A short rant on something that is bugging me

It never rains but it pours - not one post from me in weeks and now 2 in less than 2 hours.

Anyhow this one I am afraid is not going to contain references to cool stuff or happy things or anything good. To be honest it is going to be a bit of a rant.

When I set up this blog I did not bother putting any controls on who could post and whether their posts needed to be authorised. You see I was of the belief that ths site was going to be my forum for saying what I thought about stuff in general - but also it would be a forum for people to respond to my musings. I thought - and yes in hind sight it was naive - they people would be respectful enough to behave in a relaxed way and would be free to express their opinions.

About one week from starting the blog I noticed that there were comment - Yes someone had read something that I had written and they were provoked into responding - So I logged in and had a look only to find that it was spam. Yep spam from some naff on-line site had spam commented on my site. I was annoyed, but hey stuff happens - what you going to do. On one hand it was quite nice - you know someone had found this site but on the other hand - man why could it not have been something cool. So I set up controls - I now have to authorise posts when they come in and say that they are fine to be posted on the site. This is not really a problem but today I was annoyed because when I logged into my mail I had a number of comments waiting for authorisation - all of which were spam. You know what they are not going to get on the site - I have deleted them but it has bugged me.

Spamming is a pain and would seem to be one of the downsides to using the net but you know what - on sheer principle I would not use of purchase anything from a site that came via spam. Quite frankly Mr Spammer - you and your company can bog off (for want of a better phrase) I don’t like you or want anything from you or your company.

To anyone who does post - I am sorry - I will authorise your posts as soon as I can and I am sorry it is necessary but there you go.

Happy Easter

Well it does not seem to be any more than a few weeks since Christmas but now we are looking Easter in the face and it is already good Friday. This year we have decided that easter eggs are not on the agenda for us. There is no particular reason for not going for them - other than the fact that we have no need to have yet more chocolate and sweets (especially when they come at inflated prices).

I like seeing the eggs that are on the shelves wrapped in the nice shiny paper but over the years these things have become less special especially when they are going on the shelves earlier and earlier. For me this makes them less special than they once were. There is no excitement about looking for them and choosing one - not when there are so many of them - and they are there from just after Christmas.

Anyway on to things that are more pleasurable. Last weekend we were down South at a wedding for one of my best friends. Clare and Brian finally did the deed and became husband and wife. It was a really nice day and they looked really good - just now they are probably dog sledding in Lapland. It is strange to think that 3 years ago I was planning out the last bit of my wedding and did not realise what a rollercoaster time was coming up - (what with loosing jobs, cancelling buying houses, getting new jobs and buying houses). The wedding was one of the happiest days of my life - and I hope Roberts as well. To be honest a lot of the day was a blur for me what with the planning and making sure that everything was ok. I guess that is because really weddings are for everyone other than the people that are actually doing the deed. Anyway Harry and Brian - we wish you all the best for the future and hope that you will be as happy as we are.

Cool stuff has been a little on the low side in the past wee while but I have been having a ponder to see if there is anything that I can list here. In terms of music I would have to say that we do have one new cool album - The Who - The Ultimate Collection. It is a really good double CD that has a good range of the music (and if nothing else you can recognise the CSI theme tunes for the various shows) and would recommend it to anyone who likes some of the older music. Also you may be surprised that there is the original Behind Blue eyes track that has been covered more recently by Limp Bizkit. Anyway it is worth a listen.

One other thing that we have been watching over the past few months is UFC - The Ultimate Fighting Championship - is basically a mixed martial arts competition. If you are a fan or competitive Martial Arts then I would recommend it. Don’t for one moment think that that UFC is another entertainment based show in the same vane as Professional Wrestling - it is not. Yes these guys and pro wrestlers are both very fit athletes and they fight in a controlled environment – but that is where the resemblance ends. UFC is - as they are so fond of saying - the real deal. These guys who take part are experts in one or more marital arts, and when the step into the octagon they are there to compete until there is only one man standing. I know it sounds uncontrollably violent - but it is not. Yes these guys really are hitting each other - there are no choreographed routines, what happens happens - but there are top referees and doctors on site and the fighters know what they are getting into.

