A week before the annoying cyclists im on my way to Edinburgh once again. Being one of the older trains with doors at the end of each carriage i decided instead of competing for a seat i'd stand, as usual, in the little area adjoining each carriageway. With the door window pulled down you get a great view and plenty fresh air running in at 100mph!
This train being the London train was busy, lots of luggage and the racks overflowing. The train pulls into Kirkcaldy and the only passengers to board my carriage was a young woman accompanied by baby, buggy and a suitcase. All aboard the woman realises its very busy, struggles to store her case and then begins to look around for her seat. Realising it must be further down the carriage she quickly debates in her head whether to de-buggy the baby or find her seat first.
Opting for the latter she turns to me as the train leaves the platform and asks if i could keep an eye on her while she finds her seat. No problem, i replied, then looked down at the baby as the woman made her way down the carriage checking seat numbers. I prayed the baby would continue to be amused by the toy strapped to her buggy. This she did and as the woman returned i breathed a sigh of relief.
It was to be short lived.
The baby is lifted out the buggy by said woman who then struggles to fold the buggy. She turns to me once again. She will ask me to fold the buggy i thought. If only. She looks me up and down, looks down at her pride and joy, looks back to me and says; "Any chance you could hold her for a minute?"
The debate could rage on for months as to who was more terrified, myself or the baby. I grasped the baby like i was playing full back for the Scottish rugby set up and looked down at the baby, horrified with the sudden responsibility. The baby looked up at me as if i was the Terminator and her mum, Sarah Connor, had just given up hope on humanity.
Realising i was now in danger of losing a `staring out` contest with a 1o month old i looked up only for my horror to be doubled. In the foreground was the mother, struggling with an overly complex buggy, and in the background a train carriage full of people staring up the carriage at me in my new found child caring role.
I could see them making mental sweepstakes with themselves as to how long i'd last before dropping the baby with expressions ranging from worried to amused!
Finally the buggy shifted into place, the woman turned, wholly unconcerned and proving to have faith beyond what the situation required and took control once again of her baby. It was a momentous moment, success and survival beyond all expectations!
Thursday 1 October 2009
Wednesday 30 September 2009
Trains & Tribulations Part4
It's been a fair while since i last posted i know. Work has continued to be hectic and the social travelling never ending. The antics of those of the rail travelling community continue however and more importantly continue to irritate and bemuse me.
Having some free time one Saturday i decided to take the train through to Glasgow to meet a friend up from South Shields who was driving his sister up to start her university experience. I jumped on the early train from Waverley and headed for Queen Street. I didnt expect it to be quite as busy as it was but settled into my usual pull down seat by the door of the carriage.
Rangers had an early kick off but the vast majority of glory hunters seemed to be bussing it in from elsewhere. Only one brave `Rangers` fan took the journey by train. With the time barely 10.30 he was seated quite comfortably, can of Stella Artois in one hand and flicking through the Daily Record with the other. Convivial. Later as he made his way from the carriage onto the platform he had the paper rolled up and stuffed into his rear jeans pocket and his last remaining can of Stella in the adjacent pocket. Presumably this is a local custom.
The return journey sees an even busier train headed back in the direction of Edinburgh. With more people standing in the carriage than sitting compromise and understanding is going to prove vital. Not so for our cyclist friends. Sure enough with the carriage packed one lycra clad idiot shuffles up the platform, hauls on her bike and proceeds to hit every standing passenger in order to mount her bike on the rack before looking about in the hope of a seat. Not content with this when it came to her departing the train she proceeds to hit the same people with her rucksack as she tries to lift the bike down from the rack. Now having the two wheels on the ground would seem like the best plan. This achieved she decides this is not the case, attempts to lift the bike, whacks the trailing wheel againt the laptop of a now decidely angry man (clearly deep in thought over something important previous to his cycle assault) and blissfully unaware she continues down the carriage with passengers swaying and dodging out her way. Idiot.
More amusingly on the train to Edinburgh the following week, as we pulled into Kirkcaldy a blind man came onto the train with his guide dog. The railway staff, it has to be said, are always helpful in these situations. They help the person aboard, store their luggage and call ahead to the destination to alert staff there of any help required. A point that may be raised however when staff are trained in dealing with these situations is this - however well trained guide dogs may be, if you board them along with owner on a carriage that has seated areas to the right and the buffet car to the left, the dog will always opt for the smell of food over a comfortable seat! Never before has a guide dog been more determined to ditch its owner in favour of an overpriced lunch!
Having some free time one Saturday i decided to take the train through to Glasgow to meet a friend up from South Shields who was driving his sister up to start her university experience. I jumped on the early train from Waverley and headed for Queen Street. I didnt expect it to be quite as busy as it was but settled into my usual pull down seat by the door of the carriage.
Rangers had an early kick off but the vast majority of glory hunters seemed to be bussing it in from elsewhere. Only one brave `Rangers` fan took the journey by train. With the time barely 10.30 he was seated quite comfortably, can of Stella Artois in one hand and flicking through the Daily Record with the other. Convivial. Later as he made his way from the carriage onto the platform he had the paper rolled up and stuffed into his rear jeans pocket and his last remaining can of Stella in the adjacent pocket. Presumably this is a local custom.
The return journey sees an even busier train headed back in the direction of Edinburgh. With more people standing in the carriage than sitting compromise and understanding is going to prove vital. Not so for our cyclist friends. Sure enough with the carriage packed one lycra clad idiot shuffles up the platform, hauls on her bike and proceeds to hit every standing passenger in order to mount her bike on the rack before looking about in the hope of a seat. Not content with this when it came to her departing the train she proceeds to hit the same people with her rucksack as she tries to lift the bike down from the rack. Now having the two wheels on the ground would seem like the best plan. This achieved she decides this is not the case, attempts to lift the bike, whacks the trailing wheel againt the laptop of a now decidely angry man (clearly deep in thought over something important previous to his cycle assault) and blissfully unaware she continues down the carriage with passengers swaying and dodging out her way. Idiot.
