New Year, New Blog - Day 31

Day 31.

It was a good day today, although I woke up feeling a little sore and very tired. Work was back to normal today and I had a few lessons to cover that are not on my timetable. The first cover lesson, year 7 geography was a good one. I saw some students that I havn't seen in lessons since October. I had a good lesson and I think they enjoyed seeing me. The second lesson I covered was year 9 science. Although it was a small group, I felt I was shouting most of the time. I enjoyed myself though.

After work, I did a kettlebell work out. I worked so hard and it took a lot out of me. So after all that hard work, I decided to go to the gym as well. I spent a good hour down there and did the same workout as I did yesterday. The legs feel a little sore tonight, but tomorrow they will be fresh ready for me to smash it again.

Yesterday I said I'd post some links to motivational videos that I have been watching. Here is one of the best ones I have seen Lance Armstrong Video. Another one is How bad do you want it? which I think is awesome and the final one is I am a champion. These have all inspiried me to want to do great things, I dont know what but something great.

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 30

Day 30.

I didn't think I'd get to 30 posts. I thought I would get bored and give up or forget a few days and not carry on. But we are almost at February and I'm going strong. So once again, a huge thank you to all who read, have read and are going to read my blog posts. It makes me feel good about writing it. 

Today was different at work. Well everyday is different but this was not a normal day. It was pastoral day which means each tutor group stays together and does various activites throughout the day. I was given the honour of working with one of the craziest young boy I have ever met. The subject of this pastoral day for year 8 was sex and relationships. They were learning about different situations they might find themselves in and how they would handle it. It wasn't the most exciting thing to part of but we had some giggles along the way. They also learnt about different forms of contraception which freaked them out a bit, but I guess they have to know that stuff. All in all it was a good day at work but I am also very glad pastoral day is once every half term.

After work I went to the cinema with my sister Sam, to go and see Haywire. I lost a bet sometime last year and agreed to go and see the next 5 films with Channing Tatum in. He is Sams favourite actor and she is crazy in love with him. We were the only 2 in the cinema which felt very odd and I just kept talking out loud because I could. I can't really tell you what the film was about because it wasn't clear at all. It was meant to be a thriller but it lacked any go and substance. I think the story was about a CIA agent getting set up on a mission to be the fall girl and targeted by her employer. The only good thing about the movie was some of the fight scenes and when the film ended. It was a real let down. 

When we got back from the cinema, I headed to the gym. I'm fed up of being fat and lazy so I just packed a gym bag and went. I did 40 minutes on the cross trainer which felt amazing and then 2500 metres on the rowing machine. Every 250 metres on the rower I would stop and then do Russian twists or press ups. I felt a bit wobbly on the way home and felt sick that I had worked so hard. 

That was my day. It was a busy one for me but I feel good! Tomorrow I will mention some motivation videos that I have been watching that have made me want to get back in real good shape.

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 29

Day 29.

I woke up feeling a little tired but I had a quality night out with friends. It was an interesting night and I met some wonderful new people.

Its not going to be an interesting read tonight as nothing too exciting happened today. While we were at the field this morning, Tom, Jared and me decided to start throwing apples at each other. I managed to hit Jared twice, once in the crown jewels and then again on his rear end as he bent over to pick up an apple. We all enjoyed that moment.

I had a nap for a few hours when we got home because I was really tired and needed sleep. That took up most of the afternoon so can't really say what happened.

We had a visit from the Bell family who came round for a cup of tea. The boys and me played on Mario Cart on the wii and that was quite fun, but they kept beating me.

After they went, Sam and me watched The Dark Night as I hadn't seen it for a few months. Its an incredible film and I love watching it. Then I watched the new series of Top Gear with the family as that is a Sunday night tradition. It was pretty funny and makes me want to be able to drive.

Not a lot else to report or discuss to be honest.

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 28

Day 28.

A day of mixed emotions really. I was really excited to be working on Penny the Peugeot and putting her back together and getting her started. The first stop was a breakers yard at Temple Farm to get a fuel line for Penny. When Chris phone up he was assured they had the right one in the yard somewhere and would take it off for us. However, when we arrived to pick it up, we found out that it wasn't the right part so it would not fit. We tried other breakers yards but we had no luck. Once back at the workshop and the tea was made, Chris started to take the glow plugs out only to find that one had been snapped off inside the engine. This was not good news. I won't go into details about what was said from Chris over the phone to the place we got it from, but they were quite rude to him! He was told to ring back Monday to speak to their mechanic who will more than likely tell Chris to bring the engine back. So as for getting Penny started again, it didn't happen. Chris and I both have our fingers crossed as the dealer said they have another engine coming in on Tuesday.
All of these issues with the car were not something that could have been foreseen. Chris has done an amazing job so far and I know he will continue to do so. I wanted a bigish car for my first car and found one that I fell in love with. It just turns out that a little more work was needed than anticipated, and after a series of unfortunate events and minor setbacks, were nearly there. It just feels like 1 step forward and 2 steps backwards at the moment. But we will get there. So thank you Chris at Simpson Autocare.

