Why oh why do I forget how old I am?! And why am I still unable to grasp the concept that certain parts of my body (oi, quiet at the back) simply don't work they used to. I enjoyed a nice couple of hours running around playing 6-a-side football this evening, probably for the first time since around August. By the end of the 20 minute drive home the only part of me that wasn't hurting or numb was my left ear lobe.
One of these days you think I'll learn, but I don't think it'll be any time soon. Granted I'm taking up less and less energy sapping hobbies these days but I'm still taking up new things and sooner or later I'm expecting my body to actually fall apart. Hopefully somebody will save the day with a roll of sticky tape but I'm not holding out much hope.
It is a very sad day when (a) you realise that your chances of playing professional anything are long gone (although see yesterday's post for a cunning way you can still be world champion at something) and (b) you become acutely aware that you are past the peak of your physical powers and that it is all downhill from here - or in fact from back over there somewhere!
I guess this is why I've taken up the silly challenges. Obviously the main driver now is the charity work but initially it was out of some ill-conceived idea that I needed to prove I was still capable of doing these things.
Well I'd like to state for the record right now that if anyone sees me having a "bright idea" any time in the future, can you make sure I am brought back to earth with enough force for me to at least consider it a bit longer!!
I am now off to have a soak in the bath (though we don't have one) and contemplate the fact that most of tomorrow will be spent drinking, so at least by the end of the evening there will be maybe one bit of me that isn't really really really sore!!
Today's #randomfactoftheday - Since the "Doomsday Clock" concept was invented in 1947, the closest it has been set to midnight is 23:58 (1953-1960), and the furthest away 23:43 (1991-1995). It is currently at 23:55.
Today's #badjokeoftheday - Q: What do you call a fish with no eyes? A: A fsh
Today's #websiteoftheday: www.booking.com
On this day: 1912, Captain Scott reaches the South Pole - one month after Roald Amundsen. None of Scott's party made it home
Till next time,
DT
Friday, 17 January 2014
Thursday, 16 January 2014
Sporting Greatness (Kind of...)
I recently signed up to do a 5 min talk at the Ignite event in Liverpool in mid-February. The basic gist of this event is that you get 20 slides over 5 minutes to talk about any topic of your choosing. Each slide is on for 15 seconds before automatically advanced so you have to keep it snappy and interesting. My topic of choice? The Many World Championships of Finland.
As those who know me will be aware of, I recently spent about 2 months in Finland with my work. In that time I tried to take in as much of the culture as possible and it was this that lead me to discover just how many world championship events Finland hosts. Included amongst those "sports" where you can be crowned world's best are: Mobile Phone Throwing, Mosquito Squashing, Swamp Football, Air Guitar and (my personal favourite) Wife Carrying!
It seems to be an interesting function of humankind that we can make a sport (or certainly an event) out of almost anything. Even the most humdrum activities can be "jazzed up" by making a competition of it. Toe Wrestling for example is now an event with its own world championships.
I love the human spirit when it comes to these kind of things. It reminds us all not to take things too seriously and to remember that most of the stresses we bring upon ourselves (especially in the Western world) are relatively insignificant in the grand scheme of things. So next time you find yourself faced with a task or a situation that you aren't too keen on, my advice is pretty simple - invent a "World Championships" for that task and bask in the glory of success when you beat all comers.
Of course the trick is to find something that no-one else can beat you at, but that is probably all part of the fun. I remember being a child and wanting to be World Champion at something. I thought that opportunity had passed me by but I have new hope now; there is bound to be something I'm better than everybody else at! Surely?!
Today's #randomfactoftheday - The 5 NASA Space Shuttle Orbiters did a combined total of 21,158 orbits of the earth during their 30 years of operation.
Today's #badjokeoftheday - I went to the doctor's the other day and asked him if he had anything for wind. He gave me a kite.
Today's #website of the day - http://www.mobilephonethrowing.fi/
On this day: 27BC, General Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian is granted the title of "Augustus" by the Roman Senate. This heralded the start of the Roman Empire.
Till tomorrow
DT
As those who know me will be aware of, I recently spent about 2 months in Finland with my work. In that time I tried to take in as much of the culture as possible and it was this that lead me to discover just how many world championship events Finland hosts. Included amongst those "sports" where you can be crowned world's best are: Mobile Phone Throwing, Mosquito Squashing, Swamp Football, Air Guitar and (my personal favourite) Wife Carrying!
It seems to be an interesting function of humankind that we can make a sport (or certainly an event) out of almost anything. Even the most humdrum activities can be "jazzed up" by making a competition of it. Toe Wrestling for example is now an event with its own world championships.
