History + Time = Future?

While at work I listen to BBC Radio 2, as I have no choice, but I've come to rather enjoy it. My reasons for enjoying it is because there is a great variety or music, radio personalities, and talk radio involved in the programming, but most of all no advertising, apart from a few about upcoming programs on a BBC channel or a promotion that they are doing on the radio itself.

Anyways, while listening today to the Jeremy Vine show after lunch, they were discussing Communism, and if it has ever worked or could work. As with most topical discussion they bring in experts to give their opinions regarding each side, and allow callers to voice their opinions, emails, and twitter comments. Well when people start giving their thoughts/views on these subjects it can become rather heated, as most people should know from seeing the American Presidential Election campaign debates, and because of this is is rather difficult to voice ones opinion over another as they are shouting into the microphone, or handset of their phone. As I strained to listen I caught tidbits of history unfolding when one of the experts was speaking of current countries that are Communist, and for how long they have been. This then triggered another thought in my head, the past and the future. Once the discussion was over and everyone gave their views I carried on with my work, and thought of the past, and what time I would have liked to have lived in, and I concluded that it would be the 14th century, but only as an observer. I suppose I have read too many, or not enough, fantasy novels, but there is something I love about that era. The idea of fighting your enemies in close combat, tending to your farm, being a blacksmith, a tailor or a fisherman, such simpler times, even though life expectancy is shorter due to poor health and living conditions.

After a while my mind moved on to the future, and what triggered these thoughts is when I was looking at the HMRC(Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs) website to find out about my tax bracket, and on the same page it gave info for retirement, one of the dates it gave was 2046(really?). Well after thinking of the past while at work, this year of 2046 popped into my head, and it made me wonder how I would envision the future to be, we all know there have been many novels written, but how many have come true? I found it difficult to picture a future, but the best I could come up with was something along the lines of a dystopian/nihilistic/totalitarian future, but nothing with crazy robots or electronics(I think we already have some of those things in our daily lives). I realize this may come across as pessimistic but you need to look through history to see that the human race is headed in this direction. An example of it is happening right now in America, the Presidential Race. The candidates speak to the citizens, the ones that elect them, as if they are children by using simple phrases, avoiding valid questions regarding policies, and belittling their opponents. Now this could come down to lack of funding in the education system(all over the world) which has lead to a dumber population, or just that humans understand and comprehend simple answers easier than complex ones so we accept it. I choose to believe the latter, as I don't want us to destroy ourselves too soon.

Now to come full circle and finish my train of thought with a message, just try to live your life and don't over-think anything, instead enjoy the journey, and do what you can to make the world a better place in any way you can. I want the future generations to enjoy this planet for a bit longer before we mess it up too much. I have chosen to grow my own vegetables, compost and volunteer at Stonebridge City farm in Nottingham, and this brings me joy as I know that others get satisfaction from visiting it.

Well there you have it, you now know how my mind works and how I stay sane in a menial task job, and somehow have the ability to keep a conversation with myself, also it's quite interesting to view how thoughts flow from one topic to another.

Review: Dracula

Dracula by Bram Stoker

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I feel that the first 60% of the book is the best when they are discovering who Dracula is, but it fizzles out like a lame firework in the last 40%. Having been to Whitby myself and seeing Bram Stoker's inspiration for this novel it was like I was there in the 19th century reading the papers and reports of mysterious events, and that gave me a real connection to the antagonist and protagonists. I think it will be a novel I will re-read in a few years time to see if I feel differently about it.



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Food Obsession

What do you do when there is only one left on the plate, and it's your favourite food? Do you offer to others around you, or do you grab it for yourself?

In the past year I have discovered my obsession for salty/briny foods. I have always had a love of dill pickles, especially homemade, and the ones I helped my mom make last autumn are amazing. I also really enjoy olives, no matter what ripeness they are, but I tend to lean towards green. On the Saturday of the Easter long weekend I made a pizza with real feta cheese, and love the briny water that it comes in, if I knew it wasn't unhealthy for me to drink it I probably would. Now when at a dinner party or a buffet and I have these choices in front of me, my plate usually ends up quite full of these food items. I would keep my fridge stocked all the time if it were affordable, but alas it is something I will never be able to afford and therefor is a luxury.

What is the one food, or type of food that you have a love for and will always eat the last one from the plate or bowl?

