March 17, 2015

Running Club

Posted in Going | Tagged , ,
11

Jantastic statistics etc etc blah blah blah. I can’t figure out what it all means. But numbers aside, Jantastic has really motivated me to set targets for running. I’ve done well with the three runs a week (once or twice life has simply got in the way, as it does). Not so great with the distances – I failed to make the 10k I planned at the end of February. And as for the precise pace, I’ve been rubbish so far. I’ve managed to achieve the target distance but too slow, and the target pace but not far enough.

I also ran a blinder at Parkrun on Saturday, paced by a little girl of about five who ran the first lap with her dad. I wasn’t going to let her get away, which set me up nicely for an average pace of 10:16/mile, which is over a minute faster than I usually run. Crossing the park to the finish, I heard someone coming up behind me so legged it to the line and got a big amused cheer from the crowd, which set me up for the day. Examining the photos later, I notice that the guy I beat to the line was about ten years older than me and had a bandage on each knee. Yay, go me!

Even though the Jantastic percentages mean nothing to me, I appreciate the motivation, and am trying to think how to carry that through into the rest of the year. Any ideas?

Karen
  • Comments: 11
  • Blue tutu, maybe. Wig, probably not. - Swisslet
  • Will you be wearing a funny wig? - Karen
  • ah. Yes. Sorry. We'll be there in our blue MS Trust vests. Be sure to grab me if you see m... - Swisslet
  • *Now* you tell me you're running the Reading Half? I shall see you at the start, then. Whi... - Karen
  • I've been dragging the left side of my body all day today and still - probably stupidly - ... - swisslet
March 10, 2015

Let’s call a period a period

Posted in GlobalGood | Tagged ,
2

I think we’re now far enough into the 21st Century to just accept that women have periods, and that they’re not embarrassing. Okay, with one exception: they’re embarrassing if you’ve got a mother who wants to throw a party to celebrate your first one.

And, as Viv Groskop says in The Guardian today, we don’t need a care package just because our undercarriage has dropped. We might want a cup of tea and half an hour’s break from being pestered by the kids, but that’s not much more than a slight exaggeration of normal really, and given half a chance we’ll take that every week of the month, not just when we’re on the blob. I can’t think of anything more entitled-sounding than signing up to a parcel scheme of make up and sweets to make up for my monthly visit from Aunt Flo.

Contrast this with what it must be like if you can’t afford tampons and sanitary towels. Then your period really must be a curse.

Last year I went along for an afternoon of Food Bank Training. I may have mentioned it – my enthusiasm for volunteering was snuffed out by the guidelines that we must offer to pray with everyone coming into the foodbank, and no-one should leave without a “god bless.” Not really my thing, then. The training was facilitated by a man who blushed as he advised us that we must ask women if they need anything “for themselves.” So now I always put packets of tampons in the food bank box, happy in the knowledge that that man will feel uncomfortable at mentioning it, and some woman somewhere will feel so much more comfortable because he did.

Karen
  • Comments: 2
  • Very wise. But we chaps tend not to think of that sort of thing. Maybe we should bung cond... - graybo
  • I'd honestly not thought of food banks also being used for "feminine hygiene" items (just... - Lyle

Uborka Reading Challenge, Lyle – February

Posted in Gravitas | Tagged , , ,
2

It’s been a while since I added a new list here – and there’s been a fair few books over February, so here goes…

NOTE : There’s a few that only qualify on repeat criteria, so I haven’t bothered noting those – only new criteria are detailed.

  • Vendetta, by Dreda Say Mitchell
    Not bad – although ultimately unmemorable. Fairly standard ‘gangland whodunnit’ type thing with lots of ‘twists’. Most of which I saw coming. *shrug*
  • Driving Force, by Dick Francis
    Like putting on a pair of slippers. I was feeling ill, and this was like comfort food for my brain. Qualified in “read in less than a day”, but mainly because I know it inside out.
  • BlackHouse, Lewis Man and ChessMen by Peter May
    (23, 28, 35 (for some of it), 33 and 41)
    A trilogy based around the Isle of Lewis – I’ve had Blackhouse for ages, but finally got round to reading it, and then ripped through the other two in short order. I liked muchly, and will almost certainly read more of his stuff before long.
  • Gamble, by Dick and Felix Francis
    More “slippers”, but these ones have been covered in cat-sick a couple of times. The Francis books have gone right downhill since Felix took over from Dick. (Fnarr)
  • Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan
    More slippers, if in a violent and sci-fi way.
  • Snakes and Ladders, and The Guilty by Sean Slater
    A new author to me this year, and now I’ve read all three that are currently Kindle-available. They’re not high-art, and there’s some thematic traits that annoy, but they’re an OK read.
  • There’s also Gemini Cell by Myke Cole
    (45), but it’s bloody awful. One of the very few books where I’ve got halfway through and really wondered whether I can even be chuffed to finish it. I did, but it was a struggle. Just rotten.