More amusingly on the train to Edinburgh the following week, as we pulled into Kirkcaldy a blind man came onto the train with his guide dog. The railway staff, it has to be said, are always helpful in these situations. They help the person aboard, store their luggage and call ahead to the destination to alert staff there of any help required. A point that may be raised however when staff are trained in dealing with these situations is this - however well trained guide dogs may be, if you board them along with owner on a carriage that has seated areas to the right and the buffet car to the left, the dog will always opt for the smell of food over a comfortable seat! Never before has a guide dog been more determined to ditch its owner in favour of an overpriced lunch!
Thursday 13 August 2009
Trains & Tribulations Part 3
Today I sit on the train berthed at platform 15 at Edinburgh Waverley waiting for it to depart to Dundee. Being one of the few sunny days so far this summer the train is already stuffy. Being the shortest train of the day to Dundee, in so much as it doesn’t stop at all stations in Fife, it is crammed packed with commuters. In true train style the air conditioning has also chosen today to give up. What was a hot train when empty, has now advanced to boiler room conditions.
Anyhow, enough of the moaning.
It was a journey back from London after a game of football. We had rushed to the station after a quick shower and change at the pitch, a tube or 2 later and we arrived at Kings Cross. Two things were on our mind, food for the train and drink! The first drawback was there were limited places that we could reach within a limited time that sold alcohol. Therefore a queue of us formed in Marks & Spencer with the majority of us opting for some imported European lager. Having been cut off from the rest of the group I headed towards the platform only to be greeted by several of the Mets finest constabulary officers.
Due to a game being held between Newcastle and Tottenham in London earlier that day this train had been confined to being a `dry train`. No alcohol allowed to be consumed nor taken on board! Despite a plea that I had just finished a big game of football (victoriously) and was gasping for a cool beer there was no bending of rules. I was asked, as had others, to place all my cans down by an industrial sized refuse bin where officers would dispose of it later.
Resigned to my fate, or that of my lager, I started to place them down by the bin. Just as I had placed the final one down, one of the officers in the smaller group beside me stepped over to where I was standing and said, “You can always drink them before you go on the train, you still have twenty minutes”.
Not entirely sure how train security could be greater when full of people previously having been encouraged to drink as much as they could in a short space of time before boarding the train, I picked up the first can and pulled it open.
Having not had a chance to rehydrate since the game, the first can went down incredibly well. Not sure how much I should push it I bent down to pick up a second can. Unsure of the reaction of the officers to this I glanced over to both groups. An officer from the second group, on the other side of the platform gate, took notice and alerted his fellow officers; “He’s going for another!”. Then directing his attention towards me followed it up with, “Go on my son!!!” and accompanied it with several macho hand gestures.
After sinking what I could of the second can I alerted some team mates to the non drinking rule in place and they were able to hide what they could within their kit bags and sneak them aboard. Just as I was about to abandon the rest of my cans and join my friends on the train I decided one last plea to the officers for mercy could do no harm. An older experienced officer was nearest at this stage and sensing good will he shuffled over. “Put the others in your bag and on you go, just don’t let these other guys see you do it”, motioning towards the other officers. A simple play that is no doubt repeated several times over to gain trust and mutual understanding it was nevertheless greatly appreciated. I did as was told and was soon aboard.
Now the officers were from the North of England. Knowing that they would depart the train in Newcastle gave a natural time for the post match party to begin. Not having the patience to wait til then a few players gave in and in an act reminiscent of teenage years they hurriedly poured lager into their empty McDonalds milkshake cartons and tried on their best innocent faces.
Anyhow, enough of the moaning.
It was a journey back from London after a game of football. We had rushed to the station after a quick shower and change at the pitch, a tube or 2 later and we arrived at Kings Cross. Two things were on our mind, food for the train and drink! The first drawback was there were limited places that we could reach within a limited time that sold alcohol. Therefore a queue of us formed in Marks & Spencer with the majority of us opting for some imported European lager. Having been cut off from the rest of the group I headed towards the platform only to be greeted by several of the Mets finest constabulary officers.
Due to a game being held between Newcastle and Tottenham in London earlier that day this train had been confined to being a `dry train`. No alcohol allowed to be consumed nor taken on board! Despite a plea that I had just finished a big game of football (victoriously) and was gasping for a cool beer there was no bending of rules. I was asked, as had others, to place all my cans down by an industrial sized refuse bin where officers would dispose of it later.
Resigned to my fate, or that of my lager, I started to place them down by the bin. Just as I had placed the final one down, one of the officers in the smaller group beside me stepped over to where I was standing and said, “You can always drink them before you go on the train, you still have twenty minutes”.
Not entirely sure how train security could be greater when full of people previously having been encouraged to drink as much as they could in a short space of time before boarding the train, I picked up the first can and pulled it open.
Having not had a chance to rehydrate since the game, the first can went down incredibly well. Not sure how much I should push it I bent down to pick up a second can. Unsure of the reaction of the officers to this I glanced over to both groups. An officer from the second group, on the other side of the platform gate, took notice and alerted his fellow officers; “He’s going for another!”. Then directing his attention towards me followed it up with, “Go on my son!!!” and accompanied it with several macho hand gestures.
After sinking what I could of the second can I alerted some team mates to the non drinking rule in place and they were able to hide what they could within their kit bags and sneak them aboard. Just as I was about to abandon the rest of my cans and join my friends on the train I decided one last plea to the officers for mercy could do no harm. An older experienced officer was nearest at this stage and sensing good will he shuffled over. “Put the others in your bag and on you go, just don’t let these other guys see you do it”, motioning towards the other officers. A simple play that is no doubt repeated several times over to gain trust and mutual understanding it was nevertheless greatly appreciated. I did as was told and was soon aboard.
Now the officers were from the North of England. Knowing that they would depart the train in Newcastle gave a natural time for the post match party to begin. Not having the patience to wait til then a few players gave in and in an act reminiscent of teenage years they hurriedly poured lager into their empty McDonalds milkshake cartons and tried on their best innocent faces.
