Midwinter

As you may have gathered from some of my posts I am a Pagan. If you wish to be pedantic and point out that pagan in an umbrella term for many different belief systems then you would probably further classify me as a Pantheist. I'm not a fan of such labels, but giving me that one puts me in the same pile as Albert Einstein, Vincent van Gogh, Carl Sagan, Walt Whitman, and Stephen Hawking among others - I think thats a pretty good pedigree!

I celebrate the turning of nature through the year, and the two most important festivals to me personally are the summer and winter solstices. I do emphasise that its a personal choice as every pagan will have their own ideas and favourite festivals.

So whats it all about this winter solstice? It's the shortest day of the year. Celebrated to welcome the return of the sun and the coming of longer days and better weather in the months ahead. As with many religions and belief systems there are lots of areas where these same ideas can be seen to crossover. Yule/Midwinter/Winter solstice in Paganism, Diwali in hinduism, Christmas in Christianity, and Hannukkah in Judaism are all festivals of light celebrated at similar times of the year and generally all symbolise a triumph of light over the darkness.

B-Man and I were discussing the idea of this correlation between Christianity and Paganism in particular earlier today which got me thinking...

Christians celebrate the birth of Christ, the son of god. Pagans celebrate the "birth" of the Sun.

The Three wise men of the nativity followed a star to bethlehem. The Sun is the closest star to our tiny blue planet.

A Christmas tree, an evergreen to symbolise the light and life with its needles pointing up to heaven. A Yule tree (again an evergreen) a symbol of summer life in the winter starkness. (There was also a belief that evergreen plants and trees were refuges for the woodland spirits through the winter months.)

Candles represent the light the Jesus brought to earth. Four are often lit from each other in the four weeks running up the Christmas in an advent ring. Candles are used to represent the light of the Sun returning to the earth. Yule logs lit from the remnants of the previous years log were kept burning throughout the festival - the ashes then spread in the fields to ensure a good harvest the coming year. (Anyone who has ever spread the ashes of a bonfire over their lawn will know how nourishing ash is to plants.)

Thats just a few to start with and thats only one religion! Coincidence? No probably not. There are many arguments relating to the origins of many traditions and its a point that will never be agreed upon - a chicken and egg situation really. It is a widespread view for many however that major religions adopted the festivals of earlier religions in order to make it easier for the followers of the earlier religions to convert. That does make it sound a bit manipulative though doesn't it? Surely theres always a possibility that converts to a new religion simply chose to integrate their old traditions into their new religion themselves? What actually happened we will never know but doubtless the arguement will rage on regardless.

Anyway, if I carry on I'm a bit scared I'll get spammed by some offended party or another. Rest assured thats not the intention. I'd like to think this post as a Yule101 for anyone who's bothered to read, and I hope that everyone, whichever festival they choose the celebrate, has a happy one.

Google suggestions

Whilst looking for the articles used in the post below I noticed this Google suggestion that came up...
Theres that many results for Facebook Stalker??! Now I'm scared.

Facebook to the rescue!

Thursday I changed the colour of my hair again. Not all of it, just the front quarter (I'll maybe take a photo later once I look a bit more presentable!) Whilst waiting for the dye I was bored so updated my facebook status to:
Twisted Barbie is slowly going blue...One of my friends very sweetly posted to check that I was OK, thinking that I was maybe trapped outside in the cold or suffering asphyxiation or something. Whilst this made me laugh, its not a strange idea at all. Two girls were in the news lately after they became trapped in a storm drain in Adelaide and used their mobiles to update Facebook of their plight instead of calling the emergency services. Ok....so some people are actually dumb enough to do that.

Its not all bad though, in my internet wanderings I also came across these two stories...

Facebook, Twitter to the rescue in 'Ondoy' disaster-"During a nine-hour deluge that cut power lines and forced people on to their roofs, tech-savvy Filipinos made pleas for help and informed friends of their plight via mobile Internet links and text messaging. Meanwhile, Twitter and Facebook were a frenzy of activity as people posted notices about places people should avoid, with government critics saying later this online news was faster and more reliable than the official information. Local television network ABS-CBN used Google Earth maps on its website to mark the addresses of those needing rescue."

tCG-Facebook to the rescue - "A Coast Guard Sector Northern New England Search and Rescue Controller used Facebook to ultimately contact a missing boater. According to the Controller, “Sometimes we have to be very creative in our information gathering.” "

So sometimes it seems using Facebook for rescue might be a good idea..but maybe not instead of calling 999.

