Reviewing the resolutions

Last year I wrote some resolutions down for this year, and posted them online.

I'm pleasantly surprised with what I managed to do.

1. Have a clearout and stop buying stuff I don't need. - The clearout has been ongoing (and still is).  So yeah.  As for not buying stuff, I think I've bought very little this year.  

2. Run again. For fun - Yes, I did manage this.  I've been running at least twice a week, and did a 5k and a 10k to gauge how I was coming along, and was pleasantly surprised with the results.  Still managing to not re-join a club, so I'm managing to keep it a pleasurable activity, and not get obsessive like I was in the past.

3. Go climbing again. - I've bouldered a few times.  We have a small wall at work now, so I've just used that the odd lunchtime.  Found that while it's pretty fun, it was obviously the company of the people I climbed with that I enjoyed more than the challenge of climbing itself.

4. Stop buying overpriced coffee.  Buy good coffee and make it myself - Managed this one easily.

5. Cycle to work as often as the weather allows. - Done it in spades.  The weather hasn't even been an issue unless there's a really strong wind.  The only day I haven't been cycling is a Tuesday, when I have karate after work, and I run the 5 1/2 miles to work instead.

6. Do another munro - Now I didn't do a munro, but I did do a fair few smaller hills, so I'm sort of claiming that one.....sort of.

So overall, I managed to pretty much nail my resolutions.  Now I need to (a) keep it up, and (b) come up with more for next year.

Avoiding getting lardy over winter

The weather lately hasn't been great for using the bike to commute to work.  The rain isn't an issue - someone went and invented waterproofs to deal with that - it's the wind.  Gusts threatening to blow you under a bus, or a headwind where you basically are peddling to stay still, are not much fun, so with one eye on the weather forecasts, the cycling has been reigned in a fair bit.

I've not managed to get out running much either.  My excuse being that when I get up in the morning, Pollok park is pitch black.  Same when I get home from work.  I've now got a wee headtorch that I actually bought as a second light when cycling through the park, but it can double up for running as well.

With the ever looming threat of becoming a couch potato again, I re-joined the gym, which being in my work, is really handy.  Oh, and I get a decent discount for being staff.  So while running on the treadmill isn't my location of choice, it's better than nothing.  The fact I have a locker in the gym and always keep some running gear in it, means I can get in a wee run up at Sighthill Park, or along the canal to Firhill at lunchtimes, if the weather is ok.

I spoke to one of the fitness instructors about getting a programme made up, and he's come up with three different routines, which is perfect, as I'm planning to go in three times a week. The first in muscles, upper and lower body, which is great, as all my exercise is lower, so I need to do some upper body work.
Next is cardio, so I won't loose out over the winter, and have breathing issues etc when I get out to run properly.
Finally something which will help with karate, a core session.

He's also recommended some classes to compliment the above - insanity, circuits, and spin - which I'll have a look at and give a go.  I also think I'll see if there's a yoga class that fits in with the time I'll have available.

On a roll

So, fixing the tv meant I could take an old crt tv to the recycling plant, along with two old BT Homehubs - that BT claim they can't recycle - so that's cleared a bit of space, especially in the spare room when the tv I fixed had been taking up floor space.

Next to get a going over was my books.  I basically had a quick look and on first glance, books I knew I wouldn't read again went in a bag.  This included a wee pile of Ken MacLeod and Iain M Banks.  I have kept a couple of books by both, as they're signed.  The rest now have a new home with a friend, who also got some Alistair Reynolds.

I've since decided that the China Mieville books can go as well, except for the one he signed and dedicated for me when I met him at a convention in London.  The rest WILL be replaced, but on the Kindle.

Clive Barker took a pounding as well.  All my Barker books (again apart from one signed one) are now in a bag and waiting to go to the charity shop.  Again, these may be replaced at some point by Kindle versions.

Initially, getting rid of books was hard.  I'm a hoarder, and I love the look of a shelf full of books, but seriously, keeping them for the sake of having them, when I know I probably will never read them again, is just plain daft.  The best thing to do is pass them on and let others get the pleasure from them that I got.

Broken broadband and knackered tv's

A while back our Samsung tv started switching itself off and on when you initially switched it on.  Gradually the problem got worse.  From a few seconds of on/off/on/off to minutes, before finally staying off.  So, my wife went out and got us a new (non-Samsung) tv.

