52:18 Three simple rules...

There are a few rules one must follow when attempting to see a film aimed at young children when you don't have children.

Rule number 1: Avoid the opening weekend of said film (9 times out of ten you and your date will be the only adults in the theatre without children and the noise generated by the 300+ children are likely to drown out any dialogue of said film)

Rule Number 2: Avoid early evening and weekend showings of said film if it has been in theatres for longer than a month. (These show times are aimed at families with very young children and parents with little to no control over their children)

Rule Number 3:. Enter at your own risk. (If you have ignored the above rules you have knowingly entered a temporary child kingdom and have forfeited any rights to a quiet evening and for all intents and purposes are at the children's mercy.)

You would think that of all people I would follow the above rules to the letter, unfortunately I blatantly ignored them when Helen and I saw RIO. The film itself was alright, unfortunately as we were in an early evening Sunday viewing we shared the cinema with 1 other adult and roughly 20 children in ages varying between 4 and 16.

The children were out of control climbing over seats from the back of the cinema down to the front and back up; stomping up and down the aisles, and throwing sweets (two of which hit me and inspired this little rant) and generally being disruptive; While I know the above rules, I don't think it is completely out of the question to hope that parents would instil some kind of manners into their children. God only knows what my own parents would have done to me or my siblings if we acted up half as much as these kids.

end rant...

As you may or may not know Helen and I recently moved in to our own place which is why this blog is about three weeks late, hopefully I will catch up and be back on track in the next few weeks.

Random Fact. Mandarin duck couples stop liking each other after their nest is built.

52.17 Yeah I've got nothing.

Helen and I had a nice day, we went down to the sea side and saw a bunch of classic cars, including a couple of American classics. And after that we went to a friend's Bar-B-Que and met some awesome new people.

We have seen three more flats since my last post and really liked one, but we are not sure if our application will be accepted so we are waiting to hear back from the letting agent (real estate agent)

Random fact: RICHARD MILHOUSE NIXON and WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON are the only U.S. presidents whose names contain the letters C-R-I-M-I-N-A-L.

52:16 Moving on out...

This week Helen and I have finally given into the reality that as badly as we want to relocate to the Brighton area, it isn't going to happen any time soon. Swallowing that bitter pill with smiles on our faces we have actively begun searching for our first home as a married couple. 

We don't want much (and we can afford less) but after looking at a small flat yesterday we are very aware of compromises we are willing to make and those we aren't going to consider.  This is an odd experience for me for a couple of reasons. It is the first time I have had to look for a new place as part of a married couple. 

Both Helen and I have expectations and reservations about our new place and finding a happy balance will be the biggest challenge in this move. Luckily we both are fairly agreeable and willing to compromise.  

One of the other reasons this is an odd experience for me is that I have never rented a flat in England (or any country that isn't America for that matter) Though I have lived in a couple of different countries the military handled the living quarters in each of those circumstances. There are so many little rules and taxes (council and television) that are alien to me it just seems to be incredibly overwhelming.

 The fact is we are both very excited about having a place to call our own, and while this first place may not tick every box on our wish lists it is with out a doubt a step in the right direction.

As of this post we have seen two flats and learned areas we are willing to compromise on  and areas we are not. 

Random Fact: Giraffes and humans have the same amount of vertebrae in their necks.

52:15 @Kapow

One of the things I enjoy most about weekends away is the tiny things you do that you wouldn't normally do. Helen and I spent last weekend in London, with our friends Kim and Ross, they live together in Brighton and unfortunately we aren't able to hang out nearly as often as we would all prefer.

The four of us get on really well, and spent the majority of the weekend laughing at one thing or another. We all met up the Friday evening before the conference at our hotel. The St Athans Hotel was the only hotel on the street with a seedy looking neon light sign above it's door, but all in all it was a decent hotel, and even though we shared the three available restrooms between two floors I didn't have to wait to use the showers or bathroom once.  After settling in to the hotel the four of us set out to look for a place to eat dinner (we chose a nice little place called Gourmet Burger Kitchen that had amazing delicious burgers) after our meal we jumped on the underground, went to Covent Gardens and found a small comedy club where we watched a few comedians tell jokes and after the show we headed back to our hotel and called it a night.

