New Year, New Blog - Day 60

Day 60.

A pretty good day I think. Work was a bit loud and tiring and by period 5 I was ready to fall asleep. I don't know why I'm feeling so tired this week. Everyday I have been fine when I've woken up but then it gets to about 6pm and then I just feel exhausted. Hopefully I will be ok next week. 

After work I helped out with the year 7 rugby training. They have a rugby 7s competition next week and were learning about that. There are some very talented young players and they will do well next week. 

Tonight I started watching Breaking Bad. I wasn't too sure about it until half way through the 1st episode. Its a very unusual series but at the same time its quality. Its about a chemistry teacher who finds out he has lung cancer with only a few years left to live. He decides to go into business with a drung dealer making crystal meth. I have only got through the 1st episode and its getting better.

I really hope that I will be awake enough soon to get back to blogging about something interesting.

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 59

Day 59.

Feels like the world is against me at the moment. My wisdom teeth have been coming through for the past 3 years and every now and then it gets really painful. The past week, they have been coming through again and causing quite a lot of discomfort for me. So this morning I went to the dentist and I have been given a course of tablets. Fingers crossed they can sort things out for a while. 

Work was ok today. I am getting a bit bullied in the staff room because of my car. A few people find joy in my misfortunes. After work I watched a film called The Departed. An exciting film which could have easily gone over the top and been too confusing but it wasn't. It was about an undercover cop in the Irish mafia and a dirty cop tipping off the mafia about the police. Out of 10 I would give it 8. 

Ok, I have been extra tired today and need more sleep.

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 58

Day 58.

A special day today. Its my dads birthday and we celebrated it by having pizza for dinner and Sam made a massive blueberry cake. It was all rather delicious. Mum got dad some turkish delights, which are his favourite sweets, A book about Essex that shows importants dates and what happened. Sam got him a cricket t-shirt and a stirrer that you can put in a saucepan and it stirs itself. That is really cool! I have been really busy recently at the workshop and down the gym that I didn't have the time to get anything but I will be getting him something really soon. I just need to know what to get.

My eyes are really really sore today and I think I need a good nights sleep. Also my wisdom teeth are being super painful this week and that is rather annoying!

I will try and write something proper and structured tomorrow after a few days of short blogs.

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 57

Day 57.

Last night was pretty good with my cousins. The reason I know it was good because I was hanging bad today!

I didn't do anything today, just sat under my duvet watching tv and not moving.

I'm really tired so off to bed I go.

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 56

Day 56.

At last, some good news about Penny the Peugeot. Chris and I have found a place that can sell us a set of 4 used diesel injectors for £95 + VAT. That is brilliant news considering I was looking ar around £500 for a set of new ones.  I have some pictures of Elvis the Escort getting painted but I will put them in tomorrows blog as I'm going out tonight. More on that in a bit.

This afternoon I watched Ireland v Italy and England v Wales. England v Wales was a very very tight game. It was quite evenly matched and both sides were not afraid to put in the big hits. I think that Wales did deserve the win but England didn't deserve lose. A draw would have been a fair result for both teams but England made one mistake that cost them the game. Steve Walsh, the referee, didn't seem to be neutral as a ref should. There were lots of things that Wales got away with and at the same time, lots of things the England got pinged for. Maybe I just saw them as I wanted England to win.

Tonight, I am of into Chelmsford with my cousins. We're going out for Tom's and Jared's birthday and it will be messy I'm sure. So happy birthday Tom and Jared.

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 55

Day 55.

A great day as its Friday and made extra special as its payday! I'm struggling to think about what happened today, I switched off somewhere along the way. I don't think it was that interesting. The topic at lunch time was how much I had spent on my car. I was getting a fair bit of abuse from Ian about but I know he didn't mean any of it. 

After work, I took charge of the workout as it was just me and Woody. It was tough and I'm paying for it now but I feel good for it. We mainly worked the legs today and did a small amount of chest and core. It did seem like we were going in at the deep end as next weeks workout has to be a little harder.

I had a little bit of bad news about Penny the Peugeot. All 4 of her injectors need either refurbishing or replacing, whatever is the cheapest. I phoned the Peugeot dealer in Chelmsford and they quoted me £441 per injector. Errrr.....No! Not at that price. The cheapest we can find (other than ebay) is about £105 + VAT. So its going to be £500 or there abouts to get them fixed/new ones. In a way, its good that I'm spending lots to replace everything. That way I know that everything is new and will last as long as I don't drive like a nutter. I just have to find a way to make some extra money. Any ideas anyone?

