Luck It's strange somedays, how luck seems to play its part. Sometimes we could say that we have good luck and sometimes the bad. Do the times of bad luck come from good luck wasted and missed opportunities to help others? Does karma exist or is it a case of shit happens and good days and bad days? It almost sounds crazy, and could well be from a general good mood, but I had one of those rare good days, which has so far rolled into two! I travel for a living. I don't have a job that means I drive, or fly, or do anything to control my destination personally, but, I am in continuous transit of some kind. I guess we're all in transit in some way, shape, or form, but I, over the last few months have spent many hours above the clouds and many days at sea ad plenty of hours in trains and various automobiles. I think the only form of transport taken this year, is that if the two wheeled variety, or that of the four legged persuasion, which the main four legged being horses and anyone having seen the second instalment of the Sherlock Holmes movies, will perhaps remember his statement about horses, being something along the lines of "they are dangerous at both ends, and unpredictable in the middle!"....Anyway, back to my main point of luck and also, for my own memory for when I read this later, lucky numbers for me....maybe! So, does good luck and bad luck exist or do we make our own depending on our mindset? I can openly say I've had a bloody lucky couple of days. It all started with making rice crispie cakes. Yes, that does sound both odd and complete bollocks, but its true. I had rather an unfortunate cooked/split batch of chocolate while melting it before adding the rice crispies, which anyone that has ballsed up melting chocolate before will know is incredibly annoying......anyway, after making two trips on foot to the nearest shop which happens to be just about a mile from my house, I did think I was having a major bad luck session, as these were being made as a contribution to a wedding buffet, but that is not important and again, I'm bloody waffling! So, 2 walks, 4 miles, 5 bars of chocolate (in total), 30 seconds in the microwave (much against my better judgement and dislike if microwave cooking) and around 50 crispie cakes later, things had turned out ok. So knowing I had not let anyone down in the end, I awoke the next morning with a fresh faced view on things and decided to take the last few hours before travel as they came. I won't hot into the next numbers in much detail, as if they do happen to be lucky numbers ad worth putting in the lottery, then I should not be sharing them! Or perhaps I should? While waiting for my girlfriend, who I might add, has to put up with this babbling shit in person, I went about my day in the wonderfully small city with which our rural county has been blessed. Upon my first shop visit, I had decided to purchase some travel items, for which I was given some free, which is always most welcome! The next, I would go to a themed barber, when at the end of having my pitifully thinning hair cuts and my ears lowered from my ever receding hairlines I went to present the barber with money, I did not have to pay. The next would be the purchase of a rather nice tweed jacket with corduroy shoulder patches, which was half of its original price. Next I would go to my favourite pub, where I was given a sample being about a 1/4 of a pint of a new beer to see if I like it. Then, when ordering pizza for a final dinner before going, there was also a saving on that! I know a lot of that is related to money and within those purchases, others were thought of and gifts were bought too, but after all of that babbling waffle of nonsense, was all of that because I went to the effort of trying my best to make sure that a small item such as crispie cakes were made as nice as possible for a wedding and that karma exists, or is it just good days bad days and no such thing as luck or lucky numbers could really play a part? I don't think there's an answer, but I may look at the numbers and buy a lotto ticket when I get home.....if I don't win, I'll tell you the numbers! Hahaha!

My Introduction Starting a story, or even knowing where to start a conversation when first meeting someone, or first talking to someone is something I've always struggled with, from the awkward eye contact to even forcing the word 'hullo', to come from my uncharacteristically quiet mouth. To those that know me, for me to say I'm shy is like sunbathing at nighttime.. It does not make sense, or come closets what they know as the truth. A series of blurts and babbles and for lack of a better term, utter shit ( or perhaps verbal diarrhoea ) would pour from my lips or even as now, from my hands to the keyboard, probably much as the words are falling onto the screen now! So I suppose the next thoughts will be, what is this about? And who am I? This will be merely about observations throughout the #life of a pessimist, atheist and generally a glass half empty kind of person. I am forever the grumpiest bastard I know and very much believe in the Pareto principle....I say believe, I believe there is an 80/20 divide, but I believe that it's more like 80% of the time, I am right, 80% of the time, things are in fact shit. If I believe this, then when that little 20% happens, I am pleasantly surprised with #life's little surprise outcome and have an extra spring in my step, and if I'm right, well then I'm the most smug bastard with an 'I told you so' attitude and remain grumpy and knowing better than those who would be ever optimistic and let down. I realise that this almost describes a manic behaviour with moods in great peaks and troughs, but it is all part of who I am. I didn't study English literature or attend university, or even finish the college course that I had taken. Following a childhood dream of wanting to be Slash from Guns'n'Roses, I had taken music and commenced with perusing the ream of becoming a rockstar. Looking back at it, I should have gone for something even more unrealistic like an astronaut, as at least then I may have studied more science and useful things which would help with the stacking shelves or managing a McDonalds with other post graduates.....oh what a complete bastard for saying that! Of course, I do not mean it. Having worked at a McDonalds as my first job, I can assure you, that there were very few people that could spell physics let alone sit in a classroom and good heavens, get a degree in it! Anyway, if I did push myself that little bit harder, then maybe work would be easier to come by, I would be more self disciplined and would have earned the right to wear tweed, drink tea and even made some better choices in #life. Having said that, I never regret the choices made, as they were made for a reason and all another stitch in the rich tapestry of #life! I do not in any way have a bad #life it must be said. I have made some poor choices and have been left with scars and consequences, but they have pushed this bitter old (not that old) pessimist, to better himself, even to the point of travelling the world and checking that other people are doing the right thing! Somehow, being a miserable bastard who thinks he knows right, makes me more of a people person and personally I think that is complete arse. I'll never be a people person and would gladly go for a walk in the rain rather than be in a room full of people who wish to converse with me about things I have no interest in. I am Victor Meldrew, Eeyore and Rabbit and a plethora of other grumpy and miserable characters in one, but yet, others look towards me for comfort, sometimes guidance and occasionally knowledge, yet I don't have the foggiest idea why!?! I'm realising as I slowly read back what I'm writing, that I have already started to babble, which can only mean I'm not entirely comfortable with writing down something that as far as I know at the moment, nobody will ever read. Will I put this in a blog? If I do, it'll damn sure be anonymous and I'll try my best not to give away names, but if anyone I know does read it, they may know its me. To my friends I am loyal and to my piers I am respectful (for the respectful side of things we will go with the 20% of the time and 80% being a cheeky bastard! ). To my family, I am a son and a brother and to my girlfriend, I am no doubt and eternal pain in the behind and a burden of uncomprehendingly gigantic proportions, but at the end of the day, each and every one of them accept me for who I am. A moaning pessimistic git. I do have to add, that I'm also thoughtful and generous to those who deserve it, so if I don't bring you a gift when I travel, or offer you a drink in a pub, or request your time and company, chances are, I don't like you and am just being polite when you're waisting valuable oxygen from the same room that you are fortunate enough to be in with me. Yes, he has claws and teeth and a very loud bark when tired. Truth be told, I'm a very big dog that in fact would sooner be scratch behind the ears. Ok, enough bollocks and analogies and on with #life's little observations about a Brit abroad and at home and what it's like to be someone that you the reader, should hope NOT to be!