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@chrisgpackham flogging his calendar in a tongue in cheek way ;)

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Its OK to listen to doubt, only the arrogant are certain all the time

I wrote this Twitter post this morning after having some recent conversations with some of my friends. Seems we have a lot of children we know with doubts and low self esteem. I was just saying its ok to have doubts in life. Don’t hide those doubts, embrace them and know your probably giving life the consideration it deserves.

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Christmas Decorations away (in the Loft/Attic)

Christmas Decorations ready to be put away for another year 😦

I set about putting the house back to normal this morning. Its yearly ritual of 1st week of December get the decorations and the tree out, set the house up as if its a cheap 70’s Christmas card and then the 2nd of January take them down again. Speaking to friends and family, I think its the same in most British households who celebrate Christmas. (it would seem feedback from followers and readers suggest that everyone does different days but basically the same)

The Loft/Attic (literally and metaphorically)

The loft in most British homes is a storage area, above the highest floor in the house (essentially the roof space). Now whilst I was up in the loft/Attic I discovered things that I knew we owned, things I never knew we owned, things we knew but had forgotten, and things that I wish we had forgot! Its all up there!!

Things in my loft/Attic

  1. Clothes which I promised I would fit back in (next year) ((Happily I can now get them all down and try them))
  2. About 11 bags ?? Yes I am a straight married man but I love laptop bags and suitcases!!
  3. JigSaws, and board games
  4. Laptop parts and printers
  5. Paintings from relatives (sadly no Picasso’s)

Final Thought

We all have lofts/attics either literal in houses and/or metaphorical in our minds and maybe just perhaps one weekend soon a clearing out of the loft is a worthy task. We can all do with clearing out the dark corners of our houses and the dark corners in our minds once in a while! its therapeutic, its useful and it dare I say its essential. Who knows you may discover things about you and your things which you had forgotten.

Be Great – N –

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I have a New Years Evening confession (I can’t keep it a secret any longer)

Confession

OK, I admit it… I like to see the New Year in with my MacBook Air, some light snacks and a radio 😦 I dont care if it makes me seem sad or old!. I just don’t like ‘forced fun’ oh its this whole, manufactured celebration business. I cannot abide Auld Lang Syne tradition!! I simply despise it all.

No Spoiling!

Oh I know I must sound a grouch but I don’t mean to be. I am not stopping anyone else doing it I just want to be able to state this without looking like I am either criticising others or spoiling their fun. So if we are buddies already and you are reading this, I would love to go out with you to celebrate on anyother night in a genuine way but leave me alone on 31st December.

Have a great new Years Eve (How you like to celebrate it, not how you think people would like you to celebrate it)

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My Less – More List for 2013

I have not made resolutions for a few years now but instead created a Less – More List, which is more a mandate for movement in the right direction than an absolute resolution which is broken so quickly in January. So have a look at my Less and More and tell me what you think?

less Web browsing, more reading

less indoors, more outdoors

less clutter, more space

less rush, more slowness

less consuming, more creating

less busywork, more impact

less driving, more walking

less noise, more solitude

less on land, more in/on water

less focus on the future, more on the present

less work, more play

less worry, more smiles

What do you think?

Thats my list, do you think this idea might help you keep on the right track in 2013? – Be Great – N –

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My favourite words and why!?

One night..

So I sat with my daughter Natalie reading her latest English assignment and I was really impressed by her use of language and in particular the use of colourful words. We talked for a while on words and then she asked this question…

Natty: Whats your favourite word Dad?

Ethernat (Dad): Thats a great question Natty, I never considered that seriously, let me think..

Hmmm…

In the space of 10 minutes I came up with the following words: Endeavour, Hubris, Hemidemisemiquaver and Vixen. I did not explain why there and then but I gave it some thought today and here is my reasons why.

Endeavour

I’ve always liked this word as it describes basically a task but more poetic and carries withit a sense of promise. Def: “a purposeful or industrious undertaking (especially one that requires effort or boldness”

Hubris

overbearing pride or presumption… every time i have used this in a sentence its been met with a ? look… but Hubris is a fav too…

Hemidemisemiquaver

I’ve always loved that this eight-syllable word refers to one of the shortest note values in music. “hemidemisemiquaver” is a sixty-fourth note, which is usually played very quickly. Back in the more poetic 1500’s someone came up with the name “quaver” for what we call an eighth note (earlier than that, someone else chose the decidedly less poetic term “crotchet” its a quarter note apparently). As you divide the eighth note in half, you add prefixes to “quaver” until you get to the delightful “hemidemisemiquaver.”

Vixen

Because it was always used to describe a woman with less than perfect morals. There is something very sexy and playful about this word. I even like the way it looks written with the “x” displayed at its center. I am sure this is all very Freudian.

Penultimate

Although penultimate is essentially unimportant — next to last — it carries an exciting connotation. Its going to happen – or be over soon.

What are your favourite words and why? come on Share up…