Friday night is youth club night and my sister, Sam decided it would be a good idea to colour in my tattoos.

The black line are my tattoo, the colours thankfully, are washable! There is fantastic attention to detail and the artwork was done by Emily, Henry and Sam.

This is pure genius! Emily came up with the idea for a mermaid and done a great job of it! I'm not sure if I will keep them yet.

 That is all for today. There is no discussion as I'm too tired from my workout and I did give it my all. I had very little left in the tank.

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 54

Day 55.

Another good day. I was extra clever this morning and let the alarm wake me up. The plan was to sleep until the alarm went off, which was a good plan last night and it was going so well until the alarm went off this morning.

Work was really quite fun and I only really had 3 out of 5 lessons. One of my lessons was a cover lesson and that was a doss lesson for the kids. I got quite a lot of abuse from 1 of the girls in my year 10 science class. I'm sure was meant in a jokey kind of way...... I seem to fit in well with the older classes and I know that all the students appreciate me being there giving the banter out. It makes the job enjoyable when you can have a laugh with the kids.

Period 4 was a sponcored run for 20 minutes and 12 seconds around the school fields. Year 8 were running in it and they were all amazing! They were all smiling and laughing, and running certainly beats being in a classroom for an hour. After their run they had a paralympic gold medal winner come and talk to them. The guy was called Dan Bentley. I'm not sure of his condition but he was a TRUE inspiration! He could bearly speak but gave such an encouraging speech, he could bearly control his limbs but gave a genuine round of applause to the year 8s and he wanted to be there to show his appreciation. A really humble man. I feel inspired by him to give it my all in the gym and on my bike because I have the full use of my body and I take it for granted. He has an olympic gold medal and has overcome obstacles that I hope I never have to overcome and I can just walk without thinking it. Seeing a true sports hero like that is amazing. I'm getting a little tearful thinking about it.

I did hit the gym after work and I didn't give it my all and I have no reason for it. Tomorrow I will push myself a lot harder! 

Its Jens birthday today, so happy birthday Jen, 21 (again) I believe. 

A fitting picture for tonights blog. A nobody in a wheelchair with cerebral palsy became a paralympic gold medal champion. Most of you have full use of your entire body. How great can you be?

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 53

Day 53.

The bump day as someone told me. At least I think thats what it was called. It wouldn't be called the hump day would it? The middle of the week when the next weekend is closer than the last. As Wednesdays go, it was a good one. A might have made a kid cry (it might have been that he got homework), finished some coursework with my year 11s, made rice/pasta salad with year 8s, got told a simple joke in my year 10 class and then was on riot control with year 9s. I won't explain the joke as it was a long one but it did make me laugh. After work was rugby with year 7s. It was cold out there and I decided not to take a jacket. It was a good session and I felt I contributed quite a lot. I was glad it finished though as I was freezing!

For all who didn't know, I recently learnt how solve a rubix cube. I can't do it in under 10 seconds or anywhere near to that sort of time but I can do it pretty quick. Anyway, I wanted more of a challenge so I brought a 4x4x4 rubix cube and a 5x5x5 rubix cube. I just have to learn how to do those ones and then I'll change my name to rainman!

My plan for the night is to watch more of The Sopranos, I have almost finished season 1 in 3 days. Yeah, its that good. 

I will leave you with this picture and caption that I saw on Twitter.

Blimey! Are B&Q trying to take on Anne Summers?...

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 52

Day 52. 

I decided to be clever and beat the alarm again this morning. I was up 20 minutes before it went off. I showed the alarm clock whos boss! 

Tuesdays aren't the most interesting of days so there is not a lot to report on. I usually do a kettle bell workout on a Tuesday but the teachers had a stupid meeting which meant kettle bells wasn't on. It just meant that I got down the gym and got pumping iron quicker. I didn't get a lot done in the gym because I need to get my strength back but I feel I will be aching for a few days. 

After dinner I had to make a few pancakes, it would be rude not to. Dad brought some maple syrup just for the occasion. I was more than happy about having that. Then watched a few episodes of 24 with dad. 

And that is my exciting day done. 

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 51

Day 51. 

Back to work today. I was clever and beat the alarm, but that did mean missing an extra 10 minutes sleep. I shall make those valuable minutes by getting an early night. 

So work was good today, it went really quickly for a Monday and the 1st day back. It was a nomal day, nothing interesting happened. It was nice to see everyone again though. Only 29 more working days until easter!

