Happy No.1

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Now playing: Jimmy Cliff - Wonderful World, Wonderful People
via FoxyTunes

Okay this was a bit of an abortive post but it actually highlighted something I hadn't noticed.

I was going to do a regular feature where I did my top ten TV programmes of the week but I found that was going to be difficult. I didn't actually watch 10 programs on the telly this week.

Huh?

I didn't understand it at first so I tried breaking it down.

Saturday - Harry Hill's TV Burp, X Factor
Sunday - Match of the Day, Fringe
Monday - Eli Stone
Tuesday - Stargate Atlantis
Wednesday - Heroes
Thursday - Nothing
Friday - Nothing

So why does it feel like I watch a heck of a lot more?

I tried to go through the week again and realised that we are actually watching a lot more programs on things like BBC Iplayer and Sky Anytime but we weren't actually sitting down to watch anything at a particular time.

Take this week for example, If I add in the programs I watched online it would include a couple of episodes of Merlin, Survivors, Dragons Den: The Dragon's Story and a movie on Sky Player. Actually sitting down to watch a program when it's broadcast happens less and less now. It's okay to let episodes pile up and watch them when you've actually got time rather than making time for them or skipping something to watch it.

Also the kids tend to have their programs on until about 7pm so I guess that contributes to the feeling that I watch a lot.

All in all I'm a bit stumped as to how I'm going to qualify this top ten as there won't actually be a lot to it. Maybe I'll do a top five instead. I going to base it on what I've watched that week as I don't want the list to be terribly static and assume the quality of a program was maintained even though I didn't watch it.

So here goes. My first top five.

1. Survivors
2. Fringe
3. Harry Hill's TV Burp
4. Eli Stone
5. X Factor

My thoughts on this initial list is that Survivors is the strongest UK drama I've seen for a while and after two episodes seems to be giving off a Lost meets 28 days later vibe. Fringe is pretty decent too. I can't say I'm hooked yet but I think the last episode definitely helped to deepen my interest. Harry Hill is consistently funny and I've always enjoyed these kinds of shows ever since Clive James and Chris Tarrant did it way back when. Eli Stone is a sweet drama from the US which has grown on us but apparently is doomed stateside. X Factor is also consistent in the drama it provides and this years cropof talent has to be the strongest in its history. I can't pick a winner yet!


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Now playing: iiO - Rapture (Soulside Remix)
via FoxyTunes

My new favourite song

NME TV has been a blessing to me as the only non-subscription video channel that caters to my tastes.

one song that has caught my ear is Club Action by Yo Majesty.

I don't know much about them but it takes me back to the old school rapping that first got me into Hip Hop.

I'll refrain from my usual rant about Hip Hop isn't what it used to be but that would immediately confer 'boring old fart' status on me.

Instead I'll work up to it gradually by posting about bands with members half my age and ten times as much energy as I ever had.

Pain No.1

Gonna make it!

The morning rush was always the same. People everywhere focussed on getting to...wherever.

Tom was running late. The fact that he was running at all was an acheivement.

He cursed his new Playstation 3 for hooking him into the online gaming world that now inhabited his evenings. Last night he had been close to making God level until tiredness had dulled his reflexes and he was shunted back to Favoured Mortal.

At 4am it hadn't really seemed worth going to sleep but he figured he needed to get some at least.

Tomorrow was going to be his day in the spotlight and he needed to make a good impression. It was partly his nervous energy that had kept him up so long.

No, Sleep was essential. Waking up was the difficult bit.

He can't remember how many times he hit the snooze button before he realised what it was trying to tell him.

He was up now and nearly ready to go. Reality was still a little rough around the edges but he could still make it to the station and catch his subway connection on time.

A pot of coffee had been brewing whilst in the shower and he poured it into his travel cup. It tasted glorious as the clouds of tirednes parted briefly from his eyes.

Outside he saw his bus coming and ran out, taking care not to spill his coffee. Thankfully there was someone at the stop already and so the bus waited patiently for him.

Tom's mind raced with thoughts of how he could make a big splash this morning. He already had his powerpoint presentation and few quips prepared. He still wasn't sure how to start it off with a bang though.

