%%USERNAME%%    %%ACCWORDS%% %%ONOFF%% |
 |   Originally efforts for the 30 Day Blogging Challenge in July... now just a blog |
|
The 30 Day Blogging Challenge ..... lets see how far I get... Pretty far it seems! Winner (1st place) for the July 2013 "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS"  Second place for the September 2014 "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" |
Prompt for day twenty-six: Write a letter of resignation. Quit your day job (at least on paper). Rebel against doing yet another load of laundry. Abandon your post as jack-of-all-trades. Just make sure your explanation is funny and overdone. To Whom It May Concern: I am writing to hereby give notice of my resignation from my role as an Athlete Mentor. I intend for this to take immediate effect and will, in no way, be willing to work any notice. I would like to take this opportunity to highlight a few of the reasons I am offering my sudden resignation. I would like to make clear that any efforts to nullify these issues would not be accepted. I am a stubborn person and I would appreciate if you allowed me to keep it this way! Firstly, you force me to deal with teachers who, quite frankly, make me worry about the future of the entire world. Indeed, a teacher who cannot read a two-line email should not be teaching the future generation. I grant you, the majority of teachers are great. However, some teachers are so useless I can feel my ovaries shrivelling up and screaming at me NEVER to have children. Prior to taking up this role, I was rather keen on the idea of bringing up my own little sprogglet. Now though, after two years of having to communicate with nightmare teachers, I feel it is my duty never to even consider giving birth again. This is not to mention the students you make me deal with. Have you tried working with twenty students for five hours and for not one of them to answer a question independently? That is to say, without you spoon-feeding you the answer first. If not, I implore you to give it a try and let me know how you get on. Secondly, emailing us daily to inform us of our targets doesn’t really help us achieve them! They are the same everyday of the year; they do not change. Thus, we are unlikely to forget. More to the point, putting said targets in red and bold does not scare us any more! Neither does writing URGENT in the subject lines. After the tenth email of this ilk, it loses all meaning. I promise you, we are working, that is more URGENT. In fact, I’ll be honest, I set up a filter so I would not see them. Although, I think you realised this and started using my other email addresses. I ought to have known that there can be no escaping fake URGENCY. Finally, you make me sit, for hours, in a really hot and stuffy conference room about four times a year for “training” purposes. This wouldn’t be so bad if you didn’t force me to make a fool of myself in front of 30 other Mentors. Take today, for example, I had to dance to and sing the following songs: Queen - Under Pressure Tubthumping - I Get Knocked Down Sister Sledge - We are Family The Jackson Five - ABC Tina Turner - The Best All this was in the name of team building and creativity. Or rather, I imagine, it was in the name of providing your entertainment. I cannot sing. Singing, as far as I am aware, is not in my contract. However, it did not stop there. I was then required to stand in a circle, holding hands with other mentors and attempt to get a hoola-hoop around the circle (and our bodies) without breaking the circle. It was when I found myself stuck in a hoola-hoop, whilst holding sweaty hands that I began to realise that I may never come out alive or may forever be impaled on a child’s toy. Thus, I decided it was time to venture out into safer territories, namely a safer job. Thank you for the opportunities for professional and personal development that you have provided me during the last two years. I have enjoyed, despite all the embarrassing singing and tasks, working for the agency. It has been interesting to say the least! Kind regards Fran |
Sheeeeesh what a day! It was my first meeting as a charity board member today. I must admit, I still don’t have a clue. I have to keep telling myself that I will one day. I will learn! I’ll have no choice. I did come up with a few poem ideas/lines in my meeting though. Poetry writing disguised as note taking! I’ll try and put them together tonight. I am now sat on the bed of a very cheap hotel room, which is my home for the evening. Coincidentally, I have to be in the same place tomorrow (Loughborough) for training for my main job. From suit to tracksuit in under 24 hours – I feel like some kinda dodgy superhero. OK, maybe I don’t. A few people (namely Elle - on hiatus  and blue jellybaby  ), have asked me what my job is or what I teach (because I’ve mentioned working with students). But, I’ve been useless at replying to blog comments so I have yet to answer. However, there is a, somewhat, tedious link between today’s prompt and what I do… I’m seizing the opportunity here…Prompt for day twenty-five: What makes a person become famous and stay famous? Do most people become famous because of their innovative/"new-age" thinking, or because they adhere to a traditional mindset? In today's world, what is the "easiest" way to get famous? Pick examples from history or current events to illustrate your point. Fame is earned; not always for good reason Applauded for their contributions to society Memorable and celebrated for their offerings Obscure fame occurs far and wide Unknown people make it big for nothing or something Star for a night, year or a lifetime Hmm now I’ve started, I’ve