This weeks Topical Tuesday is a good old bit of nonsensical Imaginings. The focus of this is Lara Croft V’s Batman!

I will admit, this post will be very bias as I am a big fan of one and not so much of the other.

I have played the Tomb Raider games since the first one was released and always finish them far too early and then have what feels like a lifetimes waiting for the next one to come out. I quite enjoyed the films too, the first more than the second. Yes they had their flaws but they were good for a bit of harmless escapism.

Batman, not so much. I liked the 60’s Live action tv series and I am sure I watched some of the cartoons when growing up. But the recent films haven’t done much for me I am afraid. The earlier ones staring Micheal Keaton were all right, but I didn’t much care for the ones after that and the later ones (Batman Begins and The Dark Knight) just take themselves too seriously in my opinion.

But enough about me and on to the subjects!

Now I have a feeling that the majority would assume Batman would easily win but I beg to differ.

Lara is:

• Strong
• Fast thinking
• Intelligent
• Has stamina
• Attitude
• An Array of weapons
• Has taken on mummies, dinosaurs, gods, trolls, centaurs and numerous other inhuman enemies.

On the other hand the majority of Batmans foes don’t have superpowers and are simply mentally ill criminals. Eh! Any doofus with a bat mobile can catch a few criminals.

It takes skill to defeat a god.

I will try not to spoil the episode for people but if you have not seen ep 1 of the new series of Doctor Who you might want to skip this post. I won’t say anything on the plot directly but if you are wanting to watch the series knowing as little as possible or want to make your own opinions then please steer clear.

Onto the post…

Read the rest of this entry »

So here it is!

After much toil and trouble I have managed to get the new theme relatively done. There are still a few tweaks I need to make but these can be done on the fly.

If you find any problems, please let me know. Either via this post, email or the nifty new contact form that you *should* be able to get to from all themes.

I am planning on updating the other two themes to incorporate some of the plug ins that I have added for this new theme so if you see anything dodgy happening with those, then please bare with me.

Thoughts and comments would be much appreciated. I Quite enjoyed making this to be honest. Some aspects were quite challenging for my measly CSS skills.

Enjoy!

I recently had the urge to write one of these myself. I found it hugely helpful – not only to remind myself of childhood dreams and ambitions long since forgotten, but also to remember that there are some things I have achieved.

This weeks challenge is to write a Life List of ten things you would like to do before you die. Only ten mind – make them count.

1. – Become good at something. Anything, I don’t really mind what. I just want to learn something, not get bored and stick with it and see it through! I am as they call it, a jack of all trades (or a lot at least) but a master at none. I guess I just have to find something that I am god at and holds my interest long enough.

2. – Visit as many countries as I can. I don’t really have specific places I want to see, I just know I want to see them. I have just had my passport renewed and my old one only had 1 visa stamp in it from when I went to Egypt for my cousins wedding. My new passport needs more than 1.

3. – Fall in love! Pass the sick buckets! I can hear you all retching already. I am pretty sure it does exist – if it doesn’t then I have a lot of friends and family that have been lying to me and themselves for many years, but it is having fun evading me.

4. – Visit New York. OK, I lied in #2 when I said I don’t really have specific places I want to go, as I do. New York. I have no idea why, I just do. Oh, and New Zealand but again I have no idea why. Maybe it’s the New thing?

5. – IKTTLWBIKFM – Some of you may remember this from a few years ago. And I am sorry to say it is still finding me. I want to learn not to be so lazy so I can actually lose it and having it stay lost.

6. – Own my own home. I can’t see this happening at the moment but who knows where my life will take me in the future. I could land my dream job tomorrow that pays me enough to buy a home… or I could win the lottery, I probably have better odds at winning the lottery.

7. – Visit a waterfall like the one in Lost and swim in the lake. Hopefully there won’t be any dead bodies in it though.

8. – I will have to go with one of E’s choices for this one. Drive an F1 car. I’d have to do 5 first though so I could fit in the damn thing!

9. – Another one I have stolen from E’s list. Write a book.

This is kind of laughable really as I am not in the least creative on the writing side as you could probably tell from my blog. I have ideas but no idea how I would put them down on paper. I also have this problem with committing to things like I mentioned in #1. If I do ever manage it, it will probably be Chick Lit. The easiest of genres probably but one I enjoy. I never will pretend that I could write the next ground breaking book. That’s just not me.

