Time to start the weekend on the right note!

I'm glad I'm going through my back catalogue of music, some of this stuff I'd just forgotten how much I loved.

Time for some more Ian Dury and the Blockheads, when I grow up I want to be a blockhead!!!

Reasons to be cheerful?

I'm going through phases with my music. Revisiting some of my older tastes, rediscovered my inner Punk, went through Ska again, lingered on Madness a bit too long, was about try my 80's pop phase (Voice of the beehive) when I remembered some Ian Dury classics like "Razzle in my pocket" and also some reasons to be cheerful!

Entrecard

I'm fairly new to blogging and I'm quite suprised to be getting comments after such a short period of time.
One of the things I'm sure this is down to is Entre Card. It's the only thing I've done to attract any visitors to my blog.
So I've tried to get to the 300 mark when I can. To help get me there this is what I've done, but other people may have better ways.

In Firefox change these settings, either under "Tools"=>"Options" or "Edit" => "Preferences", depending on your version of Firefox.
Under the "Content" tab
Remove the tick from "Enable Java" *Don't remove the tick from "Enable Java Script"*
Remove the tick from "Load images automatically", and click the "Exceptions..." button next to it.
Add the following "Allow" exceptions
 amazonaws.com
 entrecard.com
Exit from the options menu
 
In The address bar of firefox enter "about:config" nothing else no http:// etc just about:config
In the "Filter" bar at the top enter "network.http.max-" (no quotes)
 
You should have the following 4 optins
 
network.http.max-connections
network.http.max-connections-per-server
network.http.max-persistent-connections-per-proxy
network.http.max-persistent-connections-per-server
 
Adjust these to what you think is best
 
I have mine set to the following but depending on your system spec, I'd recomend making a not of their current settings.
network.http.max-connections = 60
network.http.max-connections-per-server = 15
network.http.max-persistent-connections-per-proxy = 8
network.http.max-persistent-connections-per-server = 6
 
You may want to adjust them in small increments.
 
Doing all of the above will should reduce the amount of data that you have to download for each page and make the entrecard stand out on the page as well as reduce the amount of memory firefox requires, especially by disabling java.
 
When your finished entre, you don't need to change all of this back, all you have to do is go back to the options menu and replace the ticks in "Use Java" & "Load images automatically" so you can browse as normal and when you want to do entre again, just remove the ticks.
 
There are other optins you can change but I'd only suggest using them if they sound like they'll help
http://botw.org/articles/firefox-about-config.htm

How can you properly thanks someone that saves your life?

For a while my life had been in a slump, I don't mean it was a disaster, it was just in a rut, not heading anywhere except down. every day was the same routine, go to work, come home, pay bills, pay debts, worry and do it all again the next day, usually after drinking.
Then I met someone that became a very close friend and she reminded me that "In times of trouble, you know who your friends are".
She is the most fearless person I had ever met that despite some really rough moments in her life and some very big let downs, caused by other people, some she had thought of as "Good" friends, she always found the strength to keep going.
We got to know each other almost a year ago in chat, I had hoped that there could one day be something but as time has gone this has now proved to be something unobtainable.
What she did was to wake me up from my sleep and make me start realize what my dreams where and that I did deserve to have them fulfilled, but that only "I" could make it happen.
So I've started to think more about what my dreams are and how I'm going to achieve them and this is all thanks to her.

I have this policy too, that I never simply give people what they want, when you do, people don't appreciate it or cherish it, they don't see the meaning behind it about friendship and frequently never thank you for it.
So I did something unusual, I'm not a big risk taker you see, so I bought some shares for her in Barclays (50p woo hoo), I think in a year they will be worth a lot more. Hopefully in time this will go a little way towards her getting what she wants or help fulfilling a dream she may have. I know she'll get there anyway, so this is just a little help and a little thank you from someone that knows who their friends are.

I want to wish her all the best for the future and all the happiness, I know she has someone special in her life and that her life even with what turbulence may lay ahead of her, her true friends will never let her down.

?

After much thought and deep thinking it is my considered opinion, based on careful observations and listening to the goings on, that the reality of the situation is this.

NO ONE HAS A BLOODY CLUE WHAT IS GOING ON, MUCH LESS WHAT THE HELL TO DO ABOUT IT!

I am of course refering to the "Credit Crunch".

