Twenty seven

It's quite the number! A perfect cube, the atomic number of an isotope of aluminium and my age. I'm writing mostly because I'm worried that the sciatic leg pain that signals the progression of a prolapsed disc may be back. I have some sore hammys. I don't know if that's because I went back to work and the seating arrangement is disagreeing with them or if I have a bulging disc or cartilage that's pressing on my sciatic nerve thus causing pain :-S

I don't want to do this all over again! But I've been so very good! Not heavy lifting, all my physio, sensible driving! What more can I do. If it goes it goes but it's such a hassle you would not believe! Ooh it might be because I decided to try some tricep dips on a frame, that is intended to aid one onto and off of the toilet.

The locked position I had to hold my legs in may account for the hamstring ache. I managed to scratch my leg on one of the screws as well :-S Ah well wait and see eh?

So how did I celebrate my birthday. I'll tell yee with some lovely home made cake, baked my my wonderful mother. Way too many biscuits and a dinner of pizza, chicken wings and fries! Now that's what I call dinner ! :D

Oh I was back at work and in the company of my irrepressible office. They were, more or less, as I'd left them. They did have a lovely new map on the wall my desk had been cleared of all the necessary post it notes I keep on it. A reminder of a time gone by in a windowless office. My posts had become a little introspective tending towards the more heavy aspects of my personality e.g. the retirement of my 10 year old running shoes and the 50th anniversary episode of Doctor who.

Ah facial hair! It was the last week of Movember when I returned and several members of the office had been furiously growing their facial hair. I had been tending my beard for 12 weeks when I strolled back into the office so I had them all beat hands down, had a head start and it's not like it was a race. But if it was...WINNING! I didn't get to see Director Drew's effort in person as he was off when I was there and I was off when he was there. All in all was rather impressed by the commitment :-D

I've held onto my tash, I quite like it.

The week ended with a party round Swapnal's. I was off the ale as my balance is iffy at best and I headed home at around 22:00. But before that the master of disaster, Mark Taylor, was in shining form. This started off when I offered him a lift to Tesco, standard supply run. He got uber excited and started describing how he doesn't feel safe whilst in Swapnal's car. I was dubious as young Swapnal is sensible in comparison to Mark. But this assumption was shattered when I witnessed him swerving around an old man in the carpark. What I forgot to factor in was that this is pretty much his first time behind the wheel since passing his test. I drove pretty much the same way for a few years after getting my licence.

This carried on when we got back to Swapnal's house on Eastbourne Street. Mark was nice enough to carry everything back to the house from the car, made him feel ever so manly. Bit of shuffling about and we settle down to a social game of poker. This is when I met Swapnal's new housemate...I've misplaced his name! I putting this down to being shattered. Anyways before we started playing Vicky gets home from work, won't be joining us as she's off to a dinner party! Now that is proper grown up shtuff! Gives me a hug and I catch the unmistakable scent of hugo boss. <Have just been informed that it was in fact Roberto Cavalli>

Poker begins and there is some initial testing of the water. I thought Mark would have learnt somethings since the last time we played. but no he hasn't the foggiest. Which makes him completely unreadable. Also means he crashes out first. Swapnal also surfaces with a pair of glasses, I didn't know he wore glasses. And that's because he doesn't need glassed but inspired by Tinie Tempah he's rocking the decorative specs. He rolls out and it's around this time Roger arrives. He's brought along some rather special beer!

In a box!

Had to take mine home as I am alcohol free for the time being...Not that I miss it but this looks a bit special so I kinda want to see what all the fuss is about! The game winds down till it's a head to head between two of us. So really social because there are just two guys involved :P Things degrade into blind all ins eventually resulting in my victory!

No money on the line so I won a pile of chips which were instantaneously tidied away.

The evening progresses to the inevitable drinking games. Something I suck at but owing to my ample frame I can take the hit. It's arrogance and Mark is not doing so well. Arrogance in a nutshell:

1. Pour as much of your drink into a glass in the middle as you want.
2. Someone else flips a coin and you guess the heads or tails.
3. If you guess right the glass passes on to the next person in the circle.
4. If you guess wrong you down whatevers in the glass.

So as you can see it's a game of chance but the gods of gaming are not on Marks side and he's worse for wear after a few rounds. Probs doesn't help that there are only three of them in the circle. Around this time Leona and Donna arrive. Along with jelly shots something I've got extensive experience with but I keep schtum. It's always fun to watch folk tussle with friction X-D

Time for cake

Delicious hot or cold, fyi.