I love the human spirit when it comes to these kind of things. It reminds us all not to take things too seriously and to remember that most of the stresses we bring upon ourselves (especially in the Western world) are relatively insignificant in the grand scheme of things. So next time you find yourself faced with a task or a situation that you aren't too keen on, my advice is pretty simple - invent a "World Championships" for that task and bask in the glory of success when you beat all comers.
Of course the trick is to find something that no-one else can beat you at, but that is probably all part of the fun. I remember being a child and wanting to be World Champion at something. I thought that opportunity had passed me by but I have new hope now; there is bound to be something I'm better than everybody else at! Surely?!
Today's #randomfactoftheday - The 5 NASA Space Shuttle Orbiters did a combined total of 21,158 orbits of the earth during their 30 years of operation.
Today's #badjokeoftheday - I went to the doctor's the other day and asked him if he had anything for wind. He gave me a kite.
Today's #website of the day - http://www.mobilephonethrowing.fi/
On this day: 27BC, General Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian is granted the title of "Augustus" by the Roman Senate. This heralded the start of the Roman Empire.
Till tomorrow
DT
Wednesday, 15 January 2014
The Great Divide
Well today was the day I fell back off the property ladder. To be perfectly honest I haven't lived in the house for nearly 5 years and can't even really remember the postcode but it was still a bit of an odd day. I remember buying it nearly 7 years ago and thinking it was a surreal moment, you have to borrow 35 years worth of money to buy just one "item".
Yet the amount it was sold for is HALF of what Yaya Toure allegedly earns in a week. In fact, according to my calculations he has earned the princely sum of about £800 in the 30 minutes I have been writing this blog and watching him play football (assuming he earns his money 24/7). He is obviously just one example but it got me thinking about the shocking way in which resources in general are spread around this world.
I found a website which told me that I am in the top 1% of people in the WORLD in terms of earnings. Just think about that for a moment. There are approximately 50m people who earn more than me and a simply staggering 7.1bn who earn less!
There was a study done in 2002 which calculated that we generated enough food for every single person alive in the world at the time to have 2720 calories per DAY. As you can probably guess from my tone a lot of these statistics are making me very, very frustrated. Partly because of the problem but mainly from the frustration of realizing the futility of trying to find a solution.
We have enough money, food and other natural resources to go around the entire world comfortably yet human kind suffers from a chronic problem of greed. Enough never seems to be enough for us. If everyone gave one thing to someone "poorer" than us it might be a start, but who knows.
I've been staring at this entry for a while now, because I realize I am going nowhere with it. I have no idea how to help or what I am going to do about it right at this moment, but I am determined to do something.
All I know is that the one thing I am definitely going do from right now is be more appreciative of what I do have. After all it seems that less than 1% of people in the world have more than me, and however you look at the numbers that makes me a pretty lucky guy.
Today's #randomfactoftheday - Halley's Comet was not given the title officially until it returned in 1758 as predicted by Edmund Halley. He had died 16 years early so never lived to see his prediction come true.
Today's #badjokeoftheday - I went to a zoo the other day. It only had one dog in it. It was a shitzu
Today's #websiteoftheday - http://www.globalrichlist.com/
On this day: 1759, the British Museum (maybe the second best museum ever) opened its doors
Till tomorrow
DT
Yet the amount it was sold for is HALF of what Yaya Toure allegedly earns in a week. In fact, according to my calculations he has earned the princely sum of about £800 in the 30 minutes I have been writing this blog and watching him play football (assuming he earns his money 24/7). He is obviously just one example but it got me thinking about the shocking way in which resources in general are spread around this world.
I found a website which told me that I am in the top 1% of people in the WORLD in terms of earnings. Just think about that for a moment. There are approximately 50m people who earn more than me and a simply staggering 7.1bn who earn less!
There was a study done in 2002 which calculated that we generated enough food for every single person alive in the world at the time to have 2720 calories per DAY. As you can probably guess from my tone a lot of these statistics are making me very, very frustrated. Partly because of the problem but mainly from the frustration of realizing the futility of trying to find a solution.
We have enough money, food and other natural resources to go around the entire world comfortably yet human kind suffers from a chronic problem of greed. Enough never seems to be enough for us. If everyone gave one thing to someone "poorer" than us it might be a start, but who knows.
I've been staring at this entry for a while now, because I realize I am going nowhere with it. I have no idea how to help or what I am going to do about it right at this moment, but I am determined to do something.
All I know is that the one thing I am definitely going do from right now is be more appreciative of what I do have. After all it seems that less than 1% of people in the world have more than me, and however you look at the numbers that makes me a pretty lucky guy.
Today's #randomfactoftheday - Halley's Comet was not given the title officially until it returned in 1758 as predicted by Edmund Halley. He had died 16 years early so never lived to see his prediction come true.
