new year's dodas

Well we’re almost through January and it’s time for a first look at my new year’s thingymiboggers. Right let’s see.

1. Stop lending money to family members-well nobody has asked yet so I’m ok there, BUT my brother’s girlfriend had a baby a couple of weeks ago and I have decided to start a trust fund for her. Something she’ll get when she’s 18-and also will give them a little something as a pressie to get some stuff now. My other brother’s daughter will be 21 in June and as I am her god father I’m going to give her a good present and let him off with the rest of money he owes me-as long as he uses it to get her a present.
2.  Stop lending books. That is going to be very easy, BUT I am yet to get 2 books I lent to a cousin last summer-but then I have not seen him in a while to ask for them back.
3. Big holiday other than my usual ICS trip.Welllll to be honest I really like the ICS trips so I might do a special holiday AS WELL as one of these,as there is a chance of a possible reunion with some people this year. I am considering America or a cruise. The cruise would be good craic as the grumpy cynic in me would have field day here complaining.
4.  Learn how to use photo shop properly.Wellll I have discovered a one day course that could help me here-and will be signing up next week when that savings thing matures AND there is also a landscape one in which I can learn some exposure tricks-so looks like I’ve done ok with that one.
5. Relearn the computer stuff I did at the night classes –ummm still a non starter.
6. Find my smile again-I am trying, so here’s hoping
7. Sort out all the free cds and record the good stuff. Wellll  I’ve listened to 3 or 4 of them so far. But to be honest not sure if they are worth recording. Then I will start on those free cds I got with some camera mags.
8. Be good at my job-I AM trying. And I am cutting down on my sneaks at internet at work and try to just use it on breaks.I have warned everyone to expect stupid questions from me too-so I think I’m doing ok here too.

Spoil myself a bit more.Well as you know the savings thing matures at end of this week and I have  made a list of things I want

    A new hiking boots

     B new gaiters

     C  Tripod

      D Holiday abroad

     E   money for the 2 nieces

    F    new cycling glasses

     G  a personal radio

     H new headphones (may be)

     I   a cheap suit (or 2)

     J   suggestions welcome

But as I said, knowing me I’ll probably find an excuse not to do this. I think the cruise would be an experience. But to be honest I’m not sure if I would enjoy it. A trip to the states is very tempting I must admit. One or two of those things I would probably be getting anyway-so maybe they don’t count as treats. ANY WAY I AM going to try to enjoy as much of this money as I can-no doubt the sensible side of me will find some serious use for it.When I started it 15 years ago my aim was to go on a splurge.It’s worked out at about £4000-so we’ll see.

As for the other new year’s stuff-stay tuned

another facebook blog

I am intrigued by  the many view points about the mighty Facebook. And reasons people have for NOT going on to it.

Me? I think it is handy, but at the end of the day-I think I could manage without it.

I have often wondered if Mr Zuckerthingy started charging a membership fee how many people would still use , it. I suppose if he just charged $1 or £1 a year he would still make some money..

I must admit it was via FB I got in touch with a couple of people I lost touch with.

And through one of them I “met” someone who is most entertaining, and is actually keeping me on the blasted thing

But if seems to rule people’s lives. People use it to communicate instead of emails.They even announce where there are-“jack is currently in Debenhams” and it shows a map of which branch he is in. I half expect to see “Jack is in the 3^rd cubicle from the left in the toilets in the Foyle Side”

I hear a few stories of people hacking into FB members accounts and doing nasty things –but then this can happen anywhere.

I don’t see the point in putting on people you see everyday in real life as friends as I would far rather have real conversations, be it on the phone or face to face.

On the other hand I like it when someone makes a comment and other people respond to it-be it serious or funny.

Someone in my rambling club requested me as a friend. On his info page he had 2000, yes 2 thousand friends. I was curious about this and he explained that he was playing a game and to get help on it you had to take people on as friends. Not for me.

Like I said it IS a nice way to keep in touch with people far away-I did get in touch with 2 people –well 3 –but one of them has Spanish as a first language-she lives in Miami or somewhere-and despite her being serious eye candy I just could not understand her comments. Another one was always putting up notices to join clubs like “click like to save little doggies called Brian being kept outside the house.”

