The latest in ideas from people who have far to much time on their hands…check out these Knokkers!
I reckon it’d taken some balls to sell this in to your local!
Ha ha…geddit? Balls?
Oh never mind!
Commuting Gems…Great Knokkers?
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Category Archives: Commuting Gems
The Art of Mindfulness…Music To My Ears
During the week, I was flicking through Wednesday’s free-issue Stylist magazine when I came across a piece on The Art Of Mindfulness which postulates that, with technology at our fingertips and able to deliver (almost) every whim and passing fancy, we have lost the ability to live in the now.
“The internet felt like an amazing opportunity but it’s made us slaves. And unable to live in the now.”
Both Susan Maushart (In The Winter Of Our Discontent) and David E Mayer (director of University of Michigan‘s Brain Cognition and Action Laboratory) suggest that multi-tasking is a myth and that what we are actually experiencing is the brain focusing and re-focusing so quickly on consecutive tasks that we are left feeling forgetful and unfulfilled.
I was quite inspired by this notion of being in the ‘now’ so I spent the back half of last week resisting the temptation to flit between facebook, emails, sms-ing and reading during my commute – ‘trying the idea on’ so to speak. I heard the classical strains of Vivaldi as I passed through Vauxhall Station in the morning, saw the gorgeous pink sunset from the train window on Thursday night (no photo to share because I was just looking at and enjoying it) and laughed until my eyes watered at my Turkish friend’s rendition of an 80s-song-to-remain-unnamed (because I can’t remember it!) on Friday night’s commute.
So this morning I was catching up on some of my fellow bloggers musings from the week and in the spirit of mindfulness, read with single-minded determination (that means all the way through – that’s right, from beginning to end – in one sitting) the latest post from Seen The Elephant about expat Russian accordionist Alexander Sheykin. Click here, be still, and be moved by some of the most beautiful and haunting music I’ve ever experienced.
And all through the wonders of the internet.
Commuting Gems…Wakin’ To Bacon…
Some mornings manage to lighten my lengthy commute with a giggly pearl or two and just ten minutes of flicking through the free Metro newspaper on the first stage of this morning’s trip yielded another gem I couldn’t wait to share with you.
I bring you the latest in alarm clock buffoonery…
Yes, it is a clock.
Yes, that is cooked bacon in the little drawer.
And yes, it is built in the shape of a wooden pig!
(What, you missed that? Look a little closer peeps!)
Some people just have too much time on their hands…
Motivation Is An Inside Job…
One of the things that drops into my inbox each week is a newletter from Dr Alan Zimmerman, a motivational keynote speaker whose Tuesday Tip brings his thoughts on attitude, motivation, teamwork, communications and work relationships right into my mid week commute.
I have often been fascinated by this whole idea that the ‘universe provides’, that there is an energy in the universe that means if you do the things that move you in the direction you want to go in, the path seems to open up before you, signposts and all.
Those who know me well know that the last few weeks have been difficult to say the least and while the path is yet to materialise (it’s just one step at a time at the mo’), this week’s Tuesday Tip, Motivation Is An Inside Job, seemed to be a great signpost for the weeks and months ahead.
Dr Zimmerman starts by saying that no-one is 100% motivated 100% of the time (no really?), that external sources of motivation can not really be counted on ad infinitum (no sh*t Sherlock!), that the best source of motivation lies within ourselves (obviously!) and then goes on to provide some hints and tips on being your own motivational generator (which you can read for yourself by clicking here if you really want to).
But that’s not what inspired me to get tap-tap-tapping here at my front window. His thoughts actually reminded me of something I heard 8-9 years ago from a course leader with Landmark Education:
When you take responsibility for your own happiness, others show up as a gift.
Think about it: imagine being able to generate your own happiness in spite of your circumstances. Then others don’t have to bear the burden of delivering happiness to you, all gift-wrapped with a big shiny bow.
I don’t necessarily mean we need to be happy all the time (personally, and particularly right now, I would find that exhausting) but consider taking responsibility for all the feelings we have and not that they are caused by someone else.
Powerful….and scary…stuff. Because then there would be no-one else to blame…
…but me.
Damn! Poor-me-ness has been foiled again. Quick, get back under that duvet before I start waxing on about the buck stops here and all that malarky…
…even though it really does.
ps..just to leave you with something else a little motivational (or otherwise depending on your point of view)…the widget thingy says there are only 48 days til Christmas…
Bah Humbug!
