Boom Radio

At first delve, it’s rather heart-warming. I’d like to say glance but that defies the point of radio. I rather expected soe rap music designed to up the bass and take the speaker to the max. But it’s actually quite relaxing. It all seems quite new and welcoming, and there’s just a few adverts which only promotes further broadcasts. But then the adverts kick in. It’s nothing that you haven’t heard before, but it does try to educate the listener with simple facts about random towns, all of which you can receive the station. I’m told that it’s music for our generation, but I’m not told what generation I belong to. The voice sounds familiar. I think he’s been on a late-night local radio station. Then again, I’ve never known that. There’s some nice classics to listen to. I’d love to know who owns it and what transmits during its prime time. Is he an expat transmitting across the waves?

A Bright Spark

In a time when a company is likely to be at its busiest, it’s been decided by the top brass that this is the best time for the staff to take a step back to evaluate their learning. You’d think that they’d organise a quieter time for this campaign but it’s monetised. I suppose that it’s designed to encourage employees of all experiences to engage in the hope of winning some prizes. Each day, three quiz questions are asked about various topics and processes in the company. Between each question, a small video game as developed to earn extra points. There would be daily spot prize for entering, and your score would be entered into a league table to compete with other employees within the store, and with other stores. You also got engagement points for encouraging your colleagues to participate, with a team prize for the team that won the most points each week. And the name of the character hosting the event: Sparky. And each site even got a free cuddly toy of him.

England's Green and Glorious Land

It’s becoming a common thing lately. Patches of land containing precious woodland are being felled to make way for houses. You can guarantee that the better the view is, the bigger and more expensive the home will be. Even if the plan is just to make one building, it’ll focus on how many flats and apartments it can cram in or how many rooms are available; whatever makes the greatest return. Meanwhile, the wildlife that used to visit the area is forced to go elsewhere as their home is destroyed. It starts with maintenance work as trees are trimmed to avoid any incident with the road. Then it’s discovered that the wood inside is profitable enough to sell. Finally, once the land is butchered, they realise that they can make some money out of this hole in the ground. It’s annoying that something that was once was enjoyed by so many is now restricted to a privileged few.

There and Back Again

We’re on a mission. We’ve taken the girls out for a round of crazy golf at the shopping centre in the big town. We’ve been out for brunch but now we’ve got to get them back home in time for a dance rehearsal. We return to the train station to find out that there’s a tree on the line and that all services back home have been cancelled. We keep the girls calm by buying some overpriced pick-and-mix while trying to convince them not to go too mad on what they pick. We end up putting half of their choices back. I then managed to work out that we could catch a bus in the general direction of home and ring for help when we’ve got as close as we could. As the bus was a double decker, the youngest one got very excited and declared it was the best day out ever when we reached the station.

"It isn't sufficient just to want - you've got to ask yourself what you are going to do to get the things you want."

-Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Wanting things and completing objectives are simple. You can tell these to other people, but even if you instruct them it may never transpire to exactly what your vision is. It’s the method that you achieve them which is the problem. You need to work out the steps and follow them though. You might be able to discover them for yourself, you may be able to read up on shared experiences or ask other people for their knowledge, and you might have to pay them to achieve this. Even with a robust plan in place, the universe will conspire a plan to keep you straying from your path, or at least make sure that you get there the long way round. And even if you know how to get there, you’ve still got to take the time and effort to achieve it. And this comes from a president, so you know it’s going to be good advice. 

Hobsons Postman's Plum Porter at the Good Intent, Birmingham

You don’t see many wet-led pubs in the middle of a shopping precinct. There’s even fewer that donate the proceeds to charity. Whether the staff work for free in exchange for the experience or the costs are kept low to ensure maximum profit I do not know. I don’t even know where the profit’s going. From the outside, there’s a tiled corridor with a seated area outside. It might be meant for a smoking area but it’s a very chilled place to sit in, even if it is under a roof. Inside, there’s staff who greet you with a smile and are happy to serve you a beer, but they don’t offer too much local advice. Beyond the bar are a few bench-style tables while upstairs there’s balcony-style seating but the view is only over the shopping precinct below. The seating can be quite compact at times, and I wouldn’t expect it to be a destination for those who want to seek out new breweries.

Parents

They’re big people who look after you. They supply you with a home alongside some comfort and somewhere to live. They hold you and cuddle you and aid you when you’re injured physically, but they’re unable to help you emotionally. You’ve got to dela with that yourself, but you’ve got to be sure that you’ll be listened to. But what authority do they have over you? You have to abide by their rules so that they will continue to provide for you. You may even get a treat occasionally. But they can be just as scary as any other stranger, especially when they’re cross with you. But all you have is the hope that they know what they’re doing, and their ways and habits are in your best interests. You have to trust them; especially when they think they own you. When you’re away from them you can do your own thing. But you’ve got to earn their trust to be given that freedom first.

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was very enjoyable and refreshing to read. There’s some great themes in book, all of which stem from three central characters. It’s set in a simple childhood time where every encounter and expression should be fun and exploratory. There’s the joys of growing up and the things to look forward to, and the regret of ambitions not fulfilled, reflected by both Will and Charles. It’s as if both boys makes up a man of two different personalities since the bond that they share is so close. The imagery is fantastic, though it’s confusing at times as to whether Bradbury is writing it literally or is using metaphors, and there’s some very surreal moments which can only be attributed to the magic of showbusiness. I love the conclusion and Halloway’s choice. It’s a shame that he didn’t give into temptation once he realised how powerful the influence was. It may be a decision that he’ll regret in the future.

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The Breast Bed #empress 12

In an instant, Zhong, suddenly realised where he was and who he was with. For the last few hours, he’d been clinging onto the breast with his beloved empress, using her dark black hair that flowed over her mountainous globes as a bedsheet. He began to half wonder if he had made an impact before more urgent matters entered his mind. Could the empress feel his presence? If so, was it pleasure, defilement, pain or punishment? Would it be possible to escape without being noticed, if he hadn’t already? If so, how? The empress must have built up a sweat from having all that weight piled on top of her overnight, and the only way to relieve her while away from her chambers would be to have her servants scrub her… that was it! He’d pose as a servant as soon as he saw signs of her stirring from her slumber.

Advent Aproaching

The only way to know what’s behind the door is to open it, be it on a cupboard, a wall or even a trapdoor. Though, these days, there’s been a few advances in this field. We’ve put windows in. It may make the door less secure but at least you can see what’s coming. This then involved into the peephole, where you can see one side, but your counterpart can’t see the other (unless you’re unlucky enough to be the counterpart). And now you have the camera doorbell and you can choose whether or not you want to interact with your caller. But when you interact with a bit of cardboard, it hardly seems worth it. If you really wanted to, you could ask someone else who’s got the same version, but it takes all the fun out of it. But you probably know what’ to expect behind a cupboard door anyway. 

