Cookery Lessons
Posted: Tue 22 January, 2008 Filed under: Cynicism, Domestic, Health, News, Thoughts 1 Comment »On first read, the news that cookery lessons are to become part of the compulsory school schedule is great news. I did cookery lessons way back when I was in school, and it was a useful grounding. (Admittedly, I don’t do a great deal of cooking, but at least I can cook, and can do enough to mean I’m OK without needing to go to a takeaway for meals.)
But then you take a look at the fine print. One hour a week, for one term? Not really a comprehensive course then. (Or a grammar one – ha, education joke. I slay me.) If it were one hour a week for the full school year, you’d have pupils with a decent knowledge of cooking, basic recipes, and general nutritional knowledge that might actually go some way towards the end goal.
Once a week for one term? It’s hardly worth the effort. Of course, even a tiny bit of effort is better than none at all, but still, there’s so much more that could be done with this.
Turkey Out
Posted: Wed 16 January, 2008 Filed under: Animals, Customer Services, Cynicism, Health Leave a comment »OK, so it doesn’t have quite the same ring as Chicken Out!, but apparently Bernard Matthews has decided to make more of their turkeys free-range, mainly in light of the public reaction to documentaries (talked about before on here) by Hugh Fearnley-Bellend et al.
Of course, if the birds had been free-range he might not have been hit quite so hard by the bird flu scare at one of the Bernard Matthews farms back in February 2007. But that’d just be me being cynical, of course.
Bleh
Posted: Thu 29 November, 2007 Filed under: Domestic, Health 1 Comment »Grand. Just in time for being away from the office for four days, I’ve got what feels like the starting of a flu thing.
- Sore throat. Check.
- Aching joints. Check.
- Belting headache. Check.
- Lethargy. Check. (Some would say “No change there, then”)
- Feeling like shit. Check, check, and double-check.
Great.
Blind as a Badger
Posted: Sun 25 November, 2007 Filed under: Domestic, Health Leave a comment »[post written on Monday, but should’ve been done on Sunday]
So yes, the eye-test happened today. And I’m pleased to report that all’s well.
Well, I’m still blind as a badger, obviously – the eye-test wasn’t to see if there’d been some miracle cure, and I hadn’t noticed. But (again) my sight has changed so little in the last nearly-three years that I can stick with the same glasses. I’ll probably get some new ones in the new year, but for the time being I’m fine with the ones I’ve got.
Lose Some Weight in ’08
Posted: Wed 14 November, 2007 Filed under: Domestic, Health, Introspective, Thoughts Leave a comment »One of the things I know I really should/need to do over the next year is get back into going to the gym, doing more exercise of whatever type, and generally lsing some weight.
This last year, and particularly following on from the farce with Holmes Place (Now Virgin Active, but still scumbag dickheads) I lost all real motivation to keep going to the gym, which was a habit I’d managed to get in to before starting work in Cambridge.
About two months ago, we did get round to joining the one in Dereham, although not paying a monthly subscription – and maybe that’s part of the problem as well. Because it’s “Pay as you go” rather than “Pay regardless” it means that there’s still not actually much drive to get us there. If they were taking £35 a month from us and we weren’t using it, we’d feel far more guilty, and would have more drive to go.
At the same time, this year we’ve been hyper-busy with stuff on the house and garden, which has also added to our lack of motivation for going to the gym. Of course, working in the garden should also add to the general exercise regime, and probably will, but it’s not quite the same as a gym session.
So I know that in the new year (possibly before then, although the way the next seven weeks are looking at the moment, I wouldn’t guarantee it) I need to do more on the exercise and fitness front. It won’t just be the gym, I suspect – I still want to get back into the archery, but when it’s only held on a Sunday, it eats in to the time I’ve got for dealing with house stuff too. Still, I’ll look round, see what other clubs are available – I don’t mind taking up an evening with going, but a Sunday is (at the moment anyway) a bit too much.
I also need to think about getting the bike back on the road – I had it serviced and repaired recently, so that it’s in full working order again, but then just haen’t been using it, or really feeling like I want to get out and use it. I may make use of it in the time between Christmas and New Year, when I’m not working, and see how things go.
All told though, I know that I need to get back to where I was in mid 2006, regularly going to the gym and generally getting into it, losing a fair amount of weight, and gaining a commensurate amount of fitness. I know I need to do it, but I still need to locate the motivation to actually do so. And that’s what I need to work on first, breaking back into the habit, and wanting to go, rather than “just” knowing I need to.
Free Rice
Posted: Tue 13 November, 2007 Filed under: Green, Health, News Leave a comment »
(via Blue Witch)
The FreeRice website has recently started as a spin-off from Poverty.com, and as of the time of writing has already donated some 1,330,639,890 grains of rice to be distributed through the United Nations’ World Food Programme. Read the FAQs for more information
FreeRice has two goals:
- Provide English vocabulary to everyone for free.
- Help end world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free.
This is made possible by the sponsors who advertise on this site.
Whether you are CEO of a large corporation or a street child in a poor country, improving your vocabulary can improve your life. It is a great investment in yourself.
Perhaps even greater is the investment your donated rice makes in hungry human beings, enabling them to function and be productive. Somewhere in the world, a person is eating rice that you helped provide. Thank you.
Yes, it’s advertising-sponsored, but it’s not intrusive and hell, it’s what pays for the rice.
My average literacy level so far is 40-42, (mainly because I had occasional moments of twonkdom) which is apparently pretty good. Still, it’s fun, and it’s for a decent cause, so go on, participate, have a bit of bobble-hatted fun, and do some donation of rice via the UN. You know you want to.