Monday, December 31, 2007
Looking for Adventure
No one knows more about Old Father Time and Baby New Year than you do, since your Zodiac sign is the one in the heavens every time the old year ends and the new one begins. It's fair to say you have a better idea of the ins and outs of endings and beginnings than most people do. On Monday the Moon in Libra squares the Sun in Capricorn in your sector of self and you decide to welcome in 2008 by changing something about your appearance that you aren't happy with. Just be sure that you aren't being overly self-critical, since in all likelihood your appearance is fine as it is. Still, you may want to upgrade with some new wardrobe accessories or try a new hair color or style. On Sunday the Sun in Capricorn sextiles inventive Uranus and you'll want to explore a lot more of the world than you have up to now. Your adventurous side will be activated and you won't be content to simply coast through your daily activities or life in general. You want to have fun and new experiences and savor all that the world has to offer.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Gillingham 3 - Notts Forest 0
Hooray! At last. A win. A decent game.
I left the house in a tired and grumpy mood. My flu/cold still rasping in the background. Managed to catch train from Balham - carrying an empty suitcase well it did have my composter in it. Suitcase? Why - well to bring back some of the bottles of wine my Pa and Mike bought back from France for me. Really just wanted to stay put. But if I had.. well would have missed the most topsy turvy result in the divison - well apart from Leeds getting beat by Swansea!! Brillant atmosphere and great goals. Oli played really well, Twiglet started and King in defence is at last finding his feet. Walked back to car with Pa - cold forgotten, bad mood forgotten - home for beer and fodder!
Good result - good weekend!
Gillingham: Royce, Southall, Bygrave, King, Nutter, Bentley, Miller, Crofts, Oli (Cogan 43), Facey, Mulligan (Griffiths 69).Subs Not Used: Armstrong, Stone, Stillie.
Booked: Bentley, Crofts.
Goals: Mulligan 49, Miller 61, Griffiths 81.
Nottm Forest: Smith, Chambers, Morgan, Breckin, Wilson, McGugan (Thornhill 66), Commons, Cohen, Clingan, Holt, Agogo.Subs Not Used: Lockwood, Perch, Lennon, Roberts.
Att: 7,712 Ref: Ray Lee (Essex).
Booked: Bentley, Crofts.
Goals: Mulligan 49, Miller 61, Griffiths 81.
Nottm Forest: Smith, Chambers, Morgan, Breckin, Wilson, McGugan (Thornhill 66), Commons, Cohen, Clingan, Holt, Agogo.Subs Not Used: Lockwood, Perch, Lennon, Roberts.
Att: 7,712 Ref: Ray Lee (Essex).
Friday, December 28, 2007
Myths About Being Single
According to Bella DePaulo, Ph.D.
"Have you heard that single people are miserable and lonely and die alone in their empty flats where they are eaten by their cats? That’s what I heard, too. So I set out to discover the truth of these matters. Guess what? It is not just the cat thing that’s a myth. All of those insulting claims about the pitiful lives of single people are wrong, wrong, wrong! Here’s a rundown of the myths I found while looking at the reality of being unattached today.
Myth 1: Marriage will make you happy
Boo-hoo, poor you! That’s what friends and family sometimes think of people who are single. They are so wrong! First, most single people are not miserable, not even close. On the average, single people are always on the happy end of the scale; that’s true in every study I know of. Second, getting married hardly changes someone’s happiness at all. Some married people experience a tiny blip in happiness around the time of the wedding. (On an 11-point scale, they are about one-quarter of one point happier.) But that is just a honeymoon effect. They soon go back to being as happy or as unhappy as they were when they were single. What’s more, only some married people enjoy the honeymoon effect. People who marry and later divorce actually start getting a bit less happy, not happier, as their wedding day approaches.
Myth 2: Single people are lonely
Sometimes people say that single people are “alone,” that they “don’t have anyone.” But that’s just a myth. Research shows that single people often have many people in their lives that are important to them. Often, they have a whole network of friends and relatives, and they stay connected with them for decades. After all, they have the time to forge many diverse relationships, which married sorts don’t.
Myth 3: Old women are especially lonely
Older women, in particular, are often painted as isolated spinsters, but in one study of 50 women who had always been single, 49 of them had close friends and usually they were in touch with those friends every single day. Sixteen of their friendships had lasted more than 40 years.
