AndyBlog

We need to do a deal, folks...

Hello to you.

I know who you are - you're a reader of my blog.

I like you. Well, most of you - sorry to be slavishly balanced, but there it is.

It's wonderful that you care enough about my little life to dial up these pages regularly, or at all. As you know, I've been struggling with a few of the issues surrounding the publicity that my words earn me here, so I thought I would attempt to deal with it another way.

Can we just not talk about it? I know that as you read my words, it feels like we're closer, but with many of you, it's just a one-way thing, so it feels weird when you talk to me about what I've written here.

Truth is - you know what I have written here, and I kinda know - so it's cool. Feel free to comment on the blog itself, it's just the talking when I see you that causes me problems. Imagine if you wrote something personal and I asked you about it, you might feel the same. You probably think "Hey, but I'd not write that stuff - you're crazy, Andy!" I fully take your point, and I find myself fascinated as to why I feel the need to do this at all.

Why no blogs?

Hello there everyone.

That's assuming you haven't stopped reading me, so to speak.

There are reasons why I haven't been here. For one thing, my leg problems have resurfaced and I am struggling to do everything I should do. For another, I feel as though I have lost direction here. I'm no longer sure why I blog and what this blog is about.

I feel I need to regain focus and return in a more purposeful way - not just posting the odd thing from the web which has amused me. This blog was never intended for that. It was to be the semi-private outpourings of my soul to a few treasured friends.

I guess that train sailed a long time ago.

So I went through a phase of thinking who was reading the blog and trying to moderate that. J put a stop to that by discovering my boardy poetry on the poems blog. I guess i am who I am. Sure, I am a christian - but I do not in any way hold myself up as an ideal of christian living. I am an imperfect soul who likes naughty rhymes, but also loves playing piano in church. Maybe it's a paradox, but it is also who I am. If I've learned anything, it is to start to accept who I am, and work from there. There is little mileage in pretending I am someone I am not and then getting caught out.

As ever, being one person, known to all equally, is what matters. I no longer wish to compartmentalise my life, as many do. My friends are, without exception, great people. I wouldn't have a party and miss a few out because they wouldn't fit. In my experience, people are surprising - they get on with each other really well.

So where am I now? The answer is that I don't really know. I certainly love the people I know and those with whom I associate. I am delighted to have been voted onto the committee for the Newbiggin Arts Forum, a place where I might manage to be a positive influence on the village, and therefore this local area. That feels good.

I believe we define ourselves by where we throw our energies. Few people lie on their deathbeds bemoaning their lack of commitment to their jobs. That said, I am looking to expand my ability to work efficiently by working a little smarter. Being self employed is not easy, particularly when it is me that sets the agenda each day.

As for this blog, well, I suppose I want to bring back the honesty and stop missing stuff out because it might offend. Obviously there is a line to be drawn, but I think I was placing it so far down that nothing but lounge chatter was possible - that's why i lost interest. For me, it has to be real to attract me.

OK, that's it, belly-button gazing over. I'm back - and with a slightly refreshed agenda.

I hope you like it.

New Additions

The more lovely and astute of you will have already realised that I have made a few additions to the left-hand sidebar of this blog.

The first is called Twitter, and it enables me to let you know little snippets about what I am doing through the day. I can send them in from an instant messenger, or from my phone. So, it you want to be in touch with me, or keep tabs on what i am doing, this is the place to look.

Obviously, I will forget to update it from time to time, but that goes with the territory. I also reserve the right to lie.
The second little gizmo is an enhanced chat feature, to replace the AndyBlog chat, which i now use principally for the radio station on a Wednesday night.

So, just type in a nickname in the box provided and chat away. Here's the deal - you will see other users of this blog online as soon as they hit the web page - AND YOU CAN CHAT TO THEM TOO. So, feel free to use this blog as a place to meet up with friends of mine - and, no doubt, the odd enemy online to keep tabs on me

I will keep an eye on the room and pop in if anyone shows any interest. It would be good to gather there sometimes and have a chinwag.

Please note that this is not a private room - others will see what you type. If you want a private chat with me, the next option is for you.

This Meebo widget has been running for a while, and I have been surprised by how well it is used.

You can say hello to me in complete privacy here and pass on whatever secret message you may have. I sometimes use it to be a friend to myself, as you can see.

Well, that about wraps it up, I guess. except to say that I am considering bringing a live streaming webcam section to AndyBlog, so you can see whether I am busy or not. Technically this is quite a challenge, but I am considering giving it a go.

Watch this space. Or another, more interesting, one.

Excuses, excuses

No real reason for this picture, except to please the ladies

I haven't been well
I've had lots of work
Deadlines have come and gone
I feel like a jerk

Christmas was manic
Too much to do
If I wasn't working or sleeping
I'd be on the loo

Before I can blog here
There's a magazine to make
And I haven't made a start on that
For goodness sake

So it's not my fault that
This blog is so bare
I've been a bit ill and very busy
And people keep phoning up and there's thank-you letters to write and then my clients keep phoning up with really pressing problems so I half kill myself sorting them out and then I'm knackered and then Celebrity Big Brother starts and there's loads of telly left on the SKY+ box from Christmas and then there's everyone else who likes to phone me and tell me all their troubles and I really like that but sometimes it's all a bit too much and then i nearly ran out of pills and Tim's computer got poorly and always there's work to be done and in between it all I have to eat and sleep and so well........I..........it's just that...........well....

