So I thought that it would be great if along the journey of my 10
resolutions I stopped off for a few little insights along the way. Solast week I
looked at the Oscarsand my predictions for them (I’m
secretly hoping that a few of you took my advice and placed a few cheeky
bets....I know someone especially who made a fair bit of money from my vaguely
educated guesses - not that I’ve seen any of their winnings) But anyway - today
I want to talk to you about my favourite album of all time.
As I've looked at before - music is so special because it is its own
language. Music has the amazingly powerful ability to evoke memories when you
hear a certain song. It cannot fail to remind you of where you were when you
first heard it or of a special moment that it has attached itself to. In a piece
of music you will find that memories come flooding back and the album that I
want to look at has an immensely powerful hold over me.
My favourite album of all time is the debut album of a band that I’ve
seen live (and they were just as amazing then). This album was recorded in a
front room. Technically and production wise it is a long way from perfect but
the songs contain stories of such hope and such pain....that it is impossible
not to be drawn in. There are no filler tracks. Some of the tracks (make no
mistake) will take longer to grab hold of you than others....but when they
do....once the songs, the refrains and the melodies sink their teeth into your
heart - it is impossible to let go of them. You can feel the vocals and
every single emotion that the writer is projecting and has gone through as he
has written these songs. The harmonies will leave the hairs on the back of your
neck stood completely on edge and whilst immensely simple at times - the music
will leave you breathless and with tears in your eyes. This album may not grab
you on the first take...but make no mistake it is an extraordinary
record.
Please take the time to
give it a listen - and when you're done there...I thoroughly recommend watching
the live version of my favourite track - "Round Here"
Remember to ask any questions that you may have about
life, the universe and everything else by emailing 10resolutionsblog@gmail.com or by
asking on facebook.
You can now also subscribe to 10 resolutions by email – simply fill in the big
white box at the start of the chapter. 10 resolutions will be back as normal
next week – and believe me when I say that I have a lot to tell you.....
I’ll leave you with this video. I challenge you to
watch it without welling up. I (for one) found it completely inspiring.
It’s
a list of stars – of that there is no question. All have been nominated / won
Oscars before so there are no newcomers. Amy Adams is a (more recent) regular
nominee (yet has never won anything) whilst Helen Hunt and Jacki Weaver
(although putting in great performances) will be too far off the pace to win
this time around. That leaves Sally Field and Anne Hathaway - and with odds of
1/33 Anne Hathaway is clearly the category favourite for her role in Les
Miserables (she has already won the Bafta, the Golden Globe and the Screen
Actors Guild Award for this part). I’m not going to disagree with the odds on
this one. The Oscars regularly spring surprises – but I don’t think there will
be one in this category. It could however be the only major award the Les
Miserables walks away with…..
A
very hard category to call because of the pedigree of the actors and because of
the vastly different roles played. All have previously won Oscars – and all
have been regular (ish) nominees throughout their careers. Robert De Niro has
been deservedly nominated for his role in Silver Linings Playbook – yet I’d be
very surprised if it was an award winning performance. It’s worth mentioning
though that the kind of role De Niro plays in Silver Linings is not dissimilar
tonally to the award won by Alan Arkin for his role in Little Miss Sunshine in
2007. The Baftas and Golden Globes crowned Christoph Waltz as their winner,
whilst the Screen Actors Guild (which more often than not is a major pointer to
the Oscar winner) awarded the prize to Tommy Lee Jones for his role in Lincoln – so there isn’t
a clear nominee like in the supporting actress category. As you’ve probably
worked out – I’m torn in this category. I want Waltz to win….however…….
It’s
very hard to look past Quentin Tarantino with his original screenplay for
Django Unchained for this award. The bookies think that Django will win and Tarantino
has already won the Bafta and Golden Globe in this category. And who am I to
say otherwise……
As
a tip though - it’s also worth keeping an eye on Mark Boal and his screenplay
for Zero Dark Thirty (which won this category at the Writers Guild Awards last
week).
Terrio won this
category with Argo last week at the Writers Guild Awards whilst David
O. Russell picked up this award for Silver Linings Playbook at the Baftas - so this is very much a see saw category. I
might be wrong – but I can’t see the other nominees having much of an impact
here – its very much going to be a fight out between the two - but I’m going to
stick my neck out and say…..