Tonight I'm off for a few drinks in town with some friends and I hope it will ease the pain and suffering that is Penny the Peugeot. Of course I'm only joking, but I do hope it will be a good night.

Thanks to the everyone that got thinking about my question I posted yesterday. I had a few replies so thank you to those people. I have to think about having some way of replying to everyone.

I think that is all for tonight.

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 27

Day 27.

Wow, another week over. It went quick for sure and I know Monday will come flying around. Oh well, such is life. I'm not going to include a diary today but go straight into a discussion. I'm thinking Fridays will be a discussion night, whereby I will talk about something and give my views on it. It can be quite difficult during the week so I think Friday nights will do for now. Last Friday I spoke about 'Playing God' and how bioengineers have created yeast that produce diesel and if it was the right thing to do. Seeing as I've been verey busy this week, I havn't been able to think properly about what I might like to talk about. But as I'm sitting here thinking, listening to music, the question is already there in the song title:

Whats this life for?

The song is called whats this life for and was from a band called Creed. The song is awesome to listen to and I have so many favourites but this is certainly up there with my all time favourites.

It might seem like a massive topic of debate and will not be settled in one night, but it would be really amazing to hear some comments and views. There are so many backgrounds and different views on life, whats its for, why are we here and is there something more. Maybe I'm a fool for asking what people think so early on in the year but I still want to know. From my background, upbringing, experiences and friends, I believe there is something more. I believe that I will go to heaven once my time here on Earth is done. Whether that place is in some far corner of the universe where no one can reach, a whole bunch of fluffy clouds with big golden gates or something beyond our imagination, beyond our comprehension and beyond our expectations, I don't know. What I do know and believe is that there is something better and perfect after this life. Sometimes I do question it all and think, what if this is it, just this one life and then nothing. Then something or someone always reminds me that there is more than this. Maybe you don't agree with me which is you own opinion and decision, because the world would be a boring place if everyone was the same and it opens up a massive discussion.

Scientists will argue that we are here through billions of years of evolution.

Christians believe that we are here because of Gods love.

Other religions will argue that they are here through their Gods doing.

Atheists couldn't give a banana.

Everyone else is either open minded and willing to listen or closed minded and not willing to listen.

I think I'll leave it there for tonight and post a question on facebook and twitter. As this is a massive topic I will certainly be coming back to it. Please facebook me messages of direct message me on twitter with your views. I would love to hear them.

Maybe it could be a discussion you could have with your friends and collegues?

Next weeks question will probably lead on from this.

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 26

Day 26.

Payday! Wahoo! It feels good knowing I have money in the bank. I just need to save it for various things next year.
My day was pretty cool, a relaxing atmosphere at work was what I needed, but by lesson 5 I was ready for a nap.  Lessons 1 and 2 I was with the same class, year 7s. They make me laugh so much. In maths, the subject was angles and triangles. One of the boys couldn't pronounce isosceles and called it islosausages and just kept laughing everytime he said it. To end the day was textiles then science. In textiles they were carrying on with their cushion covers which meant I was being used to cut out fabric and pinning. Real macho work. In science I nearly fell asleep. Not because it was boring, it wasn't. But because I was so tired. The class made their own universal indicator from red cabbage and tested different different acids and alkalis. They loved the practical element of the lesson.

After work, I went straight to the workshop at Simpson Autocare. Chris had is brother working with him today to fit a timing belt for Penny the peugeot and another car. The speed at which they both worked was incredible. I was lost as to where all the nuts and bolts went. Chris and myself made a real mess of the workshop. Had a major oil spill and it required sand to soak up/stop the oil flow spreading.

Just some fun Sam and Chris had.

The sand is covering up the oil spill. That shiny part is the bottom of the engine.

The old engine on its side with more oil spilling out.

A close up of the oil spill.

The spill wasn't anyones fault, we did drain the engines before but this was just what was left in the sump (that big rectangle looking thing).We did manages to get most of the parts on the new engine so all we have to do on Saturday is put it back in the car.

When I got back from Simpson Autocare, I had a lovely Chinese and started writing my blog. I did put on Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

Anyway, time for bed now. Thanks for reading. I will have a topic tomorrow night and might have a question as well.

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 25

Day 25.

I'm not going to write much tonight as I am utterly exhausted and need lots of sleep but here is a summary of what happened in my day.

Wednesdays are always loud days for me. All 3 of my loudest lessons of the week are on a Wednesday so it is a very draining day. I did make cookies during on of my lessons and they were well received at Simpson Autocare. 

