Writer's Block

We've reached the end of the year of daily blogging. 366 posts (because on one of the days I forgot how to count). I'm afraid you're going to have to humour me and ignore the 20 or so posts that don't have any real content in them. But I gave it a crack and in a technical sense, I completed the task. For the most part, I've enjoyed writing these posts and I hope they are of some value to someone, no matter how small. As I said on the blog on New Year's Eve last year, maintaining mental clarity is important to me as is trying to keep myself in something approaching the right frame of mind to properly function as a human being. I'm still wrestling inside my head with the idea that I'm wasting my life, what I have achieved isn't good enough and that I should be ashamed of myself. With that in mind I'd like to take a moment to focus on the positive things from this year for me.  Completing the AAT Level 2 Certificate In Accounting in a three mont...

I did a spot of post Christmas vinyl shopping, procuring Dan Andriano And The Emergency Room's "Party Adjacent" and what I believed was going to be Kevin Devine's "Split The Country, Split The Streets" but turned out to be that record plus "Make The Clocks Move". Another record I like very much. This surprise two for one has very much made me a happy camper.  Sunderland lost again. I was at work but my father described it as "shite". The relegation we've inexplicably avoided for the past four season must surely now be at hand. My dad may well take it harder than me. I don't suppose he thinks he'll ever see his team truly competing at the top level again. I've just seen Jelle Klaasen beat Phil Taylor at the PDC World Championships 4-3. It was an extraordinary match, with both players having a dart at double to win. My rather speculative bets both on Klaasen to win and to do so 4-3 have left me with a bit in my betting c...

Since I last wrote, the world has learned of the passing of Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister and Pavel Srnicek. I'm not going to claim I was a huge fan of Motorhead*, but you didn't need to be to acknowledge the influence they had on rock music and a huge number of artists. If the claim on his Wikipedia page that he drank a bottle of Jack Daniels a day between the ages of 30-68 is true, it's remarkable he lived to be three score and ten. But what a life. I remember Srnicek from when I used to watch football constantly as a child (not much has changed). Not only was he a fine servant for Newcastle United but also a gentleman admired and respected across the game. There's very little these two men appear to have in common, save for the brutal, swift nature of their demise. Lemmy passed away two days after learning he had an aggressive form of cancer, having played a headline show in Berlin less than three weeks ago (Motorhead were also due to play the Hammersmith Apo...

Only three more blogs to go after this one before I have fulfilled my new year's resolution for 2015. I have made an effort in the past few days to go back and add content to the entries that are a little lacking. I haven't fully checked but I reckon that are at least 20 entries that have no subject matter at all and that's before we even get to the stupid 250 word minimum that I foolishly imposed. It seems unlikely that I will address those before 2016. But I merely vowed to write a blog every day for a year. I didn't say anything about content. I hope the very few readers of this blog haven't been short changed, anyway. Having reviewed the entries earlier this year, I'm kind of pleased that I maintained enough interest at least initially to write pieces of a reasonable length. As you may have read, the past few months have been something of a slog. As my friend Chris said, it was understandable that I might set myself a challenge or preoccupy my time with ...

My Christmas cheer feels like it's swiftly evaporating*. Part of me wants to crack on with 2016 and part of me is terrified of cracking on with 2016 because of the scale of some of the tasks at hand. I suppose this is roughly the time that people who have gone home for Christmas start getting sick of their families. The difference being that those people will be able to leave within the next few days, rather than being forced to stay in the same situation all year round due to economic circumstance/incompetence/whatever else**. I suppose what I'm trying to say is I need some "me time". And me time is in short supply with four adults in a bungalow. I'm rather looking forward to going back to work on Tuesday, as it happens. Still, I won some money on the football yesterday and have been the recipient of an unexpected bonus, which has proved to be a much needed filip. It may have provided a platform for a new strategy. Sit tight, save up and hopefully move out. *...

As is normally the case, this has been a Boxing Day of overindulgence and watching football. I can't remember a worst time to be a Manchester United fan in my lifetime*, as they fell to a fourth consecutive defeat in all competitions for the first time since 1961 in a 2-0 loss away to Stoke. What was most dispiriting about this was the sheer predictability of it. It is difficult to ascertain what Louis Van Gaal's philosophy is anymore. He seems to have no concept of how to alter his tactics during a match or how to use his resources to meet the challenges of Premier League football. He is a profoundly arrogant man who does not comprehend what is required of him as Manchester United manager.  Watching Arsenal getting tonked 4-0 by Southampton later in the day has provided some comfort, even when accompanied by the asinine and idiotic co-commentary of Robbie Savage on BT Sport. Oh god, Robbie Savage. I would happily see Robbie Savage fired out of a catapault like in that episo...

Merry Christmas everyone. I hope you're having a good one. Mine has been fairly textbook. Too much turkey, too much chocolate, a little nap. I missed The Queen's Speech but assume it wasn't the sweary outburst I've been hoping for for the past twenty years. I'm currently sitting through a passable Downton Abbey* after a typically nonsensical Doctor Who**. By far the best Christmas viewing so far has been Big Hero 6. Visually stunning, emotive and frequently very funny, I loved it. Alone with Frozen it appears to have invigorated the Disney brand. I very much Baymax comes back for a second outing. It's been good to have a Christmas with the whole family with my sister spending last year's in Bogota. I'm quite fortunate to be spending the festive season with loved ones. I have been following Sarah Millican's "Join In" initiative on Twitter to help people who are less fortunate and spending the day alone. I can only send my best wishes for...