Today's #badjokeoftheday - I went to a zoo the other day. It only had one dog in it. It was a shitzu
Today's #websiteoftheday - http://www.globalrichlist.com/
On this day: 1759, the British Museum (maybe the second best museum ever) opened its doors
Till tomorrow
DT
Monday, 13 January 2014
Exciting Announcement
Well I think I'm in a position to finally reveal the new project that has got me so excited. In collaboration with my co-author/editor/sibling (we are negotiating which role she can have) I've been working on a set of children's stories which we are hoping to get published sometime soon!! My dad actually came up with the idea over Christmas and the whole family have been bouncing ideas of each other since.
The books will tell the story of two young astronaut boys and their cat (played magnificently by my nephews Charlie, Oscar and niece Poppy) who fly around the Solar System in their magic spaceship accompanied by a friendly star they meet called Luke. They meet all kinds of creatures on their adventures and hopefully learn a bit about space too.
Jo is going to illustrate the stories and Lil has already had some preliminary discussions with a publishing house!! Any profits we make will, of course, be going to the Friends of Serenity charity so please keep your eyes peeled for any further announcements as I hope we will be able to start selling them some time this year - these things ALWAYS take a while.
In the meantime, if anyone wants to help in anyway then either let me know on here or head to the FoS website (see sidebar) and contact Jo through there.
Today's #randomfactoftheday - Of the 222 test centuries scored at Lord's, only 13 have been in the 4th innings of the match
Today's #badjokeoftheday - I asked the gym instructor if he could help me do the splits and he asked how flexible I was. I told him I couldn't do Tuesdays.
Today's #websiteoftheday - http://brandonsanderson.com/
On this day: 1910, the first public radio broadcast took place
Till tomorrow
DT
The books will tell the story of two young astronaut boys and their cat (played magnificently by my nephews Charlie, Oscar and niece Poppy) who fly around the Solar System in their magic spaceship accompanied by a friendly star they meet called Luke. They meet all kinds of creatures on their adventures and hopefully learn a bit about space too.
Jo is going to illustrate the stories and Lil has already had some preliminary discussions with a publishing house!! Any profits we make will, of course, be going to the Friends of Serenity charity so please keep your eyes peeled for any further announcements as I hope we will be able to start selling them some time this year - these things ALWAYS take a while.
In the meantime, if anyone wants to help in anyway then either let me know on here or head to the FoS website (see sidebar) and contact Jo through there.
Today's #randomfactoftheday - Of the 222 test centuries scored at Lord's, only 13 have been in the 4th innings of the match
Today's #badjokeoftheday - I asked the gym instructor if he could help me do the splits and he asked how flexible I was. I told him I couldn't do Tuesdays.
Today's #websiteoftheday - http://brandonsanderson.com/
On this day: 1910, the first public radio broadcast took place
Till tomorrow
DT
REVIEW: Infinity Blade (The Novellas) - Brandon Sanderson
I've just finished reading Brandon Sanderson's two novellas based on the popular iOS games, Infinity Blade. Having never played the games I was a touch wary as to whether I would miss out on some of the storyline but thankfully no prior knowledge of the games was required.
For those of you unfamiliar with Sanderson's work I urge you to get acquainted. He operates mainly in the High Fantasy genre and is probably best known for finishing Robert Jordan's epic Wheel of Time series as well as his own, arguably superior Mistborn Trilogy. He is a master at "world creation" and you find yourself drawn to his characters and really caring about their fates. Another skill is his ability to introduce magic systems into his world without making them feel forced or out of place. His story telling is fantastic and he has a very amenable writing style which sucks you in and keeps you enthralled.
Enough of the love-in, what of the two novellas? Having written my last book review in about 1994 this could be an interesting experience.
Well for those of you versed in the Infinity Blade world, Awakening is set between the first two games whereas Redemption is set some time later, though when I don't know. The two have the same main characters and concepts and I lost nothing from not having played the games.
<<SPOILER ALERT>> I've tried not to give too much away but there may be the odd spoiler here.
Infinity Blade: Awakening
The story tell the tale of Siris who at the start of the first book returns to his village having killed the God King, one of a race of "Deathless" who rule as gods. No-one expected him to survive as each generation sends a Sacrifice to the God King and every one has died up until this point. He is quickly asked to leave the village and realizes that his new purpose is to hunt down the remaining Deathless and kill them all, thus freeing his people. He soon discovers that not is all as it seems and, after a chance encounter with a woman named Isa, finds that his path is massively different from what he thought it would be,
Infinity Blade: Redemption
Siris's story continues sometime later with him still coming to terms with the events of Awakening and the subsequent game in between (don't worry though, you don't need to have played the game). Alongside the story of Siris's ongoing escapades we learn more about the God King, the initial creation of the Deathless and the identity (and intentions) of the mysterious Worker.