Green Hills of Otley #dreamdiary 145

We’re on a walk in the Yorkshire town of Otley. It’s served well be rail and I’ve parked the car at the train station. I’ve also done this walk before so if we choose not to do a circular route, we can just jump on the train to get back to the car. We follow the main road alongside a small, raised wall made of rock with wide open fields beyond. The road rises up a small hill which leads into the centre of town. We call into a traditional pub with an upstairs tiled parlour bar. There’s also a private dining room kept behind a large grey curtain. There’ a row of four handpumps but there’s not a single ale on them. Disappointed, we walk outside and head to the local Wetherspoons. It’s a big three storey building with six balconies above its ground floor. Upon each balcony sits a furry green grinch creature. Standing outside the pub is a giant one towering above them all. He’s hungry and plucks a smaller one off the balcony for a snack. 

Pershore Man in a Hat at the Rocklands Social Club, Redditch

So who is the Man in The Hat? Presumably he works at the brewery. He’s certainly going to remain incognito in sunglasses. Is he a man who likes to party? Is he a big fan of live music? Does he sit next to the fermenters with a saxophone practicing his talent while he encourages the yeast to germinate? You can just see him strolling out with a big grin on his face after a morning’s session, in a bright orange shirt and blue tie, and a suit to match with polished black shoes. He might even carry his jacket over his shoulder. Then he’ll get into his car and roll towards the nearest pub to enjoy the fruits of his endeavours, knowing everyone by name as he enters and entertaining the whole bar in between sips. Or he could be someone passing through for a beer, never to be seen again, but he’s inspired someone to create this tipple.   

Do you prefer Google Docs or Microsoft for writing your manuscripts?

I’ve used Microsoft before Google for documents. It’s always been there, even before I was online I was able to access it. I’ve gotten rather good at it, even without taking a computer course I know my way around the various formats and how to get the layout exactly how I want. I can see the advantages of sharing files with other people, but to work on something in private, I’d rather do it without having to log on every time, especially if the internet is down. I know that I can get on and write my piece without having to worry about subscription issues because it’s always there on my hard drive and there’s no fear of getting hacked or losing my work. As long as I continue to back up, I don’t even need to keep entering account details. Plus, it’s very easy to get distracted if you’re constantly on the internet all the time. You only need to hover the mouse over the e-mail button…

Struck by Stardom

I’m planning to use this image for my Facebook page for every Star Wars Day. Hopefully, people won’t get too bored. I could have done with a little trim around the ears but I’ll just tells people that it was my tribute to Chewbacca. And the satchel strap is my take on Indiana Jones. I never took the time to find out if the droids actually moved or whether it was a light or a colour painted on. The guy behind me looks serious. You’d think that he’s wear something that makes him a bit more in character than a polo shirt, at the very least some overalls. Maybe he’s got too much maintenance to do. He could be recording me using his drones. Or maybe he’s getting nervous about all the attention his droids are getting. After all, they are the ones that everyone’s looking for. I’m just surprised how many of these characters started as comics.

 

Finding Dory

It’s great to see that the producers made a brief recap of the first film to refresh everyone since it’s been so long since the first film, although I did do some prep work and watch the first film in advance. This film is a lot less serious, and there’s fewer jokes involved and a lot more focus on the plot. I appreciate that it would have been difficult to make jokes about dementia, but there’s plenty more fish in the sea that they could have used. I also don’t understand why the producers decided to refer to Sigourney Weaver so much. There are moments that the animators have skipped to save a few bucks that I would have liked to have seen, like the moment when Dory and Hank commandeer a pushchair. However, the reunion of the fish is very emotional. It’s a film that demonstrates that sometimes you can triumph no matter how high the odds are stacked against you.

Bopping Around Brum

I headed into a city centre pub in my Spiderman jumper and sit in the beer garden with a pint before planning a few stops that I hadn’t been to before. I decided to try Tilt, a craft ale bar hidden within an old precinct which also had a diverse collection of pinball machines. For a game, I thought that the tables were a bit dear to play. Each table had cupholders and there was a basement with more tables, but a token system would have been better value. After ordering a very overpriced half of something, I set myself up for a quick game then a few beer friends came in for a quick drink so I was able to join them. Then my Redditch friends began to stir and suggest that we do a crawl in my home town, so I ended my expedition and took the next train home.

Shaw Thing

He has a sophisticated voice as if he’s been well-educated then spent his life in a former radio career. He’s a jolly man who likes to be humoured but he’s also fond of punctuality and making sure that things run like clockwork. He has white hair and thick round glasses with a chubby face. There’s a slight scar on one of his wide cheeks. Below that, there’s a bit of a beer belly followed by a waddle. Jeans and a polo shirt are his usual attire with black shoes, with a grey cardigan if it’s seasonal. He ages pretty badly. A stick is needed for transportation, followed by a walker. He’s sometimes accompanied by a younger woman of a Caribbean origin who collects him in a black minivan but I’m confused as to whether she’s his partner or his carer. And it makes things even more awkward if you decide to move onto another pub.

Haggling Fail

I was after some Lego Simpsons Minifigures. I offered 3 bags for £10 but they were sticking at £4 a go. I should have walked away and re-offered the deal later but I was too keen to get them. Then I’d thought I’d absorb the culture a little more and try a discussion panel. I headed into an auditorium where a chat was already in progress about upcoming films. I had no idea who the experts were and they didn’t show any clues (though I had walked in halfway through the discussion) but they had some interesting opinions about some upcoming sequels. Once it had concluded, I decided that I’d had my fill of comic book conventions and decided to head back to Brum while there were still good rail connections. I opened my new Lego miniatures on the train, and was delighted to find Homer Simpson in a suit and Hans Moleman with a skateboard.

The Key to It All

The time has come for our electric meter to be read. It’s a bit odd in this day and age as you’d think that a smart meter would do this for you, but apparently it just tells you the price when you’re using it. It has no online capabilities and we never got ours to work properly so we just decided it was just a conspiracy as it would probably cost more electricity to keep the thing running. So the time came for us to do a proper meter reading. But since the last one, we’ve had our kitchen done and we’ve no idea where we’ve put the key. We can picture where we used to keep it but we’ve got no idea where it is now. As my mother’s birthday was coming up, I managed to source a twin pack at a bargain price as a joke present. Ironically, the day after the reading was submitted a man turned up to do a manual one.