But that's not all I also get given an expertly wrapped gift, Swapnal informs me Vicky is responsible for the wrapping as he is somewhat of a novice . I progress to reveal this awesomeness that is The Gigantic Beard That Was Evil!

Yep my actual thumb, yet again.

Beer pong! Mark is teamed with the ladies, naturally. They lose in epic style. Then there is some chat about your ideal woman. Now this is a topic I've given a lot of thought to and I didn't want commandeer the conversation. I have a tendency to make things wayyyyy too heavy with my over analytical/obsessive way of thinking. So after some more chat about a threeway, shop, Mark, Amandas, gelatin, acidity, closing, winman etiquette etc. I decide it's time for me to go. I am epically tired so I down a glass of coke so as to keep myself perky for the journey home.

It was then that I remembered I was wearing a scrum cap, from my days as a terrifying front row forward for Market Rasen and Louth RUFC! I'd brought along two other hats as well, both of which I'd intended to wear and completely forgotten about :-S.

After getting home I discover that it is SDRG's last bout with LBRG tomorrow so she was understandably saving her energy. Turns out Phil Jupitas was commentating and even had a bit of a post bout spoon with the squad! Mucho jealous on two accounts there i.e. they got to spoon with big Phil and he got to spoon with them! Ooh this leads me to a slightly obscure conversation, of sorts, I had with one of SDRG's friends.

The gist of a drawing posted echoed Neil Gaiman's advice in the speech, "make good art". She actually said "If life gets you down - draw." Problem is I can't draw :-S So what does an artistically challenged individual do when they feel down? Well I listen to cheesy upbeat themes and, hand on heart, I dance :-O Now I suck at dancing but it sure gets me out of whatever funk I'm in.


Some songs that get me up :-D.

Pirates, hair colour, superpowers etc.

Ever wondered what your pirate name'd be? Well neither have I. UNTIL TODAY! If you know me, you know I am partial to growing a beard of some description, from time to time. This first started when I was about 12/13, don't believe me? Well I have no proof so you can be all non believing all you want :-P I grew up really fast, physically that is, Think I was about 5 ft 8" in my second year at secondary school.

So facial hair! This first kicked off with some massive sideburns that I grew in year 9 at KEVIS. Once at an athletics event, I was a bit of a shot putter, Andy commented that my facial hair was like bumfluff but bum fluff is white...yeah. I had big sideburns then stopped shaving altogether. This led to the the head of our year, Mr. Hayday, having a little chat with me. His usual ridicule spiel was not present but he told me about how he understands the temptation to be lazy but rules is rules! I had a similar conversation several years later at Spalding High School. This was from the deputy head of sixth form at the time, Mr. Garbett. The next day I turn up thoroughly debearded, thus annoying Raj! He was my only beard brother at the school and I had abandoned him when we should have been standing shoulder to shoulder to fight the power!

So that was the story of my beard before I got to Uni. This was the first time round, yes I am greedy and went to uni twice. I didn't even wait that long before going for the second time, was literally a matter of months! Whilst in my first year at Notts I grew a goatee that morphed into something more than a goatee. I'll not take you on the journey from goatee to...beard but instead I'll give you my start and end points.

Mapleston and Rich Bolton in Rich's room?

I then shaved it all off and went about my business as a second year chem enger. Didn't go so well hence my leaving Notts for the fair shores of Lincoln Uni where I regrew my beard several times. I then stayed, more or less, clean shaven in my years of wandering the jobless wilderness. I say jobless but I worked a few unpaid gigs and quite a few hard labour gigs. Nothing that stretched my "mind grapes" though. If you get that reference I'll give you a hug or tell you a story that has a convoluted link to your current life situation, your choice.

My most recent beard was grown after I landed my current job. Twas a goatee that was quite fond of, let it grow into a beard and then inevitable shaved the whole thing off. Made me look disgustingly young...disgusted by youth I can definitely relate.

That's what it looked like, can you name the rather powerful presence that can be peeked from over my shoulder? That's right it's Tin tin Taylor. I also saw my dad for the first time in ages today! He's overseas learning how to be a teacher of something ancient and awesome. Funnily enough he's grown a beard too! He had a head start on me, mines only five weeks old his is approaching 2 months, I think. As you can see from the pics my beard is black. My dad's 60+ so guess what colour his is? If you guessed anything other than grey or white then you are a tool. It links neatly back to my first paragraph, pirate names! Now the old man's beard is white and the beard I currently possess is black. See where this is going?