We spent the majority of Saturday either walking around the convention centre or waiting in a queue for one cool thing or another. We were lucky to get pretty decent seats for each panel excluding the very first one we went to where we were in the second to last row and could hear the people on the panel but couldn't actually see any of them.  The four of us were all blown away by the Thor footage that we saw, and I even got to ask the actors playing Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Loki (Tom Heddington) a question during the Q & A portion of the panel. I asked them if the fact that Iron Man 2 had gotten a lot of criticism for cramming so many nods at the upcoming Avengers film that the actual story seemed a bit muddled had affected the production of Thor. Hemsworth answered diplomatically and said it was a definitely film in the established Marvel Film Universe, but Thor was very much its own film.

On Sunday the four of us all dressed up as comic characters, Helen as Rogue, Kim as Bat Girl, Ross as The Spirit and I went as Beast's alter ego Senator Hank McCoy. We had a lot of fun and took a ridiculous amount of pictures with a lot of different people, we even did a couple of interviews with different forms of media like Bizarre magazine, (the article will apparently appear in June/July issue.) Though I think we had the most fun when we went out to lunch in full costume we got quite a few looks from children and adults.  We all had an excellent weekend and eagerly await the next convention on the horizon...


Random Fact: Over 50% of all singles in America have not had a date in more than two years.

52.14 Sin-ema

Helen brought up a topic during the He said, She said, VEDA project on Monday that I have very strong feelings about, and I thought I would weigh in this week with my own cinema peeves, of which I have a few. I should preface this by saying that I am sure at one time or another I have been guilty of at least some of the following things that really annoy the piss out of me. 

The following are in no particular order. 

Cinema sin 1  Texting/answering calls and or generally fapping about with your mobile phone during the film. 

This was the subject of Helen's video on Monday so I wont spend too much time on this particular issue but seriously unless your significant other/family member is either in labour or otherwise seriously ill, TURN THE DAMN PHONE OFF!  

Cinema Sin 2 Full volume conversations (and or dumb ass comments) through-out the entire film. 

I don't expect you to be completely silent during the film, even Helen and I talk to each other now and again. (although mostly we just give each other knowing looks and discuss things on the ride home) The point I'm making is that there is an acceptable volume to use with the person on either side of you, if the person on the other side of them can hear you, you are using the wrong volume.  

If you are one of those people that struggles following complicated plots (Like those of Inception, 2009's Star Trek, or Unknown ) I encourage you to do one of three things, (1) sit as far back or to a particular side in the cinema as possible (in order to limit the number of people you are likely disturb) (2) Refrain from asking questions until the credits role. or (3) Wait for the more complicated films to hit DVD, that way you have the ability to pause the film at your leisure.

 Cinema Sin 3 Loud snack/sweets packaging and or glass bottles. 

There are a number of reasons why your local cinema has numerous signs posted restricting outside food and drink. The biggest reason is that the cinema's profit margin is derived from concessions, another reason is that these products are made to be as quiet as possible the large cups and sturdy popcorn buckets are intended to minimise the rustling noises you get from bags of crisps (chips) and similar items.  

There are ways to make your Pick 'n mix bags quieter as well, If you tear off the top of the excess bag it will rustle less (Helen and I usually do this as soon as we sit down.) as you paw around trying to get at your sweets, you can do the same with the popcorn bags during the film but, it can be loud if you aren't careful. Helen and I rarely ever have popcorn at cinema but know from experience how loud the sweet sacks can be.  

I have never understood the need to sneak alcohol into the cinema; usually those that do get belligerent and disruptive and pay little to no attention to the film they paid to see. Anyone who has been in a cinema when someone drops a glass bottle is well aware of the amount of noise one makes let alone multiple bottles. If you need to be drinking to enjoy a night at the cinema, perhaps you would be happier in a bar with a big screen.  

Cinema Sin 4 Children and age appropriate films. 

I'm not implying that people with children shouldn't be able to go to the cinema. I do think that bringing your small infants and toddlers to films that are obviously not intended for them is frankly rude to other theatre goers with out children or with the presence of mind to find a baby sitter.  

Obviously if my wife and I are seeing the latest Disney/Pixar or Dreamworks animated film we expect to share the cinema with small children and the noises that go along with them, we shouldn't how ever have to share a cinema with a screaming chorus of infants when watching Unknown, or Source Code or the like.  

