EVENT REVIEW: Stockton River Rat Race (10km)

Taken a few days to get around to reviewing Challenge #16 but here goes with Part 2 of Tom and Rick (and New Mubu)'s "Seriously, How Good Was That?!" Obstacle Course Race Review. The scoring criteria and categories are covered in a previous post which is somewhere on this blog (see bottom left in the Archive).

RIVER RAT RACE

10km Obstacle Run (featuring LOTS of water)

24^th August 2014

Stockton-on-Tees

We had a fantastic day for it. Lovely weather up on Teeside which meant the dips in the Tees were actually very well received. Rick and I were joined by two new MUBUs in John and Nat. They both seemed to love it and may even have the bug!

General Event Organisation

Typical Rat Race organisation. Slick and easy to get signed up and sort all the entrant details out. Nothing is sent out except an e-mail which contained everything you needed for the day. On-the-day event pack was essentially non-existent but sometimes that is not a bad thing.

7 - Good

Event Facilities

A single small shop selling Rat Race gear and a few eateries dotted around the small event village. Being urban based there was plenty of local car parking and a reasonable amount of toilets in the vicinity.

6 – Above Average

Registration

Seemed standard for these events. Pretty quick to register provided you didn’t have a surname R-Z! Registration area was a bit congested but there were only 1000ish runners so it wasn’t terrible

6 – Above Average

Location

Slap bang in the middle of Stockton on the Tees. Easy to find and a decent environment to allow spectators to watch and cheer you on.

8 - Very Good

On Course Facilities

Only a single water station which could have done with being a few km earlier in the race. Marshalls were plentiful and obvious, most of them were friendly too. There were no distance markers which would have been helpful and the paths were all open so there was the occasional dodging past slow moving spectators. There were several “time on” and “time off” points dotted around which helped to control the flow of people without penalising you in terms of time. That said, we still didn’t really queue at any point.

6 – Above Average

Warm-Up

Only a couple of minutes long and didn’t really get us warmed up.

4 – Below Average

Variety of obstacles

Not a very muddy course but the obstacles they did have were interesting and varied. A bit of kayaking, a wade up the white water rafting centre and a plunge of the deck of a ship were all new experiences for us.

7 - Good

Obstacle/Run mix

The obstacles they did have were good but there were unfortunately not quite enough of them. Plenty of running sections but some felt a bit aimless and could have done with something just to break the flow every now and then.

6 – Above Average

Terrain

Urban river environment so was always likely to be quite flat. That said they managed to incorporate a bit of elevation change and the clever use of the river at various points along the route was certainly interesting.

7 –Good

Post-Race

As you would expect from Rat Race, there is a nice chunky medal on offer for the finishers. A pretty standard (but thankfully not black!) tech T-shirt was given out at registration too. No goody bag but that also means no silver blanket or pack of nuts, both items I seem to acquire in great numbers these days. You did get a Curly Wurly though, which is worth a whole point on its own!

7 - Good

Difficulty

Though this was quite energy sapping in places (mainly the swimming sections) I didn’t find this particularly hard. We took an hour less than Total Warrior which is the same distance.

Course: 6 out of 10

Obstacles 5 out of 10

Overall Thoughts

This was a fun event, helped massively by there being four of us who stuck together pretty much the whole way around. Doing these things with other people is, to me, what it is all about. The camaraderie was fantastic and helped pull us through when it was getting a bit tough in places.

Overall Score

60% - This was really enjoyable from the minute we set off North at 7:30am. We had a massive night out after which turned the weekend into a brilliant one but I guess the actual event wasn’t one which we’d give our kidneys to do again.

If someone wanted to do it again then I’d definitely go round with them as it is slick, well-organised and fun. Not life-alteringly good, but not bad at all

EVENT REVIEWS SO FAR

65%                Total Warrior Lake District

60%                Stockton River Rat Race

Next one is Tough Mudder NW on 13^th September. At 12 miles it’ll be just about the longest one we have attempted so a bit of training may be needed. I’m running as part of my work team and there are about 9-10 of us so it should be a good chuckle.

Till next time,

DT 

Challenge #16 is done!

Another weekend, another challenge done. A full review will hopefully follow tomorrow cos I am absolutely shattered. 6:30am start on Sunday, didn't get to be until 21 hours later. A 10km run and one of the best day/nights out in a long long time.

Two newcomers to our little muddy-running band and they both enjoyed it so much (well maybe not during it!) that the sign-ups for upcoming races are coming thick and fast!

I'm off to lie on my very comfortable bed and comtemplate the fact that Tough Mudder is a mere 13 days away. Oh joy!

Till tomorrow,
DT

REVIEW: The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter

I've read every one of the Discworld books but have to confess to shying away from the "Hard Science Fiction" that Stephen Baxter is best known for. So it was with a mixture of interest and trepidation that I approached The Long Earth, the first of this collaborative series between Baxter and Terry Pratchett.

*SPOILER ALERT*

The basic premise is very ingenious indeed. A man discovers that there are apparently an infinite number of Earths and works out how to move between them, what he terms "stepping". He puts the schematic for the device on the internet and soon everyone is stepping across worlds. Humanity, free from the constraints of a single world, begins to expand into the new worlds. What does The Long Earth hold in store for the species?

The Long Earth follows two or three different plot strands which don't quite tie together in this book but obviously are all related in the long run.

The first follows a strange pairing; "natural stepper" Joshua (who doesn't need a device to traverse the worlds) and a Tibetan motorcycle repairman who has been reincarnated as a seemingly omniscient software program called Lobsang. Lobsang and Joshua are travelling through the Long Earth in Lobsang's airship, trying to divine the reason for the phenomenon and also learn more about it. This is the main bulk of the story and probably takes up 60-70% of the book.

The other plotlines follow (a) a group of pioneers who are looking to settle on a world far from the main Earth (called the Datum) and "start again" (b) a policewoman based on a world next to the Datum (c) a lone traveller who has worked out the way to perform multiple "steps" in one go. Wrapped around all this is a mystery which becomes more and more important during the course of the story. When finally solved however, I will confess myself slightly disappointed. Pratchett always had a fantastic way of tieing up his plotlines in interesting ways but this just felt, meh. You sense more may be coming but it didn't really work for me.

