Geoff Thomas
Posted: Mon 4 July, 2005 Filed under: Health, News, Thoughts 1 Comment »Two years ago, Geoff Thomas (apparently a former football player, but *shrug*) was diagnosed with leukemia. This year, he’s following the example of Lance Armstrong, himself a survivor of testicular cancer, and riding the Tour De France. Not at the same time as the other riders, but a couple of days in advance.
Quite remarkable, and well worth sponsoring.
Blueberries
Posted: Sat 2 July, 2005 Filed under: Customer Services, Health 5 Comments »I just drank an Innocent® Blackberry and Blueberry smoothie, and couldn’t resist copying the text that was on it. Sheer genius…
We don’t know who invented blueberries. Probably Thomas Edison, or Benjamin Franklin. Anyway, whoever did it, we thank you, mainly because blueberries seem to do a multitude of things very well. They look good on your cornflakes, they taste amazing, and they contain more antioxidant power than brocolli, spinach, or garlic. Over the years we’ve found that they taste slightly more agreeable when blended into a smoothie than garlic or any of those other things. If you disagree, please email your concerns to iwantmysmoothietostink@innocentdrinks.co.uk.
How ace is that? Particularly the email address…
A Walk down Memory Lane
Posted: Fri 1 July, 2005 Filed under: Health, Resolutions, Thoughts 5 Comments »Via bsag, a fairly interesting little meme about time…
10 years ago…
Hmmm, 1995. I was working in Rugby, as the manager of the Three Horseshoes hotel there. (Nasty website, but I had nowt to do with it. Promise) Working from 6am-ish through to midnight/1am, with (if I was lucky a break in the middle somewhere. Insane hours, little to no sleep, running round like the proverbial fart in a fit. It was brilliant, and in some ways I’d still go back to that kind of work, if I could sort out the hours a bit. Mind you, that’s hotels for you – the breakfast bit is the killer.
5 years ago…
I was definitely in Manchester by that time, but where was I working? *racks brain* I think that I was actually working for Ebookers in London. And commuting between either Manchester and London or Bath and London, thanks to a friend with a flat in Bath, and depending on what else was going on. It was hugely expensive, immensely stressed, and probably overall not many hours less than I’d been doing five years earlier. The pay was better, but was swallowed up by travel, rent, that kind of thing. So, a major change of jobs, but no change in financial status, really. And still as daft as ever.
This time last year…
I was working in Oldham. Less money, easier job. d4d™ was going great guns, and was nearing its second birthday. Tim Henman had collapsed out of Wimbledon like the wet fart he is, and I was looking forward to seeing Herself properly for the first time following on from when we’d been together at the wedding in June. So… shite… that means it’s our first anniversary soon. Flippin’ ‘eck. Time flies when you’re having fun, doesn’t it?
Yesterday…
All very domestic. Working at the new place continues to be cool as chuff, and really rather satisfying. The cycling’s also going well, and thank christ the weather’s cooled down a bit too. Home, and cooked up some seriously yummy Goat’s Cheese and Caramelised Onion pasta, (cheers, Waitrose) although Hound® nicked some of it before it got cooked. Fucker. Ended the evening by watching The Punisher, which was just as brainless and shite as I’d expected, but entertaining all the same. In a dumb “can’t be arsed to do owt else” kind of way. Oh, and started work on two of the websites I need to get sorted.
Today…
A load of work has landed on my desk, so I’m going to be busy for the next couple of weeks with it all. Which is no bad thing at all. Other than that, sorting out events for next weekend, which as well as a certain anniversary is also Father’s birthday, plus the fete where the charity will take part. Oh, and just for good measure there’s the christening of my god-daughter too. Nothing like a quiet weekend. And yes, that one is going to be nothing like a quiet weekend.
Out tonight for a curry with some of Herself’s friends, and I guess we should walk Hound® at some point too.
Tomorrow…
Shopping, Gardening, more website work, and sorting out some photos etc., I think. Oh, and doing some fruit picking somewhere along the line. No solid plans just yet, but I’m sure we’ll be busy. After all, it’s a “quiet” weekend. Ha.
Getting There
Posted: Wed 22 June, 2005 Filed under: Health, Travel Leave a comment »On the ride to work (which hasn’t changed much, as I’m still in Wokingham. I just go a different direction at the train station) just after I leave the house there’s a nightmare road. Partly the nightmare is because it’s always half-full of parked cars, and avoiding those (plus idiot schoolchildren who don’t know the difference betweeen path and road) makes for a hairy ride on occasion.
The main reason it’s a bastard though is because the entire road is uphill. It’s only a gentle(ish) slope, but Jesus, it’s a killer. It always leaves me knackered – still determined to go on, but knackered all the same – and chuffed. This isn’t helped by being very soon after leaving the house, so I’m not warmed up or anything.
Anyway, I’d always said I’ll know when I’m getting to some point of fitness when I can do the road without being bollocksed at the end of it. And today was that day!
Of course, we’ll have to see how I do tomorrow with it (and then next week, as I’m travelling to Norfolk straight after work on Friday, and there’s no point cycling in at that point) but I do feel pretty good that I’d managed to complete that road without being knackered.
Moonwalk
Posted: Sun 19 June, 2005 Filed under: Health, Thoughts 1 Comment »I’m glad to see that the annual Playtex Moonwalk event went off smoothly last night in London.
It’s a walk through London at night, where 15,000 people – mainly women in self-decorated bras – are sponsored in aid of Breast Cancer charities. Long may events like this continue.
Headwind
Posted: Thu 2 June, 2005 Filed under: Health Leave a comment »I know I’ve written before about things that detract from the entire “cycling as commute” concept.
The one that occurred to me today – the entire way, irrelevant of which direction I was actually travelling in- was that Headwinds are an utter fucker. And they hate cyclists.
It’s one of those things that you just don’t need to worry about when you’re in a car. Travelling into the wind isn’t an issue – you might need to put your foot a tiny bit harder on the accelerator, but that’s it. However, when you’re riding a bike that headwind is there, and on occasion it’s enough to almost stop you dead.
Today’s journey to work has been of particular note. No matter what direction I was travelling in, even as I turned a corner, I was still heading into the wind. I’m knackered – and I’m willing to bet that it’ll be the same on the way home, even though I’ll be going in the opposite direction.
Giving Up
Posted: Tue 31 May, 2005 Filed under: Health Leave a comment »“Tobacco is the second major cause of death in the world. It is currently responsible for the death of one in ten adults worldwide (about 5 million deaths each year). If current smoking patterns continue, it will cause some 10 million deaths each year by 2020. Half the people that smoke today  that is about 650 million people  will eventually be killed by tobacco.”
Help – For a life without tobacco