Trains & Tribulations Part 2
It’s early one Friday afternoon. Having taken the day off to travel south for football, myself and a friend and fellow player found ourselves standing aboard a carriage to Edinburgh. Unable to find a seat and being in a carriage with a section separated for cyclists to store their bikes safely for a journey we found ourselves standing, somewhat unfortunately, beside the toilet. Not being the nicest section to have to stand in, we spent the journey staring out the window and chatting about tactics and formations for the game ahead.
As with any journey, especially one containing individuals from the previously mentioned travelling communities, there is a constant stream of people in the direction of the toilet, often forming a queue and waiting invariably patiently.
Now, technology is a wonderful thing. Without it I would be unable to blog as I travel as I am doing now. Without it this train that I’m sitting on would also not be here nor would the bridges we cross and my journey would be a hell of a lot longer! Mobile phones, laptops, Bluetooth, wireless, plasma TV’s, our daily lives are surrounded by technological advances which we come to rely upon. When they go wrong we panic, get distressed and get angry and frustrated. All rolled into one microsecond where something we want to happen and has happened without question many times before suddenly doesn’t.
But as always we shouldn’t overlook basic human error. A distance into our journey, a small Chinese woman wanders up the carriageway, locates the button conveniently located on the side of the toilet, waits for the electronically operated door to open in its semi circular shape and unveils a toilet the size of a small room in all its glory. She enters, pushes the button to close the door and the door retraces its steps and hides the room once again.
As the carriage continues to talk, another passenger, a burly man, stomps up the carriage towards the toilet. He pushes the button. Without hesitation the door swings into action (akin to the scene in Die Hard where the baddies manage to open the vault- this gives some idea of the gravity of the situation), unveiling not only the little room but a shocked Chinese woman, caught literally with her trousers down. The man tries to utter an apology and swiftly turns, the woman caught up in a mixture of shock, surprise and embarrassment can’t decide whether the best course of action is to pull her trousers up or reach for a button to close the door. Myself and my friend, probably equally embarrassed and trying not to laugh childishly, turn once again to stare out the window and discuss tactics at a somewhat louder volume!
Eventually the Chinese lady locates the door close button and everyone in the carriage and no doubt herself breathes a sigh of relief. The carriage passengers exchange glances, part in sympathy and part in thoughtful mortification of how they would feel in a similar position. Larkin’s ramblings on Ambulances springs to mind, `Poor soul they whisper, at their own distress`.
Now just as everyone relaxes again a new terror emerges. Everyone has now been entangled in a situation that hasn’t quite been brought to an end as realisation on the outside that at some point the woman will have to exit the toilet once again, hopefully in a more appropriately dressed state, and walk the length of the carriage back to her seat. Undoubtedly this is also crossing the mind of the poor, terrified woman inside.
A good 15 minutes pass with tension mounting both inside and out. I can only imagine the woman sat their dreaming of days gone by when toilets were locked by a bolt on the inside, thinking if only she had paid more attention to the numerous buttons facing her as she had entered the toilet, and any other number of what if’s! A lucky few arrive at their stops and can make a swift exit. For the rest of us we stand or sit as once again the door swings into action. In an act of sympathy that spread throughout the carriage every passenger to a man, woman or child busied themselves with a newspaper, magazine, searched for a song on their mp3 player or just stared hard out the window, giving just enough time for the horrified woman to scuttle down the carriage and re-take her seat.
With train travel comes various problems; cancelled trains, delays and works on the line. But next time you stand on the platform looking down the line to see if your train will make it in on time, just remember, boarding the train could be just the beginning of your problems!
As with any journey, especially one containing individuals from the previously mentioned travelling communities, there is a constant stream of people in the direction of the toilet, often forming a queue and waiting invariably patiently.
Now, technology is a wonderful thing. Without it I would be unable to blog as I travel as I am doing now. Without it this train that I’m sitting on would also not be here nor would the bridges we cross and my journey would be a hell of a lot longer! Mobile phones, laptops, Bluetooth, wireless, plasma TV’s, our daily lives are surrounded by technological advances which we come to rely upon. When they go wrong we panic, get distressed and get angry and frustrated. All rolled into one microsecond where something we want to happen and has happened without question many times before suddenly doesn’t.
But as always we shouldn’t overlook basic human error. A distance into our journey, a small Chinese woman wanders up the carriageway, locates the button conveniently located on the side of the toilet, waits for the electronically operated door to open in its semi circular shape and unveils a toilet the size of a small room in all its glory. She enters, pushes the button to close the door and the door retraces its steps and hides the room once again.
As the carriage continues to talk, another passenger, a burly man, stomps up the carriage towards the toilet. He pushes the button. Without hesitation the door swings into action (akin to the scene in Die Hard where the baddies manage to open the vault- this gives some idea of the gravity of the situation), unveiling not only the little room but a shocked Chinese woman, caught literally with her trousers down. The man tries to utter an apology and swiftly turns, the woman caught up in a mixture of shock, surprise and embarrassment can’t decide whether the best course of action is to pull her trousers up or reach for a button to close the door. Myself and my friend, probably equally embarrassed and trying not to laugh childishly, turn once again to stare out the window and discuss tactics at a somewhat louder volume!
Eventually the Chinese lady locates the door close button and everyone in the carriage and no doubt herself breathes a sigh of relief. The carriage passengers exchange glances, part in sympathy and part in thoughtful mortification of how they would feel in a similar position. Larkin’s ramblings on Ambulances springs to mind, `Poor soul they whisper, at their own distress`.
Now just as everyone relaxes again a new terror emerges. Everyone has now been entangled in a situation that hasn’t quite been brought to an end as realisation on the outside that at some point the woman will have to exit the toilet once again, hopefully in a more appropriately dressed state, and walk the length of the carriage back to her seat. Undoubtedly this is also crossing the mind of the poor, terrified woman inside.