Plot definitely drives this story though as I felt the characters didn't really grab my attention. Being used to Pratchett's style I found the characters were not quite what I expected. Whether Baxter has had more of a say in their development or not I don't know, but this is a much less "quirky" offering than we are used to from the Discworld (except for Lobsang).

Maybe we will learn more about them in the future offerings but, considering the sequel is set 10 years later, I doubt it.  I found difficulty in identifying or understanding the majority of the characters, they just seem to be lacking depth and it felt as though a lot of them were afterthoughts to the story concept.

I desperately wanted to love this book, but I didn't. I did enjoy it but maybe it was a victim of my expectations rather than anything else. It is not bad at all, I just hoped for more. I'll definitely read the later ones as they are still a fantastic concept, hopefully with a bit more time together Pratchett and Baxter can get their styles meshed a bit better.

Verdict: 3.5 stars out of 5

Podcasting

Podcasts. Not something I've really gotten into as by the time I read, blog and do some writing of my own it's usually time to lie in bed and wait for the inevitable restless insomnia to take hold. However I've found a few recently that are fantastic and well worth a listen so I thought I'd recommend them here;

1) Homefront (BBC Radio 4 - also a podcast)
What a fantastic concept to commemorate and remind us of the horrors of WW1. Starting just a few weeks ago on 8th August, and playing every weekday, these 12-or-so minute segments will chronicle events exactly a century before. Set in Folkestone, each episode is set on the same day 100 years ago and follows the lives and loves of some of those people who lived through (and probably some that didn't) the Great War. 

I've only heard about 10 episodes so far but the characters are engaging, the setting is natural and organic and this really does have the feel of a winner. How it fares once we move further into the war, only time will tell. But this is scheduled to run for four years and I hope to be with it all the way!

2) A History of the World in 100 objects (British Museum and BBC Radio - podcast)
I started this some time ago but finally got around to finishing it and it is a complete treat. Neil Macgregor is the Director of the British Museum (one of THE finest museums in the world) and this series showcases human history through things. 100 things to be precise, starting with a stone cutting tool and finishing with a solar powered lamp. Macgregor takes us through 2 million years of human evolution over the course of 100 episodes of approximately 15 minutes each.

Each of the objects resides within the British Museum in London and each has been painstakingly selected to weave a fascinating and thorough history of our species and our ancestors. As far as human history goes, this is as good as it gets

3) Thrilling Adventure Hour (via iTunes)
This is billed as a "staged production in the style of old time radio". It is recorded monthly and is essentially "live audio theater". To quite TAH's own website;

Each show is unique, consisting of a selection of story segments, announcements from our fictional sponsors, musical numbers, and occasional one-off sketches

I can't really do it justice here but this is zany, off-the-wall and just downright hilarious. Featuring some pretty well known US TV stars such as Nathan Fillion (Firefly, Castle) and Linda Cardellini (ER) and some great recurring segments, this makes me laugh every single time.

There is also another cracker called The Bugle (starring comedians Andy Zaltzmann and John Oliver) but that is currently on hiatus due to Oliver's US TV work and so it won't be on as regularly this summer.

This is barely scratching the surface because there are simply millions of podcasts out there, there literally is something for everyone. And a lot of them are short so you can catch an episode while you are eating breakfast or in the car on the way to work. iTunes is probably the best place to start but the BBC has some crackers and your local friendly search engine will help you out too.

It is well worth the listen.
Till next time,
DT

A case of over-exposure?

The world seems to be falling apart. Everywhere you look there is something going wrong. People fighting with each other over ideologies or plots of land (or both) while the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Some estimates say that nearly 1/2 of the world's population — more than 3 billion people — live on less than $2.50 a day. Yet there are some 1,645 people in the world classed as billionaires. It can be depressing if you think about it.

But is the world getting worse, or are we simply able to see more of the world's problems? 

24 hour rolling news means that you are never short of the news. And the need to keep these channels on the air 24 hours a day has resulted in more and more stories that were probably deemed to not be newsworthy 15 years ago being picked apart at length. As the most "compelling" stories (to use a popular phrase from a well-known 24 news channel) tend not to be happy ones we seem to be bombarded with constant reminders that the world is, in fact, going to hell.

And it may very well be going to hell. There certainly does seem to be enough problems to go around two or three times over. But it is probably incorrect to assume that the world is definitively worse off than it was, say, 40 years ago. Since the early 20th Century we have seen two huge World Wars, a Cold War which could have sparked at any time and the Nuclear Arms Race. Now that sounds like trouble.

Contrastingly, from about 2007 onwards, the "Doomsday Clock" (the symbolic device which predicts how close we are to a potential global catastrophe) has actually been held pretty stable at around 23:55 (Doomsday being set at midnight). 

Hence, while it is possible that the world is getting worse, it seems much more likely that we are simply being over-exposed to its problems on a more regular basis. And the biggest problem about this over-exposure is that it seems to be heavily biased in favour of bad news, as I mentioned before. 

Yet there are fantastic, GOOD things happening out there every day, all over the world. Sure it often seems harder to finder the good than the bad but if you go looking for them I promise you will find them.

So next time you look up at the news and it seems that something else is going wrong with the world, how about this for a plan? Go find something, anything, that makes you smile. Something that makes you remember that the world is not all about wars, poverty and inequality. Something that reminds you, even for a short while, that it's not 24 hour bad news out there. 

Till next time,
DT 

Living up to expectations - hopefully

Sunday sees the next in the long line of Tom's Silly Adventures - Challenge #16 would you believe?! It's been nearly 16 months since the first one and I didn't think I'd still be doing them. This one is a bit different though, there are four of us doing it and two of the four are OCR "noobies".

It's a weird feeling but I really desperately want them to enjoy it. I love OCR (despite my mid-race grumblings) and I'd be really gutted if I said to someone, "come along you'll love it" and they really don't enjoy. You feel responsible because in you've talked it up and it somehow can feel like your fault if it doesn't live up to expectations.