Winner:
Silver Linings Playbook (David O. Russell)
The
most interesting thing about this award is its 3 big absentees – Ben Affleck
(for Argo), Tom Hooper (Les Miserables) and previous winner Kathryn Bigelow
(Zero Dark Thirty). With that taken into account – it actually becomes much
harder to try and figure out the winner. It becomes even more difficult when
you realise that in actual fact Affleck has won the vast majority of awards
leading up to the Oscars in this category (even the Director’s Guild Award). So
the winner of this category is probably likely to feel a bit awkward. Anyway –
I want David O. Russell to win (for the fantastic Silver Linings Playbook) –
but he won’t. Ang Lee is a good wildcard bet (and he has previously won the
award) but I doubt he will walk away with the trophy this time around.
The
bookies and most (if not all) of the award ceremonies leading up to the Oscars
have Daniel Day-Lewis running away with this award for his role in Lincoln. I’m not going to
go against them – but if you are a betting person it might be a shout to have a
small “just in case” bet on Denzel Washington for Flight or a cheeky punt on
Hugh Jackman for his role in Les Miserables.....(both can be picked up at very
good odds)
Bar
the best picture category – this is probably the most hotly contested award
because the run up ceremonies have all pointed at different winners. The
bookies favourite and Screen Actors Guild winner (as well as the Golden Globe
Winner for an actress in a musical or comedy) was Jennifer Lawrence, the Bafta
in this category went to Emmanuelle Riva and the Golden Globe winner was
Jessica Chastain (read my thoughts on that in Chapter 4 of 10 resolutions) so
who do I think will win? I’ll have an outside bet on Emmanuelle Riva whilst my
vote goes to…..
Winner:
Jennifer Lawrence – Silver Linings Playbook
Make
no mistake – Argo is the front runner in this category. It might well have
initially been a long shot but now nearly every form of common sense would say
that Argo will walk away with the coveted award. It has won pretty much
everything in the build up to the Oscars but the one thing which could suggest that
the award may not be as clear cut as everyone thinks is that it is rare for a
film to win best picture if the director hasn’t been nominated for best
director. That therefore raises the question of alternatives. Life of Pi could
be in with a shout, as could (what I secretly hope wins) Silver Linings
Playbook. My money would be on Lincoln as a 2nd bet though. Never
write off Spielberg (unless he is involved in Indiana Jones......).
Winner: Argo
Remember to ask any questions you may have about life, the universe and everything else byemailing 10resolutionsblog@gmail.com – and you can also now subscribe to 10 resolutions by email – simply fill in the big white box above the chapter. Right - I'm off to pack to go to Falmouth!.....Until next week.....
Can someone please explain to me where the start of this
year has gone? I know that I’ve written about a lot of stuff and that a fair
bit has happened…..but it certainly doesn’t feel like we are a month and a half
into the year. I wouldn’t normally panic about things like this – but this year
I turn 30 years old and as much as that shouldn’t phase me – I had my hair cut
by my Iraqi friend last week and I couldn’t help but notice a worrying amount
of grey hair falling down my body. So - either I’m going seriously grey – or
the Iraqi man was attempting to be funny by dropping grey hair on me at the
same time. On top of that – my wife (despite being a bit older SHHHHH) looks a
fair bit younger than me. It all adds up to one simple truth. I’m getting older
and no part of me can still argue that I’m in my mid-twenties. One thing I can
guarantee though is that I’m not going down without a fight (even if I require
a walking stick by the end of it). Until this point I never believed the people
who said that life began at 30. Whereas now I just hope that rumour wasn’t
created by a greetings card manufacturer…….
Still – I’m lucky enough to be excited about an awful lot at
the moment. Welcome to Chapter 6.
I thought I’d start this week by answering some of your
questions / some questions that I’ve been asked this week)…..
Do you have a set
list? (Asked by new band member Joe in advance of playing in Bristol)
Initially I laughed when I received this question – before
realising that I should try not to scare new band members through what could
initially be perceived as me being disorganised. After all – asking for a set
list in advance does seem like a reasonable question…..So I responded. And sent
on a set list (which I actually nearly stuck to. Sort of)
What inspires you?