Things not to do on buses...Part 1

I use buses almost every day, so I see a lot of odd things. People often complain about women doing their makeup, plucking their eyebrows, or people smoking but sometimes something is odd enough to take a sneaky photo of...This lady came and sat next to me on the bus and the proceeded to eat a bowl of cereal.

Someone understands the banks...

The bank next to my workplace received some rather choice graffiti last week.. Obviously someone understands the banks and has an environmental conscience....

Best job advert ever!

This was in the window of one of my favourite coffee shops in town this summer....I like their style...

Barbie loves language

I've always had a bit of a love of different phrases and local colloquialisms, but today one of my staff came out with the best sentence ever. To set the scene, she had gone to make coffee (I need lots of coffee everyday in the office to keep me alive ;) ) and phoned down to ask this...(written phonetically of course for full effect)...

"Cos' you've go' nairn o' them wee thingamees do you wan na sugar?"

(She had remembered that I'd run out of sweeteners in case you were wondering!)

Elocution lessons....Priceless ;)

Naked scanners???

I understand the need for airport security. I don't want to explode in a fireball, but the newest technology being used in the airports is taking it just a bit too far, even in my twisted little mind.

Manchester airport is currently trialling "Naked Scanners" a full body x-ray thingy (very technical term that) which basically take a photo of you in the nude. No...seriously! it reportedly also shows up any breast enlargements, false limbs, piercings, and a clear outline of passengers' private parts. Wanna see??


See he has his clothes on outside... OK...so they say that the image will only be seen by a single officer in a room off in the distance and that the images cannot be stored in any way, but the cynic in me always find room for the officer who comes across a celebrity/beautiful person and either calls their mates in for a leer, or takes a photo with their mobile. Another thought - what about children? we are trying to save our kids from paedophiles, are parents going to allow their children through this, not knowing what or who is watching??

I think I'll stick with the beeping machines thanks.

(worthy note: I'm certainly no prude, some of this clothing I've worn in public would probably make some strippers blush, but its on my terms and at my discretion.)

OOh new hair 2009

I seem to only get my hair cut once a year or two. Its been just over a year since my last visit and this time we had to try a new hairdresser because the last one has disappeared into oblivion. (shame, I really liked him too)

Anyway the lady at the new place looked a little worried when I first told her what I wanted as it meant chopping about 5 inches off my hair (no hairdresser seems to like making the transition from long to short!) then I told her to cut as many choppy layers in as she could...so she did! (apologies in advance for the dodgy photo but I had to get up early so I'm tired!)


and before anyone says it...its faded purple at the moment...not pink!

One in a million

Whilst playing Left 4 Dead tonight something weird happened. Whilst looking for a server to play on I stumbled into a lobby that contained a very old friend of mine. You might not think this is unusual but there were over 18000 people playing at that point! I knew he played, but I wasn't sure of his chosen platform, and I'd looked on steam for him but without knowing his username the search was useless. We recognised each other instantly, which is typical of our relationship - we have popped up in each others lives at very random points, usually by total chance. Last time we met in person was when we were both on a trip to Norwich after living away for a time and spotted each other in a packed shopping mall, before then it was a chance meeting in a nightclub after we had lost touch for a couple of years. Seems the only time I come across him is a million to one event!

Good thing is we now have a fourth player for our team who seems to play as often as B-Man, Gurn and me! maybe our long suffered fourth player syndrome is over?

Barbie spots the conspiracy...

During my usual routine net surfing I came across this article -Recession makes many healthier

I'm one of those annoying cynical people who often sees conspiracy in everything, so my latest theory is this: The government have manufactured a recession in order to solve the obesity crisis!

Why would this work? well, if people have less money they may be less able/willing to use their cars, instead opting to walk, cycle, or use public transport. People eat healthier, being unable to afford takeaways and alcohol. Free events and pastimes often involve a little more exercise than paid ones (a walk in the park vs. a visit to the cinema for example - obviously this doesn't work for everything, I'm sure skiing is far more expensive than watching tv, but you get my drift) Children have less pocket money to buy sweets, people go on fewer holidays (therefore not indulging as much)

Hmmmm, what kind of dodgy paper can I sell my theory to????