Myth 4: Single people don’t live as long as married people
A serious, intellectual magazine recently printed a story with this headline: “Marry or die.” Seriously. Even the most prestigious publications can get their headlines all wrong when it comes to stories about people who are single. That magazine article ignored the longest-running study of longevity on record. That study started in 1921, with more than 1,000 eleven year-olds. Scientists have kept track of these people for as long as they lived. The people who lived the longest were those who stayed single and those who married and stayed married. People who divorced, or who divorced and remarried, had shorter lives. It was consistency, not marriage, that mattered, and the results were the same for men and women.
Myth 5: Single people are self-centred
Married people are supposedly the ones who reach out to other people and keep families and neighbourhoods connected. That’s the story we hear, but it is not what’s really true. National surveys show that single people are more likely to visit, support, contact, and advise their siblings and parents than married or even previously married people. Singles are also more likely to encourage, help, and socialise with their neighbours and friends.
Myth 6: The children of single parents are doomed to lives of failure, drug addiction, and delinquency
These days, forecasts of doom and gloom are often aimed at children who are raised by single parents. To hear the commentators talk about it, you would think that only children raised by two married biological parents have a decent shot at a good, healthy, successful life. In my research, though, I was struck by just how overstated those claims actually are. One example comes from the results of a National Drug Abuse Survey, a study of substance-abuse among 12- to 17-year olds. The children of single mothers had low rates of abuse, under 6 percent. And those rates were just 1.2 percent higher than the rates of the children living with married biological parents. What’s more, two-parent married households did not always have kids with the lowest rates of substance abuse. Teens living with a father and stepmother, for example, had higher rates of substance abuse than teens raised by single mothers.
Myth 7: Single people are not as healthy as people who get married
Think singletons live an unhealthy life of vice, partying up a storm and eating junk food rather than healthy home cooked meals? That’s not what the research says. Typically, people who have always been single are very similar in their health to people who are currently married. There is, though, one exception where single people are actually healthier than attached types: Married people are more overweight! As for divorce, some research actually shows that people become healthier after they divorce than they were when they were married.
Myth 8: Single people waste money on frivolous things for themselves
So you think that singletons splurge and married’s conserve? If so, then I have just one question for you: Do you know how much weddings cost? Even after the big splash, maybe you thought married folks save up, spend conservatively, and are occasionally called upon to support the more spendthrift single drifters in their clan who racked up credit card debt on fancy shopping sprees and holidays...not so. Coupled-up sorts are no more generous than single people when it comes to giving financial help to family members. As for friends, it is the single people who are there for them. In fact, one study showed that men were much more financially generous to their friends when they were single than they were after they married. When married men divorced, they reverted to their more giving selves. If they remarried, then they went back to being less generous to their friends."
I have mixed feelings about this. The grass always seems greener on the side which you are not. However I for the most part rather like my life - just crave a cuddle now and again, and someone to take the strain of decision making occasionally (then again they wouldn't do it right!). You are who you are and beng with someone naturally erodes or enhances this. The best line I heard on TV recently was on 'Nip/Tuck' - "I love them to bits but they dont let me sparkle". All I want is someone to help me sparkle and vice versa. My commitment and loyalty are not issues - but I do confess to a strong willed independent streak! Caveat Emptor.
"Have you heard that single people are miserable and lonely and die alone in their empty flats where they are eaten by their cats? That’s what I heard, too. So I set out to discover the truth of these matters. Guess what? It is not just the cat thing that’s a myth. All of those insulting claims about the pitiful lives of single people are wrong, wrong, wrong! Here’s a rundown of the myths I found while looking at the reality of being unattached today.
Myth 1: Marriage will make you happy
Boo-hoo, poor you! That’s what friends and family sometimes think of people who are single. They are so wrong! First, most single people are not miserable, not even close. On the average, single people are always on the happy end of the scale; that’s true in every study I know of. Second, getting married hardly changes someone’s happiness at all. Some married people experience a tiny blip in happiness around the time of the wedding. (On an 11-point scale, they are about one-quarter of one point happier.) But that is just a honeymoon effect. They soon go back to being as happy or as unhappy as they were when they were single. What’s more, only some married people enjoy the honeymoon effect. People who marry and later divorce actually start getting a bit less happy, not happier, as their wedding day approaches.
Myth 2: Single people are lonely
Sometimes people say that single people are “alone,” that they “don’t have anyone.” But that’s just a myth. Research shows that single people often have many people in their lives that are important to them. Often, they have a whole network of friends and relatives, and they stay connected with them for decades. After all, they have the time to forge many diverse relationships, which married sorts don’t.
