why don't i have much to say?

Lego

2007-02-02T12:12:00.000-08:00

OK, I seem to be making a lot of observational theories. May have to change my blog title soon.

It's in our psyche to create. Corporate construction play materials men, you'll have to pay me for copywrite infringement if you ever use what I say. You may not print verbalise or redistribute any of this blog.
MY THEORY
The Lego challenge:
Anyone will play with Lego, if left in a room for long enough.

How long can you resist? Don't fight, just build.

Sadly, it's also true that anyone will deconstruct (or re-model) a lego construction if surrounded by too much of it for too long.

What does this say about society in heavily built up areas? Will Lego need to start to making pimps, ho's and addicts for Legotropolis ghettos ;-)

I'm not dissing Lego. It's Fab . Go buy some now before it's sold out like at Christmas.

Lunatics, every last one of us.

2007-02-02T11:34:00.000-08:00

Every sighted person who has walked this earth has, at some point, looked up at a full moon and thought, "Wow. You are beautiful. You look so big. What shapes can I make out on your surface"

Some of us have gone further, trying to study its direction of movement or pick out known features.

I bet a vast majority have in their mind's eye travelled down a thin line almost to its surface. Kind of like that 'falling over the edge' feeling when looking over a cliff. Or is it just me?

Then there are the lucky few( does anyone know how many?) who have got there only to gaze back at the Earth in all it's technicoloured, textured, layered glory, making just one prayer to God to make it back home alive.

not many heroes any more

2005-11-11T14:43:00.000-08:00

Sophie's grandad is 85. I'm so greatful that our kids have some connection with a hero of ww2. It seems sometimes that living in the new millenium is making us into forward thinking individuals, 'The War', seems an awful long time ago. Reg, the aged hero is probably downing his scotch, sat alone in his flat. His health has suffered badly this year. Will he make it another year ??? Who knows. If all my kids remember of their great-grandfather's role in The War is that he looked after donkeys, it's probably the only image he'd want them to have. The rest takes an awful lot of whisky to forget. God bless you Reg Nixon. I hope you have the strength to stand proud and wear your medals a few years more.

Time to re-write the history books

2005-10-09T12:34:00.000-07:00

Leo's maths is coming along well.
"How long ago was WW2", he enquired.
"It ended exactly 60 years ago", I replied.
"That means grandpa was 25 when he started the war", came the response.

word from a fortune cookie

2005-09-25T09:06:00.000-07:00

I opened up a fortune cookie yesterday which read "imagination is greater than knowledge"

I've learned (and subsequently forgotten) so much that I must entirely agree. Why is it that we immerse our kids in so many 'envinments for learning' ? Why are academic results so valued? ... shouldn't we equip our kids with thinking caps instead of exam certificates... Grammar schools used to select students on their verbal reasoning abilities so there must be some truth in this argument.
ciao

A sad day

2005-09-15T16:40:00.000-07:00

I love the van, the kids love the van, the wife does not love the van. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VOLKSWAGEN-LT35CAMPER_W0QQitemZ4575941816QQcategoryZ14256QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

The wife is right. I can see that I have been putting my efforts into the wrong things.

Later never happens

2005-09-04T15:30:00.000-07:00

well a few weeks back, after I mendend my veedub oil leak of 4 years, I vowed not to procrastinate (any longer than necessary - ie. until the first free time slot).

so after a lot of pondering i finally managed to:
forward my domain,
forward e-mail,
create a bit of html and
work an ftp client

so now I have a working site at http://graduate-gas.co.uk Yeah it' elementary.... but the start of something Big.
Sophie has taught me a big lesson - do the job instead of worrying about getting it right.

Ashes to Ashes

2005-09-04T15:14:00.000-07:00

If you want some low down on cricket, read no further.

When I was young I played marbles - small balls, tarmac surface (UK) or sand (Sri Lanka).
Does this mean that when I'm a pensioner, I'm destined to play bowls on groomed greens???
( The World Bowls Championship was hosted in my home town)

If you too played marbles, and are not looking forward to the prospect of having to wear whites, please contact me NOW so we can campaign NOW to change the dress code..... who knows, the slow cogs of change may, in 26 years (when I turn 65), allow us to form a psychadelic tie and dye clad bowls team!

Old Faithfuls

2005-07-08T13:03:00.000-07:00

The Veedub is recognised the mechanical world over for its dependability. Mine has gone a step further and is starting to mimic its animal world counterpart - the family mutt. Everywhere I go, the LT35 leaves its little black marking. Just got back from a little job in a massive house... Porsche, Merc and indoor pool. I dared not look as I reversed off the virgin tarmac drive. I must face the fact that my van is becoming incontinent. I'll have to take her in for an op or get her a van nappy :-o

...2weeks later, I returned to the massive house and the dub HAD left its mark!

see through the eyes of a child

2005-07-07T14:50:00.000-07:00

I looked into mini's eyes before her bedtime story and they swallowed me up. Sometimes I catch my reflection in there and it makes me feel happy that I'm in the great world that she sees. There's so much out in the world she hasn't seen and so much gets drawn in all the time that its like a never resting vortex swallowing oceans of images. I had to pull myself back out, like one does when standing at the edge of a great precipice, before she started to click that her is a bit mad (about her).

post letter era

2005-07-07T14:36:00.000-07:00

I'm sure it's not only me who gets excited whenever an 'Interlink' or 'Parcelforce' van creeps near. I remember when I used to get excited about receiving a simple letter. Is it that my expectations have been raised with age? These days the only paper post worth reading are postcards and invites. I'd gladly burn the rest. Bring us more gifts Parcel Men O' The West! ... and bring on the post office strikes.