A Demonstration of Force

There were quite a few museum pieces out including people turning cogs to generate power from giant machines. There was even an R2D2 unit. Afterwards, I circled the hall and watched the Jedi battle it out with lightsaber demonstrations. They even let younger folk have a go. I was tempted to meet a celebrity but it was £30 to get in line and even more to get a signed photo or something else signed. And it all took place behind black curtains so you couldn’t even get a glimpse of anybody. Alongside the lightsaber demonstrations, there was also a group demonstrating their building skills and I managed to get a selfie with an R2D2 lookalike. There was also a full-sized X-wing but there was a big queue to sit in the cockpit. I went to get a baguette from the food court then I attempted a bit of bargaining with one of the toy sellers.

Business Buzzwords

I’m assuming that contact is required with other human beings for these words to have any affect. Reach out. You’re appealing for others to assist you. I’ve got my hands in the air but nothing is happening. If I was in a public place it would like I’d be asking a question or casting a vote. It might take a while to be noticed. Catch up. You could also just be sitting at home watching your favourite soap. Still, it’s an encouraging one as it urges you to raise your game and be on a higher level. Check In. Something you have to do at a hotel, but you can often do it through an automated system. Double down. Is it encouraging you to do twice as much as you already are? It just sounds like a lot of work. Touch Base. Is it encouraging you to get in touch with home? Although you could do it alone but you shouldn’t really. At the end of the day, you’re just saying words. They don’t have any contextual meaning unless you link them to something. Otherwise you could just be taking part in an exercise program.

Howzat?

There’s a toy giveaway and Mario sans moustache certainly attracts the crowds, especially when he acts up to receive freebies and they persuade him to catch one in his cap. It turns out to be the usual Kinder Egg plastic rubbish, only it’s slightly bigger and it’s in a square plastic box with cardboard packaging. I’m introduced to my friend’s friend and we go and check out some model toys and we continue our tour of the convention. I take a shine to the Steampunk corner. I’ve never heard of it before. It’s based on someone’s novel and it’s all based in the Victorian era but everything runs on steam no matter how futuristic it is. People wear waistcoats and goggles combined with top hats which are presumably used when they operate their machinery. Wood is used instead of plastic while metal is still the dominant material and women wear corsets because of all the steam.

Why I'm not voting Blue next time

I don’t think I can vote for the blues ever again. I’ve never known a time when more of our institutions have gone on strike. Postal workers. Train drivers. Nurses. Teachers. Paramedics. They’re all saying it’s about pay and conditions. These are apparently highly skilled jobs that make more money than I do. I’m coping, and I wonder if their moneymaking skills are really up to scratch. Then again, their income may have to sustain more than one person. So costs are going up because the cost of our energy has increased. We’re not sustainable on our own, of which we were assured that we would be if we left the E.U. War has broken out, and we’re expected to sit down and take it like we’ve lost rather than stand up for ourselves. In the meantime, we’ve had three changes of leadership because of corruption and because of the government’s inability to do the job that it’s supposed to. Get a spine!

Quicker than the Eye by Ray Bradbury

Quicker Than the Eye by Ray Bradbury
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

There’s the need to explore the spooky and the unexpected but rarely does Bradbury delves into the character to share what experience this had on their lives. He’s tried everything from different periods to things that are commonplace to us but are totally unknown to his inhabitants. Some are quite hard without a bit of context leaving the reader with an unsure sense of why some of these events are occurring. But there’s always a scene to make the reader chuckle, no matter how grim the subject matter is or where the inspiration comes from, and everything seems to carry on unaffected afterwards. The main event was a bit disappointing and I felt that it was an out-of-body experience that was a bit unrealistic. I felt that his afterword was inspirational and gave great advice to budding writers. He reveals that even the smallest thing can encourage you to write something, even if it means nonsense to others.

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"I don't count my sit-ups. I only start counting when it starts hurting because they're the only ones that count."

-Muhammad Ali.

It’s hard to measure progress when it’s easy, but the trouble is that you need to learn your limits. If you’re not tracking where you get up to, it’s going to be very hard to determine if you’re improving. You might be trying to discover your weakness, but you need to recognise how that weakness might occur. But this can vary depending on other environmental conditions. When you get used to something, you might have a chronological clock to be able to track how long it takes you to perform a certain number of tasks. Or it may be likely that you have someone else to keep track of this for you so that you can focus on keeping going. It’s OK to push yourself but pushing yourself too far will take longer to recover to a medium that you’re familiar with. But on the other hand, it does show that you’re not willing to takes things easily. But it is a shame that you have to suffer to achieve what you want.

Marvellous Mario

As I enter the exhibition halls, more and more people start to appear in cosplay costumes and some of them are being screened to get through security. There’s crowds of people circulating through the aisles in costumes and others stooping to take pictures. There’s a whole gang of batmen and I’ve got no idea if they’re attendees or part of the staff so I feel a little weary of taking photographs. But then I find my friend who’s a veteran attendee and knows the protocol. He’s dressed as Super Mario and tells me that’s it’s generally OK so long as you ask them first and most people are very friendly. I guess that they want to meet you first to make sure that you’re not a looney and that you’re going to be decent enough of what to do with the pictures. We walk about and I take note of the things that I’d like to explore then we head to a talk about a Magna toy launch.

Saving the World with Cake #dreamdiary 144

I’m upstairs in my house. I look out the window and see a fight breaking out on the front drive of an adjacent close. There’s kids running around everywhere. I reach for my phone to call the police then I remember that I’ve left it downstairs. I then realise the house has a handset in the very room that I’m in. I start to dial then in the distance I hear police sirens so I hang up. When I replace the handset, three young schoolboys are staring up at me. I turn my attention back to the window. People are running away at the sound of the sirens. I lean out of the window and direct a police car to give chase up the hill. Then a second car arrives and I direct it towards the other group who have fled to the end of the road. An old lady drives down the hill in her small box car, and in the confusion she parks on my driveway. She gives a sympathetic smile, puts the car into reverse then drives across the road and into the opposite garden fence which tips the car over. I tell the schoolboys that we should go and help and head down the stairs. As I walk across the landing, I notice a pile of angel cakes and pancakes sitting in the corner. I pop my shoes on then open the door to discover that both the lady and the car have disappeared. It’s been a crazy few minutes so I decide to share the cake. I ask one of the schoolboys to bring it down, then discover that the plates are all in the dishwasher. I find a few serving trays and we go outside to serve cake. 