(Asked by Terry over the Twitter)
This is a question which you would think would be answerable
instantly – but I have had to think about it as I didn’t want to launch into a
massive list without providing any explanations…..
The
world. It’s hard not to be inspired by a world that contains such beauty but
also contains Slough.
People.
You will inevitably find that people around you (or that you see on the
news or read about etc) inspire you in one way or another. However whether
it is in a positive way (as in agreeing with their stance on something) or
in a negative way (like thinking that their viewpoint or actions are
wrong) is always down to you.
Friends.
I’m lucky enough to be able to count my friends as people that inspire me
– I like to think that I’ve opened up more to what they have to say in the
past year or so as well. A lot of my friends can say some things which may
seem amazingly profound yet in truth are incredibly accurate. The more
your relationships with people build – the more you will discover about
their heart. The better you know someone – the more they will open up –
and this in turn means that they will be more confident in speaking into
your life – even if it is just in passing conversation. There have been
countless occasions in my life where my friends have said something to me
that hasn’t just been inspiring – It’s been life changing. What they have
said might not have been directed at me – but what they have said has hit
you like a lightening bolt. They just might not have realised that what
they said in that moment carried so much weight (note to self – tell
them). As a test of this – think of your closest friends and try and think
of your most memorable conversations with them. I’ve just done this and
realised how much of a positive influence my friends have had on me.
Films
and TV. I love both of these things – so to suggest that they don’t
inspire me and that I’m not influenced by them would be crazy. I love the
journeys that I’m taken on by Films and TV shows and I adore being
transported to another place to see life through somebody else’s eyes.
Music
is an amazingly powerful tool that has the ability to inspire more than
anything else as it can convey emotions without someone needing to
understand a specific language for it to make sense. Music crosses
language barriers as music IS its own language.
Games.
I’m also inspired by games and I completely agree that games should have
age restrictions as some can be completely immersive. I don’t however buy into the fact that
games can be solely to blame for some of the violence issues being
experienced around the globe (please note the word solely). A short
investigation into the media outlets that first reported this theory in
the UK will show you that they (one in particular) quickly followed up
their console slating reports by starting Friday articles reviewing new games
that were being released. Games can be violent – but isn’t it funny that
this is the information picked up by the media and not the fact that in so
many games now you are actively encouraged to be a character with good
morals that will stand up against injustice. Characters like this inspire
me and further more they encourage me to stand up for people that the
world treads on and calls unlovable. I do however have the occasional urge
to attempt free running up walls……
My
wife. Without much doubt the person that inspires me the most is my wife.
She’s so gracious - and despite all of my faults still loves me. She takes
the time to understand me even in the moments when the focus of my
attention changes more quickly than British weather. Her patience and grace
astound me – even when I do wind her up. She is nothing short of amazing
and I’m blessed to have her in my life.
My
faith…..without question my faith. But for more on that - see the next
question…….
I find it hard to have faith. I find it
hard to believe in anything. I used to believe but now after so much tragedy
around me I don’t know what to think. Do you truly believe that God has a plan
for us all? And how do you know when he wants you to put that plan in to place?
(Asked by Lisa over Facebook)
Oooohhh.
Hardcore question! Ok. I'll answer the end bit first...Yes I truly believe that
God has a plan for us all. I've found that quite often when I need to be
reminded of this I look back at some of the most difficult situations in my
life and how the situations have resolved. More often than not these situations
have been resolved in ways that I could never have imagined and although I
might not have realised it at the time - I've pulled through stronger.
As far as you
putting the plan into place? You don’t do it. It can be frustrating not to see
what is happening but when doors start to open for you that you wouldn’t expect
or when things start popping into your mind randomly - you begin to glimpse at
what the plan may be. That’s actually how I ended up moving here
(Gloucestershire). That’s how I met Cass. That’s one of the reasons why I
started writing 10 resolutions. All have been little sparks that have made me
more aware about what is going on.
