I wish I could ......

   Write posts like some of you. Just interesting little snippets about the routine of life and for once I think I might just be able to put something down along the lines of you better bloggers out there.
   Yesterday I met up with a friend in London. We met in the middle of St Prancas station. From there you can get trains to Paris and less romantically the South East and the Midlands or jump on the underground and come up somewhere else in London. Which is exactly what we did. First stop the flower market at Columbia Road for a wander, a coffee and a bagel followed by a couple more train rides. A comfort break in a Pub, which seeing as we managed to collar the only leather sofa in the place turned into a long hour of chatting and catching up. Then a short walk to the new cable car that links the North of London to the South. It's supposed to be an addition to the transport system but has become a bit of a "tourist must do" It's more like a fairground ride. As it takes off and steeply gets you up to 300 feet over the old docks and Thames before an equally steep descent the other side and just a few hundred yards from the O2 Centre (the old Millennium Dome) It's now full of bars, restaurants, a cinema and a concert hall. We opted for Mexican a beer and more nattering before we finally got back on the tube and went our separate ways.
   There, I managed it :-)

Onwards and upwards in the pursuit of fulfillment and happyness :-)))))   

Mystic Customer no2

   I've mention my mystic customer before. The one who has crystals around her boiler and they are the reason it keeps going not the hours I spent coaxing the bugger into life.
   Well I now have mystic customer number 2. She's actual a Meridian Therapist. I've worked for her and her husband before but she was a bit reluctant to tell me what she did, fearing a hairy arsed plumber wouldn't understand. Well this time she told me what she did and we agreed for the small amount of work there was for me to do. We'ed swap an hour or so's plumbing for some therapy.
   Again I'm amazed how information arrives at my door just as I'm ready to receive it. Here's a link which will give you a brief insight into MT.

 http://www.thehealthoasis.net/Therapies/meridian.html

Onwards and upwards in the pursuit of fulfillment and happyness :-)

Collecting info on "Procrastination"

   For the last few days I have been wandering around the web looking for solutions to the above. So far they fall into two groups. An explanation of what it is. Which is procrastination of the highest order. Avoid writing about a solution to a problem by just restating what the problem is. I take my hat off to the authors of those articles or things written by people who think a neat shopping list is a perfect solution to the problem.
  So if anybody reading this has come across anything they think may be interesting can they post a link.

Onwards and upwards in the pursuit of happyness :-) 

"Well, Hardy, how goes the battle?" (Horatio Nelson)

   So I guess it's been a couple of weeks or so, since I've focused on the procrastination, facing up to it and seeing` what can be done.
   On a positive note I'm becoming more aware that it only affects part of my life, predominantly my work life and particularly things I lack a bit of confidence in. So realistically this isn't (and never was) an insurmountable obstacle. I'd like to beat the thing as quickly as possible but why put a time limit on it and add to the pressure. On the other hand without some sort of limit it could and probably would continue to drift.
   That's all for now. Generally things are going well, so until I've got more to say!

Onwards and upwards in the pursuit of fulfillment and happyness :-)

           

Absolute Pants

   I haven't posted for a while. I've written a few pages but they've been absolute pants, so I hit the delete button. It seems as if I'm taking one step forward and two back lately. Which can't be the case, as my fingers wouldn't reach the keyboard and I wouldn't be typing and you reading this drival. So I guess, thinking about what's going wrong when I'm things seem shitty is a bad idea. One positive though. I keep plugging away. As per my hero CG.
   In other news. Those of you that read "In pursuit of happiness" will be happy to learn that Med's a dad again.
   Lastly, thanks Pixie for the smile. After a crappy day it cheered me up.

Onwards and upwards in the pursuit of fulfillment and happyness :-)

(oh and before you ask, that's not a picture of me in the big pants)
    

Procratination (from the Latin postpone until tomorrow)

   If you have BBC iPlayer or you can download it (simple in the UK but not sure about anywhere else) have a listen to this  http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01m5hhw  It's a 30 minute piece about Procrastination. Or you could read Rowan Pelling's article, it doesn't cover as much as the programme but you'll get the idea. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2194011/Why-dithering-death-Shes-failed-tax-returns-years-collected-necklace-took-repaired-2003-Can-help-Britains-worst-procastinator.html

   Rowan Pelling is a journalist and broadcaster who isn't afraid to tackle a difficult subject with common sense and a small dose of humour to help its delivery.
   Life's tough enough without the added bonus of knowing as a procrastinator you actively set out to sabotage your own happiness and success. It becomes a way (no matter how maladaptive) of coping with the emotions that accompany depression. Short term it brings some relief but a bigger headache is just waiting around the corner.
   After I'd listened to the programme I switched on the laptop, went to Goggle and surfed away for a couple of hours. A very useful couple of hours it was too and it occurred to me, procrastination like many other words can end up as just a label. I don't know about you but I sometimes just stop at the label and forget there's someone behind it. Initially labels help us give someone an idea of what we are about but that can soon turn into an excuse. Procrastinator fits me well. I'd truly prefer something else even, Dictator, mass murderer, or at a push Chelsea fan but for the mean time between you and I, I'll live with it. While I find an effective way out of this mindset.

    *****  I have some more info on Procrastination. Go to the post "Self Counselling"  22/02/13 *****

   Going back to Labels. A friend of a friend is a veggie and came to dinner not so long ago. My friend said "don't worry about him, he's not fussy just get him one of those veggie ready meals." Now I'm not keen on different meals at the same table, it reminds me of family life and my ex being on another diet. It wasn't difficult to come up with something we could all share. During the meal Mr Veggie asked me how I'd cooked the dish as he'ed enjoyed it and would like to give it a try. So we got into a chat about food and I asked him what he normally ate, expecting to learn something new. I did but it wasn't what I'd expected. There I was, waiting to hear about his varied and interesting mix of vegetables. Instead he appeared to survive on Cheese Salads and nothing else. So you see I need to look past labels in others and not hide behind my own.

   I'm feeling really happy and confident at the moment. I'm still up to my neck in financial poo and the work front is looking really bleak too. I don't have a sure fire answer to my woes but I'm pretty sure I'm asking all the right questions at last and am beginning to understand how I got into this hole. So the journey continues.

Onwards and upwards in pursuit of fulfillment and happyness :-)

Carrying on.

   Are you all familiar with a BBC program called "Who do you think you are?" It delves into the family trees of Actors, sportsmen and who ever happens to be flavor of the month.
   This week it was a hound named Greg Wallace. He does a bit of TV, writes, has a restaurant but I digress. It's his Great-grandfather Henry Roland Springett who was the centre piece of this episode. The fella worked hard to provide for his family but bad luck and tragedy stuck to this bloke like poo to a blanket.
   So what do you do when things go wrong, seriously or otherwise? Well the simple answer is keep going. Make some changes to avoid future pitfalls but if things all around you and within you are going badly you're probably not the best person to be making decisions, simple or otherwise. So where to start. Well I guess it depends on the particular hole you're in and here's where the old me and the new me part company. Old me would of suggested answers based on what I was trying, hope or from what I'd read. New me is willing to admit I'm not so sure. I defiantly do know that what works or doesn't work for me won't necessary be the same for someone else.
   I've always thought that being honest with myself, would be my trump card. It would help me sort things out but as I suggested earlier if I'm in the middle of some wrong decisions then my thinking is probably not at its best. So currently I'm still in the same loop but I pick up a few new tools each lap and my times are improving and I'm still in the race.A smooth sea never made a skillful sailor.

Onwards and upwards in the pursuit of fulfillment and happyness :-)