People catching an update on the terrorist activity. You could see people waivering as whether to take the tube or not.
Saturday, July 23, 2005
Kittens after 4 weeks
Bouncing round the house now, becoming mischievous, adventurous and much
harder to photograph.
harder to photograph.
Kittens after 4 weeks
Bouncing round the house now, becoming mischievous, adventurous and much
harder to photograph.
harder to photograph.
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Crashing
Had an interesting time on friday. Was coming into work along Holborn Viaduct, had just passed a police officer (now stationed, post 7/7, in his little box overlooking who's coming into the City) and so naturally was watching my speed and was heading upto the lights to turn right down Old Bailey. Next to me was a taxi, which with no effort to look to his right U turned...
Now, i've been riding round London for about 5 years on scooters to start with and now proper bikes, in that time i've learnt not to watch the indicators but where the driver is turning his head, the movements of his hands and the direction of the front wheels, this might seem obvious but it requires being both relaxed on the bike and concentration at the same time. On this particular occasion I learnt what it really means when there is nothing you can do. I saw the taxi drivers hand slide round the wheel catching the indicator on the way round and at the same time turn the wheel leaving me absolutely no time to avoid the crash. i was doing 20-25 mph and was 'turned' by the taxi into the oncoming traffic lane, obviously he wouldn't U-turn into traffic but it did force me to the other side of the road. Remarkably i held the bike upright managing to break, turn and slide along the taxi at the same time.
Having stopped on the other side i took stock. I was bloody lucky. If i'd been a couple of seconds earlier i'd have T-boned his cab, a few seconds later and he'd have T-Boned me, in effect, as it was going to happen, i was in the best place, right along side.
I suffered heavy brusing to my hand, a broken indicator and scratches down the left hand side of my beautiful Honda VFR800. I took the bike to my garage which i've posted on earlier, Dyno was excellent, he's ordered a new indicator and using nothing more than a pot of dubbing and some elbow grease has removed all the scratches making it look better than new!
Has the experience made me think twice about riding... er, NO. Is it still my passion, YES. All i know is that it is a risk i take every time i get on it but, like the London Bombing, there's only so much you can do before events take on a life of their own and i'm not going to be cowed into submission for fear of lazy, non concentrating, ignorant-to-motorbikers taxi drivers.
Now, i've been riding round London for about 5 years on scooters to start with and now proper bikes, in that time i've learnt not to watch the indicators but where the driver is turning his head, the movements of his hands and the direction of the front wheels, this might seem obvious but it requires being both relaxed on the bike and concentration at the same time. On this particular occasion I learnt what it really means when there is nothing you can do. I saw the taxi drivers hand slide round the wheel catching the indicator on the way round and at the same time turn the wheel leaving me absolutely no time to avoid the crash. i was doing 20-25 mph and was 'turned' by the taxi into the oncoming traffic lane, obviously he wouldn't U-turn into traffic but it did force me to the other side of the road. Remarkably i held the bike upright managing to break, turn and slide along the taxi at the same time.
Having stopped on the other side i took stock. I was bloody lucky. If i'd been a couple of seconds earlier i'd have T-boned his cab, a few seconds later and he'd have T-Boned me, in effect, as it was going to happen, i was in the best place, right along side.
I suffered heavy brusing to my hand, a broken indicator and scratches down the left hand side of my beautiful Honda VFR800. I took the bike to my garage which i've posted on earlier, Dyno was excellent, he's ordered a new indicator and using nothing more than a pot of dubbing and some elbow grease has removed all the scratches making it look better than new!
Has the experience made me think twice about riding... er, NO. Is it still my passion, YES. All i know is that it is a risk i take every time i get on it but, like the London Bombing, there's only so much you can do before events take on a life of their own and i'm not going to be cowed into submission for fear of lazy, non concentrating, ignorant-to-motorbikers taxi drivers.
