Rip's Ramble
Life In The Eyes Of...
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Monday, September 30, 2002
Slept in this morning (9:05), then found the car battery was flat. Got off the bus coming home then realised I'd parked my car closer to work to save time in the morning. Wrote a long blog in Word, then highlighted it to copy it across and clicked "paste" ...all gone... Otherwise has been a good day :/
The CEO of Isle of Man International Broadcasting reads the forums. After my post last night about the proposed antenea he wrote me an email outlining some of his companies versions of facts. I copied it across to the forum as I believe it is in the public interest.
My blog was so long, so witty and interesting, I cannot do it justice by trying to rewrite it, so I wont :/ Grrrrrrrr @ me
Sunday, September 29, 2002
I love Sundays (as a rule).
Today? Up for our weekly trip to the NSC Swimming Pool. One minor problem, I only had a couple of pound in change, so had to pay my £4.60 enterance by cheque :o Luckily I did have enough on me for the locker. Once in, the 90 minutes passed way too quickly, we were up and down the slides, back and forth across the big pool on and off the provided floating mats etc. Pushed round and round and under the bridge in the far fun pool by the underwater jets , and generally going silly in the shallow fun pool :) Oh, and there was time to do some proper swimming learning during the session ;)
One thing I have yet to do, is to convince Junior to have a go down the faster of the two slides. Children under a metre in height are supposed to go down the "red" slide on a 'responsible' (D'ohhh) adult's lap, and therefore until he was 3 years old and tall enough, he wasn't able to go down the "green" slide. Now that he is big enough, he is brainwashed into thinking that he is too small (My legs are too short, he says) and no ammount of persuasion will change his mind. As his father, I would have been happy to let him go on the green slide ages ago, but I respected the pools rules over my knowledge of my sons capabilities.
Maybe I need to carry him up and when there is space, hurl him into the pipe before he has a chance to realise what I am doing... Nooooo, even I'm not 'that' cruel ;)
We were up the Scollag Road today in the car, after avoiding a family picking wild flowers from the embankment (round a blind bend and where the road is barely wide enough for 2 cars to scrape past each other) I pulled tight to the side as I saw a horse and trap approaching. The horse came forward and I recognised the driver and his wife. He stopped alongside me for a little chat and I let Junior out of his seat to stand on my lap and lean out of my window to see the horse more clearly. An oncoming car behind the trap stopped and must have thought we were taking the mickey with our conversation ;) I waved to aknowledge his presence and Junior sat back down. After making sure he was strapped back in we waited for the horse to move away and edged forward.
I waved again to the oncoming car to thank him for his patience and he didn't seem too annoyed, but then again, this is the countryside on an Island and it was a luvely Sunday afternoon, so I didn't care :p
Junior went to the beach in Douglas with Mummy while I had some time at home this afternoon, came home without trousers, from paddling too deep :) snad all over himself and his backside as black as coal. A while back, one of his ways to amuse himself on one occasion was to paint his bike seat with black paint. I had forgotten about that until today when he came home after a good "bottom half naked" ride along the Prom. My fault entirely, I thought as I stiffled a laugh.
He had a bath last night, a swim this morning, a paddle this afternoon, and another bath at tea time... I said he likes water :) Bedtime was simple, he was more or less telling me it was time to go up.
Watched the F1 race (nice finish lads, Whooops :Þ ) and wrote a little piece about the proposed CFA transmitter off the Ramsey coast on the Forum. Now I think sleep beckons me as I am sure it does those who read the post ;)
Saturday, September 28, 2002
\o/ \o/ \o/
Champagne corks are popping in Sunderland tonight :) Wooohooooooo...
\o/ \o/ \o/
Edited to add> After such a poor run in form, I wonder what odds I can get for them beating Arsenal and ending the soft southern jessie's record breaking run next Sunday? Someone has to do it, Hmmmmmmm
Saturday....... Sunderland v Aston Villa. Time for the team in red and white to show the pride and fighting spirit that wearing the shirt demands. Will the fans be smiling at 5pm?
One point to mention, Today may see the return of defender Jody Craddock. On the weekend that football grounds were holding a minutes silence following the deaths of Holly & Jessica, Sunderland fans were also laying flowers after the death of Jody's 4 month old son Jake. Jody is loved at the club, and the tradgic news hit all the fans hard. Good to see that he feels ready to return.
