Healthy Body, Healthy Mind.

Given my recent agonising sore back, I've eventually admitted to myself that I've let myself go to seed. If I'd been fitter I'd not have torn my back to shreds, as I'd have had the core strength to deal with the sudden falling weight.

 SO......this morning... I started a healthy eating plan at work, no fried food, no rounds of toast, no croissants or sour dough pretzels at breakfast, cereal and fruit or porridge instead. Lunch will be salad, fish or a bowl of soup and a piece of fruit and dinner shall be vegetable based, no red meat, potato in any form or pasta for three weeks. I also done a 20 minute very easy 6mph jog and ten minutes of lower back stretches and a little arm weights after work this evening in the hotels small gym, It's not much, but it's a start....

In Transit

So i find myself on yet another flight, to yet another destination for work, I don't mind flying it's a nice way to travel, unlike driving which I loath. I am also unfazed by the queues at security, I understand why they are a necessary evil, due largely to America and Great Britain's foreign policy, however that's a can of worms I'm not opening. What I do mind is the soulless and depressing air that all departure lounges have, where's the happy atmosphere? We can't all be flying for work. What about holidays, trips home, weekend breaks with lovers, where is the joy? Are we so jaded now nothing excites us? By the look on most folks faces you'd think someone had shat in their cornflakes. Try a little happiness people, it's free.

04/04/2012 The Big Day Approaches..

So tomorrows the big day, AB and I are off to Newcastle for a couple of days, so in an attempt to woo, I'm having a metrosexual days shopping for new clothes hoping to Dress To Impress. First stop Boots, I'm out of Clinique Shaving foam so need to stock up, after that it's just an endless trawl through the high street chains hoping to find something that fits me, but also looks good. AB has a style of her own and always manages to look good without any effort, me...it takes effort.

First thing I notice is that size ** jeans are all being made a little tighter these days....WTF is wrong with clothing manufacturers? Obviously I can't have put weight on by constantly eating out and not working out, so it's the clothes fault. I buy a few pairs of trousers in a slightly bigger size and move on to shirts and T-Shirts, those feckers are in league with the smaller jeans conspiracy and have apparently shrunk their wares too. I buy a couple of shirts, sweatshirts and T-Shirts and think, I perhaps need to go back to the gym...

Shoes..Hurrah, my feet have not grown any bigger and the shoe folk have not caved under pressure from the tailored community and have kept their wares normal. I opt for two styles of boot that compliment my trousers and am pretty much done, a belt, a jacket and some aftershave and I'm good to go..I'll look good, I'm in reasonable shape (except for the sore back which is still agony, more on that next post) and I'm roughly aware of a plan for our two days...

So that's it, I'm all set, AB and I chat on messenger and I arrange to pick her up at nine tomorrow morning, I'm nervous as hell, but super excited at the same time, I get a chance to shine and cannot wait......

02/04/2012 My Back's Breaking

In my rush to get finished and off the ship early on Friday I dragged a huge box marked Heavy 2 Man Lift from a shelf in the container to make room for tools, it subsequently dropped like a stone and I tried to hold it. I felt a pop in the bottom of my back and thought "That can't be good," however I took no notice and get on with my day. It felt slightly tight on Saturday when I got up, and worse as the day went on. I took a few Ibuprofen and some Paracetamol to see me through the day, and a couple more that night. Sunday morning at AB's when I woke up it was far worse, I struggled severely to get up and about, something is badly wrong here and it's getting worse.

Now here's the kicker, this morning it took me an hour to get out of bed and on my feet, and I do mean an hour, I can't stand up, to move my back in any direction is agony, I've never felt pain like it, I get so far and then the pain is so intense I have to give up. I think I could just get up on my feet and straighten my back quickly and I'll be OK. I try this tactic and find there is no way I can actually do it, it's just physically impossible. I'm in agony, the pain is so bad I'm actually thinking about calling reception and getting an ambulance to take me to hospital. Eventually my painkillers kick in and I manage to get from my back to my knees, then upright and mobile. I struggled about for an hour, called my Doctor and drove to see him, boy that was a fun drive..

The end result is I've torn a muscle in my back, I have Tramadol 100mg tablets for my pain, 2 a day for thirty days, I've taken 4 so far today just to function, they make me feel queasy and very lightheaded but they do dampen the pain.......2 days to Newcastle, this had better heal sharpish. I refuse to allow this to spoil my plans.


I do however resolve to never call anyone saying they have a bad back a lazy sod, I've always thought folk complaining about bad backs were malingerers, how bad can it be? I can now tell you, it's the worst pain I've ever had.





Agony be my name.

31/03/2012 Dinner Date.

