Archive for May, 2008 Page 2 of 2



Guest Post Tuesday: Greg

Greg is was my first.

His was the first blog I ever read, the first friend I made over the internet, and the first man who has ever made me tingle in my special place. OK, maybe not the last one.

But while he might not have the power to stir my loins, it would be pretty fair to say that I love this guy. I’m not someone who has classifies people as “best friends”; but if I did Greg would be one of them. The only other contenders would be people I’ve known for over fifteen years. We just click somehow.

Of course he sends me presents in the mail too. That always helps.

So anyway here he is, my partner in chive, Mr Greg Lee.

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Posting on another man’s blog is a lot like wandering through his house, finding a group of photos he has displayed on the mantle and then tucking your own image into one of the frames.
 
In this case, I’m placing a photo of me that my wife took at the waterpark last year. I think I’ll put it right in front of Dan’s grandma.
 
There.
 
That looks good.
 
Now, here you are in Dan’s house and you’re looking at my picture. You’re wondering if I’m some half-naked, brained-damaged, relative who Dan and Kerry seem to like a little more than grandma. I am not related. I’m a friend from the Internet. And as creeped out as you may be by me in my swimming trunks you don’t seem to be able to look away. So if I really do have your attention then I want to talk about sandwiches.

Right now I have a favorite sandwich. It’s a toasted piece of 12-grain bread smeared with cream cheese that I top off with two big slices of tomato. Sometimes I put salt and pepper on the tomatoes sometimes I don’t. Either way I’ve always enjoyed this sandwich. What’s more, I’ve kind of felt as if it’s a healthier alternative to the meat packed, cheese layered, condiment drenched wad of food that I usually stuff into my lunch box.

I got the idea for this sandwich from the movie “Down and Out in Beverly Hills”. There’s a scene with Richard Dreyfus and Nick Nolte where they’re bonding over lox and bagels with onion, cream cheese and tomatoes. It sounded great (except for the lox). Unfortunately I never seem to have bagels in the house and I’m not slicing and crying over an entire onion for just one sandwich.

Bread. Cream cheese. Tomato.

Is that really a sandwich? After all, there’s only one piece of bread involved. I might be better off calling it a big ass hors d’oeuvre. But the answer to that questions isn’t what I’m after here. What I’m hoping to gain from writing something on Dan’s blog is more sandwich ideas.

I’m sure I should say something about what Dan and his family mean to me and mine - the impact and significance of his friendship and. . . really I just want something different for lunch tomorrow that’s relatively healthy and Marmite free. I was hoping you could help me out.

Leavin’ on a jet plane

Over on her blog Miss Britt recently talked about how she sometimes feels jealous of friends with less commitments than her. That, on her very worst days, she feels a resentment towards her husband and children for denying her the life she could lead without the tether of her love for them.

Britt is an incredibly honest blogger. She puts things out there which many of us leave tucked up nice and safe in our closets, sometimes hidden even from ourselves. And she does so with humor, passion, and intelligence. If you aren’t already a regular reader then I advise you to get over there and join her legion of fans.

I must admit it isn’t very often I read one of Britt’s posts without at least a tiny part of me raising it’s hand and shouting out “Me too!”. But while I understand and empathize with where she is coming from, I can honestly say that I’ve ever felt that my wife and children hold me back from a life I would like to lead.

This is it for me. This is what I want. Sure, I could do with working less and earning more. Have a bigger house, a faster computer, a complete collection of Star Wars figures. But I know that at the end of the day those things don’t really matter. Kerry, Amy and Evan, that’s all I need. These are the best days of my life, and I recognize it.

But Kerry and the kids have left me. Oh, they will be coming back. They’ve just gone over to Spain to visit Kerry’s aunt. I would have gone too but I can’t afford the annual leave at the moment. I’ll spare you the exact details but I’m currently using all my holiday entitlement in a elaborately complicated shift pattern that allows me to look after the kids Mondays and Wednesdays but still have every second weekend off to spend with Kerry.

My family have been gone for exactly ten hours now and I miss them all terribly. I went out for a quick pint with Neil and Dave this evening and despite all the gags about me being a free agent again (Apparently marriage vows are only applicable if your spouse is still within British airspace) my mind kept wandering back to them. Ever since the trip was arranged I’ve had a leaden feeling in my stomach every time I think of it. What if something happens to them. What if something goes wrong with the plane on the way there? What if the plane crashes?

