Monday, May 31, 2004
We had a quick visit from James and Lucy today. James drives a Harley Sportster. James and I went down the road to a geocache and I nearly fell off the back of the bike. I could not believe the acceleration!
Saturday, May 29, 2004
I have eight books to read and I am really looking forward to getting stuck into them all. It is like looking forward to something new, like a surprise.
Michelle, Sarah's friend brought three over from Switzerland, Sarah gave me two for my birthday and I have one from Liz from work. Then, we went into Fleet today and walked through the charity shops. The amazing books you can find there!!! Hardcover books for £1.50 and brand new looking recent novels for a little less. What a bargain. I have no idea why people by brand new books anymore. In comparison, they are so expensive.
Michelle bought a James Mitchener which I read a long time ago called The Source and Jessica bought an ald 1950's girls annual.
The books I have to read are:
Seabiscuit - Laura Hillenbrand (From Sarah)
The Heart of London - HV Morton (1920) (From Sarah)
The Murder Book - Jonathan Kellerman (From Fleet)
Prey - Michael Crichton (From Fleet)
The Rottweiler - Ruth Rendell (From Michelle)
Gallows View - Peter Robinson (From Michelle)
Shutter Island - Dennis Lehane (From Michelle)
The Purpose Driven Life - Rick Warren (From Liz)
Oh... and I nearly forgot... I am still reading the book while commuting to London each day called The Joy of Burnout - Dr Dina Glouberman.
I have a list I keep of all the books I read in my little black filofax.... but maybe I should do another Buttercup list of books I have read...
What do you think?
|
Michelle, Sarah's friend brought three over from Switzerland, Sarah gave me two for my birthday and I have one from Liz from work. Then, we went into Fleet today and walked through the charity shops. The amazing books you can find there!!! Hardcover books for £1.50 and brand new looking recent novels for a little less. What a bargain. I have no idea why people by brand new books anymore. In comparison, they are so expensive.
Michelle bought a James Mitchener which I read a long time ago called The Source and Jessica bought an ald 1950's girls annual.
The books I have to read are:
Seabiscuit - Laura Hillenbrand (From Sarah)
The Heart of London - HV Morton (1920) (From Sarah)
The Murder Book - Jonathan Kellerman (From Fleet)
Prey - Michael Crichton (From Fleet)
The Rottweiler - Ruth Rendell (From Michelle)
Gallows View - Peter Robinson (From Michelle)
Shutter Island - Dennis Lehane (From Michelle)
The Purpose Driven Life - Rick Warren (From Liz)
Oh... and I nearly forgot... I am still reading the book while commuting to London each day called The Joy of Burnout - Dr Dina Glouberman.
I have a list I keep of all the books I read in my little black filofax.... but maybe I should do another Buttercup list of books I have read...
What do you think?
Tuesday, May 25, 2004
I spoke to our neighbour last weekend about some ideas for business. The idea is to do house clearance. This means helping people clear their junk for cheap and then selling the junk on.... through e-bay or through a shop or through weekend car boot sales.
Sounds like a lot of work to me....
Let's see what happens.
Yesterday I had lunch with a friend I used to work with. We bought sandwiches. He from Benjy's and I from Pret's and we went and sat on a bench watching the ladies play netball just around the corner from Liverpool Street Station. I don't watch the games much because I don't understand the rules too well. It is just good to be out in the sun and enjoy some fresh-ish air. Not so sure how fresh but at least it is not pumped up office air conditioned air.
Friend said he was tired of the office and internal politics of the job. He is a QA specialist (testing / project management) and is going to start a course in PLUMBING! I think that is a great idea. Apparently they are in huge demand.
The question is..... is there any less politics in plumbing.... maybe the one set of problems will keep following a person..... who knows.
But I still think it is a brave and good idea to start something like that. Mind you, with a KTM 650 and a plumbing qualification, all you would need is a tiger in your tank and you would be king of the road!!!
|
Sounds like a lot of work to me....
Let's see what happens.
Yesterday I had lunch with a friend I used to work with. We bought sandwiches. He from Benjy's and I from Pret's and we went and sat on a bench watching the ladies play netball just around the corner from Liverpool Street Station. I don't watch the games much because I don't understand the rules too well. It is just good to be out in the sun and enjoy some fresh-ish air. Not so sure how fresh but at least it is not pumped up office air conditioned air.