realised that the link is, indeed, very tenuous!! However, I’ve started so I’ve finish. My job is basically a motivational speaker. I do this mostly in schools, through private bookings or a programme called Sky Sports Living for Sport. Yup I work for Sky Sports, no I don’t get free Sky TV!! The programme is made up of 73 Athlete Mentors who work in schools to inspire and motivate students, using the power of sport. All of the Mentors have represented their country in international competitions and all have exciting and motivational stories. Now, without wanting to talk down our notability, you would need to really know your sport to recognise many of the names of the Mentors. We do not tend to be household names, as such. Does this affect our ability to use our reputation to convince kids to look beyond the sofa? No, I don’t think so. I’m not famous: far from it. Well, not in the traditional sense. I was at a big school sports event the other week. Whilst having a quick break from my duties, I made a call to Chris. As I was on the phone, a kid came up to me and said “are you famous?” I said no and he wandered off. At this point, Chris told me off, explaining that to that kid I was famous. I have walked into classrooms to kids screaming in excitement at my arrival. I have had people asking for my autographs and my photo. Yet, I am, in no way, famous. What’s my point? (Other than seemingly blowing my own trumpet*) My point is, in some senses, fame relates to how people feel and how much they look up to that person. Sounds strange but I wonder whether fame is in the eyes of the onlooker: to some extent, anyway. These days we have quite a lot of people who are famous for being famous. The world bows down to certain people, but does anyone know why. For example, Katie Price or Paris Hilton – what have they done, exactly? Its hard to say how people become famous or how they stay famous; not without writing 100,000 words, which I am not inclined to do. These days, I would suggest, people become famous for so many different reasons. However, the chances of people gaining everlasting fame are far less likely. I am going to end here. I could go on, but I fear I started well but went downhill at the mid-point. But I am going to finish with a question intrigues me; even prior to this prompt. Stephen Hawkins: is he famous for his brain or his ability to beat a condition that should have killed him 50 years ago? Yes, he is remarkably intelligent but would people care so much if he didn’t have another interesting feature? *I hope no one thinks I am blowing my own trumpet - I'm just putting a different spin on things |
| You know last Friday I said I was off work now for 6 weeks? I lied - more to myself than anyone else. I forgot about the end of this week. Tomorrow, I have my first meeting as a trustee of the English Federation of Disability Sport. I’ve just been attempting to read through all 200 pages of “stuff” they sent me. I reached the financial section and just had to walk away – I’ve ended up cooking fish fingers and chips. Its 3pm. Who does that? This is what happens when I am not working! Madness occurs. So I’m about to eat my “snack” and am longing to write this blog and do fun stuff on WDC. But I have to look like I, at least, might have given this stuff a glance tomorrow. I’ll return to play after I’ve done my homework… ******** Well, I read it all. The financial section wasn’t too long and a pretty interesting research paper followed it. Although, I to skim read it as I found myself picking out all the grammatical errors. To the prompt… Ohh no! After having to read serious stuff, my imagination has disappeared! Prompt for day twenty-four: You are given the opportunity to create a kingdom of which you are the sole ruler. How would you design your kingdom? Keep in mind things like government, religion, education, etc. A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse! ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** The Kingdom of Colour and Words Unique attributes:  All public walkways will be made of marble or smooth stone to make it easier for manual wheelchair users to wheel around (because I can and my arms ache!) All sporting activities (i.e. swimming) shall be free at the point of entry. Using fundraising schemes to keep the institutions running. Suggested 5% tax for locals and 15% for those from other realms. All citizens shall be encouraged to do some form of volunteering Every home has to have a bright colour on it’s exteriorGovernment:  Elected presidents for terms of 6 years 5 months and three days precisely.  All canvassing to be carried out via Youtube and election decided by live telephone vote hosted by Kevin Bacon. President must wear his/hear crown and ceremonial cloak at all times except every third Thursday, as determined by random calendar ballot carried out by state lottery.Religious issues: No religion shall be inferior – all faiths and beliefs have equal weight and freedom of speech provided there is no interference with other persons of any kind. All subjects to have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and belief.All religious buildings and areas shall be open to all to be enjoyed and respected. Learning of different faiths and belief systems encouraged as spiritual enlightenment sought after at all times.Education: Reading at school shall be compulsory – there will be dedicated reading times every dayChildren will be encouraged to be creative and think for themselves regularly Teachers will not merely teach by reading off power point slidesFinance: The formal currency will be known as squirdronItems may also be purchased using quotes from books, text and writings in general. Thus, encouraging citizens to be very well read. |