10. – Obtain a Masters. Hell, I just want to be a life long student! I would have loved to do a masters after I finished my recent degree, but lack of funds kind of put a kaboosh on that. Maybe in a few years I will go back again.

Topical Tuesday is back! (btw guys, I am LOVING the new design). And I am going to try my best at keeping up with it. I know I always say that, but I do mean it. I just find inspiration hard to come by these day.

So here we go:

Wish 1: I would wish for my dad to be able to walk again. the hardest thing about what happened was, as with any mistake or accident was the complete and utter unexpectedness of it. One day he was recovering from a routine operation and was planning on going back to work in a few days. The next, he was paralysed from the waste down. It is something, 7 years on is still hard to come to terms with for the whole family. It is easy to say get on with it and learn to live with it. But really, it is not that easy.

I would give up everything I own for my dad to be able to get up and walk across the room again. I know it’s impossible, but if I am going to wish, I might as well go for it.

Wish 2: As wish 1 only really serves my family, wish 2 would have to be for the greater good. World peace, a cure for cancer, an end to poverty, a solution to global warming. So much to choose from. I think I would choose to have hate never to have existed. The word, the emotion and the actions that stem for it. None of them would exist. I think we would live in a much better world without that word.

Wish 3: Another greater good one I suppose, although it would make my life a lot more easier. Acceptance. I would love for people to be willing to accept peoples choices and opinions, even if they didn’t like them. My opinion or lifestyle is not wrong or invalid just because it differs to yours. I am not trying to be awkward by not agreeing with you I am just trying to be my own person. With my own thoughts, choices and actions. I don’t try and tell you what to do or say. So don’t try it on me.

The last part of this weeks Topical Tuesday, is that to get the three wishes you must pay a penalty of significant enough magnitude to warrant the three wishes – or the Genie will deny them!

This is the hardest part. Is there anything I could sacrifice to get the three wishes come true? Is there anything I can give worthy? My sight? My hearing? All my possessions? None of it seems big enough.

I like Colins memory ‘clause’. Good memories are precious things. to have one taken would be a hard thing. Especially if you knew it had been taken. If a memory is taken and you have no memory of it or the joy it gave you then it isn’t so much of a price to pay. But having something taken away and experiencing the void that it leave would be tough to take. Get me?

I could give up a friend. Friends are something I treasure greatly and I would miss 1 as much as I would miss them all. While I wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to stop me becoming friends with this person – all it would take is a small change to stop me meeting someone. Go to a different school or university, get a different job or not register on that site. One little change could take away a good friend. For which I would be lost without.

So that is what I would choose, a friendship.

If these do come true, if I do wake up in a few hours to find the genie has granted my wish. whatever friend you are, I will miss you.

Earlier today I had a hankering to watch a chick flick. I have them every so often and I could quite easily end up spending a whole weekend re-watching the usual films for the 100th time. Today though, I fancied a change, something new but was unsure what to choose. So I did, what I imagine every person does when they don’t know the solution to one of life’s many questions. I Googled it.

I found various lists that more or less just reeled off every single film that I am not at all embarrassed to say I love and have enjoyed. However, I did manage to find a few quite recent ones that I haven’t seen and settled on Julie & Julia. And am I glad I did even if there is some discussion on the net about whether Julie and Julia is a true chick flick. A lot of people say it’s not. I don’t know if it is or isn’t but that hardly matters. A lot of films aren’t taken seriously or given the time of day (by some) when they get given the chick flick or RomCom status. Which is a shame, as it means they miss out on little gems like this.

Now, if you haven’t seen the film, want to and don’t want to be spoiled then I suggest you stop reading now. Although you will be missing out on my first blog post in ages. But whatever, I don’t mind… much

I laughed out loud at  Meryl Streeps endearing and engaging portrayal of Julia Child. Every time she appeared on the screen I smiled. At first I have to admit that I thought I wouldn’t like the Julia portions of the film, I have no idea why I just did. However, not long into the film I was looking forward to seeing more of her and Stanley Tucci.

