Fail to Win

"I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." -Michael Jordan

Successful people don’t fail because they’re not quitters. They keep going. More importantly, they keep trying. And while statistically they’ve lost the game in front of them, they learn from their mistakes to improve their performance. And it’s frustrating when you start out as you have nothing but failure in front of you. But to be the best, you have to keep going. You have to try again. You have to make sure that your wins outnumber the losses. But it’s vital that you learn where you’ve gone wrong. How did you competitors gain the advantage? Was there anything preventing you from giving your best performance? What can you do to turn your next attempt into a success? Can you get anyone to help you? Or is it all down to you? Those who win also know what failure looks like, and they know that if they give up, they’ll experience it again.

The Numbers Game

Now that we have targets, I have to keep track of the numbers to make sure that everyone’s pulling their weight. It’s my job to make sure that we’re over the mark, and that we have the right resources to hit our target. We get an allowance of one item a minute, and thirty seconds for the smaller items. I used to calculate our hit target so we know when to relax; but we’ve gotten to hitting the target so often lately that I don’t bother. As the putaway area for the smaller items are close together, we can sometimes get ourselves an extra ten seconds per item, which really adds up when we’re struggling around trying to find space for the bigger stuff later on. I can keep an eye on how many items we get away every fifteen minutes, so I know when we have to push ourselves and when we can relax. Sometimes it’s quite tight, and we have to rely on an average score for the week to get us through.

Soulmate Found?

I think I found my soulmate in the pub last night. She was quite skinny and had short brown hair, a single nose stud and a black flowery dress with a tiny pink string handbag. She looked a bit familiar, I think she might have been in the year above me at school. Her friend was much taller and much more butch. I’ve seen her in the pub before, and she also came to a beer festival once surrounded by Rugby guys. She hadn’t changed much but didn’t seem interested in any guys that were talking to her. Perhaps she’s a friend of Dorothy’s? She certainly was happy ordering pints of lager. It’s always hard to talk to people in bars over loud music, and because of the lateness of the hour people also have their guard up when it comes to strangers. So now I have to see if I can find her on Facebook and do a bit of stalking.

On the Go

It’s a hard graft, especially when you’re asked to be on your feet for the entire length of your working day. Others may have a laugh and stand about talking to others while you put things away on the shelves and bring them out to them. There’s also background tasks like unloading lorries and vans, putting deliveries away, and preparing items to be sent back. So you’re always moving about while others are standing around chatting; and you know that if you chat to customers your workload is going to be backed up. And you know they’re not paying attention because they’re too busy talking to each other, and you end up doing their job for them. To hit your targets, you need the right people doing the right thing at the right time. And that’s not happening. People are goofing off too much just sitting around the back sipping drinks while I’m whizzing past with people’s stuff and I’m sick of picking up all the slack.

Young Sheldon

This is an interesting series. Parts of it goes too far such as too many Texan jokes and Christian doctrines. There’s some laugh-out loud moments but not as many as its parent series. There’s plenty of family rivalry but the characters all seem to amble on as best they can rather than protest as in the show of today. There’s some great moments when Sheldon decides to act up or take responsibility over the adults, but he always knows that he can shelter behind his child persona when things go wrong. It’s interesting to note that Sheldon’s behaviours have changed very little between his youth and his adult life. The series doesn’t really progress or relate to other episodes until the very end which is very sudden and inconclusive; and also loses focus on the main character. Perhaps Lorre already knew that a second series was in the making which allowed him to focus more on character development rather than storyline. Missy is so cute; it’s just unfortunate that Texan values overlook her genius as well.

Apple Day

As a local piss-artist, I’ve been appointed as a judge to taste some of our town’s finest apples. I met a friend on the green where a whole day of apple-themed events were planned; such as the orchard’s tale and the apple Olympics. They’re running slightly behind schedule and we’re told that there’s only six ciders to sample so we buy some cider as we wait for our turn to start. We’re then told that world has got out that the judges have arrived so that by the time we’re ready to commence, the number of ciders has climbed to 22. Some were very nice, and some had added other spirits to make them stronger, while others still were just rank. I wondered if some were joke beverages that we were forced to drink. Naturally, this meant that some of the ciders had the same average score, so when it came to choosing the winners, we’d narrowed it down to a list of six which meant that a second round of judging was necessary. Luckily there were some hotdogs nearby to soak up the juice!

