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.