Random thoughts from random places

A modest step forward

2009-01-04T21:42:00.002+01:00

Inching forward. Little by little. One foot in front of the other. Praying that inertia won't follow.

And so we go again...

2009-01-03T22:46:00.002+01:00

Another year begins and the same thoughts return. But now stronger than ever. So the question now is whether I can actually act upon it and finally make the change I've been wanting to make for too long.

Vivid dreams

2008-11-16T11:11:00.001+01:00

Weird, weird, weird. I remember nothing most nights and then this morning far too much....

Puzzled

2008-10-31T19:40:00.002+01:00

Things to do, but no desire whatsoever to do them. Places to be, but no plans to go there. Drinks to drinks, but no thirst to drink them. Books to read, but no energy to read them. Quite what the f**k is wrong with me I have no idea.

Missing

2008-10-19T12:35:00.002+02:00

Looking through a collection of photos taken over the years I notice that there is something, or rather someone, absent. Me. I'm an observer but seemingly not a participant. The old adage that a picture speaks a thousand words seems rather apt.

Small silver linings

2008-10-08T21:20:00.001+02:00

Being in the midst of a global financial crisis and then being reminded that you never had any money to begin with.

Talking

2008-10-05T18:50:00.004+02:00

Now, I shouldn't probably admit this, at risk of being labelled a loony. But I sometimes talk to myself. Thankfully It doesn't involve speaking in tongues, using the third person, or anything like that. So I've always put it down as being rather harmless. Or at least that's what I say to myself. Rather literally.

Family, previous partners. They've all put up with it in some shape or form. Thankfully.

Since I was young it was always a way of getting thoughts out into the open, whereby the act of seemingly just saying something out loud made it somehow more real. And when it was real it could be acted upon. Or not as the case may be.

But of late it seems the words just go round in circles. And ultimately nothing is done about them. Inevitable perhaps as the person listening is the same person as the one speaking. So not really the best place to find vigorous debate and argument. But at what point do you decide that enough is enough. That it's time to say shut up to yourself and just move on with life.

Answers on a postcard please to the usual address....

The monday blog that never was

2008-09-22T17:48:00.006+02:00

The search for a bike. Baby talk and the state of the Israeli football league. 80s parties in Frampton Cotterell. Hotels in London. New music. Old movies.

The list goes on, but it never actually starts.

The Great Gig In The Sky

2008-09-15T20:45:00.003+02:00

And so another leaves us for somewhere unknown. And whether you believe that is some place in the sky or someplace in earth, it doesn't really matter. It's about the life you led and the impact you had on others. And on that note all I can say is thank you.

Back and forth

2008-09-14T17:05:00.003+02:00

It seems to be happening quite a lot these days. Waking up in one place and then moving to another in quick succession. This morning was Germany and this afternoon is Geneva once more. And what awaits me upon my return? A rather growing to-do list with the first item being book tickets to go to.. Germany. Again.

Classic film closing lines I

2008-08-14T00:16:00.000+02:00

"I'm not a cab driver. I'm a coffee pot."

The strange case

2008-08-11T19:45:00.003+02:00

It has left me so. All that remains are fleeting glimpses. Just a passing phase he thinks. Will all be sorted in a day or two. Normal service will resume he confidently predicts. Whatever that means.

Rituals

2008-08-03T12:47:00.002+02:00

Unpack the bags. Shower and shave. Water the plants. Make a brew. And life goes on.

Almost there

2008-08-03T08:34:00.002+02:00

Heathrow Terminal 5 and one more flight to go. Always feels weird passing through here. It's home so part of me wants to just walk out of the place and meet up with friends over a nice pint. However as it has only just gone 7.30am they probably wouldn't appreciate it right now. So Geneva it is then....

Small world conversation

2008-07-31T14:47:00.004+02:00

I'm typing this from Sydney. After discussing blogging with a friend in London. After talking shop with colleagues in Switzerland. After chatting with my father in Bristol. After discussing the weather in Wellington. After discussing gossip over tea and cakes in the treehouse. After waking up at 5am and thinking clearly. And throughout them all something seems to make sense for once. Blimey.

Wellington

2008-07-30T22:45:00.002+02:00

The journey nears its ends but the biggest surprise has awaited me here. Memories of a time long ago in Bristol when I started down this path flood back as does the realisation that I've perhaps gone astray somehow in the process. Away from the day to day in Geneva it seems here I am actually achieving something. Small. Local. But real and meaningful.