I've found it to be a common feeling though, a sense of nervousness and excitement on behalf of whatever it is you are essentially the representative for. I'll find myself worrying for the whole of the event probably; just hoping we get to the end and our two noobies say "that was AMAZING, let's do it again". You want people to have as much fun as you, but you also want people to feel the same sense of enjoyment out of something that you do.

So this Sunday's Challenge will be a multi-edged one. Hopefully I'll get round in one piece and  the after party will be epic - involving lots of booze and a parmo. But even more importantly, it'll live up to all the hype and we'll get a couple more converts to the brilliance that is Obstacle Course Racing.

Bring. It. On!!

Till next time,
DT

A plea for some assistance

I'm looking for a bit of help here folks. A few months ago I started to write a series of children's stories about the adventures in space of two children and a cat (played brilliantly by my nephew's Charlie and Oscar and my niece Poppy). They are guided through their escapades by a star called Luke, named in memory of Jo and Mark's baby - who is the main reason Friends of Serenity exists in the first place. 

The idea is to publish these and sell them to raise funds for the charity. I know there are huge hurdles to overcome but I also know there are some fantastic, generous people out there and with a bit of hard work we can make this happen.

I've essentially finished the stories now and am hoping to get my sister to do the editing, on the basis that she has three kids under the age of 7 and therefore knows what a good book for children looks like! Jo is hoping to do the illustrations but I know she is exceptionally busy at the moment so they are on the back-burner. 

There are still a bunch of other things that we need to get sorted in the meantime before we can get this project moved on. We need to find a publisher who is interested or if not we need to locate somewhere where we can layout and print our own books. I'm sure there are plenty of other things I've not even considered either.

If you know anyone who may be able to help in any way at all then I would love to hear from you. 

You can drop me a line at doctortomowens@gmail.com or you can get me via my twitter handle @tomthedoctor. There is also a Contact Me page on my Silly Adventures Website or you can find us via the official Friends of Serenity Site too. 

Also, if you can share this around then it would be magnificent. The more people who hear about the project, the greater our chances of finding someone who might be able to help and the more likely it is that this will eventually see the light of day.

Thanks for reading.

Till next time,

DT

Rediscovering past glories

I've recently rediscovered the beauty and enjoyment of whisky. Proper single malt whisky from Scotland. I spent a total of eight years at university in Scotland (St. Andrews) and I had never touched a drop of the stuff before I went. However, a friend of mine was a member of the whisky tasting society (the "Quaich Society") and he suggested I come along and try it.

I loved it, it was certainly a different experience to the thoroughly enjoyable pints of Tennants I had been enjoying up until that point. Over the years I consumed a lot of the amber nectar, though not very "intelligently" if you know what I mean? I enjoyed it but I didn't really know why; I couldn't really tell the difference between the different types and the process of making it confused me a lot.

Over the last few years I've stopped drinking it for some reason that I can't put my finger on, I know its definitely not a conscious decision - it is one of those situations you suddenly realise where you are without being aware of getting there.

Anyway, a friend of mine has recently gotten into whisky in a big way and he has been kind enough to share some with me. It reminded me of how much I loved it and I couldn't believe that I had stopped! I don't know whether you describe it as nostalgia but it kind of falls into the category of things you look back wistfully at and say "ah, remember the good old days".

We seem to do it more and more as we get old, things that were a huge part of our youth drop away and fade - replaced more often than not by "real" life rearing its head. Then there is inevitably a "retro" era when everything comes back into fashion and you remember all the things that you used to love. It find it a very curious facet of human existence.

Rediscovering my love for whisky has got me thinking about all the other things I used to love doing but simply don't make the time for anymore. Cooking, reading and playing cricket have already been rekindled this year but there are so many more things that are waiting to be refound.

So give it a try. Have a think back at the things you used to love doing, pick one and see if the love comes back. I bet you a good glass of Islay that it does.

Till next time,
DT

Premier League Preview

If you don't like football (soccer to my American readers) then turn away now, you have been warned!

It is that time of the season again, when everyone is full of optimism and convinced that this season is going to be “the” season. The squads are assembled, barring the usual last minute panic for scraps that is Transfer Deadline Day, and all the pre-season work is over.

Of course within weeks there will be panic, recriminations and general frustrations again but for one glorious day everyone can dream. At least until you take a first half hammering and realise it is going to be a long hard slog for the remaining 37 and a half games.

So hot on the heels of my pretty average World Cup predictions (though I did get the Winners, Runners-Up and one of the Losing Semi-Finalists right) I now present Tom’s All-Conquering 2014/15 Premier League Predictions. Without any further ado then;

CHAMPIONS – Chelsea

For me, this is a two-horse race between Chelsea and Manchester City. Most observers last season would have said that if Chelsea had a 20-goal striker then they could really have run City closer. Defensively Chelsea have relieved themselves of the burden that was David Luiz and they now longer even stronger in midfield with the addition of Fabregas. Can Costa fire them to the title? Well he didn’t look fit in the World Cup but his record last season with Atletico was superb and it has been proven to be notoriously difficult to retain the Premier League crown unless you are Manchester United.

RUNNERS UP – Manchester City

I think City may be a couple of players short this year. The additions of Mangala and Sagna to shore up the defence were necessary but I don’t think they have addressed the “what happens if Yaya gets injured?” conundrum. Aguero needs to stay fit and they will need some production from Jovetic and Silva to take the burden off Toure in the midfield. They certainly can win the title but they seem much more reliant on one player than Chelsea and that is always risky.

THIRD – Arsenal

Keeping Aaron Ramsey fit will be key for Wenger’s side. When he was missing last year they really struggled and a lot rests on his shoulders. Arsenal are blessed with multiple options across the midfield but Ozil needs to sustain his production for a full season and it is important that Sanchez settles quickly. Keeping Podolski fit will also be important and they need to stop giving silly goals away too. They would need something special to challenge for the title but they are the best of the rest in my eyes.

