D4D

Slapping the Stupid with Stun-Guns

Archive for the category “Health”

29 Nov 2013

6,500

Yes, this is the 6,500th post on D4D™, according to WordPress. So what better time to look at what may be happening here over 2014? (There’s no guarantees, it’s more about where my head’s at right now)

In just over a month, it’ll be 2014. As usual, I’m not making any resolutions for 2014 – that old ‘everyone else does it, so I’m not‘ thing kicking in again – although there is the stuff from Project 42 (i.e. what I want to do from November to November) to consider. Which all means I have to balance out time across a number of things – something I’m renownedly abysmal at doing.

So – what may happen is that D4D may step back a bit, maybe not have the daily updates. (Of course it might stay the same, too. It kind of depends on everything else)  I’ve got some writing ideas – as well as some other things I’m not going to go into right now – and I need to make time for them. I’ll still be updating, it just might not be daily.

This coming year is going to be interesting. There’s a lot of potential ideas and plans, a lot of stuff I’d like to do, but I do need to figure things out in order to be somewhat realistic about it as well. I’m going to take time over December to get things in place, work out priorities, form that limited company that needs doing, and a bundle of other prep crap to let 2014 be as productive as possible.

As for D4D™, it’ll keep on going – on and on. I can’t guarantee another 6,500 posts (who could?) but it’s not being planned to die off anytime soon.

Posted by lyle in 2013-2014, Business, D4D™, Domestic, Five Year Plan, Getting Organised, Health, Own Business, Project 42, Thoughts, Time, Weight Loss, Work-related, Writing | Leave a Comment
28 Nov 2013

Lazy

Over the years, one thing I’ve said many times is that in some ways I’m lazy. (And it’s true – plus I’m almost certainly lazy in many, many ways)  However, in some circumstances my laziness actually results in extra effort/work.

Technically and pedantically I know it’s not laziness per se, it’s more a “can’t be arsed to wait” aspect which probably also matches up to something else I’ll be writing this week.

Anyway, as an example of this, I say I’m lazy when I can’t be bothered to wait for a bus or a tram/train (particularly when I lived in Manchester) on short journeys, so I’d rather walk. I simply don’t get why people would wait for a tram from Piccadilly station down to Piccadilly Gardens (or indeed really any tram stop in Manchester) when you can walk it in the time it takes for the bus/tram to arrive.

When I go shopping, I can’t be arsed to wait for a parking space right next to the shops. I’ll park further away in the car park, walk in, get what I need, and leave. If it’s been a quick shop, I’m sometimes in and out while the same damn car waits for a space right next to the store.

Indeed in general I can’t be arsed with hunting for parking spaces right next to where I’m going. I’m just as happy parking further away where there’s plenty of spaces and just, you know, walking a bit further.

But then, I’m lazy like that.

Posted by lyle in Domestic, Health, Introspective, People, Personality, Public Transport, Shopping, Thoughts, Travel | Leave a Comment
14 Nov 2013

Sniffing

At the moment, my current office resembles a plague ward. I’m pretty much done with my vile cold, thankfully, but others in the office either have it, or are in the run-up to it. And one colleague in particular just seems to be perpetually bunged up.

The thing is, that colleague is also apparently incapable of blowing his nose. Instead we get sniffs throughout the day, usually accompanied by that lovely hawking of snot into the back of the throat.

It’s vile.

We’re only in a small(ish) room that holds seven people at most, so it’s all close enough that it induces homicidal thoughts and plans. I’ve already thrown a pack of tissues at him once (a pack, not a box) and told him to blow his fucking nose. No luck.

Posted by lyle in Health, People, Work-related | Leave a Comment
02 Nov 2013

Bunged Up

This week has been less fun than usual, due to being heavily bunged up and feeling generally rotten due to a cold.  No, not ‘flu, man-’flu, or any other version. Just a cold.