When I got home, I got on my turbo trainer. Its a piece of kit that enables me to cycle inside without the bike moving, well apart from the back wheel. I havn't been on my bike for a few months and I only did 30 minutes to gently ease myself back in. In a couple of weeks I'll be riding for a couple of hours each night after work (I hope). Seeing as I'm off to America in 5 months, I need to get in shape. So I hope to get back in the gym and burning some serious fat!

I have started watching The Sopranos since I got back from work. Well and truely HOOKED! Onto my 3rd episode and I love it! I am now finishing this blog to go and watch more of The Sopranos.

Until tomorrow. 

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 50

Day 50. 

50 days of blogging is quite a landmark number for me. I have quite enjoyed writing all the blogs and I know some of them are boring but I am going to keep trying to make them more interesting. 

A great nights sleep and another fantastic lie in. It was 8.50 before I was awake and now that I have decided to sleep more, how am I going to get up tomorrow morning for work? I hope it will be an easy day.

Today we saw cousins down the field. It has been a few weeks since we last saw them as we had the snow. It was great seeing them and there is always banter. We had to do some cutting down of trees which was interesting. It only required us moving the logs and branches we cut down but they were quite heavy. Dad used the new chainsaw to cut some logs down to the right size.

I cooked the roast dinner today. We had roast chicken and it was awesome! I really enjoy cooking and it was nice to do it again. I havn't done it for a few months so will be looking forward to cooking more often. 

After lunch, I shut myself away in my room and watched Captain America: The First Avenger. It was a really good film but I thought the story could have been better explained. The first part of the film was detailed enough so that you could get an idea of what was happening but during the middle/end of the film it wasn't that detailed. The film could have been a lot longer and that would have given the viewers some idea how the ending was set up. I'm not saying don't see the film because it wasn't good, it was good. It was very well made and I enjoyed it. 

I'm quite looking forward to work tomorrow but I will certainly miss working at Simpson Autocare during the week. I shall be getting down there as much as possible over Easter. Lets hope the next 6 weeks go quick!

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 49

Day 49.

An absolutely wonderful day! I had an awesome lie in, it was 9.30am when I woke up and for me that is pretty impressive. I hade a weird dream as well. I was in America inside a huge glass building that was flooded and only held together by rocks. The worrying thing about the dream was that building was our hotel. 

The morning was spent infront of the TV playing Call of Duty and listening to The Beatles. How is it that I didn't listen to them before? They are truely amazing and inspiring. I don't have a favourite song of theirs but I do like Strawberry Fields Forever, Let It Be, While My Guitar Gently Weeps and Come Together. I will be listening to them a lot more often. 

This afternoon was a special one. I met up with a friend in town and the last time I saw her was about 7 years ago I think. It was a great catch up and so many stories were shared. Its a shame we only had a couple of hours. We could have quite easily talked all afternoon and evening. We have always stayed in contact since school and always been there for one another. I think we will be meeting up more often as we had such a laugh together.

Thats all for today folks.  

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 48

Day 48.

Another day spent working at Simpson Autocare. I have spent a lot of time at Chris workshop and I talk about my time there frequently but I havn't said how to get in contact with Simpson Autocare. Here is the link to the website Simpson Autocare and the link to the Facebook page Simpson Autocare - Facebook.  All the work carried out there is to the highest standard and estimate prices can be found on the website. Please check it out and spread the word about Simpson Autocare.

Lots of phone calls were made today from both Chris and myself. We were looking to hire a compression test kit for a 1.4 HDi diesel engine. That was surprisingly difficult and after lots of back and forth on the phone, dad and Sam went all the way to South Benfleet to hire one. I'm not entirely sure what a compression test does, I think it tests the pressure in each cylinder to see if it can hold the pressure. Unfortunatly after all that, it didn't fit and it had to go back. Chris and his brother have now pretty much concluded what the problem is and it means waiting just a little while longer. It is looking more and more likely that its the injectors. They are going to be sent off to be checked using ultrasound (fancy stuff) and reconditioned if neccessary. Penny should be better very very soon.

Once the work on Penny stopped, it was time to get Elvis the Escort prepped and ready to be primed. I'm not sure what that means either. There were a few final bits of filling and rubbing down to do and then we had to mask him up.

These are the injectors. They inject fuel into the engine. We have been quoted £66 + VAT for them to be tested. For them to be repaired its £105 + VAT each! One of the little buggers isn't working and we don't know which one.

Elvis all masked up.

