Full Blue Moon

So its New years eve, and a full blue moon tonight. All a blue moon means is that its the second full moon in a month – it doesn’t happen too often.

The moon’s cycle is 29 and a half days. In a month with 31 days, there’s time to have two full moons in a month. Happens every year or so but its nice to have on a night where a lot of people may be out to be able to see it.

I don’t really have any plans for new year which is not so different to most years but usually by the eve I have something planned. So maybe i’ll just be home for it as so many places/people that I’d usually be out with are staying in without visitors. Shame really.

If your interested in the full moon or the moon phases heres a useful page: http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/time/moon/ that tells you the UK based ones.

Tonights full moon is at 19.15

EYE Eye eye

My eye sight has got a lot worse over the last few years, I tend to wear contact lenses or my glasses whenever working, or driving. I’ve not been advised to wear while driving but now if trying to read something on my own its not in focus and not nice.

I dont always wear them, I can watch things without text without any issue – they seem in focus but maybe not quite as sharp as they could be. I never used to wear glasses or anything to correct the images. Maybe its over use of a computer or watching a screen to much – I don’t know what caused the issues just that they are here now.

It took me a long time to get used to putting lenses into my eyes. Often I would start to get it in and my eye would close so would end up nearly on the eye lid or dropped somewhere. Now its more that it gets stuck to my finger and wont connect to the eye which is annoying. Only takes seconds to get them out – never had an issue that way.

It must have been around 2 months before I could comfortably put lenses in – still takes me around 5 minutes some days, others about 30 seconds – to start with around 20 minutes or more so quite and improvement.

My balance also improved with the lenses. I was less dizzy and my trampolining improved greatly I was told and they wondered what was different – only thing was change to contacts… I’m glad I chose to do them, they give a lot of freedoms that glasses restrict you with.

Life Updates

Whats been happening in life, well it seems not much at first glance and the same answer I give to people asking “What have you been up too”. I work, I play, dance and enjoy. But in reality, quite a lot.

I’ve been focusing more on what I can do. How I can expand my knowledge and abilities. In dancing, I’m learning to salsa weekly now aswell as following learning things online using videos and stuff. Video is useful as can rewind and replay, but class is great as can be shown close up what and if I go wrong. All is fun.

On the computer, I am learning Adobe products & doing courses using distance learning. I’ve always wanted to learn photoshop & Flash and now I am slowly. The course will take something like 9 months but found other resources like adobe tv and seminars that adobe do on tuesdays and thursdays.

In other news I’ve had a meeting with business link on how i can adapt to take over the family business and how I can run it all from business management & staffing to finances and marketting.

Aswell as business link, i’ve met with people from the North East Chamber of Commerce (NECC) on how to get funding, do networking & training. Its a lot to take in but I’m getting more excited and interested the more I hear.

At trampolining I’ve started on sumasaults, I can get around and onto my feet in the rig but otherwise I kinda go splatt but its a start. I am also getting the chance to help others in trampolining – my assistant coaching qualification coming to use. Its amazing when people learn something you’ve taught them. Its better than payment in reality.

Links used in this post:

Merry Christmas

So Today is Christmas and its going to be good. Friends and family to share with, presents to give and receive and lots of eating most likely so Merry Christmas

Christmas is Coming

Christmas is coming and just like last year I have friends coming to stay with me. This year however I don’t need to cook christmas dinner as been invited to parents. There is going to be at least 9 of us which is going to be great.

I do love having friends around. I think it is a great bonus in life, to share, encourage, and just chill out… often with lots of games.

I am really looking forward to Christmas – 2 long weekends with friends, family and enjoyment.

Creatures of the house

How many of us have found food we thought we had we have no more and not because we ate it… but something else had.

I’ve been sorting through my cuboards, clearing out old stuff. I found I had products in there that we dated early 2003 which is odd considering I moved in here in late 2005 so that was nice to discover.

I cleared the shelves and it all seemed good and then got to the bottom shelf where things were not so good anymore… Where a lot of my herbs, and Teas are kept and a lot of snack products like rivita, and other dried breads and crackers….

Seems the should have been kept in glass as something had eaten its way through and into every box, and packet be it cardboard or plastic… all with contents spread over the bottom shelves now…

It took me a while to clear, and I didn’t find anything that was eating its way but its one way to clear a cuboard – shame as now have to go get new stuff… Nevermind, glad its sorted and didn’t happen with company – that would be uncomfortable.

I don’t like to think what other creatures are around the house… I just accept there are things, and the less I know the better… then I don’t over think it.

“Ignorance is bliss, until you understand why!”

To dance and be so free

To dance and be so free – lost in the moment.

On saturday night I went to a place in town I’ve not been before called kilamanjo’s – they had a night of salsa and food. A friend from work invited anyone who wanted to go to it, only myself and them went.

I was told the wrong time – an hour of difference so I was early – it was meant to start at 8pm – I was told 7pm so was early arriving just after 7. Gave me time to write, and mix with people as they came in.

First time in around 3 months having alchol with a tasty wine. Fruity but not too steet – then again its a red so i dont think it should be too sweet. I only had 2 glasses of wine, otherwise it was softdrinks – its not good to have a lot of alchol then try dancing – especially when co-ordination is a major factor.

Salsa Dancing

Salsa Dancing

It was good to see people smiling, I wondered how I’d get on, knowing that it was going to be fun and it was – the food was good too – think i’ll go there again even if its not a salsa night.

I hoped to get lots of dancing done and have lots of fun. It was great fun and I was told I suprised people that I could do at least the basics… I went blank and couldn’t remember how to do things so just stuck with the very basics of moves but was still a lot of fun.