We hadn't got rid of the old one yet, as we weren't going near the recycling plant, which was fortunate, as a friend told us they had had the same problem, as had a lot of people, and help was online.
One Google search later, and it appeared that this was a worldwide issue.  In the States, it appears that the company were offering repairs, but no so in Europe.  Help though was at hand.  On youTube there are literally hundreds of people posting videos of what components need replace (only four capacitors).  Having worked in electronics when I first left school, I'm a dab hand with a soldering iron, so problem components identified, and out they came.  Replacements were ordered, and last night I popped them back in, and RESULT.  The tv is once again working.

Then there's broadband.  Last week I got a new phone.   At home I tried to connect it to the wifi network with no joy, so took it back to the shop, where it connected to their wifi no problem.  I tried the guest network in work, and you guessed it, it connected to that too.
Back home and the laptop seemed to be not connecting either.  So I tried the netbook with the same predictable result. So, I called BT.  Over an hour on the phone, and they told me the hub wasn't faulty, but my laptop.  I asked how they explained  the fact that my phone and netbook weren't connecting either, and apparently they were obviously faulty as well.
This wasn't explaining the fact that the network map showed that my laptop WAS connecting to the hub, but the hun was not connecting to the internet.
I demanded a replacement hub, and they proceeded to tell me how much it would cost.  I pointed out that it was going to be a free replacement, as I was out of contract, and wasn't going to pay for something that I could get free just by simply switching provider.  Suddenly my free replacement was going to be in the post next working day.

I set it up this morning, and surprise surprise, it works.  And yet according to BT it was laptop that was at fault....

The lesson for today is, if you KNOW what the fault is don't be fooled by a someone from a call centre who is reading from a script.

(Not) the new bike

A combination of factors mean there's no new bike for the moment.  The main factors were, (a) there were two bikes I fancied.  Both had exclusive distribution deals with a major chain.  So in I popped.  There were none in stock, the advice was "Decide what one you want.  Order the biggest frame size, and we'll get it in."

Erm.....no.  Would you buy a car without a test drive?

So I went looking again, and found another that I liked, although it wasn't a cyclocross, but a road bike.....decisions......

Back in the major chain for something unrelated, and I got talking to one of the guys, who explained that there was a stock issue with one of the bikes, and the other was so new he hadn't seen it yet, but he could get both bikes in, in my size, so I could compare them and decide if either was for me. (see the difference a decent sales person can make?) So now I have a real dilemma.  Do I still want a cyclocross - and if so, which one - or do I go for the road bike?

If there's one thing worse than no choice, it's too much choice, so I've put the decision on hold until I'm 100% sure what I want.

To put it in perspective, I was initially intending to get a mtb for off-road fun and games, so you'll see why I'm not prepared to rush into things.

As for my current bike?  It just got a free service courtesy of Dr Bike, and is running like a dream.

Cycling

Looks like I may be about to buy another bike.  I blame the invention of the Cycle to Work schemes.
Since I already have a hybrid (a Giant Escape M1), I'm looking at cyclocross bikes.  Speedier commute, and still able to do rough tracks and mud.  It's a win/win.  

Update type thing

With the weather forecasts all saying that this week was going to range from mince, to utter shite, I wimped out and got a weekly pass for the train.  Turns out the only hellish day so far has been Tuesday, because of the wind, so I could have cycled/ran to work.

So today after looking and seeing "intermittent light showers", I opted for the bike.  Made sense, as after work, I'm going straight out to meet up with Karen for a curry, before we both cycle home.  Thing is, it looks as though the "intermittent" showers have chosen now to be intermittent.

Hopefully they'll clear before I have to leave.  If not, hell, that's the reason I bought waterproofs.

Postcard from the revolution

On Sunday there was a rally in George Square.  Labelled "Hope Over Fear", the aim was to have a family friendly day (fairground rides and face painting for the kids) with speakers talking about how to carry on the momentum from the YES campaign, and fight for a better deal for Scotland (ok, ideally everyone attending, still wants independence, and my own opinion is that now the "promises" are being seen to be lies, and the lies told by the Better Together campaign are being shown up for what they are, then it's not a case of IF, but WHEN).

