Versatile Blogger Award nomination!

I am typing quite quickly at the moment, having dashed upstairs for a swift 15 minutes blogging during half-time of the France vs Honduras World Cup match - I didn't intend to watch it, but was quickly sucked in to the game and am waiting to see by just how many goals France will beat Honduras by, both teams are also quite... physical... shall we say, with some assertive tackling going on.

Anyway I digress!  I have been nominated by Tony Payson of The Writers' Bloc for a Versatile Blogger Award, which is very nice of him - thanks Tony!  Although I'm certainly not in the nature of blogging as a living or anything else (which is a good job as it does not form a large part of my income!) it is nice to know that people do look at my blog now and again, and more importantly think that it is of least vague interest.  I'd strongly recommend checking out Tony's blog.

Congratulations of course to Tony for his nomination, very well deserved.

In turn I would like to nominate the following blogs, which is nowhere near the 15 blogs I'm supposed to:

• Andy at BadDogGaming - Andy is an old friend of mine, participant in my World of Warcraft parody video, and a very funny and smart guy.  He tends to blog mainly about computer gaming, but also delves into other (often dog-related!) topics.
• Duncan at Nobodys Reading Me - Duncan is a brilliant writer, and very entertaining.  Someone I aspire to be in the fullness of time.
• Tim Clark of Life, Explained.  Tim in some ways I almost think of as a kindred spirit, as a producer of blog posts that I would like to, if only I had the talent Tim does!  Probably my most regular read.

And now I have to tell Tony 7 things about myself.  Well, I may as well say them here rather than just emailing him, or leaving a list on his doorstep (plus it's less effort to be frank), so here we go:

1. I was educated at home, with my first experience of formal education being 3 years full time at Hull College.
2. I can't swim.  I've never needed to swim, I do vaguely think that I ought to learn, in case I see a drowning toddler or something, but haven't got round to it.
3. I can't ride a bike.  This one I see less point for learning, yet I get more people telling me that I should ride a bike.  But I have legs, and if I need to travel further than is practical to walk, I also have a car.  I see little advantage for a different form of transport which seems more dangerous than a car, less comfortable and slower than a car, yet makes you sweatier than just walking.
4. I technically hold three degrees - a Foundation Degree in Information Communication Enabling Technologies (which is actually more like a HND) from the University of Lincoln, a Bachelors in Computing (Information Systems) also from Lincoln, and a Masters Degree in Construction Project Management from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh.  I remember thinking once "who would be a doctor, and have to spend seven years studying", and then realising that between 1998 and 2012, I spent 12 of the 14 years studying.  Damn, I could be a doctor by now.
5. I dislike moldy fruit intensely.  Honestly - I absolutely hate it.  My other half can threaten to throw a moldy apple at me and I will run out of the room screaming.
6. And I scream like a girl.
7. Seventh thing?  I don't multi-task at home particularly well.  It's strange, when I'm at work I believe that I can multi-task when necessary (although I certainly prefer to focus on a single job at a time), but at home, if I'm doing something like cleaning the kitchen, and then have to stop to put the dinner on, I get really stressed because the kitchen hasn't been finished.  Very odd.

Thanks again to Tony for the nomination and I hope the folk that I nominated are pleased for theirs :)

I'd like to dedicate this award to...

I've been nominated for the Liebster Award!

If you're a blogger, you probably know what this is. Basically, it's a nomination given by someone who knows (and hopefully likes) your blog.

There are various rules that you have to follow, which are:

1. Thank the person who nominated you.

Well, Thank you to Tim Clark of Life, Explained - Tim's a great blogger and one of the few that I read pretty much religiously (and my reading of other blogs is pretty haphazard!)

2. Answer the 11 questions given to you.

I will, keep reading!

3. Nominate at least 5 blogs with less than 200 followers (approximately).

Hmm - this one is tricky to be honest as I just can't think of that many blogs - and one of them would have been Tim's!

Here's all the ones that I would like to nominate:

• Andy at BadDogGaming - Andy is an old friend of mine, participant in my World of Warcraft parody video, and a very funny and smart guy.
• Duncan at Nobodys Reading Me - Duncan is a brilliant writer, and very very consistent too. I wish that I could turn out good quality blog posts as regularly as Duncan does.
• Tony from The Writers Bloc. I really enjoy reading Tony's work, plus he did post the best comment I've ever had to a blog post, I still smile when I think of McGee/DiNozzo suggesting asparagus rustlers in Norfolk and getting a Gibbslap in return.