After work I helped with the year 7 rugby training. They can tackle fiercely and show no fear when playing.

After that, dad came and picked me up and drove me to Simpson Autocare where Chris and his son, Daniel had been for the afternoon. Daniel had started to clean my engine bay and then helped me finish cleaning my new engine. Chris and myself then started building up the new engine by putting components of the old engine on to the new engine. It got rather messy in his workshop with oil being spilt. 

Anyway, I did say it would be a short one. 

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 24

Day 24.

It appears I made a mistake in yesterdays blog. I called the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean film The Fountain of Youth. Its actually called On Stranger Tides. I appologise about that. 

Today was a boring day by all accounts. Only 2 of my lessons were good ones, btec sport and science. The other lessons were dull and uninspiring. I won't go into details as there aren't any, but I didn't do a lot. 

After work I went straight to Chris' workshop at Simpson Autocare to continue to work on Penny the peugeot. I won't write too much but I have lots of pictures to show all of you.

Chris removing the last few bolts

The old engine coming loose

Yes, that is an old seatbelt taking the weight of the engine.

Penny, without her engine.

The complete front end taken off.

Her old engine with all the parts on that need to be transfered to the new engine.

Another viewof the front.

Another view of the old engine.

The new engine all cleaned up.

Same as before.

Other side of the new engine, looking a bit grubby.

The new engine but really dirty.

A before shot of the engine I cleaned it.

The new engine from side view.

What Chris and I did tonight was to take out the drive shafts so we could remove the old engine from a bracket holding it in and then finally removed it from the car. It was my job to clean the new engine while Chris removed parts from the old engine. 

Tomorrow after work, I plan on going to the workshop again and doing as much work on it as I can.

That is all for tonight, I'm tired and need my beauty sleep. 

Until tomorrow.

Jim 

New Year, New Blog - Day 23

Day 23.

After 10 hours sleep, I still didn't want to get up this morning. Its not the getting up that bothers me, its the waking up part. I know a lot of people are not 'morning people' but I am not one of those people, well maybe at the weekend.

So the past week, we have had our bathroom redecorated and had a new bath fitted. This has been an annoyance in the morning as I have not been able to shower properly. The new bath looks really good and is massive. Mum has been working really hard on the tiling and that has turned out really well.

Work was fun today and I didn't want my science lesson to end. Jen was teaching the class about alkali metals and how reactive they were. She did an experiment where she put a piece of Lithium, Sodium and Potassium in a bowl of water and the class watched what happened. Potassium was the best one to watch and soon some of the class asked what would happen if she put in the alkali metals which were more reactive. The class were a little disappointed when they were told it wasn't going to happen but the video she showed was good enough. Brainiac Alkali Metals is a link to the the first video and Alkali Metals: Explosive Reactions is a link to the second video. I recommend you watch them, there awesome. 
That was the highlight of work but I did have a Chinese for lunch and the prawn crackers were lovely.


When I got home, I watched Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Mans Chest. I started watching the films over the weekend and they are quality films. I think it makes pirates sound cool and hard working. Of the four Pirates of the Caribbean films, I dont have a favourite one but the Fountain of Youth is not the best one. Which Pirates of the Caribbean film is your favourite?


I watched 2 episodes of 24 season 6 with dad after dinner. We always watch it together and both love watching it. They are so detailed and just my kind of programme. 


Thats all for tonight.


Until tomorrow.


Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 22

Day 22.

Well the social gathering last night was very very good one. I had such a good time chatting to friends and playing games. It was a good night.

Today was awesome for me, apart from waking up with a little big of a hangover. My auntie, uncle and cousins all came over for a huge lunch. It was such an amazing afternoon filled with laughter, banter, Family Guy monopoly and wine. Adam, my cousin, destroyed everyone at monopoly. He owned everything on the board and bankrupted everyone. It was a hilarious time playing with them, and I'm already looking forward to the next time we get together.

All the red hotels are owned by Adam and the blue houses are Samamthas.

Adam taking command of his empire.

We also played on the wii where I was beaten by an 8 year old girl. I wasn't impressed but Chole kept rubbing it in that she had beaten me at swordplay on wii sports resort. 

I do apologise for it being a short blog again today. I'm shattered and need an early night. 

Tomorrow I shall talk about something interesting hopefully.

Untill tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 21

Day 21.

An early blog again as I'm going out tonight to a social gathering tonight. Its a birthday gathering for Steph, who I work with. So please join me in wishing her a very happy birthday for the 23rd of January.