FOURTH – Liverpool

Losing 30+ goals from a single player (no matter how divisive) is going to be difficult, especially as it now places an even greater burden on a back 5 that was more of a hindrance than a help for most of the season. Rodgers has recruited in what appear to be the right positions but the question will be how he deploys his resources to get the best of them. If Sturridge stays fit then they have a chance but they have to play twice a week this year and will also have to adapt their style now that Suarez has gone. It might seem like a step back finishing fourth but if they can get that defence working better and cope with a 60+ game season that it is actually forward progress in the long run.

FIGHTING FOR EUROPEAN SPOTS – Everton, Manchester United, Tottenham

Everton have kept hold of most of the pieces from last year’s jigsaw and Martinez has added to the pot. I still feel we are short of another goal-scoring option and maybe some cover at the back but Everton played some great stuff last year and another full pre-season under Martinez should have honed the style. We should challenge for the Top 4 again this season but it’ll be a tough nut to crack. Martinez influenced a lot of games with his tactics last season, will he keep up that good run this year?

I watched Manchester United the other night in a friendly and they looked shockingly off the pace. Everything was being done at walking pace and (although it was a friendly) there was no zip about them. They boast a wealth of attacking options but are woefully short at centre half. The good teams could pick them apart with reckless abandon and the new 3-4-3 formation is a long way from established.

Spurs are a strange one. A new manager and plenty of money spent but they seem to have regressed for me on paper. They lack real creativity in the centre of the park and are heavily reliant on a centre-forward who often doesn’t bother to show up. Pocchetino will get them playing with more tempo but it might take more than that for Spurs to sneak into Europe.

BATTLING RELEGATION – Leicester, Burnley, QPR, West Brom, West Ham, Swansea

Leicester had a great season last year and were comfortably the best team in the division for long periods of time. They have brought in a few players with Premier League experience and in David Nugent have a man who still knows where the goal is. But they have a tricky start though and could be behind the eight-ball early on. I think they might finish lowest of the promoted sides and that could see them drop back down.

Burnley will need Ings and Vokes to get regularly on the score sheet or their stay will be a short one.  Sean Dyche has done a great job at Turf Moor and their home form is critical. The atmosphere at the home games could be key and on the flip side they will need to make sure they are defensively sound away from home as goal difference matters. I can see them scoring enough goals to stay up though, unless one of their strikers gets poached mid-season.

QPR dragged themselves up via the playoffs after tailing away towards the end of the season. They have experience in the dugout with ‘Arry but have they learnt the lessons of last time? They changed too much and got away from the team that got them up and it cost them. Ferdinand still has enough about him to marshal a Premier League defence and they should have enough firepower to stay up. Just.

West Brom survived last season mainly because there were three even worse teams come the end. Alan Irvine has a job on his hands and I don’t know if he has the personnel to keep them up. A lot relies on Chris Brunt and they need to score more goals than they did last season. I think it’ll go down to the wire and I don’t think they’ll stay up.

I’ll get it out straight away. I don’t like Allardyce. I hate the way his teams play football and I’ve never known someone bleat more about referees than him. He is effective though and usually manages to keep his teams up. This season I’m worried for West Ham though; Carroll and the new striker Valencia aren’t fit, Nolan is getting on in years and I think defensively they are as weak a unit as there is in the Premier League. Especially if Adrian plays in goal. The fans play a big part here too, if they get a bad start with their “lump it” approach then they will be on Big Sam’s back and that usually doesn’t end well.

Swansea are a strange one. They play great stuff when they are on but when they aren’t they really struggle. They will need to keep Bony and his goals could be the difference. They will always have plenty of the ball but I worry for them defensively as they’ve lost a few starters and that is never easy. I think they’ll just be OK but don’t think they’ll challenge further up the table.

GOING DOWN: Leicester, West Brom and West Ham

THE REST– Aston Villa, Newcastle, Sunderland, Stoke, Southampton, Hull City, Crystal Palace

Aston Villa – A bit of off-season turmoil but this team has come through plenty in the last two seasons and have two years’ experience to draw on. I think they’ll be ok if they can get Benteke back and retain Weimann through the transfer window.

Newcastle – The only thing certain about Newcastle is that Pardew is in his last chance saloon. They should have jettisoned him last season but stuck by him despite a terrible run of performances from when Cabaye left. Again goals may be a problem but I don’t think they are as bad as some of the other teams and they will probably be ok.

Sunderland – After the miracle of escape last season, this one is all about consolidating for Poyet. Hopefully he’ll keep Rodwell fit as the boy is a great player. If they can bring Borini in and Wickham can continue his development then they’ll be mid table and battling to finish above their local rivals.

Stoke City – A great finish to the season from Stoke and they will be looking to push on. Hughes has them playing football and it is a breath of fresh air from the Pulis days. Bojan is an intriguing signing as the ex-Barcelona player has all the tools. They have a great goalkeeper and, shall we say “rugged”, centre-halves so they won’t be bullied by anyone.

Southampton – They have been gutted since last season and will undoubtedly regress. But they still have a lot of good, young players and plenty of quality remains. Long would be a great signing and defensively I still think they will be solid, especially with the addition of Forster between the sticks.

Hull City – Losing Long would be a blow but Hull had a great season last season and I can see Bruce keeping them in the mid-table region. Jelavic will be key if he can rediscover his shooting boots and they are usually pretty solid at the back. Huddlestone and Livermore need to dominate in midfield and then they should be fine.

Crystal Palace – Tony Pulis did wonderfully last year and this time he starts from a level playing field. Frazier Campbell’s addition should help to increase the goals tally and they have plenty of young talent which should see them through. They are short of pace at the back but their attitude and work-rate is spot on and they won’t get rolled over very often.

So there it is. The title may be making its way out of Manchester for the first time in 5 years and it seems like a bad season to have the word “West” in your team name. It should be a cracker though and there will be plenty of entertain and drama throughout the season. Good luck whoever you support and let’s hope we only have good things to talk about this campaign.

Till next time,

DT 

REVIEW: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams

Phew, I think I’ve just about caught up on all my book and film reviews now. That’s a side effect of having periods of mania; you get a ridiculous amount of things done. Plus you also organise a ridiculous amount of things (such as trips and challenge events) but thankfully my credit card that I use on Amazon has expired so I didn’t bankrupt myself there!