Shopping Class & Hulk-spotting

2005-06-16T05:53:00.000-07:00

The roads in Cheltenham town centre aappear to be designed around the social class system. Looking North, from Montpellier, The Promenade slopes gently downhill towards the High Street on its right and the Lower High Street on its Left.

On an even more bizaar note, at the junction of the Lower High Street and Gloucester Rd riding his bike on the pavement, I spotted a product of modern-day road rage - Hulk Boy. His skin was a pale green and his eyebrows protruded. It's true, I did see a green boy.

Still lifes of Lecky

2005-06-12T13:50:00.000-07:00

Walking up on Lecky hill so often, we notice the hand of God on the fauna & flora. One month the grasses are ankle high, and monochrome, the next they are turbo-charged with life and fields are filled with head-high grasses of so many varieties and colours that I feel I really should just sit still and stare just as I would at a classical piece of art. Unlikle any human canvass, this work will not erode but constantly evolve...providing we learn to leave it alone.

Today we discovered some crags hidden by woods and a grassy ledge to camp out on. I just wish that the kids who had been there earlier hadn't left so much evidence of their presence. I'm so proud that my little R felt the same way I did about the mess and I hope that the force grows strong within her. Enough to enthuse her peer group with a love and respect for the outdoors.

all is quiet

2005-06-07T14:56:00.000-07:00

The kids are fast asleep and the widge household was quiet... until Leo started sleeptalking.
"Leo, are you talking in your sleep?"
"No", came the reply. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
:-)

get out of the way please!

2005-06-04T05:30:00.000-07:00

I have a pet hate for 'middle men'. Those meddling management, salespeople, marketing types. The most annoying trait is that they invite themselves in (homes, decisions, mind) without being asked. The great thing about the web used to be that with a few words typed into a search engine, you used to go directly to the pages/ info you wanted. Seems more and more now that to get to the same information you are now first accosted by 'vertical' search engines. ( had to get a bit of markeeting terminology in somewhere ;-)

Who says school life's got easy?

2005-05-18T08:54:00.000-07:00

There are those who say that school exams have got easy and that general standards have slipped since their generation. Some date the start of the decline to the 70's and the introduction of decimalisation. The tuffest thing I had to do at school was the 1500m track event. However, Leo being still at primary school, just told me that at last week's games he had to run 200 miles!

DIY lifestyle

2005-05-11T02:09:00.000-07:00

Having realised that I need the exercise, I've taken over from Soph in doing the school runs. My, what a lot of traffic, pollution and frustrated caffein powered drivers. Is all this commuting healthy? Haven't they got homes to do up ;-)

digitised reality

2005-05-09T01:19:00.000-07:00

Just as I walked out into the garden, I thought I heard the chime of our modern clock (with sampled cuckoo call). Was it 9 o'clock already? No. Just a pleasant surprise to hear a real cuckoo and the realisation that I wasn't late !

Advice for Tony

2005-05-02T16:06:00.000-07:00

I was surfing the terrestrial TV channels and started with Dimbleby's Tony Blair election debate. Cringeworthy stuff. After the fiscal policy questions, the commercials break lead me to check out what else was on offer. Brothers In Arms - docu about siblings in bands, the likes of Dire Straits, then the Kemp brothers. I hate to admit it but 'Gold' was a great song , only the hair and ridiculous outfits lead me to surf once more. Beeb 2 had a compelling prog which inspired this latest blog - Grumpy old men.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/g/grumpyoldmen_999031010.shtml
'Getting a handpicked collection of grumpy, world-weary blokes to gripe on given subjects may not sound like a very promising premise for a TV show but there was plenty to enjoy here. The show side-stepped political correctness and tapped a rich vein of sardonic, eloquent and well informed grumpiness that got right to the nub of each issue.
The grumpy old men included, amongst others, Arthur Smith, Will Self, John Peel, Rick Wakeman and Jeremy Clarkson. The subject matter up for discussion ranged from Pop Idol to Tony Blair to mobile phones to Christmas and beyond. Geoffrey Palmer provided a wry, understated narration which kept the pace even.'

Mr. Blair you smile too much and you don't say it like it is. Please turn on the grump and I might actually listen to what you have to say. Hope Thursday goes well.

I hope I remember to watch next weeks episode.

