2018-03-11 · 18:00

Call me, Gym

pexels-photo-136409 As you can tell from the title I have run out of gym puns.

Which doesn’t matter now as I have quite the gym. Last year I bought for a year in advance which ended on the 26th  of February. Over the course of that year I went to the gym 40 times.

That is not the best showing. The good news is that I spent less than I would have just going along to the gym and buying a day pass. So money wise it was, technically, worth it.

The thing about the gym is the amount of time it takes up. pexels-photo-859933 Granted I only live 15 minutes away but it still takes time. And I never felt like going after work or on consecutive days so that very much limited my options.

So what is my plan now? Abandon all hope of looking good and start washing myself with a rag on a stick?

No instead I am going to exercise at home. Little and often. I worked out that with the amount of time I went to the gym about 12 minutes, ish, a day would have more or less the same effect. This requires some fudging, and is by no means scientific, but I will see how it works.

dumbbells-training-silver-sports-163498 I bought a dumbbell. Yes. Just the one. I can alternate arms so there was no real need for two. I just need to make sure I keep a good count so that I don’t end up being lopsided.

I have no idea what effect doing weights for some few minutes a day will do. I will see how I look after giving it a few months.

I am also using Wii fit. I know that game is really old now but I enjoy it and I don’t have weighing scales other wise.

In addition to this there is walking. Today (2018-03-04) was a work day and I have walked 10.66 kilometres according to my pedometer so that and walking on days off might be enough.

How do you like to keep fit? What keeps you motivated to go to the gym? And how do you find the time?

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I just wanted to say that I have checked this post. I really have. Unfortunately my particular combination of dyslexia and dyspraxia makes it really hard for me to spot typos. Please enjoy and I’ll try not to make too many errors.

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2018-03-04 · 18:00

Universal Basic Income

Today I simply wanted to share this video with you. Have you heard of this idea before? What do you think about it?

I rather like the idea – and no not because I’m lazy. I think that this would give people the opportunity to seek out what they really want from life. If the basics are taken care of people can take a chance. They can go for that risky job, they can take a trip they have always wanted to take, they can ramble on their blog.

You don’t need me to tell you that it is all in the video. It may be the Star Trek fan in me talking but I think it would work. In the Trek universe, in general, it seems that people can do what they have a passion for – and wouldn’t that be a wonderful thing?

Unlike Star Trek we aren’t going to get rid of money. This brings me to the question of the boring jobs – as raised in the video. I think people would still do them. Why? Because the job would only be funding the fun stuff. And it is a lot easier to sit through a shift at Brain Numbing Inc if it is funding: a holiday to the beach, Netflix, cinema, and pizza rather than, rent, electricity, and gas. A question though would the internet count as an essential?

See you next time.

Funny story: I had planned this as a quick post so I could work on a longer one – but my complete lack of HTML skill meant it took rather longer!

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I just wanted to say that I have checked this post. I really have. Unfortunately my particular combination of dyslexia and dyspraxia makes it really hard for me to spot typos. Please enjoy and I’ll try not to make too many errors.

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2018-02-25 · 18:00

To-Do or Not To-do Lists that is the Question

I like lists. At least I think I like lists. I certainly use them a lot.  However sometimes it feels like my brain is like a security guard at an exclusive club. It even has a clip board.

What I mean by that is that if it is not on the list it doesn’t happen. Sometimes it doesn’t happen if it is on the list!

So far this year I can count this blog as a success from the list. This is being written on the 15th and for you it is the 25th. Scheduling is a real joy. I even feel tempted to put some in for the far future. Just for the hell of it. That would really confuse people. That is assuming of course the internet will still exist in decades to come. It probably will. I maybe a pessimist a lot of the time but I don’t actually believe humans are going to blow up the world or anything.

As I write this I am getting towards the end of a week off. There was no particular reason to take leave it was more of use it or loose it type situation. And in this week off I have discovered something rather interesting. I suck at time management.  As I have been off my time has all been my own and I haven’t smashed my to-do list(s). There is still rather a lot to be done. I have come to an important realisation – I have given myself more tasks to do than I actually have time to do them.

