in January led me to Nottingham, working in a homeless shelter and helping out in it's music shop in the city centre. Nottingham in many ways has changed many of my views on things this year, I've seen some genuinely sad things but I've also seen people move on in life, that is a rewarding to watch in itself. The people in Nottingham have been amazing and I can honestly say I've enjoyed my time there this year immensely.
2010 has also been a year of music, since working in the music shop has its advantages and my knowledge (which was already large or so I thought) has grown to encompass much more styles, bands and genre's of music. The year began with loving the Cocteau twins and moved through 60s psychedelia, electronica, progressive and a plethora of others.
This year saw me reunited with old school friends via Facebook and then meeting them again in person, it felt good to rekindle old friendships again and I hope to see more of them in 2011.
On the social front 2010 has been manic to say the least, weddings, parties, functions, birthdays, gigs, fancy dress and fund raising events. It seemed the summer of love in some respects as weddings graced most months. My friend Dom's stag night was probably the best night I had out all year and brought all of my local male friends together for an epic night. Sadly I missed the following wedding as Gary was back over from Hong Kong and in truth I wish I'd gone to wish them well, even though weddings aren't my thing.
I've seen many friendships grow this year and on stepping into 2011 I feel I am fortunate to have such a good friends network around me.
February saw me visit Malta, fortunately dodging the ash cloud problem from Iceland. It was a nice little break, so much so I went back this month (another blog coming sometime on that). There were other jaunts too, to the lovely north east Yorkshire coast, Norfolk and to London. There were also trips to York and other picturesque places and parks.
April saw the election announcement and I decided I may be changing my vote this time around.
The election duly came in May, I voted, it was a hung parliament which proved a very disenchanted nation indeed. The coalition was formed and even though the party I had voted for were in the coalition I began to have immediate misgivings.
June was the world cup, and lots of social engagements, a busy month indeed. To be fair I never really got into this world cup and didn't watch that much of it at all, though I did spend more time at Meadow Lane this year watching my beloved Notts County, and what a year they've had!
July came, I aged another year, more flecks of grey hair and creaks when I get out of bed in a morning! Gary was visiting (glued annoyingly to his ipad), weddings were happening and I breathed in the lovely pure air when we visited the Whitby area.
August saw a lovely new real ale pub open in town called 'Just Beer' and since then it has gone from strength to strength. I'll probably spend more time down there in 2011 but usually in January I have a month off the beer.
September saw the odious pope visit, something that made my blood boil and for some odd reason I remember a Colombian being named as the worlds shortest man!
October saw the miners in Chile rescued, an amazing feat and testament to mankind ingenuity. I visited London to register at a model/movie extras agency which was a huge boost to morale. Nothing has come of it yet but I hope in 2011 that something does come of it. I also started playing the truly fantastic Lord of the Rings online game.
November, well nothing much happened and the cold weather closed in.
December saw me return to Malta once more and even have a couple of interesting trysts with someone whilst there.
During 2010 there's been some great television, the excellent Ancient Civilisations on the BBC along with the Apprentice and Dragons Den. And I really have to mention the funny yet starkly gritty 'This is England 86'.
Film wise I loved Centurion and Black Death. The Spartacus series was immense and I want more! On the downside there were turkeys at the cinema including Iron Man 2 and the dreadful Inception.
It's not been a bad year really I guess, my dear gran is still alive, I love her dearly and cherish my visits to see her. My dad is always there should I need help and I love and respect him too.
On the downside, my health hasn't been great, I've been concealing things and may need to open up about them in the coming year but I will say this, I'll soldier on whatever may come with my usual plucky hobbit resolve. I'm also hoping my car insurance/accident issue will conclude as quickly as possible in the new year.
Talking of resolve, I intend to blog more during 2011 as writing is therapeutic and something I need to do. I'm not sure what 2011 will bring, I know what I'd like it to bring but I never heap my hopes on too many things, each day is very much an amazing thing indeed and something we should never take for granted.
Thanks for reading and a happy 2011 to everyone who reads the Hobbit's Journal !
An erroneous phone call in January led me to Nottingham, working in a homeless shelter and helping out in it's music shop in the city centre. Nottingham in many ways has changed many of my views on things this year, I've seen some genuinely sad things but I've also seen people move on in life, that is a rewarding to watch in itself. The people in Nottingham have been amazing and I can honestly say I've enjoyed my time there this year immensely.
