"I love Christmas!" ... "I hate Christmas..."
Two different people talking? No? One person with a bit of a split-personality problem? No? Someone who delights in making contradictory statements, then? No? How can both be true?
If you are a kindred spirit you will know all too well. Let me give just two or three examples of how both statements can easily be true.
1. You love Christmas, but the events of life have left some bitter memories and/or regrets at this time of the year.
2. You love Christmas, but you are a perfectionist, or are overly-sentimental (or both!), with the result that Christmas always fails to live up to your expectations.
3. You love Christmas, but you are a committed Christian who 'wrestles' with maintaining an appropriate balance between enjoying the 'worldly' and remembering the 'spiritual'.
Of course, if more than one of the above applies to you, you will certainly know what I mean.
Monday 24 December 2012
Thursday 6 December 2012
Christmas TV
It's the first week of December and, in the gaps between programmes, the main TV channels are beginning to give us those initial tantalizing glimpses of what is going to be on offer over the festive season.
It will be another week, or so, I guess, before we begin to learn in more detail about the schedules for this Christmas, but those first tasters reminded me of something that rather irritates me at Christmas time: for the want of a better phrase, I'll call it 'Christmas after Christmas'.
In a nutshell, what I mean is Christmas films and specials that focus on some aspect of Christmas (Christmas Eve, Santa, etc) ... which are then scheduled by whoever is responsible for these things on one of the days after Christmas!
To give one example, the family/children's film "Elf", a light-hearted, somewhat sentimental piece of Christmas fantasy, that reaches its climax in Santa's annual Christmas Eve activities. Last year, I think it was, it was scheduled for Boxing Day (or possibly even the day after that). But Santa is 'old hat' on December 26th! There are enough non-Christmas-specific films around that can be scheduled in that lazy holiday period between Christmas and New Year. (At the time of writing I have just seen a preview for "Elf" indicating it is being shown this year on December 9th - for which I'm glad).
Please, programme-schedulers: put anything Christmas-related on in the days leading up to Christmas!
It will be another week, or so, I guess, before we begin to learn in more detail about the schedules for this Christmas, but those first tasters reminded me of something that rather irritates me at Christmas time: for the want of a better phrase, I'll call it 'Christmas after Christmas'.
In a nutshell, what I mean is Christmas films and specials that focus on some aspect of Christmas (Christmas Eve, Santa, etc) ... which are then scheduled by whoever is responsible for these things on one of the days after Christmas!
To give one example, the family/children's film "Elf", a light-hearted, somewhat sentimental piece of Christmas fantasy, that reaches its climax in Santa's annual Christmas Eve activities. Last year, I think it was, it was scheduled for Boxing Day (or possibly even the day after that). But Santa is 'old hat' on December 26th! There are enough non-Christmas-specific films around that can be scheduled in that lazy holiday period between Christmas and New Year. (At the time of writing I have just seen a preview for "Elf" indicating it is being shown this year on December 9th - for which I'm glad).
Please, programme-schedulers: put anything Christmas-related on in the days leading up to Christmas!
Thursday 22 November 2012
Football madness
Like many, I'm sure, I was stunned to read this morning that Roberto Di Matteo has been sacked from his post as Chelsea manager.
Di Matteo was brought in half way through last season, when Chelsea were floundering. From all appearances he succeeded in galvanizing the players (particularly the more senior ones) and re-building some team spirit. Although he arrived too late to do anything about Chelsea's slide out of the top four in the Premier League, he led them to victory in the FA Cup Final and then, of course, to the ultimate prize of the Champions League title.
Chelsea began this season in fine form, and led the Premier League until a couple of weeks ago. They have had a bit of a slump in the league (still third, mind you) and what happens? The owner gets rid of the manager.
I don't understand it at all. Di Matteo is very popular at Stamford Bridge (from his days as a player). Is there anyone (other than the fickle owner) who can understand this ridiculously premature decision? How many managers have Chelsea had since 2003? I've lost count. Who would want to take the job? What have you got to do to keep it once you've got it? Win everything ... all the time?
Di Matteo was brought in half way through last season, when Chelsea were floundering. From all appearances he succeeded in galvanizing the players (particularly the more senior ones) and re-building some team spirit. Although he arrived too late to do anything about Chelsea's slide out of the top four in the Premier League, he led them to victory in the FA Cup Final and then, of course, to the ultimate prize of the Champions League title.
Chelsea began this season in fine form, and led the Premier League until a couple of weeks ago. They have had a bit of a slump in the league (still third, mind you) and what happens? The owner gets rid of the manager.
