Website of the week - #27

Sometimes do you just need to insult people with a little more style?

If so, this could be invaluable.

Clear skies, clear air and a clear mind ahead?

Been a busy couple of weeks - too busy hence a distinct lack of posting. There has been stuff at work, other things, times of reflection and challenge, and a couple of moments when I've had to stop and think 'what if?'

Overall a strange start to 2007 - have I got my priortites right? Probably not...

Anyway, tomorrow head off to the mountains for a week of peering down ski pistes and thinking, 'not sure about this' - then spotting my companions zooming away in the distance and thinking, 'oh well... he who dares... when's lunch?'

Hopefully the scenery, air, time with friends etc. will help to clear my head a bit. Who knows, even gain some perspective or deep insight? OK, I know, I'm just being silly now!

Postings will be lacking next week but will return the week after - possibly with beautiful photos of me being outdoorsy and rugged?!?

Website of the week - #26

No doubt the trendy ones of you have already seen this - best use of a treadmill I've seen lately.

Whatever you do, don't feed them!

Busy week ahead including the next phase of this 'leadership' course I've been doing. Spent this afternoon reviewing my notes and looking back on my 'personal branding statement' and 'gremlins' (see here).

Mentioned the gremlins notion in passing to my boss on Friday. "Why have all your gremlins got such camp names?" he asked. "Oh, so you named them." It was as though that seemed to explain everything...

I've struggled with the whole 'personal brand' idea - it's one which seems to be the illegitimate offspring of a brainstorming session between David Brent and In the Psychiatrists Chair. Also learnt today that 'brainstorming' is now a politically incorrect term as it has links to epilepsy. Even 'thought shower' is not really acceptable (not that such a profoundly stupid phrase ever was), so what we have to do is 'map our concepts'.

????

Anyway, was struggling with my branding statement and then thought about a line I heard in a film the other day. "Are you one of those people who are difficult to get to know, but if you do spend the time you turn out to be fabulous?"

Captures me way better than any branding statement.

The rise and rise of Jim Robinson

Ugly Betty seems to be a bit like Ally McBeal - only the office politics are set in the world of fashion and the lead character looks no stranger to a sandwich and hence more normal sized. Slightly worried we are only ever a few seconds away from a "why, Ms Suarez, you are beautiful after all" moment.

To be honest, so far I quite like it and I love all the slightly unexpected actors who seem to pop up. We have already had the wonderful Ashley Jensen (the funny one from Extras) as 'the good colleague' and the delightful Dawn Tinsley/Hayley from the Archers (Lucy Davis) as 'Fashion TV Anchor'.

However, you have to admire how well that Jim Robinson has done - CIA spook (X files), NCIS Director (NCIS) and he's even been made the Vice President of the USA (24), which is technically illegal as US Presidents/Vice Presidents have to born in the USA. He may now have become a magazine magnate, but for some of us his finest hour was as Marissa's step dad.

Not bad for a family man from Erinsborough.

At one with the mountains

Soon will be off to the mountains on a hastily arranged ski trip - looking forward to it.

Apparently the resort is the place to go this year - hip, full of Russian oligarchs and no doubt pricey. Fear not, I shall be at the cheap 'n' cheerful end of the resort!

Also read recently that the police had busted a 'high class prostitution ring'...

"Oliver Reed was in it...

...and so was Glenda Jackson."

Not a phrase I was expecting to hear during the first of a new class I've just embarked upon. I've got a lot on at the moment but hopefully things will calm down in a couple of weeks and, anyway, I need a distraction from 'sums', hence something new.

I often find first lessons a little strange - my main ambition is not to be the weirdest one in the class. Slightly worried in that on initial appearances I fear I could be the most 'normal' in this particular group - not good for them or me.

Still, early days and I'm sure my quirkiness will gradually emerge...

A snapshot of the village

One of the bizarre things about working in the 'Westminster village' - and somewhat alarmingly I've been there 7 years - are the various protests you come across.

