Boring Monday

It has been a week or so since I last posted a blog. This one is not ground-breaking either, just the usual blend of musing, contemplating and general day-dreaming.

Actually, the blog for today is even more like a diary-entry than usual. Today is Monday, it is lunch-time and I have a few minutes to while away. So, I am tapping away.

As is often the case, my day could not have been planned in advance and I did not find out until 7:45 am that I was in fact working today and where indeed I would be working. Had I not received a phone-call containing such instructions, my day would have revolved around a visit to the garage, guitar and golf.

All the activities do in fact follow on from the events of the week-end. Saturday was a fairly relaxed day, whereby I got a few chores and errands done and out of the way early on and then settled down to the guitar, followed by a trip to my brother's house to watch the Six Nations Rugby and to enjoy a few drinks.

I woke early on Sunday with the mindset of not wasting the day. The weather was lovely, particularly for the time of year and I headed off to the golf course for an early tee-of time of shortly after 8 am.

I am a speedy golfer and had completed 18-holes by 10 o'clock. I was then invited to take part in the Sunday Social and so embarked on another nine-holes as a four-ball. The golf was followed by a pint and a chat and was all good fun and people headed off at around 1 pm.

Unfortunately, I was delayed slightly by the fact that the van would not start. The battery icon on the dashboard has been lit up for a week or so and I had noticed the juices seeming rather faint as I turn the engine over. However, I was hoping to ignore it for a couple of weeks when I intend to get the van serviced and MOT'd, in any case.

The problem was temporarily resolved by pushing the van into a position from which I could start rolling it down the hill and thus jump-start it. It worked like a charm and I got home.

I have a battery charger and have fully recharged the battery, so I was able to start the van again this morning. The warning symbol is still on, however, so there is clearly an underlying problem and I will have to sort it out. My limited vehicle knowledge suggests to me that it might well be a problem with the alternator.

Golfing-wise, I had sketchily arranged to play a round with someone today, if I was free. I took his phone-number so as to text him with my whereabouts and availability as it became known. However, I appear to have failed to save the details correctly in my phone, so I am unable to do so. I will try ringing the club and see if I can pass on a message.

That's about it, really. Hardly riveting. I will work the afternoon, head home via the garage, do weights and then settle into the evening.

All in all, a pretty boring Monday.

“La Gloire de Mon Père” et “Le Chateau de Ma Mère”

I watched some of “La Gloire de Mon Père” et “Le Chateau de Ma Mère” today. I love those films. I used to watch them when I was a teenager and studying for my GCSE's.

We had copies of both films on video-tape at home. The films had been recorded from the television and were in the original French, with English subtitles. The more I watched them and the better my French understanding became, I would prop things up in front of the screen so as to cover up the English, while not obscuring the picture.

I trust that all the hours I have spent doing that sort of thing have paid off over the years. I used to apply a similar method to reading books in other languages, or when watching news recordings or documentaries.

It is the way I have always worked. It is my mentality. I do the same thing now with guitar and I used to do the same thing when I was serious about cycling. I would train and train, constantly striving to get better, to push the limits. When the club ride was fifty-miles, I would do another twenty before and a further twenty-miles after. When we had a mid-week evening ride of thirty-five to forty-miles, I would do an additional fifty or sixty in the morning.

This 'mentality' explains one of those mental blocks I have when it comes to other people. I cannot understand why some people cannot adopt the same attitude and I fail to comprehend teaching strategies and methods. If you want to learn something, then just do it.

Success is achieved through desire, application and dedication. Don't be a 'douchebag,' give it time and concentrate.

Returning to Marcel Pagnol. I love those films. I love them for the language and I love them for the memories they stir, not only of France at the turn of the twentieth century but also of my own youth. The south of France is beautiful. The early 1900's setting is wonderful – there is a simplicity, an innocence and a natural charm.

It would be nice to live there.

Superbowl Sunday

Today's blog is simply to reflect on Superbowl Sunday. All in all, I had a fantastic experience and thoroughly enjoyed the event. It was helped by the fact that my own pre-game show involved Wales gaining a last-gasp victory over Ireland on the opening week-end of the 2012 Rugby Six Nations

Living in Wales, in the UK complicates matters a little when it comes to following US sports, due to a combination of the limited coverage and the time differences. Nevertheless, I particularly like the NFL and I have been a Green Bay Packers fan since I was a boy.

My habit during the regular season is to record the games that are aired overnight and I then watch them at my leisure and at a more civilized time.