Junior is at a birthday party this afternoon. Getting him there is fine, but pick-up time clashes with kick off for the second half of the game. I wish parents would plan their children's parties better ;)
Friday, September 27, 2002
Best British Blog Competition
The winner has been announced, and £1,000 of prize money is winging it's way to the creater of Scarey Duck.
The list of the top 30 blogs is here And Rip's Ramble is nowhere to be seen :(
Thursday, September 26, 2002
One of the many ideas behind bloging is to share links to favourite and noteworthy sites that you come across as you surf. Here's a few I found tonight. I don't think I'll be adding them to my Favourites tho' ;)
2 Socks
Top Tunes
Introducing the iToilet
Gingerbread Menace
Wednesday, September 25, 2002
I popped out for an hour tonight to the ManxNet LAN night in Douglas, Looked like a good turn out and all were doing their best to blow each other to bits :) Big wave to you guys and lady.
I was offered a play by a couple but politely declined due the wish to avoid total embarassment ;)
Best moment in a good humoured evening,was while chatting to MBX who had been the butt of the joking as to his 'low spec' PC not being good enough to play one game. Not only did he find he could play, but he kicked some serious arse, Played mate :)
Maybe one day when I can afford a decent PC upgrade I'll pluck up the courage to have a go myself. Then teach them all the sweet art of fragging :) For tonight I was happy to watch.
It's nice to put faces to names (the main reason for going) Surprise of the night was Southerner, deff looked older than I imagined :Þ Joking, joking ;)
Work today was busy, Initiative has been the keyword this week. Have been given a licence to sort out some high value orders without running back and forth asking this and asking that.... Remember my earlier comment about "thank goodness it isn't my money? LOL
A link that you may or may not like depending on your PSR (Personal Sadness Rating) is here. I am not going to even try and describe it.
Monday, September 23, 2002
I was going to go to bed at 10pm tonight but a bottle of "Deliciously fruity and floral" french white wine caught my eye and who was I to argue? *hic. As a direct result, I've written a couple of response provoking posts on the forums lol
I wrote a sombre email tonight to someone who means a lot to me, if you are reading this, you know who you are and I hope that my reply to your email raised a smile even if it was just a corner of your mouth xxx
I'm having trouble balancing on my seat, so I'm gonna crawl upstairs. I uploaded the BeeGee's version of Ellan Vannin to my Yahoo page earlier tonite. If you want it, help yourself BUT bear in mind that it was released as a charity boosting single, If you grab a copy, think about throwing a bit of spare change in the next "tin" you see as compensation.
sweet dreams xx
*gone*
A quick one while Junior finishes his cup of milk...
I like emails, I love emails, I'd probably shrivel up and die if it wasn't for emails.... One little fact tho'...5.5MegaFirkinByte attatchments might be funny to watch *once they arrive* but sitting around waiting for the blue receive line to meander it's way to the top aint my way of spending a pleasent Monday evening. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR I only have a 56k modem!!!!
All I can say is, it's a good job my PC was online all day and it was waiting for me when I got home ;) Cheers Stav, i did enjoy :)
Sunday, September 22, 2002
Junior woke briefly then went straight back to sleep which meant I had time to finish scanning and compressing some more photos and a couple of cartoons that I received in Emails. They are now uploaded. And yes, there are two photos of me in there :o
The house to myself for the weekend and have I been out boogying? Have I been getting drunk and partying with loose women? Nope :(
For some reason I felt the urge to make the most of the peace and quiet and have been tidying the house big style and doing a few jobs that I've been putting off far a while. Finished it all in time to settle down and watch the second half of Villa v Everton, much more entertaining than the game I watched yesterday.
By the time full time was approaching, Junior was bursting through the door shouting "Daddyyyyyy, I'm hooooooome" :) He promptly threw himself on my lap for big hugs :) We chatted about all the things that he'd been up to (park, swimming etc.) He'd had a great time :) Tired out as he was, he asked if we could go to Manxland in the Summerland complex, and I thought "Why not?" We've had an hour there playing on all the bits and pieces and now we are home again. We've had a bite to eat and Junior has flaked out on the sofa.