There's a story
which goes like this:
An epic flood hits a town. A car drives past a house where a man waits outside
on his porch. A person shouts out of the car "Jump in - we will rescue
you". The man in the house replies "Don’t worry, My God will save
me". The car drives off. The flood continues. The water rises so much that
a boat goes past the front of the house. Seeing the man (now in the house) he
shouts "jump in - I'll rescue you". The boatman replies "Don’t
worry, My God will save me". The boat leaves. The water continues to rise
and as the man climbs upon the roof a helicopter flies overhead. The helicopter
drops a ladder down but again the man refuses aid. "Thanks. But my God
will save me". The helicopter flies away. A few minutes later a massive
wave hits the town. The man dies.
The man gets to Heaven and asks "Why?? I had faith. Why didn’t you save
me???" God then replies "I tried to. How many chances did you need?!
I sent a car, a boat and a helicopter!"
How many times do we look away from obvious help? We look for a divine
intervention - yet at the same time we have no real idea what a divine
intervention is. A lightning strike? Or given what we know already – wouldn’t
God use people to help us along our way - whether they knew it or not?
Faith is what
it is. It's Faith. It's believing without seeing (at least initially). But it's
like a relationship - the more time you spend with someone - the more you
understand. I believe in Jesus and I believe that he saved me and has rescued
me countless times - whether I can see how or not.
For something
further on faith – give
this a read (whether it happened or not is up for debate – but it still
serves as a great explanation of faith).
Great fun to have around – Flik has an uncanny ability to
make me smile and is highly proficient in all forms of banter. Flik has an
amazing heart for others and also has an astounding voice (and is growing in
her confidence using it). Flik is a regular member of my band and will also be
featuring on my album. Interestingly – Flik is getting married in April
(Congratulations) at which point her surname also becomes Foster. We haven’t
quite figured out how to explain that on the CD….the current suggestion is
writing NOT RELATED in brackets…..give me a shout if you have a better
idea……that doesn’t involve
the entire history of the name Foster
Jon Munson
I’ve known Jon for over 10 years (since he became part of
the Faction at the age of 16) and since then he has without doubt become one of
my closet friends. He is one of those friends that you have so many memories
with that you could simply write and write about them without stopping. A
favourite memory however is getting him to eat a daffodil in exchange for me
buying him a pint. Now that might sound like exploitation…..but it was quite
funny and he (eventually) found it funny as well
(it took more than one pint………….)
Jon will always have my back - and no matter how long it is
between us meeting up I know that he is there for me. Hopefully he knows that
I’ll always be looking out for him as well….and if he didn’t before - he does
now. And in a reference that only a few people will get – “What it is to burn”.
Terry Leach
Terry and his wife Lu (more on her at a later date) are like
rocks in my life. They are always there for me to talk to in everything that I
may be going through. Terry has an ability to always manage to cheer me up and
he has a superb sense of humour. He is also (and I don’t say this lightly) one
of the best sound engineers I have ever worked with. If musically Matt
Mortlock is my right hand - Terry is my left hand. It’s an honour to know
him and a pleasure to hang out with him.
Tuesday 12th
February
Tuesday was spent in the studio with Matt and Flik. Flik had
never been in a studio before and was understandably nervous. But we waited for
her to get into her comfort zone and then..... Well then she absolutely smashed
it. Not an easy task at all considering that I haven’t done my main vocals
yet..... I’ve now got an epic task on my hands to match Fliks' vocals! To
congratulate Flik we played her a super secret mix of a track that will never
ever see the light of day. Flik laughed at my dancing. Matt just laughed at me.......
(In a pitying yet loving fashion – personally I think that he secretly loves
the track)
Thursday 14th
February
Now for those of you who think I’m not romantic......As well
as cooking a steak dinner for Wifey on Valentine’s Day....I also wrote her this:
You say I’m not romantic
But what you cannot see
Is that every day I struggle to say
Just how much you mean to me
I know it should be simple
To say what’s on my heart
But in truth – words come more easily
In times when we’re apart
Yes that may sound crazy
I’m aware of how that sounds
But I find myself just mesmerised
Whenever you’re around
You always make me smile
You never fail to make me laugh
I’m astounded by your beauty
And that is just the start
Your heart burns bright with kindness
Your eyes show deep sincerity
You accept me just for who I am
You bring out the best in me
These words express my feelings
But the as yet unsaid truth
Is that every single moment
I fall more in love with you
We actually had a great evening...and I even got to go round
ASDA later than night giggling to myself at the guys running round manically
trying to find their girlfriends / wives / dates / blow up dolls last minute
presents! For once I could be smug that the last minute husband wasn’t me!