Could be crazy, but I think I'll be back here soon.

Peace.

Lost somewhere in the southern hemisphere

2008-07-29T05:50:00.001+02:00

Another timezone change. Another plane. Another city. Another journey.

Switzerland seems quite far away now. In more ways than one.

New horizons

2008-07-05T12:20:00.001+02:00

After the moments of doubt and hesitation it seems things are moving once again. And my CO2 footprint is about to get that little bit bigger....

Unexpected benefits of living in Switzerland No.1

2008-07-01T21:13:00.001+02:00

Health benefits. Not the walking or the mountain air, but the fact that if I was in London now I probably would be eating a bargain bucket.

The undesired effect of talking about something

2008-06-26T14:58:00.002+02:00

I'm having a conversation about how I'm trying to reduce the amount of alcohol I drink. About how much better I feel as a result. How much more alive I feel in the mornings. And then I suddenly realize I quite fancy a pint. Sigh...

A work aside

2008-06-26T14:52:00.001+02:00

Something from work that actually made me smile... will wonders never cease :)

Dread

2008-06-18T21:14:00.002+02:00

The question is "Why, oh why do I have to go through with this shit". And the only answer is "Because you just have to". Time to start job hunting me thinks.

Developments

2008-06-15T21:40:00.002+02:00

A week that started with indecision ends with uncertainty. But not perhaps in a bad sense. So a big no to one city, but perhaps yes to another. Still so many hoops to jump through but seems like something is going to happen. Well maybe. At some point.

The case of the indecisive man

2008-06-04T09:08:00.002+02:00

He thinks he knows what he wants. So it commits to making a change. And actually acts upon it. But than, perhaps unsurprising, change starts to happen. He gets responses. Offers. And then he wonders whether he wants to change after all. So now the indecisive man is now more indecisive than ever.

The Trap

2008-05-13T19:53:00.003+02:00

And we are all its victims. It caught us slowly. So silently that we never even realized. But caught we are. But ultimately this trap is different. We all ask ourselves. Again and again. Do we really want to escape.

Changes

2008-05-08T21:04:00.002+02:00

It's in the air it seems. Tel Aviv. Versonnex (population 1938). Johannesburg. Brussels. People I know are all on the move. So the question is whether it is a members only club.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes (turn and face the strain)

Hello, how are you?

2008-04-30T20:14:00.002+02:00

I should have said this by email. Phone. SMS. Telegram. Telex. Carrier pigeon. Or even semaphore. To too many people. More often. So this is my mea culpa. I'm still alive. Still eating cheese. And chocolate. Talking about cuckoo clocks. And getting rather worryingly interested in railways. So the same as usual then. See you all soon. Where ever that may be.

Notes from the night gone by

2008-04-19T23:28:00.002+02:00

Happiness is relative and rather hard to quantify
We are all ultimately scared of something
True wisdom often comes from the unlikeliest of sources
We can all fly if we want to

The ugly city

2008-04-09T20:16:00.004+02:00

"Its not a very attractive city is it?" she said. And I had to kind of agree. The grey concrete buildings around us would have meant any other response would have been rather inaccurate. But then I said that superficial impressions can sometimes be misleading. Behind the faceless apartment blocks, the drab shops and the truly appalling 1970 throw back restaurants, there's actually a beautiful city trying to break free.

Fast forward

2008-04-05T12:22:00.003+02:00

Another second, minute, hour, day and then week. Passes so fast. When I was a child I would stare out of the window and time would seem to pass like an eternity. But now, it seems to be in overdrive. Someone is pressing the fast forward button and not willing to let go.

Back to reality

2008-03-25T21:45:00.002+01:00

It had to end. Obviously. And it did. From sunshine to snow. From fast to slow. From crowded to empty. From the madness to the mundane.

It's all now gone. But hopefully not for long.

A change of window view

2008-03-21T22:38:00.003+01:00

As the man preaches to the street below on the sins of humankind I look out across the city scape. Palm trees, SUVs and huge hotels. Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore.

Timezones

2008-03-17T04:44:00.002+01:00

Is is 4:46 am as my computer tells me, 23:46 as my watch tells me or 00:46 as my phone tells me..... Not for the first time in my life I'm rather confused.

Independance

2008-02-17T13:08:00.002+01:00

Horns sounding. Cars adorned with flags. Music blaring. The quiet of a Swiss afternoon pleasantly shattered by the joys of a people celebrating the birth of their nation.