Every little hole had to be sealed with masking tape so that primer wouldn't get inside the car.

Notice anything missing? An engine perhaps?

Trying to get a fancy picture taken. In a short while, this car will be painted to the highest standard and of a professional quality.

So, Elvis the escort is ready to be primed and then painted.

Now for the big news that you all are waiting to hear. Am I going to America in the summer? I decided to take Rule 5 advice and man up. I am going to America. I am frightened and not afraid to admit it.

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 47

Day 47.

A long day spent at Simpson Autocare with Chris. I started at about 9.20 this morning and finished around 10.30 this evening. I will keep the blog short tonight as it is late and we all know I need my beauty sleep.

Worked some more on Elvis the Escort today. I did lots and lots of rubbing down and I started to look like a smurf, all covered in blue dust. I got some more pictures of Elvis on the roller jig.

Elvis underside.

Elvis roof.

After Elvis the Escort was done for the day, Elvis grandson, Edward the Escort came up for a new clutch to be put in. That was a right bugger to do! Nothing was simple, there were so many brackets to unbolt and lots of twisting and shouting at the gearbox. Edward the Escort did leak a lot on Chris floor and he was being very stubborn and didn't want to have his clutch changed. Eventually after using lots of muscle power and an engine crane, we got the blasted thing back into position and bolted back. 

This is what I look like after a day at the workshop, a regular grease monkey.

I had to make a decision today whether I would fly to America with my family. Well I made a decision......

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 46

Day 46.

A good day. I have not done much thinking about flying and maybe it has done me good. I havn't had time to think about it anyway, I've been extremely busy working at Simpson Autocare with Chris and Martin. Martin owns a workshop next to Chris and is working with Chris to restoring Elvis the Escort.

Elvis the Escort. This is just the shell. Chris has put so many hours into getting Elvis looking just like this. Martin has done a lot of work on it too.

This is all in preparation for priming and painting.

I actually feel good about doing something different. I sanded down the front (where the headlights go) and I took off all the parts of the front that hold the wheels on. Yes, it was more than just a few nuts and bolts. Well actually it was about 12 in total but they were really tricky! Lots of the parts I took off had been painted so I didn't want to scratch them and had to be extra careful. 

I had a lovely curry for dinner cooked by dad. That was delicious and could have eaten another plate quite happily. For some reason I did the washing up without being asked to. I don't quite know how that happened but everything got washed. 

I have until tomorrow morning to decide if I am going to fly to America. Me being undecided is a lot better and promising than me saying no. I have to options; 1) I can do what rule 5 says here and get on the plane or 2) stay at home on my own. 

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 45

Day 45.

I slept quite well last night considering I put myself under a lot of stress. All I've thought about today has been flying and whether I can do it. There are lots of 'what ifs' at the moment. What if I agree to go and get to boarding the plane and chicken out? What if I go and something does go wrong on the plane? I have been looking at alternatives to flying to America. I've looked at getting a boat from Scotland or Denmark to Iceland, then to Greenland and then to Canada. Its something I'd consider doing if it means I can go and see family. Another option is getting a cruiseship from Southampton to New York and then a train to Michigan somehow. That costs about double the price of flying and takes about 8days longer than flying. Thats also something I'd do and be quite happy to pay for. Lots to think about and not long to get all the thinking done.

This morning I was at Simpson Autocare with Chris. I wasn't working on Penny the Peugeot today as we have done all we can until Chris works out the next move. It shouldn't be long now until she rules the road again. Today I helped Chris with Elvis the Escort. I think I shall name all the cars I help with from now on. I just did a bit of sanding as Elvis is a complete restoration job. Elvis is just the shell at the moment, no interior, no engine, no electrics. Just an empty frame of a car. It was nice not getting my hands greasy and doing something different. 

I got back about 2ish and after a shower I sat down to watch the 3rd Lord of the Rings films, The Return of the King. It lasted 242mins. A little over 4 hours long. It was an excellent film and I didn't notice how long it was. I also can't see how it could have been edited shorter for cinema and regular DVD release. I think I'll be adding them to my blu ray collection.

I was told once that I think too much and I have certainly been doing that lots recently, so off to bed I go.

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 44

Day 44. 