If you are interested then check out this site: http://www.ufc.tv/

Anyhow I am off to surf the web for a wee while and of course to have a cup of tea – you really cannot beat tea you know

Cool Sites

I forgot to mention in my earlier post that there are a couple of sites - some new and some old that I think are cool

If you like strange wee cartoons and fuuny little things then this is the site for you - personally I like scampi (the cartoon and not the food - though that is also good) and really one of the best cartoons is the badger stuff - it always makes me smile.

http://www.weebls-stuff.com/toons/

Another kind of oool thing is the site below which allows you to set up online pages for peope to donate to whatever charity you are choosing to support. It is a great idea and a great way to make supporting charities easier. Worth a look I think

http://www.justgiving.com/default.asp?country=uk&did=1

Cool Stuff

So it has been a while since I got round to posting anything. It has been a really busy time at work and at home so I have not really had a chance to get round to thinking about anything to write.

So now I have had a ponder I have decided that it is time to write. So I have had a ponder and decided today that I would write about some cool stuff. Not cool as in fashionable - just cool because I think that they are kind of cool.

So my first cool thing is the book that I am reading - The Da Vinci Code - by Dan Brown. I know that there has been a lot of press and raving about the book but I am really enjoying it. It is a good old fashioned mystery novel as far as I am concerned and I am really enjoying it. The topics covered will be quite emotive to some people depending on what offends you but if you come with an open mind then you will, I think, most likely enjoy it. I think one of the things that has made this book far more enjoyable for me if that I have 2 copies of it. One is a standard paperback copy of the novel and the other is an illustrated edition. This means that when ever the novel talks about a piece of art or a location or object you can go to the other book and see exactly what is being discussed. For me this is a big plus and I would recommend it to anyone.

Ok so other cool things - at the moment I am really enjoying the Soundtrack from Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. Apart from the fact that it is one of my favourite films (Kevin Smiths Films rock!) the sound track is great - it really does make me chuckle when you listen to some of the film excerpts followed by some great tracks - I guarantee it will make you smile.

Anyhow that is some cool stuff for today and now I need a cup of tea

Thoughts on Valentines Day

Well today is Valentines Day - Saint Valentine - Patron Saint of Lovers so to one and all a Happy Valentines Day.

It has to be said that in our house we do not really celebrate Valentines Day. This year we have gone for not giving gifts and have chosen a simple card for each other. We made this choice for a number of reasons and it is not really a new decision, just one that we have crystallised again this year.

For one thing we own a lot of 'stuff'. You know what I mean - wee knick knacks and things that we have given each other over the years and now they are starting to build up - which is not a bad thing - but still we do not really need any more to add to it just now.

Second of all - We have just had Christmas and this year was one of the first where we could afford to buy a little better than we have up to now. When I was thinking about getting a gift for Rob I could not think of anything that he would actually want (Other than the Ferrari or Dodge Charger that he likes to talk about). Having all these things and looking at them - in good conscience we could not spend yet more money on more things.

Thirdly I kind of feel uncomfortable with the idea that this is a special day to let someone you care about know how you feel. I am not uncomfortable with the sentiment but rather with the idea that you can only openly express that one day of the year. Now I know that this is not the original intent of Valentines Day but to me that seems to be what it is turning into. There is nothing better for me than waking up next to Robert and being able to say morning and I love you.

I guess one other thing that I feel about Valentines Day is that we should remember that today is pretty hard for those that have not been blessed with finding their soul mates yet. To those people seeing the cards and the fuss that goes on it really cannot be easy. To see others having a fuss made of them, knowing that when they go home they will be alone - it cannot be easy. This is not meant to sound patronising though I guess that it does. I can well remember Valentines Day and getting nothing - it did not really bother me but there are those that I know it does and maybe we should think a bit more about them - rather than ourselves.

Anyway - enough of this. In terms of good things, and following on from the recommendation in the last blog entry, today I listened to the Hitchhikers guide while I was at work. This is the original radio plays as well as the new set of plays. I have just finished the primary and secondary phases and am starting on the tertiary phases. For those of you that have ever wondered where mattresses come from - you should give this a go - you will find it hilarious

Anyway I am off to drink my cup of warm sweet spiced chai tea and relax before starting another day.