The Torch II

The good thing about there being 8000 Olympic torches running around the country is that almost everyone who wishes to, can pose with a genuine 'as used on the Haverhill leg of the torch relay' Olympic Torch. Needless to say, the nation's primary schools are flooded with them. 
Having said all that, it was great to hold and pose.

Simple pleasures

A cold beer on a Thursday night, an evening on the cusp of early spring.

Indulging in that most particularly British passion, listening to one's favourite radio station.

A delightful sense of getting away with it.

Pious

Can I be pious?

Can I?

Since leaving Facebook I have had more real and correct conversations with real people.

I have taken a wider interest in actual things going on about me.

I have listened more.

I think I have appreciated more.

I am much less concerned with what others might think.

I'm enjoying things much, much more.

Facebook Schmacebook

I've left Facebook.

I had been toying with the idea for a while , I finally cut the ties last week.

I thought you might be interested in knowing my reasons, in no particular order.

I was spending small yet increasingly frequent amounts of time looking at the irrelevant snapshots of people I simply did not know. A few weeks ago I looked at the holiday pictures of a cousin of a friend. Somebody I have never met and will almost certainly never meet.

There's nothing wrong with aquaintances , theres nothing wrong with keeping in touch with such folk. I have a phone full of numbers I hardly use. I have countless email addresses. I'm just not sure I need to read their wisecracks about my life, nor am I sure I need to post updates about my rambling existence for them to comment on. Catch 22?

It was Oscar Wilde who went along the lines of 'spending too much time on the little things and not enough time on the important things'. I was spending too much time on little things.

Aquaintances posting pictures of the boozy teenage years. No thanks.

It's been over a week. Nobody has noticed.

A parent at school asked me to be a friend. I accepted. Nothing was ever actually said. All this happened online. That's no way to behave.

Some of the vitriol that poured out of people regarding the recent public sector strike made me wonder why I was in that room. It was not a party I wanted to attend, surrounded by people I did not like. I experience enough real and challenging relationships everyday, I don't need cyber equivalents.

I really don't want to be there.

I have a number of dear friends. I am a lucky man. Those that matter are in regular contact outside of Facebook. I hang out with a number of good people who have never been anywhere near the site.

God bless the BBC

1. Last night in the pub, talking about things that make us proud of being British (clue- NOT the royal family).
The BBC, in all it's forms and for all it's faults.

2. Acknowledging that the BBC is a liberal middle class conspiracy, but still loving it anyway, indeed, loving it more.

3. Returning some borrowed equipment to it's local office today. Could they have been any nicer? They even offered me food! They showed me their new setup. If I hadn't had the family in the car outside I could have happily been in there all afternoon!

We allow them into our homes everyday, couldn't happen to a nice media corporation.

TV

It's OK to piss about on the computer while Frau Random Doubt watches Glee.
It's OK to blog, Facebook, wikileak, ConservativeHome and all the rest.

That's because it's just two forms of cultural oblivion colliding with each other and both coming off best.

Or maybe that's a draw.

Either way it's all good.

Notes from the bunker

I'm still dusting off the debris of the last few months.

It is late and wine has been consumed, not always a recipe for good blogging, however I am in love with the genre again, especially as it has now been overtaken by about twelve other developments in the great race to remain up to date.

Here are a few of the things that have been rolling about in my mind.

What is the Pope up to?

How long will the coalition government last?

Will the Liberal Democrats take the kicking they deserve at the next election?

Have I returned all those library books?

Should I feel guilty about secretly feeling good about demonstrators smashing up Tory party HQ? (OF COURSE, I'm not condoning dropping fire extinguishers from tall buildings)

What's more important? Washing or sleep?

Why am I not missing TV?

Keep buggering on...

There is a lot going on.
I have read some books and will write about them soon.
There will be huge announcements within the week.
It is my sincere hope that things will soon be changing for the better, the very much better.
Things will be happening on all three blogs.

Bear with me, watch this space.

2010

So what is this?

The Teenies?

Anyway, today I realised that I have a big thing in common with David Cameron.

I also want to be in a new house by the end of this year.

How are you coping?

It's a mad world isn't it?
Do you have any tips?