The Julie scenes were also good and Amy Adams portrayal of the character was engaging in a lot of different ways. It was her blogging effort that pushed me to write this entry. I would love to come up with an angle to take this blog forward such as cooking all the recipes in a cook book. If only I could think of something that I think I could stick at.

I was expecting the usual Hollywood ending to be honest. I thought it would end with the two women meeting… it just seemed like a very Hollywood thing to do. However, I am more than happy that they didn’t take this route.

At first, I was a bit sad that the woman that inspired Julia to cook and blog didn’t like the idea. I was more than sure that the woman that Streep had shown us would really like Julies passion. After all, she taught Americans how to cook. All Julie was doing was learning what she taught, but documenting her experiences in a blog. We don’t know how true to life this portion of the film was though, but for Hollywood to take it rather than give us the expected ending was good work in my opinion.

Considering the ending afterwards, I was satisfied with the way both women worked hard to achieve their goal. And both succeeded. Julia finished her book and it was published which lead to numerous further books and TV shows and her career. While Julie completed her mission,  finally got noticed and her own book was published and thus began her career.

The film no doubt will not be for everyone, which film is? But it made me smile and laugh which was very welcome. And It made me blog. Which hopefully will only be a good thing.

On the blogging front, I am really trying to get back into it. I am actually working on another design, which and I don’t want to jinx…but so far I am LOVING IT! The design is half done and I know where I want to take the rest of it, I just have to work out some annoying kinks that are making certain images not show up or text not appear as it should. So just the usual CSS annoyances, or is it just me that gets them?

My dad has had diabetes for about 10 years now. However, late Monday night something happened that has never happend before. And it was scary as hell.

Just after midnight Monday, he was already in bed, myself and my mum were just getting ready to go when we went to say night to him.

However, he wasn’t feeling right so we decided to stay up with him. 10 minutes later, came the sound of what we at first thought was snoring. But then after looking over at him, his eyes were open.

He wasn’t responding to us properly, he couldn’t talk, he was just lying there, breathing like he was snoring and completely out of it.

Paramedics arrived about 5 minutes after calling the emergency doctor. The wonderful paramedics who almost as soon as seeing him and being made aware that he was diabetic said they thought he was going into a diabetic comer. They checked his BM level to find it was 1.4 (anything below 4 is not good at all).

They quickly injected him with glucose and some other magic potions and withim 10 minutes he was out of it, talking normally and communicating again. Thank god.

Now, looking back we are amazed that (both my parents are diabetic) we have never been told about how to spot the signs of slipping in to a DC. We know now though.

The paramedics were concerned at his low blood pressure and hi BM was not stabilising as well as it should have been so they decided hospital was the best option. The next 6/7 hours that myself and my mum spent sat in the cold, uncomfortable A&E waiting room in the middle of the night were not fun. But then, we were much better of than my dad. We were finally let in to see him just as the sun was coming up, by which time we were shattered but pleased to see him looking a lot better than the last time we saw him.

Of course, moving to where we have means that Stoke Mandeville is very local to us. Stoke being the hospital (the spinal injuries unit, to be precise) where my dad spent around 16 months after being made paralysed.

When deciding that he needed to stay in for a few days to monitor this and also try and help with a few other health problems he has been experiencing he was pleased when they told him he would be going back into the SIU. The staff are great in the unit, just for the fact that they get to know the patients needs very quickly.

It doesn’t half annoy my dad, and rightly so I feel, when a clueless doctor in a normal ward asks him to turn over, or sit up or lift or move a leg. All things he cannot do too easily without help/aids… especially the lift a leg bit…. you know, with him being a double amputee paraplegic… and yes, he has been asked to do those things by thoughtless hospital staff. Even 7/8 years on, it can be quite hurtful.

So, he is in hospital now with various operations and CT scans scheduled to see if they can get to the bottom of some recent health problems, which could all be linked. Hopefully it will be a simple fix, they will give him a good old ‘MOT’ and he will be back home with us at the beginning of next week fighting fit and ready to enjoy the first Christmas in our new house. Fingers crossed.