Myth 3: Old women are especially lonely
Older women, in particular, are often painted as isolated spinsters, but in one study of 50 women who had always been single, 49 of them had close friends and usually they were in touch with those friends every single day. Sixteen of their friendships had lasted more than 40 years.
Myth 4: Single people don’t live as long as married people
A serious, intellectual magazine recently printed a story with this headline: “Marry or die.” Seriously. Even the most prestigious publications can get their headlines all wrong when it comes to stories about people who are single. That magazine article ignored the longest-running study of longevity on record. That study started in 1921, with more than 1,000 eleven year-olds. Scientists have kept track of these people for as long as they lived. The people who lived the longest were those who stayed single and those who married and stayed married. People who divorced, or who divorced and remarried, had shorter lives. It was consistency, not marriage, that mattered, and the results were the same for men and women.
Myth 5: Single people are self-centred
Married people are supposedly the ones who reach out to other people and keep families and neighbourhoods connected. That’s the story we hear, but it is not what’s really true. National surveys show that single people are more likely to visit, support, contact, and advise their siblings and parents than married or even previously married people. Singles are also more likely to encourage, help, and socialise with their neighbours and friends.
Myth 6: The children of single parents are doomed to lives of failure, drug addiction, and delinquency
These days, forecasts of doom and gloom are often aimed at children who are raised by single parents. To hear the commentators talk about it, you would think that only children raised by two married biological parents have a decent shot at a good, healthy, successful life. In my research, though, I was struck by just how overstated those claims actually are. One example comes from the results of a National Drug Abuse Survey, a study of substance-abuse among 12- to 17-year olds. The children of single mothers had low rates of abuse, under 6 percent. And those rates were just 1.2 percent higher than the rates of the children living with married biological parents. What’s more, two-parent married households did not always have kids with the lowest rates of substance abuse. Teens living with a father and stepmother, for example, had higher rates of substance abuse than teens raised by single mothers.
Myth 7: Single people are not as healthy as people who get married
Think singletons live an unhealthy life of vice, partying up a storm and eating junk food rather than healthy home cooked meals? That’s not what the research says. Typically, people who have always been single are very similar in their health to people who are currently married. There is, though, one exception where single people are actually healthier than attached types: Married people are more overweight! As for divorce, some research actually shows that people become healthier after they divorce than they were when they were married.
Myth 8: Single people waste money on frivolous things for themselves
So you think that singletons splurge and married’s conserve? If so, then I have just one question for you: Do you know how much weddings cost? Even after the big splash, maybe you thought married folks save up, spend conservatively, and are occasionally called upon to support the more spendthrift single drifters in their clan who racked up credit card debt on fancy shopping sprees and holidays...not so. Coupled-up sorts are no more generous than single people when it comes to giving financial help to family members. As for friends, it is the single people who are there for them. In fact, one study showed that men were much more financially generous to their friends when they were single than they were after they married. When married men divorced, they reverted to their more giving selves. If they remarried, then they went back to being less generous to their friends."
I have mixed feelings about this. The grass always seems greener on the side which you are not. However I for the most part rather like my life - just crave a cuddle now and again, and someone to take the strain of decision making occasionally (then again they wouldn't do it right!). You are who you are and beng with someone naturally erodes or enhances this. The best line I heard on TV recently was on 'Nip/Tuck' - "I love them to bits but they dont let me sparkle". All I want is someone to help me sparkle and vice versa. My commitment and loyalty are not issues - but I do confess to a strong willed independent streak! Caveat Emptor.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
I wish
commuting could be like it was this morning everyday! Train in from Kent was empty and quiet. And people on the streets of the city - few and far between! Ah the buzz of being back in the place love. Office quiet - so I can work on my special documents in peace.
Gillingham 1 - Southend 1
Bloody awful game. Nearly fell asleep. How we got a point I do not know. After such a good Christmas Day this was a real let down. Did though get a free bar of chocolate and the Pie family bought more grazers and ate twice their usual ration. As if they hadn't eaten for weeks. ?!