2010 has also been a year of music, since working in the music shop has its advantages and my knowledge (which was already large or so I thought) has grown to encompass much more styles, bands and genre's of music. The year began with loving the Cocteau twins and moved through 60s psychedelia, electronica, progressive and a plethora of others.
This year saw me reunited with old school friends via Facebook and then meeting them again in person, it felt good to rekindle old friendships again and I hope to see more of them in 2011.
On the social front 2010 has been manic to say the least, weddings, parties, functions, birthdays, gigs, fancy dress and fund raising events. It seemed the summer of love in some respects as weddings graced most months. My friend Dom's stag night was probably the best night I had out all year and brought all of my local male friends together for an epic night. Sadly I missed the following wedding as Gary was back over from Hong Kong and in truth I wish I'd gone to wish them well, even though weddings aren't my thing.
I've seen many friendships grow this year and on stepping into 2011 I feel I am fortunate to have such a good friends network around me.
February saw me visit Malta, fortunately dodging the ash cloud problem from Iceland. It was a nice little break, so much so I went back this month (another blog coming sometime on that). There were other jaunts too, to the lovely north east Yorkshire coast, Norfolk and to London. There were also trips to York and other picturesque places and parks.
April saw the election announcement and I decided I may be changing my vote this time around.
The election duly came in May, I voted, it was a hung parliament which proved a very disenchanted nation indeed. The coalition was formed and even though the party I had voted for were in the coalition I began to have immediate misgivings.
June was the world cup, and lots of social engagements, a busy month indeed. To be fair I never really got into this world cup and didn't watch that much of it at all, though I did spend more time at Meadow Lane this year watching my beloved Notts County, and what a year they've had!
July came, I aged another year, more flecks of grey hair and creaks when I get out of bed in a morning! Gary was visiting (glued annoyingly to his ipad), weddings were happening and I breathed in the lovely pure air when we visited the Whitby area.
August saw a lovely new real ale pub open in town called 'Just Beer' and since then it has gone from strength to strength. I'll probably spend more time down there in 2011 but usually in January I have a month off the beer.
September saw the odious pope visit, something that made my blood boil and for some odd reason I remember a Colombian being named as the worlds shortest man!
October saw the miners in Chile rescued, an amazing feat and testament to mankind ingenuity. I visited London to register at a model/movie extras agency which was a huge boost to morale. Nothing has come of it yet but I hope in 2011 that something does come of it. I also started playing the truly fantastic Lord of the Rings online game.
November, well nothing much happened and the cold weather closed in.
December saw me return to Malta once more and even have a couple of interesting trysts with someone whilst there.
During 2010 there's been some great television, the excellent Ancient Civilisations on the BBC along with the Apprentice and Dragons Den. And I really have to mention the funny yet starkly gritty 'This is England 86'.
Film wise I loved Centurion and Black Death. The Spartacus series was immense and I want more! On the downside there were turkeys at the cinema including Iron Man 2 and the dreadful Inception.
It's not been a bad year really I guess, my dear gran is still alive, I love her dearly and cherish my visits to see her. My dad is always there should I need help and I love and respect him too.
On the downside, my health hasn't been great, I've been concealing things and may need to open up about them in the coming year but I will say this, I'll soldier on whatever may come with my usual plucky hobbit resolve. I'm also hoping my car insurance/accident issue will conclude as quickly as possible in the new year.
Talking of resolve, I intend to blog more during 2011 as writing is therapeutic and something I need to do. I'm not sure what 2011 will bring, I know what I'd like it to bring but I never heap my hopes on too many things, each day is very much an amazing thing indeed and something we should never take for granted.
Thanks for reading and a happy 2011 to everyone who reads the Hobbit's Journal !
Friday, December 03, 2010
That Man Epicurus, Again!
In times of winter, when you hear of tragedy and death or in fact anytime when you switch the tv on and see something regarding death or injustice - you think 'why'?
“Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call call him God?”
I just love this point that Epicurus puts across, bearing in mind its not aimed at christianity, more gods in general but it still holds up really well and show's us how intelligent people were back then.
“Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call call him God?”
