The end of a chapter in the book of life.

30 years old . . .

or 1605 Weeks old
or 368 Months old
or 11239 days old
or 269736 Hours old

It doesn't seem such a long time ago that I was entertained by simple die cast metal cars or plastic bricks that slotted together into anything my imagination wanted them to be.

I would watch Star Wars EVERY morning for what now; seemed like the entirety of my childhood. A Milkyway was a totally acceptable substitute for breakfast followed by purposely and expertly burnt toast.

The primary school that introduced me to 14 years of education which; although it was fun; was unfortunately a short lived period of my life. I lived in Wales for about 3 or 4 years of my life. Those crucial years where a young impressionable mind is moulded into an inquisitive soul, hungry for vitality and success were spent in a beautiful country surrounded by people who cared for me and actually respected me.

The reasons behind me ending up there can't have been coincidental. I'm sure that in the grand scheme of things; karma, fate, God or whatever you want to call the preprogramed cosmic destiny, wanted me to spend the early years of my life there as I'm sure that if they were spent in the current area I live I wouldn't have taken the trouble to write this.

Years went by; high school, college, fun, laughter, tears. Introductions to people and potions I should never have even indulged in, others that I couldn't have lived without, others that were fun while they lasted and I would never change for the world.

Jobs here and there, the young vulnerable shoots of a career in IT reaching up to the sunlight of success. Successes, failures, lost battles but, in my mind - many victorious wars along the way.

More years went by; heartache, longing, persistence, strength. A strength and determination that burned so brightly in my heart, fuelled by a deep routed belief that it would be futile to abandon my efforts; a strength that honoured me with one hell of a keepsake.

That seed of strength was planted by those years of sculpting from my life and experiences.

Just in the latest period of my life that strength has continued to burn brightly. I have built a home, married a beautiful wife and acquired an incredible circle of friends. Those friends who take the time to read this will know deep down just who they are. They are the immaterial people who don't care who you are or where you are from. They take the rough with the smooth, they forgive the disappointments and embrace that light that you offer them from deep within and never take it for granted. (Sometimes, fondly known as "Kins Mongs" and others as "One Pre Fwim") ;o)

I almost lost my beloved only days before we were due to be married. Perfect timing meant that she dislocated her shoulder resulting in an overnight stay in hospital. Due to incompetence; a wrongfully administered anaesthetic caused her breathing to flat line.

In that emergency room; the only time I have seen all hell break loose fuelled a fear within me that almost extinguished every last morsel of light from that fire in my belly. At 3am I called on the one person who ignited that original flame within me: My Father. He arrived just as I was going to pieces and reminded me what family was for.

I have also lost people very fond to me. Lost in both senses; disconnection of friendships and persons passed away. Even though those times will never return I can thank them from the bottom of my heart for the fond memories that they left with me.

The brightest of those memories; my wedding day; was the best day of my life and as mentioned in my speech it was shared a week with the worst.

These tattoos of memories are placed on the same shelf and illuminated by the same light that is created by my strength.


More recently I have been blessed with news that I am to become a Father, a daunting but exciting prospect. I have a wonderful family around me keeping my light shining bright and helping me by sharing theirs in times where mine needed fuelling.

Although there are many exciting times ahead it saddens me to come to the end of such an eventful chapter in my life. One that now belongs in a book that will be placed back on my shelf to be read again many time over in the years to come to remind me how I got to where I am today.

I think the best analogy to describe how I'm feeling is by using the hero of my childhood (and adult) years: Dr Who.

It was always really good watching Dr Who - It was 30 minutes where I was allowed to let my imagination run wild but it always made me sad the day where he came to regenerate. All those adventures that were shared by thousands of other kids just like me and then, that was it. Finished. The Doctor that everyone knew and loved so well was leaving. Next episode a new Doctor materialised. New, shiny, different, quirky. After a while everyone accepted him and got used to him and those new adventures began.

That's where I am at the moment. The life I knew is coming to an end but in its place I am being given a new chapter. At the moment this chapter is just blank pages in a book filled with 30 years of stories and experiences.

One day, as long as the internet as we know it still exists; I will probably write a sequel to this account.

It will contain many years of many more memories and many more Dr Who’s!

Healthy choices....

Created by MyFitnessPal - Nutrition Facts For Foods

The most off putting marketing flyer ever?!

"Local Aquarium & Reptile Collection"

Reasonably Priced Gifts
Staff usually available
Parking facilities are almost non-existent
We do not have baby changing facilities but can give you a mat and a quiet corner
We do not a childrens play area but have a fun packed toy box with paper and pens
We don't have a public toilet but you can use the staff one in an emergency
We are sorry but there is no special access upstairs


And after all that expense of the printing their marketing media I've decided to give it a miss - thanks for the heads up of just how boring and unaccomodating your establishment is !!!

What is a billion?

The next time you hear a politician use the Word 'billion' in a casual manner, think about Whether you want the 'politicians' spending YOUR tax money. A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, But one advertising agency did a good job of Putting that figure into some perspective in One of it's releases.