Rat Man #dreamdiary 57

My latest job is a rat-catcher and my first venue is at my former employer’s warehouse. My old colleagues are gathered all around me who have all suddenly become experts in telling me how to do my current job. As I begin laying the traps I suddenly spot the rat gnawing through a box containing a wooden wardrobe. It’s as big as an adult human foot, and it’s all grey and woollen. I give chase and it weaves in and out of the stockroom shelving and jumps over people’s feet to the tune of Benny Hill while my former colleagues stand there bemused. I eventually procure a child’s fishing net and manage to trap it in the corridor. I now have two options. I can slide it up into a bag using a magazine as the sixth wall. Or I can take out my truncheon and splat it. I choose the latter and the room goes silent.

Waffling on about Waffles

I can’t resist Belgian waffles. Fortunately, there’s a new place in town that serves them with everything sweet that’s under the sun. As you enter there’s a milkshake with every sweet imaginable ready to pour in at your request; while in the middle is an island bar containing many assortments of ice cream. The seats are decorated with yellow and brown chunks to resemble chocolate fudge cake; though perhaps the matching tables might be a step too far. Our milkshakes are covered in syrup and I instantly warm to the waffles which are cooked fresh on the premises and are filled with fresh ingredients too. It might be a bit on the big side, and it might be a bit sickly, as it’s just filled with your chosen toppings. You can add chocolate, fruit, sauce, sweets, biscuits and still have two scoops of ice cream included on the side. But is it a meal or a desert?

Sleepwalker

This platformer is very novel. The idea is simple, you just need to guide your master through various obstacles without waking him up. There's enemies to bop, there's traps to disarm and there's walls to scale which wouldn't be humanly possible. It’s also fiendishly difficult. Guiding the sleepwalker is done by pushing him forwards and backwards and by giving him a good kick up the arse. Surprisingly, this doesn’t wake him up. Instead of a health bar there is a conscious meter which shows how close the sleepwalker is to being woken up. The developers could have added the kicks to the meter but perhaps they thought that the game was difficult enough. But surely if you’re in that much danger you’d want to wake up anyway? There's only five levels but there are bonus levels and the whole game was only created to raise money for charity. Unfortunately, there’s no sound in the emulator which means that Lenny Henry’s comic expressions are thrown out. There’s also an issue with rivers; they don’t seem to load properly which makes the graveyard level very difficult. 

Just Desserts?

I’ve made a boo-boo. I was a little tired and I’d been at work all day, and I didn’t really want to go out to see a film, but my friend was keen that we’d be one of the first to see it. So I had to drive to pick him up, and I was taking him back. I also had to get him actually in the cinema and arrange the tickets as well. It didn’t help that the fire alarm went off during the film, which meant that we had to evacuate the cinema. After getting him into his wheelchair and getting him to the fire exit, we were told to go back to the lobby to await further instructions. After ten minutes the all-clear was sounded and we were told to go back to our screens and the film would be reset. It was actually re-wound a full half hour and someone from the audience had to go back into the lobby to tell them that we didn’t have any sound. Needless to say, I was tired and not happy; and would have appreciated a little thank you for dropping him home. Did I go too far by telling him or am I being taken for granted?

The Taming of the Shrew

I’m quite disappointed with my visit to Shrewsbury Beer Festival. It boasted 117 beers, so it must be a good-sized venue. It was a twenty-minute walk from the rail station and looked to quite promising as you had to cross the river and it would be the first building on the left. As I approached I saw a large brick structure with parkland alongside the riverbank which would be perfect for supping beer outside. But once you were inside the venue, the whole side of the building was sealed off, leaving a beer hall, a corridor randomly limed with chairs, and two small seating rooms which looked like a cafeteria. The bar had a mixture of barrels on stillaging as well as handpumps which allowed them to squeeze in extra beers. There wasn’t much of a festival atmosphere, but I did get to try beers from breweries that I’d never heard of before. Eventually, a sense of escapism overpowered me and I decided to get out and try some local pubs.

