Many people would say that I need some sense knocking in to me at times, and I have been feeling recently as if I have actually had something knocked into me, albeit the traces of sense are thin on the ground. Whether it was the ice skating incident or some other random thing, I’ve had concussion-like symptoms the last week to ten days and it is not pleasant.
I had concussion once before when I was about 20 years old. I was working at UPS sorting mail during the university summer break and we played football at lunchtime. I collided with a guy and smashed the back of my head on the grass, and I was left seeing double for several days afterwards. It has been similar this time around but over a longer period of time. Whether it is a concussion I am not sure, but it coincides with another similarly talented hockey player suffering from concussion right now.
Sidney Crosby has been out of action for something like thirty games due to a concussion and that has to be pretty worrying for everybody concerned. First and foremost, it must be a major concern to him and his family. Secondly, he is a massive loss to the Penguins. And in the bigger picture, the NHL must have serious concerns about it. The calls for greater protection for players have increased over the years, but I cannot help but feel that it will take such an injury to a major star like Crosby to force their hands.
I read a fascinating story about the NFL and the potential lockout. It supported the players and their demands for greater support and protection from the league. Life expectancy among the players is ridiculously low with so many early deaths coming from long term damage to the brain. Drugs are another issue but let’s focus on the innocent stuff. A former hockey player also recently died in his forties with similar issues – the kind of head injuries found in former boxers.
It got me randomly thinking. Would you do the thing you love and adore for big money but risking that you may live for 15-20 years less than average? Tough tough question and I do not know how I would answer that. It does not have to be NFL or Hockey, it could be any sport or job with the big money and the low life expectancy. If I could be an Everton legend for twenty years, earning big money, but the likelihood of that activity resulting in me corking it a good twenty years earlier, would I do it? That is a tough call and I do not know.
So many folks go to work every day being pretty unhappy and not looking forward to what they do. The first thought when you get to the office is what you are going to do tonight, and that feeling on a Monday morning when the weekend seems oh so far away is brutal. Would you swap it for big money and doing something you love, but with the serious health risks that go with it?
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
A Bug's Life
This week I seem to have had more random thoughts then ever. There’s no particular reason for it, it just happens I guess. Anyhow…I’m going to share them, so here goes.
Receiving a personal letter or card in the post is an amazing feeling. They are so rare these days, you know that when you do get one, somebody has taken time, care and effort out of their day to post that little treat for you. We have received a couple recently and it made our day, and it is something we should do more often. Unfortunately, most of the mail we receive these days are bills. I guess that is what happens when you grow up.
Weddings are expensive. I cannot deny that. It has crossed my mind more than once to change the industry I work in based on that alone. Making decisions on colours, styles, and meals is not easy at all. I am actually enjoying it though and while this may be the most daft and naïve comment I have ever made, I do not think it will be too difficult to organise. Don’t get me wrong, I know there is plenty of work to be done, but I’m just excited and enjoying it so far. We’re still waiting for some major hiccup, but we’ll deal with it and move on!
I have decided that the only reason people mock my musical taste is because they are envious – it is the only conclusion I can reach given how common it is discussed here in Lausanne and potential further afield.
Coming from a recent trip to Ikea, I have to admit that I cannot think of a similar kind of store where you can, spend time and money, and come home wondering why you ever picked up that piece of junk in the first place. It’s not expensive so you think you have a bargain, but it is never going to work in your home. There is probably 95% of the stuff they sell that I do not really like, but my blue Ikea bag seems to be full every time. They must be doing something right.
Speaking of Ikea and all things household, I can recall my mum saying to me when I was at university that I would have to get a good job just to pay for all the builders, plumbers, plasterers, electricians to come and do work in my home when I eventually got my own place....so useless was I at anything DIY. Well mum, times are changing….I’ve been doing all kinds of DIY things recently and I’ll show you when you come to visit. Just don’t touch any sockets, or anything electrical for that matter.