The speeches were interspersed with bands, and the atmosphere was very upbeat.  Figures put the attendance at 6ooo in the square at any one time, with a total of about 10000 people in total, having attended.

Some quarters have made cynical comments about the fact that the whole thing was organised by Tommy Sheridan and his Solidarity party, as Tommy is pretty much persona non grata in certain political circles, but personally I don't think it's an issue.  I'm not one likely to vote for Tommy, although I do think he's a great speaker.  He know's his stuff, and doesn't rely on an autocue or script, like most of the more mainstream politicians.

The square was a sea of saltires, and YES flags.  There were the usual mix of stands, with pretty much every flavour of socialism being represented (apart from Labour, but hey, they haven't been socialist for a long time now), and CND.

The atmosphere was fantastic, and probably the highest profile speaker was Naomi Wolf

The bands were a great mix, with my personal favourite being the Trongate Rum Riots who were superb.  I need to check them out when they're playing again.

So, the genie is out the bottle and it's not going back any time soon.  As I say, it's not IF we get independence, it's a matter of WHEN.

Thoughts on the revolution

So it's been two weeks since Scotland voted to remain the in UK (55-45%), and a week since I got back from holiday.
When I woke up on the 19th and realised what the result was, my initial reaction was a mix of despair and anger.  I wanted out of the country, and fortunately I had a flight that afternoon to Crete.

While on holiday I managed to mull things over, and since I got back I've realised that what probably swung it for the NO side was the success of their campaign of fear, which actually included figures like Danny Alexander coming out with outright lies on live tv debates.  For example, he said that in the event of a YES, Lloyds bank would move their HQ from Scotland to England.  He had no response when it was pointed out to him that their HQ actually WAS based in England.  This was just one example of the many lies told.  Others included "You won't get your pension as you'll be in a foreign country".  Well, just how do ex-pats living in (for example) Spain get their pension then?

Now I'm back, I've calmed down, and I've realised, we lost the battle, not the war.  The various pro-indy groups are still fired up, and the pro-indy political parties have found their memberships swelling.

Watch this space, it's not over yet.

Travels

In case anyone has been living in a cave and totally cut off from civilisation, there's a referendum on independence taking place in Scotland next week.
To be honest I'll be glad when it's all over, and to that end, once I've voted (YES in case you're wondering), I'll be heading off to explore Crete for a week.

Taking the walking boots with me, and a timetable for the local buses, and just getting out and exploring.
Of course, there will be plenty of sampling of the local vino.  It would be rude not to.

First 10k in five years.

On Sunday, I took part in the Paisley 10k.  The first 10k race I've done in 5 years (and only the 2nd race since I started running again).  To say I was nervous was an understatement.

Previously, before a race, I was a bag of nerves, and probably a real pain in the arse to be round.  This time was no different.  Prior to lining up, I was in the square with Karen, stomach a knot of nerves, asking her to remind me why I was doing this.  Her reply - "Because you love it once you get started."
She's right.  Once the race actually starts and I'm under way, the nerves give way, and I really enjoy myself.

For part of the race, I had caught up with a friend Rhona, who runs for Westies, and it was good to run along with someone I knew, until I dropped back a bit, going along the cycle path, back towards the town.  She warned me about a 1/2 mile incline prior to getting back onto the main street, and the finish in the square, so I wanted to make sure I didn't burn out and end up walking part of the route.  I had to prove to myself that I could race 10k again after my long lay-off.
I was happy to find that I did manage to run the whole way, and had enough left in the tank for a pretty decent sprint finish, that brought me in with a time of 52:52.  almost 13 minutes slower than my pb, but there has been a 5 year gap, so I've totally cuffed with my time, and it gives me a benchmark to work from and improve on.

If everything goes right, I'm planning to re-join my old club Bellahouston Road Runners, once I get some more regular longer runs under my belt.

Paisley sunsets

Took another walk up Glennifer Braes last night.  Really love it up there, easy to get to and miles of walking/running/biking potential.

Anyway, on the way back to the car, the sun was going down, and the sun setting over the trees was, well, stunning.