While I was straightening the book shelves, I found my favourite photo, I'd taken it from the album to scan into the PC but never actually got round to it. Deff a job for when it's quiet this evening. It is one of only two pictures that I am in and I dont mind (I hate seeing myself on photos). I'll upload it too, cos it is one that I'd happily share :)
Right, I'm going to carry this little man upstairs and tuck him up for the night.
Saturday, September 21, 2002
Newcastle 2 Sunderland 0
I cannot recall seeing a game so disapointing. I'll leave it to the Manager Peter Reid,
Good Morning :)
Just before the game starts, Thanks Ariel for checking the Yahoo Pages for me. Last night I was having a few problems gaining access and messing with settings. As far as I know, access to the pages I wanted is now open to all. I've uploaded a couple of files and 11 photos. I have adjusted the settings so that non-Yahoo members can access the pages too Feel free to have a look :)
A new link is also now added on the left hand column.
Big wave today goes to Junior and his Mummy and S :) What could have gone a different way appears to be working nicely and I'm proud of all the positive things that we all have and the way we are are going forward in life. I love you xxx
Right, time to get comfy on the sofa and turn on the telly.
I've been busy tonight trying to create a page over at Yahoo Groups. If anyone is still reading this blog and has a Yahoo account can they have a look and tell me if it is working please?
According to the countdown, this should be ONE DAY TO GO... but seeing as the midnight hour has passed, the day is actually today. If you have no interest in football, then I'm sorry but you are about to be severely disapointed because later today Sunderland travel to Newcastle to play in the first of the season's Tyne-Wear derbys.
Liverpool and Everton? Man Utd and City? Aston Villa and Birmingham? This is nothing compared to the passion of the supporters in the North East of England. When Suderland were promoted back into the Premiership a few years back the powers that be banned away fans from the other's ground. Husbands and wives, brothers and sisters will not speak, drink or sit within spitting distance of each other if they wear opposing shirts. As far as the fans are concerned, this isn't just a football match, this is 90 minutes representing centuries of hatred, jealousy and general feelings of ill-will. In the middle of all this, two managers and 22 players have to walk out of the changing rooms and pray that they all have still have jobs come Monday morning.
Friday, September 20, 2002
Untitled
As you were going away from me
The sun was in my eye
I rubbed, I squinted, turned away
Hell no... I didn't cry
The room is quiet way too soon
The sun's still shining bright
The curtains open, windows wide
Still h'rs til it is night
At 8 o'clock it should be fun
Pyjamas, biscuits, milk
Feet hiding from approaching socks
Hugs on a face like silk
Fairy tales of days of yore
Then head down for the night
One more kiss, and close the door
A smile as off goes the light
That is when the peace should start
Not now while it's still day
Oh how that sun did hurt my eyes
As you were going away
(c) Ripsaw
Thursday, September 19, 2002
2 days to D-Day, and I have stumps where once there were fingers.....
Wonderful Daddy-Son moment #6,375 (ish)
Tonights bedtime book was an alphabet book. It's an old one that we've had out on numerous occassions in the past. Big bold colourful letters that are doors in the page with pictures behind. We take it in turns to draw each letter with our finger and say the letter and all the things we can see on the page which start with that letter. Junior has always had a problem pronouncing his his F's and V's. Think about the number of combinations of shapes that your tongue, lips and throat make to say the alphabet. Whereas most letter sounds require opening or forward movements of the lips, F and V require a slight pull inwards of the bottom lip to touch the bottom of the top row of teeth before the sound can be made... Simple eh? Anyway, as I was saying, F and V have always been troublesome. Tonight, we blew first, then we played mouth shapes then I held his bottom lip as he made the sound. Usually he bores quickly and turns the page of thinks of a way to move on to something different. Tonight he was happy enough to do it, then again and again
"h, h.....f.... f.... ffffff, ffffffish ... I said it"
"No you didn't"
Yes I did, I said fffffffish"
"I didn't hear you"
"FFFFISH!!!"
Big kisses and cuddles ensued :) Then I moved on to 'G' ;)
Wednesday, September 18, 2002
3 days to D-Day, my fingernails cannot take much more......
Found this Bee Gees' Lyrics site tonight, Pasted the words to two of my favourite songs...My Life Has Been A Song.
