Sadly, I don’t…very well

Give me a radio any day. But I’m a sucker for useless information

How do you manage screen time for yourself?

To be quite honest, in this activity, despite all my good intentions, my management of screen time is sadly, quite poor.

I’ve probably mentioned many times in the past that I do not watch a great deal of television. The occasional football game, the news and maybe a documentary or two is about all I care to watch, in total hourly intake, it’s probably no more than a few hours a week. I have always been more of a radio person, I’d sooner have a radio on as a background accompaniment, I’m an audiophile before being a videophile that’s for true.

But, my downfall is a thirst for knowledge, or useless information, which ever way you look at it. This little box of tricks that masquerades as a telephone, currently in my mits, being frantically typed into with squinted vision is my downfall.

I do a lot of research for a number of reasons, study, hobbies etc, but I’m easily distracted, too easily distracted in many cases. If something funny or humorous pops up, I’m hooked like a big game fish on a long line, and I’m fighting all the way.

The whole social media thing doesn’t really get me excited in any way, apart from WordPress maybe, or an occasional foray into YouTube, I really don’t do the social media thing. Why’s that? You ask, it’s bloody toxic I tell ya, and to be honest I can find enough drama within my own family structure without getting involved in anyone else’s, and to be truthful, blatant nastiness just isn’t my thing. I like to think I operate at a much higher level of respect and kindness than what I witness in those turgid cesspools of nastiness.

We’ve tried all kinds of house hold bans on the phones such as banning them from the bedroom, these work for a while and then they gradually start to creep back in again so we simply just give up.

I guess like it or not it’s here to stay and we have all become totally engrossed with the modern technology readily available in our pockets.

I don’t think, as I suspect is the case with a lot of people, that we manage screen time well at all. It seems to me that screen time is managing us, and we’re all in just a little too deep to be able to come up for air.

If you want control it then you need to take control of it, and be stubborn and harsh and direct, with firm actions to control it. Once you’re hooked though, it’s goodnight Vienna, no amount of stubbornness is going to help you back up.

And on that note, have a wonderful day. (Whilst reading this on your phone, tablet or whatever – see, you’re already fighting a losing battle)

Disappointment and football

First day off in a while recently. It was a lovely day and it was entirely spent with the wife. A lovely day but she had to put the mockers on it.

“Do you fancy going to football tonight?” She said, I stood looking at her in shock, what a way to ruin a lovely day.

Let me add some substance here, in that we are both season ticket holders at Leicester city. Anyone who follows football will now realise my predicament. We are not a football team really, we are a collection of eleven blokes who just don’t know what the hell they are doing on the pitch, however tonight we broke another record, the first team ever to fail to score a goal in eight consecutive home games. We really are the bad. We are dire. And we have a manger who is like a little rabbit caught in the headlights. He’s out of his depth, bless him.

Anyway I don’t want to bore non football fans as you don’t really deserve that.

Anyway I quite reluctantly agreed to go, so attired in the team colours off we trudged.

Game starts.

45 minutes later at half time we are leaving the stadium, we are 3 goals down, we have played awful, and the only fun and laughs we have had is listening to the away fans taking the mickey out of us all, they were very good at this.

It was disappointing to say the least, but do you know what neither of us were surprised or affected, we just realised that we had made a poor decision and went home and had a drink to laugh at it all.

And there is my question. When does feeling disappointed become acceptable and normal?

This is what the internet says;

Disappointment becomes “normal” when it’s a frequent, yet manageable part of life, rather than a persistent source of distress. It’s about learning to accept that not everything goes as planned and finding ways to cope with setbacks, rather than avoiding them altogether.

Google

And that’s what being a football supporter (At least at our club) is, in a nutshell.

Being so bad has taken us beyond being a persistent source of distress to becoming a frequent more manageable part of our life. And we just have to accept we are really that bad and take it just like a friendly slap on the back. Something is wrong at the KP and needs attending to.

Good I’m glad I’ve cleared that up then.

Have a wonderful day, be happy.

Optimism & realism

Write about your dream home.

My optimistic side would say i’d love to live somewhere warm, who wouldn’t? I’d probably live in my favourite destination and that is the Western side of Cyprus. The people are friendly, the weather is warm and even the winter months can allow you the freedom of still being able to wear shorts. Yes, my old aching bones say that, that is the place for me.

However my realistic side thinks different.

I live in an old 1930’s house that did not have an ounce of insulation in its core fabric. Was it warmer back then? I think not. I am in a most fortunate position that our little old creaking, cold and demanding abode is ours. We are very fortunate.

I sit here writing about dream homes, when some people are dreaming for just a home, thats the problem, realising a dream. Sometimes its just out of reach. And here i am now thinking just what an idiot i am when in theory i have it all. Well, I don’t actually have it all, but in the eyes of many I’m well off. But i would have to disagree with that, comfortable yes, wealthy definitely not. What we have has taken a lot of self sacrifice, a lot of effort and more downs than there has been ups. We are nothing if not survivors, as are many others out there. We are bordering on retirement. It’s been a struggle to say the least.

So let’s approach this subject again probably from the angle i should have done in the first place.

I have an old house, it’s comfortable but cold in winter, and i love it. I wouldn’t ever want to be anywhere else and i am thankful for what i have and for those i have around me. I’m thankful to those who come into our little home and share the good and not so good times with us. Why would i ever wish to live abroad when i already live in my dream home. A new location does not fulfil the dream, those around you, the familiar landmarks and all those memories that we are creating on a daily basis are what make that thing of beauty. The bad times we learn from, we move on and become wiser.

This is my dream home. even though it’s bloody chilly.

Stay safe and warm. Peace to all.

Leader or worker ant?

Do you see yourself as a leader?

No. I’ve done it and put my spin on it in the distant past, but I didn’t enjoy it. I believe I was good at it as I do care about others and their welfare, but I think you can concentrate on that aspect at the detriment of getting a task done.

In general the Definition of a good leader is someone to coach, guide and inspire others.

Someone needs to tell the company I work for about that as to be honest, if you’ve spent your entire working history doing university degrees and have had very little social contact in the workplace then you’re the one. It’s not just the graduates, it’s those who seem to get the jobs who just don’t know how to work with people. They seem to think because they are a leader they have somehow increased their status in society despite not having a Scooby doo about what they are doing.

I can honestly say I have not met what I would class as a good leader in my entire working life.

The last good leader I met was a fantastic man who was my year four teacher in primary school back in the late 70s. God he was good, and has inspired me to this day.

Considering this, I believe I was below average as a leader as were all the others I have met along the way.

A true leader is a special person. If you are very lucky you might meet one genuine one in your life. The rest are probably just bullied and harassed worker ants who selfishly believe they are good.

Have a good day.

Thoughts 25/5/24

What does “having it all” mean to you? Is it attainable?

To me having it all means having enough to be happy. I’m happy with my lot, I have a good life, I’m closer to being poor than rich but I have all I need in my life. My family, my memories, my dreams and ambitions, I don’t have it all in terms of possessions power or money, I don’t envy what others have, I admire them for how they have obtained their good fortune and the hard work they have put into that achievement.

I have what I want, I have the people around me that I want around me, I have happiness and I’m content.

I have it all in my eyes.

Stay safe.