Month: June 2006

bookmark_borderToday…

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I got dragged out shopping tonight. Dragged. There was some muttering about “no bloody football on” or somesuch but I couldn’t really make out what she was saying. She really must learn to stop gritting her teeth.

AND

Someone asked me for a suggestion for a quiet pub in Glasgow. I spent quite a while racking my brain before realising that it’s an oxymoron of sorts. There is no such thing. Glaswegians are not quiet, doubly so when they are in the pub. In the end I suggested the Drum and Monkey (old fashioned but quiet enough) or All Bar One (ubiquitous, quiet-ish and more modern). I’d love to say WHY I was asked to recommend them but I can’t. I promised. She’d kill me.

AND

Our friend, who is on long-term sick leave, blacked out. She came around to find her husband phoning an ambulance. She is now the proud owner of several staples, a bloodied top and what she reckons will be a first-class black eye. We did have a curry and beer night planned with them tomorrow but we’ll make do with making sure she’s alright!

AND

I’ve just typed up a lengthy, descriptive, set of directions for my sister-in-law who is driving to Haggerston on Saturday. She’s taking the kids to a holiday park there, and we’ll nip down and visit on Sunday.

She’s not the world’s most confident driver and I’m pretty sure the furthest she’s ever driven was when she visited us.. I reckon it’s about 50 miles. She’s about to quadruple her personal best! Thankfully it’s not too complicated and she seems quite calm about it… nevertheless I’ll have my mobile set to LOUD all day Saturday. Just in case.

Mind you, we’re at a BBQ on Saturday so I’m hoping she arrives safe and sound before I get too sozzled to help…

“Yeah yeah, take that road. If that doesn’t work, phone me back in a beer.. er.. when you hit Manchester… or something.. HIC!”

AND FINALLY

ENOUGH!!! Seriously, stop it. All this nonsense about who supports whom, is rather boring now. NO-ONE has to support ANYONE for ANY reason. That’s it. Simple enough. If someone chooses to support someone else then THAT IS UP TO THEM. It’s a free country (ish). Get over it.

Or at the very least, SHUT THE FUCK UP ABOUT IT YOU, to quote my darling wife, “WANKFUCKS!”.

Phew.

That feels SO much better.

bookmark_borderSpurring myself on

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Between the World Cup, Wimbledon and my re-found interest in Football Manager (the game), not to mention to site designs and the ever present gardening requirements, I find myself going through phases of intense effort then flip-flopping into complete and utter apathy. It’s most odd.

One minute I’m completing long overdue tasks, the next I’m slumped in front of the telly and wondering why I don’t spend more of my time relaxing. I get bored pretty easily though, so I guess that’s part of it.

Now whilst this means I’m getting a lot of stuff done, it also means that I get slightly impatient about things. Take, for example, the jogging club I mentioned on Monday. Turns out it’s part of the Jog Scotland scheme, and the next round of classes start on the 12th of July.

That’s two weeks away. Two weeks. I’m hoping I still have the desire to go and do it by then.

In saying that, from looking on their website, and particularly after talking to Bonny who runs the North Lanarkshire club I’ll be joining (not sure why my council in South Lanarkshire doesn’t have a club yet, but I’d imagine it would use Strathclyde Park as the venue anyway, so it makes no difference to me), I figure that I’ll probably slot into the second level of Beginner classes. The first level is “for the real couch potatoes, the main aim is to get them, after several weeks, to a point they can jog for ten minutes”. I’m pretty sure I can do that already, but I won’t make presumptions until I get there.

I’m going to hold off purchasing new trainers as it sounds like the opening weeks won’t be too intense, although I do get a 10% voucher off New Balance trainers when I join the scheme so that’ll help (current budgets are solely focussed on home improvements – a leaky front door – and general things like… eating.. and so on).

Of course what I should be doing is using the two weeks to lose a little more weight, and get some walking/jogging in beforehand. Give myself a good starting point. In other words I should be looking for the positives.

Problem is that this weekend we’re out for a curry and beer with some friends on Friday night, and then a BBQ on Saturday, more beer and food, and then a day trip to Haggerston on Sunday which will no doubt feature a chippy somewhere – I mean you can’t have a day out without stopping off at a chippy, it’s the law!

Oh well, the diet can start on Monday.

bookmark_borderThank You

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Just thought I’d take a moment out from the… erm… usual “schedule” (that’s a laugh) to thank each and every one of you who visits this site.

Whether you comment or not, I DO appreciate you taking the time. I do try and make time to visit the sites of those who comment, and it’s always interesting to “find” new sites. To reflect this I’ll be updating the blogroll soon (does anyone use it though?).

bookmark_borderJogging

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I have jogged. I did jog. I used to jog on occasion.

Not often though, but that was mainly due to shin splints which hurt like buggery and ultimately put me off the venture each time I try it… now that may be down to my weight, bad form and technique, the wrong trainers, or … er… something genetic. Either way it’s stopped me jogging in the past. Or maybe it was lack of interest and me being an unfit lazy sod. Hard to tell.