Sweet simple song of diff'rent lights and diff'rent shades
The sound of life erupts and fades and all the world must play along
My life has been a song
Here as I sleep, the love I dream will gently creep
Inside my heart I softly keep the tune that plays too long
My life has been a song
Ev'ry sound in my head, ev'ry word that I said is like a melody melody
That no little person like me could ever change
Ev'ry sound in the street , all the cold and the heat
is like a symphony symphony
Which has never before been rearranged
Sweet simple song of diff'rent lights and diff'rent shades
The sound of life erupts and fades and all the world must play along
My life has been a song
Ev'ry sound in my head , ev'ry word that I said is like a melody melody
That no little person like me could ever change
Ev'ry sound in the street , all the cold and the heat
is like a symphony symphony
Which has never before been rearranged
Sweet simple song of diff'rent lights and diff'rent shades
The sound of life erupts and fades and all the world must play along
My life has been a song
Ev'ry sound in my head , ev'ry word that I said is like a melody melody
That no little person like me could ever change
Ev'ry sound in the street , all the cold and the heat
is like a symphony symphony
Which has never before been rearranged
* * * * * * * * * *
I Started A Joke.
I started a joke, which started the whole world crying,
but I didn't see that the joke was on me, oh no.
I started to cry, which started the whole world laughing,
oh, if I'd only seen that the joke was on me.
I looked at the skies, running my hands over my eyes,
and I fell out of bed, hurting my head from things that I'd said.
Til I finally died, which started the whole world living,
oh, if I'd only seen that the joke was on me.
I looked at the skies, running my hands over my eyes,
and I fell out of bed, hurting my head from things that I'd said.
'Til I finally died, which started the whole world living,
oh, if I'd only seen that the joke was one me, that the joke was on me...
* * * * * * * * * *
I've only ever written two pieces myself - on the Forum, of course ;)
Solitude and Solitude ll
I think that I am strange in the fact that I rarely feel down with life, there is so much that is good about it :) I was in a good mood on both occassions that the above were penned :)
Tuesday, September 17, 2002
4 days to D-Day, and the tension is mounting......
A bit more about me.
When I registered to start this blog the details page asked for a site description. Not sure of what I would blog about, I simply inserted the word "Life..." I keep mentioning the Forums as that is where the vast majority of my keyboard tapping ends up. I don't want to be in the position where I say the same things in real life as I say in chat and then on the Forum and finally in here. On the forums I can write in a personal manner without actually giving away many personal reasons for the way I think, maybe here I can share more of the emotional side, the things that lay behind what appears elsewhere whether it be in the "threads" or even in real life...
I believe that I am simple in mind and simple in deed. That doesn't mean that I think myself stupid, despite the odd clanger that I drop ;) By that I mean that I hate complicating matters. I think deeply about subjects close to my heart, but always strive to express them as simply and clearly as possible. This isn't always easy and more often than not I end up spending twice as long explaining myself, much to the deprement of the listener's ears. Often in real life I project a shyness or withdrawn appearence when I meet people. In one on one situations where I feel comfortable I can be the most outgoing person you could meet, it's often difficult to shut me up, but put me in a room of new faces and I'm the one in the corner.
The thing is, I want a better world. A better world for me, for Junior, for all who inhabbit this Island, this planet... If I had to pick an emotion or adjective to describe myself... it would be frustrated.
I wrote earlier that I wanted to justify my existance, that life without meaning is no life at all. Part of me is always seeking reassurance, to know that I mean something to somebody but at the same time I don't expect or seek praise for what I do... I do what I do and that is the end of it. I want to be good influence on people but I don't want to be thanked for it.
Simple, eh?
Barclay James Harvest
Who? LOL
There is a link in the left margin to just one site about this Manchester group from the 70's. Why do I like them? It isn't easy to describe. I blame one of my older brothers for introducing me them. I have passed on "the word" to a number of others, and I know that a couple read this blog, to you I apologise for sounding repetative.
BJH were a group who saw little recognition in the UK. They found most of their success in mainland Europe. The site has links to the lyrics of all of their recorded material, even I must admit to being surprised as to how much had been pressed on vinyl. If you don't know them and are feeling brave, I'd suggest opening your favourite MP3 download software and grabbing "Child of the Universe", "In Memory of the Martyrs", "Suicide" and "Sip of Wine". then open a tinnie, turn out the lights and close your eyes. I always recommend the Live versions if possible as BJH are a group that suit the public stage.