Today was a mixture of emotions. I was so excited to be picking up a new/working engine for Penny the Peugeot. When we got to the place we were buying it from, twe saw they had charged us £75 more than they said they would over the phone. I immediatley felt very disheartened and angry but at the same time, very relieved and happy that I finally had a working engine. Chris from Simpson Autocare, was not happy at all! A few choice words were said from both of us, but at least we had an engine. We stopped for KFC on the way back, which was a real treat. Once back at the workshop and lunch was finished, we set about taking the old engine and components apart. There were so many electrical wires, pipes, air hoses and clips to take off, I did get a little confused as to what came from where. Unfortunatly we didn't get the old engine out but we did get most of the components off.

Thats all for today, I shall pose a question and topic tomorrow night as I'm already late for the gathering.

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 20

Day 20.

Ok, so I have been made aware and I have noticed myself how this has quickly turned from a blog to a diary. Some kind old lady at work has suggested a few things I could do to 'jazz things up'. She says it would be a great idea to not just talk about what has happened during the day or a topic, but offer my views on the subject, like the news. It would also be a good idea if I asked a question or took a poll on a subject. When I ask a question, I'll also ask the same one on Facebook so people can still answer it.

Friday is such a good day for me. I get to see my wonderful year 10s in Btec business studies, my awesome year 8s in english and my adorable year 7s in science. During business studies, a young lady refused to work and I had a little chat to her about an example of when I was at school in the same situation and how I had to deal with it. She did laugh at me as I was a lot worse off than she was is and she did eventually do some work. I felt good for using an example from my own life and helping someone else with it. My year 8s are a lovely bunch. There is such a range of characters in the class I dont know how I handle them. That one lesson I see them in is my favourite lesson of the week. Nothing exciting happened in the lesson today, but the boys all think I'm an assassin who went to assassin school and this job is only a cover for my assassin lifestyle. I play along of course and make them laugh so much. I can't tell them about any of my assassinations or missions as they offically didn't happen. The day ended with year 7 science and I had the honour of taking about 7 kids and doing an experiment with them on my own. I wont go into the sciencey part of the experiment but we heated up an empty coke can with about a CM of water in the bottom on a bunsen burner. Once we saw steam coming out of the can, I picked up the can (I was wearing heat gloves) and plunged it straight into cold water. What we saw was the can implode instantly. It was pretty cool to see.

Once I got home, I watched the newest episode of The Big Bang Theory. It was hilarious! I cant remember any funny parts but I laughed a lot! The character of Sheldon is a genius!

Friday nights I help out at a Christian run youth club called FAST (Friday At Seven Thirty). Tonight was rather special, James Bell got a trend going Twitter about #fast. It was awesome to see so many of the youth tweet and get their views out into the digital and real world. The tweets just kept going and I know that 1000's of people around the world were reading.


The topic that I want to talk about tonight is the bill going through the U.S Congress about SOPA (stop online piracy act) and PIPA (protect IP act). From what I can understand, these old men of America want to pass a law that makes it illegal for any website to promote/show/link to any copyrighted content. I think thats about right, well, in a nutshell. Personally, I think were at a place where the internet is the most important communication tool on this planet. Trying to regulate what is on the WWW is like trying to censor what people talk about on the phone or text. It can't be done. It seems like America is once again bullying her way around the world because something has happened they don't like. So if websites hosting copyrighted material or links were closed, then YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and all the other social networks would close. But why wouldn't iTunes close? Or Spotify? What does everyone else think? Should SOPA and PIPA be passed?

I have plenty more to talk about and I'll post a question on Facebook (if the U.S Congress allows it) about SOPA and PIPA.

Thank you all for reading.

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 19

Day 19.

I broke the 1000 visitor milestone! Thank you to everyone who has been reading! The next big milestone I would like to reach is 5000 visitors. So please pass on the link to the blog and retweet. Thank you again.

It was miserable day today, I woke up and it was raining and rained for most of the morning. Work was really fun today, I think Thursdays are my best day (I may have mentioned this before). Today, I was out doing PE in the wet and the rain. It was so rewarding seeing the improvement in the year 7s abilities. Its feels good to get up in the morning and know I'm making a difference and every person I work with is making a difference.

I finished watching The Social Network tonight and I'm always inspired by how much of a genuis Mark Zuckerburg is and how he created something out of nothing. I know I will never see another explosion of an idea like Facebook while I'm alive. With nearly 1 billion users on Facebook and a worldwide phenomenon, it surely won't be repeated.

I spent the evening with friends tonight and I was a quite tired so I was just lounging in a sofa nodding off. It was still good to see people but I wasn't with it.

Once I was home I had a beer, spoke to some wonderful people on Facebook, got thinking about things too much such as what job I will have come September.

Anyway, I'll have more time to write something constructive tomorrow night.

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 18

Day 18.

I had a headache all day so I shall keep it short and would like lots of sympathy please. I started feeling rubbish when I got to work, maybe I should have gone to student admin and been sent home. Wednesday is also my loudest day so that didn't help.