I'm not really feeling like I want to write a blog today. We went to book our holiday to America and I have until Thursday to decide if I can go. I had to leave the travel agents to get some fresh air half way through. I do want to go to see family and I know I'll have a great time, but I can't get on a plane. There is nothing that will make me get on a plane. I think I've developed a nervous twitch over the past few weeks while I've been thinking about the decision. Everytime I think about being on a plane, I see myself looking out over the left wing and its a long way down and I know there is nothing holding the plane up. Lots of people have said that I have more chance of dying in a car crash or out riding my bike. That might be well and true but at least I would feel somewhat in control of that situation should it come about. On a plane, there is nothing I could do about it should it go wrong. The thought of falling uncontrollably is stopping me and there is nothing else I can think of when I think of getting on a plane and flying. My fear of flying will ruin my life. 

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 43

Day 43.

A good day I think. It started with another early start, 8am again. I watched a couple of episodes of Rome and had another fry up for breakfast. I'm going to be healthy from now on. I need to get in shape for summer, so no more crap food. 

I've still not had much luck with my hard drive, but I'll still keep trying. I went to a friends house this afternoon and spent a couple of hours on the Xbox playing Call of Duty. We were both awful but it was still fun. I stayed and watched the 1st half of Wales v Scotland. What a game. It was an incredible match and both sides refused to give in. It was the best Scotland performance I have seen for a long time. They have such talent coming through and it won't be long before they cause an upset to a big rugby playing nation. Its just a shame they can't finish any of their moves with a try. Wales worked well in attack and defence. The fitness of all the players really showed today as the whole team was working as 1 unit and they left nothing on the pitch. It was the best game of the 6 nations so far. 

I watched a couple of episodes of 24 with dad earlier, we both are addicted to it. Then just watched Top Gear with mum and dad. Now its time for bed.

I know its a short blog tonight, but I'm a little tired.

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 42

Day 42. 

The first day of half term, mums gone away for the weekend, Sam didn't have work so there was no excuse or reason for me to wake up early. 7.30am and I'm wide awake. A great start to the day. It did give me chance sort out my external hard drives and enjoy a lovely breakfast made by dad. 

My main 1 TB external hard drive, was acting weird and sluggish early on today and then decided that it wouldn't work altogether. So my afternoon has been dedicated to scrolling through forums, trying all sorts of fixes/paths/command promts and lots of other things to get my external hard drive working again. Everything I have tried so far hasn't worked but I will keep trying. This hard drive had everything on and WAS my backup. Films, music, tv shows, photos, university work, programs and software on it. Over 650GB worth, all unaccessable at the moment. I was getting slightly hacked off with it earlier. So annoyed infact that I put it outside in the cold for an hour! That didn't help matters though. I'll have a crack at it tomorrow.

It did stop obsessing over it for a couple of hours while I watched the 6 nations. England played away at Italy this afternoon. The strangest thing to see was the snow on the pitch. Most of the pitch was white, England were white and so was the ball. England could have used it to their advantage. Italy played incredible. They fought so hard and deserved to win the 1st half. They dominated possession and territory in the 1st half and should really have scored more points. Italy did have some very good passages of play and the forwards put up a good fight until Martin Castrogiovanni went off injured in the 33rd minute. He was overpowering in the scrum and was causing problems for England so it was a huge loss for Italy when he went off injured. The 2 tries in 2 minutes that Italy scored were vital for putting England under a lot of pressure for the 2nd half. England were far more dominant in the 2nd half and looked the much better team in attack. Italy had a great defence and credit where credit is due, it only got broken once by Charlie Hodgson charging down a ball which lead to a try. England were good at retaining the ball and shipping the ball wide. Making use of the whole back line was a huge positive from todays game. The new caps are gaining confidence and looking good with ball in hand. This England team will go far with Stuart Lancaster in charge. I wonder how the RFU will screw things up this time?

Dad, Samantha and I had pizza hut for dinner tonight. I can say that I will never eat pizza again. I am so full up. We had a hot one with jalapeno peppers on, a bbq chicken with cheesy bites crust and Sam had a cheese and pineapple stuffed crust. And now I'm hungry again but we have no pizza left.

I hope to get my hard drive working again tomorrow so I will let you know how it goes. 

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 41

Day 41. 

Half term is here! A week, without pesky kids annoying me, winding me up or making me aggy. Perfect!

Yesterday I told you that I had been at the Simpson Autocare in the evening and I left you all in limbo as to whether Penny the Peugeot started. She did not start. So a hammer was used and after some gentle pursuasion, she spluttered into life and roared! It was an amazing and satisfying feeling that Chris and I had done that. Penny sounded magnificant. She then decided to make a terrible knocking sound just like before with the old engine. My heart sank a bit but then she stopped making the knocking sound and then it started again. I'm hoping that it will be something simple but like everything else with my stupid car, it will be complicated and very expensive. There are some photos of the rebuilt engine and Penny in all her shining glory.