Monday, July 18, 2005
Start of a new week
Feelin' pretty good this morning. I spent a good proportion of the weekend working on 'stuff' that required some discipline as the weather was excellent outside. Having done that i joined an old friend, Paul, my room mate from school, for a few drinks at London Bridge on saturday night. These turned into a few bottles of wine and before i knew it was in deepest darkest Hackney at a cool house party.
It was a warehouse type apartment full of arty, media actooooorrsss, quite different to Fulham (where i seem to spend much of my time when i have a beer in hand) but supprisingly similar to Notting Hill (where i reside). Left at about 4am and thought it would be a good idea (as you do) to catch the night bus back into town and make my way across to Notting Hill. Made it back around 5am... slept till 12 noon. felt like death for the rest of the day.
Only good thing on the horizon was Top Gear. Bloody marvelous programme, i say Jeremy Clarkson for Prime Minister, he'd get my vote!
Anyway, woke up this morning feeling fine and refreshed and looking forward to a good week.
Bring it on!
It was a warehouse type apartment full of arty, media actooooorrsss, quite different to Fulham (where i seem to spend much of my time when i have a beer in hand) but supprisingly similar to Notting Hill (where i reside). Left at about 4am and thought it would be a good idea (as you do) to catch the night bus back into town and make my way across to Notting Hill. Made it back around 5am... slept till 12 noon. felt like death for the rest of the day.
Only good thing on the horizon was Top Gear. Bloody marvelous programme, i say Jeremy Clarkson for Prime Minister, he'd get my vote!
Anyway, woke up this morning feeling fine and refreshed and looking forward to a good week.
Bring it on!
Thursday, July 14, 2005
my music
Have had the time to go shopping for music on the iTunes music store, bought a few songs i like, which I'm not going to repeat here for being ostracised and the Jamie Blunt album. It's awesome! I love it! I guess if you like Coldplay, David Gray, Dave Matthews Band, Amy Winehouse etc then its going to be right up your street. I really recommend it.
There's one particular song that has 'meaning' cheesy as it is, it's the one which fits with something in your life at the present. I split with my girlfriend about 2 months ago and am not over it yet, as I was going through his album - Back to Bedlam - I got to 'Goodbye my Lover' and have had difficulty concentrating for the last couple of hours. Now, as you'll know I'm saved i.e. I'm not going to lose my job as I've had no work to do for the last couple of hours, which is good, the downside being I've had more time to indulge in the song and get morose. I need to find an upbeat track...
Ah yes, Nancy Sinatra - Bang, Bang (my baby shot me down)... hmm, on second thoughts...
There's one particular song that has 'meaning' cheesy as it is, it's the one which fits with something in your life at the present. I split with my girlfriend about 2 months ago and am not over it yet, as I was going through his album - Back to Bedlam - I got to 'Goodbye my Lover' and have had difficulty concentrating for the last couple of hours. Now, as you'll know I'm saved i.e. I'm not going to lose my job as I've had no work to do for the last couple of hours, which is good, the downside being I've had more time to indulge in the song and get morose. I need to find an upbeat track...
Ah yes, Nancy Sinatra - Bang, Bang (my baby shot me down)... hmm, on second thoughts...
Boooorrrrrrreeeeeedddddd
Stuck at work in a 'bottleneck' where each person with a specialised role (yes i know, the idea of me being a specialist in any way is controversial) completes their 'value add' and the information is then passed onto the next one. This leads to periods of no work whatsoever followed by intense eyes-at-the-back-of-your-neck pressure to get the work done in double quick time. Then the iteration period starts agian...
I'm currently in downtime. I think around 11pm this evening things will kick off again for me and i should have my 3rd, 4th (or is it 200th) iteration done within the hour...
Will i be able to go home... will i get some sleep... no, will be hear at (i guess) 3am to do the next iteration, which has to be the last as the partners present tomorrow at 10am to the client.
Standard corporate stuff i guess...
I'm currently in downtime. I think around 11pm this evening things will kick off again for me and i should have my 3rd, 4th (or is it 200th) iteration done within the hour...