More running

Ran to work again yesterday.
I didn't do the lap of the campus, as (a) the gym was open when I arrived and (b) it only adds a couple of minutes and not a lot of distance to the route.
Regardless, I was really happy with the time (45:45).  I felt like I had been struggling a bit on the way in, and had put that down to the bottle of wine I drank on Sunday night - which to be honest, probably didn't help - but it seems that it felt harder because I was running faster and pushing myself.  So, *happy dance* it is then.

Only going to do a wee run in the park between now and the 10k in Paisley on Sunday.

Back to running

So the foot stopped giving me gip, and I decided that instead of cycling to work I was going to run in.  According to Map My Run, door to door was just over 9.5k.  So, the plan was that when I got to work, I'd do a lap of the campus to take me up to (and just over) the 10k I was looking to do.

Well, I set off early, given that I didn't know how long it would take (it's been 5 years since I ran that far), and I wasn't sure if the foot would decide to play up, so I wanted to give myself time in case I had to walk/hobble in.  Turns out I gave myself way too much time, and got in before the gym opened, and had to stand around for 10 minutes before I could go in and get a shower and change into the clothes I'd left in my locker the day before.

I was happy with my time considering (a) the length of time it's been since I last ran 10k, and (b) I'm crap at pacing myself if I'm running alone.  I managed 52 mins, and since I had told myself that for a first, anything under an hour would be acceptable, that was a pleasant surprise.
What also surprised me (and also slightly disappointed me) was that according to MMR, adding in a lap of the campus only upped the distance from 9.5k to 9.85k.  Now I know for a fact that a lap of the campus is not only 350m, so I'm not sure what the hell happened there, so I'm claiming the full 10k.

Regardless of that, it's looking positive for my first 10k race since at the end of the month.  At least I'm confident I'll get round, and pretty sure it'll be an acceptable time that I can then work on improving.

Running update

I only managed out for one run in the last week, as I'd done something to the muscles in my foot, and it was a wee bit achey, so I decided to listen to my body and rest it till it was ok.

In the meantime, I plotted the route I cycle to work, on Map My Run, and it's 9.5k.  Since my longest run so far has been 8.5k, and I've a 10k in two weeks, and need to up the mileage, tomorrow, instead of cycling to work, I'll be running.
In preparation, I've dropped off a bag with a change of clothes, in my locker in the gym, so all I have to do is run in, get showered and changed, and that's me set for the day.  At night, depending on the weather, I can either get the tube to Ibrox and walk through Bella park, or if the weather isn't too good, I'll just jump a train.

Either way, I'll have upped the milage, and that's all to the good.

Commonwealth Games

The Commonwealth Games have (and at the time of writing, still are) taking place in Glasgow.  The atmosphere in the city has been amazing.  There has been a massive influx of visitors, and there's a really happy vibe about the place.

Prior to the opening ceremony, I had posted online regarding the uniforms the Scottish athletes would wear for the opening ceremony, and how (to me) they resembled a dodgy flashback to some acid casualties take on Brigadoon (or words to that effect).
Later when I won tickets to the boxing, I got called a hypocrite and two faced.  What, because I didn't like what they were wearing for the opening ceremony?  If fact, it would be fair to say I got pelters.
I stand by what I said.  The tartan is bad (or at least a bit garish), but I have seen worse.  But the shirts and the dresses........ seriously, they were, and still are, horrible.  That material/pattern is seriously bad.

Anyway, people seemed to think I was anti-games, which I was certainly not.  In fact, the boxing was amazing live, and I went down to Pollok Park to watch the marathon, and yesterday I went to the Trongate to see the time trials.  Add watching the swimming, gymnastics, and loving the athletics, and it's fair to say that I have really enjoyed the games, possibly more so than the Olympics, but that's probably down to them taking place where I live, and the fact that I've been able to enjoy not just the events on tv, but the whole atmosphere and the brilliant vibe that is engulfing Glasgow at the moment.

Finally, a quote from a lassie working in the merchandise tent on George Square - "The town is going to seem really weird and quite once this is all over".  And you know, she's right.

Funny how your opinions change

Back when I first took up running, and was in Bellahouston Road Runners, I didn't like running on my own, in fact I hated it.  It bored me to to the point that I couldn't push myself, and if there was a little twinge - a stitch, legs feeling tired, whatever - I used it as an excuse to stop and walk for a bit.  Something I never did when running in a group, so it's not like I couldn't continue, it just seems (looking back) that I didn't want to.
I never found that zen state that a lot of people went on about.