A good 15 minutes pass with tension mounting both inside and out. I can only imagine the woman sat their dreaming of days gone by when toilets were locked by a bolt on the inside, thinking if only she had paid more attention to the numerous buttons facing her as she had entered the toilet, and any other number of what if’s! A lucky few arrive at their stops and can make a swift exit. For the rest of us we stand or sit as once again the door swings into action. In an act of sympathy that spread throughout the carriage every passenger to a man, woman or child busied themselves with a newspaper, magazine, searched for a song on their mp3 player or just stared hard out the window, giving just enough time for the horrified woman to scuttle down the carriage and re-take her seat.
With train travel comes various problems; cancelled trains, delays and works on the line. But next time you stand on the platform looking down the line to see if your train will make it in on time, just remember, boarding the train could be just the beginning of your problems!
Trains & Tribulations Part 1
Well for the first time I have embarked upon a journey on my usual train route to Edinburgh armed with my laptop. In the faint hope that each journey will inspire me with tales for blogland I packed up the extra bag, swung it round my free shoulder and descended the stairs from my flat to the waiting taxi with enough luggage to travel Europe.
“Train station is it?”
“Yeah, thanks...”
“Where you off to today?”
“Edinburgh”
“Ahh nice! How long for?”
“Erm, tomorrow...”
And so it goes.
Train travel can be an interesting experience. As a regular traveller of this route I know every section of rail, every bend (when to hold my can of juice to stop it falling off the table), every trampoline in every house along the way (of which there must be hundreds), every abandoned car lying on the edge of fields (presumably play toys for the young farmers), every river and burn that runs adjacent to the tracks and all the best places to see deer and foxes.
The new traveller may find this all very interesting but the seasoned traveller turns his attention inwards to the carriage itself. Each section of the route provides a different insight into the lives of the passengers. Although difficult to observe in total isolation from the outside world as goings on outside the carriage ultimately have some affect as to talk and behaviour on board it does provide a platform to observer an odd and diverse collection of groups and individuals going about their usual or not so usual business.
The route I travel is part of the East Coast Line and for me starts and ends between Dundee and Edinburgh and takes in the likes of Leuchars, Cupar, Ladybank, Markinch, Kirkcaldy, Aberdour, Inverkeithing, North Queensferry, Dalmeny and Haymarket amongst others.
Travelling Friday evenings or Saturday mornings and returning usually on Sunday evenings sees a well mixed array of passengers from the business community returning from work, the work nights out heading to Edinburgh, stag and hen parties off for one last night of partying with their soon to be married friends, elderly people meeting up with old friends for lunch or dinner and so on.
Returning Sunday evenings sees a collection of people returning from a weekend spent with friends in Edinburgh and heading homewards ready for the week ahead. Mixed in can often be workers from the oil industry, sometimes fairly oiled up themselves but in generally good humour, many from the North of England on the later stages of their journey. Not to be outdone the armed forces provide a collection of soldiers returning presumably to 45 Commando in Arbroath from some leave spent with their loved ones. Not to be outdone by elderly soldiers at the Cenotaph once a year looking back and reminiscing on fighting days gone by and stories good and bad about their time in uniform these newer recruits are quite happy to drunkenly spout their stories of Iraq and Afghanistan to entire carriages of sometimes reluctant listeners. Regardless however of opinions of war and conflicts and those that are at the forefront of such things, the behaviour of these few are generally overlooked and forgotten with the odd whisper of, “ Well they must be glad to be home” – an apology offered on behalf of perhaps (or perhaps not) an unlikely source, the elderly generations.
Such a mix of people in a confined space can only lead to amusing and strange happenings.
“Train station is it?”
“Yeah, thanks...”
“Where you off to today?”
“Edinburgh”
“Ahh nice! How long for?”
“Erm, tomorrow...”
And so it goes.
Train travel can be an interesting experience. As a regular traveller of this route I know every section of rail, every bend (when to hold my can of juice to stop it falling off the table), every trampoline in every house along the way (of which there must be hundreds), every abandoned car lying on the edge of fields (presumably play toys for the young farmers), every river and burn that runs adjacent to the tracks and all the best places to see deer and foxes.
The new traveller may find this all very interesting but the seasoned traveller turns his attention inwards to the carriage itself. Each section of the route provides a different insight into the lives of the passengers. Although difficult to observe in total isolation from the outside world as goings on outside the carriage ultimately have some affect as to talk and behaviour on board it does provide a platform to observer an odd and diverse collection of groups and individuals going about their usual or not so usual business.
The route I travel is part of the East Coast Line and for me starts and ends between Dundee and Edinburgh and takes in the likes of Leuchars, Cupar, Ladybank, Markinch, Kirkcaldy, Aberdour, Inverkeithing, North Queensferry, Dalmeny and Haymarket amongst others.
Travelling Friday evenings or Saturday mornings and returning usually on Sunday evenings sees a well mixed array of passengers from the business community returning from work, the work nights out heading to Edinburgh, stag and hen parties off for one last night of partying with their soon to be married friends, elderly people meeting up with old friends for lunch or dinner and so on.
Returning Sunday evenings sees a collection of people returning from a weekend spent with friends in Edinburgh and heading homewards ready for the week ahead. Mixed in can often be workers from the oil industry, sometimes fairly oiled up themselves but in generally good humour, many from the North of England on the later stages of their journey. Not to be outdone the armed forces provide a collection of soldiers returning presumably to 45 Commando in Arbroath from some leave spent with their loved ones. Not to be outdone by elderly soldiers at the Cenotaph once a year looking back and reminiscing on fighting days gone by and stories good and bad about their time in uniform these newer recruits are quite happy to drunkenly spout their stories of Iraq and Afghanistan to entire carriages of sometimes reluctant listeners. Regardless however of opinions of war and conflicts and those that are at the forefront of such things, the behaviour of these few are generally overlooked and forgotten with the odd whisper of, “ Well they must be glad to be home” – an apology offered on behalf of perhaps (or perhaps not) an unlikely source, the elderly generations.
Such a mix of people in a confined space can only lead to amusing and strange happenings.
Thursday 30 July 2009
Cashews, Clothes & San Miguel
Any interest in the above three generally singals that a weekend is about to begin. With a little more time on my hands than normal on a Thursday i sloped off in the direction of the town, debit card in hand, and so began the countdown to the start of the weekend!