There are some people I would like to see on FB as I know I would like their humour.

But it’s the way it seems to take over peoples lives that gets me. And Oh! I recently “liked “ a page for a tv show that I like. One of the comments about something I asked was in Spanish-I ticked the box to translate it and it was one of those chain things that said if I did not repost and get more than 25 likes, and if I deleted it I would die painfully that night. Hmmmm.

In saying that and digressing –via facebook I found out about a record fair in Derry in 3 weeks time and some interesting things about a cycling magazine I like. So it’s not all bad.But Jack I don’t really need to know your every movement. And my brother’s girlfriend recently had a baby-I was emailing my other brother her name and he said that he already knew as she had it on her facebook page-not long after the birth.

To conclude when used right Face Book can be good fun. But it can take over your life.

Now Twitter is another thing.When I started that I seemed to see a plethora of comments on what people where eating.But discovered that following famous people is much more fun. Even following road traffic reports is good fun too.

That’s it.

happy new whatever..i suppose

Happy new year and all that sort of stuff. Can’t see what all the fuss is about. The world is suppose end this year too-if you believe/understand what you read, I can safely predict that it will end on 12^th December 2012-well it has too with a date like 12/12/12 and  if doesn’t well then we’re safe for another 10 odd years when it will end on 22^nd February 2022.....maybe

A recent Dilbert cartoon I saw (which is probably 2 or 3 years old by now) summed up the whole new year thing for me in this line “I don’t celebrate the magical thinking that says one point in the space-time continuum is somehow special”

And the whole new year’s resolutions baffles me too-why change/stop habits that have been bringing you pleasure for who knows how many years just because it’s January 1^st?

Any way new years resolutions never seem to last more than a couple of months any way. And besides Des McDonald said “every day is a fresh start. No matter what happened the day before ,approach today with a clean slate”

Now this brings me on to Lent. Lent is a catholic thing( although I do know one non catholic who does it). Lent is good way of giving the failed resolutions another go. Despite being agnostic, I take lent very seriously (kind of) I can go off something and stick to it for the 6 weeks. Once I went off sweets and managed to stay off them for 4 years. One year I gave up meat-but in the 2^nd week I was having nightmares. I remember one in which a very sexy French actress came up to me with a plate that had a juicy steak on it-she told me I had the choice of the steak or her-yep I choose the steak. Never realized how much I liked my meat. A very catholic woman I work suggested that instead of giving something up I should go to mass every morning during the 6 week period-yeah,no fun in that.And i got i very stern glare when i asked her if there was any totty out at mass at that time.

Fifteen and twenty five years ago I took out 2 savings plans the 15 year one matures at end of this month and the 25 year one matures in June. The 25 year one I must be sensible with. But the 15 year one I am going to use most of it to spoil myself-to maybe a big holiday abroad. But knowing me it’ll just be the usual cycling holiday(s) in Ireland-and be sensible with more than I intended. Suggestions most welcome. I have thought of a cruise-but I would spend most of time criticizing the entertainment and rip off excursions-to be honest I would be in my element there

So here’s my new year’s resolutions-most of which I’ll not keep

1 Stop lending money to family members (no chance of keeping this one)

2 Stop lending books that I want back (pretty good chance here)

3 Treat myself to a big holiday-a change from ICS (very slim chance)-ideas welcome

4 Learn how to use photoshop properly (no chance –been saying this since elements 7)

5 relearn the computer stuff I learnt on that course I did 2 years ago (ha ha)

6 find my smile again(no chance tried this last year-did not last long)

7 go through all the free cds and record all the good stuff and dump rest(too much like hard work)

8 try to be good at my job (now THAT I am going to make an effort at)

9 Spoil my self more(will no doubt find reasons not to)

10  Swear blind I never made this list (most definitely)

11 try to inject more humour in these blogs

Incidentally Des McDonald is a chef-just thought what he said made a bit of sense 

suggestions for the big holiday still most welcome