Jack Bauer

I've done something very bad. I've just bought the third series of 24 on eBay. Now it might not exactly sound like a crime worthy of punishment, however seeing that the first two series have been taking over our lives its probably not a good idea to delve straight in to the third series. When will it all end? At this rate we'll be watching a whole series over a 24 hour period, living our lives at the same rate as Jack Bauer, with the occasional break for food and a quick nap between beeps. Thank God I value sleep and earning money over watching TV. Only just, mind...

Thursday 17th August 2006

It is raining hard with thunder and lightening. The cars are sloshing as they drive past my window and there are loud dripping noises in the backyard. I tried to look from inside my house to see if the drain pipes were leaking but I couldn't tell. I can just hear the rain and its interaction with the outside world. Nothing outside can escape the water- it's everywhere.

Catherine

Yahoo Avatar and Hinduism

Just started to think about the notion of avatars and thought I'd post a blog.

An interesting term derived from the Sanskrit 'descent' (of a deity from heaven).

In Hinduism 'avatar' refers to the incarnation of a higher being onto planet Earth.

An avatar is also the graphical representation of a real person in Cyberspace, allegedly made popular by Neal Stephenson's novel 'Snow Crash'.

It's an interesting concept which, despite having had many avatars, I've only just began to think about...

...my Cyber form descending into an electronic world.

...manifesting myself in a form which could be appreciated by many.

The internet is a world and has a cycle, much like the Hindu cycle of creation, evolution and destruction.

(I do not think the internet will be destroyed yet, although that depends on its development and the development within the society it exists.)

This cycle of rebirth (relating to Hinduism) is tied up in the notion of our modern electronic avatar and suits the landscape of the World Wide Web very well.

The cycle "creation, evolution and destruction" describes all living creatures and all living ideas.

In Hinduism many claim that avatars represent the evolution of life and of people on earth. They often represented the current state of society, much like we personally chose to represent ourselves in different ways by constantly changing our electronic avatar.

My avatar will not aid humanity in difficult times though- I imagine.

I like the idea of an ever changing electronic representation of myself. It mirrors both my internal and external world.

So I say hurray for the modern electronic avatars and the English language- a great word and concept!!!

I urge you all to 'ava-go' acquire your own avatar!

My graphical representation (for now):



Catherine

Superheroes and Villains

On Saturday 27th May, Jamie and I attended Sarah's Superheroes and Villains fancy dress party in Manchester.

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Jamie chose to go dressed as a villainous pirate, whereas I opted for a hero - Blossom from the Powerpuff girls (well obviously!) I didn't quite save the world before bedtime; instead I stayed up late, got drunk and ate way too much dip - not the appropriate behaviour of a shining pre-schooler.

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Much fun was had with lots of random people, mostly falling into the categories of doing a PhD or attendees of a pub quiz. Sarah (the hostess) was dressed as She-Ra, Nicola as Catwoman, Jen as one of the Avengers and Matt as a Ninja (not wrinkly).

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Sarah in her new abode has two bathrooms, a park and some very posh patio doors. For most of the night I believed she also had deer- this turned out to be a joke.

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Despite much discussion surrounding the topic of bottom washing, I did not try out the bidet.

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I drank vodka for the first time from a water pistol, I felt apprehensive at first especially as the shooter was a cheeky faced Matt - but it turned out to be fun.

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The pistol liquid tasted like plastic, indicating that it was probably not a sensible way to consume vodka. Perhaps the manufacturer had issued an advice of use list with the water pistol, it would be very long if so

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I have begun to realise the numerous and exciting uses of water pistols many of which, at present, remain unrealised dreams.

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Catherine

Liverpool and other thoughts

It’s been an interesting week. Monday was a bank holiday, and Cat and I took the opportunity to explore the Merseyside coast. We went to Formby (via a garden centre cafe), where we saw two red squirrels, and we walked on the sand dunes. However the wind was too strong, blowing sand everywhere. The next day I was still finding sand in my ears!

We then drove to Crosby to see Anthony Gormley’s Another Place. It’s certainly an interesting use of the beach at Crosby – quite a sight. The installation is moving to New York in November, so I was keen to see it while we still had the chance. I don’t think I could quite justify the trip to New York to see some sculptures stuck in the sand.

My work currently involves a great deal of travel. However this week it has been limited to the North West, which is fine by me. So all my meetings this week were in Manchester and Liverpool – currently my two favourite cities. In particular I’m fascinated by Liverpool, and its architecture and the people. The architecture is the grandest I’ve seen in the UK outside London, and the latter are friendliest I’ve met in England.