The bus was packed and Tom tried very carefully to take care of his drink. It was still a bit too hot to drink and he was aware that the slightest bump could cause either himself or someone else serious discomfort, but he'd done this plenty of times and he held the cup loosely so that it stayed level even with the sudden movements of the bus.

He got off at the station. There was a big crossing between the bus stop and the underground and Tom was thankful that some considerate driver, very rare in the city, had decided to be generous and gave him time to cross over without even revving their engine once to give him a fright.

He was eagerly anticipating his arrival. Even though he'd started late things were coming together well to aid his timely arrival. Tom loved synchronicity.

Just as he was halfway across a bus, coming the other way out of the station, nearly swung straight into him, stopping inches away.

Tom jumped a mile. His cup slipped from his grip but his instincts took over and he caught it again before its contents were emptied.

He made it across the road and shouted back at the driver who gave as good as he got.

Tom was about to take a long gulp to settle his nerves when he noticed the time on the clock above the station. Sighing heavily he made his way to the subway.

Passing through the turnstile Tom cried out in frustration. The escalator wasn't working.

He avoided the old lady remonstrating with a guard about the fault, half-wondering what she was doing up at this time of the morning.

He hated walking down a frozen escalator. They were dizzying at the best of times, when you could grip the side and just glide on down, but every time he put his foot down his mind was expecting the step to move and this unbalanced him.

His foot slipped and he fell backwards onto his bottom. He could feel his coffee about to slosh all over him.

He kept his arm moving to counteract the momentum already gained and angled the cup in the opposite direction.

Averting yet another accident, he breathed a sigh of relief, but he didn't get long to contemplate his lucky escape. Already he was impeding the arterial flow of the city and it was showing no mercy in wanting him to relieve the build up of pressure behind him.

Getting up he carried on down. As he reached the bottom he could hear his train arriving. He picked up his pace again. Darting among the crowded tunnel he made his way to the platform he could see people moving ahead, they must be filtering onto the train, he thought.

A gap opened up ahead but he couldn't get to it.

Finally he bobbed and weaved his way to the platform. The train was still there!

Suddenly a beeping sound told him he was about to miss it!

Holding his coffee cup before him, he dashed for the train as the doors started to close.

With the tightest gap left he reached out to stop them. It was too late the door squeezed tightly on his hand, trapping it, coffee cup and all.

In a split second instinct took over and he reacted by pulling his hand back but the cup failed to make the journey and in what seemed like slow motion the doors came together as the cup met the floor and a wave of coffee covered the worn surface.

"Damn!" said Tom, "That's not the kind of splash I wanted to make."



















Character: Spill Plot: Patient Resolution: Subway

Nightmares No.1

Gord Save Us All

I have to start by saying that when Tony Blair finally left office I was glad to have seen the back of him, even though at the time of his first election he was a breath of fresh air when compared to the generation of Tory governments that had preceded him.

Unfortunately for him, for whatever reason, he left office under a cloud and had gained a reputation as one of Dubya’s yes men.

Stepping into the void was his long time no.2, Gordon Brown.

Whilst he wasn’t the fresh face some people thought the party needed he did seem as though he would do things differently.

If Brown had called an election within a couple of months then I’m sure he would have been re-elected. He would have got my vote anyway.

At the time David Cameron didn’t seem strong enough to win over the whole country and Brown still had the glow of a decent enough period as Chancellor.

Fast-forward to today and time has given us a taste of what the country would be like with him at the helm. I’m not impressed.

Why had he been so reluctant to put his position in the hands of the people, as it should be? If he had lost an election maybe it wouldn’t have been as bad as he thinks. It would give him time in opposition to put his stamp on the party. He didn’t have any serious leadership contenders so he would have a grace period as people would really have been voting against Tony Blair.

Also the country could have had its chance to see whether the Conservatives really had changed in all their time out of office.

Personally though, I thought he would have survived, although it may have been narrow and the Tories would have made a fight of it, just because some floating voters wanted a change and are disillusioned with the government.

So why did Brown stay on so long? Was he really that insecure about going before the voters? Or had he seen something whilst in his privileged position as Chancellor?