My day started great today, Tommy and myself are catching the flight home from Heathrow   at 12.15 so we arrive 2 hours early and get upgraded to Business Class so are entitled to go sit in the First class lounge, Tommy takes full advantage of the free bar and proceeds to get rather tipsy, I'm driving later so sip away at a Merlot, have a croissant and look at the beautiful people. One of the beautiful people is an Australian man, with a gorgeous little boy who sits beaming a big toothless smile at me, I'm smiling back at him and he's giggling away. Dad tells me it's been a big week for the wee fella, he's learned to crawl and he also now waves..Dad is beaming with pride, and on cue the wee man waves at me both dad and I look at each other and share a smile, he's a cracking little fella, I wish them both a safe journey and leave for home.

The flight's quite eventful as T has had a few drinks by now, topping up from the night before, and is now quite drunk, he proceeds to try and chat up the flight attendant for an hour or so and she is actually enjoying his chat, he gets her number and is meeting her that night for drinks, he's a charmer our Tommy.

I'm driving down to AB's as we're going out to dinner and I'm really looking forward to seeing her, it's been a month of texts, e-mails and very brief phone calls so it's great to get a chance to talk normally.
And boy can we talk, she's so easy to chat away with, we talk about work, family, friends and anything else that enters our heads and  dinner flies bye. We go to the Inverkip Marina for food, the name of the place escapes me at the moment but the food was really nice. AB looks amazing and I can't keep my eyes off her, I tell her this and for once she does not comment flippantly, she accepts the compliment and I'm feeling great, this is going well tonight, we're great in each others company and AB is actually relaxing, it's not so hard this dating an Ice Queen, I could get used to this. The only slight dampener to the evening is the fact my backs in bits at this point but the painkillers are helping and so is the wine. Dinner ends and we move to the bar for a drink ,we chat for Scotland and are the last ones out of the restaurant, we head back to AB's for a kiss and cuddle and it rounds off a brilliant day.

Carlsberg don't do Saturdays but if they did this has been one of them.

23/03/2012....

AB and I have been having a textual relationship, What's App and text messages are keeping us in contact and we seem to be doing OK. It's strange to chat away by message, but we both seem a little settled and are getting on great....So great in fact, we've decided to go away for a few days when I'm off on holiday to see how we get on. HOW AWESOME IS THAT!  I'm officially the worlds happiest man..

I an such a knob!!!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH,,,,,,

I am such a total knob at times, I'll go into more detail later, but right now I could actually beat my head against a brick wall for being such an utter, utter,  utter idiot.

I can't even look at myself in a mirror today, I'm actually full of self loathing, I'm a total prick, I pushed to far and just made a complete idiot of myself, I tried to be funny and just failed, I'm such a fvcking loser.

Original but not always best....

Whilst making up a new play list for my I-Pod, I decided to make a cover version play list, these are 5 of my favourites, I've included the originals for comparison.......Enjoy.

In Reverse order (although this would change daily dependant on mood) with the original artist first... in at number 5

Eurythmics..Sweet Dreams

Marilyn Manson

4; Dolly Parton... Jolene.

The White Stripes..

3: Huddie Ledbetter (leadbelly)... Where Did You Sleep Last Night?

Nirvana (The emotion in Kurt's voice at the end of this song is a thing of beauty, what a tragic waste.

2: Nine Inch Nails.. Hurt

Johnny Cash. This was recorded not long before Johnny passed away, Trent Reznor who wrote the original has been quoted as saying he no longer feels this song is his own, Mr Cash has stolen it..I agree.

And drum roll please..

Numero uno..

Wayne Cochran...Last Kiss.

Pearl Jam..

Right now this is my favourite ever cover version, I've been fortunate enough to see Pearl Jam several times, and EV just kills this song..I've included a live version of this one too, just so you can hear the utter Brilliance that is Mr Eddie Vedder..

Live music at it's very best..

There are loads of other songs I could have put up, these reflect my taste in music now, my mood changes often, that's what music is, it's a journey, it's feelings and emotions, but mostly it's just Rock and Roll baby x

Guilty Pleasures

So I'm sitting in the West End Starbucks on Byres Rd.. cheating on my coffee life partner Costa.  I feel guilt for this as in the early 2000's I decided to be monogamous to my Italian mistress as she was hot, dark and tasted better than any American fly by night trendy contemporary. Things went well for years, I avoided the giant corporate bosom of Ms Starbucks for the quaint classier smaller cups of Miss Costa, no wrapping her wares up in crimson at Christmas to tease and tantalise customers like a 40's movie harlot, no sirree, Miss Costa was always an understated but confident mistress secure in the knowledge that class always shines. We had a solid relationship for years, Massimo skinny Latte, Tuna Melt and occasionally a muffin or a bag of crisps, perfect, what more does a man need?