Tony Hart

I can't believe it, not long after the loss of Oliver Postgate, I lose another childhood hero, Tony Hart.
I used to watch his programme growing up and especially the section "The Gallery" where viewers would send in their own paintings and drawings, mainly kids any age under 16. It was good to see some of the things he would create and there were the antics of his creation Morph too.


It's very sad to hear he's gone, but some of his work will live on for years to come, such as the Blue Peter logo he designed.

Out and about

Today I visited a local park, it's a place I like going to called Didsbury, strolling around the park there's a quaint little tearoom always worth a stop for a coffee and especially for some of the homemade cakes they sell. It was still a bit bitterly cold today so when I got there and after ordering coffee and cake, I spotted the perfect little corner to sit eat and relax... right next to the heater.... and it was vacant! or so I thought... after getting there I noticed what I thought was a cushion was another occupant altogether, and this occupant had no intension of leaving.... so we gave each other company and I shared a little of my milk with him..... while he shared a little of his space with me. All in all I think it was a fair deal.

Craggy Island (NOT!)

Nope , no Father Ted, No Father Jack Hackett.... and definetly no Father Dougal Maguire.
What am I talking about, only my next job. I'm going to be made redundant soon, mainly because of stupid bean counters, so I've decided to cast my net far and wide.... in fact so far that I've uncovered my dream job....The Best Job in the World and it will be mine....

I apologies now to all you unsuccessful applicants.
I will be thinking of everyone of you... every day...... just as long as global warming doesn't kick into hyperdrive and my island becomes a sand bar overnight.
Father Jack

Almost time to reflect

In a weeks time it will have been 1 month since I started blogging.
I'd never seen the appeal before, I've never been the sort of person with much to say for myself and usually I've found those that do, have too much to say, if you know what I mean. So, on with the thinking cap, I'm going to try and think of a "One Month Milestone" post, nothing special, not my thoughts this far or something that I want to spend time reflecting on, just something to share with everyone, something that perhaps even makes people take a moment to think about themselves or others.

Back to basics

One of the other goals I've set myself is to actually plan meals, but not like a menu, you know fish on a Friday, but to actually plan what I'm going to have but also cook it from the basic ingredients, no packets nothing shop bought.

So what could be simpler and easier than bread and soup.

I've made a start on the bread front and found a great recipe for "Irish Soda Bread" and I have to say it is fantastic.

I'm also going to have it with an Irish Stew and this is what I love about peasant food, it's so simple and tasty I'm really enjoying making it.

Now for something trickier, going to try and find a great and simple recipe for Focaccia, wish me luck.

He shoots...... He scores!!!!

Inspired by the immortal phrase "He shoots, he scores!" coined by the late Foster Hewitt, I decided several weeks ago to set myself some goals. Every year I usually set myself one, nothing too specific usually, just something to keep me focused and watchful for opportunities to make things better. However this year with the help of Joe's Goals (you may have noticed the ticker), I have decided to set a mixture of non-specific and very specific goals.

I should point out that when I say non-specific I really mean that I have no specific plan or strategy formulated for achieving the goal, I'm just going to apply myself to being me in my daily life and try and carry myself in the directions life takes me if there is something that will help me achieve it.

	No Drinking	1 Point
	Keep Job	1 Point
	Update Blog	1 Point
	Jogging	1 Point
	Meditation	1 Point
	Fearless	10 Points
	Drinking	1 Point

I'll try and explain these goals a little and the points system.
First of all the faces denote if it's something positive or negative, the points are a weighted system so even if i have one drink, something I want to cut back on, then I can try and do something else more positive to try and get something back.

Fearless is my biggest no specific goal, its a 10 because it's really difficult for me to do something fearless, I am not a big risk taker, so if I can do just one fearless thing this year as far as I'm concerned I'll have achieved this goal.

The way I track all of these things on Joe's Goals is simply by placing a or a next to my goal on the day it happens, hopefully there'll be more green than red.

Anyway... off for a jog round the park.

At the starting line

Happy New Year!

Well last year there was some bad stuff, but there were one or two high points that no matter how many bad things there were they more than made up for it. I also Achieved a couple of goals I set myself and I think ended the year quite well and have given me a few ideas on what to achive thi year.

So with this in mind I decided to start the year as I intend to go on and went out for a jog in the park next to where I live and also took my camera too. It was a frosty morning so I wanted to take pictures of all the sugar coated trees and objects in the park to remind me through the year how I'd started it and to spur me on to do some of my goals.