For those of you unfamiliar with Sanderson's work I urge you to get acquainted. He operates mainly in the High Fantasy genre and is probably best known for finishing Robert Jordan's epic Wheel of Time series as well as his own, arguably superior Mistborn Trilogy. He is a master at "world creation" and you find yourself drawn to his characters and really caring about their fates. Another skill is his ability to introduce magic systems into his world without making them feel forced or out of place. His story telling is fantastic and he has a very amenable writing style which sucks you in and keeps you enthralled.
Enough of the love-in, what of the two novellas? Having written my last book review in about 1994 this could be an interesting experience.
Well for those of you versed in the Infinity Blade world, Awakening is set between the first two games whereas Redemption is set some time later, though when I don't know. The two have the same main characters and concepts and I lost nothing from not having played the games.
<<SPOILER ALERT>> I've tried not to give too much away but there may be the odd spoiler here.
Infinity Blade: Awakening
The story tell the tale of Siris who at the start of the first book returns to his village having killed the God King, one of a race of "Deathless" who rule as gods. No-one expected him to survive as each generation sends a Sacrifice to the God King and every one has died up until this point. He is quickly asked to leave the village and realizes that his new purpose is to hunt down the remaining Deathless and kill them all, thus freeing his people. He soon discovers that not is all as it seems and, after a chance encounter with a woman named Isa, finds that his path is massively different from what he thought it would be,
Infinity Blade: Redemption
Siris's story continues sometime later with him still coming to terms with the events of Awakening and the subsequent game in between (don't worry though, you don't need to have played the game). Alongside the story of Siris's ongoing escapades we learn more about the God King, the initial creation of the Deathless and the identity (and intentions) of the mysterious Worker.
The Verdict
The books are classic Sanderson; engaging characters, interwoven plot lines and a well conceived story that manages to retain an air of mystery without seeming too far fetched. The stories are really novellas so you'll crack through one in a few hours, yet Sanderson still manages to get the pacing right without rushing anything or getting bogged down.
Considering he is working with other people's creations I think he does a great job at fleshing them out and giving them some depth. Yes I'd rather see these characters in a full story but they are a really enjoyable read for the short time they are with us. The denouement is clever without being preposterous and you are certainly left wanting to know more about the world they inhabit.
I'd love to see Sanderson take these characters further but he has so many irons in the fire at the moment that this is unlikely. Still, I enjoyed these for what they are and they've given me some good ideas for my own stories.
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Doctortom
Sunday, 12 January 2014
Making Plans
Had one of those restless days today, when you spend all of the day making plans that you probably aren't going to follow through but its nice to make them anyway. Although actually a lot of my plans are concerned with my travelling and that is definitely going to happen at some point.
Still trying to work out which of the European capitals I am going to tick off this year. Reading the last 12-15 issues of Lonely Planet hasn't made my job easier though, I kind of want to go everywhere and anywhere!! I'm sure I'll change my mind about 100 times this year but I guess that is part of the fun, the anticipation and the buzz when you actually commit and say, "yep that's the one".
Would definitely recommend this whole being busy and making plans approach. Its amazing how much there is out there to do - and not all of it needs time and/or money which usually end up being our excuses for not being able to do things!!
Right, that's all from me today, keeping it quite short because it's late and I want to get the book I'm reading finished so I can get a review done tomorrow.
Today's #randomfactoftheday - The earliest enclosed wind tunnels are thought to have been invented in 1871
Today's #badjokeoftheday - A lorry load of tortoises crashed into a van carrying terrapins. It was a turtle disaster.
Today's website of the day - Another awesome sciencey one www.facts.fm/random-facts/8/
On this day: In 1895, the National Trust was formed
Till next time
DT
Still trying to work out which of the European capitals I am going to tick off this year. Reading the last 12-15 issues of Lonely Planet hasn't made my job easier though, I kind of want to go everywhere and anywhere!! I'm sure I'll change my mind about 100 times this year but I guess that is part of the fun, the anticipation and the buzz when you actually commit and say, "yep that's the one".
Would definitely recommend this whole being busy and making plans approach. Its amazing how much there is out there to do - and not all of it needs time and/or money which usually end up being our excuses for not being able to do things!!
Right, that's all from me today, keeping it quite short because it's late and I want to get the book I'm reading finished so I can get a review done tomorrow.
Today's #randomfactoftheday - The earliest enclosed wind tunnels are thought to have been invented in 1871
Today's #badjokeoftheday - A lorry load of tortoises crashed into a van carrying terrapins. It was a turtle disaster.