You may not agree with the things I have said, but really most of my Cinema Sins annoy me because of the lack of consideration for others that is displayed when they aren't heeded. I love everything about the cinema, really and truly no matter how I am feeling, I genuinely leave the theatre feeling happier. Call it escapism or mini vacations or what ever just please don't disturb the theatre patrons around you.

Random Fact: Thomas Edison, the inventor of the light bulb, was afraid of the dark.

52.13 Oh right... this...

Yep, totes didn't write a blog this week, and as I have less than 2 hours before next week starts you aren't going to be getting much out of me...

Today is mother's day in the UK so Helen and I spent the day with her parents and her Sister her husband and our nephew. It was Helen's sister's first mother's day (Phew that was a mouthful to say) and we had a fantastic roast lamb meal, that I couldn't possibly do justice to in blog format... Know that nomz were had.

I have every intention of writing more in the weeks to come, but this is all you get today....

Random Fact:

When Heinz ketchup leaves the bottle, it travels at a rate of 25 miles per year.

52.12 A little bit Random...

The Wizard of Oz was fantabulous, Helen and I both had a fantastic day in London. This week I haven't accomplished much more than work so unfortunately I have very little to write about so I thought I would flood the random fact section with a few completely unrelated facts, along with little snide and hopefully amusing comments on each.

Random Facts:

Kazakhstan is the largest landlocked country in the world. (Also where Borat comes from.)

Infant beavers are called kittens. (there is a joke here that is just too easy.)

Hummingbirds can't walk because their legs and feet are not designed for it. (Take that evolution!!)

In the Middle Ages, chicken soup was believed to be an aphrodisiac. (possibly because anyone even remotely healthy is sexy prior to Penicillin?)

Humans are the only primates that don't have pigment in the palms of their hands. (we are also the only primates that rarely chuck feces at one another.)

Human thigh bones are stronger than concrete. (Remind me to avoid testing that particular fact.)

The New York Stock Exchange started as a coffee shop. (and Starbucks started as a criminal enterprise to launder large sums of Money.)

By raising your legs slowly and laying on your back, you can't sink in quicksand. (you might however find yourself pregnant.)

The can opener was invented 48 years after the can. (Really? shelf-life be damned!)

And finally:

A week before President Lincoln died, he was in Monroe, Maryland.

A week before President Kennedy died, he was in Marilyn Monroe. (Some times the jokes write themselves.)

52:11 We're off to see the Wizard

I have very little to write about today as I have spent the majority of the day either at the cinema (where I saw Unknown for the second time) or huddled away in the dark corner of the back reception/living room playing my recently acquired (new to me) game Saint's Row 2.

Saint's Row 2 is basically a carbon copy of the Grand Theft Auto games, it is an open world game with a thin plot and a heavy helping of unnecessary and gratuitous violence. (read man fun) The game is fun and the controls are easy enough that I am able to complete missions in order to move along further in the game and the structure is designed that if I randomly decide I want to carjack a vehicle by yanking the driver out of his door, and take his remaining passengers on a high speed police chase until they pay a ransom, I can do just that.

Tomorrow Helen and I are going to spend the day in London. We are going to have a nice lunch and visit our favorite geek schwag store Forbidden Planet (which sells awesome things like this ) and the actual reason we are going into London, We have tickets to see Andrew Lloyd Weber's Wizard of Oz production at the London Palladium theatre!

We are both very excited last year we watched Danielle Hope win the cherished role on a talent search show called Over the rainbow, and Helen gave the tickets to me for my birthday this year. We are both very excited and I am sure you will hear more about our London adventure next week.

Random Fact:

Since Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber’s venture into the world of reality TV in shows like Over The Rainbow, the demand for theatre tickets has soared. Audience numbers have increased by well over one million since Lloyd Webber's new cast members began appearing on stage.

Lee Mead took the lead in Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat, while Connie Fisher starred in The Sound of Music. Jodie Prenger filled the lead role in Oliver! and Danielle Hope most recently took the lead role in The Wizard of Oz. Theatreland (or the West End) has treated Lloyd Webber well and this year he was listed as the third-richest music millionaire in Britain. He beats Simon Cowell, Sir Elton John and Sir Paul McCartney with a personal fortune of £700 million.

52.10 Unusually, unusual...

It has occurred to me that I am somewhat unusually, unusual. I have always been very lucky in life, surviving helicopter crashes and bullet wounds, being lost in the desert of Iraq with 4 other soldiers and an Italian television reporter and her camera man for more than a week with out any contact with the rest of my unit and no help of support. I managed to survive all of these possibly dire situations relatively unscathed if you ignore the fact that I bring it up every day.