So if we were to switch from lovely law abiding citizens to salty scourges of the sea then it'd only be natural to call ourselves Whitebeard and Blackbeard!!! Just like in One Piece :D But alas here comes the weird bit early this morning I was in the bathroom about to brush my teeth. Not so strange I hear you exclaim, hold your horses chaps an chapesses, I'll get to the point one of these days. This is when I spy something that I've never seen before. When was the last time you saw something you'd never seen before? For me it was Saturday morning! On my cheek I spy a hair with a hue that is not my usual.

Care to hazard a shot in the dark as to what it was? Come now don't be boring take a guess, even if you don't post a comment have a guess in your head or write it down if you really feel like committing to this farce :-P. So white and grey is what I think most of yall have in your noggins or scrawled on the back of an envelope. But alas that is not what I found!!! What I actually found is a hair with a hue I would never have expected to appear on my face. It was gingery...auburn, reddish brown. Yep made me all giddy for a few mins! Or it could've been the push ups I'd just cranked out on my zimmer, on second thought let's not get into that just now.

Pretty much what my beard looks like from range

Now you can see that red hair right? I decided to highlight it by teasing it out of the glut of dark beard hairs. Made me read up on red hair as I've never seen a brown man, such as myself, with red hair! So I did a little reading and it's to do with mutations in the MC1 receptor on chromosome 16. After a chat with my mum, who also has my freaky remember everything that ever happened memory, she confirm none of our family has ever had red hair! So I am a mutant! Next stop super powers me thinks. If I had a choice I'd pick super speed and the reason is because Flash can beat Brainiac/Luthor!

Let me set it up a bit. Brainiac merges with Luthor and kicks the crap out of the Justice League. The last man standing is Flash, would you pick the wise cracking funtime guy to save the world from someone that could put the smack down on Batman, Superman, Hawkgirl, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman and the Martian Man Hunter? Yeah me either!

Awesome right?

Also I was reminded of a pic I saw an absolute age ago about how redheads are the best!

I think this is memecenter meme but I've seen it all over the place!

Existential funk...

No extra countries to add this week. But I think I may have solved the mystery of who is reading this in Russia. Someone on VK.com, russian facebook, is sharing this! Who are you mystery russian facebook sharing person?

What can I tell you about this week? Remember I mentioned that the the two sales teams are being merged into one big sales team here. See I did mention it! Anyway it finally happened. Those of you upto date will know the office was shrunk from nine to three. Now we're back up to six, not quite the good old days but it sure is nice to have more people in the office.

Some of you may know that I do dabble in a some kriya yoga, meditation etc. Had a glimpse this week, nothing earth shattering but a little clarity. Won't go on about it as it is rather difficult to explain and I know I tend to go on a bit in these posts anyways!

Couple of opportunities sprang up, one conventional and the other unlike anything I've ever done before.

I was seeking out another unrelated opp and was totally I was ready to fling myself into the unknown but the it won't materialise regardless of how hard I try! Guess I'll just have to be patient or try harder. Haven't figured out which'd be the better bet. Any thoughts from you lot out there reading this?

Had a bit of a chat with this guy on twitter. If you go here, watch the whole vid. Can you pick out the line that pretty much encompasses how you should live your life? Just a little challenge, if you're feeling up for it.

I've got the week off next week, so I'll be at my desk studying. After 26 years I think I may have had enough of this exam malarkey.

Paraphrase from Plutarch: Lead by fate or dragged by it?

Our free will extends to an extent but really we are bound by the situation within which we exist.

Sounds all airy fairy right? Humour me and try this tack - If someone knows the precise location and momentum of every atom in the universe, their past and future values for any given time can be calculated.

If you take a small closed system and know all the variables within it you can predict what will happen. Right? The universe is a system that we can understand, to some extent. But in size and complexity I think we’ve been defeated.

Slow lean towards determinism but where does that leave free will? There is a hole in this, thanks to Mr. Heisenberg and his uncertainty principle. Position and momentum can't be known simultaneously. But just because we can't measure it does it necessarily make it untrue?

Short n sweet this week I know but I'm feeling uninspired and a little angry if I'm honest. I have a good idea what this is stemming from. But it is something of an irrational root so I am quite confused as I am a very rational person.

Dr. Who! So I did this last week and I'm doing it again this week. Forgive me! So just finished watching this weeks Dr. Who so who thinks he's the Doctor triumphant? Remember when Davey Tennant tried to save that lady from Mars? We saw a glimpse of him not giving a damn and rampaging a bit. This one seems more stoic so I'm not so sure we'll ever get to see a badass character busting Doctor. Also seeing as Matt Smith is bowing out round Christmas time does that mean this fella will be stepping in?

Funny thing about Dr. Who lot's of determinism, things that will happen etc. peculiar really.