| Prompt for day twenty-three: Do you believe immortality exists? What does it mean to be immortal? Does reincarnation exist? Gosh, this is a little different to listing your top five websites! Madness: but very interesting. Now I just have to decide what to write! You wont be able to tell but I got to there ^ about two hours ago. I’m not religious. Maybe I should be. Maybe I want to. But do not claim to have specific beliefs surrounding these areas. Therefore, I’m just writing and don’t have a direction in mind… lets see where we get to. The first thing that struck me about this blog prompt was that immortality and reincarnation are pretty different concepts. So I’m going to divide the blog into two. Immortality: Immortality is the ability to live forever, or eternal life. Biological forms have inherent limitations which medical interventions or engineering may or may not be able to overcome.1 In religious contexts, immortality is often stated to be among the promises by God (or other deities) to human beings who show goodness or else follow divine law (resurrection).1 Do I believe that immortality exists for humans? No, of course not. In the human world immortality relates to religion and the only immortal beings are Gods. However, I wouldn’t think of Gods as human. Whether or not Gods do exist as physical beings – they do exist for those who believe in them. As long as someone is around to believe, Gods will exist. Thus, they are ever immortal! In the natural world, there is evidence of immortality, or suggested immortality. For example, the Turritopsis nutricula.2 (Jellyfish) after becoming a sexually mature adult, can transform itself back into a polyp using the cell conversion process of transdifferentiation.3 They repeat this cycle, meaning that it may have an indefinite lifespan. Another example is the Bristlecone Pine4 (a long-living species of tree found) which is thought to be "potentially" immortal with the oldest known living specimen is over 5,000 years old. If 5000 years of living doesn't count as immortal, I don't know what does. Reincarnation Reincarnation is the religious or philosophical concept that the soul or spirit, after biological death, begins a new life in a new body that may be human, animal or spiritual depending on the moral quality of the previous life's actions5. I know even less about reincarnation than I do immortality. Occasionally, I find myself wanting to believe it exists. Sometimes, I come across babies and children who seem so wise and beyond their years that I think they've been here before. Other times, I think when you die, that is it! You're dead, either in the ground or as ashes blowing in the wind. We will never know until we get there. I like to spend as little time thinking about death as I can. Food for thought: This interview was on day time TV in the UK last week. Jesus and Mary clearly truly believe they are who they say they are. How can they possibly prove it? How can we possibly prove other wise? [Embed For Use By Upgraded+] Footnotes: 1.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immortality#Biological_immortality 2. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/02/magazine/can-a-jellyfish-unlock-the-secret-of-... 3.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transdifferentiation 4.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristlecone_Pine 5.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reincarnation |
Hello! Wow day 22 - who would have thought I'd get this far? Only 8 days to go until the 30 day challenge is complete. Prompt for day twenty-two:What five websites do you visit often, and why? I have to say that I am a bit of a creature of habit and obsession. I go through phases and I tend to stick to what I know and don't really spend my time "surfing" the net. Unless, of course, I am looking into or researching something in particular. Therefore, my top five most visited websites are as follows: 1) writing.com - surely this is a given? I love it! 2) Shelfari.com - this is where I can Keep track of all the books I'm reading or still have to read. Especially At the moment where I am attempting a 144 book reading challenge. I am currently considering bringing this kind of challenge over to WDC. You can fill in this survey(below) to tell me what you think, if you like. 3) Facebook.com - I go through phases with this too. Sometimes I like it to keep up with friends and family; other times I just get irritated by other people's comments and boring updates. 4) Twitter.com - I love twitter. I find it very useful for some things, entertaining and I have managed to get a bit of promotional and speaking work through this. 5) the BBC sport website - I like to keep up with sport results and stories. Mostly because I am interested but also I am always on the look out for stories to inspire and encourage my students :)
|