Clearly this is something I need to work on. The funny thing is I feel a little guilty when not being productive and drained when I don’t do more fun stuff.

As I am typing now it is a rather nice day outside. And it would be nice to go for a walk – all I can think though is that I have stuff to do. There is something wonderful in the feeling of crossing off something from a to-do list. Which is why I want to wrap this up so I can do everything!

I did make an interesting discovery on this week off though. And that is the market. To be more accurate I should say rediscovery. Cardiff has a nice covered market not to mention other independent green grocers, butchers, and so on.  And what is amazing they are cheaper than the supermarket.

This is still something of a surprise to me. It would seem logical to assume that supermarkets, since they can have massive national contracts with farmers, that as a consequence they would be cheaper. They are not.

So I have at the very least learned this from my week off. Go to the market. Cheep and delicious food and, if I’m honest, a more enjoyable shopping experience than that of a supermarket. Spending cash maybe a little annoying but you’ll spend less and my even be healthier.

See you next time.

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I just wanted to say that I have checked this post. I really have. Unfortunately my particular combination of dyslexia and dyspraxia makes it really hard for me to spot typos. Please enjoy and I’ll try not to make too many errors.

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The picture here is from: https://www.pexels.com/

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2018-02-18 · 18:00

Ramble

pexels-photo-60088 I remember seeing a meme a while ago which read: ‘I want to sleep. My brain wants to know if penguins have knees.’

That is the go-to question for an example of an irrelevant question. I’m sure though that everyone has had that happen. That moment when a fact, especially one you know that you used to know, gets stuck in your mind. And all you can think of is: ‘Who was it who played that guy in that thing?’

This is especially annoying in the cinema. You see an actor and you know you know him from somewhere but you can’t google it. pexels-photo-457884 There is a special place in hell for people who use their phones during a film at the cinema.

And as I watch science fiction it is entirely possible that I last saw the actor in question as a Cardassian or something.

Then you get out of the cinema and can look it up and it is quite a relief after having the voice lodged in your mind and not being able to pinpoint where you know it from. I know that if I were ever trapped on a deserted island that I, will actually I would die but setting that aside, would have a fact stuck in my mind. The first thing I would do on being rescued would be to  borrow a phone or tablet and find out who it was that played that guy in that thing. And the relief would be amazing. Then I would call my parents and tell them I was OK.

As a writer ideas stuck in the head can be useful. The other day I had a fun idea to post – didn’t thing to write it down. At work I can’t really do that anyway. So you are stuck with word salad. And like a lot of salad it might be a bit disappointing. food-salad-healthy-colorful

I’m being unfair. The other week I did have a very nice salad at a friend’s birthday party. It was leafy, not lettuce, and had chunks of crispy duck atop it.

Now that I have written for a bit I think I might know what I was going to write about.

Books – yes that old topic. I bought three more the other day. In addition to the one the counsellor suggested – I may write about that when I have finished the book. I am now fairly sure I have more books than I could ever read. Well you know what they say about people without books in their home?

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I just wanted to say that I have checked this post. I really have. Unfortunately my particular combination of dyslexia and dyspraxia makes it really hard for me to spot typos. Please enjoy and I’ll try not to make too many errors.

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The picture here is from: https://www.pexels.com/

 

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2018-02-11 · 18:00

Valentine’s Day

pexels-photo-207962 Having been single for my whole adult life Valentine’s day is a day of nothing for me – but it is just a few days away and I want to talk about it.

If I were in a relationship I would want to make a big deal of it. I have heard some people say that you should love your partner completely and that a special day is unnecessary. I do understand that perspective but for me I still like the idea of the day.

At work we had a competition for which the prize was a box of Valentine’s day chocolates. I didn’t win which is probably for the best. There are few sadder things than an overweight, single, man sitting alone in his messy flat eating chocolates. The only thing that would have saved it is I would at least be dressed and not in just my boxers as the cliche goes.