Politics
In my second message (25th Aug) I said I am a bit of a "wannabe politition". I truely believe that I can do good for those around me. It is something that I have discussed privately with several people and have received encouragement to go for it. My frustration comes to a head when I think about simple solutions and see those with the ability to do something either apparently unaware of the situation or determined to make it as difficult as possible to get something done. At the same time I am scared of coming up against the system and loosing the will to fight.
I am a homeowner but worry about prices and those struggling to find a permanent roof over their head. I rarely run out of ideas to entertain Junior but fear as to where he will seek his fun as he grows. I drive a car, but share the dispair of others who travel in and around the towns. We have 24 elected members, Is there not one who thinks beyond their 5 year term in office? Does no-one see that things need to be done now to prepare for life in 10, 15, 20 years time?
The Isle of Man is a beautiful place, I know that. I certainaly don't want to appear to be a comeover who wants to change it all. I love living here, it is the place where I want Junior to live, to grow... I do want him to love it as an adult too... I believe that there are ways to enhance life for all without degrading it for any.
One of these days I will use my allotted space on the Manxnet Homepages to put down some of my firm ideas. Plenty are dotted around on the Forum pages, but I want to gather them up in one place so I can tie them together. Who knows... It is just over three years until the next national election, maybe by then I will have plucked up enough courage to put my money where my mouth is ;)
BTW... Did I mention that it is only 4 days to D-Day??
Monday, September 16, 2002
5 days to D-Day, and I'm already nervous :o
Not much else to share really today. Busy day at work helped the time fly, and Junior was his usual happy full of life self. We've played in the garden, danced a little, sang a couple of songs and run for our life from the big bad wolf trying to blow the house down :)
I'm not a Guardian reader, but I followed a link from blogger.com to details of a national competition to find Britains best blog. Had a quick look again today and there is a page of some of the best blogs nominated so far. One that caught my eye was Minor 9th. If you want to enter your site to win £1000 click here.
On a more serious note, can you imagine that in the year 2002 you could be stoned to death for having sex outside of marriage? And in a country due to hold the next Miss World competition... Read about it here
More from me later dudes
Saturday, September 14, 2002
It was great today at Onchan Park. The playgound was full of parents and kids enjoying the facilities and the sunshine. Came home to listen to the Sunderland game online. Remember my promise previously on the page to inflate Juniors 'other' paddling pool? I turned the sound up a bit on the PC so I could hear it in the back garden, and started huffing and puffing 5 minutes after kick off. By half time, the bladdy thing was ready for filling with water......... I am deffinatley going to buy some sort of mechanical pump in the near future. The pool is 6 foot square by a foot in depth, you could park a small car in the inflatable slide part. I kept feeling light headed as I was blowing it and I thought I was going to fall over when I eventualy stood up.
His other pool is small enough to fill with a bucket and several trips between the lawn and the tap, not this one... I have a hose pipe, but I removed the outside tap a while back when putting up a conservatory and the newly located pipe poking out through the house wall was still crimped at the end awaiting a new tap to be fitted. I weighed up the situation and realised I could turn off the water, cut the end of the pipe and replace the old tap faster than I could do the several hundred trips that the bucket method would require. [technical bit] All I needed was a 15mm olive to complete the compression fitting, then I thought, do I have one? 15 minutes of digging through the contents of my badly organised tool boxes in the back of my car and success. HA! who needs B&Q? I climbed over the bits and pices laid on the ground at the side of the conservatory and thought to myself "Hmmm, bringing my pipecutter and a couple of spanners might have been a good idea"... back over all the bits and pieces, through the house to the car and dig through all my boxes again that I had just neatly restacked in the boot. Anyway, to cut a long story short, by the time I had sorted the tap and filled the pool (with a few buckets of water from the hot tap), Junior was shivering in cold water in the dark and Sunderland had lost 3-0. Blaaaah.
Now I am typing this and there is a problem with the internet connection from the Isle of Man to the outside world. Manx sites are opening ok, but as soon as I try to access off Island sites such as MSN, Blogger and GoatPorn.co.uk the data seems to tiptoe into the water and run back screaming. Aparently, the internet was designed to stand firm against nuclear war, but what threat does an imploding atom pose to global communications when compared to the Irish Sea?