Motivation is an inside job
One of the things that drops into my inbox each week is a newletter from Dr Alan Zimmerman, a motivational keynote speaker whose Tuesday Tip brings his thoughts on attitude, motivation, teamwork, communications and work relationships right into my mid week commute.
I am often fascinated by this whole idea that the ‘universe provides’, that there is an energy in the universe that means if you do the things that move you in the direction you want to go in, the path seems to open up before you, signposts and all.
Those who know me well know that the last few weeks have been difficult to say the least and while the path is yet to materialise (it’s just one step at a time at the mo’), this week’s Tuesday Tip, Motivation Is An Inside Job, seemed to be a great signpost for the weeks and months ahead.
Dr Zimmerman starts by saying that no-one is 100% motivated 100% of the time (no really?), that external sources of motivation can not really be counted on ad infinitum (no sh*t Sherlock!), that the best source of motivation lies within ourselves (obviously!) and then goes on to provide some hints and tips on being your own motivational generator.
But that’s not what inspired me to get tap-tap-tapping here at my front window. His thoughts actually reminded me of something I heard 8-9 years ago from a course leader with Landmark Education:
When you take responsibility for your own happiness, others show up as a gift.
Think about it: imagine being able to generate your own happiness in spite of your circumstances. Then others don’t have to bear the burden of delivering happiness to you, all gift-wrapped with a big shiny bow.
I don’t necessarily mean we need to be happy all the time (personally, and particularly right now, I would find that exhausting) but consider taking responsibility for all the feelings we have and not that they are caused by someone else.
Powerful….and scary…stuff. Because then there would be no-one else to blame…
…but me.
Damn! Poor-me-ness has been foiled again. Quick, get back under that duvet before I start waxing on about the buck stops here and all that malarky…
…even though it really does.
ps..just to leave you with something else a little motivational (or otherwise depending on your point of view)…the widget thingy says there are only 48 days til Christmas…
Bah Humbug!
Frisson Folly…
I finished a rather cracking read during my commuting odyssey this week – Boyd Morrison‘s The Noah’s Ark Quest. It was full of all my favourite things in an unputdownable read – history, adventure, subterfuge and a will-they-or-won’t-they-make-it race against time. Excellent material for absorbing oneself completely in a world divorced from the sopping brollies and damp humanity on the train this week.
And then it was spoiled.
Not completely but the brilliance of the ride was tarnished slightly by that most insidious of plot spoilers.
Romance, or for want of a better word, Chemistry…between the protagonists.
I’m not against a bit of frisson in my reading material. In fact far from it. But I like my frisson to be relevant to the plot whether it be those all time frisson classics, Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice or a bit of chick-lit by the likes of Sophie Kinsella or Tasmina Perry. And when I choose to read books like these, I’m choosing the chemistry, romance, and lust that they promise.
It seems to me that modern adventuring tales follow a ‘formula’ which features a ‘ruggedly handsome’ fella and a strong/intelligent (sometimes both) and ‘beautiful’ woman who spend most of the story either pretending there’s no chemistry or avoiding acting on the it (as it would not be wise to distract themselves from the mission at hand). Only to fall prey to each others charms after some near death incident…
Bo-o-o-o-oring. Bored bored bored bored bored! Leave my action-packed thrillers alone guys! If I want the rollercoaster excitement of Space Mountain, I don’t want to be treated to an It’s a Small World boat ride in the middle!
So I deducted half a star from my 5-star rating on WeRead for The Noah’s Ark Quest…
Rant over…for now.
ps…only 17 sleeps to go on the Lil Chicky Birthday Countdown…
Commuting Gems…The Midlife Manual…
Each weekend I buy the Saturday Times newspaper and each Monday I pack The Times Magazine into my handbag to while away my trip to work. Reading is one of the true joys of commuting (vs driving) for me and I tend to move from magazines to books and back again (alongside my daily topup of free news and views in the Metro) as the week progresses. Anyway, sometimes I find some gems…and it wasn’t until last night’s journey home that I dug out last weekend’s magazine and read an extract from the book billed to be ‘the funniest of the year’, The Midlife Manual.
Having only just turned 41, I have not really considered myself to be mid-life (although in a purely literal and slightly morbid sense, 82 is not a bad innings). And admittedly I didn’t say ‘Yes’ to many of the statements in the opening questionnaire although 14. (Tired. Just really, really tired.) and 16. (And angry. Christ, where does that anger come from? Why did no one prepare you for it.) struck a bit of a chord. But it was turning the page and reading the following list that had me nodding in vigorous agreement:
Things that pass for excitement these days
A double espresso
Amen to that – the ONLY way to end a great meal!