Steaming into the Future

I’m at a comic book convention! It’s my very first one. I’m travelling up on my own and I only know one person who’s going so rather than don a full costume I decide to be a little adult and wear a Christmas jumper depicting a Spiderman suit. I put this on only when I’m on my final approach to the train station. I could have offered to drive and split the carpark fee with my friend but that would mean sacrificing some of the pubs that I’d planned to visit on my way home, which was also an alternate plan if I decided that I didn’t like the event. There’s also a problem with trains as some of the London-based services are on strike which makes the faster trains a bit crowded. I opt for a north-bound train and the announcement that the guard makes as we start to arrive at the station makes us all sound very special.

Scabs

Where has this black and blue blot come from? It used to be skin, then there was an accident followed by pain and a bit of blood which has all gone now, but there’s this crystalised dark patch in its place. Why isn’t it soft like the rest of my skin? Why does it feel unnatural? I’m hoping that the soft stuff is hiding underneath, but when I try and look I get a bit of sticky pain followed by more blood. Then the whole process starts all over again. How long will it take to go away? It might heal the body as a whole, but it sure does look ugly. Of course, the key is not to pick at it to let the body heal, but if you can get rid of the hardened bit it will certainly look and feel more natural rather than something that’s been infected. Why can’t I rub something onto it to make the whole thing softer of even disappear? Why can’t I keep things the way they were?

Sadler's Samkova's Stache at the Rising Sun, Redditch

This is probably the last time that I drank from this brewery. I’ve got no idea whose moustache it is and can only think that it was a commemorative brew in aid of Movember. The brewery itself had quite a following especially when a TV series aired featuring the same title as some of their products. There was a real chance here to earn some extra cash. But I was pretty disgusted after all the effort to build up a client base in and around the West Midlands that they would just sell out to a bigger brewery in the Lake District. I wonder how many people made the move and how many were axed. Come to think of it, a lot of the local pubs have stopped stocking it too. I wonder if it’s still sold in bottle form in supermarkets. I’ll have to check as I don’t usually buy my beers from there.

Monsters at Work

This series reprises the roles of an earlier show and portrays monsters coping with their ongoing change just as everyone has this year, although it’s a shame that the producers didn’t initialise a lockdown theme in the monster world. The supervisory characters don’t seem to have much intelligence here which pretty much allows anyone to get away with everything. And just as in real life, you do get a sense of unfulfillment while at work. It’s set in environment that children might not understand and adults might not want to watch it. There’s plenty of character storyline but few comic moments other than physical ones and not like the jokes that Wazowski is training his employees to undertake. I would have liked to have learnt a bit more about the other departments in the company rather than focus on a core two, but that meant that more characters would have to be developed. However, a second series is planned.

Things that have to go Beep

Why does something have to bleep all the time when it’s paused? It’s probably to remind you that you need to decide whether to turn it on or not, but if you know that you’re going to turn it on again in the next few minutes it can be slightly annoying. And even then it’s only to check whether some attention is required but you have to tell it that you’re listening. It’ll also tell you sone useless information that you don’t really want to know. It might be appropriate at other sites, but it doesn’t work well here. If you even say a word that it won’t recognise, it’ll try and translate it into something that it does rather than tell you that it doesn’t recognise it. And if it’s in a bad mood, it’ll just listen to itself rather than you so that it ends up answering itself. There’s better ways to operate.

The Dress #Titanabell 12

There was quite a bit of rubble surrounding the doorway as Titannabell had to pass her entire body through the narrow doorway. She went rear first so it would be less painful on the rest of her body, then she crawled her torso through. Her dress got a bit ripped in the process. She wondered if the door would still lock. She sighed. Finding a decent seamstress would take ages to repair the gown given the size of it. It would be something that she’d have to sort out in the morning. Not bothering to hang the gown, she threw it across the room. She wondered if the guards could find someone. She started to call one of them in before realising how exposed she was. It was a shame that she didn’t have any servants available to her. Perhaps the host was too intimidated to locate any. Different regions had different customs.

Gorgeous Beer Golden Bitter at the Park Gate, Bromsgrove

I have fond memories of the outside of this pub. As kids we used to come here with my Nan and sit in the beer garden on a wooden picnic bench with a Vimto and a packet of crisps for five minutes before rushing off to climb up a wooden triangle and descend on a metallic slide. There was also a metal climbing frame and a large bush that we could run around and chase each other. But I’m bigger now and I’m allowed inside! Despite the business changing hands into an Indian restaurant and turned back into a pub again, the garden itself hasn’t changed much. Inside the pub is a large canvassed stage area with room at the end for a few high tables to prop up on. There’s a nice cosy lounge with a pool table and sofas, and a long bar which used to host many hand pulls. On the other side of this bar is a local’s room with cosy seats and banquettes. The landlady is a bit of a miser though.

Did Public Trust in Science Fall during the Coronavirus Pandemic?

Not at all. The main problem was that Science wasn’t ready to respond to such a pandemic. There’s no point in making preparations for something that’s not going to happen. It’s just not profitable. That’s why we don’t spend all our public money on military stations to prepare the Earth against alien attacks because it’s very unlikely that it will happen. But when we witness something that does occur, it’s only then that it makes sense to use up resources to develop a vaccine. This isn’t reassuring to the first wave of people who fell to the disease, but it’s also basic health when it comes to survival of the fittest. We also had to resort to scientific advice to discover the best way to combat the disease. A few hundred years ago, all we could have done was sit around and pray. But now we have people wo try and take charge of how life develops. Sometimes it just doesn’t happen fast enough, especially when it affects us all.    

Gate on Fire

Fireworks at the pub. It seems a promising idea to get people in to sell pints. You pay your fee on the gate and get your hand stamped then head to the beer tent for refreshments. There’s not a lot of room to park. The pub is full alongside the layby next to it on the main road and people are also parking on the hill. In the end I decide to park in a free car park in the town centre and walk up. That way I can have a few beers and get some fresh air before returning to the car. At the pub, there wasn’t a great choice of beer at the tent but we always had the option to head back inside the pub. After the usual ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ we stuck around to see the bonfire and cheered as the stack of pallets that it was built on collapsed. Then my friend’s wife gave me a lift back into town, and I dropped another friend off at his house before returning home.

Make me a Sandwich

When you ask for a sandwich, you’re asking to be fed. You’re not interested in being insulted. You’re not interested in being called any name since you used a completely different verb. You’re not interested in a fairy floating over you granting you instant wishes to place you between two slices of invisible bread. All you want is to be fed. You’ve asked for help and now you have to make do with some imaginative nonsense all because someone though that it would be hilarious for an assistant to mishear you. You’d think that she’d at least call you an uber or connect you a delivery service. You haven’t specified what you want on your sandwich and maybe you’re not fussed. You might just want to know what’s available. What you don’t want is to be left short-changed. Obviously there’s still a bit of work to do with chain sandwich shop makers.

