It's a funny game

Golf is a funny game. I always play my best when no-one is watching, then I feel awkward telling people about it in case people think it's a fisherman's tale......

Disposable fashion

I read somewhere that Primark is now the undisputed king of 'disposable fashion'. I hadn't heard that term before, but it made me think. Have we become such slaves to fashion that we're prepared to use up the planet's resources, as well as risk a child labour crisis in the developing world where these clothes are usually made, simply in pursuit of fashion. Of course, such excesses have always been around, but in the past they have been restricted to the rich. Now everyone can do it and nobody seems to care.

When I was being brought up, we were taught to look after our things and make them last. To this day, that's an attitude I can't shed and I still feel bad about throwing things away (or sending them to the charity shop) because they've gone out of style, rather then because they've worn out. That probably makes me a loser, but I feel better knowing that I'm not perpetuating mass excess.

Joke

Two cannibals were eating a clown. One said to the other.... "Does this taste funny to you?" Boom! Boom!

This joke is dedicated to the black sheep...

Review: Stranger Than Fiction

Not my usual sort of thing and I was expecting the usual Will Ferrrell offering. Melancholic and thought provoking, but it could have been better with a less sugary ending.... Credible performance by Maggie Gyllenhaal.

Feel good weekend

Well I managed a 49 mile bike ride on Saturday, which included more hills than I'm used to. It felt good, and whilst the overall ride time was just over 3 hours, I did need to take a 5 minute breather before tackling Wrotham Hill! Those of you who know the area, will understand. The this morning I went for a 13.5k run - about 1 hour 10 minutes. Legs felt good. Right achiles is tight though, but I can rest it for a couple of days now though. Next weekend I'll probably reverse the order with a longer run on the Saturday and a slightly shorter bike ride on Sunday. They key is to keep myself injury free.

As you can tell, I whimped out of the Wilmington 10k.

This is a special mention for Daisie who has been pestering me to be mentioned on the blog.....

Pie and Mash

Went to Manze's pie and mash shop on London Bridge Road today. I know it's a London tradition, but does anyone seriously like it? I felt really sorry for the tourists behind me in the queue who were discussing what flavour pie they were going to have. Boy, were they in for a surprise!!!

Web 2.0 or not.....

I've just been reading this interesting post from David Weinberger. He makes a valid point about how business are struggling to cope with the philosophy changes that Web 2.0 is unleashing. But I think it goes further than he says. There are many, many ways in which the new tools and services challenge the tradition of organisations. After all, businesses are built on the military command and control model, and social media breaks that down. Anybody can, and they do. Good times!!

To run or not to run.....

It's the Wilmington 10k on Sunday, and I'm not sure whether to enter, or just go for a gentle training run. My leg were a little stiff after last Sunday's 10k and I haven't run since. Could be fun though and the weather looks like it'll be okay.

I've really suffered with leg injuries (calves mostly) over the past year. However, I now cycle much more and I've found that helps with fitness, but also seems to aid recovery from running. Doesn't help build the running miles I need to do to be ready for the London Marathon in April though.

I'll let you know whether or not I do the race on Sunday, but if you're there - look me up ;-)

Facebook at work

I can see plenty of uses for Facebook inside an organisation. But what I find really interesting is how organisations will react to the further blurring of inside and outside, personal and business, work and leisure. I'm sure some will try and block it, but others will embrace it. Here's what I said on the Intranet Life blog...

"Inside an organisation - terrific potential, for the reasons others have outlined above. Except that, no matter how we as the professionals dictate how these tools should be used, it's the users who will actually decide how they're going to use them and where the value will come from. That's difficult to predict. And we're increasingly blurring inside and outside, so the features that people use 'outside' will need to be there and we'll need to understand better how to manage the resulting content explosion. Just hope I don't get 'poked' too often ;-)" You can see the full thread here.

iPhone - now there's a surprise

I spotted on Pocket Lint the suggestion that the new iPhone is going to struggle to find buyers in the UK because of the price. The UK market is used to phones being offered free on certain tariffs, so who is going to want to shell out £250 plus for one. A few will, sure, but is it really worth it for a style accessory?

I'm afraid I've never been much of a fan of Apple - they are a triumph of form over function!

Pedro Almodovar

Got a box set of Pedro Almodovar films after going to see All About My Mother at the Old Vic. Refreshing, and about as far from Hollywood as you can get! Let’s hope he doesn’t go too main stream, but continues to make original and challenging films. So far I’ve watched All About My Mother, Tie Me Up Tie Me Down (with Antonio Banderas), and Bad Education. You can find the reviews on my Facebook page

Georgie Fame

I confess I have eclectic music tastes. If you look at the tracks on my iRiver you’ll find everything from Salsa Celtica (salsa with bagpipes) through to Scissor Sisters. One artist I think I’ve overlooked recently is Georgie Fame, so when Somebody Stole My Thunder dropped through the letter box from Play.com it was a pleasant surprise. It’s a collection of some of Georgie’s “Jazz-Soul Grooves” from the1967-1971 period. Very refreshing to hear music with an edge, and how quirky is El Pussy Cat? Of course, the title track is very well known, being originally released around the end of the 1960s. The whole album is an easy listen, but not easy listening! Blues Brother meets early British pop! Good stuff.

Facebook versus MySpace

I’ve heard Facebook described as MySpace for adults. If that’s the case, why are the kids flocking to it, and will all the adults leave and go to MySpace? Does this behaviour remind you of a herd of bison? It does me. I wonder whether we’ll all continually move from one social networking site to another? If we do, what does that do for their business models? Or how long will it be before someone connects them all together?

Social Networking for the silver surfer......

Check this out www.wanobe.com

And why not?

It Took A Long Time, but I made it in the end

It’s now 5 years since I finally got motivated to do something about my weight. Over the course of the first year I managed to lose about 65 pounds. I did this through sensible eating, and a vigorous exercise regime. I feel good, and better than that I’ve managed to stay fit – although the doctors will probably tell me I could easily shed another 15 pounds or so. But hey, I’m fit, healthy and happy! And I think I buck the trend as a ‘fatty’ who has managed to keep the weight off.

It’s not easy though. I think I’m one of those people who is going to have a lifelong struggle with my weight, but doing the active things I enjoy (running, cycling and sports in general) gives me rather more scope than if I was leading a sedentary life style.

The next few months are really a steady build up to the London Marathon. Make no mistake, I don’t see myself as a marathon runner, but I do see the London Marathon as the culmination of my efforts. I don’t intend to make it a regular thing – the training regime is just too punishing for my fragile legs, but I have to do it just once. And the next one will be my last opportunity before I hit 50!

So pop back from time to time and check out my progress.