Friend said he was tired of the office and internal politics of the job. He is a QA specialist (testing / project management) and is going to start a course in PLUMBING! I think that is a great idea. Apparently they are in huge demand.
The question is..... is there any less politics in plumbing.... maybe the one set of problems will keep following a person..... who knows.
But I still think it is a brave and good idea to start something like that. Mind you, with a KTM 650 and a plumbing qualification, all you would need is a tiger in your tank and you would be king of the road!!!
Sunday, May 23, 2004
I came across this piece of wisdom while reading one of the emails I subscribe to:
I hope you like it.
Donald Trump on Negotiating
In the April 17th Saturday edition of ETR, I gave you Donald Trump's best ideas on how to get rich. Now, here are his best tips on how to be a great negotiator:
Consider what the other side wants.
Trump tells the story of how he acquired the tallest building in southern Manhattan, 40 Wall Street, for $1 million plus the liens. He did so because he spoke to the owners personally, not through an agent, and found out what they wanted -- in this case, to get out of real estate.
Be reasonable and flexible.
This might not seem like the kind of tactic you'd expect from Donald Trump, but he makes the point that unless you are willing to be open-minded when it comes to deals, to think long-term and not worry so much about the small things, you may miss out on some big opportunities.
Trust your instincts.
Against all expert advice to the contrary, Trump had a gut feeling that he could turn 40 Wall Street into the premier office location in that part of town. He ignored his advisers and made it happen.
Know exactly what you want and keep it to yourself.
"If you're careful about what you reveal," Trump says, "you'll have more flexibility as you gather more information about he contours of the deal."
Make sure both sides come out winning.
There is an HBO movie in the making about Atlantic City in which Trump and Steve Wynn (the Las Vegas casino developer) are portrayed as belligerent opponents in Trump's successful acquisition of Trump Marina for $320 million. "That is highly inaccurate," Trump says. "The bidding contest was friendly and, though Wynn lost out in the end, the publicity helped him enormously in his eventual conquest and development of Las Vegas."
Let your guard down -- but only on purpose.
It's a good idea to make seemingly random, calculated off-hand comments. Sometimes, they provoke responses that are helpful in figuring out the other person's interests and intentions.
Be patient.
Most successful entrepreneurs like to move quickly -- but there are some deals that require time. Trump says he's learned to be patient and it's paid off. "I've spent from five minutes to 15 years waiting for a deal," he says.
Regardless of whether you like Donald Trump, he's shown resilience and tenacity at the highest levels of business entrepreneurship. It's worthwhile to emulate his best ideas.
|
I hope you like it.
Donald Trump on Negotiating
In the April 17th Saturday edition of ETR, I gave you Donald Trump's best ideas on how to get rich. Now, here are his best tips on how to be a great negotiator:
Consider what the other side wants.
Trump tells the story of how he acquired the tallest building in southern Manhattan, 40 Wall Street, for $1 million plus the liens. He did so because he spoke to the owners personally, not through an agent, and found out what they wanted -- in this case, to get out of real estate.
Be reasonable and flexible.
This might not seem like the kind of tactic you'd expect from Donald Trump, but he makes the point that unless you are willing to be open-minded when it comes to deals, to think long-term and not worry so much about the small things, you may miss out on some big opportunities.
Trust your instincts.
Against all expert advice to the contrary, Trump had a gut feeling that he could turn 40 Wall Street into the premier office location in that part of town. He ignored his advisers and made it happen.
Know exactly what you want and keep it to yourself.
"If you're careful about what you reveal," Trump says, "you'll have more flexibility as you gather more information about he contours of the deal."
Make sure both sides come out winning.
There is an HBO movie in the making about Atlantic City in which Trump and Steve Wynn (the Las Vegas casino developer) are portrayed as belligerent opponents in Trump's successful acquisition of Trump Marina for $320 million. "That is highly inaccurate," Trump says. "The bidding contest was friendly and, though Wynn lost out in the end, the publicity helped him enormously in his eventual conquest and development of Las Vegas."
Let your guard down -- but only on purpose.
It's a good idea to make seemingly random, calculated off-hand comments. Sometimes, they provoke responses that are helpful in figuring out the other person's interests and intentions.
