Journal Entries
So, if today is the 28th of April, 2014
Posted Apr 28, 2014
.. and I joined H2G2 on the 29th of April, 1999,
Then I've nearly been subscribed to this site...
*counts fingers*
*carries the one*
*scratches out 7 replaces it with 2.7387*
*multiplies by the square root of minus 1*
*differentiates the nominative declarative*
*find the first 3 million decimal places of Pi*
*invents new mathematics that will instantaneously solve world hunger*
*sneezes and forgets new mathematics completely*
*Meets Benoit M Mandelbrot along the way and says hi*
*divides by zero*
Result:
15 YEARS !!!!!!
(give or take a million).
Discuss this Journal entry [13]
Latest reply: Apr 28, 2014
2013
Posted Dec 31, 2013
Well, that went fast!
I think most people will remember 2013 as quite a good year, weather-wise. We had a severe cold snap in March, but following that was one of the mildest and warmest summers on record. The dry period held sway nearly until November, when bad winter storms spoiled all the fun. (Personally, I love storms and gales - theres's a sense of coziness about being inside a warm house when the elements are hurling themselves against the windows).
Professionally, it wasn't a bad year. I got a small promotion at work, having acquitted myself well on a number of big projects over the last 2 years. This also lead to some travel for me - going to California and Singapore during the year, as well as smaller trips to the Netherlands and London.
I loved Singapore. An exotic, clean, friendly city, smack bang on the equator. The few days I spent there went by far too quickly. Looking out on a wild lightning display on my last day there is a memory I will cherish.
My sons are turning into quite good athletes. My youngest two won All-Ireland medals for the U-11 relays and my eldest lad (who is now quite a bit higher than me) is the current Munster Champion in the long jump. I don't think they quite realise yet how big this is. Nobody can ever take these accolades away from them. They are also very handy at hockey and winning games all around them. I'm fascinated to see how well they can do.
My daughter is getting more creative by the year. She's into writing stories, composing poems and songs, and anything else that captures her attention. In particular, she has a natural eye for photography, so I picked up a camera for her this year. I'm interested to see what she can do with it.
A few trips to the hospital: one lad got his thumb stuck in the car and another fellow got a painful groin injury resulting in emergency surgery. Lots of fun indeed.
My big holiday this year was back to C's parents in Germany, taking a road-trip through France. We brought my eldest with us. He enjoyed his stay, but it had to be cut short because of an All-Ireland Athletics tournament back home. While there, we visited Lake Constance, Ulm and Stuttgart (Wilhelma and the Mercedes Museum). I also flew on a glider and took day trips to Tübingen and Nürnberg. I was particularly taken by Nürnberg, having had a chance to see the Nazi Rally grounds and the law courts where justice was finally handed down. That's only part of the story of the city though - it's history stretches way back to the early days of the Holy Roman Empire. I definitely want to go back.
I bought a new car and a new bike this year too. Surprisingly, I'm getting a lot of use out of the bike. I have big plans to lose weight next year, since I have regained everything I lost in 2012. It's like starting all over again.
C is delighted about her new house. The downside of living in such a beautiful place is a regular 7 hour commute to Dublin that leaves her wrecked tired. One of the big loves in her life these days is Molly, a 17 year old cat with one eye and no teeth. She's quite a character - liable to lash out at the slightest provocation and frightening all the other cats, but she's a solid part of the family. Speaking of cats, we now have one more - Miranda. She was found as a kitten - almost dead - but she was restored to health by a local animal care centre. I had little choice but to accept her into the family. Pressure from all sides, you see.
On the scepticism / skepticism front, I put my Skeptics in the Castle meetings into something of a hiatus. Work pressure, reduced attendance and a nagging thought that it was all going stale helped me with my decision. It's not all over - I hope to have a few meetings again next year and I'm still active on the web - however the energy I once had for it has reduced a bit. I went to QEDCon again in Manchester and enjoyed it possibly even more than the first time, if that is possible. My claim to fame is asking Richard Dawkins a really stupid question about memes. After the conference, I met up with Phil, Metal Chicken, Ben, Z and Pastey. Unfortunately it was all too rushed. I'm planning to stay a bit longer next year. Let this be an advance warning to you.
I don't know what to make of next year. Still a couple of things to sort out with kids getting older and lots of worries around the corner. You forget how expensive these young humanoids are...
Best of luck to everyone for 2014. I hope it's a good year for you.
Discuss this Journal entry [4]
Latest reply: Dec 31, 2013
TODAY
Posted Apr 29, 2013
Is the anniversary of my joining H2G2.
That was fourteen years ago.
I still have my hair and most of my teeth.
Here's to another 14 years. 