I just love this point that Epicurus puts across, bearing in mind its not aimed at christianity, more gods in general but it still holds up really well and show's us how intelligent people were back then.
Snow
Never since I've moved to Newark have I known snow like this. On Tuesday the trains stopped running, the town seemed devoid of life, even my local supermarket was a breeze to get around. Most of the other shops had not bothered opening (wise indeed) and the market had been abandoned, though I hear a couple of plucky stall holders still made it. It looks like most of the nation has been gripped with a rather premature freeze and Scotland has had the worst of it (let them have it!!!). I just hope it's all gone before my holiday abroad in three weeks and my plane is clear for take off.
My car from the bedroom window, covered in snow!
A view of the car park opposite my flat.
The gloomy church yard as I passed through to go to the local supermarket.
Light
Took this photo walking across the market square last week. It is times like this I wish I had a better camera but as the light hit the church I thought it a good idea to capture the moment.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
What An Idiot
Today I spent a productive morning down at the homeless centre in Nottingham. At 12:30pm I usually saunter up to the Music Exchange project and do a bit of time there. On the route I tend to stop off at Waterstones or browse the shops of the Hockley area, time permitting.
Strolling along I heard young voices behind me, one standing out above the giggling others. His comments squarely aimed at me and my stature, they weren't nice but I've heard them all before truth be known, so I smiled and kept walking thinking they were just the usual baseball capped/hoody type of youth scoring cheap laughs in front of friends.
As I was overtaken, I saw they numbered three, one afro-caribbean guy doing the fun making, an indian guy and an oriental girl. I have to confess this shocked me a little. The name calling isn't an issue at all, I've heard them all before and as my close friends will vouch I definately have a devilish sense of humour. I guess it was the fact that people of different diversities and cultures are generally more respectful when it comes to 'difference' or perhaps evidently not!?
The reason I often praise Nottingham is because of how diverse yet tolerant everyone is, I often joke you could walk through the city naked and painted blue and nobody would bat an eye.
I remarked quite sardonically 'what an idiot' to which the afro-caribbean guy asked 'what did you say?' I'd no wish to continue the game so smiled and walked on, the fact being it is a no win situation really for obvious reasons I don't need to explain. Usually I wouldn't have said anything but I did feel a genuine pang of disappointment in the guys actions and he was being an idiot especially when some people would have perhaps highlighed his skin colour thus fanning the flames for confrontation and doing nothing for racial harmony.
There's no real moral to this blog, I just feel vexed that people of different ethnic origins would verbally attack someone in a way that they obviously wouldn't like to be attacked themselves. I know people are people regardless of ethnic background but I can't deny today left me feeling a bit sad really, not for myself but for the protagonists.
Strolling along I heard young voices behind me, one standing out above the giggling others. His comments squarely aimed at me and my stature, they weren't nice but I've heard them all before truth be known, so I smiled and kept walking thinking they were just the usual baseball capped/hoody type of youth scoring cheap laughs in front of friends.
As I was overtaken, I saw they numbered three, one afro-caribbean guy doing the fun making, an indian guy and an oriental girl. I have to confess this shocked me a little. The name calling isn't an issue at all, I've heard them all before and as my close friends will vouch I definately have a devilish sense of humour. I guess it was the fact that people of different diversities and cultures are generally more respectful when it comes to 'difference' or perhaps evidently not!?
The reason I often praise Nottingham is because of how diverse yet tolerant everyone is, I often joke you could walk through the city naked and painted blue and nobody would bat an eye.
I remarked quite sardonically 'what an idiot' to which the afro-caribbean guy asked 'what did you say?' I'd no wish to continue the game so smiled and walked on, the fact being it is a no win situation really for obvious reasons I don't need to explain. Usually I wouldn't have said anything but I did feel a genuine pang of disappointment in the guys actions and he was being an idiot especially when some people would have perhaps highlighed his skin colour thus fanning the flames for confrontation and doing nothing for racial harmony.