Today's website of the day - Another awesome sciencey one www.facts.fm/random-facts/8/
On this day: In 1895, the National Trust was formed
Till next time
DT
Saturday, 11 January 2014
The Lone Ranger
Well my latest challenge is over. Thankfully it is the last one until June which I am doing on my own. I have to admit that when I started these back in May last year I enjoyed the fact that I was doing most of them as a single competitor. That enjoyment has waned significantly in the last few months to the point where I'm starting to dread the Tri in June. I'm not sure why but the lone enjoyment effect has definitely worn off.
I have in all fairness been pretty injured since November and every time I've tried to get back into training I've really struggled with physical problems. So I've not been preparing for these events as well as I should be physically. That always makes things harder if you aren't quite in the shape you'd like to be. But normally I'm always mentally focused and today's run was the first time that my mental resilience was not where it should be.
No point dwelling on it too much though. I've just got plenty to work on to get myself back into physical and mental shape ahead of some pretty big challenges this year. On reflection I think today's struggle is not necessarily a bad thing, it's a wake-up call to remind myself why I am doing this and what I am trying to achieve.
Anyway, I'm really looking forward to having some company for the next few challenges. The more the merrier in most cases, and it really had become about the banter and the fun. Yes it's great to set these goals and achieve them individually but it has become about so much more than that and I'm delighted to be one piece of a puzzle.
I've updated my Challenge website (see sidebar) with a quick review of today's challenge and hopefully some photos will turn up soon. Please go and have a read and let me know what you think.
But for now its off to bed with the NFL, thankfully its only Saturday today!!
Today's #randomfactoftheday There are 34 mammal species found along the Colorado River corridor including 18 species of rodents and 8 species of bat.
Today's #badjokeoftheday Q: What's brown and sticky? A: A stick
Today's #wesbiteoftheday This is seriously cool, every sci-fi spaceship http://visual.ly/all-sci-fi-spaceships-known-man
On this day: In 1569 the first "lottery" is recorded in England
Till next time
DT
I have in all fairness been pretty injured since November and every time I've tried to get back into training I've really struggled with physical problems. So I've not been preparing for these events as well as I should be physically. That always makes things harder if you aren't quite in the shape you'd like to be. But normally I'm always mentally focused and today's run was the first time that my mental resilience was not where it should be.
No point dwelling on it too much though. I've just got plenty to work on to get myself back into physical and mental shape ahead of some pretty big challenges this year. On reflection I think today's struggle is not necessarily a bad thing, it's a wake-up call to remind myself why I am doing this and what I am trying to achieve.
Anyway, I'm really looking forward to having some company for the next few challenges. The more the merrier in most cases, and it really had become about the banter and the fun. Yes it's great to set these goals and achieve them individually but it has become about so much more than that and I'm delighted to be one piece of a puzzle.
I've updated my Challenge website (see sidebar) with a quick review of today's challenge and hopefully some photos will turn up soon. Please go and have a read and let me know what you think.
But for now its off to bed with the NFL, thankfully its only Saturday today!!
Today's #randomfactoftheday There are 34 mammal species found along the Colorado River corridor including 18 species of rodents and 8 species of bat.
Today's #badjokeoftheday Q: What's brown and sticky? A: A stick
Today's #wesbiteoftheday This is seriously cool, every sci-fi spaceship http://visual.ly/all-sci-fi-spaceships-known-man
On this day: In 1569 the first "lottery" is recorded in England
Till next time
DT
Thursday, 9 January 2014
I'm sure it'll be fine
Well the costume fits, the tights haven't laddered yet and the hula-hoop attachment method seems sound. I'm ready to make a complete and utter tit of myself on Saturday whilst running around Arthur's seat in Edinburgh dressed as an eyeball! Its obviously all for a good cause (Friends of Serenity) and as long as I don't end up on my ass it'll all be worth it in the end. If anyone happens to be in Edinburgh on Saturday then head down to Holyrood Park for the 5km Great Winter Run. There is loads going on by the looks of things including some cross-country races and the usual fare associated with an organised BUPA event.
In other news, it turns out that my tidying of the loft has caused it to cave in slightly!! That was not exactly the point of the tidy up and I can't for the life of me work out how (a) it happened (b) I didn't notice when I was doing it. Hopefully it's fixable but my cunning plan of not doing anything too stupid in 2014 lasted less than 9 days. For a supposedly smart kid I do some very dumb things :-(
However I feel in reasonable company. Widely accepted as being "a bit smart", Thomas Edison once electrocuted an elephant to prove that his DC method was less dangerous than the competing AC method invented by Tesla and Westinghouse. While he had a point that AC was in fact more capable of killing than DC, I'm sure there might have been a more logical way of proving his theory!!