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Monday, December 24, 2007
A Laugh a Minute
Despite your usual dry sense of humor, you seem to be the life and soul of the party this week. Christmas spent at your place is going to be a lot of fun. Jupiter has recently moved into your sign along with the Sun and Mercury. You have plenty to say and people are more than willing to listen to your words of wisdom. There may be some conflict between your wishes and those of your partner, but with a little compromise everything will work out fine. Christmas Day itself will be a very family-oriented affair and one that you will thoroughly enjoy. Expect to receive a message out of the blue on Saturday. It may be from someone you haven't heard from in a while. This could lead to a renewal of an old friendship. When the Sun trines Saturn on Sunday you may want to make a commitment that has legal overtones. If it feels right, go ahead; you'll benefit greatly. You may also find yourself making arrangements for a trip abroad that has a very definite purpose. Venus moves into your twelfth house on Sunday, so you'll be more in touch with your creative imagination. Use it well.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Marvellous
Festive viewing tonight then!!
'Lose 30 Stone or Die' - I decided to give it a miss - for the equally joyous 'Spooks'. Nice of them to name check LV2 though and drive a bomb laden van under Holborn Viaduct.
Had a productive day at work - felt like the first really productive day for an age - I guess I underestimate the worth of day to day diplomacy so it was nice to immerse myself in project plans and dealing with those that can make it happen.
Had my long walk home to loose the shoulders and clear the mind.
Savacentre - whereupon a festive urge hit me and I bought cards for the team - well maybe its the least I can do, wish them well.
Needless to say I did not get in until 9pm.. so I am now just about chilled and relaxed - despite some rather unpleasant shooting pains in my chest earlier...
Must be time for bed now - got a full morning ahead...
'Lose 30 Stone or Die' - I decided to give it a miss - for the equally joyous 'Spooks'. Nice of them to name check LV2 though and drive a bomb laden van under Holborn Viaduct.
Had a productive day at work - felt like the first really productive day for an age - I guess I underestimate the worth of day to day diplomacy so it was nice to immerse myself in project plans and dealing with those that can make it happen.
Had my long walk home to loose the shoulders and clear the mind.
Savacentre - whereupon a festive urge hit me and I bought cards for the team - well maybe its the least I can do, wish them well.
Needless to say I did not get in until 9pm.. so I am now just about chilled and relaxed - despite some rather unpleasant shooting pains in my chest earlier...
Must be time for bed now - got a full morning ahead...
Monday, December 17, 2007
Weekly Ho Hums
Happy birthday, Capricorn! This is your week in more ways than one, thanks to an abundance of positive planetary energy coming your way. Not only is this your time to celebrate the start of your birthday month as the Sun enters Capricorn on Saturday, but it's also the start of the Solstice. You'll be impacted by a lot of powerful energy. The fun doesn't stop there, because on Tuesday the Universe has another wonderful birthday gift for you. Jupiter, the planet of good fortune, enters your Zodiac sign of Capricorn for a one-year visit, and he'll bring you many blessings during his residency in your sector of self. You'll find that you feel good, look good, and think more positively and optimistically than you ever have before. At times, you have a tendency to be a bit down in the dumps, and your Sun Sign is known as one that is occasionally pessimistic. All that changes as you start one of the best weeks of your life. On Thursday wise Mercury completes the presents given to you by the cosmos when he enters Capricorn and gives you an abundance of wisdom. Who could ask for anything more?
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Friday, December 14, 2007
Thursday, December 13, 2007
All
I want today is sleep.
Happy to hibernate. Happy to dress as a red squirrel to do so.
Even my ear plugs couldn't deter the elephants above last night. My nerves are raw. My patience on a short wire. My ability to structure a competent sentence minute.
I even turned up to a meeting a full 30mins too early.
All I want tomorrow is a tube journey without delays.
All I want now is a cuddle, a warm duvet and a good night's kip.
Sweet dreams.
Happy to hibernate. Happy to dress as a red squirrel to do so.
Even my ear plugs couldn't deter the elephants above last night. My nerves are raw. My patience on a short wire. My ability to structure a competent sentence minute.
I even turned up to a meeting a full 30mins too early.
All I want tomorrow is a tube journey without delays.
All I want now is a cuddle, a warm duvet and a good night's kip.
Sweet dreams.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Monday, December 10, 2007
The First Emperor
Exhibition at the British Museum is rather good! I can highly recommend it.
I took my friend Lisa on Sunday evening - and believe me going to the British Museum on a Sunday evening feels quite decadent - like they've opened especially for you!
We invested £3.50 for the audio tour and it was very informative and helped bring the artefacts to life. There are few better cultural ways to spend a Sunday evening.