Friday 15th
February
Friday night saw me cooking for Cass, Dan
and Christine (and yes – they all survived) whilst we all relived memories
from the past by watching Kerrang’s “greatest” floor-fillers. I find it
increasingly amazing that one song can have so many shared or completely
different memories for people. What songs do you associate with different
people?
Saturday 16th
February
Saturday night saw me unexpectedly catching up with someone
that I haven’t seen in far too long – Jon Munson. Despite having regular text
conversations....it’s been ages since we’ve actually caught up. And it was
amazing. And for the first time that I can remember – Jon bought me dinner! Jon
works for Blockbuster...so does anyone have (or know of) a part time job opening?
Sunday 17th
February
On Sunday evening I headed down to a youth service called “Kainos” in Bristol with my (quite
fantastic and loaded with banter) band (including Flik) and a couple of other
people including one of my major partners in crime – Terry Leach to lead
worship and to speak on the subject of “Changing the World – One Life at a Time”.
I’ll happily make all of the notes available to whomever wants a copy of them –
but the message itself is very simple and no matter what you believe is
something you can take away. Love your neighbour. That means being there for
your friends at all times. It means helping those who need help. It means
standing alongside those who are ready to give up. It’s actually really simple –
but far too often we drift away from people in the times when they struggle and
we are drawn closer to them in the times when they are fine and there are pink
fluffy bunnies all around.....Loving your neighbour shouldn’t be part time. It’s
should be a long term, full time commitment. It’s a learning process to get to
that place – but hopefully I’m on my way there.
Out and About
I've got a few stories to mention this week - so we will start with the idea that to aid electric car sales - the Government have decided to create more charging points around the country (I'm genuinely terrified about how many committee's it took to come up with that common sense idea.....
And has anyone else seen that the manager of my football team had a bit of a rant yesterday.............
Right - that's it for this week in what has actually been quite a serious chapter. I'm sure next week I'll make up for it as I'll have spent the weekend in Falmouth....Oh and for those of you on resolution count....I've mentioned 4....
Remember
to ask any questions you may have about life, the universe and everything else
byemailing 10resolutionsblog@gmail.com – and you
can also now subscribe to 10 resolutions by email – simply fill in the big
white box above the chapter. Right - I'm off to give myself first aid after having an accident with a wireless keyboard and my head.....Until next week.....
Hello! And welcome to the chapter 5 of 10 resolutions. As I
know what my resolutions are – and you don’t….I thought I’d just give you an
update and say that most of them are going well. Some of them aren’t…but they
are also the ones which I knew that I’d struggle more with – and because of
that (spoiler alert) they are also the ones which have a “by the end of 2013”
clause attached to them. More will be revealed about them as the weeks pass by
though I’m sure.
So – I thought I’d begin this chapter by answering a few of
your questions (as always – you can ask away on the Facebook page or by
emailing 10resolutionsblog@gmail.com)
Q. Why is yawning contagious? (Asked by Mo in the office)
I’d like to think that it is because when you yawn you are
taking someone else’s oxygen so they need to inhale more…. But at these
articles show (1
& 2) that is
not the case at all….
Q. Why do paper cuts hurt so much when they are just really
small cuts? (Asked by Jo in the office)
Ahhhh. This is a great question. You might well think that
nothing winds me up – that I don’t get annoyed and that nothing makes me
grumpy. Cass however will happily tell you that this viewpoint of me is unfortunately
incorrect. Loads of obvious things annoy and frustrate me – things like difficulties
surrounding world peace, Americans with their lack of gun control (not just
Americans on their own), out of touch politicians and adverts (and this is by
no means an extensive list).
Smaller issues wind me up as well – take our local post
office for instance who recently employed a foreign lady with a smaller grasp
of English than a slow developing toddler. You might well think that me saying
this is rude and I admit that it might well sound that way. But I have no issue
in foreigners working in our country – In truth I think it is superb that culturally
we are at that place. However I do have a problem when I go to a Post Office
and ask for a book of first class stamps and in return I’m looked at blankly
accompanied with a shrug of the shoulders and some kind of hand gesture that in
another setting could easily have been considered to be borderline offensive.