The day was a good one, apart from the headache. I did shut off for most of the day and nothing interesting happened as far as I can remember. 


Once home, it was straight under the duvet with a film of the giant TV. I had to finish off the Transformers trilogy and watched the 3rd one, Dark of the Moon. I really enjoy those films if you hadn't guessed. 


I had a lovely piece of steak for dinner, needless to say, it didn't last long. 

I checked the number of visits I've had on this blog and its up to 950. I think I'll be hitting 1000 before the night is over. Thank you everyone!!


Now its time for me to watch The Social Network and have an early night.


Until tomorrow.


Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 17

Day 17.

It was cold! I would say that I read the temperature from the thermometer in my car but my car doesn't work.

Work was quite fun today and it went really quick. Not a lot happened although in year 8 science about half the class were given C1s' and C2s' (verbal warnings) and 2 students were given C3s' (1 hour detention). Its a big class of about 30 students and about 15, maybe more, were on C1 and C2. I've seen 6 or 7 students given warnings in classes before but never any more.


When I got home, I played more Crash Bandicoot and then watched the star gazing programme on BBC2. It was fascinating to see the galaxy and everything in it in so much detail! I got lost in all its beauty and awe, I was quite humbled.


Now I find myself watching a programme called Playing God. Goats that create spiders silk and fermented yeast that gives off diesel not alcohol. It asks some intriguing questions about sustaining life and if it is morally right being able to create new bio-organisms in your own home.

Not a lot for today but heres a thought -

Should we be essentially growing for our increased needs if it means harming the environment around us?


Until tomorrow.


Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 16

Day 16.

It was not too bad considering it has been a Monday. Again I found myself unable to sleep last night, taking almost 4 hours to nod off and then waking up every now and then. Fingers crossed I'll have a decent nights sleep tonight.

Work was fun today, I don't normally like Mondays but I'm slowly changing my opinion of them. The best lesson of the day was Science with year 8. It was a practical lesson and they are always fun.

Woody got some good news from a school he visited about becoming their GTP student. He has to teach a 20 minute lesson and I know he will nail it! 

As for my applications for GTP training, I put all my eggs in one basket so to speak and the funding fell through. I think I'm going to get some other qualifications under my belt over the next year and see if any other doors open up. 

After work I had a little xbox session online with Tim and his mate. It was quite fun but we needed more banter.

The highlight of my day was getting a haircut. I have needed on for a few weeks and had an hour spare after dinner so I cut it myself (with mums help for the back).

Now off to sleep to see if I can sleep any better tonight.

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 15

Day 15.

I didn't sleep great last night, I was awake for an hour during the night as I could not sleep, so I watched a few episodes of Scrubs and eventually fell back asleep. 

Sundays we all go to grandads field to see cousins and aunty. To day was quite special because we had a medium size fire, the first one of the year and first one for a few months. We used an old double matteress as a base, a few bags of shredded paper which was then covered by lots of branches, tree cuttings, a few pillows and a wooden bed frame. 

The early stages of building the fire.

More wood kept getting added.

Soon after lighting it.

Getting bigger.

It was quite warm taking this photo.

And again, quite warm.

 Once we had piled the wood up, the second most important element to any good fire was added, petrol. We only had a small amount to use but it was better that nothing. Once it was lit, we just kept on adding branches. It does feel somewhat surreal having a fire outside on a cold day, drinking tea and eating sausage rolls. 

When I got home, I played a bit of Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped on the PS3 and then I helped mum plaster a wall in the bathroom. I mixed the plaster together but it was quite lumpy. It soon got smooth though.

After I had given mum a hand with that I decided to watch Transformers 2 and had to iron my work shirts. Thats right, I can iron. The Transformers films are among favourite films. Hopefully, I can share more of my favourite films over the next few weeks. 

Tonight I plan on watching another episode of Auf Weidersehen, Pet and then get an early night so that I'm ready for whatever this coming week will throw at me.

I'm up to 770 viewers in 2 weeks! So a huge thank you to all who read, I am very grateful.


Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 14

Day 14 started with me waking up to loads of banging noises. Mum was taking tiles off the wall in the bathroom as we had a new bath fitted today. Not an ideal way to wake up after having a few drinks with the guys. Yes, I did have a small headache but a walk in the cold fresh air and a bacon sandwich sorted that out. Last nights Andy, Simon, Greg and myself headed to a couple of bars in town. It was a strange night and I ended up eating a pickled egg, I'm not quite sure what happened there. 

I had a lazy day today, I worked hard all week and wanted to just rest. So I watched the new episode of The Big Bang theory and then Batman Begins. During the afternoon I helped Sam wash her car. It was actually quite fun and I didn't get soaked. 

Not much else happened apart from watching Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and Munster v Castres in the Heineken Cup which was a very good game. 