Now though, things seem to have changed.  The girl I go for lunchtime runs with, hasn't been able to run lately due to injury, and I've been heading out on my own.  This time round, I "get" it.  I'm enjoying running for it's own sake.  It's not a case of slogging away and having a hellish time, all for the endorphin rush when I finish (although that's nice to get), I'm not enjoying my own headspace while I run, and it's good to be aware of how I'm feeling while I'm running, something that running with a partner distracts me from.

I'm not saying I prefer running on my own, I enjoy sharing the experience, and having a chat on the way, but for some reason, now, I can enjoy my own company while I run, something I never could before, and that is a huge milestone for me mentally.

Maybe I'm just old fashioned, but.....

....I always thought that sports men/women were.....well, sporting.  Sure there's competitiveness, let's face it, without it, sporting events would be as exciting as a tea party, but there's also violence, vindictiveness, and well, it's just not.....sporting.

All over the news is the story of Luis Suarez and his less than sporting tactics of biting his opponents.  This isn't his first time trying to take a chunk out his opponents, and while football isn't classed as a contact sport, there is a certain amount of contact and barging expected.  But BITING!!  Come on, that's just not on.

Fortunately there are other athletes who are not overpaid and have still got that sportsmanship in them.  Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Ivan Fernandez Anaya who could have won a race when his opponent slowed down thinking he'd crossed the finish line.  Instead of charging past and winning, Ivan pointed out the finish line and ran behind coming in second.  Now THAT is sportsmanship.

Maybe runners ARE a different breed from those that are attracted to football.  I'd like to think so.

Life is good

Currently I'm feeling pretty contented.

I've managed to stop spending money on crap I like but don't need.
The ongoing clearout is still ongoing, but it's getting there.
I've really loving running again, have done my first race in 7 years (MHFS 5k) and am going to enter the paisley 10k.  I've also noticed entries are open for a 5k I used to love - The Great Winter Run. 5k up and round Arthurs Seat in Edinburgh.

So yeah, things are pretty good right now.

NT properties, GPS problems, and a heavy head cold. Weekend fun

At the weekend, we had decided to go and check out Falkland Palace.  Saturday morning, and into the car we got, and attempted to put the post code into the gps, which decided it wasn't going to turn on!  Fair do's we've had it for about 7 or 8 years, and it's an obsolete RAC branded device that we can't update any longer, so off a quick detour to Halfords to replace it was in order.  Once there, they didn't have the one we wanted, but the Bishopbriggs branch did.  Now I'd have needed a GPS to FIND Bishopbriggs, so it was Google maps on the phone to the rescue.

New GPS in place, and off we headed.  about 40 minutes later, "BATTERY LOW!" on the GPS followed by it dying on us, and then the realisation that it wasn't either GPS that was gubbed, it was the lighter socket that they were being plugged into. So basically that was a GPS we didn't have to buy.  Except we probably did (see the previous comment about not being able to update the old one).

So, back to Google maps, and eventually we got to the rather stunning Falkland Palace, where there was a Mary Queen of Scots day taking place, with people playing Mary and Lord Darnley, walking the grounds, and the chance to try falconry and archery taking place as well.

After Falkland Palace, we headed to Hill of Tervit, a stunning property in the middle of nowhere.  The guy who owned the house had been a collector, and the house had been designed and built to house his collection (furniture, tapestries etc). Rather than buying a house and filling it with a collection, he had his collection and built the house to suit.  A nice touch was that he insisted all the bedrooms looked different, as "This is a house, not a hotel".

As we headed to the car to go home, the heavens opened.  It had been a really nice day and was dry and sunny up to that point.  The whole way home was torrential rain.

Great day out though.

On Sunday we'd headed to the pub in the afternoon, but had to come home early, as I got floored with a really bad cold.  Had to take a couple of days off work, and it's not completely cleared yet.

So, a good weekend (except for having to cut short the pub!)

Lunchtime solo run

So today, my lunchtime running buddy had a day off and wasn't at work, so, off I went on my own.
The route I took was one we've run before, and according to Map My Run, is 4.3k.
I set off at a fair-ish pace, but soon found my calf muscles were feeling a bit tight. (Possibly due to a combination of karate and badminton at the weekend)

Not so good.