I have decided to add (yet another) section to this blog. The not-so-random Random Website of the Day. The first entry is http://www.diffen.com/difference/Alternating_Current_vs_Direct_Current
Hopefully I won't run out of interesting websites to use!
Today's #randomfactoftheday Nelson's famous signal at the Battle of Trafalgar, "England expects that every man will do his duty" is slightly misquoted on BOTH Nelson's Column and his tomb in St. Paul's Cathedral.
Today's #badjokeoftheday Q: What's the difference between a guitar and a fish? A: You can't tuna fish.
Till next time,
DT
In other news, it turns out that my tidying of the loft has caused it to cave in slightly!! That was not exactly the point of the tidy up and I can't for the life of me work out how (a) it happened (b) I didn't notice when I was doing it. Hopefully it's fixable but my cunning plan of not doing anything too stupid in 2014 lasted less than 9 days. For a supposedly smart kid I do some very dumb things :-(
However I feel in reasonable company. Widely accepted as being "a bit smart", Thomas Edison once electrocuted an elephant to prove that his DC method was less dangerous than the competing AC method invented by Tesla and Westinghouse. While he had a point that AC was in fact more capable of killing than DC, I'm sure there might have been a more logical way of proving his theory!!
I have decided to add (yet another) section to this blog. The not-so-random Random Website of the Day. The first entry is http://www.diffen.com/difference/Alternating_Current_vs_Direct_Current
Hopefully I won't run out of interesting websites to use!
Today's #randomfactoftheday Nelson's famous signal at the Battle of Trafalgar, "England expects that every man will do his duty" is slightly misquoted on BOTH Nelson's Column and his tomb in St. Paul's Cathedral.
Today's #badjokeoftheday Q: What's the difference between a guitar and a fish? A: You can't tuna fish.
Till next time,
DT
Wednesday, 8 January 2014
Major overhaul
Busy tonight. I was watching the City v Wet Ham semi-final but it was basically a massacre so I decided to overhaul the blog instead. I've added links to my fundraising pages, travel blog and social media feeds and I'd love to know what people think about it (if anyone actually reads it that is). Thanks in advance folks.
Today's #randomfactoftheday - The longest single spaceflight in human history is 437 days, 17 hours and 58 minutes by Valeri Polyakov. Most of it was spent aboard the Mir spacestation.
Today's #badjokeoftheday Q: Did you hear about the guy who had the whole left side of his body cut off? A: It was touch and go for a while but he is all right now.
Till next time,
DT
Tuesday, 7 January 2014
Now how did that happen?!
What started as a quick phone call to a colleague playfully asking him to stop spamming me very rapidly turned into a team booking for yet another challenge event. I still don't know entirely how it happened!
This seems to be occurring rather a lot over the last year or so; things taking place without me really being too involved in the process. Sometimes I wonder whether it's a good thing (spontaneity can be great and its often good to do things rather than look for excuses not to) but at other times I'm marginally concerned that it shows a complete lack of control over my own life.
But then, should a lack of control over your own life trigger panic? Possibly not. Humans (particularly in the Western world) seem to have an obsession with controlling every aspect of life, often to the detriment of our health and sanity. Leaves travelling down a stream end up at the bottom without having to thrash around and stay in the middle of the current for the entire journey. Sometimes they even get stuck on the way (check out that philosophical waffle eh?) and things get a bit "interesting".
Maybe that should be our approach; drift along taking life's "eddies" and just make those major adjustments only when they are needed. After all, everyone of us ends up at the bottom of the stream and I guess I'd much rather sit back and enjoy the view than worry about how I get there.
The point of this all?!
I've realized how much control, over the last year or so, I was trying to take over aspects of my life that I didn't need to. I'm not advocating a complete lack of responsibility (because some things DO need your control) but more I'm suggesting a slightly different approach. Take a deep breath, enjoy the ride and save the big worries and decisions for the really important things. Life doesn't ask permission very often and it also doesn't really care what we think about that. The only person who cares is often yourself, and thankfully that is the one person's behaviour you can influence.
Right enough psychobabble. Not sure I still really know what point I was trying to make but I feel a lot better about making it so I guess job done!
Before I finish though, I just want to say to my friend (you know who you are) that my thoughts are with you.
Today's #badjokeoftheday Q: Why was the belt sent to jail? A: For holding up a pair of trousers
Today's #randomfactoftheday The first moons (other than our own) discovered in the solar system were the 4 Galilean moons of Jupiter in 1610.
Till next time,
DT
Monday, 6 January 2014
First day back - Insomnia reigns supreme
Gotta love insomnia (and I don't mean the seminal dance anthem)! Today was my first day back at work after 3 weeks off. I got a good sleep last night, in work by 7:30am, nice and refreshed. A cracking start to the year I thought.