Will i be able to go home... will i get some sleep... no, will be hear at (i guess) 3am to do the next iteration, which has to be the last as the partners present tomorrow at 10am to the client.
Standard corporate stuff i guess...
Had a shocker
I live by it, i swear by it, i can't do without it... bloody well gone and damaged my Blackberry haven't i!
Aarrgh, sad as it is, i feel like my left arm has been removed. It'll be DAYS before i get another...
Aarrgh, sad as it is, i feel like my left arm has been removed. It'll be DAYS before i get another...
Monday, July 11, 2005
Kittens at 2 weeks 4 days old
Still not got their balance and eyes just starting to open. One I think is
going to be a different colour - probably a blue or lilac point. Ears and
tails just starting to change colour and noses going brown. All doing well!
going to be a different colour - probably a blue or lilac point. Ears and
tails just starting to change colour and noses going brown. All doing well!
Thursday, July 07, 2005
Big bangs and blows
Am sitting on the No. 23 packed with other suits finding their way home to the West of London. Been a strange day, odd feelings have been with me, let me explain:
As you'll know I'm a motorbike rider, I'm passionate about bikes, a complete bike geek who takes pride in riding to work everyday in all weathers. Now, habit has it that I leave the house in the morning and ride up onto Harrow Rd before coming out at Paddington police station, I'm usually opposite Edgeware road tube station by 8.30am. I travel into London on the A40 and just passed the Great Portland St underpass, turn right at about 8.45 am into Russell Square... Everyday I do this, except today.
Today I have my bike in for a service. Do you get the picture? I know its tenuous and I'm building up the picture a bit, but I feel a bit like those guys who had a dentist appointment on Sept 11 2001 and didn't go into work at the World Trade Centre. I feel lucky. Of course, chance has it that I'd have never been near the Russell Square bus explosion which occured at that time, but it does make you think.
I spent the rest of the day wondering if someone's looking over me.
I also firmly believe that if I was to be hit by a bus today, I'd want to die with a smile knowing I was doing what I wanted with my life. Today was a blow, I'm striving to do want I really want with my life but I'm not there yet and today left me TOTALLY frustrated and remotivated to move forward, the second blow was that I was then surrounded for the rest of the day (on the internet) by the very area I want to work in utterly detached from it, with no influence over it and a chasm between. It has felt like a subtle mind bending form of torture. All the more difficult to take as its completely self inflicted.
I know to you this sounds criptic, well, bar Ewan and Hetty but I just wanted to get it down on paper.
------------------
Sent from Ed's Blackberry.
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
Slow day
Don't you hate slow days? God they seem to go on forever... Time really does seem relative to the amount of effort your putting in. I even ended up remembering what I felt when I went Stag Hunting up in the Scottish Highlands and watched as the rifle bullets killed the living spirits of the does wwe'd been stalking... Oh, and before you cry fowl (geddit) I refused to shoot (even though I'd shot for my school). Bizzare day!
------------------
Sent from Ed's Blackberry.
Prolific blogger.... Ewan!!!
While Ewan may be a prolific blogger, my once-a-day approach (more if you're lucky) carries considerably more depth per blog for you to masticate over.
Just making sure you're in agreement.
Just making sure you're in agreement.
Monday, July 04, 2005
Live8
Now i know you're not going to like this... it's a bit right wing... but i'm thinking from a business/economic/selfish view point. It does come to a sound middle-of-the-road conclusion that i know people are trying to get to, but what about this view point:
As with all species, overpopulation within an area of finite resources leads to in-fighting, disease, starvation and the removal (death) of the oldest, youngest and sick, until balance is restored. I think we all know this from GCSE Biology and perhaps more interestingly, from David Attenborough and his fantastic natural history programmes.