I tried reigning in the pace a bit, and they soon loosened off.  The rest of the run was just the lazy side of pushing it, and was pretty uneventful.  No stitch, no trouble with the breathing, and no more muscle aches.

Back at the uni, and I made sure to do a decent stretch and not just a token one.

I've never been a fan of running on my own, as I always found it hard to push myself, but I kind of enjoyed today's solo outing.

Just when it was all going so well.....

My new lunchtime running is in a bit of a crisis.  The girl that I've been running with has been having half problems, which only flare up when she runs on concrete.  Off road is no problem, so she's having to stick to trails, which leaves me on my lonesome.

Now the problems are that I find running on my own a bit hard as I'm crap at pacing myself, BUT, she has said that she'll lend me her Garmin, so I should be able to stick to a pace.  The good thing about this is that it'll give me a chance to "try before I buy", as I'm seriously thinking about getting a Garmin this year.

The is another work colleague that wants to come running, but I know for a fact that the pace will have to drop as he's been out of it longer that I have, and as I've entered a race for next month, and I'm looking to UP my pace, this isn't ideal.  I think for the moment, that running solo is probably my best bet.

So, swings and roundabouts.

Who'd have thought

So now I seem to be into an established routine as far as running goes (Tuesday and Thursday lunchtimes and Saturday mornings).  I also have karate on a Thursday night.  Last night was the best sleep I've have in a couple of years.  I slept right through to the alarm, which is something I haven't done in a long time.

So, really enjoying the running, getting fitter, keeping the weight off, AND sleeping better.  What's not to like.

Another mini clear out

The ongoing (and glacially slow) downsizing of "stuff" continues.  Today I traded in 5 dvds for a Van Halen cd (For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge) and a £5 credit note.  There were more than 5 dvd's, but that's all the 2nd hand record shop was interested in, so the rest ended up in a charity shop.

So, slightly less clutter and some stuff donated to charity.  That's an ok result for a lunchtime wander.

First step taken

So, following on from the previous post, I went for a run at lunchtime today with a colleague.
2.64km in about 15 mins.  Not a long run in terms of either distance or time, and it was a nice easy pace, BUT the point it, it was a start.  It's the first run in about 5 years, and I've rediscovered that I did love running.

Next run is Thursday lunchtime.  Bring it on.

Decision made. Let's see if I can stick to it.

So I've decided it's time to get back into running.  For about seven years, I was a member of Bellahouston Road Runners, and loved it.  I went from not being able to run the length of myself, so running the Edinburgh marathon, and regularly running half-marathons and 10k's, with my favourite race being the Brampton to Carlisle 10 miler, which is the oldest 10 mile road race in the country.
Then, I got gout, and couldn't walk much less run.  By the time I was mobile again, it came as a hell of a shock how much my fitness and stamina had dropped.  This in turn led to serious motivational issues, and I stopped running.

Well, it's been about 4 years since I last pulled on a pair of running shoes, but I've been thinking about it lately.  So yesterday, I picked up some running socks to try and motivate me to pull on the trainers and go for a run.  Admittedly, this will happen once I get back from holiday.  So, in about 3 weeks, I'll be coughing up a lung on the side of the paths in Pollok park.  Hopefully this won't take too long to overcome, and I'll be getting the miles under my belt again.

Scottish CND rally

Yesterday Scottish CND held a rally in George Square in Glasgow, as part of their Springwalk.  There was a really good atmosphere, and the speakers were all well recieved by the crowd.

Deputy First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, confirmed that if Scotland got independence, Trident would not be used as a bargaining chip with Westminster, and that they were committed to removing all nuclear weapons from Scotland.

So without further ado, here's some photos.

What was that crunch?

That crunch dear reader, was the sound of a filling coming loose.  A white filling at the front none the less.
So, on the plus side, I phoned in the morning, and got an appointment for the afternoon, AND it's not painful.
On the negative side, that's money that would have been put to better use, in the pub or going for a curry.

But there you go.

Yesterday I took a day off.  We had a wander round the Necropolis, then went for lunch in the Catherdral House Hotel - which I can recommend - then visited the Ramshorn graveyard in the Merchant City, and the Glasgow Police Museum, just a couple of streets away again.  Really interesting wee museum.