I am married to a beautiful and loving woman, living in a far away land, (complete with castles, manor houses and actual royalty.) It occurred to me yesterday how odd and wonderful my life is when Helen and I went into London for an interview (read her blog about the interview) had lunch at the very American TGI Fridays, and went back home.

Never in my wildest dreams as a child did I picture myself popping into London for a meeting and bit of lunch only to jump back on the Underground to head back home via London Liverpool station and the National Railway service.

I was terribly gutted when I didn't get that Disney job last week but the truth of the matter is I am very lucky. I'm married to an amazing woman (five months tomorrow!) I have a job that pays the bills. (though I am far from loving the hours) My life is freaking awesome and I am grateful for every minute of it. With that thought I shall bid you adieu.

Random fact: Donkeys kill more people annually than plane crashes.

52.9 Swing and a miss

Sports metaphors aside, I do not handle failure well. I did not get the job that I mentioned in last weeks post. The feedback from the employer was highly positive and said that had their other applicants not have been such a high caliber they would have happily employed me.

I don't know about you, but I read that statement and while it seems nice what they are really saying is you were good but there was better. Which is obvious as I wasn't chosen. The interview process was intense and interesting and I am gutted that I was not selected to be a part of what appears to be a creative and resourceful team, but life moves 0n.

I could go on and on about how miserable I am that I didn't get the position, and how when I recieved the email informing me of that, I apparently got something in my eye for the next few minutes, but really the fact is there will be other opportunties and better jobs. I think to end this post I will conclude with another sports metaphor: I have to keep my eye on the ball.

Random Fact:

The modern game originated in Scotland was entitled Gentlemen Only Ladies Forbidden.... and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language. The first written record of golf is James II's banning of the game in 1457, as an unwelcome distraction to learning archery.

52.8 ME, Me, Mouse Ears

Being an honest to goodness adult can be tricky at times. I don't feel any more responsible then I did 15 years ago. (though most would testify I was a much more mature 16 year old child than I am as a 31 year old adult.) All that said, I have grown up responsibilities now. I have a wife and very soon we will have a home to ourselves.

Helen and I both hope to live in Brighton some time in the future and we are both constantly looking for opportunities to make that hope a reality. I was gutted last November when two weeks before my VISA was approved a job came up in Brighton that would have been ideal both for my previous experience and location, location, location. The closing date for said job was three days before my VISA was approved.

The job is roughly summarised as an adult moderator for a youth populated online game community hosted by a well known house of mouse. My duties will include but not be limited to helping parents of members in the community as well as policing the community so that it remains a safe place for the members to make friends in all corners of the world, and the freedom to play several different online games. I think.

The job has recently been listed again, and I jumped at the opportunity to throw my hat in the ring. Obviously the circumstances are slightly different. I now actually have a job for one, and scheduling interviews around my very long and anti-social work hours is no small task.

As of yesterday I have made it through three levels. (A call back after emailing my CV {Resume} and cover letter, A phone interview, and a questionnaire.) the final stage of the interview process is a 3-4 hour assessment interview in Brighton which has me stressing more than I would like to admit. I am not worried that I will do poorly I'm worried that I am so excited that I might actually get this job that I will be devastated if I don't.

I am very lucky in that I do very well in interviews, I'm likeable and have a quality that makes people want be part of the fun that is knowing me. (I'm not being conceited I have worked long and hard at being good at this, or at least giving off this vibe.) I'm also really good at using humour to deflect my nervousness. (A skill that I have been honing since I started noticing girls liked boys that could make them laugh.)

This interview is really important to me, not least of all because If I get the job Helen and I will be moving into our own place! I will let you all know how the assessment day goes in my next post, hopefully by then I will know one way or another if I will be working for the online division of the house of mouse.

Random Fact:

2,500 lefthanders die each year trying to operate a right handed device.

52.7 Broad searches

I have absolutely no Idea what I should write about this week. So in an attempt at spontaneity and a hope for inspiration I googled the word images. which is just about as broad a search term as googling "stuff". There were something close to 3 billion images in my search and most of the ones I glanced at involved space and then I saw the image at your left.

It's educational, bitches! Deal with it.

