On and on he goes.....

Jealousy - Chocolate - TV

Three things that I learnt about today. I'm not sure if they are connected.

Jealousy is a bad thing. I probably knew that. Comparison kills community. I probably didn't appreciate that. What I really don't know, and still don't know, is how much envy or 'wanting' influences my thinking.
Chocolate is great. Chocolate companies, hmmmm. Apparently in the highly competitive chocolate bar market (kit kat, mars bar, double decker, lion bar, etc etc etc) the trick is to create a bar with as little chocolate as possible, because it's the chocolate that is the most expensive. So the lower the chocolate level, the more profit potential.
TV. Sky are planning on automatically downloading programmes overnight to store on your Sky box (on unused hard disk space) - even if you don't want it. Then the next day you can watch what Sky think of as good. BBC are in catch up mode, and have been given approval to allow broadband users to download TV programmes broadcasted over the past week - storing them on your pc for a month - a bit like they already do with radio and podcasts.

So three things I didn't know.

I'd love to get a new LCD TV like some of my friends, I'd watch lots of saved TV programmes on it and eat chocolate, although unlike some lucky people, I'd just get fat and wouldn't be able to run up the stairs.

Norwich 0 - Wolves 1

Just got back
from
an interesting match
cheers and cheers in the first half
quickly fading to boos and boos
and frustration
in the second
I love it
and hate it
that's how to enjoy football
properly

More interesting was an afternoon
at work
where I learnt all about
accessibility (on web sites)
and how it's possible to make the web sites
usable
for people (yes real people)
with all sort of disabilities
I hadn't really appreciated
how hard we made it
and I wondered how I would feel if I couldn't
use the Internet
properly

Tomorrow
I'm off to London - and am
hoping
that One Railway
know how to drive trains
properly

Today I had a day traveling
in the city
and around the coast
with a little gap for
a pint of Adnams
And some times for pictures
I thought about King Canute
and a bit about the old and the young
The old Church
The new wind generator
The old boy
and the young girl
And. like the picture
I reckon they go well together.

What happened here?
Well the pictures below
might give you a clue as to what
and
where

Schools in England should teach "core British values" alongside cultural diversity, a report says.

Reported on the BBC tonight.

So I wondered what Core British Values were, and I came up with these:
cynicism
queuing
knocking someone who tries or wins
talking up the football, ready for a massive fall
discussing the weather
paying over the odds for goods and services
having great TV ads
popular music
putting fences, walls and hedges around our houses
understanding cricket

I'm not sure this is what was meant though.

I'm not sure how British I really am on these measures. I talked about the weather today, because it was cold and icy. And I tried to understand a bit about cricket - or at least why my team are not as good as another (that I can't bring myself to say!)

To appreciate the beauty of a snow flake, it is necessary to stand out in the cold

Well, today it snowed
or was it last night.
Certainly it was all white
when I woke up.
Compared to Buffalo
I guess it was nothing.
But
for me it was
all right.
I love the snow.
I think, maybe
that I'll get snowed in,
which then makes me excited.
All white, all right.

I didn't study a snow flake
and I didn't stand out in the cold
But I did get on my bike
and get wet shoes and socks
In fact
The wet ones are still drying out
under my desk
It will smell in the office
tomorrow.

Tigers love snow
Or rather
I love this picture
of a tiger in the snow

If it snows tomorrow
I will stand out in it
and study a flake.

Norfolk or Suffolk

So, the last picture I described as a good old Norfolk Sky. It has to be said that I was actually standing in Suffolk and, although I was looking in the general direction of Northish, and depending on how far away the sky was, and the curvature of the earths axis, it was probably a Suffolk sky. So apologies. I will try and find a Norfolk Sky this coming weekend.

Not sure if Suffolk has anything over Norfolk. (except Sky, which is over both)O

I resent paying my £40 per month for Sky - the broadcasting Sky. Norfolk and Suffolk skies are free.

Today was a Monday - which means back to work and the hustle and bustle of corporate life. Which today involved trying to understand how my costs are allocated across different business units. Suffice to say, yesterday's discussion about what it means to have a Heart for 'something', where something is probably something good and worthwhile, like a heart for the poor, the lost, the etc, was a lot more stimulating.

Not sure yet what I have a heart for.... but I do want my cold old stone heart replaced by something a bit more tender and loving.

Birthday Boy

That's me.
And I took the day off
(well the following day)
(which was today)
To see if I could
get some pictures of Southwold.

I managed to find a good Norfolk Sky.

And below two pictures.....taken from the same spot. One looking North, the other looking South.

So, after the big day (when I got a fantastic set of equipment to brew some beer) I'm no longer 'down on my knee', but have reached 'all the fours'.

Water flows, but rocks remain

Before I say anything else;
I must let you know that the showers after squash were hot again.

Having got that major trauma out of the way.....

We should think about some Romanian Proverbs, after all, we have just welcomed the people into our European show.

"Defend me from chickens, for dogs I'm not afraid of."
"A dog dies from too much walking, a fool from worrying about other's business."
"Until the bitch raises her tail, the dogs don't smell her"
"The gentle cat scratches the worst."
"If the sun doesn't come through the window, the doctor will come through the door."
"He who steals an egg today, will steal an ox tomorrow!"
"Don't measure others with your own hand."

(The last one meaning, if you hadn't already guessed: Some people may have reasons unknown to you for doing certain things. I particularly like this one!)

My New Family

Not literally
because I'm not a frog.
Although with science
and stem cell research
you never know!

These arrived in time for
Christmas.
All the way from America
I'm not sure which one represents me
If indeed any are meant to.