And for a moment. I close my eyes. Listen. Imagine. And am transported far away.

Still talking, not walking

2008-02-17T12:19:00.002+01:00

Like a broken record the thoughts replay seemingly endlessly. And as the sun shines over me I wonder...

A family question

2008-02-02T19:24:00.000+01:00

Why is it that one member of my family can drive me crazy? I mean really crazy. He only has to walk through the door and I’m mad with him. So much so that I want to hit him. With a big inflatable stick. Or shoot him. With a water pistol. Or maybe make him really crazy in turn by saying that despite the fact he makes me crazy, I still love him to bits. After all. He's family.

Abandon hope all seafood lovers...

2008-01-21T22:49:00.000+01:00

Your defenders are quite frankly not fit for purpose. The words, a bunch of spinless weasels just doesn't do them justice....

Recurring dream

2008-01-20T14:16:00.000+01:00

I'm told by letter. Or maybe telephone. Or email. Or some other way. Hell, I'm just told. I haven't finished my degree and I urgently need to do so. But didn't I graduate over 7 years ago? I remember that. Or maybe that was a dream and this is reality. Or maybe my sub-conscious is trying to ram a point home. Again and again.

Monday

2008-01-14T21:46:00.000+01:00

He tries to write something with a hint of rhyme but as the day normally predicts such creativity is not possible. Indeed it is frowned upon. Triviality. On a Monday. Is he mad? Instead the mind over burdens itself with the reality that there are four more days like this to get through. Before the inevitably too short time out and then the preparation for the cycle to repeat again. And again. Until either the record eventually breaks or someone decides to chuck it out of the window.

A quote for today

2008-01-13T12:46:00.000+01:00

The openness of the world, so unachievable in the realm of everyday reality, lives in our minds, in the superimposed layers of tangled and confused memories.
Ryszard Kapuscinski

New beginnings?

2008-01-06T14:28:00.000+01:00

After the talks. The realization. The expressed hopes. And fears. Comes the question.
Can I really make it happen? Watch this space.

Things learnt in the last 7 days

2007-12-15T15:36:00.000+01:00

The history behind Hanukkah. That really embarrassing things can actually be quite funny. If you don't take them to seriously. That Ronnie James Dio's first post Black Sabbath album isn't that bad. And that I'm no longer afraid to admit it. That my obsession with isn't probably healthy. So can join the list of all the other unhealthy things. That 2008 needs to be different. But in what way I'm not quite sure. But different none the less.

RIP

2007-12-10T21:19:00.000+01:00

What was once new, grew old and not so graceful. And now it is gone. I do not morn, nor cry or shed tears at its passing. After all it was only a website! It's days were numbered. And it knew it.

So life goes on and another load of text, images heads into the great website graveyard in the sky. Long live change!

Broken

2007-12-09T20:09:00.000+01:00

It seems blogs are not immune from life either.

Hanukkah

2007-12-09T20:06:00.000+01:00

Candles, oil and something new learned.

The awful truth

2007-11-16T18:37:00.000+01:00

Tea can be bad for you. Smoking, alcohol, dope, speed, acid, coke even coffee, well ok. But tea?? My happiness in life is shattered. The horror, the horror.

Season change

2007-11-15T20:15:00.000+01:00

Snow falls, wind blows, temperature plummets and all I can think off is curling up in front of an open fire with a nice brew and a good old book.

Hard questions

2007-11-01T20:15:00.000+01:00

Sometimes you need to ask them. The problem is when you don't have the answers.

Now, who are you again?

2007-10-31T22:10:00.000+01:00

There is that moment when you bump into someone in the street, at a party or wherever, and you have no idea on earth who they are. But then to compound matters they seem adamant that they know you. So there you are, racking your brains, thinking who the hell is this, whilst trying (but mostly failing) not to look like a complete idiot.

Take it into cyberspace and you're playing scrabble with an apparent stranger for several weeks until one evening the penny drops and you realize they are not such a stranger after all. Ahhhhhhhh......

Ups and downs, bumps and bounces

2007-10-30T21:05:00.000+01:00

Sometimes things seem to just go ok. You don't do anything in particular, you just plod along, keep at it and it all somehow comes together in the end. Then there are other times when, despite all your work, creativity and planning, the whole things goes splat. And then you have a room full of people staring at you, all of them thinking "I don't get it". Bugger.