Random Fact:

In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts. So in old England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them mind their own pints and quarts and settle down. It's where we get the phrase "mind your P's and Q's"

52.6 Ghost....Writer

Ghosts, as in beings who were at one time alive. Do you believe?

If you do are there ghost rules or restrictions?

I am reading Her Fearful Symmetry written by Audrey Niffenegger the same author that wrote the fantastic Time Traveller's Wife (which was made into the film starring Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana) Niffenegger has an interesting writing style that consists of a well woven narrative with no discernible antagonist. The only antagonist in Time Traveller's Wife was the genetic condition that allowed/forced the character to travel in time.

Her Fearful Symmetry is a ghost story, the story is about estranged twin sisters that have spent 20 years more than 3000 miles apart, one of the sisters has twins daughters as well and on their 21st birthday they learn that they have inherited their recently deceased Aunts central London flat as well as a large endowment. When they first arrive, everything seems to be new and exciting and ordinary until their dead aunt leaves them a message in the dust on a piece of furniture:

Greetings Valentina and Julia

I am here

Love, Elspeth

It is this message that has inspired this weeks post, We have all known people who have died either by natural or unnatural causes. Depending on what you believe the generally accepted idea is that when you die, you find yourself elsewhere, be it Heaven or Hell or for those of us that aren't restrained by religion just gone. My question is what if we chose not to go, dead, inevitably to be forgotten, but still here?

I love the idea of being a ghost (though I am less enthusiastic about being trapped forever in a single apartment/flat as is Elspeth) The idea that my story (as life would no longer be accurate.) could possibly continue in a new way is very interesting and even exciting to me. Would you want to know if I was still around, possibly haunting you or a place you associate with me?

I am torn on this idea, I love the idea of knowing that my story doesn't end simply because my bodies sell by date has expired. My hesitation stems from whether or not I would want to burden others with that knowledge. Could my wife (and inevitable offspring) live their lives to the fullest extent with the knowledge that I could be there watching without the ability to interact.
Is that fair to them? Is it fair to me? What do you think?

Random Fact: Area 51 is 575 square miles in size, and located in the middle of the Nevada Test & Training Range (NTTR), which covers 4,687 square miles.

52.5 Brought to you by the Letter L

Another post written intermittently while answering calls at my desk at work which looks eerily similar to this image, but isn't.  Todays post is apparently brought to you by the letter L. 

It doesn't happen very often but once in a while, I Learn something new about myself. Allow me to give a few examples, when I was a soldier I learned just how many miles I could run in a day and I frequently learned that given the correct motivation, (e.g. someone I feared more than muscle pain) I could run even further.

I also learned that I am ridiculously Lucky. Many people that have shared similar experiences to my own (helicopter crashes, bullet wounds, insurgents bombing airfields less then 10 feet from my sleeping bag) have faired far worse than me and have the scars to prove it if they are still lucky enough to be standing. I have also been lucky in love as the several previous posts about my ever blushing bride can tell you.

Today I learned I am quick to judge a complete stranger by their appearance alone. It isn't that I am unaware that I do this, I have always formed my opinions on my first impressions mostly due to the fact that I tend to be dead on the money. When I was in the Army I knew with in the first few hours whether or not a new soldier in the unit was going to be anything more than an annoyance or a problem waiting to happen (eg, attitude or behaviour issues) , something that most of my fellow soldiers took weeks and sometimes months to catch on to, usually to their dismay.

It occurred to me today holding a door open for a guy that I can only describe as a bit flamboyant,(in his full denim jeans and denim shirt, and his lavender midriff showing undershirt) and my inner thought process chuckled (at the time I had been thinking about a character in the book I'm reading dealing with OCD) I am under the general impression that I am a decent, well mannered person, I hold doors open for people, I say please and thank you, and I am often heard to say sir and ma'am to just about everyone I speak with, so why is it do you suppose, that I am amused when my assumptions about a complete stranger are confirmed seconds after I form them. (In this case Mr flamboyant gave an effeminate giggle and sashayed into the office.)

So my question for you today is what have you learned about yourself, that you may have been aware of but didn't actually know?

Random Fact: Harrison Ford presented Edward Zwick (the director of Love and other drugs) The 1998 Oscar award for best picture for Shakespeare in love.

52.4 From the desk of...

This morning as I am halfway through my fifth day of training at my new job, I am happy to say that I think I will be just fine. Over the last five days I have gone from knowing next to nothing about this company or its wares as it were to having a comfortable understanding of what part I will play in it's customer service area.