So, back to today and the dentist, so it's leave work in just over an hour, get the tooth fixed, then back into town to kill time till 5:10pm when it's guitar lesson time.

It would be a good day if it wasn't for the inconvenience of the dentists.  Ah well, merde happens.

Big jaggy thistle in Central Station

On the way to work this morning, I saw the unveiling of the Commonwealth Games mech stand in Central Station.  Bit surreal seeing a scrum of photographers taking pics of a guy dressed as a thistle, cutting a ribbon, but hey, it's all fun.

Bike porn.

Spent some time yesterday in Decathalon looking at bikes.  Went to look at the mtb's but ended up really liking the look of the road bikes.  Go figure.

Anyway, back on the bike today for the commute to work.  Really nice ride.  The weather was really nice and crisp.  Chilly but not too cold.

Wee book of bike routes

Picked up this wee book at the weekend.  It's got 40 routes in Central Scotland, all starting and finishing at railway stations, so they're all doable from Glasgow and/or Edinburgh.  Roll on the bike to work (for the mountain bike) and the better weather.

Back on the bike

Finally, the winds that have been gusting for what seems like months, have finally abated.  The forecast for the week is good.  Mild, and if the crocuses in the parks are an indication, then spring has arrived early.
So, with the weather in my favour, this morning I got back on the bike for the first time since the end of October.

I was pleasantly surprised that I only took a couple of minutes longer to get to work, than I took last year, so that's good.

This year I'd like to take the odd day off here and there, and go for a proper run on the bike, and not just use it to commute. I'll be playing that by ear, and just see how it goes.

Update, shmupdate

Just a wee bit of nonsense as I've not posted anything lately.  So, here we go.

Due to work, I never made the meditation group last week, but did make it today.  It was a different meditation (not the mindfulness meditation of the previous week), I can't remember the name at the moment, but it was really good.  Yes I found my mind wandering while we were sitting, but as the guy from the Buddhist centre, who takes the group, says, noticing you've wandered, and coming back to the meditation, is good, and you should give yourself a pat on the back, as noticing you've wandered is part of the point, and not something to beat yourself up over.

On the guitar lesson front, I've been getting some Black Sabbath to learn, which is really cool.  I've done Electric Funeral, and now I'm onto Paranoid.  What's great is that I've got all the early Sabs stuff, so I can practice till I'm confident enough, then try playing along to the cd.  Result.

New Beanie

Those who know me will know where I stand on the subject of independence for Scotland.  If you don't know, the pic below should provide you with a clue. :-)

Getting meditative

A couple of years ago (and again last year) the work had a "Health and Wellbeing" day for staff, to try and encourage the wine sozzled, refectory food guzzling slobs who work here, to get off they're arses and well, not drop dead basically.
As part of this event, there was an introduction to meditation.  I went along, really liked it, and wanted to keep going, but as is typical where I'm concerned, no group started up, and the chance to keep going in a group never materialised.

Until yesterday.

The woman who had arranged for someone to come in and run the meditation taster, managed to find someone from the Glasgow Buddhist Centre, to come in and take a group.

So yesterday afternoon, was my first group session of mindfullness meditation.  I have to say, that afterwards, I felt really calm and happier than I had been when I went in.
Unfortunately, due to timetable issues, I'll only be able to make it along once a fortnight, but hey, it's better than nothing.  And, once I know what I'm doing, I'll be able to do it on my own, when I want/need to.

Electric Glen

On Saturday we went to the Electric Glen in Rouken Glen park.  It's a light installation with a couple of wee stages, and it's really cool.  The theme was the pattern and dye works that used to be in Thronliebank, and there were patterns projected onto the ground and onto trees.  Really cool.
Unfortunately, it's now sold out, so if you haven't got a ticket, you'll have to wait till next year.

To strike or not to strike....

I'm a card carrying union member.  I have been since I left school and started working in Barr and Stroud, a historic engineering company in Glasgow, that has since been swallowed up by a multinational.  It also moved site to from the west of Glasgow to the south side, so not only has a historic company vanished, but a stunning old building has been demolished to make way for a supermarket.

But I digress.

As I say, I've been a union member for a few months shy of 30 years, and in that time have taken part in industrial actions.  I did this because I believed they were right, they were (unfortunately necessary), and in all cases a result (or at least a happy compromise) was obtained.