Big wave tonight goes to Dom. Never met the guy or chatted with him, but many thanks for looking in :)
Woohoooo, somebody pluged the Internet back in, best click publish fast.
Is there a mood icon for severely depressed ?
:~(
Edited to add > It's a football thing, no need for any more emails giving the phone number of The Samaritains, thanks ;)
Friday, September 13, 2002
My Sun bronzed traveling friend should be back in the UK now. Cannot wait to hear the stories, see the pics and get my arse kicked on Wordox again ;)
3 big waves tonight, Bambi (Isle of Man) emailer of such gems as:
After her sixth child, Lucy decided that she should have some cosmetic surgery "down below" to restore herself to her former youthful glory because her bomb doors were dangling a bit too low and looked like a ripped out fireplace.
Time and childbirth had taken its toll and she reckoned that, with six children now being the limit, she'd tidy things with a nip here and a tuck there so it looked more like a piggy bank slot rather than a badly packed kebab.
Following the operation she awoke from her anaesthetic to find three roses
at the end of the bed. "Who are these from?" she asked the nurse, "They're very nice but I'm a bit confused as to why I've received them."
"Well" said the nurse, "The first is from the surgeon - the operation went so well and you were such a model patient that he wanted to say thanks".
"Ahhh, that's really nice" said Lucy.
"The second is from your husband - he's delighted the operation was such a success that he can't wait to get you home. Apparently it'll be the first time he's touched the sides for years and he's very excited!"
"Brilliant!" said Lucy, "And the third?".
"That's from Eric in the burns unit", said the nurse."He just wanted to say thanks for his new ears!"
...Nikki (N.Yorkshire) I emailed instructions on fitting a new hard drive a couple of days ago and haven't heard yet if it was a success.....
...Ean (Isle of Man too) Thanks for reminding me about the Sunderland Vs Middlesborough score. Just kick me when I'm feeling down, why dont ya? ;)
Readers of the Forums will have maybe read my posts about incineration and landfill. Reading ManxMan.com this evening I found links to similar topics in their archives albeit with slightly different wording. Their opinions on the subject are here. When I read the pages, I wondered if they had been reading my posts and changed the tone slightly :/
Tuesday, September 10, 2002
Big wave tonight goes to Blakey for this email:
Everybody please watch out for the following viruses ...
The Manchester United Virus ... This is where your PC thinks its far superior than any other PC and develops a memory disorder, forgetting anything that happened before 1993.
The David Beckham Virus ... This affects newer PC's mainly. The computer looks great, all the lights are on, but nothing works.
The Roy Keane Virus ... This one is particularly nasty and will throw you out of Windows ...
The Alex Ferguson Virus ... The computer develops a continuous whining noise and the on screen clock runs a lot faster or slower (depending on how your days been), than all the other computers in the building.
The Fabien Barthez Virus .... This one's not particularly harmful - but you just can't save anything.
The Neville Bros. Virus ..... Just when you think things can't get any worse, this one pops up and causes a calamitous error.
The Ryan Giggs Virus ... The computer develops a processor problem, whereby it thinks it's better than it actually is. It also experiences dramatic fluctuation in performance.
The Luke Chadwick Virus .... This is a particularly ugly one.
The Manchester United Shirt Virus... This one is especially hard to detect as it changes it's format every 3 months.
Initiative noun The thing that all employers expect of you, as long as you never use it ;)
BTW, I had to dig out my big book of big words to place that definition as I forgot how to spell dictionary.com :o
I am now officially an expert at using Microstuft Excel, It has only taken me a week to teach myself the highly skilled and difficult task of inserting numbers into two or more cells and adding them together automatically :) Now I just need to find an application to show off my new learnt talent.
10 minute lunch today, the time passed so quickly this morning. Apparently. My desk is a teak wood kinda colour, I thought it was papier mashé cos I've only ever seen it 'paper white' coloured. Support Desk phoned me at 3pm worried that I'd fallen out with them as I hadn't phoned today.
