Don’t ask. Seriously. Don’t. Spare me your pitying looks and condescending glances. I know.
A copywriter blogger, who doesn’t blog.
Shocking isn’t it. And it’s no more shocking to anyone else than myself. It pains me every time I think about it. Because I can’t tell you why I do it, or rather don’t do it.
I just neglect blogging.
Not through choice, just time.
I tell all my clients, and any new prospect ones I meet, that it’s extremely important to blog. I tell them blogging is important to provide fresh new content for your website for Google to pick up and index. I tell them blogging could help them reach out to new customers through different avenues, different key words, and just different quirky ideas which makes them a little bit different. I tell them blogging is a great way to personalise and humanise their brand and their products, and everything about their website, and help them be likeable.
And I tell them I could help them do all of this.
Then I look at my own blog. No time to blog.
Well it’s time to change.
So here it is, just like last year. A New Year’s Resolution to blog more. How many of you have the same New Year’s Resolution this year as last year? This time is different though. This time it’s personal. This time, you’re in it with me.
Because this time, we’re in it together. You blog more, I’ll blog more. You do what you need to do, and I’ll do what I need to do. And if I fail, well, you have my permission to come after me. Figuratively, of course!
This year is different, because I’ve made a list! This is how I’m going to achieve my New Year’s Resolution.
> I have a brief list of why I need to blog, to remind me of what I’m doing.
> I have a list of blogging outcomes, so I know it’s going to be worthwhile.
> I’m not overcomplicating things, or trying to do too much at once - simple steps first.
> I’ve planned out time to blog, putting it in my diary so it is a commitment.
> I’m writing down any & all tiny little ideas I have, so I won’t be short of something to blog about.
> I’ve recruited my family and friends.
This last one is important. True motivation. I’ve told my girlfriend to slap me, or inflict pain in any way she sees fit, if I haven’t written two blogs by the end of this week.
She has a sadistic side. And I haven’t written a blog since we’ve been together, so it’s a prominent threat! That’s possibly the only reason I’m writing this blog now!
I hate to say it, but it really is true. Nobody likes the French. It's very prejudiced of me, but there is something about the French that I, like almost every other Englishman I know, dislike.
Any stories you hear about France or the French just seems to reinforce that stereotype too, something which dates back hundred of years to, funnily enough, the Hundred Years War between the two countries. All my own personal experiences seem to echo my views too, that the French are inherently stuck up and rude. And probably lazy too, but that doesn't really bother me.
Any personal experiences I can think of the French are negative ones, like the time we were stood in a queue at Universal Studios. Three people push in front of me, and low and behold, they're French. So. Rude.
I'm sure there are lots of French things I like, bread, pastries and all that kind of stuff, but I feel like it's nothing that can't be made elsewhere. There might be lots of great things in France, and lots of nice people: maybe someone should pay for me to travel around there to test out my theories.
But as it stands, the best and only good thing to come out of France is the band Phoenix. I love their funky rock sounds, and their last album - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoneix was amazing. Just the thing you need to cheer you up or get you pumped. Here's their new single, Entertainment. Let me know what you think!
Poor Maggie. If ever there was a polarising figure, it would have to be her.
I’ve been mulling over this post for a while now, but I wanted to let a little bit of the hyperbole surrounding the news of her death die down first. All these insults and praises being thrown left, right and centre does get a bit tiresome and repetitive, even if it is highly amusing at times.
I first heard about her death via a post on my new phone. My new phone which is entirely built and designed in Asia, just like all its competitors. But that’s ok, it’s a free market, and it means the phone was relatively cheap. One point for Madge.
Her death wasn’t, or at least shouldn’t have been massive news though. The woman had been living with dementia for a number of years, and was slowly suffering and fading into nothingness. She wasn’t in the public spotlight, and it must have come as a welcome relief for those close to her. The BBC and other news outlets had clearly been expecting it; pre-recorded programmes about her life were ready to roll within hours of the news breaking.
Naturally, when someone dies, we remember what they did. Well, we do if we were alive then. Lots of people talking about her probably don’t have the foggiest about what she did. They’re just following the crowd.
Hence the street parties to celebrate her dying. Whatever you think about her policies, this is probably a tad harsh; she was just a person after all, and she wasn’t exactly Hitler.
Though I suppose that depends on who you speak to. She undoubtedly caused a lot of people a lot of heartbreak and suffering. There’s no denying that. She did ruin lives. But was it really one woman that did that?
It’s easy to pinpoint Thatcher as the figurehead of Conservatism in the 1970’s and 1980’s, as she was the leader of the party. But were the policies she implemented solely her own?
Short answer: No, of course not. In actual fact, if you look at the policies she proposed and implemented, and the Conservative Manifesto under Ted Heath in 1970, the similarities are massive, if not identical. Yes, she followed her beliefs, but her beliefs were no different to anyone else in her party really. She was not an ideologue. It it wasn’t her that did it, it’s very likely someone else would have.
That’s not to say she was right of course. In fact I think she made a number of terrible decisions and grave errors, and did set Britain on a path to what it is today...not so great. At the time, her economic policies may well have pulled Britain out of a rut, but she gave us the freedom to dig ourselves into an even bigger hole.
Though again this is a tad hyperbolic, I am inclined to agree with Morrissey’s way of thinking about Margaret Thatcher.