I was contacted this week by a journalist from the Wall Street Journal – I posted the article on my wall. It was an interesting read having been part of both the betting industry and Brentford myself. I did not actually speak to the lady, but I thought it was well written. I do have a hard time trusting some journalists and I would have refused to speak about the matter regardless. That said, I thought the article was well written by Hannah Karp and I suspect that would not have been the case if it had been a story in England where a huge slant would have been put on it no doubt.
Receiving a personal letter or card in the post is an amazing feeling. They are so rare these days, you know that when you do get one, somebody has taken time, care and effort out of their day to post that little treat for you. We have received a couple recently and it made our day, and it is something we should do more often. Unfortunately, most of the mail we receive these days are bills. I guess that is what happens when you grow up.
Weddings are expensive. I cannot deny that. It has crossed my mind more than once to change the industry I work in based on that alone. Making decisions on colours, styles, and meals is not easy at all. I am actually enjoying it though and while this may be the most daft and naïve comment I have ever made, I do not think it will be too difficult to organise. Don’t get me wrong, I know there is plenty of work to be done, but I’m just excited and enjoying it so far. We’re still waiting for some major hiccup, but we’ll deal with it and move on!
I have decided that the only reason people mock my musical taste is because they are envious – it is the only conclusion I can reach given how common it is discussed here in Lausanne and potential further afield.
Coming from a recent trip to Ikea, I have to admit that I cannot think of a similar kind of store where you can, spend time and money, and come home wondering why you ever picked up that piece of junk in the first place. It’s not expensive so you think you have a bargain, but it is never going to work in your home. There is probably 95% of the stuff they sell that I do not really like, but my blue Ikea bag seems to be full every time. They must be doing something right.
Speaking of Ikea and all things household, I can recall my mum saying to me when I was at university that I would have to get a good job just to pay for all the builders, plumbers, plasterers, electricians to come and do work in my home when I eventually got my own place....so useless was I at anything DIY. Well mum, times are changing….I’ve been doing all kinds of DIY things recently and I’ll show you when you come to visit. Just don’t touch any sockets, or anything electrical for that matter.
I was contacted this week by a journalist from the Wall Street Journal – I posted the article on my wall. It was an interesting read having been part of both the betting industry and Brentford myself. I did not actually speak to the lady, but I thought it was well written. I do have a hard time trusting some journalists and I would have refused to speak about the matter regardless. That said, I thought the article was well written by Hannah Karp and I suspect that would not have been the case if it had been a story in England where a huge slant would have been put on it no doubt.
Monday, March 7, 2011
La Vida Loca
My favourite fiancée and I were in Madrid this last weekend. We spent some time with a couple of great friends of ours, Megha and Erika, and while it was far too short, it still ranks as a great weekend with some good fun, good food, good weather and some great company. I will not ramble on too much about Madrid, as you can read all about it in this lady’s great blog (we want more Burns!).
However, I will share my random ramblings and thoughts on good old Spain. I spent my year abroad at University in Barcelona. My decision on choosing a university came down to the same criteria I used when selecting Liverpool Uni for my degree – somewhere I could watch a decent football team (no jokes!), somewhere I could have fun, and somewhere I could travel to Leeds easy enough if I wanted or needed to. I narrowed it to Barcelona or Madrid, and I was accepted at Barcelona Uni.
It was a great year. Plenty of ups and downs, but I thoroughly enjoyed the year. By the end of the year, my Spanish had developed well despite a virtually entire group of ex-pat friends. What’s new? I guess it makes most sense that we make friends easier with fellow foreigners who are share similar experiences to ourselves, and I am no different.
I came away from Barcelona at the end of 2001 wondering if I could live and work in Spain. I had one year left of university and I was ready to plunge into the world of real work and life. I had the same doubts as I have now to be honest, and our weekend in Madrid emphasised that more than ever. I love the thought of the lifestyle – generally quite relaxed, good weather, working hours that suit my style and a strong social and family ethic. Opportunities in sport and salaries even more so are pretty major negatives however. I also wonder whether the lifestyle would be counter productive to me professionally – I can see myself lacking motivation and drive with such great distractions. That is not to say that I want us to live in a miserable or boring place, we would go to Edmonton (so I am told!) if that was the case, but I feel that I may well struggle in a number of Spanish cities. That said, both HJ and I have considered a short spell in Barcelona again – you never know!