Surely these companies need to create some form of lingo test before offering
employment….. (Post office rant over)
The Cast List
Adam Legge
Adam CAN border on being the most sensible person under 30
that I know. And that is not a bad thing….because having someone around that
you can talk sensible stuff with is very helpful. Adam works as a youth worker
and is a truly superb leader. He is also an amazing confidante. Adam also has
a crazy streak – which I completely adore and he is also a film buff and a
national water polo champion (I discovered after meeting him that it is not
just royalty that play Water Polo – who’d have known!) He’s also recently
engaged to the very lovely (and very hyperactive) Hannah Cooke.
Hannah Cooke (Soon to be Legge)
Hannah
(Cookiemonster) Cooke – You know those people that without fail can make you
laugh. Hannah is one of them. Hannah is
someone that will laugh and laugh with you until she will suddenly say
something so profound and accurate that it really hits home. I know that if I
pick up the phone that she will be there for me and annoyingly at times – you
can’t help but find yourself opening up to her.
Kate Livermore
I’ve known Kate for a number of years now after being her leader in Club 1
and I’m so happy that she is currently studying in Gloucester (even if I’m not
sure that she could say the same thing at the moment) because she is amazing. Honest to the point of
brutality (always good to have someone like that around) – Kate can be more half empty than half full at times but
this makes for some very funny conversations. Oh – and do not get distracted by
Kate’s eyes. I’m pretty sure that the phrase “puppy dog eyes” was created after
someone met her. Kate is from a place called Urchfont which (despite sounding like a town name from one of the Tolkien novels) is apparently a real place......
So…… what have I been up to?
Tuesday 5th February 2013
Finished (yes – actually finished) writing the final track
for my album and recorded the rough vocal for it…..
Wednesday 6th February 2013
Wednesday saw me escaping work early to go and watch Zero
Dark Thirty. Having not eaten breakfast (or lunch) I decided to stop at the
Burger King across from the cinema for a horse burger (to see what all of the
fuss was about). After seeing that they had a “king of the day” for £1.99 I
went inside to place my order – only for the clerk to charge me £3.98. I was
fuming and started talking about the poster and how it was false advertising……you
can probably imagine the picture and my reaction. At this point a queue is
forming behind me and the person directly behind me has started giggling.
-At this point I
should point out that the problem with working shifts is that it is easily
possible to lose track of what day it is-
For 5 minutes I stood there arguing with the clerk before
the person behind me (now laughing hysterically) taps me on the shoulder and
asks me what day it I thought it was. “MONDAY!” I angrily snap back before in a
very much slow motion moment realising that in actual fact it was Wednesday and
I’d been wrong all along. I wanted the ground to swallow me up I was so
embarrassed. “So – would you like a Whopper sir”? the clerk asked. Grinning
sheepishly I said yes and then uttered the first of many apologies to the
clerk. By this point the person in the queue behind me has told the person in
the queue behind them what the hold up has been in them getting served. They
both start laughing. I take my burger and leave - and then remember that I’ve
never really liked Whoppers in the first place……….
Zero Dark Thirty is good - Perhaps even very good. But it
had been built up so much by the people and reviewers that had watched it
before me that I was actually quite underwhelmed. Jessica
Chastain won a Golden Globe for her role in the film (something which is
potentially a pointer towards the Oscar winner) – if she wins an Oscar for Zero
Dark Thirty over Jennifer Lawrence in
Silver Linings Playbook (WATCH IT) or the
Bafta winning performance of Emmanuelle Riva in Amour then something has
seriously gone wrong. Chastain spends the entirety of Zero Dark Thirty with
facial expressions not dissimilar to someone pouring water on her head. A
cardboard cut out of Katie Price could have conveyed more emotion in the role.
I just don’t see the appeal in Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty – or quite what she
has done to become the front runner for such a coveted award. If someone does
know – can they please tell me? On the positive side though – I was expecting
the film to be American propaganda – when in truth it actually showcased
American incompetence……
Thursday 7th February 2013
On Thursday evening I met up with Kate Livermore (codename:
Bird) for a catch up over tea….and then beer. I really enjoy spending time with Kate because i find that its really easy to talk to her and to catch up. There is
no “Oh life is amazing. There are hundreds of fluffy bunnies everywhere…..”No.