Its now 1 am in the morning and my "good start" has been blown out of the water. Why oh why are humans so often tired when they wake up, but wide awake when they hit the hay? Its got to be something to do with modern life but for the life of me I cannot put my finger on it!!
On the plus side, I managed to progress my new project a bit further - really hope to be able to announce something soon on this. Maybe that is half the problem, my brain is running on full all the time and so it doesn't appear to have much of an off switch. Hmmmmmm...........
Well in the meantime I'm off to count some more sheep and make some vain attempt to fall asleep, probably just in time for my alarm to go off and wake me up for the start of the next day!
Today's #randomfactoftheday -- --- .-. ... . / -.. . -- --- -. ... - .-. .- - . ... / - .... . / - . .-.. . --. .-. .- .--. .... / -.--.- .---- ---.. ...-- ---.. -.--.-
Today's #badjokeoftheday Q: What's a Grecian urn? A: About 3 dollars an hour
Till next time,
DT
Sunday, 5 January 2014
Interesting Times
Really excited today, just started a FANTASTIC new project which I hope will come to fruition. Don't want to say too much right now in case it doesn't come off but if it does it'll be a cracker. I'll try to keep everyone posted as to how its going but it is unlike anything I've ever tried and definitely outside of my comfort zone.
I have suddenly realized though that I "may" have over estimated how much time I have available this year for my different projects and plans. Never mind though, I'd much rather be busy than quiet as it feels like you are getting somewhere when you are busy all the time. Especially if you are busy doing exciting things.
There is a famous phrase which is purported to be a Chinese curse (though it's origin hasn't been fully confirmed) - May you live in interesting times. I understand that "interesting" has many different interpretations depending on context, but I'll definitely take interesting over mundane every day of the week!
Today's #randomfactoftheday - The Bayeux Tapestry is not actually a true tapestry. It is technically an "embroidered cloth"
Today's #badjokeoftheday - Q: How do you deal with an angry Welsh man? A: Caerphilly
Till next time,
DT
I have suddenly realized though that I "may" have over estimated how much time I have available this year for my different projects and plans. Never mind though, I'd much rather be busy than quiet as it feels like you are getting somewhere when you are busy all the time. Especially if you are busy doing exciting things.
There is a famous phrase which is purported to be a Chinese curse (though it's origin hasn't been fully confirmed) - May you live in interesting times. I understand that "interesting" has many different interpretations depending on context, but I'll definitely take interesting over mundane every day of the week!
Today's #randomfactoftheday - The Bayeux Tapestry is not actually a true tapestry. It is technically an "embroidered cloth"
Today's #badjokeoftheday - Q: How do you deal with an angry Welsh man? A: Caerphilly
Till next time,
DT
Saturday, 4 January 2014
Flying into the unknown
Did you know London has a cable car from Royal Victoria across the Thames to the O2 arena?!? Well I didn't until the last few days but I do now. It was a wee bit windy up there but fun all the same. Got me thinking how little we know about the places we should know the best.
I've lived in Manchester on and off for about 25 of my 33 years on the planet. Yet if someone turned up next week and asked me for a tour of the city, I'd probably be able to show them a damn good pub crawl or two. But not a great deal else.
What is it about human nature that leads us to look away from where we are for experiences that can be found closer to home. Take the UK, which has some of the most amazing scenery in the world in the Lake District, Scottish Highlands and Cotswolds (to name just a few). Yet we British seem to be obsessed with travelling to places like New Zealand to see spectacular places?!
I know I'm as guilty of this as anyone with my seemingly refreshed "Wanderlust" but it is an interesting habit we have. So my plan (yes, its another "aim" for the year) is to go somewhere new (in Manchester) every month this year.
I've heard there are some great Manchester Treasure Hunts around an about, anybody potentially up for one of these? If you might be, drop me a message on the usual twitter/facebook places.
Or anyone got any other suggestions to get me started?
Cheers for now
DT
I've lived in Manchester on and off for about 25 of my 33 years on the planet. Yet if someone turned up next week and asked me for a tour of the city, I'd probably be able to show them a damn good pub crawl or two. But not a great deal else.
What is it about human nature that leads us to look away from where we are for experiences that can be found closer to home. Take the UK, which has some of the most amazing scenery in the world in the Lake District, Scottish Highlands and Cotswolds (to name just a few). Yet we British seem to be obsessed with travelling to places like New Zealand to see spectacular places?!
I know I'm as guilty of this as anyone with my seemingly refreshed "Wanderlust" but it is an interesting habit we have. So my plan (yes, its another "aim" for the year) is to go somewhere new (in Manchester) every month this year.
I've heard there are some great Manchester Treasure Hunts around an about, anybody potentially up for one of these? If you might be, drop me a message on the usual twitter/facebook places.