I'll try and get tomorrows blog up a lot earlier tomorrow and I'll also have a topic to talk about.


Until tomorrow


Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 13

Day 13. 

Friday! Wahoo! I'm glad its the weekend. I had a really enjoyable week and work was so much fun. Todays lessons were pretty cool too. Business studies was a very productive lesson for all the students and I feel I'm building good professional relationships with most of them. P.E was a fun lesson playing basketball, and its very rewarding to see those less able to give competition to some of the more advanced in the class. English was very good, it always is. I think its my best lesson of the week. I got given a pen by one of the girls and I might have broken it. After work, Jules, Woody and myself did a modified workout (by using tables, chairs and stairs). It was intense but I felt myself working hard. On the plus side, my arms were a lot better today. 

Posting this blog entry early might seem strange to everyone who reads but I help at a youth club on Friday nights and tonight I'm going out for a few drinks with close friends straight after so I have had to submit early. There might be another post later depending on the time.

Until later or until tomorrow

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 12

Day 12 was quite painful. My arms do not fully extend and they have been so difficult and sore to work with. I woke up to my alarm this morning for once, rather than sleep late. Work went really quick and I always enjoy Thursdays. Nothing exciting happened although one little year 7 forgot which hand he wrote with.

When I got back from work I watched the second part of Treasure Island with dad. It was an awesome 2 part series and will be watching it again. We also watched University Challenge to see how clever I am.

Thursday night is Xbox night with Tim and 3 of his friends, but we could only get 3 of us playing at a time. I even bought UNO on Xbox arcade for £5 and it still wouldnt let us play together. Any suggestions as to why this is happening would be greatly appreciated.

It Friday tomorrow and it will hopefully be an interesting day. I need to think about more to blog about. I did have a suggestion of putting some pornographic material on here to make it more interesting, but I don't thing that would go down well.

Anyway, more to blog about later.

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 11

Day 11 continued with yesterdays comedy of errors by my iPhone dying overnight and my alarm not going off. Thankfully I only over slept by 10 minutes this time. 

I kept waking up through the night and I could not straighten my arms whatsoever. It was much the same throughout the day, not being able to straighten my arms. I feel tonight might be much the same. 

Work was fun today, I made scones in food tech. It was the messiest lesson I have ever been to and one of the most enjoyable. That was the highlight of the day with the other lessons quite fun as well. After work, I helped with the year 7 rugby training. They played one big game for about 40 minutes but they enjoyed it. They have a game on Saturday away at St. Martins. 

I got some bad news about my car. She needs a new engine. The new glow plugs didnt solve the probelm, although they needed replacing anyway and now I get to help Chris change engines. It will be fun to do and afterwards I'll have a spare engine that I can take apart and learn from. I might be able to repair that one and sell it. So that bad news got me down a little bit so I decided not to go spinning and watch Transformers in bluray on my new TV. It is awesome!!


Anyway, thats all I have for today.


Until tomorrow


Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 10

Day 10 started with me waking up 20 minutes late as I forgot to set my alarm last night. The day that followed was just a comedy of errors. Work started with a year 11 English lesson but most of them were in a GCSE exam so that lesson was spend going over coursework that should have been finished by now. Next was maths but that was boring. At lunch I did something that I've never done before. I took a phonecall in the staff room. It did result in me going for a walk to pass a message on. 

After work I did a kettlebell workout with some colleagues. It involved 10 chin ups, 21 swings with the kettlebell and 15 push up. I just had to keep repeating this for 10 minutes. It was very very tough. After this I did some ski sits and a few other leg workouts. I'm going to be aching tomorrow.

When I got home I finished the end of Reservoir Dogs. I have to say I'm a little bit disappointed by the ending. It wasn't how I expected and I now I finished the film, I don't think I like it. 

I bought a new TV stand today from Sainsburys well Dad did but I paid for it, and he discovered one of the glass bases was shattered so we took it back and exchanged it for another one. I started to put that one together and found that some parts were missing. So dad drove all the was across Chelmsford to Sainsburys to ask someone on customer services for some replacement parts. Now its all set up and looks amazing.

While writing this I have been watching a program called Rogue Baboon: An Inside Nature's Giants Special. Its about a huge male baboon in South Africa. Its really interesting. 

Thats pretty much all for today.

Until tomorrow

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 9

Day 9 was fairly quiet and went really quick. Nothing interesting happened today, it was a normal day. I enjoyed all my lessons which is unusual for a Monday. My 1st lesson of the day was a btec sport lesson and it took me a while to wake up and focus on the what the teacher was talking about. Once that was finished I went to a science lesson and learnt some science stuff. Then onto maths then business studies before geography ended the school day. 