Wow

I'm a creative person, and I like to think I'm fairly artistic (although if my mood isn't right I also can draw like a 10 year old!) but a professional artist friend of mine sent me this link today and all I can say is wow! I can't imagine the concept and foresight it must take to do this.

Kseniya Simonova's Amazing Sand Drawing

Every womans dream???

Many of women dream of many things...One of which is often to be slender...This Guinness record holder is a little extreme for many though...

But wait... there's more...sometime women dream of well, large manly attributes (on a man, obviously, not themselves) you know what this is supposed to denote...?

Finally, one that many women will mention (if they are a tad on the crude side of course) the man with a 9 inch tongue...

Festival Fun...The one that got away

There were a couple of shows that I really wanted to see and managed to miss during the festival. One them has now turned up on Youtube and some other blogs with huge critical acclaim, and I'm still gutted I missed it.. At least we can appreciate at least some of the talent and skill from this particular show thanks to the wonderful Youtube :)

Enjoy....

"A Young Man Dressed As A Gorilla Dressed As An Old Man Sits Rocking In A Rocking Chair For Fifty-Six Minutes And Then Leaves" (Part 1)


"A Young Man Dressed As A Gorilla Dressed As An Old Man Sits Rocking In A Rocking Chair For Fifty-Six Minutes And Then Leaves" (Part 2)

Festival fun Part 2... FREE DAY!

With my recent house move I've been a bit skint. It always happens, everything seems to cost a lot more than you plan for, anyway, I was quite taken by the idea of seeing some shows during the festival, but with tickets being very expensive for many and being sold out for most well-known performers I thought I would try out some of the free fringe shows. A work colleague, Annabelle (who thinks I'm crazy but isn't all there herself) agreed to come out with me to catch some shows and see how much free stuff we could get/see.

We didn't start too early, so our first show was Afternoon Tea which promised free cake with your comedy. Upon arrival the audience was given individual cakes as you took your seat, so they definitely held up their offer...I could have done with a drink to go with it, but hey, theres no ticket to buy! The comedy was good - a little disjointed at times, swapping between two performers who had quite different styles, but definitely enough to raise more than a few giggles (and groans) Best line: "I may be a redhead but my dungeon is not fiery" (I think Annabelle nearly spat out her cake at that point - it was perfect!)

On our way to our next show we got stopped in the street by a lady giving out limes for a Smirnoff promotion. Annabelle was going to party later that night so the lady gave us 4!

The next show was my choice...A week before, whilst out with B-Man we were accosted by a mad Australian chap giving out flyer's for his show. We had a quick chat with him as he pleaded with us to visit his show promising that it wasn't a man with an olive on his head! This of course spun into a discussion about how you could make that into a cool show... :s Anyway the guys pleas amused me enough that I dragged Annabelle along on our free day.... and we certainly didn't regret it - he was hilarious! Mark Trenwith is definitely a name that I expect to be hearing more of in the future - at least I hope so! His show was a multimedia-social-experiment-gone-wrong along a similar vein to Dave Gormans style of show which was over all too quickly. He added to our list of free stuff by handing out biscuits! I was even more impressed when he came over after the show and chatted to us (he recognised me from the olive conversation!) We gave him a lime. He was very impressed by that!

On our way to the bus stops, Annabelle spotted lots of people sporting straw cowboy hats, and she became quite intent on getting one. We cleverly followed a trail of tourists wearing them to a small tent like object in George Square. As we got close to the tent we were ushered inside by a man on stilts and a small oriental lady in a yellow cagoule. Inside was another free show going on. A surreal mix between Taiko Drumming and the Blue Man Group. I have no idea who they were but they had a man with a TV on his head and everyone of them was in a matching yellow cagoule!.
There was free face painting too, and a free hat if you entered a prize draw. Of course we had to enter the draw! B Man was very impressed with his new hat when I got home :)

So there we have it. Proof that the free shows at the festival can be worth seeing....They feed you as well as keep you entertained for an afternoon!

Festival fun

In the four years that I have lived in sunny Edinburgh I (until now) had never managed to watch any shows during the festival. I think thats a bit rubbish really, but it always seems that during festival time the streets are full (and I do mean FULL) of tourists - usually huddled in slightly confused manner around a bus stop - and lots of semi clad people handing out flyers for things (over the years I've seen girls in just bodypaint and a thong, and a whole group wearing only towels)

This year however I had to make an exception...