The issues and worries come out – and we talk about them. It’s great. Once the
sensible stuff is out of the way though….some random questions normally follow…..so
I thought I’d share them with you and let you answer:
Q. If you had TWO superpowers what would they be and why?
Q. Think ahead – what does 50 look like in your life?
Friday 8th February 2013
Friday saw me ask the world of Facebook a question in preparation
for a talk I’m doing at Kainos in Bristol on
the 17th.
If you are
ever feeling low – or down about your life – I strongly suggest doing something
like this. Some of the responses completely blew me away – and in amongst the genuinely
amusing comments were some comments so amazing that I started welling up. For
those of you that did this for me....expect a reply by Facebook in the next few
days.....and thank you so much.
Saturday 9th
February 2013
Something Cass has always wanted from me is a really
romantic poem or song or something like that (a request that for various
reasons up until this point I have ignored). But after Dan and Christine’s
wedding (see chapter 4) – Cass started “subtly” hinting that she would very
much like something like a poem written about her. So we came up with a deal.
With Valentines Day fast approaching (more on that in Chapter 6) we would have
a budget of £10 and our present would have to be home made. I would write her a
poem – and she would slave away in the kitchen creating me something. Anyway –
on Saturday I wrote this poem for Cass......I’ll show it to you next week......
Sunday 10th February (rant approaching)
At 7am I was forced to call our IT support (/hindrance) help desk which is
conveniently located (obviously to be able to offer a quick response) the other
side of the world. What should have been a quick 2 minute call rapidly became a
10 minute call loaded with frustration as each word brought another battle with
the language barrier. Only between 7-10%
of communication is actually done verbally anyway – so after taking that into
account you realise that communicating with a foreign call centre is only about
5% effective compared to speaking with someone in person.
Continuing the thought about foreign call centres – I
started to think about the bank bailouts and how my bank (at the time) was
bailed out by the Government. It occurred to me that (especially at the time of
the bailouts) there was a massive unemployment rate in the UK Why then had my
bank then opened a foreign call centre straight after their bail out? Was my
bank the only bank that did it? Surely the government would have said “well
actually – as you are going to open a new call centre and as we are going to
bail you out and as the country already has a high unemployment rate and we
need to find jobs for people – if we bail you out – you must open the call
centre in the UK”.
Surely someone would have said something? I don’t even know if their main call
centre is still abroad – but what I do know is that (in an amazingly self
defeating move by the bank) their collections and complaints departments still
are abroad. I can’t even imagine the thought process behind that move…..
“Hey boss – I’ve got a really good idea. You know those
pesky people that complain about us and those people that are still moaning
about this PPI rubbish. Well lets direct them to a foreign call centre where
they can get even more frustrated!”
ANYWAY..........
On Sunday evening I headed to the Kingfisher Church in
Gloucester (just around the corner from my house) for their evening service. I
work quite a lot of Sunday mornings – so if I’m not doing Seek in Cheltenham I’m
going to try and get along to a few evening services here. What followed was a superb message
on the story of the prodigal son. I left feeling massively encouraged
yet very challenged.......
When I got home – we settled down on the sofa to watch the
only reality talent show that I actually like (and that we can watch together) –
Got to Dance.
What followed was amazing....
After that – Andy Howson came round for a few drinks after
he’d finished work. We watched the entirety of the 8 out of 10 cats Channel 4
mash up series before he departed......
Monday 11th February 2013
I love that they have faith in me (personally I think it is
to keep me away from the wine). But seriously...I’m very very honoured
The day finished with....well - perhaps a picture can
summarise it better....
Just something very simple this week. I wonder if the retirement of the current Pope could start a revolution in the way that the Catholic Church selects a new one....
I'll leave you with this really inspiring video.....
Remember to ask any questions you may have about life, the
universe and everything else by emailing 10resolutionsblog@gmail.com – and
you can also now subscribe to 10 resolutions by email – simply fill in the big
white box above the chapter. Right - I'm off to stop the dog from assassinating the ice cream van driver (just why there is an ice cream driver when it is -1 outside i do not understand).....Until next week.....