On to book #20 of the year then, and it is one I am surprised it has taken me so long to get to. Douglas Adams’ “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” (HHGG) is one of my ultimate “go to” books. Ever since I was young I have been fascinated by the story of Arthur Dent and I think I have seen, read or listened to every single adaptation going in the English language.

So it is a bit of a mystery why it has taken me so long to get around to his other stuff, specifically in this case, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency (DGHDA).

*SPOILER ALERT*

It is probably going to be difficult to review this without drawing at least a few comparisons to the Hitchhiker’s Guide so I apologise in advance.

DGHDA is typical of Adams’ style. It is irreverent and funny in places, but also clever and incisive in others. He really did have a method all of his own and I think you would probably work out that this is him telling a tale even if you didn’t know.

The lead character of Gently is a fascinating one and to me there is little doubt that he is an extension of Adams’ own psyche. Adams was a bit unique to say the least, and Gently is no different. They both seem to exist on a slightly different mental plane to the rest of the world.

Gently’s mannerisms and quirky behaviour resonate and remind me of Adams, at least the Adams we know from his interviews and public appearances, clearly smarter than most of us but also one of the most lateral of thinkers. They both find an angle from which to approach a situation which appears to elude the majority of us.

The other characters seem peripheral to the story and, with the exception of the delightful Reg, don’t have the level of development we see from the secondary characters in the HHGG universe. But this is all about Dirk really so the story manages to move along well enough despite this slightly lightweight supporting cast.

As for the story, I do have one bit of advice. Don’t read a few pages then leave it aside and come back to it a week later. Part of Adams’ skill is the little things, the subtle bits that seem unimportant at the time but turn out to be critical. There are plenty of those in here and I found myself turning back on numerous occasions to try and piece bits back together.

Adams is notoriously “twitchy” with his plots, jumping around between three or four differing strands that you know are connected but can’t quite work out how. DGHDA is no different so it takes a certain state of mind to take everything in and enjoy it to its fullest.

The plot itself is unsurprisingly unlike anything you’ve really seen before, containing amongst other things; an Electric Monk, a dead (though not initially) millionaire, a seemingly repentant ghost, a time-travelling professor and a “normal” bloke stuck in the middle trying to work out what the heck is going on.

The denouement felt a bit rushed and the solution to the mystery seemed a bit, not simplistic but rudimentary. Adams created this great little storyline and clearly knew the desired ending but the path between the two felt somewhat disjointed at times.

However the one element that is here in abundance is the humour. Adams has always had a very distinct sense of humour and DGHDA displays it to its finest. It’s not laugh-out-loud funny but rather very clever and precise about when and where to inject the wit. You find yourself smiling broadly at a particular clever section without realising you are doing it.

So overall how did this rate? Well it’s not quite up to the epic HHGG, however in its defence it doesn’t try to be. DGHDA is fun in its own right and certainly worth a read. Fans of Douglas Adams won’t be disappointed, while those who have never experienced his delightful style will hopefully be inspired to try HHGG – which you definitely need to have do.

Verdict: 4 stars out of 5

It's obvious when you look back

20:20 hindisight. Everyone has it. The ability to look back on something and realise that maybe it wasn't such a good idea after all. Or the opposite, to look back and realise that in actual fact you should have done that when you had the chance. It's amazing how obvious things can seem after the event. To the point where you genuinely can't understand how you didn't spot it in the first place.

But, does 20:20 hindsight actually help though? Does it stop you making the same mistakes again and again? Because in the end that is the only real purpose it serves. It doesn't really help you fix what went wrong the last time, so all it can do is help you to not do the same thing again. Strange how often it doesn't do that though. It seems to be a moment of clarity amongst the fog of real life sometimes.

Since being diagnosed with bi-polar I've often found myself employing 20:20 hindsight with staggering clarity. Looking back it was all quite obvious really. Although it was suggested as a possible condition in the past it was never seriously explored. But why not I wonder? It explains such large chunks of my life.

It explains the fluctuating moods and, to some extent, the strange periods of behaviour. The frequent blocks of mania (some may say obsession) interspersed with those of being a seriously anti-social and (quite unpleasant at times) prat never seemed to fit but now I can see how they do. It becomes quite obvious looking at it from this side of time.

So does this clarity after the event help to prepare for the next event? Well at the moment it doesn't seem to unfortunately, which is kind of the point I was trying to get too here. I feel we don't really learn from our past experiences enough. I for one seem to be terrible at noticing signs and predicting what is coming.

The worst cases surrounded my bowel conditions which for a long time was one big cycle of; let it build up, realise it had got bad, suffer horrendously while it got fixed, promise never to let it get that bad again; and repeat. I know it drove people to despair and I know it pushed people away, why was I so unable to see the cycle?

Even now, despite me sitting here and saying that looking back I can now understand some of what happened to me and why, I can guarantee that there will be moments in the future when I just don't see things coming. Things I have seen before plenty of times and things which, when I get on the other side, will seem staggeringly obvious.

Is it just me? Probably not. But that doesn't stop it being any less frustrating. The key to mistakes and difficulties is to learn from them and make sure we don't end up in situations that we don't want to be in again. It is getting better, I am starting to learn a bit each time I go through a down-cycle. But I'm a long way from converting that perfect hindsight into 20:20 foresight.

Till next time,
DT

The Comic Book Trifecta Review: Part 3

Final part of the "recovering from the mud" trilogy was the latest entry into the Transformers universe. How will the change in personnel affect the franchise and will it finally explode onto the screen with something more than just great set pieces?

TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION

A new leading man but not much else has changed for the fourth instalment of the live action Transformers movie series. I desperately WANT these films to be good, to pay homage and do justice to one of the great animated TV shows, certainly of my childhood.

Unfortunately the product hasn’t really lived up to the hype so far. The first three movies ranged from passable to so-so and there was never a real zip about them for me. Sure there is still something great about seeing Optimus Prime, Starscream. Megatron and the like on the big screen but the storylines never really inspired. Can Age of Extinction (AoE) buck the trend?