So yes I like Valentine’s day and would love to have someone to make a big deal of it with. Once again this year it will just be a normal day. I am off that day, I booked it off ages ago in the vain hope, so perhaps I  still-life-teddy-white-read will find a singles event to go to.

If you and your partner are doing something for Valentine’s day I hope you have a wonderful time together.

Hay look two weeks in a row! I wonder how long I can maintain this streak!

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I just wanted to say that I have checked this post. I really have. Unfortunately my particular combination of dyslexia and dyspraxia makes it really hard for me to spot typos. Please enjoy and I’ll try not to make too many errors.

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2018-02-04 · 18:00

James Bond is a Time Lord

pexels-photo A little while ago I stumbled upon a You Tube channel called Calvin – Bond Reviewer.

And then I preceded to watch all of his videos within a few days.  That seems to be what happens to me when finding a new channel to watch. That is assuming, of course, that they don’t have a huge amount of videos.

For the purposes of this post I want to focus on this video:    I like this theory as, to me, it does explain the inconsistencies of the Bond films.

I should point out at this point that there is actually no way to to make a series like Bond work. After all the early films are clearly set in the 1960s and The World is Not Enough has a reference to the Millennium bug! As an aside I mentioned the Millennium bug to someone the other day – they were only a few years old at the turn of the century and had never heard of it. History is a funny thing isn’t it?

As an aside to the aside ‘The other day’ can be any time in the past.

The Bond films are simply set in the time they were made. And I don’t think, from the point of view of the creators, much thought is given to how they all link in. So I find the code name theory appealing. If we did want to head cannon our way out of this there are two options. All the Bonds are the same man – or it is a code name.

Calvin has nicely explained why the code name theory doesn’t work. So they are all the same man then. How can that be then? pexels-photo-130850 Bond is a Time Lord.

If Bond is a Time Lord, and thus each actor is a new regeneration, it coves over a lot of plot wholes.

It explains why Bolfled doesn’t recognise Bond in On Majesty’s Secret Service – George Lazenby was a regeneration – maybe Bolfeld was too as his actor was also changed.

And consider Q. His gadgets are always perfect to every mission. It is almost like he knows the future – or saw the script.

This was just a fun little thing that occurred to me. A quick Google search will show that I am not the only one to have thought about this. It is fun, or at least I think so, to try and paper over mistakes by outlandish theories.

A Time Lord would be a good secret agent. He or she would just keep on regenerating. Well I thought it was fun thing to think about any way.

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I just wanted to say that I have checked this post. I really have. Unfortunately my particular combination of dyslexia and dyspraxia makes it really hard for me to spot typos. Please enjoy and I’ll try not to make too many errors.

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2018-01-29 · 00:21

Plans

giant-tortoise-reptile-shell-walking-162307 Well the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. So the cliche goes. So is it any wonder that me, an enthusiastic but inept planner, has totally failed to post here in weeks? Now you see why I was wishy-washy on the idea of make new year’s resolutions.

I am writing this on my phone while I wait for a friend and really should have thought of this before. If I use my phone, and sync to my computer, I can use any little nugget of time to try and hit my goal of a post a week – at least from now on.

Of course time is a funny thing. By the time you see this I will have eaten, seen a film, and had a good night. We are as yet undesired as to what film we’re going to see.

I said at the top my plans for regular posts didn’t pan out. That is because I make plans and tend to stick to them even if they are not working. So for February I will aim to do better.

As it turned out my friend and I did’t go to the cinema – as she had lost her keys. So we had a Chinese and watched some TV. She showed me Black Mirror – specifically the episode Be Right Back. pexels-photo-333837

I hadn’t seen any of Black Mirror before and rather enjoyed this episode. I like the idea of an anthology show and will check out more episodes in the future.

In reciprocation I put on the DS9 episode Duet – probably the best of season 1 of that show. I’m not sure if my friend enjoyed it or not – it is always hard to tell when showing a friend a favourite show.

Well on my ever present to-do list I am making this as done for yesterday – it is close enough – isn’t it?