Millie and the Silly Birthday by Roger Hargreaves

Millie had been reading Chloe’s books for a while now, so we thought it would be fair if we got her one of her own. It’s a shame that this book doesn’t let you add photos, but it does let you add a friend or sibling. There’s some quite unrealistic logistics. How do you drive an elephant? The story makes a false assumption that the book isn’t bought as a birthday gift as many people would have done. It also assumes a lack of skills such as cake baking; which luckily my two-year-old niece doesn’t have, but perhaps it would have been better to have had the ability to edit and preview the story in some way. Nevertheless, the whole story lives up to its name and Millie really enjoyed the idea that she was included in a story! If you enjoy the regular antics of the Mr. Men, then this book is perfect for you.

How do You Value Success?

"Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value." -Albert Einstein

Success is nothing. If you’ve got the wife, the house and the dream job, you might be proud of yourself. But how have you helped others? There’s a big difference between personal success and how well you contribute to society. You might hit all the sale targets in the world but are you just milking your customers or are you providing them with something that they actually want? You might pay your taxes out of your billion-pound salary but is that all you do? It’s when you give something back that people take note. And that’s when the definition of success truly changes. Are you completing a task to get a reward out of it or are you doing it because you care? When the bigwigs give back, people really do appreciate it.  It’s no good boasting of personal glory unless everyone shares in it. That’s one of the reasons why I’m not a big fan of sports. To be truly successful, you need to be part of a team that everyone benefits from. There’s always a loser somewhere.

Lampeter Library

It’s amazing how my old student library has changed. The old towers are still there with their stairways and the building has been built on the hill, but the entrance has always been at the top rather than the bottom. Fast forward fifteen years and the building is actually sinking into the ground. They’ve had to remove the entrance bridge from one of the towers into the peak of the hill. Inside, you’re only allowed down two levels into the tower; the rest is cornered off for health and safety. I daren’t test the door in case an alarm goes off. There’s also a separate room for Chinese and students; and in the rear where the old entrance used to reside is an old study looking out over the river. There’s got to be some battle to get into this private room to set yourself up for studying in the morning.

An End to a Saga

I think I’m finally coming to the end of my mother’s phone saga. As she returns from another overnight stay complaining that it had stopped working again, I took the battery out and put it back in again which brought it to life. But she’s had enough. I’d offered to do a hard reset to see if I’d set it up correctly but she didn’t want to spend any more time on it. We headed down to our local CEX store to get some advice. We explained how slow it was and my lack of knowledge of Android and the sales assistant himself said that he preferred iPhone because of the camera. It was a bit pricier than what Mum wanted to pay but you have to move with the times to get the best. It took me most of the afternoon to transfer and set everything up for her but by the end of it she had a fast phone even though the charge wasn’t great as it was a used one it was still better than the old one. And of course, a phone needs a case so we chose the shiniest, pinkiest glitteriest one we could find on e-Bay.

Live in Lampeter

Now that I’ve mastered WhatsApp, I thought I’d give my first videocall a go. It was a fairly international call as it was from Wales to England as I showcased my bargain hotel room to my Mum. I showed her my little bathroom, my single bed (which really does look tiny looking back on it) and my TV, as well as the view of the high street outside, pointing out the pub that we had a meal in once alongside other more obvious features. It wasn’t particularly glamourous but it was the price that got me excited. She also wasn’t in, so it turned out to be more of a video message. I enjoyed the fact that I could introduce myself then flip to my surroundings at the touch of a button. It was also good to check up on Mum. Since then, I’m sad to say that I haven’t received any video calls.