It lives!

2007-10-29T18:24:00.000+01:00

Well its a start at least but mother would be proud. Now where is my apron.....

A question of words

2007-10-28T12:24:00.000+01:00

Is it good or bad when you need a dictionary to understand a book written in your own language? Does it mean you are extending your vocabulary at the same time as having a good read, that the writer likes to use words that the average person wouldn't understand in an attempt to sound more intelligent, or that you should have paid more attention to teachers who told you that your command of the English language needed some improvement?

Reflections on the week that was

2007-10-27T20:46:00.000+02:00

Positives

Fruit picking and learning how to make sloe gin, getting into reading books again, spending time with my family, cutting down on drinking (despite the sloe gin - it takes months before it is ready I promise), cooking, ok starting to think about cooking.

Negatives

Not applying for a job that I really should have gone for, something thankfully forgotten making an unwelcome reappearance, getting lost in a city I've been living in for other 2 years.

And...
Listining to Dire Straits and quite enjoying it (not sure where that fits in the above).

Weird dreams

2007-10-18T12:03:00.000+02:00

I'm surrounded by work colleagues (and random friends) as our director of marketing stands before a derelict building with a sledgehammer. I'm told off for talking and am made to carry a golden handbag. The marketing director then knocks one brick from the bottom of the building and the rest collapses. She then asks us one by one what our salaries are.

Black beauty 0 Me 1

2007-10-17T23:10:00.000+02:00

It goes to a knock out decision, but there's only one winner in the end.

The end or just the beginning

2007-10-14T22:18:00.000+02:00

But as with many things in life only time will tell.

Alternative career options: The confidence builder

2007-10-08T21:35:00.000+02:00

Play scrabble against me and you are guaranteed to feel a super intelligent wordsmith... or your money back.

Sunday morning

2007-10-07T11:51:00.000+02:00

Morning? What on earth are those...? The sun is shining and people are moving about. Maybe I should do these more often.

A world of intrigue, corruption, high politics and international diplomacy

2007-10-03T20:38:00.000+02:00

Who would have thought that international trademark law and intellectual property rights could be so interesting? And its even worse (and ridiculous in equal measure) when you hear about the details. Now, when was I born again.....?

Alternative career options: The removal man

2007-09-29T19:01:00.000+02:00

We move boxes, sofas, futons, ironing boards, tables, chairs via car, trolleys, service lifts and stairs. And as I look round at my fellow movers, I see I'm not the only one actually quite enjoying this. Now where are the tea and biscuits....

I think I'm going insane...

2007-09-27T22:50:00.000+02:00

...I'm actually enjoying my job. The men in white coats have been called.

Interference

2007-09-19T21:27:00.000+02:00

I'm sitting on the train trying to read but my brain seems to have other ideas. Instead I subsume myself into the myriad of conversations going on around me. English, French, languages unknown, words unknown, meanings unknown. Talk of international schools in Switzerland, Romania and worries that the required stop has been missed. All as the green countryside flies pass me in an instant.

Wednesday morning, 11.39am

2007-09-19T11:38:00.000+02:00

Tea, biscuits and its not even raining.

Hypocrites of the world unite

2007-09-18T21:10:00.000+02:00

Environmentalists who drive to work. Even on care free day.

Politicians who say one thing. But mean the exact opposite.

People who read adbusters. But then hark on about all the cool stuff they 'really need to buy'

People who preach on how to change the world. But then contradict themselves by their everyday actions.

People who talk about rights. But when they only mean for them.

People who stay silent. When they really need to shout.

Me

Silva rerum

2007-09-16T18:50:00.000+02:00

The forest of things: "To capture the world, you have to penetrate it as completely as possible"
Ryszard Kapuściński

Total and unrelenting bombardment

2007-09-16T11:53:00.000+02:00

Recent research puts the number of adverts and marketing messages that you encounter each day at a mind boggling 5,000. That's approximately one every 17.5 seconds. No wonder that my mind seems permanently fried these days.

The word is out

2007-09-16T11:44:00.000+02:00

Bienvenido, Tervetuloa, Välkommen, Welkom, Mirë se vjen, Ongi etorri, Прывiтанне, Добре дошли, Bonvenon, Bienvenue, Sveiki atvykę, Bem-vindo, Croeso, Uwamkelekile

Nothern realities

2007-09-08T21:10:00.000+02:00

Superficially its different, but in its own unique way its all the same. And that isn't a bad thing.