Well, Shia LeBeouf has gone and has been replaced by Mark Wahlberg’s inventor and single-parent Cade Yeager. Joining him are relative newcomers Nicola Peltz (as Cade’s teenage daughter Tessa) and Jack Reynor (as her boyfriend Shane). The remainder of the main human cast is rounded out by Stanley Tucci’s billionaire company owner, Sophia Myles’s geologist and Kelsey Grammar’s ruthless CIA Agent.

But it is always the Transformers that make these movies and there is no greater sight than Optimus Prime laying waste to large numbers of Decepticons. Peter Cullen is back to supply Prime’s seminal, powerful voice and he is joined on the Autobot side by John Goodman (Hound), Ken Watanabe (Drift), John DiMaggio (Crosshairs) and the still-talking-through-a-radio Bumblebee.

Frank Welker once again leads the Decepticons, this time as the Megatron “clone”, Galvatron, but he is generally devoid of help and relying on his own cunning to trick the humans into creating a Decepticon army for him.

The robotic cast is completed by Mark Ryan as an intergalactic bounty hunter (Lockdown) with ties to neither side and, drum roll please ………………. Grimlock, Strafe, Slug and Scorn – the DINOBOTS!

Ever since the live-action franchise was announced the question has been, will we see the Dinobots? Finally they have arrived.

Cast wise, Wahlberg was much more enjoyable to watch than LeBeouf (who looked uninterested by #3) and there was an injection of humour from Tucci which I thought worked well to remind us that this is supposed to be a bit of fun after all. Myles is criminally underused but Grammar’s CIA Agent adds a bit of gravitas to proceedings. Peltz and Reynor didn’t get masses of screen time but I thought they gelled together nicely when they did.

The Autobot actors got to have a bit fun with plenty of wise-cracks and inter-team dynamics, though the speed they are getting through them (Autobots that is, not actors) is alarming!

One of the criticisms of the Transformer movies is that they are all a bit samey and unfortunately AoE does fall into that category. The set-pieces are always impressive, the Decepticons sneaky, the Autobots heroic and the plucky humans just kinda get in the way a bit. There is always a climactic battle at the end and then Prime does a stirring speech.

Plot wise AoE pretty much followed that mould, though the addition of a “neutral” Transformer in Lockdown was something a bit different and gave us a glimpse into the fact that Transformers society is not all about the Autobot-Decepticon war.

There is also a sense with these movies that each one is actually just a prequel to the next one and, eventually, something big is going to happen. We appear to be getting there but you always leave with a sense of mild annoyance at the fact that nothing ever really gets resolved.

The actual introduction of the Dinobots also felt a little bit forced, almost exactly like they have been trying to find a way to use them and only just worked it out now. It wasn’t too clumsy though and it was great to see them back so maybe it was worth it.

Overall though, this wasn’t bad. It certainly wasn’t as bad as #2 or #3 but I just felt it was still lacking the zing that you’d expect a movie about robots that can transform into anything should naturally have.

You still get spine tingles whenever Cullen is doing one of his “I’m Optimus Prime” bits and there is certainly enough here to justify spending 2-3 hours of your life in front of it if there is nothing else on.

Verdict: 3.5 stars out of 5

The Comic Book Trifecta Review: Part 2

The second part of my Sunday all-day comic book marathon was the 7th (?) installment of Marvel's mutant-based X-Men series. The X-Men franchise was one of the first in the “new era” of comic book adaptations, 14 years ago. Some seven (or so) films later and the franchise is still going strong and producing thoroughly enjoyable movies set within the mutant world.

X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST (Spoiler Alert)

Days of Future Past (DoFP) is one of the most ambitious of the X-Men movies to date, acting both as a sequel-to-the-prequel that was First Class but also showing a glimpse of the dystopian future that has been heavily portrayed in the comic series.

A good chunk of the original cast are back (Hugh Jackman, Sir Patrick Stewart, Sir Ian McKellan, Ellen Page and Halle Berry among the most prominent) and they are joined by the main protagonists from First Class such as James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence and Nicholas Hoult. There are few cameos from some unexpected characters and the task of “main bad guy” has been handed over to Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones) in the guise of Bolivar Trask.

The movie begins in the future with the remaining X-Men being systematically hunted down by the Sentinels, giant machines created by Trask initially to wipe out mutants but which have taken recently to having a pop at general humanity too.

The decision is taken to send Wolverine’s consciousness back in time to his former self in 1973 – the plan being to stop Mystique’s assassination of Trask which was the catalyst for his Sentinel plan to get the go ahead in the first place.

Wolverine locates Beast and Xavier in Charles’s mansion and eventually convinces a drunken Xavier of who he is. After breaking Magneto out of maximum security prisoner the race is on to stop Mystique and change the course of history.

DoFP cracks along at a far pace, as do all the X-Men movies, and the ensemble cast gels together fantastically. The dynamic of McAvoy and Fassbender is as good, if not better, than the one between Stewart and McKellen and Jackman seems to enjoy playing second fiddle somewhat. He has carried a good few of the X-Men films himself and he appears to relish not being the focal point this time.

Comic book bad guys are all pretty clichéd so it is no surprise that Trask falls into that category. Dinklage does his best with what is there and his familiar style breathes life into an otherwise unconvincing bad guy.

Jennifer Lawrence has almost a Mystique-like ability to shift between her acting roles and she is once again bang on the button (not to mention she looks FANTASTIC throughout – I know that shouldn’t come into it but I’m afraid it does!). She strikes the right balance between vulnerability and psychosis that Mystique displays throughout the comics, something that I think is always key to her storylines.

The action piece scenes in DoFP are typically ambitious (witness Magneto relocating RFK Memorial Stadium AROUND the White House) but it is the quieter moments that I really enjoyed. The moments of contemplation and reflection where you can see the characters’ conflicts and understand the burden placed upon them.

Overall this didn’t disappoint. There has been a real glut of prequels over the last 4 or 5 years, not all of them successful. First Class was a very good prequel and DoFP continues along this vein.

The advantage of X-Men as a franchise is that they have so many characters to play with that they should always be able to keep the franchise fresh, but it does require good storylines and the right actors to carry them.

Thankfully DoFP delivers on both counts and the intriguing post-credit scene hints at more mutant-based fun and games to come in the not too distant future.