I got to speak with so many people… I was alone for a while so did the general intro of “hi, I don’t really know anyone here so thought i’d introduce myself and see how it goes..” the general reply was welcoming and we got on well.

I saw a few people i’d met from classes when I started there and caught up of whats been happening in life. It was good to see them as it meant I had different groups of people to mix with and wasn’t hanging around with those that invited me.

It was a good night, and headed home soon after midnight as was tired and most people had headed off. I had a good night, with new and old friends.

I need to work out how to use confidence, and remember what I can off the moves to use when dancing.. I think half of it is wondering what others think but when I do things its enjoyable. Try to stay posative, and remember everyone was a starter at one point.

Church – fitting in?

When it comes to church, I am never particuarly sure where I fit in. I am my own person and don’t try to merge into things anymore – I try too then miss something out and be myself and its as thou your not recognised and it felt wierd so I be me and if not liked, then nevermind at least I know it.

The church I am in, I do enjoy and its the first one in a very long time where it feels like a home church. I do wonder half the time where it is, and do need to check emails reguarly to find where it is this week. It moves around the area often as the building that was used is being re-furbished.

If I miss it, I can listen to the pod-casts they have on. Its nice to sometimes just listen or re-listen to a sermon… I like the short messages they have to say – anything more than about 20 minutes and I usually stop listening anyhow but the messages they do usually last 20 mins or less.

I don’t feel a complete part of the church but do feel welcome, still after 6 months which I think is a new record. I’ve been to so many places that welcome you for the first few weeks and if you don’t manage to merge within the set groups or cleeks then you can’t get involved easily.

I do get on with event based things with YFC and other organisations and see a church via that – a place where I meet with others and we worship by doing things and helping others aswell as the singing/praying side of stuff.

I’m not sure where I particually fit in with things but happy where i am at present.

It was school days…

I’ve been on facebook for a while and seem to get friend requests from people of school times, people that have recognised a face from back then which would be early 90’s when we were there. I’ve often added them, but put them on limited profile to start with.

I do get nosey, wondering how they’ve been and what they now do in life. I see friends leaving messages for each other from the “groups” of that time in life.

While at school, i was a quiet one. I was nervous frequently and not very confident. The only thing I was really confident with was my faith – I didn’t care what people thought of me when it came to that but anything else I seemed to stay quiet.

When I was in junior school I was loud, a lot. Which many people nowadays or even from secondary school would find it hard to believe. I was told for several years to be quiet, ignored and taunted/bullied and it was easier to be quite to please than fight it so I went quiet. Nowadays I get loud when excited but in general a quiet person.

School did shape me a lot, but college gave me a freedom I’d not known. People who were there, were there because they wanted to learn about the chosen subject and althou got picked on a little, it was a lot free’r and I could do so much more without so many limits.

Getting back to school, I knew lots of people – and lots knew me. I had a few base friends, most of which I am still great friends with and see often if not daily.

The majority of others, and maybe most that have now found me on facebook I wouldn’t recognise if out and about, but seem happy to talk via a virtual connection online. I find its great to see life changes in people. Many people i knew then are now married or in relationships… some with each other wheras at school they seemed to hate one another.

So many changes and yet still recognised to a point. Probably not by name, but the way some people looked. Its great the idea to litterally see how people are. I do like the way facebook allows you to see a kind of timeline through pictures and comments of just how some people have grown over time.

I can’t say I enjoyed school times, but do see it shaped me. Its where i realised I loved dance, but was too afraid to actually go for it. Its taken about 12 years after finishing school to finally start with dance, and I do love it althou know that I’m not particurlly good at it but its great fun.

Dreamland – Fun yet dangerous with the occasional kickback (pt2/2)

View Part 1 of the dream

The street theater – There was circus like acts going on, people up high on wierd bikes or stilts in bright costumes. There was something everywhere most of the time unless you went out into the fields that just seemed to go on forever. You chose the weather by thinking it and it happened – be it Rain, glorious sunshine, or snow.

We went out in the snow and built snow people, it was snow and we just seemed to have the warm clothes to wear, there was clothes racks all over and you just grabbed what you wanted. It wasn’t cold but just right and it was so easy to make things… everything we wanted just seemed to be lying around. There was snow ball fights getting us all drenched and covered and wandered over to a pond that was frozen over – we went ice skating, and chilled out just having fun.

I recall thinking, “is this all a dream?” and tried to float but couldn’t. Usually if I work out its a dream I can float or fly and continue. The rain was lovely at night, such a relaxing sound it bouncing off the glass windows.

There was play parks big enough for adults with huge slides, and swings that you could get really high on – not recommended to jump from althou we did and recall it hurting but just for a couple of seconds before going back and playing some more. There was climbing frames, and a few zip lines over water and this wierd spongy foam that seemed to take quite an impact and not hurt when you hit it.

Food was awesome, there seemed to be a place for everything – I recall a place that served just loads of different crisps and a dance floor for salsa – it was great. You could watch or join in. I could seem to remember all the moves from classes in my real life inside the dream and actually be able to do them and enjoy it. The food was eat as much or little as you want.

There was trampolines about the size of 4 normal club sized ones put together – you could get really high and catapult yourself all over or mix with friends and play amazing games of seat attack catapulting one another into the air.

It didn’t feel like you were in danger unless you went down the bank through the shopping centre, everywhere else seemed safe and the people around us were happy too. Only at one point when we were heading down past the centre did we need to stop the group and re-direct them – they were heading towards the unpleasent place but they couldn’t seem to feel it – a strange sense I seemed to have.

Days seemed to pass into weeks yet I was only asleep a few hours, I awoke feeling refreshed but suprised I was at home. I have no idea how I got there, or how I returned but look forward to going there again like so many of my past dreams – they somehow reconnect and its like a continuation.

• Coming Soon: Dreams Blog