Not this time.  There has been two one day strike previous to today's, which I did take part in, and took my turn on the picket line for.  Not this time.

What's so different this time?  I'll tell you.

The vote in favour of today's action, was 20 for, 0 against.  There were approximately 30 people at the meeting, out of a membership of about 130.  There were no "against" votes, as there was no point.  The first question was "those in favour".  20.  There was no way the remaining 10 could make a difference, so officially it was 10 abstentions.

Now, out of a membership of over 100, I don't think 20 voting to strike is a mandate.  Yes, I know that's the majority of the people who attended the meeting.  A meeting that was held at short notice so we could take action on the same day as other unions, but to my mind not a mandate.
Then there's the fact that some of the more militant people, always seem to have conveniently taken a day off  that just happens to coincide with the day of action.  Call me cynical, but if you are party to information that allows you to take a day off PRIOR to the rest of us being told when the day of action is, I call foul.
The same people, when there was a work to rule in previous years, they were happy to do all the overtime that was going.
So, do I feel guilty?  No.

Like I said earlier, I do agree with the principles of the action, but not based on the numbers voting for it.  There should be a quorum when it comes to votes on industrial action.

Life of late

Not been up to much that's blog-worthy of late.  The clearout is ongoing, but is glacially slow.  I need to be more brutal and just get rid of stuff.

Yesterday, I took a day off work and went to the Jack Vettriano exhibition at Kelvingrove.  Really good exhibition. I didn't buy a catalogue, as they were all sealed, and there wasn't one to flick through to see if it was worth buying.  Back home, I found an online preview of it, and it's nice.  Very nice.  If I wasn't having a clearout, I'd seriously consider nipping back along and picking up a copy.  If I can be a bit productive at ditching stuff, I may well treat myself with this.

This weekend coming, we're off to the Electric Glen, at Rouken Glen park.  Someone in work went last year and says it's well worth doing.  We're going to book an Indian and head there before the walk.

Guitar lessons are coming along quite well, so I'm happy with that.

Ah well, onwards and upwards.

New wheels?

There's the possibility of the Cycle to Work scheme being started again in my work.  I'm seriously thinking about a second bike.  The one I currently have (Giant Escape M1) is a great bike, and I'm not looking to replace it.  What I want to get is a mountain bike that will cope with off-road/trails.

The Pollok park mountain bike trails are 10 minutes from my door.  I want to go play on them.  There's also Mugdock park, and any number of other places where I could potentially remove myself from the gene pool.
Then there's the pleasure of simply cycling along forest trails that my current bike would be very uncomfortable to use on.

I'm not kidding myself that I'll be dropping off tree trunks and jumping over things, I'm 48 this year. BUT, that doesn't mean I have to get a "sit-up and beg" bike and cycle sedately along at a snails pace either.

Then there's the fact that Glasgow's roads are so riddled with potholes that a bike with (at a minimum) front suspension is probably a seriously good idea.

(I've also looked into whether it's possible to cycle the West Highland Way.  Apparently it is, although there's some parts that would require a dismount.)

2014 -so far so good

Yeah, ok, it's only 7 days old, but so far 2014 is ok.

The return to work has been pretty easy so far, as there's no students about yet.  They should be about from tomorrow as the exams are starting, but since I'm not involved with them in any way, that's not an issue.

Had two karate classes so far.  One was an hour and a half of kata, which was utterly exhausting, but very very rewarding.  I really like doing kata, especially when I've got a mental block about a part of a new one I'm learning, and then get over it, as happened tonight.  Tomorrow is the first Wednesday lunchtime class of the year, so it'll be good to get back into that, as it's a great way to get through the middle of the week, especially when it's a hard/trying/tiring week.

Anyway, resolutions that I've made are all do-able ones.  There's a couple of exercise targets I've set myself - climb at least one munro, cycle to work as often as possible - and the others are just to do with clearing out stuff I no longer use/need/want, and not replacing it with other junk that I don't really need.

Also, this is the Chinese year of the horse, and that's my birth year, so it's supposed to be a lucky/make or break year for me, so fingers crossed it's a good one.  I'm planning to make the most of it and try to have a positive outlook on things.  I allowed the negativity of others to turn me into a moaning git last year.