We don’t buy our local paper very often, we really should just to know what’s going on, but Louise picked one up last week and I spotted a small notice in it stating that the local council were starting up an “Adult Jogging Class”. Now, is it just me or does anything with ‘Adult’ in the title evoke certain… er… qualities? You know… like “adult themed”… ohh come on… the naughty stuff… wot takes place between two adults. Or, as is more likely these days, between teenagers (ohh hark at me, what a bloody hypocrite!).

Anyway, putting imagery of coital jogging to the back of my mind, I wondered if this might be the key to me finally getting into jogging.

Some background for you, although if you’ve been paying attention and reading this site for a few years you may know this already (god, that sounds awful… “I’ll be quizzing you all on this later! PAY ATTENTION AT THE BACK!!”… comes from having teachers as parents I reckon…). My Dad is/was a P.E. teacher and did his fair share of running before his knees packed in — 10Ks, half marathons and one full marathon — and in my younger days I accompanied him a few times. I know enough about the technicalities of running, and the equipment required.

I’m slightly flat-footed and over-pronate when I run, something you need to know if you are serious about running as the choosing the right running shoe can save you from injury, not that I’m at that stage just yet.

Now, I’ve tried various running plans before but I’ve never gotten past the first couple of weeks due to lack of motivation, time and because there was “something good on the telly”. So I’m hoping this club will provide the kick in the pants I need, and if nothing else I know it’ll bring out my competitive side.

Fingers crossed.

bookmark_borderWeekender

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Saturday morning, and a new coffee house in Hamilton. Nice and spacious, classy decor and an interesting menu. Unfortunately the coffee wasn’t up to much and the slice of apple pie that we shared was dry and spongey. Back to our regular haunt, Crema, next time.

A wander round the shops, some shocking treatment in one of them, and then onto Morrisons for a “basic pantry” shop. We do one of these every couple of months so I don’t mind the £95 or so we spend, especially as it featured a few bottles of wine.

Home and we spent the afternoon pottering around, before I headed upstairs to do some work. Couple of games of football later and it was bedtime… for Louise. I finally made it to bed at 2a.m. only to wake up an hour or so later with something in my eye. Most odd. Standing, bleary eyed, in the bathroom with the light on, squinting into a mirror when you are still half-asleep is no fun at all.

Today we headed ‘down the valley’ and filled the car with plants and bark chippings (500kg litres worth for £20), then spent the afternoon cutting, wedding, digging, raking, and finally planting. Not everything got planted though, most of it was for a bed that we haven’t yet cut out of the lawn…

We also had a surprise visit from my parents. Unfortunately it was because my Gran has picked up an infection and wasn’t feeling too good (I’ll spare you gory details), but she’s OK now and the doctor confirmed it’s just a virus and antibiotics should help clear it up. At her age 87 (?) any infection or illness can be a major thing, so I’m glad she’s OK.

My sister didn’t accompany them as she was recovering having been at Rock Ness yesterday. Didn’t get back in until 5am but I’m sure she had a great time!

You know it’s amazing how much the weather dictates things in Scotland. If it hadn’t been as nice as we’d have ended up pretty bored this weekend. Or maybe we’d have finally gotten to the cinema.. grand plans and all that.

Anyway, can’t dawdle here. More work to do, and hopefully a better footie match this evening and the rather boring affair this afternoon.

What about you? What you been up to?

bookmark_borderYesterday

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All my troubles seemed so faaarr awaaayyyyy…

Ahhh what a great song that is.. such wonderful melancholy. But I’m not. Quite happy as it turns out. Why so? Read on, dear reader, read on.

My darling wife turned *coughsplutter* yesterday, her brother came over for dinner, and my parents came over later on and we now have new plants for the garden, amongst other pressies of course. A few glasses of wine, and the rest we’ll leave unspoken.

I was slightly concerned about how Louise would be yesterday, the first birthday since her mother passed away, but aside from a little bubble she was in a hugely cheery mood. It was quite a relief, and this extends back to her week in Spain visiting her Dad, marks the end of another part of the grieving process. Since she came back from Spain she’s been a lot better, and a lot more focussed on her own life, and she’s back to being the wonderful woman I love. It’s a huge weight off my mind and, whilst there will still be moments and there are a few landmark dates to get through, we are starting to think of the future.

Life continues apace of course, the other stuff I do is going well, and I’m in mid-mockup for two sites (one a ong standing project), and recently finished one for a local company, who happens to be friends of ours – if I mention a games room in coming weeks you can find a photo of it, pre-pool table, on the site.

We’re planning a weekend away somewhere – York possibly – and are hoping to get out to Athens to visit a friend who is working there sometime in September. All good stuff.

Add all that to the fact it’s Friday and I’m positively a glow with cheer, not even the bloody weather can deter my mood.

Speaking of which:

Been updating this for a while now, not sure why though…