Keeping Everyone Happy

It’s difficult to get your charge to do something when you want to do something else, especially when there’s a limited amount of time to do it and you’ve already halved your burden by sharing it with someone else. I really wanted to check out the deals at the exhibition shop, but my niece really wanted to build a car and send it down the ramp. She struggled to find the pieces that she wanted, but I managed to find them for her so that she could build a car and have a go. I kept looking over at the shop, but each time I had to rebuild her car or improve it with better wheels and an improved chassis as we found better parts in the construction pit. I knew that I had to keep her happy. Unfortunately, time was called and we were ushered out by the steward. My niece understood, but I looked longingly at the stall that I never had the time to visit.

Cooking up Trouble

Quiet and tepid would be an accurate description of this man. He has a skinny frame and a bit of a nervous disposition, though you’d forgive him for doing any wrong. Confidence is key, and this man doesn’t have it. It’ll be a surprising day if he puts himself forward for anything first. If you can make him smile it’s a wonderful thing but it’s not his regular face. What he does have is a pair of glasses tucked beneath his dark overgrown hair that easily turns into a beard if he’s experiencing a care-free day. When he doesn’t, he tends to show his age in the form of a bald patch. If you have a conversation with him, it can get quite enjoyable but usually you have to take the first step. But be prepared for inside opinions on films, TV shows and video games but not much else. He is willing to learn though.

Fahrenheit 451 by Rad Bradbury

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

There’s quite a strange theme from this book and it’s odd that it’s not allowed to function in it’s current society. I found that some of the twists were quite shocking, though they became quite foreseeable towards the end, though they may have been revolutionary in their time. Some of the characters were led to be uncaring, and there’s some quite accurate anticipations of what the future could be. Is that the way that we are headed, dominated only by self? The only thing that I wasn’t sure about was what the war was for. If the book was longer, it would have allowed for better insights into some of the other characters. Instead, we just get the view from the protagonist, and we never establish where the most valued characters end up. There’s some mystery that could have been fulfilled and the reader’s left with a sense of just a passing tale.

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Banking with Blue

I’ve always stayed with the same bank for my day-to-day business. I’ve kept the same account for years. A few years ago, I thought about switching but then I won an iPad in a customer survey prize draw. The machine itself is becoming outdated now and some apps no longer work, but it’s still a handy thing to have. In a world where some banks are closing, they’ve always had a presence in our town so there’s no problem if I need to talk to someone, although they have reduced their hours and counter-service lately, and there’s often a queue for the paying machines. I’m not sure if they offer a deposit envelope service either lately, but you get a better piece of mind if you can see that the cash has been credited to your account anyway. I have looked at other places but some seem to gamble with your interest rates, offering a higher rate if a golfer wins a tournament. No thanks.

Chasing Chase

This dog looks he’s ready to listen to anything and everything, but he decides what should be acted on. He looks like he’s got the initiative to solve any problem you give him. His lone star portrays excellence, though you may expect that there’s others who outrank him. His harness indicates that he may be able to pull something if required, perhaps similar emergency vehicles with a star on them. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing since he’ll be able to pass tasks onto others if he can’t complete them or that they’re beyond him. His hat demonstrates that there’s an option to relieve him of duty if he so wishes it, though he may give up a fight if you take it off for him. He certainly looks alert and dutiful, and he’s someone who could get annoyed if you distract him from his task. We’ll have to watch him and see.

Lost in Travel #dreamdiary 143

I’m travelling with a friend. We’re due to travel to the other side of the country to begin a work contract, but she’s pretty keen on staying put in the bedroom of her new friends. Not wanting to miss my flight I make my departure. I can’t force her to come. It makes me wonder how many of these people deviate from their contract. I head into the town, but before leaving I decide that there’s something that I want to do, which is to see an exhibit and buy a souvenir. I find the building which is just closing its entrances, so I leave my things by the door. I make my way to an art gallery, where a clown is about to start his performance. I have to slip him a few coins to get directions from him. When I return to the doors, one of my bags is missing. 

Riding Zuma

So what do you expect of this character other than being able to travel really fast? Is she able to physically travel of her own accord or does she need a machine or mechanism to do this? Why does she need a helmet? Is she just safety-conscious or is she expecting to crash every time she travels? The emblem in her helmet suggest that she’s linked to something. It could be a specific service for broken Mercedes cars, or perhaps it’s to portray that she’s peaceful. She wears some sort of harness so maybe she’s expected to pull something. Is it so that others are able to track her? She looks very young but also determined and loyal to do your bidding, and she won’t recognise whether it’s for good or evil so long as she obeys. She could do with some boots to protect her paws though. It just seems cruel otherwise. 

 

The Line-Up

While many people reflected last week with silences, parades and tributes, there’s still a lot of work to be done. There’s survivors that need to be respected also so that their efforts will not have been in vain. People should struggle once and come over it instead of having to fight constantly. Otherwise it seems as if the effort never stops. It seems as if the former ministers have pushed their way to the front of the line to be on display for the camera. But are they really lining up to pay tribute, or are they standing together in a display of national shame for their past performance and they’re waiting for someone to throw the tomatoes? Some are looking down as if to say I’m too high up to go down there, while others stand defiant as if to say that they cannot be blamed for the current situation. 

Inside the Death Star

Now who lives in a house like this? Probably an egomaniac, but he has to have a giant entourage to accommodate his every need. It’s isolated up there in space, but even with the power of the force he can’t to it all. If he could, he wouldn’t need a giant death star in the first place. There’s a spacious garage at the end to store a spaceship in, but you’d need some kind of security system at home t man those guns if you went out, though I suppose you could have some kind of automated system. I’m trying to work out if that’s a heating system or a missile system on the top floor, or maybe it’s kept perpetually armed so it doubles as both. There’s no sign of any room for living quarters though. Hopefully it’s on the dark side of the death star. Failing that, they’ll have to bunk in the ship.

Dug Days

It looks like this was made in haste to keep kids happy during a pandemic. It features characters that we recognise exploring the perils of their own home, just as in real life. It’s strange to see how easily Carl has adapted back into suburban life after his adventure. There are occasions where the characters use their experiences to achieve goals, but we only witness the results rather than the events. It’s a shame that other characters aren’t referred to until the finale, and a lot more episodes could have been produced for the series, but perhaps the audience was underestimated. There’s also a celebrity cameo in the finale, though you’d struggle to recognise him since he’s mimicking an artificial voice. Overall, it’s entertaining for a few minutes but it doesn’t do the film justice other than offer a retirement plan for Carl, Dug, and probably the employees of Pixar.