Cannon Fodder

This is another masterpiece of a game. You’re not going to get graphics and the detail is quite pixelated, but the content is awesome. There’s tooled-up baddies all dying to put a bullet in your squad while you wander around trying to grab grenades without blowing them up. There’s a great deal of trigger-happy bazooka enemies to dodge and I particularly enjoy directing them to fire at their own buildings. It’s a bit unrealistic that they have an infinite supply while you’re just stuck with four, and it can be frustrating that your whole squad might get wiped out in one go by someone who’s off the screen; but that’s war for you. There’s also the occasional vehicle that you can commandeer but steering is with the mouse and can sometimes be quite tricky. Just don’t get too attached to your squadron or you might be reloading your game quite a few times.

Goodrich Castle

There’s a long lane between the visitor’s centre and the actual castle; during which I overhear a conversation between a school party leader and a curator about their CCTV. Whether they were trying to stop it or find someone remained unclear, but I continue to my first view of the walls. The castle’s entrance is very interesting as there’s a large circular reception platform before the drawbridge. Unfortunately I have to wait until I’m in the castle walls to take a photo as there’s a small team resurfacing it. The castle is quite traditional with its walkways, dungeons and towers; and though it offers a nice view of the local landscape it’s nothing exceptional. The audio tour directs me into the moat where the kids are running wild for their playtime, so I decide to move on. The café has little to offer in terms of food, so I decide to try further on down the road and try a service station where I find a Gregg’s.

Excavation of the RAG Shed #dreamdiary 56

There’s a shed that we used to keep all our large equipment in towards the back of our old Student’s Union. One of the tasks that I was appointed with during my time as Chair of the organisation was to clear it out. It’s mostly souvenirs from old projects; piles of buckets, a binbag full of plastic ducks and tons of paperwork. Seventeen years later, I get a call to say it’s time to clear it out again. I’m no longer a student and don’t live anywhere close to the property, but I take up the nostalgic challenge and agree to help clear it out. There’s a large padlock on its old wooden door and there’s much jangling of keys to get it open. Inside there’s piles of paperwork stacked to the ceiling amidst stacks of storage boxes. There’s no equipment but I’m told that the whole thing must go to make room. And there’s no skip in sight as promised. As I’ve been away from the organisation for several years I decide to try and find the current chair to discuss what’s necessary and what isn’t. As I cross the bridge over the river; I’m told that I’m late for a lecture. I reply that I’m not a student any more. I’m then asked whether my final lecture was at ten or eleven. I remember one exam conflicting with another at the time.

A Sixties View of the Beatles

I’ve been following the Beatles towards the end of my teens. I never actually got to see them live but I always followed them on the radio and in the news as part of Beatlemania. To actually sit in the venue where the fab four have played is amazing. Times have changed and I don’t get up and dance like I used to and I’m usually on the receiving end of screams when it comes to pub ballads. The place is so packed that there’s no room to dance but I cheer on the people that do; especially when they’ve been sitting on the floor waiting for the music to start. I really enjoyed singing along to the classics. It was also good fun to hear some modern tunes to get the younger crowd singing along as well. Above all, I found it very emotional that I’d made it to the home of the Fab Four; even though none of them were there; and was amazed to see that their success lives on.

Luxury Replaces location at the Courtyard by Marriott Washington D.C

This upmarket chain hotel isn’t in the best of locations. It’s on the edge of the city near a university and has a lot of fast-food outlets and some very colourful characters using the adjacent 7/11. Luckily, the on-site security team knows what’s what. After boarding a small lift which takes a keycard to the upper levels, you reach a plush reception desk and an island bar complete with sports TV to entertain businessmen during evening drinks and hot snacks. There’s also a few booths and tables scattered around for those who like their privacy. The room itself is very comfortable. There’s not much of a view but it’s fully air-conditioned and there’s a comfortable sofa to put your feet up on and watch TV. I even fell asleep on it once. There’s tea and coffee-making facilities neatly fitted into the sideboard and there’s a small mini-fridge for storing drinks. The shower is warm and powerful; though there’s no dehumidifier in the bathroom. There’s also a gym and pool, though we only got the time to explore these facilities and didn’t have the chance to use them.

