The UK is going through what some people would call some inclement weather at the moment, a cold snap if you will. Today's temperature was a meagre -5˚C outside, not that bad some of you would say. Slightly colder than New York, considerably warmer than Grand Forks, N.Dakota at -18˚C where my friend Nysak lives, so I have a lot to be grateful for, even if I don't have any heating in my flat.
The inside of my windows have frozen, the interior temperature was around 4˚C this afternoon which is the same temperature as my fridge. Conversely the warmest parts of my flat are behind the fridge and behind the freezer, I suspect the heat exchange from both these white goods is what is keeping my flat 'warm', or warmer than outside. During the summer I'd be glad of the cold, i've been known to sit in front of the fridge for a time to cool down.
The cold brings its own challenges, mainly on how to keep warm, I generally huddle up under a quilt and a sleeping bag with a hot water bottle, occasionally venturing out for a hot drink. Works quite well until the time you wake up in the morning with your feet sticking out the bottom of the bed feeling like a couple of frozen kippers.
Another challenge is eating hot food. You have to make smaller portions because the food gets cold quite quickly. Today I made a bowl of pasta and by the time I was halfway through the dish it was cold so I had to microwave it.
I have also noticed that these new energy saving green lightbulbs that are meant to save the world from global warming are working rather well, the feckers don't throw out any heat whatsoever. Bring back the old bulbs, at least I could warm my hands on my desk lamp! When someone next says to me I'm not doing my bit to save the planet I'll remind them that I suffered sub-zero temperatures keeping my carbon footprint to a minimum whilst they were driving their gas guzzling Chelsea tractors and enjoying a super heated living room and hot saunas!
I must admit that I am my worst enemy where the cold is concerned. I hate to wear much in the way of clothing at home, I'd rather stroll around in the buff, but even now with the temperature reaching the brass bollocks range, I still only have a pair of underpants and a jumper on. Perhaps I should invest in some comfy sweat pants and some thermal socks...
I am a bad blogger, I haven't written anything for ages, mainly because I've been rather busy doing other things, like celebrating Christmas and the New Year.
I went back to Wales over the holidays, spent a week with my parents and sorted out their computer and set up my nieces new laptop. Visited the best kebab house in the world only to find it is no longer as good as it was, I was slightly devastated about this turnabout.
Christmas itself was a quiet affair, I didn't get many gifts, I never do, but I did get a bit of cash so I bought some new walking boots and a new Wales rugby shirt, my first ever red shirt! I do feel that you have to spend any gift money on something a bit special, even though I should have saved it for a rainy day or restocked the larder. So come the Six Nations I'll be suited up in my new Wales shirt to annoy the English supporters.
New Year came and went, I got horrendously drunk on the eve along with most of my mates, I didn't intend to but these things seem to happen without my knowing.
So now we're back to normal, back to the job hunting in earnest and hoping that 2010 will be a better year. The potential of having met someone and the deep belief that I will find work can only mean that this year has to work out well.
Here's to 2010, the year we make contact apparently...
Apparently the flag counter below should provide flags for individual States in the U.S. So before I bugger about with changing my code, I thought I'd test it here as a post.
Nothing more to see, please move on...
On the wave of the Copenhagen failure, because when you really look at what has been achieved you will realise that not an iota of forwardness has been reached, I thought I might share my feelings over climate change.
I saw with a slight feeling of horror at how one of my childhood icons was jeered and 'slow clapped' off a stage for standing up for what he thought was insubstantial science.
I was always taught that the default position of science was, 'we don't know'. Now it seems that some scientists are getting rather evangelistical over climate predictions and any other point of view is ridiculed. Let's face it, once you know something without any doubt whatsoever you are stepping into religious fervour rather than enlightened comprehension.
Personally I will agree that 'perhaps' mankind is affecting our climate, but I don't think we are contributing to the changes we are seeing as much as our scientists and politicians would like us to believe.
Geological evidence has provided us with an amazing amount of data to suggest that climate change happens on a regular basis, it has also been widely believed that we have been due another ice age for a long time but it has not yet happened. I doubt very much that any changes in our global output of carbon emissions will make any difference whatsoever to what is happening as the sequence of events is already in full flow.
What I'm seeing is a natural cause and effect situation to a cycle that has been going on since time immemorial. Perhaps mankind has hastened the outcome by a few years but not so much as to be responsible for the happenings of a common side effect of the Earth regenerating itself.
Perhaps all these specialists who have an amazing amount of knowledge learnt over the last 500 years or so should look at a broader picture, especially one on a cosmic scale. Planets and stars don't care much about mankind's records over the last few hundred years, nor do they particularly care about the small effect that a case of human nits will cause.
Nature has always found a way of balancing out parasites, perhaps that is what Earth is doing now. Not against mankind but against all life as a whole. We all know she has done so previously, in a biblical sense and in a scientific sense.
Human vanity is clouding our view I feel.
Let it happen, try to stop it happening, I doubt very much that any of us can do anything at all once mother earth has decided how it should be. Good luck...
cleaning house a bit since most folks that were here are here no longer. established elsewhere. ;)
I had a slight grin and a little twinkle in my eye when I read this story a moment ago.
A New Zealand church has posted a billboard in an effort to get people to discuss the Christmas story. Doesn't sound so bad does it. I'll share the image in question,, but be warned, it's shocking!
I'm not a religious individual, I have always thought the Bible to be nothing more than a collection of fables put together by a ruling religious class in order to instil their authority and subjugate women and other religious beliefs. However I do believe in other peoples right to believe in the Christian dogma. Personally I would rather idolise J.R.R. Tolkein's effort.
But does the image above instil so much wrath in your eternal soul that you would feel the need to be offended or even stand on top of your car with a tin of emulsion to paint over it? I don't think so.
I find it humorous and it does highlight many problems within relationships today, after all, shouldn't the church be addressing such issues?
I don't think it was meant as an offence and I can only guess it's the fundies that are taking umbrage, and as with all things highlighted in such circumstances by people who don't want you to see something, it's now been blown out of all proportion and it's now reported upon throughout the world. Quite the Streisand effect.
I'm not a church goer but I'd definitely pay a visit to St. Matthews over Christmas if I lived in New Zealand.
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