Dear Sir/Madam...

Everyone's a critic

2006-11-05T15:50:00.000Z

Don't people get you down sometimes? Pehaps I should just give up on this whole social interaction thing as a waste of time anyway.

No? I suppose that's not really a good solution come to think of it.
Life's not that bad really, I just get frustrated with people at work who continually badmouth each other (and anyone else they feel like) behind each others backs. Can they not say anything positive?

I'm sure this goes on in pretty much every workplace and social group. There is something truly nasty in people that seeks to make them feel better by comparing to someone else's weaknesses, be they real or imagined, and we all suffer from it (some people more than others, eh?).

I know that I am not a paragon of virtue in this area; I realise the shameful twofacedness of using my blog to complain about my staff complaining about each other. And that's why I need to change things. In the absence of being able to control what other people say, I might try watching what I say - try to compliment people who aren't about rather than disparage them.

I don't want to get too preachy (too late, I know), but Jesus said "love your enemies, do good to those who curse you, pray for those who ill treat you". Ouch. That's hard teaching. It's difficult enough to love, pray for and do good to your friends, let alone those who hate you. He should have said something easier to swallow like "be nice to those who are nice to you" or "be true to yourself". Or maybe he knew what he was talking about.

Musical snobbery

2006-08-20T21:51:00.000+01:00

Music is good. Musical taste is good. I don't just mean my musical taste, which may shock some of you.

I'm making a real effort to acknowledge that my taste in music is not the be all and end all. The same people who would listen to Usher or Keane, might turn their noses up if I put on something by Aphex Twin or Susumu Yokota. And they are entitled to their opinion.

The reason for this rambling and slightly bewildered thread is largely because of a conversation I had with a friend earlier; someone who's musical taste I broadly disagree with.

We mostly stuck to common ground of artists who we both were not fond of, but what stuck me was the derision he levelled at music outside his boundries and more particularly the people who didn't share his dislike. I smugly congratulated myself that I'm not so entrenched in my opinions, but the truth is that actually I am. I am a dull musical snob.

Quite often the most popular music just doesn't appeal to me. I usually prefer something with a bit of raw edge and an unconventional beat. A lot of the artists I like are not well known. This is fine, but it tends to breed a kind of left field elitism in me, such that if a band becomes popular I can no longer be seen to like them (or at very least people have to know I liked them before they were famous). I'm definately the type to jump off the bandwagon. Well what does it matter if like to listen to a bit of Bruce Springsteen when I get home from work, or if I enjoy hearing The Kooks playing on the radio.

I'm not saying that all music is good; I cannot agree with a lot of the lyrics I hear. But music is good, creativeness is good, differences in musical taste are good. I just need a lot of reminding about that.

I bet that God has a wider taste in music than anyone gives him credit for (actually I don't bet that, because gambling is wrong kids. I just couldn't think of a better turn of phrase). Anyhow, the point I was going to make is that he invented the concept of music anyway, so he must love to hear people being creative and using whatever gifts he's given them.

If you've read right to the end of this post and thought "That was all stating the obvious", then apologies for wasting your time. But after all, that's what a blog is for isn't it?

The tricksy little thieves

2006-08-20T21:42:00.000+01:00

Someone nicked my car on thursday night. They took it from right outside the house.
Apparently the police have found it and recovered it to a garage, but it'll still be at least a week before I get it back (that's if it is in a drivable condition).

Ah well, back on the trains again.

No. 1083498

2006-07-23T16:02:00.000+01:00

Ladies and Gents. I'm pleased to annouce that I am now a fully paid up member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. I've passed the exam, paid the fee, got the membership number and been let loose on the public.
It's quite scary to think that I've spent 1/4 of my life training to be a pharmacist, and I still don't feel ready for it.

Things I should have said

2006-07-20T20:49:00.000+01:00

My, oh my. Nearly two months since I last posted anything on here.

For one reason or another I haven't got round to it recently, mostly due to laziness. So for my 3 dedicated readers, here's a short summary of the things I nearly posted about:

- Why Formula 1 is great
- Gay clergy in the Church of England
- Christiano Ronaldo/Zinedine Zidane/Alan Shearer
- Pharmacy registration exam
- Why numbers are great
- Why Formula 1 is rubbish
- Euphemisms for rectal functions
- My new car

Some of these may be revisited at a future date. Others you'll just have to guess what I was going to say.

Hope this keeps you well and truly in the picture.

Newsround

2006-05-27T21:43:00.000+01:00

Ah, the web log. Home of my self-involved, mis-spelt and generally ineloquent thoughts.

Self promotion was not supposed to be the main aim of this blog, but I thought it might be a useful way of sharing some of my news if anyone is interested.