4. Post 11 questions for your nominees to answer.

Ok - my questions for Andy, Duncan, and Tony to answer are:

1 - How long have you been blogging for?
2 - Why did you get into blogging?
3 - What blog post are you the most proud of?
4 - What do you do when not typing frantically at a computer?
5 - What's the weather like where you are right now?
6 - What environment do you find most conducive for writing?
7 - If travel was instant and money no object, what would be your perfect day?
8 - What's your pet peeve?
9 - What was the last book you read?
10 - What's your favourite drink?
11 - How do you see the world changing in the next fifty years?

5. Post a comment on your nominees' blogs to let them know that they've been nominated.

I will do.

Okay - time to answer my questions from Tim!

1. What was your main impetus to begin blogging?

To practice writing. I've always wanted to write, to create, but for a long time I've struggled with having enough time to do it on a regular basis - in the last fifteen years, I've spent thirteen of them studying (ten of them at the same time as working) which has been great but it's really nice to have some time to myself on an evening to write.

2. What was your favourite book?

The Man on Platform 5 by Robert Llewellyn. I've always said that if you want to understand me, read this book. The main character is basically my natural resting state, and I need motivation and external influence to conform to societies norms. Basically it's about a train spotter that is made into a cool dude for a bet. It's well written and very funny (not to mention fascinating to see how technology has moved on since it was written!) I generally read it perhaps once a year.

3. If you had a time machine where would you go first?

Difficult one. The birth of the universe? Myself when I was younger to give advice on what to do and what not to do (or even just give myself the winning lottery numbers)? A hundred years into the future to see what it looks like?

Actually - back to the day my son was born, to relive the joy of his birth.

And right after that, II'd go back about six years and tell myself to go to the doctors, get checked out, and make sure whenever I was suffering I'd go back too.

4. When you look at life what thing puzzles you most?

Pensions. Okay, maybe they don't puzzle me, but, while everyone says how important it is to save for your retirement (and it is), it is basically a gamble. You're gambling that you're going to live forever, and that the pension fund people will have to give you money to live for decades and decades. They, meanwhile, are gambling that you're going to die a couple of weeks into your retirement and be quids in.

5. Have you ever posted a Facebook update just to make someone jealous, or angry?

I hope not.

6. Would you explain?

I endeavour always to keep social media interactions positive. I might express my emotions, but I hope that I never do it to make someone angry or jealous.

7. What is your favourite vacation spot, someplace you have been and intend to return?

Paris wins - I had the best holiday there with my partner about five years ago, it was great and I'd love to return. But Dublin isn't far behind, it's probably the best place in the world to drink!

8. How many play lists are on your mp3 player?

One, full of dance music for the gym.

The gym that I should be in tonight, instead of writing!

The playlist is full of music of questionable taste. Favourites that spring to mind include "Thunderbirds Are Go" by Busted, and "C'est La Vie" by B*Witched.

9. Looking at your life now, and thinking about your school years, in what subject do you wish you would have payed more attention?

I don't really feel that there are any subjects that I should have paid more attention to.

10. Why?

I don't know. I should say that this question doesn't really apply to me because I was taught at home, my first experience of formal education was when I was sixteen and went to Hull College. And when I went to college I studied IT, because that's what I was interested in.

11. Do you believe there is life on other planets?

Absolutely. There's so many planets out in the universe, I can't believe that ours is the only one with intelligent life.

But that's scary. I think, certainly in western culture, we are so used to everything in life being "fair" that the reality that tomorrow an alien invasion fleet could show up, decide that they want the Earth's resources (or to make the Earth a colony of theirs) and promptly kill us all without effort (or enslave us if we're lucky) is a little unsettling.

Fingers crossed it doesn't happen in my lifetime!

Thanks again to Tim for the nomination and I look forward to reading the answers from my nominated blogs!