The rebuilt engine.

And again.

From another angle.

From the back.

Penny looking and feeling cold and miserable.

Everything in place and connected.

Just needs to be fired up....

 It just means I'll have to wait a little longer to be able to drive her. 

Todays discussion will take place tomorrow. I am not pressured by time tomorrow so I can get a lengthy discussion going. 

I hope everyone has had a good day.

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 40

Day 40.

A long day. I'm going to keep it short tonight as I am so tired.

Work was great. Althought I did get ripped for the amount of films I havn't seen. I won't name them tonight, I'll go through it tomorrow but it was shocking to discover some films that I havn't seen.

After work I went straigh to Simpson Autocare to put Penny the Peugeot back together. We completed our task of getting the engine back in and everything connected and finally started....... I shall reveal what happened when Chris and I started her in tomorrows blog.

I know its a very short blog but its late and I'm tired.

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 39

Day 39.

So I forgot to set my alarm last night and therefore didn't wake up when I should. I was woken up by mum banging on the wall. Oops. Todays walk to work was a little slipperier than yesterday but also more fun. I almost fell over a few times, thankfully I didn't.

With regards to the Spinal Tap issue of me not knowing if they were real or just for the movie, Jen helped me out. She informed me that they were made just for a TV show and then the film 'This Is Spinal Tap' but got quite popular and released albums and did some live shows. I might have to invest in some of their music as it was pretty good.

Work was easy today. With year 10 and 11 its just getting coursework finished and year 7, 8 and 9 were the normal lessons with lots of noise and an average amount of work being done. Nothing interesting happened except being called a legend by my year 9 class and reciting Anchor Man and Step Brothers quotes at lunch time. If Jen was there for that then it would have been pure awesome.
There was no rugby for year 7 after school today. I think the ground is still a little frozen as it still has snow on it. I'm quite happy about that as it was bloody freezing again!

Mark from work gave me a couple of hundred songs from Bacobens Rock Top 500. They are my type of songs and I'll name some of the artists from it. Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Derek and the Dominos, The Beatles, The Who, The Doors, Pink Floyd, The Eagles, John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, Yes, Jefferson Airplane, Jethro Tull, Lynard Synard and so many other classic artists. The music from artists like them is timeless, from the golden age of rock and without doubt, my favourite type of music. I have been listening to it since about 4pm and I'm not even halfway through the tracks. It could last a lifetime and I would still want to keep listening to it. Its that good.

Thats all for today. Nothing interesting has happened but I have enjoyed myself with the music.

Until tomorrow.

Jim.

New Year, New Blog - Day 38

Day 38.

A normal, quiet day for me. It was an easy day at work with very little to do, so tonights blog will very short. I think the only interesting thing that happened was walking Annabelle across the icey school car park. The car park was like an ice rink and I can't believe that it hasn't been cleared. With 100+ cars being driven in to park, one would think that there would be a safe place to park. Obviously its not that important.

When I got home, I watched This Is Spinal Tap. Its a mockumentary and I'm not sure if Spinal tap is a real band or just made up for the film. Can anyone help me? I think they are a fictional band but are a real band. I don't know. I really liked the film considering it was released in 1984 and it was quite funny. The story is they are promoting there new album in the U.S and its called 'Smell The Glove' but most of the gigs, concerts and venues they want to play at keep cancelling. I'd recommend it and would rate it quite highly at about 8/10.

I have found a new band I like listening to called Seether. What I have heard of their music so far I like. I can't say much more on that because I don't know anything else.

As I said, a normal day.

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 37

Day 37.


So much has happened today and the biggest thing has been in the cycling world. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS)has found Alberto Contador guilty of doping during the 2010 Tour de France. He was tested positive for clenbuterol, a drug that helps you lose weight and and gain muscle, on the second rest day of the 2010 TdF. The ban means Contador will lose race results dating back to and including the 2010 Tour de France. Andy Schleck will become the 2010 Tour de France champion while Michele Scarponi is crowned winner of the 2011 Giro d'Italia. 
Contador’s positive test dates from July 21, 2010, although the case was not made public until September 30 of that year. In February 2011, the Spanish Cycling Federation (RFEC) officially cleared Contador, accepting his explanation that the traces of clenbuterol in his sample had been caused by consuming contaminated meat.
In March, both the International Cycling Union (UCI) and the World Anit-Doping Agency (WADA) formally announced their decision to appeal the matter to CAS, who in turn announced that a ruling would be made ahead of the Tour de France. That turned out to be a false dawn, however, and after a number of delays, the hearings were finally held in November 2011. In the intervening period, Contador had added to the Giro d’Italia to his palmares and finished fifth at the 2012 Tour de France.
Contador's ban ends on August 5th, meaning he can ride this year's Vuelta a España.