As usual when you have a little extra cash burning a hole in your wallet or wherever you stash your cash on walkabout, previous forays into town this week have given more weight to the age old theory that whenever you want to spend, every shop goes to an extra effort to fill their rails with complete and utter crap!
Nevertheless i persevered and today managed to make an exit with a couple of tops, belt and watch. A good start to the day culminating in cashews and beer this evening to celebrate the coming of the last working day of the week with comedy provided by Mock the Week.
7 hours of work tomorrow and then freedom for a little while once more...
As usual when you have a little extra cash burning a hole in your wallet or wherever you stash your cash on walkabout, previous forays into town this week have given more weight to the age old theory that whenever you want to spend, every shop goes to an extra effort to fill their rails with complete and utter crap!
Nevertheless i persevered and today managed to make an exit with a couple of tops, belt and watch. A good start to the day culminating in cashews and beer this evening to celebrate the coming of the last working day of the week with comedy provided by Mock the Week.
7 hours of work tomorrow and then freedom for a little while once more...
Wednesday 29 July 2009
Road Kill
Looking for new ways to amuse yourself at the weekend? Why not try Street Luge! Created in California by apparently bored skateboarders sometime in the 70's Street Luge offers people the chance to hurtle down the steep and sloping roads at speeds of up to 70mph. While over the years safety equipment and guidelines have been issues by various governing bodies Street Luge never quite maintained a grasp on the mainstream sport industry and has often been overlooked in favour of stadium extreme sports. Nevertheless there is still thought to be over 1200 lugers worldwide and if you want to help them raise the profile one more check out the vid for an insight into what these guys get up to!
Fail?
Bouncing through internet threads and forums these days is Fail, an accusation levied at someone who hasnt quite got something right. Such is the popularity of laughing at the cock ups of the stressed and embarassed new sites have come into creation to help it along. Check out the video below courtesy of failblog.org with what followers may describe as an epic fail!
Back from indifference!
Well finally i have made it back to blogland after a couple of weeks out. With a heavy work schedule and a full social calendar to match (dramatic i know!) the little time ive had to myself ive felt too tired to have a continuous thought for more than a few moments!
It has led me to believe that we would have advanced much further as a species if we actually had more time to ourselves to think of stuff worthwhile doing! Did all the great inventors work in quiet, darkened rooms away from birthdays and weddings and parties? Not to mention work- did they all live squalid, luxury deficient lives before they hit the big time with their master invention? How do people working full time jobs, caring for kids, assuming other responsibilities cope with such busy lives?
Look around these days and there is an array of theories and products and classes all designed to de-stress the stressed worker, to relaxed the unrelaxed and to relieve the anxiety of the anxious. Great. But when do people find the time to do all this stuff? Are these classes all attended by people with less hectic lives and already fairly relaxed?
Gym membership has rocketed in recent years- why? So people can get fit, de-stress, become healthier? Speak to your average regular gym user and they will tell you they feel great or had a really good session. Scratch beneath the surface and the anxieties begin to appear - the fear of looking silly in front of the nearby `Olympians`, the struggle for the chance to use a machine in a crowded gym then to be hounded off it minutes later, the fear of impending doom if a planned gym visit has been missed (think hectic work and social calendar) - what do the gyms do to combat this? They put on classes.
And for those of us who dont do classes? Well we blog i guess...
It has led me to believe that we would have advanced much further as a species if we actually had more time to ourselves to think of stuff worthwhile doing! Did all the great inventors work in quiet, darkened rooms away from birthdays and weddings and parties? Not to mention work- did they all live squalid, luxury deficient lives before they hit the big time with their master invention? How do people working full time jobs, caring for kids, assuming other responsibilities cope with such busy lives?
Look around these days and there is an array of theories and products and classes all designed to de-stress the stressed worker, to relaxed the unrelaxed and to relieve the anxiety of the anxious. Great. But when do people find the time to do all this stuff? Are these classes all attended by people with less hectic lives and already fairly relaxed?
Gym membership has rocketed in recent years- why? So people can get fit, de-stress, become healthier? Speak to your average regular gym user and they will tell you they feel great or had a really good session. Scratch beneath the surface and the anxieties begin to appear - the fear of looking silly in front of the nearby `Olympians`, the struggle for the chance to use a machine in a crowded gym then to be hounded off it minutes later, the fear of impending doom if a planned gym visit has been missed (think hectic work and social calendar) - what do the gyms do to combat this? They put on classes.
And for those of us who dont do classes? Well we blog i guess...
Monday 6 July 2009
Manic Monday
Well the arguably worst day of the week is almost at an end. Thank God! After a very disturbed sleep last night it was a long day at work followed by a very lazy night tonight! Therefore today's blogging is going to be minimal to say the least!
Well theres been some interesting and deadly developments in the Chinese region of Xinjiang. A protest on Sunday of about 300 Uighurs (Turkic Muslims) soon swelled to around 1000 before disturbances and violence broke out. As is usual in these circumstances Beijing claimed the Uighurs went on the rampage, however Uighurs leaders living in exile claimed the police shot at students. Either way it led to the arrest of hundreds of Uighurs over the weekend.
Governement sources said that hundreds of shops and cars have been attacked by weapon carrying Uighurs. In the following hours around 156 people are said to have been killed, mostly believed to be Uighurs who claim police have fired upon them indiscriminately. There was said to be previous tension between Uighurs and the Han ehtnic groups but this has yet to be established.
Certainly it is the largest scale public unrest for some time in China and the fear is that it has been dealt with with the same ferocity as in previous times. Reports are already suggesting posts on social networking sites have been removed or blocked to ensure the events are kept hidden from the outside world. This is a side issue regardless though and one that is inevitable when dealing with occurrences in China that may be viewed negatively by other countries.