When it comes to the play-offs, it is often something of an anti-climax as the TV coverage lessens and live games become scarce. There is always the “pièce de résistance” at the end of it all in the form of the Superbowl, but the quality of the game rarely lives up to the billing and inevitably fails to compete with the glitz, glamour and razzmatazz that engulf the occasion.

Each Superbowl Sunday, I face the same annual dilemma: Do I stay up into the early hours or do I keep to my normal routine, record the game, wait and watch it the next day?

Staying up is a feat if there is the likelihood of work on the Monday. However, whereas general UK apathy to the NFL makes hearing of the result during the regular season a non-issue, people have an unerring tendency to 'break the news' for a major sporting event and so the whole occasion can be spoilt.

Nevertheless, generally, I record the game and take my chances. I have done the 'night vigil' but I find I spend the whole time fighting to stay awake, so it all becomes too much of a chore.

Last night was different and it was due in no small part to my Twitter buddies. The fact that I generally follow people on Twitter based on my interests in sport and music and that most of those people are based in the United States meant that it was like being at some sort of party.

Everything revolved around the game, with comments and observations coming from all sorts of angles. Some were serious, some were humorous and others were just plain daft. I know that I certainly threw in a few ludicrous tweets just to stir things up a bit.

By the end, I had barely seen much of the game, having spent so much time engaged with and laughing at my Timeline. I was also playing around with the guitar and had enjoyed a few drinks earlier on, meaning that time flew by. Before I knew it, it was 03:30 AM and the Giants were World Champions.

On reflection, I hope nobody took any of my contribution the wrong way. It is never my intention to cause any ill-feeling. It is always difficult to be absolutely sure when communicating in 140 characters or less. I equally trust that my fellow Twitterers appreciate the efforts and interest of a Welshman stationed the other side of the 'Big Lake.'

It was not long before 04:00 AM when I got to bed and I was up again at 06:00 AM to get ready for work. I actually feel alright when all is considered. Admittedly, my reactions are definitely a little slow and I have forgotten to bring my wallet with me, but it was worth it.

Congratulations to the New York Giants – “Superbowl XLVI Winners” and “2012 World Champions!”

Roll on 2013 – #GoPackGo!

Who Needs A Guide?

We all spend a lot of time thinking. We ponder eventualities and we try to find out the reasons behind all that happens and all that goes on around us all the time. Hopefully, most of us in society have good intentions and our musings are in good humour. We have desires and ambitions. Sometimes, or perhaps all too often, we struggle a little to get down to it and actually put into practice what we spend so much time longing for or thinking about.

I do not think that it is laziness. It is more likely that we lack confidence in ourselves or it may be a negative attitude that we harbour towards the ways of society in general and a failure to believe that anything will ever come of our efforts. Do we ever get our just rewards? Those who succeed, whether they be writers, film-makers, athletes or whatever, have all been given a hefty helping hand up the ladder – haven't they?

I believe we all intend to put into practice our plans at some point. We have always wanted to be something but for some reason or another we have not got down to it.

It is interesting to reflect. Thoughts, aims and feelings swill around in minds all the time. The world has existed for a long time and something tells me not a lot has changed. Maybe I will be surprised. There is a lot I have not yet seen.

What can we do today? What can we do now?

Bodies and minds function with nature and with the seasons. When it is Spring, finally it is warming up and the days are clearer, brighter and getting longer. It feels like spring and we feel like Spring. Energetic, clear and new. That is a feeling we have in Spring. Do we have the right to feel that clear and happy, that alert? Of course we, do so why with all the advances in time, thought and technology, do we not feel it all the time?

When it is winter and cold and damp and dark and miserable, it gets to late in the evening and there is nothing to do and nowhere to go. There is little other than empty entertainment on the TV. If you resist watching rubbish on the television, you go to bed. You go to bed early and even if you are an early riser, you find yourself getting up a little later each day. It is dark outside, so even with the best intentions, why get up? It seems logical so far. However, as a kid, I always thought that if I were to be granted one wish then I would wish to never have to sleep. There was a clause to that wish in that I could sleep if I wanted – but I would never actually need to. My reasoning was that I would be able to get so much done. So, why now as adults with a big wide world out there do we allow ourselves to remain, “zonked” for such large periods of the year.