There's no real moral to this blog, I just feel vexed that people of different ethnic origins would verbally attack someone in a way that they obviously wouldn't like to be attacked themselves. I know people are people regardless of ethnic background but I can't deny today left me feeling a bit sad really, not for myself but for the protagonists.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Lord Of The Rings Online
The last few weeks have seen me glued to my pc screen playing Lord of the Rings online or LOTRO as it's known in gaming circles. I've played MMORPG's (massive multiplayer online roleplay games) before starting with Guild Wars a few years ago but recently found out Lotro was becoming free to download and play. I'm several weeks into playing it and can honestly say it's been an amazing experience, graphically the game looks stunning and the locations feel realistic to the Lord of the Rings books. You start with humble beginnings but soon your character starts to take form and high adventure awaits!
Some of my friends think it's a little sad of me but it passes time and to be able to explore Tolkiens Middle Earth virtually is something else, and very rewarding. So here's some screen shots of my character 'Gildora Grumbleweed' in action (Yep she's a hobbit!)
Some of my friends think it's a little sad of me but it passes time and to be able to explore Tolkiens Middle Earth virtually is something else, and very rewarding. So here's some screen shots of my character 'Gildora Grumbleweed' in action (Yep she's a hobbit!)
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Waterstones
I love books. Nothing beats a good book and whilst commuting to Nottingham and back this year a book of some description has been my constant companion. Often when I get chance I pop into Waterstones where ever I may be - I grab it, to peruse books which usually ends in me succumbing to temptation and buying one. This week whilst in Nottingham I had 30 mins to spare between going from one place to another so dropped into Waterstones.
I've had a mind for a while to read Lord of the Rings again, in the past I only ever got it from the library, read it and then returned it. I thought it would be good to have the three volumes for myself in some kind of hardback format as I know in the future I'll read them again or use them for reference. Ironically I did spy a nice set of them bound in a leather case in a local bookshop some months ago but when I got around to returning the bookshop had sadly closed.
So into Waterstones I went and found some lovely 50th anniversary hard backed ones with the covers made up of illustrations drawn by Tolkien himself. To my horror they only had the 2nd and 3rd volume. I searched in vain before asking an assistant. He checked the stores computer and then turned to me and said 'Sorry but we sold the last Fellowship of the Ring (1st volume) last September'. I stood and blinked and thought why haven't they bothered to re-stock it? It's not like it's an obscure book!? The chances of the other two volumes in the same range are surely unlikely to sell, so why have them out on the shelves?
I'm not angry at Waterstones (well maybe a bit) but surely in these days of technology stock should be better monitored?
I've had a mind for a while to read Lord of the Rings again, in the past I only ever got it from the library, read it and then returned it. I thought it would be good to have the three volumes for myself in some kind of hardback format as I know in the future I'll read them again or use them for reference. Ironically I did spy a nice set of them bound in a leather case in a local bookshop some months ago but when I got around to returning the bookshop had sadly closed.
So into Waterstones I went and found some lovely 50th anniversary hard backed ones with the covers made up of illustrations drawn by Tolkien himself. To my horror they only had the 2nd and 3rd volume. I searched in vain before asking an assistant. He checked the stores computer and then turned to me and said 'Sorry but we sold the last Fellowship of the Ring (1st volume) last September'. I stood and blinked and thought why haven't they bothered to re-stock it? It's not like it's an obscure book!? The chances of the other two volumes in the same range are surely unlikely to sell, so why have them out on the shelves?
I'm not angry at Waterstones (well maybe a bit) but surely in these days of technology stock should be better monitored?
Monday, November 08, 2010
Insular
I've been a little insular of late, preferring my own company and the solitude of my flat. For some reason I've found crowds difficult and have been happy in with my own company. This is no reflection on my friends, it just seems to be a phase of sorts I am going through, inexplicable really. It's not that I've been avoiding people, I've just been reluctant to go out and more content with the comfort of home and my own company.
Reading lots of books and online gaming seem to be taking most of my time up and seem almost an escapism, sad I know! I seem at an impass, I'm not depressed or down, neither am I particularly happy either, it's a bizarre empty feeling.
On the plus side I suspect there's good times ahead with friends and normal happy hobbit service will be resumed shortly!
Reading lots of books and online gaming seem to be taking most of my time up and seem almost an escapism, sad I know! I seem at an impass, I'm not depressed or down, neither am I particularly happy either, it's a bizarre empty feeling.
On the plus side I suspect there's good times ahead with friends and normal happy hobbit service will be resumed shortly!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)