The real issue is ethnic tension. Is it possible for those of different ethnicities to live safely, securely and perhaps most importantly happily alongside each other? In every country people are divided by various differences from the obvious to not so obvious. Campaigns and education go some way to enlighten people of others rights, views, religion, fears, beliefs and outlook but sometimes it feels too little.
Integration seems to be the key factor- when groups of people go into a different, possibly unknown environment it is only natural for them to associate with those who seem to hold common values or backgrounds. Then those outwith begin to fear this new unkown that has appeared in greater numbers and the cycle of disassociation continues.
Community leaders and educators need to take the lead in putting greater emphasis on cultivating a society of openness and acceptance. Perhaps there has always been tension and always will but we should never give up the courage to reach out to people we dont undertsand and foster new, productive relationships with those around us.
Well theres been some interesting and deadly developments in the Chinese region of Xinjiang. A protest on Sunday of about 300 Uighurs (Turkic Muslims) soon swelled to around 1000 before disturbances and violence broke out. As is usual in these circumstances Beijing claimed the Uighurs went on the rampage, however Uighurs leaders living in exile claimed the police shot at students. Either way it led to the arrest of hundreds of Uighurs over the weekend.
Governement sources said that hundreds of shops and cars have been attacked by weapon carrying Uighurs. In the following hours around 156 people are said to have been killed, mostly believed to be Uighurs who claim police have fired upon them indiscriminately. There was said to be previous tension between Uighurs and the Han ehtnic groups but this has yet to be established.
Certainly it is the largest scale public unrest for some time in China and the fear is that it has been dealt with with the same ferocity as in previous times. Reports are already suggesting posts on social networking sites have been removed or blocked to ensure the events are kept hidden from the outside world. This is a side issue regardless though and one that is inevitable when dealing with occurrences in China that may be viewed negatively by other countries.
The real issue is ethnic tension. Is it possible for those of different ethnicities to live safely, securely and perhaps most importantly happily alongside each other? In every country people are divided by various differences from the obvious to not so obvious. Campaigns and education go some way to enlighten people of others rights, views, religion, fears, beliefs and outlook but sometimes it feels too little.
Integration seems to be the key factor- when groups of people go into a different, possibly unknown environment it is only natural for them to associate with those who seem to hold common values or backgrounds. Then those outwith begin to fear this new unkown that has appeared in greater numbers and the cycle of disassociation continues.
Community leaders and educators need to take the lead in putting greater emphasis on cultivating a society of openness and acceptance. Perhaps there has always been tension and always will but we should never give up the courage to reach out to people we dont undertsand and foster new, productive relationships with those around us.
Sunday 5 July 2009
the weekend
Well it has been a very good weekend. Friday was spent relaxing in front of the TV with a glass or 2 of wine, although i have to admit i was watching Big Brother, sad i know! By Saturday i knew a night out was needed and after a sneaky 2 glasses of wine in the afternoon i got ready and heading to a friends where cider and rum was drank- not together! Afterwards into town for a spot of clubbing where Passoa (reliving the student days) and Cheeky Vimto (port & blue wkd) was added to the combo! Normally such a mix of drinks would have me laid up on the sofa for the following day but im glad to announce that despite being tired no hangover has managed to kick in! A late lunch of bacon rolls washed down with Irn-Bru has helped also.
Yesterday saw Serena Williams win the Wimbledon womens final against her much fancied (in tennis anyway!) sister Venus and today Roger Federer takes on Andy Roddick- currently at 1 set all! Roddick having put Andy Murray out on Friday will fancy his chances so time will tell. I still have very little interest in tennis however and im desperate to see the return of the footie season!
Yesterday saw Serena Williams win the Wimbledon womens final against her much fancied (in tennis anyway!) sister Venus and today Roger Federer takes on Andy Roddick- currently at 1 set all! Roddick having put Andy Murray out on Friday will fancy his chances so time will tell. I still have very little interest in tennis however and im desperate to see the return of the footie season!
Saturday 4 July 2009
Mock the Week
A new series of the popular comedy show kicks off on Thursday 9th July on BBC2. Now in its 7th series, the show, hosted by Irish comedian Dara O'Briain, will feature regular comics Frankie Boyle, Hugh Dennis, Russel Howard and Andy Parsons as well as two other comics per episode. The show features regular rounds from `scenes we'd like to see`, `what a ...... would never say` and `if this is the answer whats the question?`. For those of you who have never seen the show take a look at the video below - this series runs for 13 episodes so don't miss it!
Friday 3 July 2009
Looking for somewhere for your next party?
This seafort, named NO Man's Land, sold for just over £900, 000 this year. Once a luxury hotel and corporate hospitality venue complete with two helipads and a swimming pool this seafort was built in the 1860's and in recent years came with a price tag of over £14 million. However with the owner running into financial difficulty it was sold at a fraction of the price. Not a bad way to impress your friends if you have a spare few quid...
Eurovision
An unlikely source of entertainment comes from remakes of some of the more amusing Eurovision songs. This effort by a couple of lads is a remake of Lithuania's 2006 song `We are the winners`. If the thought of listening to Terry Wogan drone on makes you want to scream and throw heavy objects at your TV try these alternatives...
Have I Got News For You
One of the classic parts of the show with Paul Merton and Jack Dee (guest host) at their best...
The Great Train Robbery
On the 8th August 1963 several men took part in the robbery of a mail train en-route from Glasgow to Watford, making off with £2.6 million- a considerable sum today but even more so back then! Now 46 years later one of those men, the now infamous Ronnie Biggs has applied for parole, due in part to his deteriorating health.
Jack Straw, the Home Secretary, has quite rightly denied him this. Deserved not only for his efforts to evade justice, however heroically they may have been portrayed since, but for his and others lack of concern as to who they injured in their efforts to steal the money, most notably the train driver who was hit with an iron bar and suffered trauma headaches until his death in the 1970's. As sad as it may be for his family as his health deteriorates further, he has had several strokes in recent years, the same concern should be given to him as he gave to others and that means keeping him firmly behind bars.