A day in motion

2007-09-07T20:53:00.000+02:00

4 trains, 1 broken, 3 buses, 1 plane, 3 cities, 1 hotel, 1 home, 1 welcoming friend, 1 cup of tea, 1 pint, 1 paper, 3 languages, many blurs. It seems in fast forward, but is it actually in reverse?

Repeat after me...

2007-09-02T22:24:00.000+02:00

Getting drunk is not funny. It is not clever. It is not good for you. Or your liver. But it is helping keep bar owners around the world in business.

So its not all bad then....

Talking Italian

2007-09-01T20:52:00.000+02:00

Another day. Another country. But wow, what a place. For the third time in a week, I'm thinking 'I could live here'.....

Estonian anti drink driving campaign

2007-08-25T01:50:00.000+02:00

Quite amazing. They actually stop serving alcohol in the gas stations after 2am... well at least until 7 am...

An evening in Tartu

2007-08-25T01:47:00.000+02:00

So this is what university should have been. Great food, great wine, great beer and lots of sitting around talking about lots of nonsense....

au naturale

2007-08-22T23:33:00.000+02:00

The thought of jumping naked into a cold lake with some work colleagues didn't immediately appeal to me this morning. But I must confess that it was rather good fun.

Normality returns

2007-08-19T19:30:00.000+02:00

So its all finally over. I'm a proud virtual father and people seem to like the baby. Now if only my real life was as easy to fix....

A brief glimpse at the career that never was

2007-08-18T18:35:00.000+02:00

The call comes late, and I'm immediately told that I will be put through. Then the Spanish voices kick in and I wonder if I should start speaking. Thankfully I hold my breath and quickly realise that I'm in the midst of adverts and someone talking about the last song that was played (by Ray Parker Jnr of Ghostbusters fame). But then the jingles stop and the serious voices begin. So damn fast. I just wish I had carried on learning Spanish... All I can catch are my name and my job and then it starts. And I suddenly find myself live on Colombian radio.....

The relic

2007-07-21T11:40:00.000+02:00

It sat there for two years, unloved, unwanted. A relic of a past long gone and a memory almost forgotten. But there it sat. Waiting. Waiting for the moment that my eyes glanced upon it. Knowing that one day its time would come and it would be read again.

Me be a very bad blogger

2007-07-19T22:02:00.000+02:00

Well its official. Its over a month since my last post. Have I been facebooked out? Have I lost the will to live or just the will to write? Has my life become so insanely exciting that I dare not describe it for risk of making people jealous. Or so mind numbingly boring that my head is hung so low in shame that I can't even see the keyboard. Have I been abducted by aliens or gone or even gone off an joined the circus?

Now that would be telling.....

Beyond the witching hour

2007-06-17T10:07:00.000+02:00

There comes that point during tiredness when you hit a wall. When despite you best intentions your body and mind shut down, leaving no recourse but sleep. But then there are times, infrequent for some, frequent for others, when you go beyond this. When you manage seemingly to conquer the very need for sleep. Tiredness somehow fades away. 11 o'clock, 12 o'clock, 1 o'clock, 2 o'clock 3 o'clock and so it go on. And throughout, you find yourself in a strange netherworld when night is day and day is night. And you, you just watch as the clock ticks away. Knowing that ultimately you are on borrowed time. For whatever happens, sleep will win in the end.

Hmmmm....errrr.....can we talk about the weather?

2007-05-21T14:54:00.000+02:00

The writers block continues. But its actually more of a 'do anything remotely creative' block. I can't seem to read a book, enjoy a thoughtful film or even have an intelligent discussion at present. Evolution seems to be in reverse and I'm increasing resembling Cro-Magnon man. Except he probably had something to say. Or perhaps grunt.

Add a photo and help a tiger

2007-04-25T15:29:00.000+02:00

I don't normally blog about my work, but I'll make an exception today as I actually feel quite motivated by this one.

Less than 5,000 tigers remain in the wild today, but even this small number is now under threat by the possible resumption in the sale of tiger products. So we are prepared to say good bye to yet another amazing creature all for the sake of some tacky rugs and rather dubious herbal remedies.

So, add you photo and face up to the tiger trade (in more ways than one)

Crime en Geneve

2007-04-14T02:27:00.000+02:00

Blimey. Will wonders never cease. I'm in one the safest cities on earth and I've just been robbed. The robber was very kind to return my wallet after he'd stolen my money, and at least he didn't kick my face in, but anyway.....