 Then it happened..........London July 2010......Out with friends to catch a matinee at the Old Vic and afterwards walking back to Waterloo we pass a Starbucks, "Shall we have a coffee?" someone suggests, I protest "Costa is far better, lets go there,"  I'm of course shot down, it's ages away and besides it's raining now are the replies, so sullen, in I trot. It's only one coffee what's the harm?  An order of a Massimo skinny latte is met with derision. "Do you mean a Venti skinny latte sir?" Whatever, just pour my beverage you green aproned buffoon I think.."anything else?" I look around and there it is...A croque monsieur..a hot ham and cheese (usually Gruyere or Emmental) with a little mustard grilled Sandwich, French in origin as a fast food snack, but even allowing for it's Frenchness it was stunning.. such a simple thing but flavour.... well, I was hooked, I've been to France but somehow missed this treat and now wow, like I said..the bait has been swallowed. .. Miss Costa does not supply such wares, it's the hold ups and heels of sarnies, and every now and again I just need some of that pleasure..

 So here I sit, at the back of the shop,  guiltily lapping up my hot cheese and ham, licking the mustard off of my fingers, and feeling slightly guilty at my indiscretion....I'll always love Miss Costa, but Ms Starbucks shall remain a guilty pleasure...

Freedom....

Life is full of twists and turns, we make some great decisions and life is sweet, and we make some bad decisions and life is hellish. Money makes the world go round, and when we are suffering financially then it takes it's toll. We perhaps don't like others to know the extent of our misery, because (well in my case anyway) it's easier to put on a brave face and just suffer in silence. Well folks the biggest disaster I've ever shackled myself to is eventually gone, the monkey has fallen from my back, the elephant has left the room....fvck it...ELVIS HAS LEFT THE BUILDING

One Day

Below is a chapter from David Nicholls best seller One day, a love story set over twenty years

She thinks very distinctly of two things.
The first is a photograph of herself at nine years old in a red swimsuit on a beach, she can't remember where, Fiely or Scarborough perhaps. She is with her mother and father who are swinging her towards the camera, their sunburnt faces buckled with laughter. Then she thinks of Dexter, sheltering from the rain on the steps of the new house, looking at his watch, impatient; he'll wonder where I am, she thinks. He'll worry.

I finished this chapter which has one more line, and then I cried floods of tears, immense sadness engulfed me and just swept me away. A great book will do that to me, I get lost in the narrative and lose myself into the moment, this book has that power, it's very well written and the prose flows.
 What makes it so special? The first thing you notice is the unusual structure. It starts on July 15 (St Swithin’s Day) in 1988 with the first encounter between two students, Dexter and Emma, in Edinburgh, then revisits these two characters, either separately or together, on the same date for the next 20 years (hence the title).

It could be schmaltzy (Sp?), but in fact it proves to be a superbly effective device, providing you with a series of vivid snapshots of a at times stormy relationship. At the end of each chapter you're left wondering what will happen next, then suddenly a year has gone by and the situation has changed in ways that are often surprising but always entirely believable.
I guess a lot depends on how you feel about the two main characters. Dexter is charming and good-looking, but also lazy, arrogant, selfish and deceitful. Emma is more lovable – cleverer and more honest than Dexter, but prone to stroppiness and self-doubt .I'd guess women with high standards might wonder what Emma sees in him?  
Not exactly a perfect match then, but really who can say that actually exists? Often these days we, through the media, are looking for the perfect man or woman. We are provided with this ideal of what love and romance should be, it cares not for the practicalities of actually fitting two lives into one space and co-existing with a partner you ideally should grow to love. Love at first sight and butterflies in the stomach are all very well if your names Elizabeth Bennett and Mr Darcy is down Ashton Lane of an evening, however that ideal is a little to unrealistic methinks..This book hits the spot as it deals with the modern world and all it's distractions and it's stresses, if you've not read this book, go buy it now, read it and pass it on to a friend.

It wont change your life, but it will make you live in wonder for a while.

Things that boil my pi$$. 1.

St Patrick's day. OK if you're Irish then fair enough enjoy your day, it's a national holiday so eat drink and be merry, if you're not WTF! Why do non Irish people choose to get drunk and celebrate another country's patron saints day? Oh to be OIrish as feck for a day, beejesus!  Find me a pub in Scotland, England or Wales that has a massive celebration on St Andrews, St Georges or St Davids day and I'll eat my hat, you'd be hard pressed to find a hand full of people who know the actual dates of any of the above Saints days, but everyone will know March 17th is St Paddies day.
 Every time I see a drunk Brit with a pint of Guinness in hand, a Guinness hat perched on top of their drunken head, dancing a jig  to Irish music in a Scottish/English or Welsh bar I want to vomit, it's St Guinness Day, one of the best advertising campaigns ever devised and mugs fall for it...

A Scotsman celebrating St Paddies day.

give me strength...

Oh and St Andrews day is 30th of November, St Georges day is April 23rd, and St Davids day is March the 1st.