Now don't fall over but .....one of my friends from Norwich came to Edinburgh!!!!...not to actually visit me per se, but to appear in a show for the festival. Obviously this meant that I was obliged to go and see his play, so I made a trip (all the way to another part of my workplace) to see Rapture. It was great! (and I'm not being biased here, if it was awful I would happily say so!) well written, cleverly produced in and very small space and on a very small budget. I was very impressed.

My first ever festival show was a hit for me (although they didn't seem to get the largest of crowds) so a big WELL DONE to Sam and the rest of the cast and crew!

I Ain't Dead

No, I'm not. I'm alive and well, but I've been moving house which as always brings its own schedule and series of crises. I DO now have net access and an almost unpacked house so normal service should return shortly, I've been doing a lot in the last month including catching my first ever festival shows but right now I'm meant to be at work....Instead, I'm sitting at home waiting for a plumber to come back ( I did mention the crisis?) but I'll waffle about all of that later!

Top 5 Mashups

Mashup (mash-up) "One song to the tune of another", A combination of two songs.

Finding 5 mashups that were 1. any good, and 2. contained two songs that I actually knew (and at least one I kinda liked), was a bit of a challenge really, but here are my 5 Top Mashups....

Nirvana Vs Rick Astley


Queen Vs Outkast


Britney Spears Vs Gwen Stefani (Yes it's Britney. I'm sorry. Really, really sorry...but it does work so it's worth a listen)


Snow Patrol Vs The Police


Korn Vs Coldplay

Not a favourite

I try as hard as I can, but its a simple truth that I dislike weddings. I'm not sure why, but even when I was a little girl and was always everyone's bridesmaid I've hated going to weddings. I do however always attend weddings of my friends and family, smile and wish them well, so please don't think I'm some kind of anti-wedding demon.

I think the biggest problem I have is that I tend to get bored, I'm not great at meeting new people, especially in large groups, so I tend to be a bit of a wallflower at these occasions. Whilst looking through some other blogs tonight however...I found this...I suppose if you're going to have a wedding you may as well might make a good entrance!

Sad story really...

WARNING: The following is a sad story....However its possibly every woman's favourite option too....

Man dies in vat of chocolate

I know if I got to choose it would be very high on my list!

One Armed Bandit

I've hurt my shoulder! I'm not really quite sure how, but I have little-to-no mobility and a huuuuugge amount of pain :( Fear not however, it's safely tucked away in a sling, slavered with ibuprofen gel, I'm just having to cope with life single handed for a while. Makes me appreciate just how much I use my left arm though...

Solstice 09

We had a fab solstice this year. I hired a car so we could get to my favoured spot in the hills and pitched the tent - with some thanks to the wind helping us get the top sheet on after the undertent was already 6 feet up - and settled in for the night.

We had taken a pack of cards, some magic cards, and a dice game with us for entertainment, but didn't even break them out. Instead we laid listening to the land around us, the sheep bleating, the wind and rain bouncing off the tent. It was calming and blissful. In the morning we got up and wandered down the hill a little to watch the sunrise.

Unlike the thousands of people at Stonehenge we were granted a beautiful sunrise through the trees. The sun rose as a red ball over the horizon, slowly drifting up into a large cloud bank, looking similar to an eye rolling back into its socket.

I did try to get some photos but it my phone's camera just didn't capture the view well so you'll just have to use your imagination!

Stupid girl

Most people will have seen this stupid stupid girl on the news last week...


She initially claimed that she asked for three stars on her face and fell asleep so the tattoo artist carried on drawing stars.

Anyone with any knowledge of tattoos knew that this was utter trash - mainly because no professional tattoo artist would just keep on going once they have completed what they were asked to do, it would be suicide for their career if nothing else! The kindly artist did offer to pay half of the fee for removal but now the girl in question has admitted that she asked for all 56 stars to be inked on her face and only changed her mind about them when her father saw them and was angry. Papers reported today that the artist has now withdrawn his offer.

HAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHa. Thats what you get for lying stupid girl! Hopefully you will now learn some important lessons...

1. think before getting any tattoo - theyre very likely with you forever
2. Don't lie - especially to the media - because it just makes you look like a prat
3. tattoo removal hurts far more than getting the tattoo

Excitable?....Me?