Verdict: 4.5 stars out of 5

The Comic Book Trifecta Review: Part 1

As last Saturday was spent running around a field in the Lake District (and wading through chest-deep mud for "fun") I decided to spend last Sunday sitting down and doing very little that felt like using energy at all - in fact I used it to catch up on a few films that I'd been wanting to see but hadn't got around to.

So 11:30am found me wandering through the pretty deserted Odeon Printworks in Manchester to catch #1 in this 8 hour comic-book-adaptation-fest, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY
One of Marvel's lesser known super-hero "teams" is the self-titled Guardians of the Galaxy (GotG). The movie is inspired by the comic book of the same name (which I won't go into here but can be found by simple consultation of your favourite search engine) and serves as book an "origin" story for the group and a first foray into what will no doubt turn into multiple adventures in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Led by Earth-born scavenger Peter Quill (also known as Star Lord) this is the definition of a rag-tag bunch. Quill was abducted from Earth as a young boy and found himself drifting through the universe as a part-time bounty hunter, scavenger, thief etc..

As is often the case with these characters, their life is turned upside down by contact with something big and all-encompassing, leaving them no choice but to turn from what they knew and become someone else. GotG is no different and that is exactly what happens early on in the script. This cliched entry doesn't feel wrong though, sometimes there is no other way to start a story!

Quickly he is joined (through various mishaps and high-jinks) by the beautiful Gamora, the physically imposing Drax the Destroyer, wise-cracking racoon Rocket and his "muscle", the tree-like Groot. Facing them is (again, as usual) someone who wants to destroy the world, or in this case one particular world. Ronan is the bad guy in this instance and he is more than a bit deranged! You always know the Guardians will win, as that is how these things work, but the trick with these movies is making you wait for that moment and keeping enough back so it doesn't become to obvious from way out.

So plot wise there is nothing special here, but that isn't the charm of this movie. This movie works and the reason in works is the snappy dialogue and the expertly put together cast. GotG is much more fun and irreverant than other Marvel offerings, and the participants appear to be having more fun playing in this sandbox.

Chris Pratt (Quill) is always a bit "goofy" and he works really well in the lead role here. There are great turns from Zoe Saldana (Gamora), Batista (Drax) and from the villains Lee Pace (Ronan) and a barely recognisable Karen Gillan (Amy Pond for those of us Doctor Who fans - who plays Nebula). There is also a bizarre 5 minute cameo from Benicio del Toro.

The star of the show for me though is Bradley Cooper as Rocket. An genetically modified and enhanced racoon with a penchant for big guns, great plans and general mayhem gives Cooper the perfect playground on which to crack-wise; and he does. This is not Oscar winning material by any stretch but it is funny, smart and very keen to poke fun at its own genre without resorting to crudity or cheap laughs.

I love the Marvel Universe movies but they can be a bit "cookie-cutter" with lots of set pieces and pretty panful dialogue sometimes. I found GotG to be funny, well-cast and with a decent enough storyline to carry it along to its typically explosive conclusion. It is definitely one of the movies I've been pleasantly surprised by recently and I'm looking forward to the sequel already!

Verdict: 4.5 stars out of 5

EVENT REVIEW: Total Warrior Lake District (10km)

Hot on the heels of my previous post (see here) I present the inaugural Tom and Rick's "Seriously, How Good Was That?!" Obstacle Course Race Review. The scoring criteria and categories are covered in the previous post which is both under this post and also at the link above. Drum roll please!

TOTAL WARRIOR
10km Obstacle Run
2nd August 2014
Shap, Lake District

This was a tough one. Pretty atrocious weather had turned the course into a mud bath in places but in actual fact that added to the enjoyment a lot of the time. So without a moments hesitation let's get on with the scoring.

General Event Organisation
This was a pretty slick and efficient event. The participant pack they sent out was a touch light but generally it was as per most of the other events we have seen. At the event everything was pretty easy to locate and it seemed to run smoothly. They get an extra point as Rick had to change from the Leeds version and they achieved that with the minimum of fuss and hassle.
8 - Very Good

Event Facilities
Pretty standard. A couple of OCR shops selling gear, a reasonably sized bar which had plenty of spectator action due to the adverse weather and decent amounts of toilets and car parking.
7 - Good

Registration
Again everything seemed pretty standard for these events. Pretty quick to register once there and the pack had just about everything we needed in there. No real queues and the registration was in a permanent barn so the weather didn't affect anything
7 - Good

Location
Great location just a short jag from J39 of the M6. Excellently signposted and not too much of a logjam getting out. The course was cleverly designed so that spectators could see a fair chunk of it without moving too far from the bar area.
8 - Very Good

On Course Facilities
A couple of water stations placed a 5km and 8km came in very handy. The course was well signposted with distance markers every 1km (which I'm a big fan of). Loses a point because the marshals appeared to be dressed in blue rather than in hi-vis jackets and it was often tough to see who they were.
6 - Above average

Warm-Up
No warm-up unfortunately. Or certainly not that we encountered.
0 - Missing

Variety of obstacles
Most of the "standard" ones you would expect were here, plus a few brucie bonuses such as a brilliant soapy, water slide and an overhanging wall which proved too tough for me. They had the balance throughout the course worked out pretty well so a pretty decent score awarded here
8 - Very Good

Obstacle/Run mix
Pretty standard once again. A reasonably long running section early doors to spread the field out followed by pretty regular obstacles dotted throughout. I thought a bit too much of the uphill stuff was after a really tough obstacle so I got sapped pretty quick a couple of times. Generally pretty good though.
7 - Good

Terrain
Being the Lake District there was always going to be plenty of hills. Generally I thought the course was pretty good and they used the natural terrain pretty well. I felt a couple of times that we seemed to be doubling-back on ourselves for no apparent reason but I might just have lost my bearings.
7 - Good

Post-Race
I'm afraid Rick and I are snobs and we like a good chunky medal and a swish technical T-shirt for our troubles, especially as it set me back around £60 for this event. Instead of a medal there was a snood-type device and a non-tech cotton T-shirt. You could buy technical t-shirts at the stands but they were £15-£25 extra on top. Unfortunately with neither a tech shirt nor a medal, this gets marked down.
4 - Below Average