Fire Point

What do you do at a fire point? Is it a place where you gather when there’s a fire? Is there an emergency telephone and a fire extinguisher alongside an evacuation kit? Do you need an alternative point in case this one’s on fire? Maybe it’s a place where people can gather to create a fire. You could get passers-by to point at it with their arm. It’s a place in the building where fires are actually permitted. Could it be a spot where employees must go to discover their fate? Or is a place where firearms can be discharged? In which case, do you stand at the fire point with your weapons or is it the place where all weapons must be targeted? In which case do I fire directly at the sign which I assume will be able to take the full force of the blast or in the general vicinity. Thank goodness it’s not an NRA convention.

 

"What is urgent is seldom important and what is important is seldom urgent."

Urgent stuff needs to be done as soon as possible but it’s not really a joy to do. Mostly, it tends to be an everyday activity that you must do, like put your trousers on in the morning. Important things don’t tend to happen often, but if you think about them too much then they tend to be there in the background so it seems like they’re happening all the time. Important things also need to be done, so you need to set some time aside to complete these once you’ve done the urgent stuff. You’ll probably be criticised for doing these things in the wrong order. However, if everything is seldom then there aren’t going to come up very often so there’s very few events that are actually important. But it’s not a good outlook for a world leader who has to decide whether or not war should be declared.

Hanging Out

The aircraft is waiting to depart. We’re just waiting for the runway to be cleared of stormtroopers before we can commence take-off. We could fly over them but the people on the balcony will then be at risk. As you can see by the departure board, they have a lot of flights booked today so I hope that they move soon. I’ve got the loudspeaker raised so I hope they can hear my request inside their helmets of theirs. It’s a shame that this thing doesn’t have a reverse. Still, the central laser is now armed so we may have to give them a few warning shots to make them scatter. However, we haven’t really got a view from the front centre of the ship so we’re relying solely on the cameras fed to us from inside the shuttle bay. That is unless there’s a room on the front underside which would be particularly vulnerable.

Stealth Fighters

Are you referring to a group of pilots flying in blackened triangular jets that are undetectable by radar but stand out like a sore thumb on a cloudless day? Are you focusing on the planes or the pilots themselves? Perhaps they go around towns when they’re off-duty to attack people from behind that they don’t like and they know that they can take their adversaries off-guard. Or maybe they do this anyway as part of their job as they have to enter a building undetected and fight the guards. But how does it work when they fight against each other? Surely it’s the fairer option rather than picking on someone who’s at a disadvantage. In a plane, it must be a case of who spots who in the sky first. You’d need a bright light you wouldn’t want to give away your own position. On the ground, you could have a boxing ring but it’d be difficult to see any action. Instead, you’d need an arena with body cameras connected to screens to work out the best combatant here. But beware, you could be aiming at thin air.

Queen of the Junkyard

People sitting high up in a raised seat usually get a relaxing view of what’s in front of them. It could be beautiful. But at the opposite side is a complete tip. It’s just a mixture of everything that’s an eyesore and a reminder of the tasks that are required. That’s what they’re trying to avoid. Hopefully, the view in front of them is inspiring enough to convince them to work on the back for the sake of everyone else. Then one day they’ll be happy enough to take a room at the back of the building, if only to admire their own personal achievement. Hopefully both views will be better. Or they could never look back, leaving it to the job of someone else. Perhaps someone else has only been contracted and they’re just focusing on their immediate territory. After all, the boundaries of bricks have to end somewhere.

What Trival Knowledge Might Save Your Life Someday

Look both ways before crossing the road. It’s instilled in all of us throughout our childhood because it saves lives and it should never be forgotten. It’s safer to just stop and take a second to look around you rather than venture out and rely on just one sense. There could be something else occupying that sense so it’s safer to use another one to make sure. If you’re on your phone or there’s something that isn’t usually right then it only takes a moment to check that it’s safe. You might assume that everyone else is following the rules and it’s nice and quiet but it only takes one idiot and a lack of focus to cause an accident. This doesn’t sound like any fact that you’d need to stow away in your memory to win a pub quiz though. It’s just common sense. But a lot of people are lacking this anyway.

Hozat?

What constitutes an attempt? What would be acceptable? It varies from person to person and how important the result is to the observer. You wouldn’t necessarily care about the quality of how clean the kitchen of a supermarket restaurant is compared to someone cleaning your own kitchen. It also depends on what you know about the existing skill level of the competitor. If you know them well enough, then you know how good their efforts can be when they try. But if you don’t, you can only compare them to their peers and their age level. You might believe that they can do it, but you may be disappointed by the results once they have established that they have completed the task. It’s just lucky here that we’re talking about Duplo rather than commissioning someone to build a house, but it’s a big gamble to take when it’s not a childplay situation. 

Breaking down the Language Barrier

It might be handy having a smart device to translate what you want to say into a different language. However, have you ever considered that it might translate what it wants rather than what you want. This means that you could get a different answer every time you asked the same question, and a different understanding of what is being expected. The result may make the receiver react in a way that you wouldn’t expect, and you’ve only got the smart device to find out why. There’s also the ability to control what should and shouldn’t be passed on. You could totally lie about not understanding what’s been said while using the information covertly against the speaker. Or you could be caught by surprise when your counterpart wants to make a friendly informal conversation when you’re not prepared for it. Even if you’re successful, you’re still having a conversation with two people rather than one. Let’s just hope that it gets everything right. 

Driving Blind by Ray Bradbury

Driving Blind by Ray Bradbury
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is an odd collection of short stories. Some are amusing, entertaining, and even turn out to be a fable. Others finish short and abruptly, and you wonder where the rest of the story has gone. It’s fine to ponder on musings, but you do feel a bit robbed, and perhaps sometimes an exercise to hone the writer’s craft shouldn’t really be published. It’s the little things that inspire you to write a story, and sometimes the truth needs to be exaggerated to make it entertaining and grip the reader, but there are some questions that remain unsolved. Still, it just goes to show that Bradbury takes a dab at everything from affairs to childhood heroes and even a bit of sci-fi. Whatever he writes, he manages to build up a little bit of suspense in each scene, and encourages the reader to think about the people living around them.

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Who's That Girl #Vampress 11

The people stepped back as the cliffs began to tumble into the land below. The stepping led to a stampede, and the next day the local constables had roped the road off to the clifftop for it was too dangerous for anyone to approach. Some of the local fishermen decided to take their boats out to spot it from the sea, but it seemed as if a second cliff had sprung up from nowhere, blocking the view beyond. Back in the village, there was a woman who’d never been seen before. No-one knew where she came from since the railway had not yet reached our town and the stagecoach was not due that day. People could only assume that she had wealth and her own horses. Wherever she went, she always wore a large round hat that cast a shadow all around her. Her glasses were also dark and no-one had the confidence to approach or even follow her about her business. 