Prompt for day twenty-one: Blog. Tell us about your week. Include your favorite blog entry from your fellow challengers from the preceding week and, most importantly, why. Technically this week has been pretty dull. Not much happened on Monday and Tuesday, that I can think of anyway. On Wednesday we had visitors. Is the couple we met in Cuba last year while we were on holiday. They are lovely people really, but they have a few habits that tend to start to grate after a while. For example, the guy is a fitness and health freak - everything will revolve around food. When they arrived he had a protein shake with a banana and cereal bar. Then we went out for some lunch - he had jacket potato (with cheese, beans and bacon) to start and then a seafood risotto. But, oh no, this wasn't enough! We had to believe our lovely sunny spot by the river to go to the supermarket to get him some more food. He proceeded to scoff down two whole meal deals (so two big sandwiches, two packets of crisps and two bottles of water) and this was all before 4 p.m!! He also spent a long time talking about his food intake and why he did what he did. I, on the other hand, spent a long time thinking "I was an athlete for 14 years - I am fully aware of the reasons for certain levels of food intake - a.k.a. give it a rest!" Thursday: ohh Thursday. I was working from 8:30 which meant I had to be up by 6 AM as the school was 70 miles away. I was working until 1:30 PM and then I had to pretty much drive all the way home to pick up my friend to go to a Rihanna concert which was 80 miles away! I feel I ought to point out here that I was not Overly keen on going to this concert but I had agreed to go months ago so felt I had very little choice in the matter. Rihanna, in my eyes, was rubbish! When I go to a gig/concert I go there to see the person performing/singing. She did neither of these things particularly well - unless you count singing on word of every line and not even try to pretend. Therefore, I spent the whole time thinking I could be in bed! I don't think I would have minded so much if I hadn't been working on Friday as well. Knowing that I wouldn't get home until about 2 AM and then would have to get up again at 6 AM just worried me! Indeed, as I said yesterday, I was so tired on Friday that I felt sick and as if I had a hangover! Yuck. I reckon the school was satisfied with my work but I knew it definitely was not my greatest performance! Oh well! I have not really done that much with the weekend. I now have six weeks off work so I do not want to peak too soon ;) As I have already said, I really struggled with this week's blogging and prompt as seemed to be suffering with an imagination block (having said that, I came up with my first idea for a story in ages - I really ought to write it down before I forget). However, my lovely fellow 30DBC blogger have been doing a wonderful job and its been really hard to choose a favourite post. However, I think I'm going to go with: Elle - on hiatus 's "A slow week..." not only because i was stupidly impressed that she was able to write a poem that involved so many song titles - but they were great song choices too.I think I'm now going to head to the store for some Mojito mix (heeeheee) then get cracking on a ton of reviews I'd planned to do! |
Oh dear, I really am not doing very well when it comes to this week's prompts. I just have no idea what to write. I am experiencing a severe lack of imagination and creativity. I have tried to come up with and planned to use some odd song titles. However, given my lack of imagination, I might need to simplify things a little. We'll See. Prompt for day twenty: Write a piece incorporating at least five song titles. Be sure to bold the titles so we can all see! Okay so, I am struggling with this post so I thought I would do a dialogue piece - between Chris and I. I tend to get up pretty early when I am working. Chris always says he would like me to wake him up before I go. This is an example of the response I can get. Me: morning Chris, I'm going now Chris: what? What did you wake me up for? Me: you told me, and I quote "Wake me up before you go-go" Chris: yes but does it have to be so early? What time is it anyway? Me: its 6am. I do apologise but some of us work 9 to 5… Or in my case 6 to 6 Chris: 12 hours a day? This working in schools lark is fools gold. But good for you, I am going back to sleep, I'll think of you Me: Gee how kind of you, sir! Chris: are you working by the rivers of Babylon today? Me: errrr… I am sorry, What? What on earth are you talking about? Chris: I said are you working in a school today? Simple question! At this point I am killing myself laughing Me: that is really and truly not what you said. I think somebody fell asleep while they were talking. But yes, I am in a school today. It is my last one, I'm on the final countdown then school's out for summer! Chris: its gonna be a hot one so I hope the kids use their rights. After all everybody's free to wear sunscreen! Also, everyone loves a good tan in summer! Me: You're so vain! Bye! |
Oh my word, I was so tired today. So tired that I felt like I had a hangover. But it was my final day of work before I stopped for the summer. So, I now have 6 weeks off :D which means I can annoy you even more ☺ Prompt for day nineteen: Take something you are frustrated with: The toilet seat left up again? The folks who seem to hold family reunions in the middle of the aisle at Wal-Mart? Whatever it is, take the incident and write a humorous revenge piece. What are the ridiculous lengths you would go to? I think I have already mentioned my noisy neighbours with their teenage, beer fuelled, garden parties and awful singing. There is one thing in particular that the teenagers do that really irritates us. I'll admit, it annoys Chris more than me - I'm a lot more chilled out than he is - but still :) The boys are really into their ball sports. Therefore, they play a lot of cricket and football in the summer as they pollute the peace and tranquility of an otherwise lovely time of year with their unwelcome noise! Although, to be fair, I encourage all sporting activities, so actually this is not that bad. However, another source of annoyance is the constant 'thud' of balls hitting the fence and invariably doing damage to the wooden panels which they have never put right! It is our side of