A brief moment at PJ's

2007-04-10T13:34:00.000+02:00

The hairdresser tells me about the state of her new council flat in Lawrence Weston in her thick Bristolian accent and I realise I'm happy to be home.

Loss of appetite

2007-04-03T12:17:00.000+02:00

Looking back, I've always had a problem with eating. From as early as I can remember there have been times when I just stop. Sometimes for hours, sometimes for days. Often there is no discernible cause, it just happens. And then its all over and I start eating again, at least until the next time. But throughout it all you know you should be eating, but you just can't face it. And I've never understood why.

Indecision at my decision

2007-04-02T21:00:00.000+02:00

Ho hum. Why can't my mind be clear on this one? Just a bit even, rather than being as screwed up as spaghetti. I finally made a decision today to stay where I am. Horrah, fantastic, top banana..err, no quite. In fact I'm still as undecided as ever. Sure I got something for it and I'm not complaining. But as soon as I've decided to say no to the other opportunity it becomes more and more appealing. Have I made a wise move based on all the available facts, or have I just chickened away from taking a risk in my life....

An old worn cliche (but that generally means there is a lot of truth to it of course), but only time will tell...

Fuck, Fuck, Fuck

2007-03-24T01:41:00.000+01:00

I expect one thing and then the complete opposite happens. And so I'm faced with the hard choice of saying no, to something I actually want. Shit.

Hello, I'm me.

2007-03-19T20:09:00.000+01:00

It all passed off quite uneventfully in the end. Sure there was the usual lack of sleep and nerves beforehand, but as soon as I walked through the door it seemed to come quite naturally. The realisation that I can do this, and do it again, until it all comes good. Amen brothers and sisters. Amen.

Attention deficit

2007-03-14T18:18:00.000+01:00

Why do one thing, when you can try to do five. Why read one book, when three will do. Why listen to one song when I have thousands at my fingertips. Why slow down when I want to speed up.

Reflections on a funny Thursday

2007-03-09T12:56:00.000+01:00

Hmmm... it didn't start very well, but the end was quite pleasant. I go to the office fearing impending redundancy and leave with the knowledge that my job seems quite safe and another one hovers tentatively on the horizon.

Song for the day

2007-03-06T14:29:00.000+01:00

We gotta get out of this place by the Animals

Mental note to self.

Qoute of the day

2007-02-28T15:11:00.001+01:00

It might not be the "writing on the wall" but someone has some spray cans and is reaching for a dictionary.

Thanks to Mr. B for that one.

And it begins....

2007-02-28T09:46:00.001+01:00

One down and its only ~~Monday~~ Wednesday....

Every bad day has a silver lining

2007-02-27T19:03:00.000+01:00

I'm fucked. I'm old and getting older by the moment. My back is killing me. I've had to cancel my holiday. And my employer has announced an impending restructuring.

So today didn't start very well to be honest.

But then I then learnt that my parents have finally given up reading the Daily Mail (A newspaper renowned for its impartial coverage of refugees, asylum seekers, homosexuals, Muslims etc. etc.). They have even tried reading the Guardian. What next??? They start to believe in the inevitability of the workers' revolution??

There is hope for us all. Amen.

Hmmmm.....

2007-02-26T19:08:00.000+01:00

Good news: Looks like I will still have a job in a few weeks time
Bad news: I have no idea what that job will be...

Tea anyone?

Looking for a hole

2007-02-25T18:11:00.000+01:00

Any size will do.

New horizons

2007-02-16T18:59:00.000+01:00

Ho hum. Change is in the air once again. And amazingly it is not of my doing. Again. So the magical mystery tour continues unabated. Excitement, trepidation, you name it I've got it. Where next.....

Apt quote

2007-02-15T19:57:00.000+01:00

Never believe anything until it is officially denied
Claud Cockburn

Humility..

2007-02-08T19:56:00.000+01:00

..begins with the letter H, but then so does hubris.

A story of a poet

2007-01-31T21:51:00.000+01:00

When the late Tawfiq Zayyahd, the former mayor of Nazareth, became a member of the Israeli parliament, his Hebrew was not very good. One of the government members shouted, "Where did you study Hebrew?" and he replied, "In your prisons."

A Monday thought

2007-01-29T18:25:00.000+01:00

For people who want their straight lines to be straight, life itself is the problem.
Natalia Ilyin