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 welcome to erixlife - blog - January 2009...share Eric's story in words and pictures |
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 Friday 30 January 2009  volunteering
I am not fixed up yet - the elderly charity has let me down, by simply not communicating! They were late writing to two referees, and I still have not heard whether they were satisfactory replies (to the charity). My CRB application was OK, but I only know because I received a copy - direct! There was a phone call, and a meeting I couldn't attend, but I don't think they care, or don't like me. Its shabby the way I have been treated, but then perhaps I let myself be treated shabbily, as maybe I didn't really want to volunteer for them? Other contacts have been established, and I am making arrangements for meetings etc. Volunteers are hard to get, and should be treated better. The people at the Volunteer Bureau nearby are aware of the situation, but cannot seem to get the message across to the charities. They behave like amateurs. Volunteers are neither cheap labour or "ornaments" to stand around. It maybe a fine balance, but there are lots of people in lots of organisations who need to smarten up. Certainly a volunteer is unpaid labour, but they are in a special position - I have been there and had so many bad experiences. However I will plod on a bit longer, and hope to get started with something in February.  squirrel breakfast Feeding time for this squirrel outside my window - but stealing the bird seed from the window feeder... Great fun to watch.  bomomo
You too can create the most amazing abstract images - this is one I did earlier... Try it for yourself at bomomo - just use your mouse!  when God was a boy...
I heard this expression over the weekend, spoken by a journalist who was reviewing some daily newspaper items during a news type TV programme. Of course meaning "a long time ago" it is even more trendy than my often used saying "a hundred years ago..." Another is "in the dark ages...". Trying to imagine God is difficult enough, but imagining him as a boy is just impossible. That of course defies the idea of eternity, which we humans cannot comprehend. There could be a gender issue as well - perhaps feminists (or whatever they call themselves nowadays) might suggest that God was a woman. God could be black or gay even! God forbid, I hear you say. I am sure because we are humanising the concept of deity, that we are all wrong. "God" in whatever form you believe must be the supreme being, not perhaps in one place (Heaven?) but everywhere - in us all, and in everything living including plants and animals? Many people will say they acknowledge a supreme being, if only to explain our creation, but also to give our lives a purpose, and an "ending". Most of us are afraid of death because it is an unknown experience, yet of course it is inevitable, and unpredictable - I may not even finish typing this! Is this why we are told to live for each moment, and treat each day as if it was our last - good advice I would say. In my quest for a spiritual path, I have questioned so many ideas and beliefs, tried different religions and even started my own church, but in the end I have reached full circle, and now I realise that the journey is more important than the destination... God Bless.  funeral suit
I had to travel to Sussex on Friday to say my farewell to an old gentleman who had been my mentor for many years. It was well attended by family and friends - many of whom I knew. I stayed for the obligatory "tea" in the pub opposite the 14th century church. An idyllic English country village setting. With my new overcoat I knew I would be warm, but I only realised in the morning, that I had outgrown my one and only suit. The jacket was taught between the shoulder blades, and the middle button was uncomfortable to fasten. The trousers were impossible to fasten at the waist, and the zip would only come up half way. I had to find a belt to hold it all together, do the jacket up, and breath in. If I undid the jacket my underpants would show through the gap at the waist! In the end I did the overcoat up to cover everything up, and marched off. All went well on the journey, when I could sit and cover "the gap" with my folded overcoat. In the church, the same, as luckily it was quite cold inside, but when it came to the reception because of the central heating I just had to remove my overcoat. I daren't let go of it, so struggled with the coat, the glass of wine, and a plate with sandwiches - I could hold them all, but could not actually consume anything! As well as all that, the top button of the only suitable shirt was too tight to fasten, so I made the knot of the tie enormous to disguise the fact. Well, needless to say the suit has been donated to a charity shop - I can wear that shirt again, so long as I keep the collar undone. Now without a suit I am unable to attend any more funerals, so please bear that in mind... still Paris Spectacular video taken from the first level of the Eiffel Tower - looking in all directions. Marvel at this most beautiful city laid out below you... Funiculaire Travel on the funicular railway up the steep hill to Sacre Coeur in Montmartre (Paris). Your Paris Visite travel card includes this ride, and of course it is much easier than walking (which I have done on a previous visit). Marvel at the silent technology, and be rewarded with the close up sight of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart (you must go inside), and the views across Paris, but the Eiffel Tower is more to the right, so you have to walk a little in that direction to see it. Enjoy, and this is one of THE places to visit before you die (on my list) ! Disney characters Express Not the full daily Parade, but an occasional "special". Filmed from both sides, this shows many of the cast members (and some trainees?) at their best. strobe lights on Eiffel Tower A stunning view of the Eiffel Tower at night this New Year, with the very bright twinkling strobe lights - available for just five minutes every hour. A magical experience, and visible for miles. In fact it possibly looks better from afar, but just close one can "feel" the stunning effect of this visual phenomenon. The Eiffel Tower has its illumination changed from time to time, and this is one of the best. candleabration Disneyland again - the nightly spectacular of song and dance (with Disney characters) plus son et lumiere at the Sleeping Beauty Castle. Rather brief because I was struggling with the digital still camera as well as the cold! But, still a very memorable event, which even I could watch over and over again. When I go away next time, I will have researched night vision techniques for my cameras. I could do better, I think. Enjoy anyway...  Eiffel Tower