The Old Ones are the Best

2005-04-14T12:27:00.000-07:00

Today I took a rest from playing with smelly water and had a delightful day outside putting up a wooden play structure for my neighbour. As the warmth of the sun hit my back I felt like the perennials, glad to be active once more. The Winters really kill me. Got in a quick quote at lunchtime for a lovely 'old' couple. The more such folk I meet, the lovelier life will get.

Two jets graced the sky with their perfect flight across the blueness. However it took me some time to initially locate them.. Made me think what a bizzare world it would be if we all travelled around at supersonic speed ...like ninjas, no-one would ever hear us coming, they'd only hear us going.

I want to re-name my cat Rupert Sheldrake

2005-04-12T11:50:00.000-07:00

I am not a creature of habit. In fact I have no regular timetables, meal times, wake times or bed-times. This said, why, when I creep downstairs at night for a snack or drink or just to fill the fishes bellies, is my cat waiting by its bowl for food? And why do I always (obediently) feed it? When the dog asks, begs or pleads why is the answer always 'no'???? And how is it that cats get a higher meat content in their food than dogs and humans?

I once read a book by Rupert Sheldrake. He reckoned animals had ESP ( http://www.salon.com/people/feature/1999/11/23/sheldrake/print.html ) , so by his thinking, Kitty gets an ES message at the point when I make the decision to go downstairs. What I'd like to know is what else does this cute ball of feline fluff know about me (remember the Star Trek episode with the cute little fluffy creatures or how the Gremlins started out) .
Now we're thinking down this route, ever wondered why cats sleep so much? They're not sleeping, oh no, they're meditating, homing in to our inner most thoughts. Why do they sometimes disappear for days only to be found in strange places like up a tree? Well it's my theory that they're beamed away to the mother ship for secret debriefings and the kittyporter gets misaligned on the return trip. And another thing... why do dogs aka 'man's best friend' hate them so much? Do dogs too know something we don't? Come to think of it no other pets are fooled by these cats: fish, birds, mice, hamsters, ducks, chickens. Feel used yet?
Another question...why did so many influencial people like Sir Winston Churchill and Nostradamus have cats (see http://rulingcatsanddogs.com/facts-cat-people.htm ..spooky ). This is even beginning to scare me now. Perhaps cats are aliens watching (in their minds) our every move, waiting for the right time to steal our last sleeping breath from us.
So, is it that passive little Kitty senses my decision to come downstairs to the kitchen or more sinisterly that I am a servant to my cat, she controls me. Kitty also controls the rest of the family; teaching the kids not to touch certain parts of her (through aversion therapy) and controlling Sophie at the supermarket to buy all her favourite meals.
So how can we conquer this fiend? ..... Well all aliens have their achilles t. The domestic cat, I have found, suffers from being a terrible gossip. All that late night noise - screeching, howling, crying ...is just a nuisance of cats (gr8 collective noun) laughing at what dumb things we've done over the course of the day. They especially like stories where they've got the dog into trouble (at least one cat each night recounts the classic peeing on table leg story ). The only thing is that we only get full control of our bodies and minds at times when the damned things are not controlling us ie., like now, when they are at one of their late-night howlers. So, my human allies, all we need to do to get back our freedom is to ...

....... sorry i'm just popping downstairs

please do read the sheldrake article - there is some meat to the theories.

do I need a PC... or does IT need ME?

2005-04-10T13:30:00.000-07:00

backing up data is such a drag. here i am trying to back up all those photos of the incredible 3 ( one task S won't mind me doing on a sunday night) and i'm struck by the thought that my PC is so reliant on me . can't it do anything by itself? why does it need me to keep feeding it fresh cds after it's puked out the processed ones?
reminds me of feeding the nippers... next thing you know my pc will refuse to eject until i coax it by playing tunnels and trains or airplanes and hangars or by me inserting CDs into my mouth, lower lip, tribal style-ee. My thought behind buying an expandable mother board (more parallels) was seriously flawed. Demands, demands , demands. More RAM, faster CPU... and I remember the time it first gave me some backchat, "...Yeah I'll tell you what I remembered yesterday... if you tell me the magic word" More PCI devices(musical equipment), more peripherals (gadgets) more COM devices(tv, dvd, mobile phones etc), monthly ADSL fee (pocket money, contract phone), overclocking (amphetamine habits), countless re-builds(after relationship breakdowns)
Can't wait till it gets a job and moves out ... and it can take its damned desk, chair and shelves with it!

God gave me a unique id

2005-04-09T15:36:00.000-07:00

I just wanna make sure my first blog works - the WWW links us all together but it sure makes me feel really small... i thought i was unique but can't even register a blog address with my own name. how many mark wijesinghes are out there ... out there ... out there (ever diminishing echoes) ? you wonder when you try and register a unique identity, and have it rejected, that others, in some way, must have gone through the same thought process. crumbs! they might have tried the same series of rejected alphanumerics. there are other people thinking the same way i do for at least a few moments (said in a slow, Homer is thinking voice) . are we programmed to do this?