Last night there was a bunch of Christians singing hymns due to some sexual orientation regulations being discussed; this morning there was a floatilla of boats on the Thames all sounding their horns about something or other.

You may not agree with them (surely there is something more important than being worried by the remote prospect of Christian guesthouses being overrun by the pink pound??) or even what they are protesting about (still not 100% sure what the boats and their horns were worried about) but the variety of protests adds to 'village life'.

Been a lack of protesters running around in Dom Joly style animal suits of late though...

Thought for the day

Can you lose something you've never really had?



I know - deep...

...or complete twaddle.

;o)

Website of the week - #25

I've been a bit remiss lately - sorry.

This is no Ron Burgundy - if only he'd learnt from the legendary anchorman.

A Prairie Home Companion

Garrison Keillor is a bit like Guinness or Marmite - an acquired taste which you either love or hate. The Simpsons captured it well - Homer and Bart were watching telly and zapped to a show with Garrison Keillor on it. The TV studio audience were in hysterics. Bart turned to Homer, "What's so funny?" Homer shrugs, "I dunno."

Robert Altman's last film was A Prairie Home Companion, an ensemble piece set around a recording of the eponymous show. If you like Keillor or have heard the show - which is a long running institution on National Public Radio in the USA and is broadcast on BBC7 (the best radio station in the UK by far) in the UK - then you'll 'get' the film and enjoy it. If you don't like Keillor, or indeed Altman's ensemble film making, you'll hate it.

Overall it's a quiet, low key and very 'brown-looking' final piece from Altman. The cast are good - especially Woody Harrelson - and it's a little reminiscent of Nashville, an earlier Altman work. It's neither Altman's best film, nor a masterpiece, but it is rather lovely.

I'm ashamed - I feel so dirty...

I couldn't help it - it was like rubber necking at a car crash. I know I shouldn't look but I kept flicking back to Celebrity BB. Unbelievable. Most of the Jackson 5 now see to be on reality style shows (Jermaine, Tito and Randy), we have a couple of ex pop moppets (apparently H, sorry Ian, came out yesterday - well I was shocked!?) and, bizarrely, Leo Sayer, Face from the A Team, and Ken Russell!

Do any of these people have agents? If so, how are they still retained? I mean how do you slip it into conversation with Ken Russell that going on Celeb BB is a good idea??

And then we have Cleo Rocos... Will anyone younger than me have even the faintest idea who she is - other than perhaps a poor Cherie Blair lookalike??

Horrible feeling is I fear being draw into its evil web...

New Year's Resolutions

Difficult to decide - perhaps I ought to take up smoking in order to give it up for the new year. I could always give up alcohol and chocolate - but let's not be rash here... we also need to be realistic.

Okay, my three resolutions are;

* end world hunger

* bring about world peace

* become one of the top 10 sexiest men in the UK

I know, I know - at least one of them might be tricky...

The year closes

Hope that you had good Christmas and New Year.

Deep down I have to admit that I've never been a huge fan of Christmas/New Year - often seems to be a damp squib to me. This probably means I'm doing it wrong but this year was OK - praise indeed!

Anyway, even for me this year's New Year's Eve was a bit disjointed. It started early in the morning (well, late the previous night) when I seemed to end up singing along to 'I want you back' and 'Sweet Home Alabama' on some PlayStation game - rarely a good thing.

The morning then drifted into lunch at a carvery - where else can you get suspiciously overgrown yorkshire puddings? Carveries are weird - they seem to exist solely for pensioners and families with small children - whole swathes of people are missing out on the delights of the prawn cocktail starter... Lunch was followed by a visit to a cemetery - not my idea - which was timed exactly as the wind and rain kicked up.

The evening was OK - a quiz, a puppet related moment (never a good idea), food and a youth band who were pretty good. They were also a bit loud - another moment to confirm the ageing process... As I said, overall a bit of a strange and disjointed day.

Not sure what the year ahead will bring. Can't say why but I sense it could be a year for 'moving on'. Don't mean to be cryptic and have no real reason for thinking so other than a 'feeling in me water'...

...yet another confirmation of ageing...

;o)