As it is, I’m up to 22 books by now, so that target of 100 in the year is looking pretty achievable…

Lyle
  • Comments: 2
  • I liked those Peter May books, too - I've got one by him set in China on my kindle (not re... - Lisa
  • I can't believe how much you get through! - Karen
  • Comments: 5
  • Our school is doing it on Monday - more village book day than world book day. I'm coming a... - Lisa
  • Tomorrow is Graybo Book Day, as I'll be visiting the bookshop as I am between tomes. Can I... - graybo
  • I'll come as pippi longstockings, I could use some of her strength at the moment. As f... - Clair
  • Fix me up with some ol Moloko Plus, real horror show, and the same for my droogs. - Gammidgy
  • Yesterday I was Hagar Shipley because it meant I could stay in my bathrobe, but I certainl... - asta
March 4, 2015

Paper Candidate

Posted in GlobalGood | Tagged , , ,
9

A little while ago, I joined the Green Party. I used to be a member of the Labour Party but since they are no longer socialists, I had a change of heart. I was impressed by the Greens’ policies, they were so clear and accessible, and they felt like a good fit. Just look at their statement on maternity services (scroll down a bit).

Now, I don’t really care that they’re not currently electable; nor was UKIP a short while ago, and now look, there is actually a chance that those scum will have a voice in the next parliament. In fact, thanks to media collusion, they have a voice now. I hate that. And since I live smack bang in the middle of a particularly odious Tory’s safe seat, what does it matter to you who I waste my vote on?

I volunteered to deliver leaflets, because I like going out for walks, and can fit that into my sporadic working times. Yesterday the local party emailed me to ask for a little bit more: would I stand as a paper candidate in local elections? Here’s how he explained it:

Paper candidates are not expected to actively campaign, they simply agree to have their name on the ballot and give our supporters a chance to register their Green vote (last year we averaged 8% of the vote, so you are not expected to be elected). Becoming a paper candidate is a great way to support the Green party

I consulted Pete, who said:

On the one hand, I’m in favour of disrupting the
established institutions. But on the other hand, it adds weight to the
view that the Greens are just a protest party and have no real
policies of their own.

And I found this comment on a political blog:

Paper candidates have a valid purpose in the democratic process. They give voters a chance to vote for the Party they support, rather than being forced to vote for a second choice candidate. Or what is even worse, without paper candidates, voters could feel they are being denied an opportunity to vote altogether.
Do paper candidates get elected? No, They don’t campaign and as we know, the only people who don’t campaign and get elected are from the three major parties

As someone who does feel disenfranchised in local and national politics, I can really see the argument for giving people someone to vote for, even if it’s just an opportunity to register their protest against the other parties. But I also slightly feel that if one stands for election, one should be prepared to serve – and I’m not. I haven’t got time.

So, having written this down has helped, and I probably won’t do it; but what do you guys think?

Karen
  • Comments: 9
  • Well I have now! Hey, that's quite tempting. - Karen
  • I'm sure you've seen this. http://www.beacouncillor.org.uk/couldibe/time.htm - Gammidgy
  • http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/wokingham-councillors-agree-two-per-7829602 - Gammidgy
  • Isn't that for an MP, though? This is just local councillors. Do they get paid? That's mor... - Karen
  • I really think you should do it. I can't think of anyone locally who would be better. If ... - Gammidgy
March 3, 2015

Running Club

Posted in Going | Tagged , ,
3

Our Jantastic team seems to be doing pretty well, though I can honestly say I have no idea how to navigate the website or what the scores really mean. Our team position is 37, with a score of 62.8, which seems reasonably good to me.

I set my targets too high in February, so have compensated by setting them too low in March. Had a lovely Parkrun on Saturday (superfast for me!), and headed out this morning in the sunshine to fight my protesting legs. I don’t know why they protested so much (had to walk four times in the first mile) but they suddenly eased up, and instead of traipsing sadly home, I went on to complete 4.5 miles, slowish but perfectly happy.

What are you doing this week?

Karen
  • Comments: 3
  • This week I have been mostly in bed or on the sofa feeling sorry for myself as I try and g... - pixeldiva
  • The very thought of marathon training makes me feel quite exhausted. - Karen
  • Marathon training makes Swisslet very tired and boring. - swisslet
March 2, 2015

Year of the Holiday

Posted in Going | Tagged , , , , ,
1

In recent years we have become frugal with our holidays. I’m not going to say since becoming parents, because becoming parents coincided with becoming homeowners, and only briefly preceded me becoming self-employed, and so on and so forth. But no doubt these things are all connected.

In earlier incarnations of Uborka we travelled a little: New York, Prague, Venice, the Lake District. Things have changed since Pete’s mum moved to France, requiring us to holiday in the same place on a regular basis; and we discovered a love of camping. Continue reading →

Karen
  • Comments: 1
  • All sounds disgracefully organised and bucolic. Long may it last! :-) - Lyle
  • Comments: 3
  • I've got a client to finally agree a major contract. Only taken 13 months to negotiate. An... - graybo
  • We're going to Edinburgh for the weekend so I'll have a pint of 70 shilling for old times'... - Lisa
  • I was going to order a Wicked Llama to mark the day, but it's just rye and Pepsi which is... - asta