0901.25 I TWEET THEREFORE I AM

There has been a lot of talk recently in the media about the micro-blogging service 'Twitter'. Now I've been tweeting (the term that describes a post) for many years. In fact I remember when I first started it was a lonely place with very few interactions. Over the last year or so the site has come alive and I have made many friends on there, the ability to update using a mobile phone means that you can tweet at any time.

Some celebrities have discovered the service and are now tweeting away. Businesses are looking at it as a way of advertising it's products. It certainly is the time for twitter. What worries me is that some people seem to be focusing on the celebs (I do follow a couple, but fairly passively) and forgetting the message of twitter, which is...

What are you doing?

I hope the explosion of popularity doesn't ruin things, I'd hate to abandon it, it's addictive and fun but can't see it being that way if all people want to do is send messages to the rich and famous.

Twitter has always been seen as a little bit geeky and I like it like that.

0901.20 14 INCHES ISN'T ENOUGH

My TV stopped working at the weekend, after 4+ years of service it decided to expire, emitted a squeal and burning smell and died.

We are now forced to sit around a 14" portable from the bedroom.

There was a time when this could have been acceptable, but these days it's a struggle. TVs get bigger and bigger with better sound and picture and with it so do our viewing expectations.

The problem I now have is replacing it. I haven't got the £300+ to buy a new one, renting is extortionate and cheap CRTs are none existent (not that I fancy another one anyway).

I'm gonna look for a buy now pay later deal. As someone wise once told me, "never do today what you can put off until tomorrow".

0901.17 FREEEEEEEEEEZING

This week has been a funny weather week, I can still hear everyone going "it's global warming!". If that's the case, why has it been so bloody cold?

When I say cold, I mean cold for the UK. -11 was the lowest I believe (for the Americans, that's in Centigrade). People complain about the cold but I read about my friends across the pond who are practically skating to work every day and not whinging about it, I guess it's the British condition.

Luckily I've not had any nasty encounters with the ice and I've managed (so far, touch wood) to stay on 2 wheels and both feet. I have to say that I'm not a fan of frost or ice, I'd rather have snow, snow is fun and causes chaos within minutes of falling.

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Changing the subject entirely; has anyone seen the new PG Tips ad? Genius and an excellent tribute the the Morecambe & Wise breakfast/stripper sketch.

If you haven't seen the PG ad, click here, and for those young enough not to remember the original - see below.

0901.10 CHRISTMAS FALLOUT

The festive season is well behind us now. It's time we deal with the damage. There are the bills to pay and of course most of us (me included) will be carrying a little bit of extra weight. Luckily I'm not up too much but the podge is there and must be removed.

My best solution is some extra mileage on the bike, all well and good but it's bloody freezing at the moment and the conditions are a little dodgy to say the least. My mileage is going to be up on December's (I believe) but they'll be no real major rides this month. I'm back on the Push-ups programme and I've just joined a similar sit ups programme too.

A lot of people join gyms at this time of year, I'm not keen on the places and think you can achieve the same (or even better) results at home.

You can follow my fitness progress at Dailymile.com.

0901.05 A NEW TIME LORD

Saturday saw the announcement that Matt Smith will be cast in the role of Doctor Who when the series returns proper in 2010. The country could be heard saying "who's he?", myself included.

My initial reaction was NO NO NO NO NO NO, this is just a boy, how can he be Doctor Who. At 26 he will be the youngest Doctor ever.

I've let the dust settle and looked at this young guy, mmmm, maybe he can pull it off. He's kind of odd looking, he has a very angular face with an almost alien presence. As for the age thing, well it still bothers me (a little) but he'll be 27 when the show hits our TVs, that's only 2 years younger than Peter Davidson when he took on the role.

I suppose it had to come, a Doctor that is younger than me (David Tennant is 1 month older). Well, I'm willing to give the kid a chance, let's see what he can do, I doubt the powers at BBC Wales would take a huge risk on their biggest show.

0901.04 AND WE'RE OFF

Since New Year's Eve I've been at my Mother-in-Law's. It's always nice to get away and I'm lucky enough to have a good Mother-in-Law. I've spent most of my time piggy backing my phone's internet onto my host's WiFi. Tomorrow we return home and the next day I'm back at work again. Everything returns to normal and the silly season is officially over.

Whilst posting my previous entry my blog 'broke'. I got a Java.net connection time out error which, according to all the forums I've researched, is the kiss of death for ftp hosted blogger accounts. I've decided not to kill myself over it and to take advantage of a fresh start. I'm going to rebuild a new blog in the old one's image, this time hosted on Blogger (it seems less problematic that way).

If you're reading this then it's worked.

*Supplimental*

The blog published fine this morning (0901.05), I can only assume some outage on either my webspace provider or blogger. Business as usual then.

0901.01 NEW YEAR

While the previous year is still fresh in my mind (and without looking back through my posts) I thought I'd look back over what has happened in my hum drum little life.

The biggest deal this year has probably been the lack of recovery of my Morticia from her illness (which is once again becoming a big mystery). It's probably the hardest challenge I've ever faced. Luckily I've got a fairly decent support network and a supportive employer. I've got bigger challenges to face with this coming year.

Work's still good, the buses seems so far in the distant past now. I've done some good work and have respect from my bosses and colleagues and have good friends. I've pushed for advancement and I'm confident that I'm going to push the envelope this year.

I upgraded my mobile late in 2007 from a Nokia N80 to an LG Viewty. It became apparent that me and the upgrade were not getting on. I made a decision to ditch the LG (which I ended up giving to my daughter) and go back to my N80. Since going back I've dropped it down a toilet and into a glass of beer. Both times the device has survived. It is proving to be the best phone I've ever owned. This year I'll be upgrading again, I can't see me straying far from the Nokia store.

2008 is probably the year of Facebook. I'm certainly not going to complain, so far I've managed to get back in touch with so many old friends, old school friends, work colleagues, people from my past who I thought were long forgotten. My Twitter usage has also gone through the roof with the help of mobile internet.

Probably the highlight of my year was my trip to Wales. I love the place, it's become an annual pilgrimage. I'll be back again this year.

The biggest deal for me this year has been my cycling. I've cycled for years, 2007 I was lucky enough to get paid for cycling, something that has continued in 2008. Last year I moved my personal cycling up a notch with my purchase of my new bike. Altogether I've spent over £800 on my hobby. Not a lot in some cyclists' eyes (some indeed may sneer) but on my budget it's quite a sum. Next year they'll be more of the same, cycling is time for me, something I can't get doing anything else.

We also said goodbye to the Tinsley Towers...RIP.

2008 has been a difficult year. Increasing prices and family issues have made it hard going. I have high hopes for 2009, I have a good feeling about this one, it's going to be a good year...

...HAPPY 2009 to all my friends, family and followers!

Things to look forward too: More cycling, holiday in Wales, Our 10th wedding anniversary, the new Star Trek movie. Finally, do I have any resolutions? Haven't thought of anything specific but I'll be going through and updating my 40 b4 40 very soon.