Its a bit silly I know, but I'm all bubbly and excited...tomorrow is the summer equinox and as usual I'm off overnight to be in a good spot to watch the sunrise at 04:26 tomorrow morning. I don't go far, but my chosen spot in the hills is an awkward place to get to. I checked out all the options of buses, and even getting a lift, but due to the times we would be travelling theres no other way to make the trip other than by car. Taxis are too expensive, so I've hired a car for the day! Its only cost me £20 and it means I get to drive! I've not driven for over a year, so I'm very over excited about it. A little worried too, in case I have forgotten how....but its just like riding a bike isn't it?

Coincidences

I've lived in Edinburgh for 4 years now and so far only one of my friends have managed to get up here and visit me. I'm not worried about that, we are still all very good friends. I got an email a few weeks back from Sam, who is coming up to perform in the festival with his theatre group from Norwich which is pretty cool for a start, but today I found out the name of his show and that its actually being held in the complex of my work!

I really have no excuse to miss it now. As with many festival shows its on at a stupid time (3:15) but at least I can sneak along in a late lunch break.

Oh my.

I don't normally mention anything on TV, mainly because I don't really watch much of it.

No one could have missed the media frenzy kicked up by Britain's Got Talent and its unusual singing sensation Susan Boyle. For anyone who does actually live at the earth core and doesn't know already its a live reality TV show to pick an act for the Royal Variety Performance. This slightly older lady entered and was quite openly mocked as she walked onto stage only to release an impressive voice which quickly silenced the laughter. I did see this and it was great to see the smug grins removed from the whole crowd (especially the judges).

Anyway... This lady has become quite a hit with our cousins across the water and now the latest revelation....

Slipknot are Susan Boyle Fans

Stuck in a World of Goo

As promised - Maybe a little sooner than you expected eh? - Info on one of my many current addictions...World of Goo.

This is a fantastic indie game made by 2dboy that B-Man gifted to me - He realised its addictive potential maybe and decided he wanted some quiet time - Its a puzzle game where you have to use Goo balls to build structures to achieve the levels goal and continue with the storyline...sounds easy?

Oh no its not.This has to be one of the most infuriatingly brilliant games - you die over and over yet have the constant urge to go back for more punishment of your goo balls splatting against spikes, or being sucked into the wrong tube, or simply collapsing because you forgot to add a vital ball-strut near the base.

Thankfully the developers allow players to skip levels! I'm still spending time going back to those and trying to figure them out.

Barbie owns up

"Where the hell has she gone???" (Honestly I can hear the screaming of this phrase from here)

I'm here to answer that question...In my room playing games. That's it. Sorry. Nothing any more exciting than that.

"But Barbie, you have the attention span of a small insect, what on earth has managed to keep you away from drivelling posts full of nonsense?" (It must be the voices in my head)

Well, loaaaads of very, very addicting games - Left 4 Dead, Sims 3, and World of Goo for a start.

"Ooh I've heard of one of those" (Obviously the voices are as clever as I am)

Well If you're very patient and keep coming back I might manage to rustle up a post or two to tell you all about them, and why the hell I'm soooo addicted

Blogs of note

I don't often go blog hunting - I usually read those of my friends and a couple of others that have been recommended in the past, BUT I recently found three of the best blogs I've ever come across, they're either great in their writing and/or basic concept so I figured they all certainly deserve to have a mention to spread the news further. So with no further delay, and in no particular order heres Twisted Barbies top three....

1. Want to see pictures of people who should be having fun but look soooo miserable? it's happiest people ever

2. Want to see Goths admitting that they're not all so serious...or will melt in the sun? Try Goths in Hot Weather (I know some of the folks in these photos too which gives the blog extra kudos in my book)

3. Sims 3 storytelling at its best, a heart wrenching story of simulated life gone wrong, heres Alice and Kev

Geography lessons

My boss recently displayed one of the worst knowledges of UK geography I've ever seen. So the office bought a very large UK map and hung it on the wall. This has resulted however in everyone showing a dire need for geography lessons - Theres been far too many exclamations of "ooh that's where X city is, not where I thought!" they've also realised what a small middle of nowhere place Norwich is!

Feeling the crunch?

Unless you live firmly under a large rock in the middle of a desert you will have heard someone banging on about the current economic downturn (aka credit crunch). Its boring me already. Anyway, I was in Lidl at lunchtime today and even there they are trying to beat the credit crunch...
One pence at a time it seems.

Sometimes I'm just slow

There was a girl at the bus stop today who was just screaming to have her photo taken for this blog. I just didn't have the chance to get my phone out fast and discreetly enough to catch her!

