I doubt any of you will have noticed, but I haven’t got a pb at the gym for a while. There are several reasons for this. When I was in the midst of assignment-hell, I barely left the house for three weeks, let alone went to the gym. This is now over. But, for some reason sitting doing bugger all for three weeks and eating kitkats has made me loose condition. Strange! So when I did get back to the gym, I wasn’t quite at the level I had left at. Also, I’ve changed my routine, to try and get in condition for a run I’m going in the middle of July. It’s harder, hence no pb’s yet. Last excuse (for now at least), Moose has a new job, meaning that we have to start a new schedule, and it’s not settled down yet. It’s hard for me, all this exercising, especially seeing as how I’ve got two decades plus of being a lazy cow to overcome. All I’m saying, is stop looking so judgmental at me.
Stop it!
Ok, it isn’t funny, really it isn’t, when you hear what is being done to some of the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, but I couldn’t help but utter a guilty giggle when the worst the Guardian could come up with was that one prisoner was “kept awake by the music of Christina Aguilera”. I am sure there is more to this story than meets the eye, really I am, and I deplore the numerous civil-rights violations that are going on at the detention centre, but… *convulses quietly with laughter*
Best quote so far about Batman Begins – “Think American Pyscho redux, this time in tights” from the NYT.
Saw this, laughed. Now all I need is a badger-with-coke-can-on-nose and weasel-in-crisp-packet-jacket cartoon and I’m set. Chicken, Tunafish, Gopher…
I have a problem with the following statement on time travel as proposed by the BBC 1. [Time Travel story]
Clearly, the present never is changed by mischievous time-travellers: people don’t suddenly fade into the ether because a rerun of events has prevented their births – that much is obvious.
The problem is this: it is not just the timeline of the person whose birth was prevented who is affected. The timelines of everyone associated in even the tiniest way with that person are affected, as are the timelines of everyone associated with the people associated with the now-non-existent person, and the timelines of everyone associated with them… If we are all separated by just seven degrees, even the timeline of Kevin Bacon would be affected. Who knows, he might turn out to be a janitor at the local high school, or something.
My point being, if someone suddenly had not been born, the entire world would change to reflect that, and we would have no knowledge that the person had ever been born in the first place.
You following me? 2. [And yes I am aware of the fact that time travel doesn’t exist, and that I read too much science fiction, but it’s logic darling!]
I can’t quite put my feelings into words, but I do feel that the latest suggestion from David Blunkett about forced savings for pensions is wrong 3. [The pensions story] I am totally aware of the need for pensions, and as soon as I have money to put into a scheme, I will be (into more than one most likely, as I think this is one time that hedging bets would be a good idea). I have no problem with strongly recommended pension schemes. It is the ‘forced’ but that gets me. Because when you look at it, and all things are considered, we already have a mandatory pension scheme, and it is called National Insurance, not to mention the taxes that I have no problem paying 4. [I am not a fan of a large portion of my (currently theoretical) salary going into an account other than mine, but at the same time, I know that it is necessary and pay the money with only the minimum of complaining. After all, I like that we have free healthcare, water coming out of the taps, and that people don’t have to pay for (a large chunk of) their education. In fact, I wouldn’t mind paying slightly more tax if it meant that all education to graduate level and beyond was at least partially subsidized.] But I digress slightly. As I said at the start of the paragraph, I can’t quite vocalise my argument, mainly because in this (as many other things), I can see both sides. But I do think that it is dangerous to make savings schemes mandatory in this way, I am sure that it could be argued to be against civil liberties 5, [Or whatever it is that we British have that are analogous to them: I’ve been watching too much West Wing lately.] and I suspect that it could cause more problems than it solves, especially among those with a lower income.
On a happier note, England beat Australia with 253-7 against 252-9. It would be nice to say that we gave them the thrashing they so richly deserved, but it did look a little close there for a while. It makes my heart proud to think that the England cricket game is no longer quite the joke it was during my childhood. This is our fourth straight win against Australia in four competitions. We whomped Bangladesh recently, and generally are playing a better game than I can remember in a while. My favourite so far though? When my local team of Taunton beat Australia by four wickets last Wednesday (the 15th). He he he. No, I’m not a cricket nut, though I do infinitely prefer it to football, can follow a conversation about cricket with a fair amount of ease 6, [Sadly, this precludes me from using a wonderful quote as a post title, so I’m putting it here: When somebody tries to explain cricket to me, all I want to do is hit him in the head with a teapot. – West Wing, Series 1] and will willingly sit down to watch a match 7. [If there isn’t, like, a good film on the other side, or something] Who can’t help but love a game where they still break for afternoon tea?!