On the Double

There’s quite a few mosaic displays around here, and I’m sure that some are from shows that I haven’t watched but I’m only aware of because I sell the toys at work. Because of this, I’ve been arguing with my five-year-old niece about the lyrics of Paw Patrol. I always seem to lose. And I also get into trouble for getting the names of the characters mixed up (and I don’t do it intentionally to wind her up). Luckily, she doesn’t get too frustrated by it and she likes to help me out. But at the end of the day, it’s a great show which recognises attributes of different characters who are all able to put aside their differences and come together to achieve something as a team. We certainly need those values at the moment. I’m also hoping that the people on the other side of the fence are also admiring our family fun and aren’t admiring something else.

Basketball #dreamdiary 142

There’s a new craze in town. It involves throwing a tiny ball into a full-sized basketball ring in a sports hall. Anyone can play it; all you need is to be able to move your arm. You can use any style of ball as long as it’s no bigger than the palm of your hand. Most people prefer to use soft sponge balls if they’re training or if there’s a lot of people on the court. If it’s a tournament game, they may use something a bit heavier similar to a miniature football or a rubber bouncy ball to see how many shots they can make in a minute. Each training session usually consists of a free-for-all throwing session at the start and a timed contest at the end. There’s no uniform but people are encouraged to wear tracksuit bottoms and a loose-fitting t-shirt. Matches are usually played outside and shots are taken simultaneously with the winner being the first to score ten baskets. 

Coral Life

Because we haven’t even attempted to explore the entirety of our ocean, there’s no telling what life is like down there. What we would see as crystalised rock could easily be lights of a miniaturised civilisation. There could be elements of disguise in the local terrain to make it difficult to distinguish between what’s been constructed and what’s occurred naturally. White plants could function as icicles or even snow frozen in the rocks that’s managed to adapt to a different atmosphere. Fish could be clouds in gigantic displays of colour, and their waste could act as a weather system. It will be interesting to see if this new species is able to share the environment around it. Will it attempt to spread its ideals or will it focus on preservation? Any of this could be reflected through any image since it’s entirely possible that any of this could take place.

 

Check Him Out

Fresh out of school, he’s a teacher with an intellectual public school voice and short, spikey blonde hair. He’s fairly tall and has a slim but confident build. He’s got dazzling white teeth and always wears shirt that are too tight for him together with tight trousers. He speaks slowly which is sometimes a bit irritating and makes him the centre of attention while at the same time is just a bit boring. But he does take in the opinions of others, even if he can’t relate to the experience. And if he can’t find anything in common, he’ll head back to school and try to entertain you with tale from the classroom. He’s never told one yet with disruptive kids though. He has many hobbies which include classic cars, live music, and real ale. He’s a bit of a ladies man and you have to question of the pictures he takes will actually meet anyone else’s eyes.

Slanty

Kids love it when adults copy them and join in their games. It makes life friendly for them because big people are doing the same thing that they’re doing, only the bigger people take a lot longer to get it done because they’ve got to find energy and use muscles that they don’t use very often and they’re a lot worse at it. They’ve got to try and put bigger heads through smaller holes that aren’t really designed for them, which can also get stuck while the kids stand about laughing before even thinking of trying to help them. This gives kids a lot more confidence to excel in the things that they’re good at, and encourages them to find other activities that everyone can join in too, though they can’t understand when other people can’t. They like it even better when they get to boss the grown-ups around, though that doesn’t happen very often.

Chasing the Dot

Most times, the Amazon man likes to deliver to us at night. It’s probably because of the new depot built just outside our town. I’d like to think it’s because that they deliver to the furthest addresses first and work their way back, but I’ve seen them deliver to neighbourhoods just around the corner from mine early on in the morning. When you’re given a delivery date, you don’t necessarily receive a time as well until the day of delivery. That means that if you’re out for the day, you’ve got to leave your safe spot unlocked for the whole of the day, which can be a bit inconvenient if you’re not going to be around. As the driver, it also means that you’ve got to drive around at night in an area that you’re not necessarily familiar with. But when I’m tracking the driver with the app, it looks like they drive through several districts during the delivery period before they reach my address. I’m wondering how many local customers do they serve and whether it would be better to offer a local pickup point?

The Power of a Brick

It’s just an inch of plastic with eight little studs. Each stud is stamped with the company logo, and underneath are three circular rings which lets it clip onto another brick or be clipped onto. This simple brick has taken the world by storm, mainly because of the creativity it inspires. You can build anything with them if you put your mind to it, and have a decent supply of what you need. You might have to fight with your peers to get what you want though. It’s not a supply problem, it’s a cost problem. They’re not cheap. But when you get a chance to see what others are doing and the quality of the builds as well, you can only try to create your own. You might have an excellent idea for a build, but if you substitute parts and colours then things might get ugly out there.

I Have Truss Issues

So what do I really think of the new Prime Minister. Well, apart from being mini, she’s certainly got her work cut out. She’s certainly got her guts to run the country and is doing whatever it takes to keep it afloat. It’s also a very hectic tome for her since she practically had to shut the government down days after her official appointment because of the loss of the Queen. Since then, there’s been a lot of instability as everyone is rushing to protect their vaults against the drop in the financial markets. What we really need is someone with balls on the international scale who’s willing to take the country to war to preserve the values we have rather than to accommodate us because of an occurring situation that we hope will go away soon. We need someone who’s going to lead us into a new future rather than someone who’s trying to preserve everything. 

Under the Sea

There was a jumbo Duplo area where we spent some time building the tallest tower that we could, and the girls came to an argument about what to do for their last activity. Chloe wanted to build another house while Mille wanted to build a car to race down the track, so in the end the only to keep them both happy was to split up. I would have liked to have spent some time looking at the shop to view the special priced sets, but unfortunately we didn’t have time, and we were ushered out before I made it to the counter. On our way out, a stormtrooper was guarding the door, and Millie got a bit scared ad refused to walk past him. I had to pick her up and just tell her that it was a man in a suit. I even got him to wave back at us but she was still nervous.