Hey Dude

Matthew’s Street is full of bars; each enticing you in with free music and drink deals, but of course the one that stands out and does neither is the world-famous Cavern Club. Outside stands two burley bouncers who are quite friendly if you talk to them and they even took our picture outside the club. Inside is a very busy spiral staircase which carries down for three storeys until you hit rock bottom. The roof and walls are made entirely of brickwork and are in the classical shape of a sewer; with the exception that every brick is signed with someone’s name or a well-wisher. It’s only Tuesday afternoon and the place is rammed. We manage to share a table with a young couple and I head for the bar. Fortunately it’s speedy service and amazingly, they even serve real ale. We manage to get a view of the stage just past its left side for a view of a tribute member who’s played in New York. The whole pub is singing along to Hey Jude.

An Icy Curry

My Mum’s had a close relationship with my sister-in-law for some time. She’s been widowed twice and my Dad has always looked after her and made sure she hasn’t been too lonely by inviting her out for meals and taking her on holiday. Now it’s Mum’s turn to be the widow and she’s only been doing it for a year compared to my aunt’s eighteen. They’ve holidayed together regularly which Mum has enjoyed but they’ve started to opt into all-inclusive hotels rather than getting out to enjoy the local cultural scene. And now my aunt’s met someone and the fraternization has got on Mum’s nerves as she’s left on her own. This year’s planned holiday has been postponed as the agreed month is now being spent with her new partner. And on a later than usual curry night on a squashed table amongst a rowdy crowd, Mum was tasked with the possibility of meeting them on her own as a couple for a curry. She’s just not ready for it and my aunt’s feeling offended that she won’t. not much else was said at the table which made for a very uncomfortable meal.

Open All Hours

It’s funny how city landmarks have opening hours. There’s a huge number of monuments spread around Liverpool but of course the most famous is the fab four. Coaches of tourists will pull up so that each visitor can have their personalised picture taken with these huge statues. And of course, the most popular time is the evening to round up the trip before they depart. But if you go during the morning rush hour, no-one wants to know. We woke up naturally and took our time over breakfast, but we were still early enough to have the statues to ourselves. There were just two things that ruined it. It’s very windy as they’re situated right on the banks of the Mersey in front of a wind tunnel in between skyscrapers so you’re bound to get your hair blown about. And the sheer size of the statues makes them tower above you with nothing for you to climb up upon and stand next to them. Mind you, that’s very handy for the larger tour groups. 

James Pond 2: Robocod

This game is annoying, but I love it. It’s a very colourful platformer to the point that its background screens make you wonder if you’re having a psychotic episode. It’s a basic platformer set in Santa’s workshop and each level contains a variety of toy-themed rooms. There’s random objects to collect which gives you random points; though there’s little purpose in these other than high score bragging rights. The levels are deviously fiendish and you really have to watch your step, but there’s tons of hidden bonus features. There’s also some inte3resting music which can be toe-tapping at times and annoying if you’re struggling to climb to the top of the screen for the umpteenth time. I do miss the Amiga version where one burst from the disk drive would load the game in its entirety and in tune to the music as well. There’s also the little mermaid cheat where you can summon vehicles to your will.

The Fifth Beatle

I had absolutely no idea that there was an original drummer in the fab four. In modern day bands people come and go to the point that the original members have been replaced completely. I first thought that it must have been a bit of a shock to George Martin that he was being replaced, and perhaps a sense of jealousy would occur or a case put forward regarding copyright. But to be fair to him, he did recognise when he was bested, and it was great to see him carry on as a producer. Had he remained in the band, the group’s vocals would have been much more humourous albeit at a slower pace in keeping in their mainstream music of the sixties. But I’m surprised that there’s no publicity of this former Beatle or more emphasis on which recordings are his and which belong to Ringo. I suppose that today the entire repertoire has been replaced and owning a George Martin track is very rare.