Craig

Summertime, Living Is Easy

Well after being unemployed for five months I have started working at Home Hardware again. I was excited to be working again as I was running out of activities to keep me occupied throughout the day, but once I walked through the warehouse doors, I felt the life force be sucked out of me. After a week of being back I am already into some of my old habits, which include staying awake much later than I should and eating junk food late in the night as well. With the increasingly becoming better I will be back to commuting to work on my bike, and improvements to my diet and exercise routines.

As the weather works towards its peak it is time to plant the vegetable garden again this year. In 2010 I attempted, and succeeded rather well for my first attempt at growing vegetables and herbs, and combining the info I have read throughout the winter, and last years experience I know that 2011 can be more productive. This time round I will be sure to plant all forms of lettuce in succession so we have it available for a longer period, and will avoid planting potatoes as they failed to produce anything that was amazing. The biggest surprise for me was the carrots that were of exceptional quality, and I am looking forward to making a soup with them again. I am hoping that the cucumbers, zucchini, squash and tomatoes perform better this year as well. The biggest challenge with the garden I have planted, due to its size, is keeping control of the weeds. I managed to stay on top for the first half, but once summer reached its peak I lost all control, but managed what I could.

There is something incredibly rewarding at the end of the harvest season when you look back at all the fresh vegetables and herbs that you put you energy into, and the cost savings from not having to purchase them at the grocery store. It brings a smile to your face to know that you contributed to improving your health and the environment, and I find there are few other satisfactions in life.

Craig

Wednesdays Works

As you may have noticed I have not posted any new sketches for a short while. Well here are a few that I worked on but didn't feel they were ready, or wasn't sure if I wanted others to see them.

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Kitchen Island & Coffee Table

The kitchen island is made of wood with tubular steel supports. I got the idea while watching an episode of The Big Bang Theory as Leonard and Sheldon have something similar in their kitchen. This is another item I have added to my list of furniture to make in the future. It will look rustic with a slight modern element to it by using tubular steel. The coffee table has also drawn inspiration from the kitchen island, with the difference being the design of the legs, although still made of steel.

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Patio with arbour

I have always wanted a house with a beautiful stone patio, and an arbour attached to the house to create a natural shaded area using vines growing over it. I am still unsure of what material to use for the patio, flagstone or stone pavers. I think the flagstone would add more to the natural feel of the patio, but in this sketch I drew it with large patio stones. The following image gives you a better visual of what the patio would look like with flagstone. The arbour is very useful if your house faces south or west and you enjoy entertaining late into the evening as it provides essential shade for guests in the summer heat.

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Rear yard w/ flagstone patio, grass area and veg/flower garden border

This rear yard is ideally suited to anyone with a narrow but fairly deep area. The flagstone patio is how I want it to look in the previous sketch, and this view is you sitting under your arbour looking to the back of the yard. The grass area is elevated one step due to the yard having a slight ascent, and the whole area being bordered by a mixture of vegetable plans and flowers growing at the base of a handcrafted wooden fence. The veg/flower beds are supported by stone pavers, but I'm not sure if I want to create 2-3 levels similar to the patio/grass areas. These are all elements I can figure out when I actually have the opportunity to implement in real life.

Craig

Water: Tranquil to Rabid

As you walk along the riverbed you see an old stump that would be perfect to lounge against for a short while. Once you've been seated for a few minutes you become amazed at the force the river has. This force has the ability to carry seeds from plants upstream to its new home further downstream, and provide a home for many species of fish. This is the moment you realise that you've not eaten or had anything to drink in a while, so you take out your small fishing pole and catch one of the native fish in the area. While it is cooking on the fire you have made, you fill your canteen with the refreshing mountain spring water on a hot summer day, and are thankful for if it were not for water you would not exist. As you sit and enjoy the feast you reminisce of childhood, running through the sprinkler on a hot summer day and this brings a smile to your face, and at that moment you wish a light shower would arrive to help cool you down.

As the happy thoughts start to fade, you now think of the destructive force water can be. Too many times you have witnessed on the news of riverbanks flooding and destroying crops, houses and wildlife, but where are the people to go, the river provides for them. You picture tsunamis ripping through entire countries, destroying everything in its path, and want to know how you can help them rebuild for the future, but also hope it never happens again.

Craig

Friday's Feed

While watching Attack of the Show on Thursday the hosts showed a clip of a video during their Around the Net segment. This video is of Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking having a rap battle.

Texts From Last Night - A website that posts user submitted content. The content being text messages from friends, family, co-workers or colleagues, and majority of them are quite hilarious, disgusting or disturbing.

Unfortunately that is all for the week as I had a lot on my mind and it took a lot of my time. I didn't make a post for Wednesdays Works either, but I have some for next week.

Craig