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law

At some stage in the Marvel universe, you get to a stage where the characters break down the fourth wall and launch interactive soliloquies with the audience. This is one such series which starts off well then really takes it to the cleaners in the finale which doesn’t make for much of a dramatic ending apart from all the characters sitting around living happily ever after with any sense of conflict forgotten. The writers have tried to be as creative as possible to make it clear that it’s a TV show, even with the addition of a classic hulk opening scene in one of the opening sequences. It’s great that the series challenges the role of a traditional superhero. It’s also referred to as a ‘comedy law show’ and there’s plenty of references to that too. There’s also some entertaining appearances from a few other MCU characters and it’s nice to see what some of these characters have been up to. 

Paw Patrol

After chatting to one of my friends who was volunteering there as a marshal, it took a while to convince the girls that there were other things to see and do, and we could always come back to this later if they liked. Armed with this information, we soon came across some large models of Paw Patrol characters, which they instantly wanted to be pictured with. There was also an aqua mosaic which they stuck their heads through so that they could become deep-sea divers, and they insisted that we do the same. There was a similar set-up with another mosaic from Paw Patrol. I left them in a pit building houses and got Mum some refreshments, then I sneaked off for a few minutes to look at the Star Wars models. As well as a few scenes, there was a huge bunker complete with guns that you load up with bricks and try to attack the bunker.  

"My best friend gave me the best advice. He said each day's a gift and not a given right. Leave no stone unturned, leave your fears behind."

 -Jack Nicklaus.

It’s nice when you’ve got wise friends who are willing to help you out. If you treat everything like a gift, then you’re much likely to reciprocate in return. Sometimes you might not get the opportunity to return a favour, and the only way to resolve that and keep a clean conscious is to pass the gift onto another person. This might appeal to the more adventurous person who wants to make new friends, but it’s a good way of exploring the world you by sharing experiences. It might take a while to move all those stones, and not everyone will be happy about it as you wander into other people’s territory, especially if you don’t put the stones back how you found them. But if you have no fear, does that mean that you don’t care what others may think of you? It doesn’t sound very civil at all.

Through the Doors

Once we were through the doors, we were greeted by a huge mosaic of the England flag behind a rugby shirt wishing the best of luck to England in the next international tournament. Behind these were some beautiful 3D life-sized ocean creatures diving out of the sea. Then came our first activity which was building things out of a giant pit of Lego. There were pictures of models that we had to dive in and find the right pieces to build the model in the picture. But the biggest draw for the girls was the giant inflatable slide in the centre of the room. I had to dive in and help Millie over a few times so that she was confident in having a go of it herself, but by the morning was up she was perfectly happy to dive in and make a go of it on her own.

What Happens If Putin Nukes London?

People outside of the M25 will rejoice. We’ll be free of all that focus within the concrete carpark. Our taxes (if we decide to have them) will go into our own projects that do our local community some good rather than pay some expensive politician to waste our resources to keep his car running and his second house clean. We may even branch off and form our own tribes and civilisations. We’ll be able to construct some sort of power plant out of the remaining nuclear waste to supply the nearby towns and cities for the next fifty years or so. The north will suddenly become popular despite the cold, and Scotland will be a lot more attractive. A lot of historical relics will be lost, but the idea of it will continue to be remembered through the internet. And a lot of people will be upset and will be speaking to other countries about retaliating before popping over to do something about it.

Yorkshire's Real Heritage Pubs by David Gamston

Yorkshire's Real Heritage Pubs by Dave Gamston
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

It’s an attractive book with photographs and interesting illustrations on every page. There’s a good history of the current national pub scene and it clearly portrays what the guide is trying to achieve, but a bit of local history about previous and current companies who own these pubs would have also been appreciated. Most of these pubs are in towns and cities and the book focuses on the pubs themselves rather than associating with other attractions within the area, which is often quite separating as sometimes a little local knowledge may be a bit more colourful in informing the reader what helped or hindered the pub to its current status, especially if the reader isn’t local to the area. I would have liked to have known a bit more history as to why the pub got its name. Was the Big Six named for a set of terraced houses knocked into one? Is there any pigeon-racing memorabilia at the Three Pigeons or is it modelled on another pub elsewhere? We shall never know. There’s a lot of assumptions that the reader has some knowledge already, particularly with some of the terminology when it comes to describing the interiors.

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Friendships

What makes a good friendship? What can you get out of this human connection? How do you decide the criteria for a friend? Is it someone that you can manipulate easily and take advantage of what they have to offer? Is it someone that you enjoy spending time with and share similar interests? Is it someone that can help you with your problems? Hopefully it’s someone with a combination of all of the above unless you keep relationships with specific people for specific reasons. Do you value someone who’s resourceful and can get you places for the best price (if anything at all) or do you value someone’s companionship because they make you feel warm or loved? Is there someone who feels that way towards you but you don’t return it? Maybe there’s someone out there with a combination of all of these elements. How long do friendships last? When do people drift away? Is it because they’ve found something that’s better suited to them? Has an argument taken place and can it be resolved with gifts, apologies and forgiveness?

Brick Live!

I’d organised a day out with the girls. It was inside but it something a bit different. It was a Lego exhibition show with many characters and models to view alongside a large section where we could build things ourselves. Because the show was going to be busy, they’d split the day into two so we were only able to attend the morning session. We could have taken our time to get there and go by train which would have been more fun for the girls, but we’d be losing out on the time available for the event. I ended up driving over there which worked out cheaper for the four of us so long as I prebooked the parking. We negotiated through the maze of roads to find the right carpark then we had a bit of a walk to the main entrance. We were lucky that it wasn’t raining though.

I Like the Way you Move #dreamdiary 141

I’m catching a bus to a meeting with my school crush. I’ve got no idea why she wants to come to this meeting, but I’m delighted with her company. Along our journey to the bus stop, I bump into someone used to go to these meetings. We stop to chat, but my girl carries onto the bus station. After five minutes, I explain that I need to catch up with her. I run to the bus station where the departures are laid out like trains. I head to the stairs and the steps are that narrow that I’m able to slide over the edges of them as if I’m surfing. I pay for my day ticket on the bus and it departs but the girl is nowhere to be seen. Perhaps she’s realised what she’s getting into and she’s made her escape. Or maybe she’s getting on with my friend at the next stop. 

Work Improvements

We had a visit from the store improvement team. One of the things that wanted to look at was the process that we undertook for each task, including the actions we took to making it happen and listing every single step. Once this was done, the list was placed on the wall. Then every time we had to do that step, we had to take a sticker and sign our name and the date on it. I think the entire point was to see how often a task was done and what the benefits would be if we used a different method. The problem was that we had to focus on the job at hand and often we didn’t understand that we had to go back and complete this task when they weren’t on their visits. It would have better if they had observed us. Sadly, they’re not with us nowadays. The company decided to close the whole department and make the tea involved with the project become redundant. There’s no longer any interest or forum dedicated to improving things.