Spain is a charming place and having been there so many times for family reasons, it will always have a place in my heart. Many of the people lack manners and the customer service is not great, but for some reason, it never bothers me like it does here in Switzerland as they seem to have a certain charm at the same time. We had a comedy taxi driver this last weekend – he was smoking, while being on the phone three times in a 15 minute journey, and was chatting away to us. A total character.
I recall a particular Spanish-ism from my days back in Barcelona and I was reminded of it this weekend gone when I stumbled across a shop called a ‘Guitarreria’. No prizes for guessing what they sold there. It is common in Spain that they add ‘eria’ to a noun and it basically means a shop for whatever precedes it….cafeteria, pizzeria etc. It took me back to my Barca days when I childishly chuckled to myself every time I walked past the Ferreteria. I glanced in the window every day searching for a little Ferret to be sat in the window only to be disappointed with it actually being a hardware store.
There are still plenty of places in Spain we have yet to visit. Everybody I speak to raves about Granada and Seville to name a couple, and my lady has plenty of good stuff to tell me about San Sebastien. Annual or twice-yearly trips to Barcelona are a given, as is a return to Mallorca where I have not been for years, but there are plenty of gems in Spain that we have yet to see. It’s just a matter of time.
However, I will share my random ramblings and thoughts on good old Spain. I spent my year abroad at University in Barcelona. My decision on choosing a university came down to the same criteria I used when selecting Liverpool Uni for my degree – somewhere I could watch a decent football team (no jokes!), somewhere I could have fun, and somewhere I could travel to Leeds easy enough if I wanted or needed to. I narrowed it to Barcelona or Madrid, and I was accepted at Barcelona Uni.
It was a great year. Plenty of ups and downs, but I thoroughly enjoyed the year. By the end of the year, my Spanish had developed well despite a virtually entire group of ex-pat friends. What’s new? I guess it makes most sense that we make friends easier with fellow foreigners who are share similar experiences to ourselves, and I am no different.
I came away from Barcelona at the end of 2001 wondering if I could live and work in Spain. I had one year left of university and I was ready to plunge into the world of real work and life. I had the same doubts as I have now to be honest, and our weekend in Madrid emphasised that more than ever. I love the thought of the lifestyle – generally quite relaxed, good weather, working hours that suit my style and a strong social and family ethic. Opportunities in sport and salaries even more so are pretty major negatives however. I also wonder whether the lifestyle would be counter productive to me professionally – I can see myself lacking motivation and drive with such great distractions. That is not to say that I want us to live in a miserable or boring place, we would go to Edmonton (so I am told!) if that was the case, but I feel that I may well struggle in a number of Spanish cities. That said, both HJ and I have considered a short spell in Barcelona again – you never know!
Spain is a charming place and having been there so many times for family reasons, it will always have a place in my heart. Many of the people lack manners and the customer service is not great, but for some reason, it never bothers me like it does here in Switzerland as they seem to have a certain charm at the same time. We had a comedy taxi driver this last weekend – he was smoking, while being on the phone three times in a 15 minute journey, and was chatting away to us. A total character.
I recall a particular Spanish-ism from my days back in Barcelona and I was reminded of it this weekend gone when I stumbled across a shop called a ‘Guitarreria’. No prizes for guessing what they sold there. It is common in Spain that they add ‘eria’ to a noun and it basically means a shop for whatever precedes it….cafeteria, pizzeria etc. It took me back to my Barca days when I childishly chuckled to myself every time I walked past the Ferreteria. I glanced in the window every day searching for a little Ferret to be sat in the window only to be disappointed with it actually being a hardware store.
There are still plenty of places in Spain we have yet to visit. Everybody I speak to raves about Granada and Seville to name a couple, and my lady has plenty of good stuff to tell me about San Sebastien. Annual or twice-yearly trips to Barcelona are a given, as is a return to Mallorca where I have not been for years, but there are plenty of gems in Spain that we have yet to see. It’s just a matter of time.
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