The greatest icon of historic Paris, recognised by people around the world, and therefore a tourist mecca for residents and visitors. My pic shows the grandeur and magnificence of the structure. Not only is it a thing of beauty, but an engineering masterpiece. We were mesmerised by its presence, and I travelled to the first level, and he to the second. I am not good with heights, so that was enough for me. Paris feels a bit like a second home as our nearest foreign capital city. I've been before by train and coach, and speak a little French, so feel comfortable there. Travel on the Metro is easy, and I find French people friendly enough - also they all seem to have a good command of the English language! I wish I had spent another day here, but with the exchange rate as it is, everything is very expensive. He wanted to spend the maximum amount of time on the Park, trying as many rides and attractions as possible. There were all the Disney characters for him to meet, so I dutifully photographed while he posed. Now I am back, I am trying to deal with around 200 still photos, and hours of video footage, BUT there is some problem with the camcorder, and as yet I am unable to download - This could be a disaster... Let's see what happens!  Disneyland, Paris
My photo captures the magic of this place. To start, I was fairly cynical about this trip with my friend, but on the first afternoon, even before we had checked into the massive 1000 bed Santa Fe hotel, we stumbled upon our first Parade. Well, it was just so amazing. I am not familiar with most of the Disney characters, but with the music, floats and cast members... as the last one passed, I cried with pure emotion! Our busy few days (in icy cold weather) flew by, and included a day of reality in beautiful Paris - more over the next few blogs/days. my new overcoat I am modelling the new winter overcoat for this video. It is so long overdue. At the end of last week in desperation I bought one from Marks and Spencer, but quickly realised I didn't like the style or fit. I returned it for a refund, and checked the window of an independent menswear shop. They had a great collection of styles, and I easily found one that fitted well, and at a reasonable price - only a little more than M&S, and something I really wanted. So now, for the first time I can go out and feel warm. If I feels OK this weather, then it should comfort me for many "normal" winters. To my amazement, I discovered than a refund to a debit card is not immediate - it IS when you purchase something. but, do you realise that although it comes off your account straight away, the supplier does not receive payment for 3 working days. And so it is with refunds to a card - the bank again keep the money to benefit themselves! Incredible, and to think we (as tax payers) either own them or have a big stake in them. No doubt the greedy bank chiefs are still receiving their mega cash bonuses? Now, I am saying "au revoir" - the full significance of this will be revealed in my next blog... but you'll have to wait until the weekend.  quantitative easing
I had to write this down (and check the spelling) when I first heard this expression on the tv news yesterday morning. Basically it means printing money! A dangerous thought - and the potential cause of massive inflation, experienced in Nazi Germany and Zimbabwe. I understand the Japanese did it in the year 2000, but it failed to stop financial deflation. It is a delicate balance, best left to natural causes to determine. The global financial crisis has spawned many new words hasn't it. Most common of all "credit crunch" and now the latest "... easing". Also zero interest and negative equity. It seems to me than printing money will cause many more problems. In the long term, the borrowing by Government (who do they borrow it from?) will surely mean an enormous debt that future generations will still be paying off until the end of this century? Will that prolong the credit crunch. Are we storing up more problems than we can cope with. Is it right for Government to subsidise banking and automotive industries? So many questions. When I had my business, and the bank wanted their money back, I had no one to turn to, and it caused my financial ruin. I am sure that small business in this country needs as much help as High Street names. The High Streets seem full of empty shops already. It is frightening. We grew up with Woolworths and now they have gone. It is so sad... nail cutting for men Here is my video with expert tips and demo for easy and effective finger nail clipping. Hope you enjoy... ice melting See ice melting with time compression - 7.5 hours down to 2.5 minutes. A fascinating look at one of the wonders of nature at work. A chunk of ice from the garden bird drinking bowl is allowed to melt naturally indoors, and every half hour I video a 5 second sequence. Amazing ... well it seemed like a good idea at the start! ironing board cover An interesting Christmas present - but how much fun can an ironing board cover be? Watch and see, as all is "revealed". This is harmless adult entertainment. Do not be offended - its just an ironing board cover !!! tumble dryer See my tumble dryer in action - marvel at the clockwise, then counter clockwise movement...  no resolutions
After much agonising, I have decided NOT to make any new year resolutions. I've done a lot of research into the matter, and whilst I support that it is generally a good idea, the failure rate is too high for me to bear... and I've been there before (so many times). The time to change is "anytime" I have decided. This is just not the right time for a decision of that magnitude. rather like the excellent slogan "A dog is not just for Christmas..." Its too emotional a time, and I suspect many decisions are made under the influence of alcohol. The old favourites, like drinking, smoking and debt don't really apply. Getting fit, losing weight or eating less is something I could attempt. I am continually learning, spend as much time as possible with friends and I am already organised (having de-cluttered more times than I can remember), so all that's left is helping others, and that is already in hand with my volunteering plans... So there we are, I've talked myself out of it - No new year resolutions (this year). |
 every completed monthly blog page, has a linked alphabetical index of entries - by title this month April 2009 (1) March 2009 (26) February 2009 (22) December 2008 (9) November 2008 (10) October 2008 (12) September 2008 (12) August 2008 (31) July 2008 (20) June 2008 (17) May 2008 (16) April 2008 (19) March 2008 (28) February 2008 (29) January 2008 (33) December 2007 (48) November 2007 (28) archived from Blogger (41) see me here... please link to erixlife <!--start erixlife link--> <a href="http://www.erixlife.net/blog.html"><img src="http://www.erixlife.net/erixlife-blog80x15.gif" border="0" height="15" width="80" alt="erixlife - blog - pictures and more"></a> <!--end-->  see whose linked INDEX OF ENTRIES (21) January 2009 alphabetical order boiling point bomomo candleabration Disney characters Express Disneyland, Paris Eiffel Tower funeral suit Funiculaire ice melting ironing board cover my new overcoat nail cutting for men no resolutions Paris photos added quantitative easing squirrel breakfast still Paris strobe lights on Eiffel Tower tumble dryer volunteering when God was a boy... |