Be patient.
Most successful entrepreneurs like to move quickly -- but there are some deals that require time. Trump says he's learned to be patient and it's paid off. "I've spent from five minutes to 15 years waiting for a deal," he says.
Regardless of whether you like Donald Trump, he's shown resilience and tenacity at the highest levels of business entrepreneurship. It's worthwhile to emulate his best ideas.
GCD216 Catch Cromwell Jump Jump by Fynbos
This is the link to our favourite cache. People have all had really interesting stories about nearly falling into the river and coming back covered in mud.
I should go back one day and see if the cache needs replenishing.
|
This is the link to our favourite cache. People have all had really interesting stories about nearly falling into the river and coming back covered in mud.
I should go back one day and see if the cache needs replenishing.
Yesterday our neighbour cut his hedge and we took all his sticks and cut them up. I love cutting wood and it took absolutely ages but at the end of it we have a stack of kindling. It just has to dry out nicely now and not rot in autumn before we want to use it.
This is a new feature I have just discovered. It is going open up a whole new world for me to now completely bore you with some of the pictures I have taken.
Saturday, May 22, 2004
LionAid
I just remembered that another book, The Lion Children, is also set in Botswana. In fact it is not fiction, but a story of a young family going from the UK into a very different lifestyle in Botswana.
Get their book or read about it at the web site.
|
I just remembered that another book, The Lion Children, is also set in Botswana. In fact it is not fiction, but a story of a young family going from the UK into a very different lifestyle in Botswana.
Get their book or read about it at the web site.
Alexander McCall Smith : Home
I have just read the Kalahari Typing School for men and really enjoyed the book. Although the start of the book was a repeat of things from the previous books, the stories, once they start going, are pure, simple and very enjoyable. I think I quite fancy living in Botswana, but think that the reality of the lifestyle there is probably a lot different from the books.
Anyone from Botswana out there that would like to comment?
|
I have just read the Kalahari Typing School for men and really enjoyed the book. Although the start of the book was a repeat of things from the previous books, the stories, once they start going, are pure, simple and very enjoyable. I think I quite fancy living in Botswana, but think that the reality of the lifestyle there is probably a lot different from the books.
Anyone from Botswana out there that would like to comment?
Wednesday, May 19, 2004
Yesterday I started using my bicycle again. I park the bike in the basement at work and this evening, when I took it out of the rack, I noticed that the front tyre was flat.
So I pumped it up and managed to cycle half way to Waterloo before having to pump it up again.
I know I should be fixing it now but don't feel like it! OK!
Coffee is far better!
|
So I pumped it up and managed to cycle half way to Waterloo before having to pump it up again.
I know I should be fixing it now but don't feel like it! OK!
Coffee is far better!
Monday, May 03, 2004
Buttercup Joe Art
Today I spent some more time playing with Tripod. I put the link to the main site on the left hand side of the blog a while back and today I took an article from the digital photography magazine and started playing.
A good thing too because I really enjoyed it. Take a look at the link above and you will see the photos. I am just sorry about the banner adds but that is all part of having this free hosting through Tripod.
Back to work tomorrow so no more photos for a while!
|
Today I spent some more time playing with Tripod. I put the link to the main site on the left hand side of the blog a while back and today I took an article from the digital photography magazine and started playing.
A good thing too because I really enjoyed it. Take a look at the link above and you will see the photos. I am just sorry about the banner adds but that is all part of having this free hosting through Tripod.
Back to work tomorrow so no more photos for a while!
index.gif
Sarah and I went to this restaurant. It was fantastic. Great spicy soup, pizza type goodies cooked in Turkish style, Turkish delight, Baklava and rich Turkish Coffee. All very good. The restaurant is nice and warm because of the pizza ovens and the service is friendly and quick. There was even a man playing guitar in the corner.
If you ever get to London, you should try and visit - it is right next to the Shakespeare Globe.
|
Sarah and I went to this restaurant. It was fantastic. Great spicy soup, pizza type goodies cooked in Turkish style, Turkish delight, Baklava and rich Turkish Coffee. All very good. The restaurant is nice and warm because of the pizza ovens and the service is friendly and quick. There was even a man playing guitar in the corner.
If you ever get to London, you should try and visit - it is right next to the Shakespeare Globe.