City of the Future #dreamdiary 55

I’m in future Warwick! I’ve been helping to set up a new store, and the people are friendly here. Every morning I’ve called into the local police station which is based at the top of a multi-storey car park; and they’ve dropped me off outside the store. Today it’s my day off and my parents have come to see me, so we’ve decided to visit the castle. It’s hard to find as the city has been submerged by a gigantic shopping centre; but eventually we ascend a huge staircase. At the top is a stone wall which has collapsed into the moat. We watch as a bald man with tufts of brown hair in a green sweater vest gets too close to the slope and tumbles into the water. Later on, we cut across a field in the grounds and discover that we’ve somehow managed to exit the castle premises. We need to return to watch a live outdoor show that we’ve paid extra for; but we can’t work out how we’ve exited or how to get back in without paying again to get through the turnstile. The gateman just said no. Eventually we ascend a series of staircases into the grounds, but there’s only ten minutes before the show starts and my parents are getting tired.

Down in the Docks

It’s great that these working docks have been preserved. There’s not much industry to observe nowadays apart from the opportunities created by tourism but you can still picture a world of trade taking place across the harbour. The warehouse has now been converted into retail units, a hotel, and many museums, some of which have free admission; but within them the original fixtures such as the iron girders, pulleys and bulkhead doors have been preserved. It also retains its original archways and walkways. It’s very picturesque to walk around and there’s always something happening within the grounds. It’s also a shame that they got rid of the floating weather map used for ITV’s This Morning. The Liverpool arena is just on the other side alongside the Liverpool wheel; and across the river modern continues on on a bigger scale as modern warships are constructed in an area which has much more room for its purpose. It’s all very peaceful. I wonder if they get any skinny dippers in the summer?

The risk-taker

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do, so throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbour, catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." -Mark Twain

It’s time to try new things. For too long, I’ve been putting things off and each day I face the same old story. I need to change drastically. I will become very stuck if I let things continue. Every day I let too many tasks get unaccomplished. Am I pushing myself too much? Or am I afraid of not doing enough by avoiding conflict and not taking enough risks? I think that the discover phase is over apart from my personal life; I just need to buckle down and get on with my to-do list rather than sit indoors and do the same old things. After all, I’m used to being let down by now. They say that life is more surprising if you don’t plan so that more exciting things will happen to you. Well, it’s not working out so far, so I need to devise a better plan and stick to it. That way, I won’t be disappointed.

Holiday Inn Express on Albert Docks, Liverpool

This hotel is one of the most interesting places that I’ve stayed at and I’d definitely stay again. It’s hidden away on the corner and it’s almost cave-like in the ground lobby. A nice large reception is on the first floor, and there’s a bar overlooking the docks, while on the other side of the room is a breakfast area looking out onto the Mersey. We had to wait for our room to be ready as they were behind schedule but they gave us vouchers for a complimentary drink while we waited. We had a lovely clean plush room and there was plenty of tea and coffee. There wasn’t much of a wait for the lift, but there’s also stairs for busier periods. Breakfast was fantastic; a great selection of freshly cooked items and you could help yourself as much as you wanted. The hotel is a five-minute walk to the inner centre; and there’s hardly any noise from the adjacent busy road.

Is LinkedIn any good?

At first glance, LinkedIn seems to be a Facebook for business people. You add the few colleagues that you know, and maybe read a few articles that it sends you via email. There’s some occasional interesting insights; though many focus on companies that I’ve never heard of and their strategies and stock results. Occasionally you find out that a friend of yours has made a new business connection; though what it has to do with you I’ve no idea. Maybe it’s through you, or maybe there’s an opportunity that you can exploit. There’s also a hidden section on taking courses to improve your skills. Many of these courses require a monthly fee; though there’s the occasional freebie if you’re quick. But it may as well be a job advertising site; though most employers prefer to use it as a link to their own job site so that they have more control over searching for the attributes that they’re looking for.