When I got home I started to watch Reservoir Dogs for the 1st time. I havn't finished it yet and what I saw of it I really enjoyed. But after an hour of it, I fell asleep and had a little 30 minute power nap and felt great afterwards. Lets hope I can sleep tonight!

I have a something to ask of my readers. I'm petrified of flying, and my family are going to America to visit family for a holiday in the summer. They went 2 years ago and went to New York and I didn't go because I am afraid of flying. They had such a wonderful time and I was left at home. I hate flying and even get scared just thinking about it and sometimes can't be in the same room as people who are talking about flying.

Could I be pursuaded to go even though I am so scared of flying? What would you do? I probably won't go as the fear is too much for me, but is there anyone who could help?

I think I'll finish on that note tonight. If you can offer advice then please do. 

Until tomorrow

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 8

Day 8 and the normal Sunday routine kicked in. Over to the field to see my aunty and cousins which is always a good time! Jared is so funny!! Next week were going to have a HUGE fire!!

Sam drove today which was weird! I've been with her when she has driven to the shops up the road but not on fast roads. It was a little bit weird but at the same time I'm glad for her to be getting some independence.

I've not done a lot else today to be honest. I watched a film called The Manchurian Candidate, the watched Top Gear: The Bolivia Special and then watched another episode of Auf Weidersehn Pet. Now I'm blogging my interesting day!

An good friend of my became an Uncle for the first time this evening. He seems pretty excited by it all!

Anyway, most Sundays are relaxing and not a lot happens so not a lot to report this evening.

Will blog tomorrow evening.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 7

Day 7 and I noticed the amount of visits had gone up from 252 yesterday evening to 350 this evening. Almost 100 visits in 24 hours. I don't know about you but I find that amazing. Thank you so much everyone!

Today was my usual Saturday, wake up, wash, go to Simpson Autocare. My new turbo had been fitted on Penny the Peugeot and we started in anticipation that all would be fine.......not quite the case. She started almost fine, and ran almost ok, and kept ticking over, but there was a knocking sound in the engine (somewhere) so we got her back in the workshop after a few consultations, and stripped the engine down a bit. The first consultation was with Chris' brother over the phone about the knocking sound. He suggested it was the bottom end. I'm not too sure what that means but from the look on Chris' face it wasn't the best we could hope for. The 2nd consultation was with the mechanic next door, Martin. He thought it could be something to do with a leak in the cylinders or pistons (not sure which) or if the glow plugs are misfiring which could be (and fingers crossed is) causing the problem.
 I have been getting quite down about Penny and all the little things that have required fixing. First she wouldn't start, then found a broken oil sump and everything that needed replacing inside that, then the horn wouldn't work, then the turbo needed replacing and now the glow plugs need replacing as well. It seems like I brought a cursed car that will never get on the road! I do have faith in Chris though, and I know he will be able to get her up and running properly soon.

After I got back from the workshop, I had a bath and watched Jackass 2 (yes, at the same time) and this afternoon was awesome. My sister, Samantha, had ordered a Christmas present all the way back in December and it finally arrived today! How awesome!! A Sheldon bobble-head. Sheldon is a character from The Big Bang Theory and its one of my favourite TV shows.

 I read an awesome short story earlier, about a weekend in Essex. I wont go into details but if I get permission from the author to publish her work on my blog anytime soon then you can read it for yourself. It was a very good read.

Mum and dad had guests over for dinner this evening and they seemed to enjoy themselves which was nice for me, to see them entertaining others and doing a bloody good job of it!

Thats all for tonight, got a few things to sort out with some people.

Thanks ever so much for reading. I appreciate it.

Untill tomorrow

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 6

Day 6 was pretty darn good.  Its Friday and the day went quick which means ITS THE WEEKEND!!

It was Alicia's birthday today and I cant believe I forgot to get our English class to sing happy birthday! She might not have talked to me again if I had remembered. I did try to wake her up with text messages but that also failed.
I was quite naughty at break because I was so hungry that I had cheese on toast and a bacon and egg roll. It was delicious and I didnt feel bad for eating it. I had my favourite lesson of the week period 4 and there was a new teacher who seems pretty cool and I think will get the best out of that class in time.

After work had finished, I did a 15 minute, very high intensity workout. It was very very tough but I know its doing good. Just need to do it more that once a week. It consisted of a 500m row, 21 swings with a kettle bell and then 15 press ups, repeated 5 times. OUCH! (You'll be impressed Sam)

When I got home from work I sat down at my laptop and just went on facebook and listened to music. The new TV didnt go on and it was really nice to just relax completly.

Tonight my TV has still been off but I've watched Auf Wiedersehen Pet with mum and dad in the front room and it was very funny. Thats one of my top 10 TV series.