The history of Liverpool, in particular the Victorian era, is evident throughout the city, particularly around the waterfront. My work also means that I’m lucky enough to visit a number of the most impressive buildings in Liverpool, including India Buildings, the Cunard Building (one of the Three Graces), and the former headquarters of Martins Bank (which merged with Barclays in the 1960s).

Some of the most impressive buildings can be found at the Albert Dock - apparently the largest set of Grade 1 listed buildings in the UK. In fact this is where Cat and myself stayed on Thursday night – at the Express by Holiday Inn at Albert Dock. The unique setting of the hotel meant that this was probably the most individual Holiday Inn that I’ve stayed in (and I’ve stayed in a fair few). Its certainly a creative and modern use of such an historic building. Far too often historic buildings in the UK have fallen into disrepair and have been knocked down to be replaced by soulless modern buildings.

So why were we staying in Liverpool? A combination of business and Bic Runga! Bic Runga, a singer/songwriter from New Zealand played the Liverpool Academy on Thursday night. I’d previously seen Bic Runga at the Scala (near Kings Cross in London) last month, but Catherine hadn’t had the chance to see her. So we went to see her in Liverpool, and she was fantastic! Plus she was also staying at the same hotel as us, as we discovered at breakfast time!

All in all, a good week. Next week I’ll be spending a good proportion of my time in Croydon, which is (grudgingly) my second home.

The Wedding

Weddings are a time of pointy, heeled shoes and awkward dresses. Times of waiting to take off a stiff old hat and eating way too much. A time to talk to random people and have a good cry. A whirligig of emotion in best dress.

Definitely a good excuse to have random conversations with people you don’t know, often drunk people who have lost their wife. Perhaps a person who’s been looking for the cloakroom for the last hour to store their hat. People get very confused. The day is so long by the time it gets to 8 o clock and six glasses of wine later - you’ve kicked off your tired shoes, put your feet up and are wondering what all these people are doing in your front room!

Nice to have the odd sandwich though, and think about Dr Who - and you know, not for lack of trying, you won’t watch the repeat. Doesn’t stop the thoughts, and all of sudden you start to think about how comfy your couch is - even though you moan about it most of the time.

It’s the fake aunties and uncles that like weddings the best, or the parents’ friends. Bless. It’s their domain and their role is crucial. It’s one of the indicators later on (when drunk) that tells us we are at a wedding- oh apart from the bride and groom.

The bride and groom must always attend their social obligation, and circle for hours like eager students trying to gain merit. But when that’s over they can relax. Everyone’s pissed. Everyone’s having a fabulous time. By George they’ve pulled it off. They didn’t see the hysterical tears in the toilet or the vomit on the floor, they didn’t notice that it rained on us at one point and we felt cold.

Everything hazes over. Endless chatter fills the room. Swirling lines of hats and babies and penguins serving food engulf us whilst the loud jolting laughs of a red-faced man hit our conscience and ensure our postures are upright. We remember ourselves, sit to attention and try our best not to go the toilet too many times.

Catherine

Go with the Flow

I have just read an interesting article that states we all are capable of reaching a state of effortless concentration and enjoyment called flow.

I have listed some unrelated points from the article below that I found interesting. I recommend that you read the article to place these selected quotations in context.

“The metaphor of flow is one that many people have used to describe the sense of effortless action they feel in moments that stand out as the best in their lives. Athletes refer to it as "being in the zone," religious mystics as being in "ecstasy," artists and musicians as "aesthetic rapture."”

“It is the full involvement of flow, rather than happiness that makes for excellence in life. We can be happy experiencing the passive pleasure of a rested body, warm sunshine, or the contentment of a serene relationship, but this kind of happiness is dependent on favourable external circumstances. The happiness that follows flow is of our own making, and it leads to increasing complexity and growth in consciousness.”

“Unless one learns how to use this time effectively, having leisure at one's disposal does not improve the quality of life.”

“The secret of starting a good conversation is to find out what the other person's goals are: What is he interested in at the moment? What is she involved in? What has he or she accomplished, or is trying to accomplish?”

“It is also important to develop the habit of doing whatever needs to be done with concentrated attention. Even the most routine tasks, like washing dishes, dressing, or mowing the lawn, become more rewarding if we approach them with the care it would take to make a work of art.”

I hope the article gives you something to think about also.

The full text of this article can be found at:

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (1997)
www.psychologytoday.com/articles/index.php?term=pto-19970701-000042.xml&print=1

Catherine