Note to Ariel... I love you honey :)
Note to everyone else. I have comments now :)
Monday, September 09, 2002
Had an ok day today apart from leaving work a little late and having to stand in the drizzle waiting for the next bus and so being late to pick up my little man. By the time I had taken his coat and bag from the childminder's hands, he was sat in the car strapping himself in and pushing in his Joseph tape. He's not even four yet, and he knows most of the lyrics by heart. (Still has a way to go to catch up with his old man lol)
I phoned Portugal at the weekend to have a quick chat with a very close friend who has been away visiting her family with her son. She occasionally adds to the Forums from her home in the NorthWest of England, and we chat a lot on MSN, send each other SMS's and chat on the phone often. We've met up a few times here and across, sadly, not as often as we'd like to. I did hope to be able to fly out with them for the first week then head home and leave them toasting in the sunshine, but constraints of a monetry variety put a blocker on my hopes. A trip across is top of my list of things to do as soon as I have a couple of spare pennies in my pocket. A big hug to you Mama bear xxx :)
I have done pretty well as far as making friends online. Some I have known for as long as I have had a connection, some fell by the wayside, and I meet more as time goes on. It is nice to chat or email regularly and it is nice to catch up on news from those with who I chat intermittantly. So big waves to 'I' in London, 'S&J' in Lincoln, 'N' in N.Yorkshire, 'L&M' in Pensilvania, 'V,M&P' in New Mexico, 'L' in Korea and the "too many" to mention here on the Isle of Man. I'm having lunch out twice this week, and am always happy to natter over a cuppa or a pint when time/funds/Junior permit.
I had a look at the YACCS site tonight to see about adding a comments box to the page, but they are not signing up new users at the mo so that will have to wait a bit longer. There are a couple of alternative scripts, but they don't look as nice and I don't want to start with one then mess about changing over at a later date. I once wrote in one of my longer winded posts on the Forum "I did wonder on the way to work this morning if I was typing to myself or even for myself, although this I wouldn't have minded as it acts as a journal..." The same applies here. It's always nice to get positive feedback about the things I write, but if no one even reads my words then do I change my way of writing? Am I true to myself if I do? I am a great believer in doing as you think is right, not doing to please others. If there is anyone out there who likes to come back, then I am happier knowing that you come back for me and not someone that I am trying to be.
Today's motto? Better to be liked for who you are, than loved for who you are not...
Time for me to go check that boy and replace the sheets that he will have kicked off :) Nite nite and sweet dreams :)
Thursday, September 05, 2002
They say that if you've nothing sensible to say, that you should keep yer mouth shut... That's me buggered then ;)
Nothing much of interest happened today... work was work, had fish and chips for tea then when Junior went to bed I popped out socialising for a couple of hours. That was basically my day...
Ahhh, one new thing I did today, I was treated to dinner at Bar George. First time I've been in the place. Food was ok, but there was a definate lack of totty to oggle. The weather was a bit overcast today, so I'll have to try the place again on a warmer day...;)
I guess that's all I have to say tonight, so I wont try padding my text out. I'll just say night night, sweet dreams and hopefully I can find inspiration for tomorrow nights ramble.
Wednesday, September 04, 2002
Big wave tonight goes to Listener living proof that mustard and lime go together ;)
How does a person make their seemingly boring life sound interesting enough to
a) write about, and
b) make others want to return to catch up on the latest installment?
I dunno. On the exterier, I try to project a life of simple living. Nothing is a hassle, everything is simple. But life isn't really like that is it?
We are born, We die, and somewhere inbetween the taxman screws us.
If life was up to us, it would be so simple wouldn't it? but it isn't. We work to please our bosses, we dress to please the fashion Gurus, basically, we live to please others... but why?
In my opinion, we have a life, we should do the things that we think are right for us. If we aspire to the targets set by others then we are not being true to ourselves. You can guarantee that whenever we try to meet one persons expectations, we will find anothers whose expectations are higher... Sod them, live your life in a way that pleases you, others can respect and be happy for you or they can miss out on the wonderful person that you really are.
Coming back to the live/die comment, I recall as a teenager, growing up, that on numerous occassions I was hit with a moment of reality... one day I will die... Was it fair to me that my parents put me on this earth to one day grow up, grow old and eventually cease to exist? Even now as an adult there are times when I can be laid in bed without a care in the world and I am hit with the realisation that the inevitable will happen. It scares me... I shake as I try to change the thoughts in my head but at the end of the day, we are condemed the day that we are born. I want to know while I am alive that if we have a purpose in this life that one day I will fufill that purpose. I have done bad things in the past and good things, but this one thought drives me forward in the belief that I can NEVER stop seeking to justify my existance but to myself, not others. Time will tell if I have succeded, I pray that there is an afterlife so that I can find out if I have done as I hope...