I don't understand it at all. Di Matteo is very popular at Stamford Bridge (from his days as a player). Is there anyone (other than the fickle owner) who can understand this ridiculously premature decision? How many managers have Chelsea had since 2003? I've lost count. Who would want to take the job? What have you got to do to keep it once you've got it? Win everything ... all the time?
Wednesday 17 October 2012
A dangerous combination...
I discovered a new dangerous combination today: Watching England play football while you're having problems with your internet connection...
To be specific: I watched England attempt to play football against Poland in their latest World Cup qualifier. At the same time I was on my laptop trying to work out why my internet connection has been so slow in the last couple of days. SpeedTest.net registered an upload speed of ..... 0.00. Can't be good, I thought. I duly grabbed a phone/broadband utilities bill and spotted with joy the paragraph that promises that if you ring a certain number you can, quote, "chat to us instantly"... Fifteen minutes later a human being finally acknowledged my existence on the other end of the line.
I was then instructed to go to the provider's own speedtest site. My download speed was good; the upload speed was still failing to get out of the blocks. Apparently the Ping something-or-other was too high!
Then, with a masterly piece of technical advice that would not be out of place on the "IT Crowd" I was asked to - wait for it - unplug both my router and hub! Had to pull the TV stand out to get to the thing they installed on the wall but, what the heck, England were playing atrociously. Pulled out power lead on router. Pulled out power lead on hub. Plugged both back in again. Did the speedtest again. Ah! My Ping rating had gone down. This is, apparently, good (Ping must be a bit like blood pressure). And my upload speed had finally got off the ground. I'm promised a phone call in 24 hours to check that all is okay.
As for the football... well, I wish I could have unplugged a few of the talentless individuals wearing the three lions in Poland. If only their upload could be improved so easily...
To be specific: I watched England attempt to play football against Poland in their latest World Cup qualifier. At the same time I was on my laptop trying to work out why my internet connection has been so slow in the last couple of days. SpeedTest.net registered an upload speed of ..... 0.00. Can't be good, I thought. I duly grabbed a phone/broadband utilities bill and spotted with joy the paragraph that promises that if you ring a certain number you can, quote, "chat to us instantly"... Fifteen minutes later a human being finally acknowledged my existence on the other end of the line.
I was then instructed to go to the provider's own speedtest site. My download speed was good; the upload speed was still failing to get out of the blocks. Apparently the Ping something-or-other was too high!
Then, with a masterly piece of technical advice that would not be out of place on the "IT Crowd" I was asked to - wait for it - unplug both my router and hub! Had to pull the TV stand out to get to the thing they installed on the wall but, what the heck, England were playing atrociously. Pulled out power lead on router. Pulled out power lead on hub. Plugged both back in again. Did the speedtest again. Ah! My Ping rating had gone down. This is, apparently, good (Ping must be a bit like blood pressure). And my upload speed had finally got off the ground. I'm promised a phone call in 24 hours to check that all is okay.
As for the football... well, I wish I could have unplugged a few of the talentless individuals wearing the three lions in Poland. If only their upload could be improved so easily...
Monday 3 September 2012
Welcome!
Welcome to my blog site! My son came up with the title ("Fifty and Fed-up"), as 'Grumpy old man' is a bit over-used! Besides, I hope my blogs won't be restricted to 'rants' - although, at this stage, who knows?
I was prompted to set up a blog, would you believe, by a catalogue advert for a rug! I won't say which catalogue, but it was advertising a Union Flag rug ... in shades of blue!
It reminded me, of course, of the raised eyebrows when Great Britain's Olympic sportswear was unveiled some months ago. Is there any other country, I wonder, where people routinely 'deface' their national emblem by changing its colours?
Being charitable, I guess it could be argued that it is the very design of our flag that is iconic. Change the colours of a flag in standard tricolor format and you cease to recognise the flag. Change the colours of the Union Flag and it is still unmistakably the Great British flag.
But, as I say, that is being charitable. In my mind the colour of the flag is integral to the flag itself. Why would anyone want to change the colours? It is our national flag, not a fashion accessory.
I was prompted to set up a blog, would you believe, by a catalogue advert for a rug! I won't say which catalogue, but it was advertising a Union Flag rug ... in shades of blue!
It reminded me, of course, of the raised eyebrows when Great Britain's Olympic sportswear was unveiled some months ago. Is there any other country, I wonder, where people routinely 'deface' their national emblem by changing its colours?
Being charitable, I guess it could be argued that it is the very design of our flag that is iconic. Change the colours of a flag in standard tricolor format and you cease to recognise the flag. Change the colours of the Union Flag and it is still unmistakably the Great British flag.
But, as I say, that is being charitable. In my mind the colour of the flag is integral to the flag itself. Why would anyone want to change the colours? It is our national flag, not a fashion accessory.
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