A separate but important issue that has been raised again through this is whether a politician should have any say in how long a prisoner is kept behind bars. Regardless of what the crime was this decision should be solely up to those responsible for sentencing and that is the judges. Anybody that could be swayed by fears of re-election problems if the wrong decision is made (in the publics eye anyway) should not be given these powers. Although the right decision, as in this case, is often made this practise needs changed to ensure everything is open and above board.
Jack Straw, the Home Secretary, has quite rightly denied him this. Deserved not only for his efforts to evade justice, however heroically they may have been portrayed since, but for his and others lack of concern as to who they injured in their efforts to steal the money, most notably the train driver who was hit with an iron bar and suffered trauma headaches until his death in the 1970's. As sad as it may be for his family as his health deteriorates further, he has had several strokes in recent years, the same concern should be given to him as he gave to others and that means keeping him firmly behind bars.
A separate but important issue that has been raised again through this is whether a politician should have any say in how long a prisoner is kept behind bars. Regardless of what the crime was this decision should be solely up to those responsible for sentencing and that is the judges. Anybody that could be swayed by fears of re-election problems if the wrong decision is made (in the publics eye anyway) should not be given these powers. Although the right decision, as in this case, is often made this practise needs changed to ensure everything is open and above board.
Something for the weekend...
Finally the weekend is here again and on cue the weather takes the obligatory turn for the worse! As i write Andy Murray is competing in the semi final of Wimbledon with the intention of being the first British male in the final for about 71 years! Even for those of you, like myself, who have little interest in tennis its one to keep an eye on. It's not often we get some sporting success so whether its tennis or elephant polo lets keep our fingers crossed! The final will be on Sunday 5th!
Thursday 2 July 2009
staying on the subject of music...
A relatively new craze that has had limited success is literal music videos - essentially the same tune but lyrics that describe whats happening in the video. Some are better quality than others but none better than the literal video for Total Eclipse of the Heart...
Music...
Coming onto my radar recently has been La Roux with her funky style and chilled out and mellow tunes reminiscent of Human League. Check her out...
In the news...
Smokers in Dundee are being offered £12.50 per week on a new scheme designed by NHS Tayside to help them stop smoking. The money is awarded to each smoker as they attend a smoking cessation session and successfully pass a test to confirm they havent smoked that week. The money is put onto a smart card that they can then exchange for food at a supermarket.
Good value for money? So far the scheme is claiming a 35% success rate with up to 20 smokers joining the scheme each week. The money can only be used to buy food and not cigarettes or alcohol which will go some way to appeasing the doubters but do we really need to resort to `bribery` to get results?
It certainly seems to be the way things are going at the moment and time will tell if it proves a success. With campaigns to help people stay away from smoking in the first place possibly stagnating this may be the way ahead. Combining this with the smoking age being raised and cigarettes and tobacco being possibly banned from display in future this may be a helping hand. But considering a good percentage of smokers are from deprived backgrounds more clearly needs to be done to help combat this issue!
Good value for money? So far the scheme is claiming a 35% success rate with up to 20 smokers joining the scheme each week. The money can only be used to buy food and not cigarettes or alcohol which will go some way to appeasing the doubters but do we really need to resort to `bribery` to get results?
It certainly seems to be the way things are going at the moment and time will tell if it proves a success. With campaigns to help people stay away from smoking in the first place possibly stagnating this may be the way ahead. Combining this with the smoking age being raised and cigarettes and tobacco being possibly banned from display in future this may be a helping hand. But considering a good percentage of smokers are from deprived backgrounds more clearly needs to be done to help combat this issue!
Wednesday 1 July 2009
THAT train journey
Ok kids, its story time!
If you're sitting comfortably, as the saying goes, then ill begin...
I travel regularly by train (more about that later) and to cut costs i try and book early, 2 singles sometimes being cheaper than a return and all that. The only drawback is you have to book specific trains - not a problem on this day so i went for it. Now booking a specific time, means a specific train and a specific seat. Again not a problem - i dont mind grabbing one of the small pull down seats by the doors as i dont travel huge distances usually and sometimes you get more breathing space on the busier trains but having had a busy day and it being a Saturday i was glad of the comfort of the pre-booked seat as the train pulled up to the platform.
Eager to beat the crowd of people on the platform i hopped on quickly and made my way down the carriage to find my seat. The carriage was relatively empty at the time but with the crowd behind me and more stations between there and my destination i again was glad of my pre-booked seat.
I prefer an aisle seat but this one was one of four at a table. Initially i had shuffled past before realising i had overshot and doubled back. There was a student sitting at other side of table. Probably about 18 and on his way back to his parents for the weekend break from uni he was sat with his bags to one side and his laptop on the table, playing some kind of fantasy game.
He briefly looked up as i put my bags down on the seat next to mine and i took my seat, opposite him. He glanced over his laptop and eyed me suspiciously. I briefly made eye contact and thought he must be annoyed at me invading his table space but thought no more of it and began raking through my bag for something.
After a few minutes i looked up from my bag to see him once again glancing over his laptop- this time more in fear than suspicion. I wondered why and looked round. It was the carriage. Empty! What happened to the crowd of people on the platform i have no idea. Another carriage perhaps. Either way i had just walked into an empty carriage, walked down the aisle and planted myself directly opposite the only other person present!
Now clearly this was one of those situations where you wonder how you got there- regardless of how, i was now sitting about a metre opposite a clearly confused and worried passenger. If that didnt make me look like a weirdo or a psychopath intent on killing him - i could already see his mind was clocking up newspaper headlines about his savage death to some pre-booked ticket nutter- but would moving again after just getting comfy make me look more weird? I hedged my bets, sat still and hoped the train would fill up over the next few stations.
Did it hell. The two of us sat staring in any direction but straight ahead for nearly an hour. He made a call to his mum (bless), possibly fearing he would never see her again lol He finally got off the stop before i did and im sure we both felt relieved! Whoever you were i apologise. I meant you no harm. But if i see you again i may just have to sit opposite again for amusement value. :o)
If you're sitting comfortably, as the saying goes, then ill begin...