If the layout of the blog keeps changing over the next few weeks, don't be alarmed, I'm just trying to get the balance of colours or the text and background right and find the right design. It will be sorted soon. I managed to put a visiter counter on last night and it read 224. When I went on this evening about 8.00pm it read 243, and then later this evening it read 252! I am truely amazed. Thank you everyone for reading. Please feel free to comment.

I think in tomorrows blog I will talk about my musical tastes and what I like to listen too and when.

Until then

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 5

Day 5 was quite a bit better than yesterday. I had a quiter day at work, which is always a bonus, I saw my favourite class, heard a funny story and saw a hilarious situation! Unfortunatly I won't mention whose in the class (child protection etc), the story isn't suitable to repeat and the hilarious situation, well, you'll need to ask me about it.

The weather was so bad today. Wind, rain and cold is a bad combination unless your are weatherologist. The wind messed up my hair as well. Only one more day until the weekend, wahoo!

 I've been really lazy today since I got back from work. I got in and went straight on the xbox for a whole 5 hours. It was an awesome session as I was gaming with an old friend called Tim, who make the experience that much more enjoyable. 

 Tomorrow is a very special persons birthday and she might get a surprise at work, but I wont let her know about it.

Mum showed me how to get a visitor counter on the blog and will be doing that in the next few days. Hopefully I'll be able to get the numbers ticking over. I'll also have to turn on email subscriptions so all you wonderful people dont miss a thing, and if you want to leave comments then that is also cool.

I was going to write something else but I seem to have forgotten it now.... I remember, I find that everyday, there are more and more people reading these blogs and I am always humbled and appreciate the time you all take to read my blogs. So thank you very much everyone :) 

Blog again tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 4

Day 4 and still not a lot happened. Slowly settling into how things were last year. So much for new years resolutions. Waking up today was just as hard as yesterday, and seemed a lot colder as well.

Work wasn't that exciting today although the students were so loud. The louder they get, the more tired I get.

After work was pretty cool, I started helping out with the year 7 rugby team and I enjoyed it so much. More of that please!

The new turbo arrived today about 6.30pm and its so shiney! It should fit (fingers crossed) and that should be the final piece of the puzzle which is my car and make it go broom broom.

I spoke to a friend from uni tonight whose blog I read about health and fitness. He's agreed to help me shift some of the Christmas (and 2011 weight). Quite exciting for me. Hopefully I'll be able get back in shape soon.

Short but sweet tonight as I'm tired and need my beauty sleep.

Blog again tomorrow

Jim

p.s the new tv looks great!

New Year, New Blog - Day 3

Day 3 and it was back to work.

The hardest thing about today was waking up to the alarm. It was a shock to the system to say the least!
It was good to see friends and hear stories of their Christmas, and by break time I was thankful for the coffee. The rest of the day was pretty easy and went quick which is always good. I had order a new turbocharger for Penny (my car), and was quoted from a Peugeot dealership between £800-£1200! I did kindly say I'd look elsewhere and found a brand new one for £438. Bargin!

A trip to Sainsburys proved an expencive one with me buying a massive 40" LCD/HD/OMG/LOL and all that jazz TV. Wow! The picture is amazing and so clear! I think I may have to put off going back to the gym for another week, just to make sure the TV works properly.

One thing that has surprised me today was the amount of people who said they have been reading these blogs. I just have to figure out to put a visitor counter on the page so I can see numbers of readers and how to write a little bit more.

I am appreciative of all those who take the time to read, so thank you very much.

Until tomorrow

Jim 

New Year, New Blog - Day 2

Day 2 of the Blogging and I dont have a lot to shout about.

Its my last day of the Christmas holidays before I head back to work tomorrow and I must say, its been a fantastic time off. A lot of the time I have spent working on one car or another at Simpson Autocare with Chris and I have learnt so much about cars in such a short time. I might start thinking about getting some form of qualification in mechanics, but thats something I can think about at a later date.
The rest of the time has been spent with family and friends which has been very good.
I am glad to get back to work and into a routine. I need to lose the Christmas weight I put on and get back down the gym regularly.

As for today, its been average. I swept the garage with dad and the been in front of my TV for the rest of it.

I have been talking to an old friend who intends to read my blog everyday and I'm quite excited about that, at least someone will be reading it. It was a great little catch up that we had.

Thats about it for day 2, hopefully tomorrow will be interesting and thanks for reading.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 1

So I had this idea that a blog a day might be something quite cool to try for the whole of 2012 (or at least until I forget or get bored). 365 blogs, 1 for each day of the year.
2012 is set to be an exciting year for Englishmen and women with the olympics only a few months away and will provide plenty of opportunity for blogs during the summer.
For me, 2012 is about moving up the career ladder, joining a cycling club and racing, driving my car at all hours of the day, working with Chris at Simpson Autocare and many other ideas in the pipeline. These will all be blogged about over the next 364 days.


Jim