This weeks Topical Tuesday is all about reflecting on the past and looking to the future. It is in 3 parts looking at where you were 10 years ago, where you are now and where you hope to be in ten years time…

10 Years Ago

1999, I was in the 2nd year of my degree at Derby university and was enjoying the social side of uni just a tad too much. After a quiet first year, with no one in my flat particularly wanting to go out, in the 2nd year we really embraced univeristy life and all the drinking that came with it,

It was also that year that I met my very good friend Eliza in real life (it was during my first year that I discovered that site and the mostly wonderful people it bought into my life, which was probably the other reason besides all the partying that stopped me getting the degree grade I know I could have gotten).

Over the next 10 years, quite a lot happened especially regarding my dads health and my decision to return to university.

Today

This year has been quite a change. I graduated from my 2nd degree in July and the family have also upped sticks and moved from the town i grew up in, in Northamptonshire to a small town in Buckinghamshire.

I am still single but all in all quite happy and I am finally learning to drive! Keeping everything crossed in the hopes I pass my forthcoming test and can get myself a car.

10 Years Time

To be quite honest, apart from being happy I have not really thought about where I would like to be in 10 years time. I will take things as they come and embrace what the world throws at me. If a significant other and kids are part of the worlds plan then so be it. If not, I;; just have fun being me and hopefully enjoying a successful career.

This weeks Topical Tuesday is about the fast approaching (54 days and counting… ) Christmas.

For me, Christmas is a time about family and friends. Sure the odd present is nice to receive an even nicer to give but I much more enjoy the family aspect of the event… and, in recent years the promise of a Doctor Who special slotted in between the re-runs and oh so happy soap story lines is the icing on the mince pie.

Working in retail since I was 17 until only a couple of years ago I have it firmly ingrained in me at just what a commercialised event Christmas has become. The shelves would start to be stocked with Christmas items in late September, early October and as soon as Halloween was over it would start to take over the shop. I am still astonished when thinking of how much money used to be taken at the tills in Asda on the few days before Christmas. There would be a notice board in the staff area, always displaying a high 6 figured sum of the previous days takings and how much up (it was always up) on the same day last year.

And the shop was chaos. It was recommended not to even look at the length of the queue that was forming at your till. Just focus on the customer you are serving and apologise for the wait. The good thing though, although the store was mobbed and people were panic buying goose fat they were generally, 90% of the time in a good mood. Apart from the few people that came in 30 minutes before closing on Christmas eve fuming because we had ran out of Brussels sprouts and how it would ruin their Christmas because we didn’t have any left. And the customers that thought it was a great inconvenience that we were closing early and would be closed for 2 days. Almost as if the supermarket staff were not entitled to their own time of at Christmas.

However, despite the joys horrors of working in retail at Christmas I do still see the magic in the season. The weather (although a white Christmas would just top it all of for me), the food, the happiness and the small white fairy lights on trees amoung many other things still bring a smile to my face and I hope they continue to do so for years to come.

I am looking forward to this Christmas, our first in this house. I am already thinking about where to put the tree and am sourcing some outdoor lights to be put on a small potted tree that will go by our front door and… being now that we live in a bungalow and the fascias are in easy reach on a small step ladder I am considering other TASTEFUL lights to hang along the house.

And I am already loooking forward to the Roast duck (no turkey in this house!!) and all the trimmings. Including the cooking which I have done for the last 10 years or so. I absolutely love cooking Christmas dinner. And this year being the first were we have had the wonderful invention of a dish washer to help out, it should be even better.

So, in the end Christmas is what you make it. I always try not to get bogged down in the commercial side of things and hope to instil the family aspect of the time of year into any future children that I may have.

I hope, dear readers, that you have a good one and Santa brings you lots of happiness and full bellies.

I honestly am trying to get back into blogging but what with my intensive driving lessons that I am currently doing and, well, just life in general it is proving a lot harder than you may think.

Anyhoo, I come out of my hectic life for 5 minutes to show support for the breast cancer awareness and fund raising that is going on.

If you didn’t know, this month a host of bloggers have gone Pink for October in order to raise awareness. The Boobie-thon is also well under way and has raised an enormous $8300 so far.

Also, right on topic (see what I did there?? ) is this weeks Topical Tuesday all about peoples breast cancer tales.

I am blessed that no one in my family has had cancer and only one of my friends has family that has had it, and thankfully fought it and won. I am very very lucky. I am however, very aware of it and make sure I check for those signed every so often.

So, if you can, please support your chosen breast cancer charity during this Pink October and remember, Think Pink!