Today we were learning about wisdom - and the difference between being wise and having intelligence. So, for example - it's intelligence that knows a tomato is a fruit not a vegetable. But wisdom that knows not to put one in a fruit salad.

So back to the frogs....

A group of frogs were traveling through the woods. Two of them fell into a deep pit. All the other frogs gathered around to top of the pit. When they saw how deep the pit was, they told the two frogs that they were as good as dead.
The two frogs ignored the comments and tried to jump up and out of the pit with all of their might. The other frogs kept telling them to stop, that they were as good as dead. Finally, one of the frogs took heed to what the pit top frogs were saying and gave up. He fell down and died.
The other frog continued to jump as hard as he could. Once again, the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop the pain and just die. He jumped even harder and finally made it out.
As he rested the other frogs said, "Did you not hear us?"
The panting but alive frog explained to them that he was deaf. He thought that they were all encouraging him the entire time.

So, is there any frog wisdom here? There is power of life and death in the tongue. An encouraging word to someone who is down can lift them up and help them make it through the day. A destructive word to someone who is down can be what it takes to kill them. Sometimes the same word can be death to one and life to another. Be careful of what you say.

Want more frog related wisdom? Read on.......

A farmer came into town and asked the owner of a restaurant if he could use a million frog legs. The restaurant owner was shocked and asked the man where he could get so many frog legs! The farmer replied, "There is a pond near my house that is full of frogs--millions of them. They croak all during the night and are about to drive me crazy!"
So the restaurant owner and the farmer made an agreement that the farmer would deliver frogs to the restaurant five hundred at a time for the next several weeks.
The first week, the farmer returned to the restaurant looking rather sheepish, with two scrawny little frogs. The restaurant owner said, "Well...where are all the frogs?"
The farmer said, "I was mistaken. There were only these two frogs in the pond. But they sure were making a lot of noise!"

Next time you hear somebody criticizing or making fun of you, remember it's probably just a couple of croaky old frogs.

Do you love chips?

For every bad thing, think of 3 good things and that will keep you sane.

So said someone famous - which I recently read (somewhere, can't remember where).

So, almost everyone is saying Iraq is bad (everyone except Messers Bush and Blair). I assume that 'everyone' is referring to the war.

So, here are three good things about Iraq.

5000 years ago the Sumerians, who lived in what is now Iraq, wrote down recipes for brewing beer. I love beer, therefore I love Iraq.

Iraq (or the land where Iraq is) was probably the area where the world's first civilisation was established. I'm civilised, therefore my roots are in Iraq, therefore I love Iraq.

The name Iraq means: country with deep roots. I love potatoes, carrots, parsnips - in fact any such food. And I love to have roots - i.e to belong somewhere and mean something. I love chips, therefore I love Iraq.

QED.

10 Years Younger

Happens to be on
TV
at the moment.
The idea is that
someone gets surveyed
'how old are they'
then
work is done
hair, teeth, face, cloths
etc
then re-survey.
If you survey comes back with
10 years of age reduction
then bingo
winner
not sure who's the winner.

So with my birthday
coming up
next week
(hope you've not
forgotten)
I'm wondering
should I
try and lose
10 years
from my look
and get back to my
late twenties.

The lady on TV
lost 19
years.

What a daft show.

At last

At long last
I had a blast
Squash was my game
but it wasn't the same

I was slow and cold
not in my normal mould
my knee did ok
but in the morning I'll pay

Worst of it all
was the waterfall
though it came out all bold
it was really freezing cold

So I still smell
but only two people know that.

Appraisal Time

At work this week
I'm doing and being done too
A time of reflection and thinking.

My questions
Do I want to learn new tricks?
Can I learn new things?
Can this wonderful beautiful leopard
Really change it's spots?

I didn't realise that this saying was actually (maybe originally) in the good book (Jeremiah 13) "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil." or put another way "Can an African change skin? Can a leopard get rid of its spots? So what are the odds on you doing good, you who are so long-practiced in evil?"

I think and thank God that there is hope (for me and you).

But probably not for the poor leopard. There are 7 sub species, of which 6 are in danger of extinction.

There and back again

Not a hobit tale - but a trip to Southampton and back
200 miles each way
in the rain and dark

So, the nest was full for three weeks, and now it's half empty again
It's all too confusing for me
But at least I had plenty of time to think about it tonight

And I thought...
it was a good three weeks

Well, another week beckons
I'd better go and get my beauty sleep - so that people can face me!

Prizes

Tonight at school were prizes for doing stuff last year.
And it was cool.
The guest speaker was funny.
He told us all to follow (but I guess mainly the students)
To follow our hearts, and do something we enjoy with our lives.
And also, he said don't be known as a one trick pony
But try lots of different things in life
(he meant careers, or hobbies, or interests - he didn't mean wives)

I'm glad I went. Now I'm wondering whether I enjoy what I do. But he wasn't talking to me. So I'm going to stop wondering.

Then I got in, and watched Ugly Betty on TV - enjoyed it. Anyone else see it?

Everything the same

So, I went back to work on Wednesday. Not surprisingly everything was the same. My desk was just where I left it. My dirty mug was still on the desk. The same unanswered emails were waiting for an answer. Hey hoe.

But that was good, I would have been a bit put out not to have a desk, or to have been locked out of my systems.

The Christmas tree is still up and shedding needles and I reckon it should go down as soon as - is it meant to be Saturday? Not sure if I can wait that long - especially as Saturday will be all about watching Norwich City on TV in the FA Cup, beating that massive team Tamworth. As well as a fantastic football team - we will do well to beat them - they are famous for their wonderful pigs.
Talking of which, I had a bacon bap the other day - yummy.