Of the Not So Beauitful Game

I had a "lad" moment last night and sat in front of the box with a can of lager to watch Real Madrid v Barcelona. I've never see so many overpaid petty petulant men in one place. By the end of the match the reserve goal keeper (who was never on the pitch) had been sent off as had one of the managers. One player who should have been on the whole match was sent off in the second half and another 5 players were booked. Apparently, the teams had behaved better than when they last met.

In amongst this all the only player behaving like a gentlemen and a true great scored one of the best goals I've ever seen. Brilliance laced with true greatness. Not a wasted 90 minutes afterall.

Of Pinch & Punishment

"Can you pinch an inch?"

So went the advert all those years ago for some slimming breakfast suggesting that if you could you needed to slim. It was great marketing because of course everyone can pinch an inch. If you couldn't chances are you couldn't bend over because your skin would be too tight.

I don't want to speak too soon but I think I may be winning the battle of the bulge. This morning I swam at speed 30 lengths of the pool. Last night whilst watching some trash TV (Come Dine with me) I did almost an hour on the cross trainer.

I get really annoyed with myself when I start watching trash T.V. I think of all the constructive things I could be doing like repairing the MG, tidying up or reading a good bit of Russian literature. So now I've brought the cross trainer into the lounge and the deal is as follows. I can only watch trash if I'm on the cross trainer at the same time. It's a kind of Crime and Punishment thing and it appears to be working.

Of Technological Developments

I think I've finally cracked it. How to listen comfortably to music or indeed anything you can download onto an Ipod. This is a project I started at least two years ago. I started out with large head phones. But these were bulky and combersome and I discovered a good while after, unfashionable. I then tried "minimal style" which did appear to be in fashion. They were like tiny earpieces the deaf used to wear a long time ago on the end of plastic wires. These were easy to roll up and take virtually anywhere. They were also very uncomfortable and would fall out at the slightest movement or jirky response to any rock n roll music they may have been conveying.

I'm now wearing a bizarre looking contraption with small bars that go round the back of the ears and the ear pieces hover closely to the ear without going inside. Eureka!

I can now drive to Dublin listening to the best of the BBC World Serice I may have missed. When I'm within range of some decent Wifi through an App I can listen to any radio station in the world that is on the Net. How good is that?

Best of all when in the garden reading wearing your earphones is akin to wearing a sign for the neighbour's kids which reads "DO NOT DISTURB". And guess what? They don't. The best £10 I ever did spend.

Of the Royal Wedding

I'll be so glad when the Royal Wedding is over and done with. Don't get me wrong I like the couple. They seem genuine enough, hard working and yes quite in love too. But the media coverage is just ridiculous. There's nothing else on the box at the moment. There's nothing else on the front pages of the newspapers, the magazines and now the BBC World Service has joined in too.

I remember exactly what I was doing during the last big royal wedding of Lady Diana & Prince Charles. I had a part-time job painting double yellow lines on the side of the road. It was decided that it would be a great day to do this guessing that most people would be off the road either inside watching the event on T.V. or at a street party somewhere. Wow did we get some lines done that day. In fact, I think if we had been given just one more day we could have covered the whole of the UK in double yellows. Now how would that have looked? Pretty damn smart if you ask me.

Of Smart & Too Smart

I've decided to double my fitness regime. This is for two reasons. I want to get in shape for my birthday in June. Also an old University friend, Morten, has been in touch for the first time in pushing twenty years. No doubt we'll meet at some point soon and like a couple of classic cars side by side comparisons will be made in terms of whose bumpers are still firmly on and where the rust is beginning to show. Not on this fine MG 1965 convertible matey (or maybe not lets see how the training regime kicks in).

Morten I remember as being really good at sport (though lousy at pool for some reason). In the run up to the big final exams he really annoyed me by studying using mind maps and spider diagrams. When you're putting in all the hours you can on big exams you don't want a smart ass sat next to you in the library absorbing the same amount of information but in half the time. Well do you?

Of Looking Ahead

Hah! It's strategy day 1 of 2 today. We're all in the training centre reviewing the story so far and the months ahead. We should hit the pause button more often like this me thinks.

This year I've read umpteen books on strategy development and attended many seminars on the same subject. It's never easy though and requires an awful lot of chrystal ball gazing.

Where is Gypsy Lee when you need her?

Of Choosing your Lanes and your Ways

I swam 40 lengths of the Antrim Pool today ably assisted by my self appointed swimming coach "Brucie baby". When finished he asked me about my trip to London and I gave him a rough summary of what I'd seen and been doing. "St Paul's" he said "What's that like?" When I asked him if he had been there when younger he replied "On no sure I've never been to London or England for that matter. Nearly went to Cornwall once but then thought better of it""Weren't you ever curious? I enquired. "Ah no I like my own back garden. I don't like going where I've not been and I know what I'm used to." I thought that might explain why he swims in the same lane every time.

I drove to the office and parked in a different parking space.