Wild theory time!!

Perhaps Brown knew that the Credit Crunch was coming and rather than leaving it to the fickleness of voters to let him stay in place and dumping the problem in the lap of an inexperienced Tory government, he took the conscientious route to try and solve things and weather any storm about having an election ASAP.

Maybe that was what the 10p tax was really all about. It was an attempt to put more money in people’s pockets in order to keep them spending in a period when other countries might have struggled.

Unfortunately though, he misjudged the reaction to a side effect, which left some people worse off. Had he not foreseen this aspect or was it the lesser of two evils? Pay a little more tax or lose your job?

Had Brown stayed in office with the intention of steering the UK through a global recession, but been hampered in his plans by the petty selfishness of potential voters? Of course, no one really thought things would get as bad as they have so the reaction seemed perfectly justified and the government had to back down. The government also couldn’t come out and express their fears in case it sparked the kind of collapse that we’ve seen since.

No-one likes it when someone says ‘I told you so’ but could it be the government were actually ahead of the game on this?

So, does Brown deserve a little kudos for possibly showing some guts in staying on to tackle a problem like this?

Well, where was his plan B?

Instead of using this period to increase his chances of re-election like I’m sure he was planning on, nothing has actually gone according to plan and he now finds himself caught up in a financial catastrophe with other countries around the world as opposed to being in a position of leadership and guidance to everyone else, which would have guaranteed him the next election.

Ultimately I haven’t got a clue how close to the mark this is or if I’m joining the dots with my limited political knowledge and lots of imagination! I also have no economics degree, so who can tell if the 10p tax would have stalled or quickened the onset of the crunch.

If Brown wants to have any chance of re-election now though, he’s going to have to pull one mightily giant rabbit from a very small hat.

Truths No.1

A new series of cartoons about life. Hopefully they'll show something about me and perhaps resonate with some of you!

Welcome to the Real World Mr. Obama!

Wow.

I never thought it would happen. I kept expecting the Republicans to steal it away from him somehow.

I'm not American by the way, but I think everyone has a right to comment on the activities of the US as they set themselves up for it.

This election had me really worried that we were going to get four more years of Republican values running roughshod over its own people and the rest of the world.

Let's hope Mr Obama is the kind of leader that encourages international co-operation through mutual respect not bullying or bribes. He seems to have that potential.

But how much of that is just wishful thinking on our part?

Okay so he's not Republican, but that's no guarantee of not putting American interests above all else and with complete disregard for the consequences.

He spoke of "Change" but how can he deliver? Can he clean up the banking system with promises of recapitalisation as its reward? Can he turn around the oil hungry nature of his country's people? Can he speed up the adoption of carbon neutral energy sources?

We know it can be done if there's enough will to do it.

If the same force of will that the US used to push past opposition to its actions in Iraq was turned inwards to solve its own problems then we truly would have a country and leader worthy of respect and that people would want to call upon for advice and follow its lead.

Of course, no-one would reasonably stand for that level of government interference in their life. At least not all at once.

So lets give him some time and see what he can really achieve and lets see if the people of America are willing to do as he asks to make that change a reality.

oo-er missus!

My first blog on blogger.com!

finally!

Anyway I guess I probably better get writing.

I've got some stuff already done that I'll post up in due course.

Most of it will be short stories and experimental stuff to stretch me with the aim of one day publishing some of it in longer form.

One of the core ideas I work on is the 'Random Story' format.

Basically, this involves three elements, Character, Plot, and Resolution. I then go to an online random word generator and the first three words I get fill in these blanks and hopefully give me some inspiration.

I'm never going to be able to review my stuff objectively so I'm kinda hoping that you, dear reader, will be my critic and my editor! Honestly? I get my satisfaction from actually completing a story and not having yet another half-finished masterpiece cluttering my hard drive and notebooks!

I'll be trying other ways of writing too. I quite fancy myself as a political commentator from the everyman point of view but I'm not sure I know how to make a point yet. ha!

I'll have to warn you though that not everything I write is what I believe as that would be too easy and this is about challenging me to think differently.

So, I apologise in advance for what I'm about to put you through and I hope you enjoy the ride too.