The Experience of the Surprise Polish

For the last few Monday nights, we've generally had a Polish takeaway from Kuchnia in Hull. Polish is ace because it tastes great and it's cheaper than some other takeaways, but we don't have a Polish menu which makes choosing meals tricky - my other half always has Devolay with extra garlic sauce and extra mash, but I like to try something different every time.  So this time, when my partner was ordering, and asked me what I wanted, I said "A surprise!  Something with meat in it."

I got this!

Wow.  It was amazing.  Meat wrapped in meat, with mash and tons of gravy.  And lots of tasty veg too.

Now, I have lots of guest posts of mine to talk about!

Firstly, I've got a post up at the great nobodysreadingme which I love very much (the blog, not my post - I'm not quite that egocentric... okay, well maybe I am) where I'm complaining about getting older.  My knee still aches from time to time after falling over a football about six years ago.  The chap who runs nobodysreadingme is a very good writer indeed and his blog is well worth checking out - he also writes at Ether Books and Wattpad (name of Duncan Swallow) and I'd encourage you to check those out.

And secondly, I'm very sorry not to have highlighted this when it went live (entirely my mistake) but I have a guest post up at A Daydreamer's Thoughts due to Faye there being lovely enough to let me talk about "The Man on Platform Five" by Robert Llewellyn.  A book review was a writing challenge that I hadn't attempted before and as it's my all time favourite book I had to do it!  Thanks to Faye for letting me have a go at reviewing, and if you'd like to see my review it's at http://daydreamersthoughts.co.uk/guest-review-the-man-on-platform-5-by-robert-llewellyn/.  I really enjoyed the opportunity to do a book review and I'm hoping to attempt another one in the not too distant future.

Oh - have you played http://winloseorbanana.com/ ?  Very bizarre.

Of course I'm not doing anything important

Today I'm extremely fortunate to feature a guest post by the one and only Duncan Swallow.  Duncan, amongst other things, runs an excellent blog, nobodysreadingme.  His blog is, unfortunately, significantly better than mine.  I'm actually delaying the publishing of this post because I've just realised that his latest one is up on his blog and I haven't read it yet.

(Minutes go by...)

That was really good.  I'd recommend after you've been here that you head over to his blog and read it.

Okay - Mr Swallow, you have the floor!

--------------------------

Mike is doing a guest post over on my blog http://nobodysreadingme.wordpress.com/ and he kindly allowed me a guest post here. I’m going to take the opportunity to have a rant.

I spend a lot of time writing. I blog every day, apart from Sunday. I’ve got a lot of short stories published on EtherBooks. I’m working on two separate versions of my memoir. I’m in the thick of my second novel, having given up on having the first one published. So I have quite a lot on my plate, or page as you might say.

For reasons we needn’t go into I work a lot in my local library. And for some reason I attract the lunatic fringe who seem to think that if I’m pounding the keys what I’d prefer to do is be interrupted by something more important. And what could be more important than their misguided and unwanted ramblings?

There’s the rather plummy voiced eccentric man. Maybe you’ve met him, or his ilk. He’ll ask ‘What are you writing?’ then proceed not to listen as he bangs on for five or ten or fifteen minutes about how what I should  be writing is similar to his amateurish and singularly unfunny satirical magazine. This has a circulation of three, including him and his mum.

There’s the plummy voiced Baroness. Really, she is. She doesn’t know one end of a computer from another, so frequently enlists my help. I’m fine with this, until she goes all Lady of the Manor on me. ‘It worked yesterday,’ to which I have to reply, ‘Well, that may be true but it’s not working today.’ ‘You don’t have to do that!’ ‘Oh yes I do, I miskeyed a command so I need to retype it, as soon as I can get my hands back from round your throat.’ She thinks she’s speaking to the bootboy or something.

An acquaintance who will insist, while I’m typing, on regaling me yet again what a bitch and a cow, and a moneygrubber, his ex-wife is. You married her pal. I really don’t want to hear this again, for the nth time in a year. I’m not interested in the fact you missed your bus this morning either, now I come to mention it.

Then there’s the man who reads the Guardian every day. No problem with that at all. It’s a fine newspaper. Generally it attracts people who can think, so it’s a surprise that he not only has to move his lips as he reads, he has to read aloud! He also feels honour bound to issue a running commentary, and ask himself questions that he then answers. Himself.

But hey, it doesn’t matter. I’m not doing anything important. I’m just writing, that’s all.