h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

While I was out walking on New Year’s Eve I tried hard to think of a New Year’s Resolution. I don’t normally bother with these because I tend to think that if something’s worth doing, do it regardless of when you decide to. But occasionally I do make one, usually so that the year start to year end is a good time measurer. The last one I made was that all the meat I ate was either organic or ethically farmed.

Initially this was very easy, I’d buy and cook a chicken or a joint of beef at the weekend, and then use it in my lunches throughout the week. But that got boring very quickly. So then it got very difficult. By far and a way the vast majority of ready meals out there are chicken. So nipping to the supermarket and grabbing a quick meal to nuke wasn’t an option. But as the year went on I started to find a few things that did work. For starters, having a vegetarian ready meal. There’s two things to understand about vegetarian ready meals, firstly the variety is pitiful. Seriously pitiful. Secondly, when you get a good one, it’s usually very good, and the store will usually stop selling it after a month or so.

But I managed a full year of that, and afterwards I was able to really tell the difference between good and not so good meat. I’ve never looked back.

So, out on the walk we were talking about how I’d now have time to go for runs during the day seeing as I’m working from home. And I decided that to try and keep the momentum up, I would attempt to run an achievable total of over 500km this year. That’s less than 10km a week, so it should be easy right? Yeah. Of course. Because as soon as I thought of this number, I then realised that I wouldn’t be running every day. And then there’d be times I was ill, or was away on holiday, or generally couldn’t be bothered. And living in Manchester I was expecting to lose quite a few days to the weather.

But it’s been okay so far, we’ve not had any snow yet, and only one icy morning. And the rain’s actually been holding off mostly. But how far have I actually run in January? One month, a twelve of a year and a need to have run a twelve of five hundred (44.67)? Well, I’ve not managed the 44.67km average, but I have so far done 33.74km which isn’t too bad seeing as it still hurts my lungs at times.

If you’re bored though, or just interested, I am keeping a more detailed running diary over at the h2g2 Running Club (yes we have one (sort of)) here: A87759256

Well done
I think you should reward yourself rather than beat yourself up over missed targets. It doesn't have to be chocolate or how about a ?

GB

Oh, it'll be , depend on it.

Bizarrely, it was today

We bought a Black Forest Gateaux at the weekend, and, er, it needed finishing off

Mmmm

You really know how to wind up a grammar pedant, don't you, Pastey?

I have to admit, I use punctuation in type in the same way that I use pauses and stops when I talk. Which is usually completely wrong

I've always had a problem with grammar, which is why I wasn't allowed to do English Literature at school. Go figure that, struggle with the Language part, so they stop you doing the Literature part. Which I was actually really good at

Ha! That's always been my method of punctuation. I thought it was quite sensible but it's the reason I'd probably never cut it as a sub editor. Apparently it took about a month for the subbie to move the commas around on one of the last entries I submitted

Deke

Yes, I sympathise with punctuating as you talk, as that's the whole point of punctuation anyway. It was just the "a Black Forest Gateaux" that got me right here. I've already run off letters to The Times, Ofsted, the BBC Trust and the MCC.

I actually have no idea what's wrong with that part of it

Good job you chose a career in technology rather than, for example, writing.

I've an editor for that

For a foreigner willing to learn, what's wrong with a Black Forest Gateau? The x?

Black Forest Gateaux

One just isn't enough


lil x

For all I know, Gateaux is just the French spelling of the Spanish word for Cat.

Ok... why does a German cake have a French name in English?

According to the OED, 'gateau' is a composite word from the Pyrenean region of France and Spain. Literally 'cat water', it describes the early morning bouquet of a suburban garden.

[BB]

This was much nicer that cat water though

I will never hear the word "Chateau" again the same way.

Don't you just love topic drift?

Deke