Firstly; I have passed my driving test. Hallelujah.
- 90-odd driving lessons
- 6 years
- 3 driving instructors
- 2 practical tests
- 2 theory tests
- 1 glorious driving licence.

Secondly, and equally as scary to the general public; I have accepted a job as manager of a pharmacy in Coventry (see previous post for the inner turmoil involved). This job will start toward the end of July - pretty much immediately upon my qualification as a pharmacist (providing I pass the exam).

This is all very exciting, but I am needless to say a little nervous about a) being a pharmacist, b) being a manager and c) driving to Coventry every day.

My thoughts on becoming middle class have softened a bit since the last post but I want to be careful that my job doesn't take over my life.

Sent to Coventry

2006-05-10T21:01:00.000+01:00

I am afraid. I fear that one day soon I may turn into everything I have mocked and despised.

If you see me reading a copy of the Daily Telegraph on a busy train, joining a Gym or perhaps singing along to Simply Red you will know I have become... middle class.

OK I know it's not exactly a fate worse than death, but it is entirely possible that in the next couple of months I will become a Pharmacy Manager and more importantly an intercity commuter. Do I really want to be one of those slick-haired, suited, angry young men stuck in traffic on the M6.

Seriously, I have a big decision to make about my job in the next couple of weeks, so if anyone who reads this is in a praying mood (if indeed anyone reads it at all) please pray that I choose wisely.

Whatever I choose I guess I'm headed inexorably toward middle classdom. It's not that bad I suppose, I must learn not to be so prissy and self-righteous.

Another post that doesn't quite make sense. It's the whole thinking and typing thing again.

Lowe out!

2006-05-01T17:49:00.000+01:00

Well the football season is over. (OK there's still the last week of the Premiership to go, as well as leagues one and two, the fa cup, uefa cup and champions league finals and the play-offs, but they hardly count do they?). The important thing is that at the end of a truly ugly season Saints have achieved a heart-warming 12th place in the Championship. Unlike most Saints fans I didn't expect an easy season in a lower league and it was always on the cards that Harry 'melted-face' Redknapp would scuttle off halfway through the season, but a second successive relegation battle was a bit of a downer.

Nevertheless we are now safe, and we have a manager who actually wants us to win. A play-off challenge next season is entirely possible, especially with players like Baird, Fuller and Surman hitting form and hopefully a few more young players challenging for a first team place.

If you've read this far and are wondering about the title, there is a touch of sarcasm about it. I seem to one of a tiny minority of Saints supporters who doesn't think that hounding painting Rupert Lowe as the antichrist and hounding him out of the club is going to solve all our problems. I don't deny that he has made some poor decisions (not backing Paul Sturrock and then hiring Steve Wigley and Harry 'I-love-pompey' Redknapp) but he now seems prepared to back George Burley, who is a much better manager than we have any right to expect, and I think his leaving now would leave the club in a much more unstable position long-term.

Anyhow, that's out of my system for the time being. I promise not to mention football on here again until next season (or maybe the world cup might merit a small post).

Going out with a bang (and a barndance)

2006-04-02T18:59:00.000+01:00

In 1922, my family first moved to South Wonston Farm. Now, some 84 years and 4 generations later, we are finally moving on.

To mark this little piece of personal history, there was a bit of a party last week with 300 odd people (some of them very odd) packing into a remarkably rat-free barn, for a barndance/hogroast/fireworks extravaganza.

I made a fool of myself on the dancefloor, as should be expected, but I managed not to injure myself or anyone else.

Really I have no interesting point to make here, I just wanted to mention it because it was important to me (I suppose that's the point of a blog anyway). I imagine it's quite rare in this country for a family to live in the same place for so long.

A little respect

2006-03-27T20:40:00.000+01:00

A pharmacist at work made an interesting comment the other day. She said that she should have become an optician instead because they get more respect.

I imagine pretty much everyone likes to be liked, but it struck me as quite sad that she was looking for respect from her job to make her life more worthwhile. The cynic in me says that whatever job you get you'll never achieve respect because no matter how much specialist training you go through there will be someone who feels qualified to tell you you're doing everything wrong. That's not necessarily a bad thing by the way, lay members should be an integral part of any professional body.

Anyway, the comment led me to thinking were my identity and value lay. Personally I'm the kind of person who would much rather leave my work at work. One of the reasons I could never be a doctor (apart from the poor grades at school, the unsociable hours and the dislike of blood) is that I would have to carry the mantle of Dr. with me everywhere, no escape. I don't want my job to be what defines me, so I'm very glad that God doesn't value me by my profession.

John

(Apologies if this post makes little sense, I haven't got the hang of thinking and typing at the same time)

A waste of taxpayer's money

2006-03-17T06:02:00.000Z

Evening all.

Welcome to my blog. I think it's about time there was more of me on the internet.
Enjoy,

John.