I took my friend Lisa on Sunday evening - and believe me going to the British Museum on a Sunday evening feels quite decadent - like they've opened especially for you!
We invested £3.50 for the audio tour and it was very informative and helped bring the artefacts to life. There are few better cultural ways to spend a Sunday evening.
Sunday, December 09, 2007
Gills 1 - Port Vale 2
Oh dear. This was a test of commitment.
The rain, the wind and the own goal.
I trudged back to the station.
At least the twins wished us a good Christmas.
WHAT happened chaps?! MOTM by an Old Kent Road mile - Adam Miller - played his socks off and showed true commitment. Our next two games are away games - I suspect Christmas may be rather lean in the points for the festive stocking of Divison One.
The rain, the wind and the own goal.
I trudged back to the station.
At least the twins wished us a good Christmas.
WHAT happened chaps?! MOTM by an Old Kent Road mile - Adam Miller - played his socks off and showed true commitment. Our next two games are away games - I suspect Christmas may be rather lean in the points for the festive stocking of Divison One.
Saturday, December 08, 2007
Friday, December 07, 2007
Thursday, December 06, 2007
Tennis Report
This is a report so that come next year when Mazza and I are trying to work out who we saw we can check here!!
Last year's report.
Wednesday 5th December
Afternoon
Bruguera v Jarryd 6-2 6-4
Bahrami/Wilkinson v Pernfors/McNamara (for a change we saw Bahrami win!)
McEnroe v Pioline 6-7 7-6 4-10 (CT)
Top tips
- the 7 quid restricted view seats are better than the 15 quid ones and if you go in the afternoon you can pretty much pick your own spot!
- we take our own sarnies or this year M&S salad for lunch as getting in and out of the auditorium can be a nightmare and you miss the tennis!
Last year's report.
Wednesday 5th December
Afternoon
Bruguera v Jarryd 6-2 6-4
Bahrami/Wilkinson v Pernfors/McNamara (for a change we saw Bahrami win!)
McEnroe v Pioline 6-7 7-6 4-10 (CT)
Top tips
- the 7 quid restricted view seats are better than the 15 quid ones and if you go in the afternoon you can pretty much pick your own spot!
- we take our own sarnies or this year M&S salad for lunch as getting in and out of the auditorium can be a nightmare and you miss the tennis!
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
7 Years
Yup took the opportunity to celebrate 7 years at my place of work today - a rather pleasant luncheon with Friends and then some pints of porter apres work. Aah. AND the Gills won away from home!! Crewe 2 - Gills 3! Sadly though Mr Scally wants to sell Priestfield - the slippery slope I fear.
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Smile for the Camera
You help out a lot of people by volunteering at your local hospital or delivering food to people who are ill or disabled. On Monday you get to take a bow for your endeavors. Venus in your sector of community activity sextiles Pluto, and you attend an event that honors you for your volunteer activities. Get ready to smile for your photo op and realize it's OK to be thanked for all your good work. The wind shifts for you on Thursday, and you consider all the places you haven't yet visited, even though you like your own backyard and consider it the best place to be in the world. Mercury in Sagittarius squares Saturn in your sector of travel and you feel frustrated with yourself. You want to see far-off places, but you hate the fuss of traveling. You get a book detailing the areas of the world you want to visit, and you see a few travel videos about those particular locales. You might decide visiting your dream vacation spot in person is worth all the hassle of traveling, or you may be content to return your travel book to the library and go back to your own garden.
Mmm. About as useful as a chocolate fire guard! Which perhaps proves - horoscopes are worthless!
Mmm. About as useful as a chocolate fire guard! Which perhaps proves - horoscopes are worthless!
Monday, December 03, 2007
Hmmm
Unsure whether to write very much at all at the moment.
Did declutter my life this weekend. My physical life at least. My arms now ache from carrying such heavy loads to the charity shop. But I have my bath back.
Dyed my hair. Middle one.
My Christmas cactus has started to flower of which I am very proud.
If Gills where still in FA Cup and had beaten Burton they would be facing Swindon away - and as all good Gills' fans know - we hate Swindon.
Have listened mainly to Paul Oakenfold this weekend so sorry folks no self absorbed lyric sharing this weekend - just comfort yourselves with the image of me grooving and dancing in my lounge... When the Rush Comes.
Otherwise can't decide between trousers and skirt...
Saturday, December 01, 2007
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