I have never thought of myself as an overtly shy person. That is to say I am very aware of just how awkward I can be but it never occured to me that this might be due to shyness more than just being awkward. On more than one occasion I have stressed about something I said that might have been misconstrued or even misunderstood as rude.

For example Wednesday morning our little town of Felixstowe had a water main issue and it affected the majority of the town and more importantly, yours truly. There was little to no water pressure and what water did come through the shower was that brillant brisk cold that brought back memories of gravity fed ice showers in Iraq. I am a strong believer that I should shower everyday come hell or low water pressure. So I soldiered through the frigid trickeling hardly more than dripping shower and attempted to wash my hair as well, this took nearly half an hour to accomplish and needless to say I didn't have time to style my hair as I had the previous two days.

One of the first things one of my fellow trainees asked was if I had done something different with my hair and my less than abrupt answer was "Yeah, I didn't do it." two days later and I am still concerned I said it in a rude way, which is ridiculous because really even if I had the only person that hasn't gotten over it is silly old me. It is very odd to percieve oneself as confident and even somewhat charming if not aloof, only to realize that mostly I am still the spazz I was nearly 15 years ago in high school.

Tomorrow is my 31st birthday, and to be honest I couldn't care less. It upsets me that I have lost that eagerness to reach my next birthday, considering it wasn't that long ago that I stopped saying " and a half " or practically the next age as my heart was beating months before I was born. I am gratefull that I can share the day with my wife and friends but I have finally accepted that the novelty has worn off much like the appeal of a once favored toy the night before Christmas.

Hopefully my rantings next week will be less melencholy and more amusing.

Random fact: Apparently according to the astute journalists at Cosmo magazine people who have sex about three times a week are percieved to look four to seven years younger.

52.3 Time Travel made possible! (via my game console)

It should go with out saying that I think the concept of time travel is pretty amazing. While I would be hard pressed to say my all time favorite film, My favorite trilogy of all time is Back to the Future. While I enjoy a lot of very different shows, my all time favorite (even though it first aired nearly 23 years ago.) is without a doubt Quantum Leap (Doctor Who has become a close second). All of these fictional universes explore my favorite question simply stated: What if time travel is possible.

Earlier today I was watching a popular youtuber (Hank Green) play Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood via videos he has posted of playing and commentating on the game, and I realized why I am 31 and I still enjoy video games as much if not more than I did when I was younger. A lot of games (the ones that interest me that is) make it possible to travel in time.

Games like the above mentioned Assassin's Creed series, Red Dead Redemption the Fable franchise and even the recent Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions allow me to experience the past and future I have seen portrayed in films and tv shows first hand. I am able to walk around and explore 15th Century Italy with Da Vinci, 12th Century England with kings, knights and wizards. I can be a cowboy in the Old West and see New York in the 1930's. As well as futures that I could only dream of, both post apocalyptic and technological utopias.

This simple idea really is the reason I enjoy games as much as I do. I have wanted to travel through time for as long as I can remember. I know it isn't likely, but I just get excited thinking about it. (there are three films I am excited to see this year purely because they deal with time travel in one shape or another.)

I know alot of gamers that play shooter/war games and while some of them share that tiny part of history or future that I enjoy I shy away from them because they focus more on the shooting then the exploring. That is not to say that they are better or worse in my opinion but the fact of the matter is, if I had traveled in time I wouldn't be very likely to jump hamfisted into a war situation if I could avoid it.

The games I enjoy and play over and over again, have stories but they are more or less open ended, allowing me to explore a world that thanks to ever progressing technology is as real and alive as the one I live in. I don't expect everyone to agree with or even understand this part of me. I just like to think that I'm not alone in my hope that time travel is possible.

Random Fact: Time is described as the fourth dimension. The other three dimensions are space, that is, upwards and downwards, front and back and left and right. We can travel through all the three other dimensions but traveling through the fourth dimension, time, is not yet possible.

52.2 A Temp's Perspective.

It amuses me how quickly ones perspective can change in so little time. I have spent the better part of the last two days temping in what can only loosely be called a mail room stuffing envelopes full of helpful little bits of information and plastic access "keys".