Ah well, maybe I'm just slow.

Superheroes - not just an act

On my daily bus ride into town each morning I get to read Metro. Its cheap, leaves newspaper print all over my hands, and sometimes makes me laugh. Page 3, unlike the Sun, usually has their odd story for the day on...Mondays was about real life superheroes all around the world! here worth it for the photos!

Old folks on the loose

I work near a theatre. Thats not a very exciting fact really, and it doesn't cause me any issues in my day to day life. UNTIL>.........I come out of work to see hordes of old people waiting at my bus stop! Honestly I don't think I've seen that many old people in the same place ever! I didn't manage to get a photo of the actual event but heres a scarily accurate image....

Some people just don't know what manners are

Disclaimer before I start.....Don't get me wrong - Living in Edinburgh during the tourist season is a hate-filled time for many residents and I complain about them just as much as the next person.

Even bearing the above statement in mind I was quite disgusted to see last week at the attitude of a bus driver to some very confused American tourists. It was late and they got on a bus and repeatedly asked the driver where they needed to get off. I couldn't hear his response but even my awful knowledge of the city told me that the stop they first asked at was the one they wanted and he didn't tell them. They got into the centre of town, (still asking the driver where they needed to get off) when I felt I had to intervene. I tapped the guy on the shoulder and asked him where he was going. He wasn't totally sure, but knew roughly so I told him where he was if he got off the bus at the next stop and where to go from there. I don't think I've seen anyone more grateful in my life!

Maybe I should go work for the tourist board after all....

Another myth fails...

I was most amused some years back when I first heard of The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. (FSM)

Lately though when seeing the news about somali pirates FSM came back to mind. One of the lovely theories that FSM have (other than that a Flying Spaghetti Monster created the universe) is that that global warming, earthquakes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters are a direct effect of the shrinking numbers of Pirates since the 1800s.

Maybe this new rise in piracy will slow the global warming?...Maybe not then.

Since when???

I like to think that I have some "interesting" ideas on dress sense (when I can be arsed to wear anything other than combats and a t shirt that is) but lately the adverts I've been getting from alternative clothing stores is a bit..well, normal..... heres a couple of examples...



Apart from the models themselves I pretty much fail to see anything alternative about these items.

Maybe I'm just getting too old!

I'll just carry it then...

Last month B-Man and I held a game night at our flat, we play board and card games quite often but we struggled for space a bit when there was a few of us so in advance of the evening we decided to buy a table. Our flat is, well...small, so we needed a table that ideally folded so it wouldn't be in the way. After looking at our options in my beloved IKEA and finding that the ones I liked were waaaaayyy out of our budget we decided to give the charity shops a look. After some well timed luck (as we were paying for one table the (almost) perfect one got wheeled in the door so we swapped!) we found ourselves on a fairly busy city street with a wheelie table.

Its not huge so we figured to get it home we would try for a bus. It was fun navigating it across the road through traffic, but we survived... The bus arrived quickly and we let everyone else get on first then lifted the table up. The driver didn't seem very impressed with this idea and promptly informed us "This is a bus not a bloody van. " I have a feeling I knew that...as I was reaching for my bus pass. We climbed off the bus and were standing deliberating about how to get home when a second bus came along, This time thankfully I stepped on and the driver was fair enough to stand it in the buggy seat.

I'd forgotten all this until I was on another bus the other day and noticed this...I wonder how many buses she had to ask before she got on...

Second coming

In my work I see a lot of names from all over the world, Annabelle waved a form at me Friday from a man named Jesus - Not that unusual really and yes, I'm fully aware that its probably pronounced He-sues - But what did amuse me was that he is currently living in Chigwell, Essex. Home of the mighty Chav. Obviously someone else has met him too as I found this nativity scene on the net....

Bad Barbie!

Two posts in a month! that's awful of me. I'd love to tell you its because I have so much going on but actually there just seems to be nothing that noteworthy happening right now. I have been playing lots of games and I promise to post about those soon (maybe once I stop playing them for more than an hour....damn addictive stuff!)

Barbie voices an opinion

I don't do political or social statements often but there's one current news subject that I have a very strong opinion on so I just can't not give it a mention.

RBS are still insisting that they will be giving their staff bonuses even though the general public seem to be against it and the government (who bolstered the company with £20billion of taxpayers money) are also against it.