Or anyone got any other suggestions to get me started?
Cheers for now
DT
Wednesday, 1 January 2014
Here's to 2014 - now make me smile
Another year has begun. A time when people feel the need to make all sorts of promises to themselves which for some reason they can't make at any other time of the year!! The whole "new year, new start" thing has always puzzled me a bit, surely yesterday was just yesterday and tomorrow is just tomorrow - whatever time of year it is?
Anyway, after saying all that I did kind of do exactly what I've just said I find puzzling and set myself some aims for the coming 12 months!!! Damn my conformation to society!
Should be a busy January with my latest Friends of Serenity Challenge (#9) coming up on the 11th. For more details about Friends of Serenity and why I am doing what I'm doing please check out the Challenges bit in the "Links of Interest" below. It is a fantastic cause and every little helps.
I am also looking for a "Beta Group" of readers (preferably sci-fi/fantasy fans) who would like to help with what I am sure will be the toughest challenge I have set myself this year - getting something published. I've written a couple of short-stories that I'd love people to have a read of for me; both from a proofing point of view and also to get some feedback as to whether or not I'm wasting my time. For details drop me a comment on here, my Facebook, my Twitter or at my email address doctortomowens@gmail.com
Throughout the year I'm intending on sharing my experiences via this blog. I have recently been lucky enough to travel to Helsinki, Tallinn and Oslo over the course of the last 2-3 months and have a bug for European Capital Cities. My aim now is to try and tick all of them off before I turn 40. I've got around 40 to do so I'm going to need to do 6/7 per year to achieve that. I'll keep a running total on this page somewhere and also share my travels via my TravelPod blog, which can also be found in the "Links of Interest" below.
On the theme of sharing things, I am intending to review any books/films/games etc. which I get through this year - hopefully someone will find something of interest in them!
Enough waffle for now. Live Each Moment (2014 motto - pretentious and annoying like me)
Till tomorrow, DT
Anyway, after saying all that I did kind of do exactly what I've just said I find puzzling and set myself some aims for the coming 12 months!!! Damn my conformation to society!
Should be a busy January with my latest Friends of Serenity Challenge (#9) coming up on the 11th. For more details about Friends of Serenity and why I am doing what I'm doing please check out the Challenges bit in the "Links of Interest" below. It is a fantastic cause and every little helps.
I am also looking for a "Beta Group" of readers (preferably sci-fi/fantasy fans) who would like to help with what I am sure will be the toughest challenge I have set myself this year - getting something published. I've written a couple of short-stories that I'd love people to have a read of for me; both from a proofing point of view and also to get some feedback as to whether or not I'm wasting my time. For details drop me a comment on here, my Facebook, my Twitter or at my email address doctortomowens@gmail.com
Throughout the year I'm intending on sharing my experiences via this blog. I have recently been lucky enough to travel to Helsinki, Tallinn and Oslo over the course of the last 2-3 months and have a bug for European Capital Cities. My aim now is to try and tick all of them off before I turn 40. I've got around 40 to do so I'm going to need to do 6/7 per year to achieve that. I'll keep a running total on this page somewhere and also share my travels via my TravelPod blog, which can also be found in the "Links of Interest" below.
On the theme of sharing things, I am intending to review any books/films/games etc. which I get through this year - hopefully someone will find something of interest in them!
Enough waffle for now. Live Each Moment (2014 motto - pretentious and annoying like me)
Till tomorrow, DT
Pressing the Reset Button
Well, another year draws to a close. From a personal point of view 2013 was pretty disastrous and I'll be more than glad to see the end of it.
However, it doesn't do to dwell on the past at the expense of the moment (if I ever become famous then this can be one of my famous "quotes"). So, I'm looking forward instead and trying not to worry about things than aren't under my control. "Live each moment" will be my motto for the year, but who knows what those moments will be.
I don't really want to set resolutions so instead I am setting my goals for the year;
1) Write something on this blog every day
2) Read at least a book a month
3) Get my short stories published
4) Tick 4 more European Capitals off the list
5) Complete 14 Friends of Serenity challenges
Have a good 2014 everyone
Till next time, DT
However, it doesn't do to dwell on the past at the expense of the moment (if I ever become famous then this can be one of my famous "quotes"). So, I'm looking forward instead and trying not to worry about things than aren't under my control. "Live each moment" will be my motto for the year, but who knows what those moments will be.
I don't really want to set resolutions so instead I am setting my goals for the year;
1) Write something on this blog every day
2) Read at least a book a month
3) Get my short stories published
4) Tick 4 more European Capitals off the list
5) Complete 14 Friends of Serenity challenges
Have a good 2014 everyone
Till next time, DT
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