Discuss this Journal entry [5]
Latest reply: Apr 29, 2013
2012
Posted Dec 31, 2012
As years go, 2012 was pretty good. A couple of ups and downs, but overall, a good one.
The big news was C's purchase of a new house. It happened quite quickly once she set her mind to it. It's a smashing place - the house of her dreams. It's out in the country with a view to die for. We are only 1 mile away from the sea, looking out over Ballycotton Island. It's still amazing to me the variance in sea-scapes. Each morning, day and evening seems different. The house was in top condition, and within days it looked as if it had been our home for years. C soon got some pet rabbits and 4 cats - all rescues - including one cat who is 16 years old and has one eye. C is incredibly sensitive and perceptive when it comes to these animals.
We had a lot of problems in the old place, with the previous landlords. Always a lot of tension when they were around, and a good deal of spite and nastiness after we had moved out. I still feel angry about it. I'm glad we've moved on.
C lives in Cork, but works in Dublin. The year has been very tiring for her, but lecturing arrangements last semester meant that she only spent one night in Dublin each week. This is nearly as good as you could get in the present situation. Jobs in Cork are few and far between.
A couple of big "coming of age" occasions with the boys: Communion and Confirmation. Even though I don't really go along with it, it's a rite of passage for them, and there's nice food involved in it. In some ways it was a difficult time, given that I am in a different relationship, but with so many connections to my previous life. I could write a book about such things, although I doubt if many would find reading it worthwhile...
My kids did extremely well on the sports fields this year. The boys are natural athletes, picking up copious medals from a number events over the summer. My eldest won an All-Ireland relay medal, with the twins narrowly missing out on a medal in the relay event. They are all super-fast. I've stopped counting the occasions I felt proud and happy for them over the last year. This coming year may be the best year for them yet.
My eldest also moved into secondary school. He's thirteen years old, and nearly 6 foot tall. When I joined H2G2 he was not yet born. Those years go fast. Don't anyone tell you different. The job of finding a secondary school for my daughter now starts.
My daughter is very creative - she spends most of her time in her room, reading or drawing. She's outgoing and friendly, yet introverted, and blessed with a raw intelligence. I see a lot of myself at that age in her. Her high point last year was getting a book review published in a local newspaper. I need to keep those creative sparks going in her!
No big trips this year, in fact I hardly took any holidays at all, just a few long weekends. We did the charity cliff walk, went back to the Saltee Islands, trekked the Gap of Dunloe and took a weekend away in Cavan. I also brought the twins to London. Since our summer was so wet, hill walks were few and far between. A walk with the twins to Cruachan in Kerry was very memorable though. It was like walking through Narnia, at times.
Work was busy, with me changing roles during the middle of the year: concentrating more on training and employee development. I'm happy in this role as it gives me a chance to meet new people and give people useful knowledge when they join. I also got a major surprise during the year - a windfall, if you like - which has greatly helped to ease some longer-term worries that I had. It won't transform my life, or anything like it, but it has gone a small distance to help me fund my kids education. The years ahead promise to be costly ones...
I had some chronic sleeping problems this year, so I took it upon myself to lose some weight. In the course of 3 months, I lost a stone. The following 3 months have proven to be much more challenging. I'll give it another shot in the new year.
My skeptics' club is still going strong. A couple of interesting speakers this year and a lot of new friends. We had Steve and Ben over, with a great talk on alt-med. Later on in the year, I did a 15 minute talk on critical thinking for culture night. It's all been great fun, but I have had much less time to dedicate to it due to work commitments. During the year, I also finished my terms as president of two Toastmasters clubs.
I went to QEDCon in Manchester last year, managing at one stage to get locked in a stairwell. Overall it was a lot of fun. I'm hoping to return to Manchester for the third QED this April.
That's about it for the year. A lot of laughs, a lot of living, everyone in good health, no deaths. In my book, as good a year as you can get.
Next year, I have to concentrate on closing a chapter of my live that has been overdue for a long time now. I'm also planning a road trip to Germany later in the year, and hopefully a few interesting walks in the locality. After that, not a clue how it will turn out.
Wishing you all a happy new year, full of life and rude health.
Discuss this Journal entry [3]
Latest reply: Dec 31, 2012
QEDCon
Posted Jan 6, 2012
I'm off to Manchester in March to attend QEDCon, a meeting of sceptics and critical thinkers from around the UK and elsewhere. It promises to be good: Robin Ince will be there, as will Steve Jones, Edzard Ernst and a host of other sceptical folks that I have come to know over the past few years. It will be a great chance to meet people who have set up Skeptics in the Pub clubs and to share our experiences.
Discuss this Journal entry [1]
Latest reply: Jan 6, 2012
Woodpigeon
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