"Thatcher will only be fondly remembered by sentimentalists who did not suffer under her leadership, but the majority of British working people have forgotten her already, and the people of Argentina will be celebrating her death. As a matter of recorded fact, Thatcher was a terror without an atom of humanity." (From an old interview before her death)
"Thatcher was not a strong or formidable leader. She simply did not give a shit about people, and this coarseness has been neatly transformed into bravery by the British press who are attempting to re-write history in order to protect patriotism...The fact that Thatcher ignited the British public into street-riots, violent demonstrations and a social disorder previously unseen in British history is completely ignored by David Cameron in 2013." (Upon hearing the news)
And maybe even Frank Turner too, moderately famous folk singer who represented Britain in the opening ceremony of the Olympics. Ironic. (Warning: May Contain Strong Language)
She was nothing if not strong willed, following her beliefs on an unstoppable, un-turnable, iron-clad course. Was she confrontational? Yes, of course, but it’s her blunt remarks which led to many arguments in the House of Commons and amongst the general public that may well be her lasting legacy.
She stimulated debate. On both sides of the political divide, she got people talking - and arguing - about the issues. With her death, I’ve never seen so much political talk in the social media and amongst friends before, and generally it’s quite substantive policy talk too. It was very intriguing to hear everyone’s thoughts about her, and about what she stood for, especially from those people who I didn’t think were the least bit political. And interesting to surmise their party affiliations too based on their comments. I didn’t know that many of my friends were Tories at heart. (Now, where’s that de-friend button gone...)
Her legacy for women remains to be seen. She stood tall amongst men, but had to act like a man, and a strong brutal man at that, in order to do so. She fought for Britain yes, but maybe Britain needed a woman to be compassionate, caring and nurturing, not aggressive and confrontational. Perhaps we are scared of having another female Prime Minister for this very reason. There’s an argument that the current women in politics had to fit into the Margaret Thatcher image in some way in order to get where they are today. There’s no room for softly spoken in British politics.
A good point, or a bad point? Either way, it’s a result of Maggie, and it’s something we’ll probably continue to talk about for decades to come.
It was like a new season today. A new world outside. The sun was shining bright, and it actually felt mildly like spring. Weird. It’s mid-April. That’s about normal.
Naturally, the sunshine brings out smiles in everyone. So I thought I’d go and kill myself with an army bootcamp workout with my friend, ex-military personal trainer Pete Wallis, and then treat myself afterwards to a great haircut and an awesome cut throat shave.
The bootcamp was as it should be. Tough! It hurt, but it felt good at the same time. A good workout all around.
The shave and the hair cut afterwards? Sublime. At Gladstone Gentleman’s Grooming, the whole experience really is quintessentially classic. They’re resurrecting the traditional barbershop with a modern twist, and they’re doing an incredible job.
You don’t have to worry about booking an appointment, you just turn up to their shop on Manchester Road, between Mossley and Ashton/Stalybridge, and they’ll slot you in. If you do have to wait a little, well, you get a luxurious couch and an ice cold beer, so you can’t really complain.
Yaz’s skill with a pair of scissors and a comb are unbelievable, as he nails the exact look you want in no time at all, with perfect precision, right down to every little taper and blending on the back of your neck.
And the cut throat shave? Well that really is a fantastic experience. If you’ve never had one done before, then I’d definitely recommend it. It’s great for preparing for a night out, or doing something just a little bit different. I hate shaving, and there’s only so far I can get with my Gillette Mach 4 turbo... or whatever razor it is I use.
At Gladstone’s, they have the finest badger hair brushes, the sharpest razor’s and the very best products. The hot towel opens up all your pores, delicately applied to your face, and then everything else that follows is like treating your face to an awesome facial. Only it’s in a barbers, so it’s manly and totally ok!
You’re so relaxed in that chair, you don’t even think about the fact that someone has a blade right next to your throat. You feel so chilled afterwards, that you don’t even care if Gladstone’s has lived up to its reputation and given you an incredible new look.
The thing is, it’s given you the best look you could imagine, because Gladstone Gentleman’s Grooming is a true example of a fine barbershop.
The weather. It’s just downright evil at the moment.
In a cruel April Fool’s joke this morning, I woke up with bright sunshine streaming through my window. And it was 6am. I was like, huh, spring is finally here. Naturally, at 6am on a Bank Holiday Monday, I gulped some luke warm water in an attempt to stave off a potential hangover, rolled over and went back to sleep.
Now, you’re imagining that when I woke up again a few hours later, that it would be raining and blowing a gale, the standard English weather. But no. There was still bright sunshine.
So, again I think - spring is finally here. And off I go to the garage outside in just a t-shirt.
Big mistake. It’s still absolutely freezing. The hair on my arms has almost frozen, and my nipples are like two peaks in the Alps.
Seriously, it’s April 1st.
I’d expect April 'showers', or even lots and lots of rain. That’s normal. But snow? Really?
For the past week, we’ve had snow every single day. Every. Single. Day. Now, I’m one of the first people to get excited when it first snows in the winter. I love the snow. I love wrapping up in scarves and gloves, jumping through big piles of snow, building snowmen, and sledging down hills. I don’t mind being stuck at home because of the shocking job our councils in Greater Manchester do at clearing the roads. As a copywriter, I can work from anywhere. Bad for getting days off, but good for all my clients.
But when it’s still snowing in April, and there’s a bitingly cold wind every time you step outside, that’s just not cool. It’s freezing in fact.
If I’m confused, I wonder how nature feels? Is it time to wake up from my hibernation yet? Should I start blossoming or shouldn’t I? No wonder it isn’t looking like spring out there.
On the plus side of the weather, last week I saw this awesome rainbow. It was like perfection, touching down right in the middle of the motorway. Sadly there was no gold. It was that good, like a ninja I skillfully took this on my iPad whilst driving. Don't try that at home kids.
Monday, January 13, 2014 at 6:22PM 