A new organic cafe opening on your high street
Is there really? I didn’t hear about it. Oh no there’s not? Well we definitely need one!
The arrival of the new Boden catalogue
And the discount vouchers contained therein.
Finishing Wolf Hall
I read the back cover of someone else’s copy at work and I’m REALLY interested in reading this. Does this mean I am on the threshold rather than in the thick of mid-life?
A bountiful tomato harvest from your grow bag
Remember my ‘news from the patch’ exploits last year? Those tomatoes were so beautifully sweet.
Ordering dessert
Another amen to that most holy of trios – cheesecake, pecan pie and tiramisu.
Successful erection of flat-pack furniture
Given that I have been doing this since my 20s, does this mean I was old before my time? Erk!
Being out in town after 11.30pm
…in the middle of winter and marvelling at the hordes of ‘young people’ wandering around wearing ‘not very much’…it makes me feel colder/older just looking at them.
Finding out someone famous has moved in across the street from you
Rick Astley lives in the next street – does he still count as famous?
The fact there’s an Argos iPhone app
I hate Argos. Hate them, hate them, hate them (see earlier reference to anger). It’s a long story from more than 5 years ago. And I’m still hanging on to it.
Losing 2lb
The only upside in morning after hangovers (when did these get so hard?) and illness. Water retention is such a curse!
Cupcakes
So sweet and pretty at first, like a 6 year old girl’s birthday party.
The cleanup afterwards though? Not so great…lifetime on the hips and all that.
The cleanup afterwards though? Not so great…lifetime on the hips and all that.
Beating a younger colleague at squash
I haven’t done this – does that mean I am not yet mid-life (aka desparately clutching at straws)?
A racy storyline in the Archers
What is Archers please?
The first of the season’s asparagus in your vegbox
Bless them – so tender and just perfect in a spring risotto.
Buggar me (in the Australian sense please!). When did this happen? And given I’ve ticked off most of these exciting things, I am now starting to wonder what’s left…so I’m off before stocks run out – you can buy The Midlife Manual on Amazon too if you want…but stand in line, ok? I got here first!
Note to JF: I think this will be the best use of birthday Amazon voucher! Thanks mate x
Winning the Bread…When the Universe Provides…
One of the benefits of commuting on a Wednesday, is the free issue of Stylist, a weekly mag distributed at railway stations by a tribe of fellas prepared to brave the elements. So every Wednesday, all crimped with chill and purposeful crowd-drifting, as I am accosted, trotting through the arched walkway from Waterloo Station to the bus, I grab this little bundle of fab pics and easy reads in preparation for my return train journey that evening…
As I read this week’s on the tube home, elbow to elbow with my fellow commuters, I was drawn into Dawn Porter’s ‘Who wants to be the breadwinner?’ and while it’s a great question (and a great read from Miss Porter), it also made me think about the independent women (namely me) who win the bread just for themselves (again, yours truly).
I am in a wonderful relationship and we are very independent financially. I have been this way my whole life – having seen first-hand the financial fall-out when circumstances change in a relationship – and have always been proud that I work hard, earn well and can reward myself rather than rely on someone else’s financial means or their generosity to do this for me.But I am with someone who has been married and was (and to a degree still is) the breadwinner so suddenly I’ve been able to see the non-bread-winner in a different light. And I sometimes wonder at my being so independent and proud and resourceful…when times are tough, there’s someone else to ‘sort it’ or rely on and from the outside, the apparent ‘safety net’ looks pretty appealing.
But the other part of me still kind of rears up at the thought of not being the source of my life and responsible for my circumstances…and maybe I couldn’t ever let go of that drive to create and fight for the life I want…but the older I get and the more ‘lessons’ that life dishes out, those black and white views get a little grey and from time to time, a little part of me wonders why I want what I want and make choices which take me down difficult roads.
That night when I got home, I flicked through a magazine which had been sitting there for a few days and I read this:
To live content with small means;
to seek elegance rather than luxury;
and refinement rather than fashion;
to be worthy, not respectable; and
wealthy, not rich; to study hard, think
quietly, talk gently, act frankly…to
listen to stars and buds, to babes and
sages, with an open heart; await occasions,
hurry never…this is my symphony.
– William Henry Channing
Funny isn’t it that when you let the question come to the surface, the universe finds a way to answer you?
Let the music play on…
Gidday from the UK 