I don't think he did it intentionally. There was a case for him not knowingly eating the contaminated meat which wouldn't have resulted in a ban but I guess that didn't happen. The UCI are looking for a scapegoat, someone to blame and make an example of and they have picked a genuine champion, a winner of all the Grand Tours, and made him 'one of the bad guys'.
I read somewhere that the amount was 400 times less than what is needed to be detected to result in a ban, so why ban him?  There are lots of other factors and a 4000 page document that CAS had to review before making their poor decision.

I will have more to say on this as it keeps coming out in the news and if there will be an appeal, so keep reading future blogs.

The Superbowl was on last night and no I didn't stay up all night and watch it. I started watching it when I got home at 3.45ish and I'm still watching it. I have no idea of the downs and yards etc but some of the hits are awesome. It seems quite a tough game but not as tough as rugby. I would tell you who wins but I still don't know.

The snow was interesting at work today. What do ALL kids want to do in the snow? Thats right, throw snowballs. I think the senior management were a little bit surprised by this and expected ALL the kids to not want to be out in the snow and throwing it at each other. Puzzling isn't it?

Time to finish the Superbowl and play a little Call of Duty.

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 36

Day 36.

It was snowing pretty hard last night from about 10pm onwards and by 1am it was like a full on blizzard. When I woke up, it was a beautiful sight. Just white everywhere. My sister Sam was meant to be at work for 6am but wasn't able to get there so she got a few extra hours in bed.

I went to Chelmer Park this afternoon with some friends to play in the snow. It was awesome and I got some pretty cool photos.

The photos are not that spectacular but still quite cool. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that tomorrow will be a snow day and the school will close. It would be nice to have a snow day or a few of them. Lets hope we get more snow overnight.

How was everyone elses day in the snow?

I will give my views on the 6 nations games during the week when I have watched all the games. From what I have seen so far, they have been quite entertaining.

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 35

Day 35.

A very successful day in my opinion. Spent about 7 hours at Simpson Autocare with Chris rebuilding my engine for the last time. We had to pick up a head gasket from Motex and then the real fun began. First rule of the workshop is to put the kettle on, so I did and needed the tea to warm up a bit. It was colder at the workshop than outside. In order for everything to go back together, I had to clean the engine head and somthing else but I cant remember the name of it. I will let the pictures do the talking.

A dirty engine block

Still looking dirty

A clean engine head

The tiny part that caused so much bother

Its tiny!

A clean engine block

Getting there.

Nice and clean

There are a couple more pictures to upload but the internet is slow and I'm off out to a friends to have pizza from Dominoes :)

I will upload them in tomorrows blog.

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 34

Day 34.

An interesting day at work. It was one of the few days when I couldn't be bothered to get into arguements or keep telling the students to put their phones away or to stop eating. So as long as the teacher didn't see then I couldn't be bothered to stop them. I did get a piece of chocolate orange out of it for not grassing on them. I didn't have a lunch today either as I chose to go to a lesson that I wasn't meant to be in. So I ended up having 6 lessons instead of 5. After work I did a mega workout with Woody and Jules. My back hurts a little bit now but I thought it was quite easy. Friday nights are when I help at the youth club. We were quite short on helpers tonight but it was still lots of fun, until an immature little teenager decided to draw on my arm. I'm only joking about the immature part.

The discssion topic tonight is:


How can England win the Six Nations with three new caps blooded against the Jocks?

First of all, England have minimal chance of winning the 6 nations. They are coming off the poorest world cup performance ever and have less experience than any other team in the 6 nations. The world cup was an embarassment. Although they made it out of the group stages with a stumble, they tripped and fell flat on their faces in the quarter finals against France, a team low on morale and respect for their coaches.


Out with the old.