I travel regularly by train (more about that later) and to cut costs i try and book early, 2 singles sometimes being cheaper than a return and all that. The only drawback is you have to book specific trains - not a problem on this day so i went for it. Now booking a specific time, means a specific train and a specific seat. Again not a problem - i dont mind grabbing one of the small pull down seats by the doors as i dont travel huge distances usually and sometimes you get more breathing space on the busier trains but having had a busy day and it being a Saturday i was glad of the comfort of the pre-booked seat as the train pulled up to the platform.
Eager to beat the crowd of people on the platform i hopped on quickly and made my way down the carriage to find my seat. The carriage was relatively empty at the time but with the crowd behind me and more stations between there and my destination i again was glad of my pre-booked seat.
I prefer an aisle seat but this one was one of four at a table. Initially i had shuffled past before realising i had overshot and doubled back. There was a student sitting at other side of table. Probably about 18 and on his way back to his parents for the weekend break from uni he was sat with his bags to one side and his laptop on the table, playing some kind of fantasy game.
He briefly looked up as i put my bags down on the seat next to mine and i took my seat, opposite him. He glanced over his laptop and eyed me suspiciously. I briefly made eye contact and thought he must be annoyed at me invading his table space but thought no more of it and began raking through my bag for something.
After a few minutes i looked up from my bag to see him once again glancing over his laptop- this time more in fear than suspicion. I wondered why and looked round. It was the carriage. Empty! What happened to the crowd of people on the platform i have no idea. Another carriage perhaps. Either way i had just walked into an empty carriage, walked down the aisle and planted myself directly opposite the only other person present!
Now clearly this was one of those situations where you wonder how you got there- regardless of how, i was now sitting about a metre opposite a clearly confused and worried passenger. If that didnt make me look like a weirdo or a psychopath intent on killing him - i could already see his mind was clocking up newspaper headlines about his savage death to some pre-booked ticket nutter- but would moving again after just getting comfy make me look more weird? I hedged my bets, sat still and hoped the train would fill up over the next few stations.
Did it hell. The two of us sat staring in any direction but straight ahead for nearly an hour. He made a call to his mum (bless), possibly fearing he would never see her again lol He finally got off the stop before i did and im sure we both felt relieved! Whoever you were i apologise. I meant you no harm. But if i see you again i may just have to sit opposite again for amusement value. :o)
fly swatting episodes
Summer is here and with that comes flies, in particular bluebottles. I dont have a problem with them if they stay outside where they belong- but for the past 2 weeks they have been invading my flat and annoying hell out of me!
A quick read through google searched pages suggests the best thing to use to swat them is something that lets air flow through. Apparently the change in air pressure that comes with a newspaper for instance alerts the fly to danger and being capable of `jumping` in any direction they can escape with ease.
Fast forward a few minutes and im back, armed with an old badminton racquet. Despite the neighbours opposite no doubt worried about my sanity as i leap around the room swinging at apparently nothing, this has became a part of my daily routine of late. Now that the warmer weather is finally here i have the option of opening windows and letting flies in or keeping windows closed and roasting alive!
The prior being opted for i now have a fight on my hands. After the bodies started to pile up i decided i should also arm myself with tissues to pick them up and flush them down the toilet. The vast majority are relatively small but generally after popping a few of them the Mummy or Daddy turns up, buzzing around the room, evidently maddened by the massacre.
These, it must be said, make a satisfying pinging noise as they fall victim to my smash!
A quick read through google searched pages suggests the best thing to use to swat them is something that lets air flow through. Apparently the change in air pressure that comes with a newspaper for instance alerts the fly to danger and being capable of `jumping` in any direction they can escape with ease.
Fast forward a few minutes and im back, armed with an old badminton racquet. Despite the neighbours opposite no doubt worried about my sanity as i leap around the room swinging at apparently nothing, this has became a part of my daily routine of late. Now that the warmer weather is finally here i have the option of opening windows and letting flies in or keeping windows closed and roasting alive!
The prior being opted for i now have a fight on my hands. After the bodies started to pile up i decided i should also arm myself with tissues to pick them up and flush them down the toilet. The vast majority are relatively small but generally after popping a few of them the Mummy or Daddy turns up, buzzing around the room, evidently maddened by the massacre.
These, it must be said, make a satisfying pinging noise as they fall victim to my smash!
Heatwaves
Well,
this week was to see the UK temperature soar up to 30C. Woohoo! No hold on...its been crap weather all week! Everyday i turned on the tv and stupidly listened to the weather girl telling me how nice a day its going to be after a cloudy start. Each day i headed off to work wearing shorts and a tshirt to be confronted by wind and rain! Not 3 days in a row i told myself as i flicked tv stations to the weather forecast this morning. "There will be a clear start to the day but rain forming later on". Nice one, ill wear joggers and hoody. I managed to walk 2 streets before they started sticking to me with the heat! Tomorrow...shorts and hoody? new fashion statement...hmm
this week was to see the UK temperature soar up to 30C. Woohoo! No hold on...its been crap weather all week! Everyday i turned on the tv and stupidly listened to the weather girl telling me how nice a day its going to be after a cloudy start. Each day i headed off to work wearing shorts and a tshirt to be confronted by wind and rain! Not 3 days in a row i told myself as i flicked tv stations to the weather forecast this morning. "There will be a clear start to the day but rain forming later on". Nice one, ill wear joggers and hoody. I managed to walk 2 streets before they started sticking to me with the heat! Tomorrow...shorts and hoody? new fashion statement...hmm
my first post.
Well,
Welcome to my first blog people!
I guess i created this blog out of initial boredom and curiosity as to who the heck would take the time to read someone elses random thoughts on whatever comes into their head. Ive no main point or issue to talk about, just honest comments and opinions on things that happen to me day by day!
Feel free to post a comment or ask any questions :o)
Welcome to my first blog people!
I guess i created this blog out of initial boredom and curiosity as to who the heck would take the time to read someone elses random thoughts on whatever comes into their head. Ive no main point or issue to talk about, just honest comments and opinions on things that happen to me day by day!
Feel free to post a comment or ask any questions :o)
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