When I look in on my son as he sleeps, plays or even sits on the sofa watching the TV, I pray that he will grow and thank me for his life. He gives me a purpose and I hope that one day he will be as proud of me as I am at this moment in time of him.
Monday, September 02, 2002
Fabbergasted? Yep. This bet of mine...Sunderland, Arsenal and Newcastle. I back them all to win and all 3 ended in score draws :o Me thinks time to start doing the pools :/ Mind you, as far as my bet was concerned, tonight's result was irrelevent. Not because of the two previous draws, but because of an email I received today. My bet was placed with Betinternet.com, a recently formed Manx based bookies who fought to obtain one of only three online betting licences being offered by the IOM Government last year. They offer a tax free, charge free, simple to register, simple to use service to over 150 countries worldwide. Unless that is, you reside on the Isle of Man (insert confused and amazed expression here). I received the following email "We regret to inform you that because betinternet.com plc is unable to accept accounts from Manx residents due to Isle of Man government legislation, we have had to suspend your account. Your account will be completely refunded to your card in the next few days. Any bets you have placed have been voided, and the stakes will also be refunded to your card. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause." W.T.F.??? The IOM is 'supposed' to be an E-commerce centre of excellence, special changes in the gaming laws were brought in to offer the licences, yet live here and you cannot use the service... Can you see the keyboard imprinted on my forehead?
BTW, it's my birthday today. Not that the 35th anniversary of my birth is a reason to celebrate. Overcoming disabilities, facing fears head on, doing that one thoughtless guesture which affects the life of another are reasons to celebrate. That isn't me being a grump, just trying to keep a perspective on life. Anyway, to the cheerful bits... I was met at the front door by Junior tonight. I pushed open the letterbox and there he was eyes lit up and voice hurrying me to open the door. I was dragged into the room, made to sit on the sofa and sang Happy Birthday to as he ran towards me, gift in his hands :) Helpful as ever, he even offered to open it for me and yes, he helped blow the candles on my cake out before the living room caught fire.
Work was ok today. Only one Email to support. Had a wander down to KFC for lunch and picked up a property guide from one of the estate agents on the way. Makes scarey reading for anyone wanting to get their foot on the property ladder. Yet more evidence of the stupid way that prices are shooting up from a lack of supply.
On a lighter note, a big, big wave to Ariel :) I have ofen written in the Manxnet Forums from the heart, trying to keep a humane perspective on the things that I write but always aware of the public nature of the medium. I know that this is public, but not quite to the same degree. It was from following the link to her Blog that I thought about starting this and to her I give thanks for her openness, honesty and sense of fun for making me think "I'll give it a go".
Cheers Hun :)
A wave too to Draglamps. Who? a group formed from idle chit chat on this thread on the forums. Last night I saw them performing a live accustic set in the Energy FM studios, and mighty fine they sounded too. A website is on the cards and I'll post a link as soon as I know it goes live. Good luck for the future guys.
On the Net? Love him or hate him, Jamie Oliver is everywhere. This site is an old one, it pays tribute to the man like no other. Warning!! Contains strong language.
Sunday, September 01, 2002
Child noun. a precious gift representing human life in it's most perfect form.
Was the visit to the pool as good as per usual? Sure was :) We went earlier this week as last time there were kiddies toys being cleared away as we entered the pool so I thought we'd take advantage of the fact that I woke a bit earlier than usual (7am on a Sunday??) Not only did we have 45mins longer in the pool, but paid less for the pleasure as 9:45 is classed as off peak so costs a pound less to get in :o.
Many thanks to Arsenal for drawing, NOT!! I can still get a bit of return on my stake if Newcastle can get a result against Liverpool tomorrow night (Live on Sky). I had a phone call from Sky today. Asking if I had liked having Premiership Plus last season (yes I had) and would I like it again this season (yes I would). I tried to get it for the discounted price before it went up on Aug 27th but they don't accept Switch cards for the on screen signing up. I meant to ring them to do it on the phone (oo-err) but hadn't got round to it yet. Sooooooo, not only did they offer it to me and still at the discount price, it was on their phone bill Hee hee :)
