One hell of a long blog for me!!!

Welcome to Movember the 23rd, 2012.  Not only is it the 23rd day of the month, it is also the first day of my seven days holiday.  I've arranged it in such a way that it gives me a break before the hopeful rush of Christmas time shifts.  Fingers crossed because the money would be flipping useful.

We're not going to be doing very much during my holidays, because there just isn't the money available.  Well, I say that, but we are going to the theatre on Tuesday 27th of November to see a ballet interpretation of A Christmas Carol.  Louise likes the whole ballet thing, and I'm sure to enjoy the music.  I got the tickets when we were better off, and it is the day after my 42nd birthday.  I know - 42 years old on Monday!!!  I can hardly even believe it myself.  I certainly don't feel that age.

Movember 23rd 2012
(shows as 24th as after midnight).

The Movember thing is going well, with my own Movember page showing over £20, which is great.  That money will be going towards research into testicular and prostate cancer.  The team I am a part of have over £200 I think, which is great.  I am a part of the Fidler & Pepper group, who are a solicitors with bases in Mansfield, Sutton-in-Ashfield, and Kirkby-in-Ashfield, where my brother Mark works.  He too has been growing a moustache for Movember as part of the same team.  I think there are ten of us as part of the team.

With the history that my family has, I think it is very important to promote men's health issues, particularly prostate cancer and testicular cancer.  I like the fact that all of us have different designs of moustache, with mine being a pretty usual one that I used to have back when.  I have added a little bit underneath the lip, because I thought that it would look a little less camp.

I miss having a car, and hope I can flaming afford one in the new year, because it's killing me not being able to visit people.

I'm reading another Lee Child book, this time the novel Die Trying.  It's funny in a way because I am reading them out of order.  The books don't actually follow on from each other, but going from an older book to a more recent one, and carrying on that way shows how Lee's writing has changed over the years.  Before this I read One Shot, which is the ninth book, and I can see a big difference in his writing.  Not that any of his books are rubbish, because what I have read have all been great.  I just can't stop reading his books. They are a good yarn so far.  In all truth I have basically read Killing Floor, One Shot, and now Die Trying so far, and am thinking of reading The Hard Way next.  I don't know what it is, but I'm just on this thing of reading all of the books by him that I have.  I don't have all of them.  I am missing five books, which include the latest.  This doesn't include the books that have only been issued as e-books I think they call them.  I'm not really a fan as such of that sort of thing, because I have this whole thing about turning pages, feeling the books, and all of that.

There is also the fact that I take books to work with me, and some of the sites that I work on don't always let me take a laptop or something like that, so I am guessing that would also include the Kindle or any sort of e-reader, if that's what they are called?

There are a lot of books that I can read, because I have quite a sizeable collection of books, most of which are in the garage, which I really need to find some way of tidying up.  I really like the idea of having some cheap bookcases where I can put books and CD's up on, but still with some boxes in there as well, because I don't think I'd have much room left if I put enough bookcases in for everything!  What would I do when I have a car again for crying out loud???

I borrowed a car the other week from a local car hire place, and will probably do the same again soon so that I can go visiting people before Christmas.  There you go, I've said it, that word - CHRISTMAS.  For those who aren't of the "Christmas disposition", I apologise.  Happy Hanukkah to those who are from a Jewish background.  As someone who was brought up with the Christmas thing, then I am one who has done some shopping and got most people's presents.  I know, I'm low on funds, but I would feel awful if I didn't get people something for Christmas, so I have most of the people I buy presents for sorted out.  I do have this thing that niggles at me though when I have bought people brand new books as presents, and then I can sense them wondering if they are second hand from a charity shop or something - No, I bought them brand spanking new from an actual shop (no Amazon books as presents this year surprisingly enough, although there are a few deliveries coming from them coming of other presents).

Speaking of Amazon just in passing, I have ordered some presents from there, and two of the presents give a long date - one says it will arrive by the twelfth of December and another the twenty seventh of December.  I don't get that at all - WHY?  I could probably ride my flaming Raleigh push bike around the world quicker than that!!!  Oh well, if they're late then they are late, but it is very embarrassing, especially when I felt like I had posted them within plenty of time.

With Christmas coming by the way, someone from the First Tuesday Songwriting Group that I take part in thought of the idea of writing Christmas songs for the next get together.  I've been thinking a lot about it, and then the other day I started writing three Christmas songs - how's that for something funny and different - I couldn't think of anything and then suddenly came up with three ideas.  I suppose that I could do the "progressive thing" and piece them together into an epic-length single song?  Who knows.  I hope that I can go so that I can get my sleigh bells used there backing everybody.

I am slightly irritated that I haven't done anything on my music blog for a while.  I have posted the first part about the Ringo Starr album Beaucoups of Blues, but not the second part.  It's difficult when you're in the situation we're in here.  We only have a stereo to listen to in the bedroom, because there isn't enough anywhere to set my Technics system up with the five speakers it has. Even if I just left it as stereo, those left and right speakers are absolutely enormous and wouldn't even go anywhere alone!

Anyway, I'll stop now.  Initially I recorded another video blog, which mentioned these things, as well as other things, but the battery ran out on the camera and the two parts I ended up videoing were four and a half minutes and five minutes and forty something seconds long I think, which made more than a gigabyte in total file size.  That is an awfully large amount of data to be using a mobile dongle for!!!

Thank you for reading, and please take care.  Chat soon again I promise.

November 23 2012 (41 years, 11 months, and 28 days old, alternatively known as 42 years minus three days).

PS - I think there was more initially, but thankfully for you I've forgotten what the more was.