The old faces have either retired, been axed from the elite squad or just slipped away from spotlight with their dignity intact. The most high profile retirement in recent years was Jonny Wilkinson. He was one player that gave his all every time and will sadly be missed. He wasn't expected to play in the 2007 rugby world cup let alone 2011 RWC. He has held the record for highest international points scorer, record for highest 6 nations points scorer and various other achievement that won't be broken for a long time. 
Lewis Moody the captian for the past 18 months, retired from international duty in October 2011. He led by example from the moment he won his 1st cap to the last second of his last game in an England shirt. At times he was the best in the world and at times he oversteped the line but never gave up leading by example. 
Others name missing from the team sheet include Mike Tindal, Shontayne Hape, Mark Cueto, Andrew Sheridan, Simon Shaw and Nick Easter. Most had a glittering career at the top of their game, some seemed like they could offer more but didn't.


In with the new.


There are several uncapped players in the squad and names that should have been in a long time ago. Chris Robshaw has been deserving of a chance to play for England for so long and he has finally be given a chance. Not only that, he has been made captain as well. Several Northampton Saints players have made it into the sqaud and they too have been deserving of a chance. Lee Dickson, Tom Wood and Phil Dowsen have all played exceptional for the past few seasons.

Englands don't stand much of a chance against a very physical, determined Scotish side tomorrow. They have had a major retirement in Chris Paterson last year who wanted to retire at the top of his game, and he was one of the most consistant kickers in the world. Scotland also have quite a dynamic backs division with Joe Ainsbro breaking the line regularly and one of the Lamont and Evans brothers using their speed and agility to finish. England should be able to match in the forwards but I think Scotland will turnover more ball and have more possession.


Whatever the outcome, it will be a good game. It always has been a hard fought contest for the Calcutta Cup.


I hope you have enjoyed the read. Its getting late now so I best be off to sleep.


Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 33

Day 33.

I said yesterday that an air ambulance came and landed in the school field and I was unsure as to why. Last year during the first half term, a year 7 boy sadly passed away as a result of a heart condition that was known as he had previously been ill at his primary school. The first time he collapsed, the air ambulance was called out to take him to hospital. Yesterday, his family presented a cheque to Essex and Herts Air Ambulance for over £2000. This had been raised through a non-uniform day, a cake sale and other charity events.

My day was a lot warmer than yesterday although I didn't want to get out of bed again. I was frozen when I got to work and I had PE first lesson out on the field with year 7. I thought ahead and put on my thermal cycling trousers again and had 4 layers of tops on. I was quite warm by the end of the lesson. I got involved with the football matched and I scored a goal. I did get out played on a few occasions by the year 7s which wasn't good. But while all the little year 7s moaned about the freezing cold, I laughed at them because I was warm. In food technology I made power cookies with the year 8s. Kids are so creative when they put their minds to it. I got given a few 'samples' to try and it would have been rude not to try them. The school day ended with yet another fantastic science lesson thanks to Jen. She did an experiment mixing a strong acid and a strong alkali making a rainbow effect of chemicals. It was awesome to watch and the class loved it. 

After work I went to Simpson Autocare to try and fix my poorly Penny. Chris and I succeded in getting done what we wanted to tonight which was to take the top of the engine off so we could remove a tiny bit of snapped off glow plug. It was pretty simple to do and really fun. I just hope we can get it all put back together pretty quick and get Penny the Peugeot up and running Saturday. 

Tomorrow is discussion day and I would like to get some input from my readers. So if you want me to talk about something or a variety of things then tweet me, facebook me or write a comment on here. I'm open to all suggestions.

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 32

Day 32.

It was so cold this morning when I woke up. It was one of those mornings when I didn't want to get out of bed because I was so cold. It doesn't happen that often and normally I'm ok after I've showered. I was cold all day and just couldn't get warm at all. It didn't help that we were stood outside for 30 minutes waiting for an air ambulance to land. I'm not exactly sure why it came to the school but there was no emergency. I have some pictures of it.

Essex and Herts Air Ambulance

Essex and Herts Air Ambulance

The wind was blowing the whole time and it was a chilling wind. Everyone I spoke to was frozen to the core.
When the helicopter landed, it circled the school field and then landed on one of the rugby pitches. It got to close for comfort to the rugby posts. I thought it was going to hit the posts but thankfully it didn't.
After work was year 7 rugby training and again it was freezing! I was wearing thermal tights that I use for cycling and they helped a bit but my hands were so cold they didn't work properly. It was a challenge just to text.
Now I have a thermal babygrow/onesie on and still have a cold nose. Maybe a couple of hours playing Call of Duty will help.....

There seems to be a theme today of how cold I am. Will I ever warm up? I think I need soup.

Until tomorrow.

Jim