Africa represents this exact issue, humans, have overpopulated a place with scarce resources as a result there is poverty, starvation, disease etc etc. It just so happens that in the Western hemisphere and the more temperate climates there are more resources and natural selection means humans can congregate in larger numbers with less disease, starvation etc. If i was an alien looking on at the planet and i saw that lots of 'consciensius' western hemisphere people were looking to stop the debt repayments and allow 30,000 more people to survive each day and for more trade to flourish, i'd think they were insane.
Not only would they be helping overburden the scarce resource, they'd also be paying into their own doom through the increased pressure on the environment. More people consume more resources and keeping them alive by issuing drugs which use the planets resources in the first place just puts a spiral of decline on not a continent, but the world's finite resources...
There are 2 answers, 1) don't help, let nature, and i could probably argue economics (which acts as a quasi natural selector)take their course and put a brake on these species from destroying yet more of the worlds precious resources...
or 2) aim the objectives of Live8 at the real issues, Family Planning, Education especially with regards to HIV/AIDS and contraception.
I agree there are some subsets to this being the removal of corruption within the African states otherwise economically they are never going to be able to trade effectively with the west/east and perhaps enough drugs to maintain a healthy workforce that can develop efficiently what resources they have been gifted with.
I didn't see Live8 advocating these issues and personally, albeit from a pretty black and white, business like, harsh position, I think they are the most crucial if we're to help Africans develop and work within the concept of 'natural and economic selection' without burdening the planet any further.
As an addition i would state that i believe the west should also be doing significantly more to increase environmental sustainability in any form it can. This is not just Africa's problem...
Thoughts???
As with all species, overpopulation within an area of finite resources leads to in-fighting, disease, starvation and the removal (death) of the oldest, youngest and sick, until balance is restored. I think we all know this from GCSE Biology and perhaps more interestingly, from David Attenborough and his fantastic natural history programmes.
Africa represents this exact issue, humans, have overpopulated a place with scarce resources as a result there is poverty, starvation, disease etc etc. It just so happens that in the Western hemisphere and the more temperate climates there are more resources and natural selection means humans can congregate in larger numbers with less disease, starvation etc. If i was an alien looking on at the planet and i saw that lots of 'consciensius' western hemisphere people were looking to stop the debt repayments and allow 30,000 more people to survive each day and for more trade to flourish, i'd think they were insane.
Not only would they be helping overburden the scarce resource, they'd also be paying into their own doom through the increased pressure on the environment. More people consume more resources and keeping them alive by issuing drugs which use the planets resources in the first place just puts a spiral of decline on not a continent, but the world's finite resources...
There are 2 answers, 1) don't help, let nature, and i could probably argue economics (which acts as a quasi natural selector)take their course and put a brake on these species from destroying yet more of the worlds precious resources...
or 2) aim the objectives of Live8 at the real issues, Family Planning, Education especially with regards to HIV/AIDS and contraception.
I agree there are some subsets to this being the removal of corruption within the African states otherwise economically they are never going to be able to trade effectively with the west/east and perhaps enough drugs to maintain a healthy workforce that can develop efficiently what resources they have been gifted with.
I didn't see Live8 advocating these issues and personally, albeit from a pretty black and white, business like, harsh position, I think they are the most crucial if we're to help Africans develop and work within the concept of 'natural and economic selection' without burdening the planet any further.
As an addition i would state that i believe the west should also be doing significantly more to increase environmental sustainability in any form it can. This is not just Africa's problem...
Thoughts???
Friday, July 01, 2005
Getting tired
Thought i'd got away pretty much scott free from the few beers and late night... unfortunately not, it's all settling in on me now... bugger.
Bacon Bagel
God's own breakfast. Only one reason why i'd have a bacon bagel rather than a healthy apple, honey, yogurt and granola breakfast... booze. Had a few too many last night, what the hell, is good to do once in a while especially when you get to appreciate a bacon bagel the next morning. Still could do without that 'wooley' feeling, you know, where you turn your head and your brain has to catch up. Still, i don't think anyone's noticed at work yet... shhhh ;-)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