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I just wanted to say that I have checked this post. I really have. Unfortunately my particular combination of dyslexia and dyspraxia makes it really hard for me to spot typos. Please enjoy and I’ll try not to make too many errors.

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2018-01-07 · 18:00

2018 – Here we Go

pexels-photo-261617How is your year going now that it is a week old? Are you still maintaining your resolutions, assuming you made them, or have you already failed? I hope it is going well.

I can’t tell you how my year is going because it is still 2017 as I write this. As I said, about a week ago, I am not doing resolutions per se but one thing I do want is to post more here. And to do that I am going to start write posts earlier and schedule them.

This means that I am always ahead and so, effectively, I have more time for longer posts. One thing I hope I have done is maintain my journal. I have bought a couple of journals from Paperchase – they include prompts and inspiration so it is more than just a blank page.

By the end of the year I should have pages on my thoughts and feelings. So I need to make sure that the year is filled with interesting stuff and the journal isn’t just: Went to work. Came home. Watched TV. Went to bed too late and din’t get enough sleep.

Do you keep a journal? And if so do you sometimes find it difficult to find stuff to fill the pages with? I would be interested to hear your experiences.

See you next week.

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I just wanted to say that I have checked this post. I really have. Unfortunately my particular combination of dyslexia and dyspraxia makes it really hard for me to spot typos. Please enjoy and I’ll try not to make too many errors.

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The picture here is from: https://www.pexels.com/

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2018-01-03 · 22:57

Resolutions 2018

pexels-photo-634694 Every year many people make New Year’s Resolutions. And every year many have failed them by January. I am honestly not sure if I am going to bother to make them this year as I am one of those people who tends to fail – despite the best of intentions.

I am sure that I don’t want to commit to anything here – then I would be accountable! Joking aside I think it is better to have a general direction rather than specific goals. That might be a cop out but there it is. I want to be published. That has been the dream for a long time and I really need to aim at that. I need to focus on short stories.

The there is the gym. The gym is… well I am not sure what. A necessary evil? Yeah. I’m going to go with that. I don’t like the gym, not really, pexels-photo-136409but I know how much good it does me. And I will, in theory, keep going and start to go more often for that reason alone.

The other thing is to find love. That is nebulous and, arguably, not really a goal as it relies on another to be realised. Nevertheless it is the thing that is constantly on my mind.

So if you are making resolutions this year then I wish you the best of luck with them – and I hope that you can, at the very least, keep at them beyond January.

Whatever you are doing for new year have a wonderful time the next time I write here it will be 2018. Isn’t that a strange thought?

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I just wanted to say that I have checked this post. I really have. Unfortunately my particular combination of dyslexia and dyspraxia makes it really hard for me to spot typos. Please enjoy and I’ll try not to make too many errors.

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The picture here is from: https://www.pexels.com/

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2017-12-25 · 10:35

Merry Christmas

christmas-claus-cute-gift-41665 Merry Christmas to you. I hope you are in for an amazing day ahead. Soon it will be time for presents and more food than a human should really be eating in one sitting but that is Christmas for you.

And yes I am using the same picture as before – it is a nice picture. Even if I am more interested in the woman than the present! Please don’t be offended by that remark. And if I saw her on the street I would total fail to invite her to coffee because I am too nervous.

For the last few years, I have not really known what I wanted for Christmas. It is one of the curses of adulthood. You end up having basically everything you need, or being able to afford it, or it being too too expensive to ask for as a present. Thus making Christmas lists is hard. In a few minutes I will know what mum and dad came up with and discover if they liked the presents that I got for them. That part of Christmas is always a bit nerve racking for me.

Soon new year will be upon us. It will be time to start to think about resolutions. I didn’t do at all well with last years and this year only one comes to mind right now: find love. A resolution that is doomed.

So… Happy Christmas everyone!

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I just wanted to say that I have checked this post. I really have. Unfortunately my particular combination of dyslexia and dyspraxia makes it really hard for me to spot typos. Please enjoy and I’ll try not to make too many errors.

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The picture here is from: https://www.pexels.com/

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