I guarantee I will not find the answer, but I am interested in trying to do so. I can feel this is an important and interesting time in my life now, as it should be in everybody's. I have been working, but I cannot for the life of me fathom why, as it is such a mind-numbing, brickwall-butting occupation. Who am I kidding? I did it for the money and for the holidays. Even so, I am moving beyond it in a fashion that I believe is destiny taking a hand. I was never destined to work. Some people are and believe me, some souls out there are doing an amazing job and I have so much respect for them - a respect that I did not to the same degree before.

I have been amazed at some of the things I have encountered and found. Briefly, how thick so many people are and how little qualifications actually seem to count, despite what we are led to believe as children. It can be incredibly difficult to even get what may be regarded as a “numpty” job these days and yet we are supposedly all impelled to spend our life's energies and efforts into securing that pitiful and pointless existence. However, what I have seen and discovered is how much there actually is out there, how much help there is on offer and how many people are willing to provide warmth and assistance.

It all steels me to stop resting and to stop accepting. I do not want to sleep any more. Now is the time to open up to destiny and to relish it and it cannot start anywhere else but here.

Our aim should be to transfer our desires as we want them and in our time, so as to truly reflect our thought processes and intentions. In that way, we can be more interesting to ourselves and more interesting to a companion or observer.  Unquestionably, we will at least be more meaningful and poignant within ourselves. If we edit our dreams in order that some elements are better explained or make more sense or perhaps reflect ourselves in a better light, it would be false and fundamentally uninteresting.

It is not necessary to set ourselves up as some form of genius or expert in philosophy. If we we say or do something stupid, then remember it. Let's look at it, read about it, laugh about it, be shocked by it or cry about. Equally, let us refrain from explaining every situation. There are times when how you got there, why you got there, what you did before, or who exactly someone is, is not important. Some gaps can provide a little intrigue and can invite a little imaginative thought. Those gaps can easily be filled in our minds and musing, just as we wish.

Give it a go.

Rural Radio

I have work commitments for three weeks that require me to commute a reasonable distance, basically equating to two hours of driving per day.

The route that I take is reasonably interesting, as it is in a rural setting, but it can be quite tedious and boring to do twice daily and on a regular basis. In order to offset the boredom, I listen to the radio.

I have a very basic radio in the car which combined with the rural location means I am very limited in terms of the choice of station.

As a result, I am listening to a radio station that I would not necessarily have chosen given more options. It is quite illuminating as to the interests and thought processes of many people and of things that are going on to which I was quite comfortably oblivious.

In order to briefly summarise, the morning show is relatively entertaining. The host does a good job with a good sense of humour. All in all, it is good company. Similarly, the programme to accompany the drive home is not too bad either. The music choices vary but there are some good songs played, albeit alongside a fair amount of drivel.

My annoyance and gripe comes in between the two. I failed to mention above that I also spend some of my lunch-break in the car and consequently, I put the radio on. The discussions aired at that time of the day are insane. The host is a 'berk.' He has an annoying voice, he makes stupid comments and clearly has an inflated opinion of himself.

Furthermore, the topics considered are mind-numbing at best. I cannot seem to grasp the purpose of the programme at all. It is not intelligent conversation that is entered into, neither is it humorous nor helpful. I realise that an element of impartial debate is that there is no bias and that all angles are considered. However, I do not think this happens at all.

The presenter appears to be deliberately awkward with the guests or callers for no apparent reason. The only impression I can make is that he does actually think he is clever, or that he is making an insightful observation. Frankly, he never does. He is a complete imbecile.

Many of the listeners are little better. It is baffling what reward they gain from contributing to the show. Nevertheless, they still feel compelled to do so.

I have not named the radio station, nor the programme and I have no desire to do so. It is not my intention to launch an attack on a named individual. I am merely 'blogging' away to ease my own boredom. Neither am I fully equipped to criticize something that I have only recently and briefly tuned into.

In fact, the main reason for this rambling is that I am on my lunch-break and I have switched the radio off because the incessant drone of the faceless voice is too annoying. As is the negativity that stems from discussion about suicide, corrupt politicians and homophobia.

Heavens above, what happened to a bit of banter and good-time music? The last song that was played was some 'bozo' singing about Charlie Brown.

Well, there is consolation in that whatever is 'airing' during the drive home can only be an improvement. Ultimately, I will be glad when these three weeks are over. No lengthy rural drive will mean no dreary radio and three weeks pay will give me the option of upgrading my equipment.

I bet I don't upgrade though. I would have nothing to moan and blog about!