And then the raw truth of the matter. The very root of my inquietude - What if the plane crashes and I’m not on it with them?

I know, I know. Everything will be fine. I’ll enjoy my time home alone. I’ll watch UK Gold and eat crap, read in bed and get up late, potter in the garden and go for long walks without feeling guilty that I’m neglecting them. But I’ll also be marking the hours until they all get back and the house springs to life again.

One hundred and twenty two hours and counting.

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In July of this year I shall be walking 78 miles in 6 days in aid of the Joseph Salmon Trust, a charity founded by my close friends in memorial to their son Joseph who died aged 3 in April of 2005. Please look here for further details and consider sponsoring me. Thank you.

Three men contemplate a dying fish

fish

We walked thirteen miles today up and down the canal from Huddersfield to Marsden and back again. Thirteen miles! And it was extremely hot - around 23°C (that’s 74°F for people who can’t understand proper temperatures yet). I was sweating so much I would have been drier if it had been raining.

But as well as seeing a dying fish we saw a leech, a horsedrawn canal barge, and recieved an informative lecture on fresh water clams from a man in a red neckerchief. And to top it all we had a rather pleasant day too.

What’s more I’m starting to have more faith that I’m going to manage the Dales Walk after all. Sure I’ve a few aches and pains, and undoubtedly these will be even more prominent tomorrow. But the thirteen miles went pretty quickly and at no point did I feel like I was struggling.

Mind you, I’ve got vague ideas about climbing Mount Snowdon at some point this week, so I am prepared to have all my illusions about my hiking prowess cruelly shattered.

Fame at last

Photo 91

The Huddersfield Daily Examiner printed a story about our walk yesterday. They even published the photo (although they had to crop round my head as it was too big for the page).

It was interesting to see what they used out of the press release I wrote and what they didn’t. They missed out the list of people who are coming, which was a shame, but I suppose space was limited. We took up three quarters of a page as it was.

Still it’s all good publicity, both for the walk and the charity as a whole. I sent the press release off to a couple of other papers too so we’ll see if anything comes of those.

A lessening of pace

It’s just over two months now until the Dales Walk and I’m kicking things up a notch in both my fundraising and my training. I’m aiming to get out and walk at least three or four miles every single day from now until we set off, which is going to eat into my free time quite significantly. As a result I’m probably not going to be around as much both here and on your own blogs. But don’t cry for me Blogosphere , the truth is I never left you. All through my wild days, my mad existence, I kept my promise. Don’t keep your distance.

God I hate that song.

I’m still going to throw a couple of posts out a week though. In fact you probably won’t notice any difference. And all you buggers who have promised me a guest post still have to do them too. Don’t think you can weasel out of it that easily.

Saturday Review: Iron Man

Kerry and I went to see Iron Man at the cinema this evening. I knew I was in for a good time when even the trailers made me wet myself with anticipation. I mean The Hulk, Dark Knight, and a new Indiana Jones film? Bugger renaissance Italy, the pinnacle of high culture is right here and now baby. It’s good to be in 2008 and a geek.

Lee over at Quit Your Day Job has been jabbering on about the Iron Man movie for around twenty to thirty years now, and I must admit I’ve been slightly cynical. Ever since the travesty that was Phantom Menace I’ve had a hard time getting worked up over the pre release hype.

But I was wrong to doubt Lee’s enthusiasm, and I’m man enough to admit it. That film was bloody brilliant. I’ve never really followed Iron Man (or any marvel comics), and so don’t know if the character stayed true to his roots. But old shell head has just shot up into 5th position in my top ten superheros based purely on Robert Downey Jr’s excelent portrayal (Displacing Gnort into 6th place Lee will be shocked to hear). I thought Jeff Bridges was fantastic too. The CGI was great, the plot was great, the action was great, the directing was great.

Go see it. It’s great.

Possibly the reason my keyboard is currently covered in paint

Photo 79

Guest Post Thursday: Me

I’m not here today, I’m guest posting over at Rattling the Kettle where I am rattling my charity tin.

On the subject of the charity, I found this video entitled The Dales Walk in 60 seconds the other day. If only it were that easy.