My perspective hasn't changed on mind numbing labour. It is still as mind numbing as ever, but from now on when ever I open any piece of mail that has either a bank card or other random clunky piece of plastic (like the kit-Kat shaped pay as-you-go "keys" that I have been stuffing.) I will think about the room full of people telling their stories from the night or weekend before telling inappropriate jokes, having 6 hour long rubberband wars (while stuffing envelopes and syncing keys) and building friendships with people who are only brought together because a shared employer rather than shared interests.

I have had a lot of different jobs in my nearly thirty one years of age. I think the one similarity that each job shared was how many different types of people I met simply because of where I worked. I have been introduced to so many differnt things because of people I have met doing one job or another. I have tried new foods, new games, new activities. I have celebrated new and different holidays, I've learned faster and more efficient ways to do my own job, but the single most important thing I have learned is how to see someone elses perspective.

If there is a point at all to this weeks post its that I love meeting new people, learning the things that amuse and annoy them. (Usually I am amused by annoying them.) The things that have brought them to this point and the things they are looking forward to. Life to me is discovering other peoples stories as I pursue and forge my own.

Random Fact: Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history: Spades - King David, Hearts - Charlemagne, Clubs - Alexander theGreat, Diamonds - Julius Caesar

Project 52 Week 1

Back in September I made a promise to my Grandparents that I would be updating this blog with more frequency, unfortunately like most things promised on the Internet I have yet to fulfil this promise. That is about to change,

My wife (more on that in a minute.) came up with an idea that she had titled Project 52. The basic premise of the project is for both of us to post a blog at least once a week (on a non specific day) this year on our individual blogs. (Obviously we will still be updating our joint venture film review blog as we see films.)

A lot has happened since my last update in November. As I mentioned above Helen and I are now Married. We had a small ceremony on the 12th of November with just Helen's Parent's her Sister and Brother-In Law and of course their new baby, and we are planning to have a Large wedding sometime in the fall of 2012 (Which co insides with my next VISA requirement.)

We had a fantastic Christmas and rang in the New Year with friends and family. I am finally able to look for work and have been on the look out for any and all employment opportunities. I have an interview lined up for this Thursday which looks to be a good possibility.

Helen and I have officially stopped our Radio Show on Felixstowe Radio for the time being but we have decided to bring He said, She said to YouTube and launched our first video on the official HeSaidSheSaidFM channel yesterday. Which you can watch below.



Hope you enjoyed the video and I hope you enjoy this weekly glimpse into a former soldier's continuing adventures.

Random Fact Today in History:
in 1959: Luna 1, the first spacecraft to reach the vicinity of the Moon and to orbit the Sun, is launched by the U.S.S.R.

This thing we do...

Hey long time no talk this is mostly an update for my grandparents as I told them I would start updating this blog again a little more regularly. I am doing great life over here is a bit hectic, but I am really enjoying it, A lot has happened in the month that I have been here. Helen's sister has had a bouncing baby boy, (William Thomas Aykroyd) which I am sure you have seen pictures of by now.

As you know Helen and I contribute to an ongoing video project once a week, this weeks video fell on Halloween so we decided to make a themed video, hope you enjoy it!

Random Fact of the day:

Helen and I are heading to Brighton in southern England for a long weekend with our friends, later today!

The Complete Marmot Guide (a fast fiction)

The following is a fast fiction story.

Fast fiction is derived from being given a random title (up to four words) and constructing a short (200 word story). This first fast fiction title was suggested via twitter by @duplicatehelix.


The complete Marmot guide

Cowering in the shadow of his burrow, crouched the young marmot. Discretely hidden amongst the loose rocks the uprights dislodged while laying the parallel flat rocks.

The Marmot knew there were rules to survive living so close to an upright burrow. There were risks and rewards, though the risks frequently overshadowed even the best rewards.

Rule #1. Daylight is dangerous.
The uprights are mostly day foragers and hunters, and are prone to hunting to fight boredom. While they are still present at night they seem more interested in their sour water and females than their surroundings.

Rule #2 Food on the fly.

The uprights seem to leave food everywhere they go, but if they discover some other creature consuming, they will chase with thundersticks and place their prey's skin on their walls.

Rule #3 The further the better:

The uprights control sweet plants, they guard the outskirts of the sweet plants tend to be homes for 8 leggeds and water holes out of the line of sight.

Knowing these rules the marmot waited until the light grew dim, ventured across the flat rocks, and crept near the sweet plants, only to be snatched into the air by the talons of the great grey owl.