A. A billion seconds ago it was 1959.
B. A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive.
C. A billion hours ago our ancestors were Living in the Stone Age.
D. A billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet.
E. A billion Pounds ago was only 13 hours and 12 minutes, At the rate our government Is spending it.

Stamp Duty
Tobacco Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Income Tax Council Tax
Unemployment Tax
Fishing License Tax
Petrol/Diesel Tax
Inheritance Tax (tax on top of tax)
Alcohol Tax
V.A.T.
Marriage License Tax
Property Tax
Service charge taxes
Social Security Tax
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Workers Compensation Tax

Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago... And our nation was one of the most prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no national debt... We had the largest middle class in the world... And Mum stayed home to raise the kids.

What happened? Can you spell 'politicians!' Gordon Brown identified and acknowledged £11bn in waste every year but didn't want to do anything about it until next year...

Facebook has enlightened me to the views and opinions of loads of people recently. Some I agree with, some I don't.

At the end of the day no matter which government is in power there are always puppet masters pulling their strings, you don't really think they are in power do you? There is a greater New World Order lurking in the shadows and they are the ones we need to watch out for!

Let's just get back to poking people, posting pictures of our holidays/pets/children and farming virtual crops for 18 months and see what happens eh?!?!

Vote Baldrick !

SU Magazine Review of the Bowlers Reunion !

Coming to this event was always going to be something different. Practically, we were the only students in a venue riddled with students. This wasn... See more’t promoted to students. This was something differently aimed at a different audience. But we liked our music. We liked our origins. So as you can guess, we came, we saw, we went. And what an experience it was, and quite possibly the best free event I have been too but I would certainly have still payed £16 quid to go the event even if I had had a debt to pay off for the following week. As soon as we entered the Bowlers experience, a reunion for a thousand clubbers who had attended the former club around fifteen years ago, we were awe struck by the atmosphere. I’ve been to other nights where people were already dancing quite heavily, but in the impressive space that 53 Degrees showed, this looked a fabolous proposition. Everyone was so friendly. It was quite clear that the majority of clubbers were ’sorted’ as is the term despite the tight security. However I never noticed an instance of paronoia in the dancefloor even if I accidentally ran into somebody. As I struck my dance moves, it is true that I might have looked ridicolous at times but I got a sense of approval that I fitted in right away. It might have been a nostalgic treat for the thirty to fourty somethings in the packed audience but to us, it was something different. This wasn’t totally different it has to be said to nights at Method for example, the nearby House. But there was something on the dancefloor that showed this was more intense, probably helped by the sheer number of people. This was the sort of atmosphere that really defined what an original rave is and its origins. Amongst the acts performing included a mix of such acts like Stu Allan and Dream Frequency. Well known hits it has to be said were dropped because everyone knows them. However, this worked really well because when the likes of SL2 ‘On a Ragga Tip’ and Prodigy ‘Out of Space’ were dropped, because for the first time I saw the crowd appreciaiting how the music should be danced to. I was particularly pleased when SL2 was played. This is a track that is still popular today especially with Drum and Bass fans and even Dubstep. This was also the first time I had the luxury of seeing 53 Degrees at it finest. It is likely there was more than 1,000 people. I have not been to a night at 53 where it has been full since the student nights at Freshers. The lighting on Saturday was superb, and really combined well with the music and the people. You have to be there to experience it but I was impressed with the venue reaching the potential I always felt it had. Strobe Lighting worked well but so did flashes to the room turning to its normal state with bright lights. Utilising this, the 53 team worked well as it showed the people who were vigorusly over dancing. When you compare this event to the UCLAN Student Union UV Rave Night held at ‘Promo’ back in September, then you start to see how far apart both events actually are despite their obvious term. The stark truth is that on Saturday night, the adults put the Students to shame on what a rave is. In some places round the Preston area this of course is not the case. Method is one example. The other, Warehouse is a strong vocal point for its rock and indie audiences. For the masses today however, who think they know what a rave is, think again. Politically, the club promoters of these kind of clubs have exploited the public musically. However another tricky subject is that the masses night are all alcohol fueled. Dance Music will always be niche, but in perspective, a lot of the main promoters in Bars and clubs within the industry have clubs like Bowlers to thank for their current success, seeing as laws were changed. Times may have changed in that the promoters have become all the more wiser in terms of making huge sums of money, but none of that can ever replace an atmosphere on Saturday. Dance Music is going full circle but for education, entertainment and difference, Saturday night with the tinitus ringing in my ears for well beyond 24 hours was inspiring.

Tracks to listen to:
SL2 ‘On a Ragga Tip’
Prodigy ‘Out of Space’

AD at QA and other abbreviations...

I'm currently on a train back from Manchester having spent the day on a training course at QA. It was the fundamentals of Active Directory. As it happens I really didn't know as much as I thought about AD and it's Microsoft goodness. 1day down, 2 to go...

Hopefully this will put me in good stead to clear 70-??? of the server 2008 MCSE requirement.

Well, £25 lighter in the pocket and a tad more stuff in my brain, can't wait to get home to wifey, cats and bump and chill with that beer I fridged last night.

Ttfn



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