I'm not one to usually agree with the government about much but in this case I really can't believe that performance related pay bonuses could or should still be paid if the company in question has done so badly it needed to be bailed out! I know many staff members from within RBS have stated that they need the bonuses to supplement their income and that its only 10/20/30% of their annual wage but I still have no sympathy (its not as if the average staff member of RBS is that badly paid). I have worked for companies that have had similar bonus systems and if they didn't have a good financial year we got no bonus. That's how these things are supposed to work people!

One of the most recent excuses I have read on the subject is that the bank needs to pay the bonuses in order to keep the best staff in their business. With unemployment figures rapidly rising I hardly think the staff will be jumping ship with ideas of getting another job very quickly. Maybe the government should insist that if bonuses are paid the bailout is immediately due to be paid back?

That my view anyway. I don't care who agrees or disagrees. I am currently an RBS customer but I'm rapidly considering moving bank, especially if this goes though. Maybe its only this kind quiet defiance that will wake them up... loosing a lot of customers?

Too old for your tastes?

Whilst travelling into work every day on the bus its normal to hear the strains of music seeping from various MP3 players. Normally the worst offenders seem to be those listening to dance music (probably because of the tone and pitch of the music (and possibly because I don't really complain when someone's listening to something I like!)) I noticed the other day however that one of the annoying bleepy tracks was coming from a guy who was a bit older which just seemed plain wrong. I don't know what I thought happened to dance music fans when they got older but the idea of a 40+ year old listening to it just seems a bit odd. This notion is music genre biased however as I regularly see ageing rock music fans and think nothing of it.

So...
The big question is... Is this

More acceptable than this?

Memories? Noooo

I'm not certain but I think I might have slept through some large chunks of my life so far.... I'm coming to this conclusion because I got sucked into a couple of groups on Facebook that were full of people I went to school with. Apparently. Admittedly there were quite a few who were older/younger than me but plenty of people from my year as well and you know I don't remember any of them! A couple of the names ring a tiny bell but nothing more, even the photos give me no clues. I know I skipped a lot of my high school life (mainly by just not turning up in the first place) but I didn't think it was that bad!

Oh well. Don't suppose I missed much :)

And I still don't act my age...

I'm one of these awful people unfortunately born in January...worse than that, the first week in January (I blame my parents!) anyway this usually means that people have little cash so nights out tend to be a fairly small affair. I arrived at work to find my office decorated with banners and balloons, and my desk littered with 30 shaped sparkles...
As it was my big 30 I managed to convince the 30club that karaoke was a good idea. It took a short look on the net to find a pub in Edinburgh that had a night, so we headed out. Among the gifts I got from workmates were "props" to help my night...

An inflatable guitar and sparkly microphone....

and Dave the balloon (this was tied to my wrist and seemed to have a mind of its own so needed a name as reasoning for it battering anyone standing near me)

As we were leaving straight from work we decided that food would be a good idea, so we stopped at a Wetherspoons for a curry (except Louise who had the very delicate chips and gravy) Two bottle of wine later we thought we should head to the right pub for the karaoke only to spot a large sign in the window advertising it not to start for another 2 hours. Most the group had already said they were only staying until about 8:30 so we diverted to a different pub to wait it out. By the time the Karaoke started only 3 of us were hardy enough to last but we carried on regardless. Surprisingly there was quite a crowd for the night including a group of builders from Birmingham who sneakily bought us a round of cocktails at the end of the night even though we said no! (they asked the barman to just repeat our last order)

It was a great night, lots of chatting to random folk who came over to wish me happy birthday and even a few compliments on my singing voice :)

I'm out with BMan and Gurn tonight so this may be a post continued....

Resolutions? ....Shmeh

I don't do New Year resolutions. I figure that you never stick to them and then just feel bad about it come the end of the year. I have decided to make a couple of changes though, the timing is just a coincidence...

1. Stop wearing clothes that are too big for me
Its a bad habit that comes with low self confidence - trying to hide myself behind big clothes in a useless effort to look smaller. It doesn't work, it just makes me look bigger (and therefore worse) so the spring clean is going to involve any clothes I own over my actual size (except the expensive ones that I will alter) going in a big bag to the charity shop.

2. Be better at doing my "chores"
B-Man puts up with my messy kitchen and piles of washing up, but I think he really shouldn't have to so I'm making a concerted effort to be tidier. I'm also a bit slow at getting stuff (it took me at least 4 months to order some hoover bags!) so I plan to try harder at that too!