the fence and thus our panels that are being damaged which makes the situation all the more galling, especially as we paid for new fencing to be put in not so long ago. So, how would I get my revenge? Well, in order to nullify the unwelcome interruption and damage, I have two inter-related options. The first is a fence that is loaded with a ray that automatically zaps offending objects that come into contact with it. Even better, a deluxe version of this ray could target the person who caused the object to come into contact with the fence - putting an end to interruptions both now and forever more in one fell swoop. Although, I'll admit, that isn't very humane! I had also considered a giant trap and slingshot to be put into a trap door in the garden so they could be hurled away from me as far as is possible, but, again, I thought that might be taking things (literally) a bit too far. |
| Phew... its 2am. I've been up since 6am and have driven 360 miles. I am tired. Yet here is my blog - dedication. Apologies for lack of formatting Prompt for July 18, 2013 Gun control: What side are you on? Are you even on a side? State your position. My perspective this week is a decidedly English one. in contrast to America, guns are (thankfully) not very used and widely owned, partly in response to tragic school shootings in Dunblane, Scotland, and 'one off' incidents where individuals have misused guns. I dislike guns, and hope we continue to keep tight control over their use and ownership. Though this is a purely personal view with which many of you may disagree, I find the notion of a 'right' to gun ownership a strange one, as to my mind, it brings with it a threat and a corresponding infringement on others that said gun may be used against. Further, I believe the state (read Government) has the duty to protect individuals via the police and legal system..so why would I need to carry a gun. I recognise that there are legitimate purposes for which guns may be used including the management of the country side, but believe that the UK is a better place for stringent gun controls. In the rare instances where we do see armed policemen on our streets and in other areas like airports, I find it an intimidating, rather than comforting site. Though many others may disagree, I believe widespread gun ownership has no legitimate place in a peaceful society and thus strict gun controls should be supported. |
Before I get on with writing about today's prompt, I just wanted to say how excited (and shocked) I am about being turned yellow and awarded the preferred author status. This was definitely a very long term goal. So, I definitely didn't expect to wake up to the email this morning! I am delighted that the powers that be think I deserve it. Today is a little odd, which is why I am trying to get this blog post in early. A couple that we met on holiday in Cuba last year is visiting us. I am actually really looking forward to seeing them, but you know when you find yourself thinking "why today?" Or even "why this week?" Chris has a job interview today and tomorrow (they are like buses!) And I have absolutely loads of little bits and pieces that I need to get done. Nevertheless, I'm sure it will be the lovely. I have approximately 4 hours to: write this blog, tidy the house, prepare speeches for tomorrow and Friday (the teacher have been highly unorganized and have only just told me what they want), and write about 400 emails to teachers to try and book dates in for my visits next term. On that note, I better get cracking! Prompt for day seventeen: Describe an odd or unusual writing habit or ritual you or someone you know has. I’m not sure I necessarily have unusual habits or rituals, per se. But I’ll just talk about a few things I noticed about myself whilst studying for my degrees. These degrees were, to my advantage, entirely writing based. Therefore, I spent a lot of time stooped over my laptop trying to fill up empty pages. A bit like now really. The first thing I noticed is that I cannot complete all my research prior to starting a project. A couple of times, I tried to read all the information I figured I needed, highlighted everything, used pretty post-it notes – the whole shebang! But when it came to writing, every single piece of information I had read flew straight to the front of my mind. So much so that I really struggled to work out what I needed to write where and when. Thereafter, I decided I would do better just to do basic research to start with – enough to write the title and introduction and leave the remainder of my research to do as I went. Surprisingly, this worked perfectly – at least, it appeared to, considering my grades. The second thing I noticed was far more irritating than the first. Indeed, I discovered that, whilst working on projects, I would become a nocturnal creature! This is not so much of an issue these days as I am blessed with quite a few days off so if I wish to spend the night writing, I can. However, I was still doing swimming training twice a day while I was studying. So, if I stayed up all night working, then went training at 7am, I would be exhausted. Nevertheless, try as I might, I never got any inspiration until after 8/9pm! Finally, I am a very calm person. Outwardly, at least! Even with scary deadlines, I make it look like I do not have a care in the world. This tends to terrify everyone around me, making them assume I am set to fail or about to have a massive panic or cramming session. This is never the case: I am always able to casually submit most things, with days to spare! |
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
I forgot I'd even written this 
. 