And on a total tangent, what is the proper punctuation for flu? Technically it’s short for influenza, so should be written ‘flu’, or ‘flu., but I think ‘flu or flu is generally acceptable…

Anyway, yeah, just generally been feeling a bit crap, under the weather and snotty.  As a result, this weekend is likely to involve less activity, and just spend some time recuperating. That’s the plan, anyway.

Posted by lyle in Domestic, Health | Leave a Comment
24 Oct 2013

Widow

This year’s symptom of the media Silly Season appears to be the “False Widow” spider, which is the UK’s most venomous spider, but is also nowhere near as poisonous/bad/evil as it’s been portrayed, along with the resultant hysteria.

For whatever reason though, it’s been all over the news, with hysterical coverage about people who’ve been bitten “and nearly died“. Of course, it’s hard to gauge how near-to-death anyone was when they actually survived – I could say I “nearly died” anytime I cough, sneeze, or have a particularly strenuous dump.

The latest ridiculously hysterical reaction was the closure of a school in the Forest of Dean because of ‘an infestation’ of false widows (for fuck’s sake)

Now yes, I’m quite sure the bite hurts – and that there are a tiny minority of people who react badly to said bites, in the same way that there’s a small selection of people who react badly to wasp stings, peanuts etc. But it’s a tiny minority who get bitten at all (most just introduce spider to literature anyway) and an even tinier minority therein who react in such a way. But if you read the media, they’re everywhere, and everyone’s being bitten.

I know, I know, it’s always been thus with the media – compare any hysterical theme story with people you actually know, and you’ll find that most of them are stories that only happen to a tiny minority. Supposedly it’s that fact that makes the stories “news”, but that hype then blows it all out of proportion/sanity, leaving idiots people with the impression it’s happening everywhere.

Sometimes I wish the media would just shut the fuck up about stupid hype-ridden hyperbolic stories, and (in an ideal world) allow people to get on with their lives without this hysterical bullshit constantly going on.

Posted by lyle in 1BEM, Cynicism, Daily Mail, Health, Media, News, People, Stupidity, Weirdness | Leave a Comment
23 Oct 2013
3 Comments

Wavering – Updated

Following on from yesterday’s post about my – well, my subconscious’s – wavering about going to the Peter Gabriel gig at the O2.

I didn’t go.  I wanted to, I intended to.

I got home, had some lunch, had tons of time, felt like crap and had a quick nap. Not common, but not unusual.

I woke up five hours later, just as the concert was due to start. I’m about 75-90 minutes drive from the O2.

Piss.

Posted by lyle in Domestic, Getting Old(er), Gigs, Health, Insomnia, Music
08 Oct 2013
2 Comments

Having Time

With the job change, I’ve just regained about 2½ hours a day. My commute has gone from 45-50 minutes each way to 20-25, which gives me the best part of an hour straight away.  However, I was getting to Cambridge 45-60 minutes early, and leaving 45 minutes late in order to avoid the really slow/shit traffic on the dire sections of road.  So that’s another 90-105 mins regained too.

With that time, my primary aim is to get back into doing something healthier, the cycling, maybe some workout stuff as well. That’s the plan, anyway.

However, despite the new workplace being a lot closer, I’m not planning to aim (yet) for cycling to work and back. Even the shortest route is a ten-mile journey, and some of the roads are pretty dodgy.  I might explore a bit, see how things, go, but for now that’s firmly in the “see what happens” side of the list.

When all’s said and done, I’m just glad to have the time back, alongside having a better contract that’s making me happier too. I don’t mind idiot commutes (as regular readers know anyway) when it’s a job I’m enjoying, and when I’m happier with how work is coming along. When it’s a shit job though, the crap commute just exacerbates everything, makes me even less happy, knowing that I’m wasting even more time, that the entire thing is just a faff, and one I can’t be arsed with. It also turns out that when I’m down about my work, it also has a lot of knock-on effects on other bits of my life, as well as my self-image/ego/whatever, which I plan to write more about for tomorrow.

Posted by lyle in 2012-2013, Commuting, Domestic, Driving, Health, Travel, Weigh Less, Weight Loss, Work-related

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