Thanks to everyone for being so kind as to request that i post more to the blog. It's touching and i love everyone of you, apart from the rude ones who write dirties about Lorne Spicer.

Amazing guitarist!

This guy is an awesome guitarist - especially considering he has no arms.
Check it out on Within The Cranium

Chatter natter...mumble grumble...

As you will see, the online communication facilities have doubled as of today. So, it's up to you, you can choose to ignore all this sort of bothersome mumbo jumbo (reccommended) or you can chat with me person to person using the Meebo widget (don't forget to enter a name the first time you use it) - or now you can join a group huddlle no unlike the one we used to enjoy in the almost forgotten Ad-Lib Radio days.

It's up to you, but sometimes it's fun to chat. You might meet some of the people who comment on the blog or have blogs connected to this one.

I'll leave it with you, and if you need me to admit that it's all sad and ghastly, I certainly will.

Blog Chatter

You can now chat to me on this blog. How weird is that?

Have a look in the right-hand column, maybe you need to scroll down a bit. If i am showing as “online” you can talk to me. Just give yourself a nick-name and say hello.

It will be nice to hear from you. Mostly.

Silly Poems

Some of you will know of my poetry pages. I decided to update them this Christmas and turn the poetry bit into a blog. That way it is easier to add poems to, and easier for others to spot the new poems. I say poems, I actually mean mindless stupid rhymes. Here are the links. Thank you for your time.

http://adlib.blogs.com/silly_poems/

http://www.sillypoems.co.uk/

A Kind Of Nothing

It seems pretty clear to me that I often break my golden rule of Blogging a little every day. I let a few days pass, then engage in what might be categorised as an “outpouring”. At other times, like when I am away or in hospital, I go to the opposite extreme, and Blog far too much. So far so good - I'm telling you what you already know.

This entry is, I suppose, more an attempt to cover a third piece of Blogging behaviour that, because of its very nature, you never see - well, not until now. I call it the “Non-Blog”, and it consists of weak or forgotten entries that, for one reason or another, never get posted. I shall field a few Non-Blogs here and see what you think.

Rainbow

I saw a rainbow today. It looked quite nice, framed against the dark sky - and McDonalds. I was in a car park, sitting in my car and just reached for the camera in time, because moments later it was utterly gone as a wave of rain lashed down on the eager shoppers around me. I thought “It's not a very good rainbow picture, but it'll do for my Blog.” Was I right?

If you'd like to see more weak observational photography, please vote: Rainbow.

Fire

Whilst in Leeds for a rehearsal, we went to a pub in the suburbs to kill time. Due to a mix-up, we had arrived a couple of hours early. I was annoyed at getting the message wrong in the first place, and Fiona was not best pleased either. However, upon entering this pleasant pub, we found seats on a leather sofa in front of this fire, and suddenly things didn't feel so bad. Later, we queued briefly in the restaurant section, before enjoying a reasonably pleasant lunch there, accompanied by some excellent Tetley's Bitter. (a drink which seems to taste good only in that particular corner of West Yorkshire)

If you'd like to hear more heartwarming rubbish like this, please vote: Fire.

Trifle

As long as I remember, I have loved trifle. It is a pudding that, for some reason, makes me feel good. I would always opt for trifle, if I had any reason to be confident of the quality. Not for me the fancy or clever trifle, either. This trifle is a great example of what ticks my boxes. Plenty of sponge at the bottom, making it nice and solid. A thin layer of thick, but runny custard - not 'set solid' custard - which is horrible. Finally, a thin layer of cream - or, I'm willing to admit, fake cream - which is wonderful. My favourite fruit theme is raspberry, but anything is good, if done well.

If you'd like to hear more about my odd eating affectations, vote: Trifle.

Colin McRae Rally 2005

I'm not exactly ashamed of enjoying this game on my PC, but I am aware that broadcasting my enthusiasm may well tar me with a nerdy image that I feel I don't really deserve. I also know that the more I try to defend my fascination, the worse it gets. With this in mind, I decided not to write too much about it, even though I was tempted to mention that I am slightly dyslexic with right and left-hand directions - a fact which often sends me careering off a cliff or into the bushes as I dutifully follow what I think are my co-driver's instructions. Nevertheless, I enjoy my rallying, and I'm very impressed with the responsiveness and realism of this simulation. It's a kind of fun that I can highly recommend.

If you'd like to see more sad obsession with software, please vote: Rally

I can't adequately express how close I came to not posting this entry!

Perfectly Vocal

The PerfectlyVocal Blog is HERE

In it, you will find some delightful humour and an upbeat and honest view of life. Great photos, too.

I'm hooked.

I wonder, are blogs the new reality show? I do find that I want to know what happens next...