Difficulty
This was definitely a tough one. There were a couple of occasions where certain obstacles really hurt which is unusual for me and certainly for Rick. The course was hilly and there didn't seem to be many flat bits on it while some of the obstacles such as the overhanging wall, the wall/rope climb and a couple of the tunnel sections were energy sapping.
Course: 8 out of 10
Obstacles 8 out of 10

Overall Thoughts
Generally I enjoyed this one despite the weather at the start. I thought the course was varied and challenging enough while the lack of queues is always a good thing. It was easy to get to and there were plenty of facilities at the event. I'm not sure it is the greatest value for money however, I paid £60 and didn't get a medal or a fancy T-shirt (told you I was a snob) which I'd expect at least one of at that price. It's only 10km as well and when you consider we paid £40 for Yorkshire Warrior which is a 16km event it just felt as though there are better overall packages around.

Overall Score
65% - I really enjoyed this and would recommend you give this a go if you can get a good early bird discount on it. Myself I think I'd consider coming back again. I won't be booking it tomorrow though and if something else new happened to be on the same day next year I'd probably try that one instead.

As this is the first OCR I (with Rick's help) have reviewed we don't have anything quantitative to compare it against. I might revisit some of the others and retrospectively review them but for now I don't think I'll get around to it. Once we have done River Rat in 3 weeks we'll start to build up a table and hopefully add to it every time we do another challenge.

Hope you found this useful, if you have any comments or suggestions then please let me know and I'll try to incorporate them in future reviews. And if you've not tried an OCR yet, check out this site as it has almost everything that is coming up soon. Pick one, do it and LOVE it.

Till next time,
DT

Challenge #15 - Total Warrior, done!

Another day, another challenge (or so it seems anyway). This one took us to the delights of Shap through what can only be described as an apocalypse! Total Warrior's Lake District 10km event was our destination today and another rather enjoyable one it was too, despite some of the worst weather we have encountered so far.

On the way back my "mud buddy" Rick and I got talking about these events and we (mainly Rick TBH) decided it would be a good idea to start reviewing some of them, just in case people reading the blog may have an interest in doing one.

So we discussed it for a bit and settled on the following. We are ranking each event in three ways;

• 10 categories for which a score of 0-10 will be given as follows:
• 10 - Basically better than existence
• 9 - Excellent
• 8 - Very Good
• 7 - Good
• 6 - Above average
• 5 - Average
• 4 - Below average
• 3 - Poor
• 2 - Very Poor
• 1 - Terrible
• 0 - Missing or unbelievably terrible
• A difficulty rating for
• The course
• The obstacles
• An overall mark out of 100. This isn't necessarily a sum of the numbers from the ten categories but also includes our overall impressions of the race/day and also some intangibles which it's difficult to quantify. The overall event scores will be as follows:
• 90%+ - Sell everything you own (including unimportant organs) to do this event
• 80-90% - We will be doing this event every year we are able to, regardless of price
• 70-80% - We'll definitely try to do this event again, maybe not every year but whenever we can
• 60-70% - We'd like to do this event again but if there is something different on the calendar at a similar time then we'll probably do that instead
• 50-60% - Glad we did it but unlikely to do it again
• 40-50% - A bit disappointing, very unlikely to try again
• below 40% - Simply not worth it

The following categories were decided upon; 

• General Event Organisation
• How simple was it to sign up, what communication was sent out, how did they deal with queries, how easy was it to find everything at the event?
• Event Facilities
• What is onsite at the event; car parking, shops, bars, toilets, changing areas? Everything you need on the day to minimise hassle.
• Registration
• How quick and easy was the registration process and what was the quality of the information provided in the registration pack?
• Location
• Fairly simple, is the venue in a good spot and was to easy to get to? Was the signage good enough to direct you from a way out and also was it a nice location to race?
• On course facilities
• How good was the marshalling? What about the sign posts around the course? Were there distance markers? What about feed/water stations and medical coverage?
• Warm-Up
• How good was the pre-race warm up? Did it get us suitably pumped? Was it well timed? Was there enough space to do it in?
• Variety of obstacles
• Too much arm? Not enough walls? Far too many dips in the stream? All these factors will be taken into account in this section.
• Mix of run/obstacles?
• Did the course cater for runners and those of a more "obstacley" inclination? Was there a 3km block of running at the start with all the obstacles just jammed in the end?
• Terrain
• How did the location make use of the terrain? Was it too hilly or just right? Did it feel like just ploughing through a field or was it well thought out and planned?
• Post Race
• What was in the post-race pack? What else was provided afterwards? Was there any entertainment?

So without further ado, my next post will be the first review to grace these pages. Come join me in about 10 minutes time to see how Total Warrior fared.

Till then,

DT

Here comes the Warrior

Tomorrow is Challenge #15, the 10km Total Warrior. I finally got around to looking at the course map, I now I wish I hadn't bothered!! This one looks absolutely crazy with a ridiculous array of obstacles both natural and man-made. There is an advantage to that though, more obstacles usually means less distance running between them. Full report will follow tomorrow once I've cleaned all the mud off!

You might find it odd to learn that someone who does so many of these runs (both obstacle and "normal") doesn't actually enjoy running that much, but I don't. I don't hate it, it just hurts a lot both during and afterwards and to be honest if someone could ferry me around between the obstacles that would do nicely. In hindsight I should probably have picked a hobby that I am actually good at and also physically capable of doing on a regular basis without falling apart.

Though then a big part of me asks "where is sense of adventure in that"? That sounds like an easy way out when in actual fact the whole point of doing these things is to challenge your limits isn't it? Life can be done very quietly, very easily and with the minimum amount of fuss if we want. But is that what we are supposed to do with it? Or are we, as I mentioned in a previous post, supposed to seize it? Are we in fact meant to do things the "hard" way, because the reward from overcoming challenges like that is the prize itself.

So tomorrow I'll spend a good few hours soaking wet, covered in mud and in varying degress of pain. And you know what, there is a very good chance that despite all that I will love every single second of it!! Which is the whole point of things in the end.

Till next time,
DT