Month: March 2012

Still very skeptical – but very definitely believing in that luck thing.

The organised religions make no sense whatsoever though, even when they're not contradicting themselves.

I'm actually quite surprised by this…. I thought – being an engineer/science type you'd be rather more skeptical…..

This one feels as if it’s getting more alive now.

The Pink Hat Project was an idea that first came up a couple of months ago now while chatting with one of my dearest friends over online chat. We had a colleague who touched our team a little while ago … She was one of the mainstays of a small team that got absorbed into our larger team and always answered my big popup meerkat grin with a little smile of her own.

But … she’s also been touched by breast cancer over the last couple of years and although we’ve seen her occasionally feeling well enough to be able to come in, she’s really struggled. So remembering her (aka The Rose) is part of my inspiration to be the focus for a charity effort instead of just the contributor.

Thumper is also an inspiration for this, the original Pink Hat Project idea was spawned after me thinking “Why can’t I do that too ?”

There’s a simple answer to that : In a year or two, I won’t be able to. Although I don’t look much older than when I was at uni, at 37 I can feel the advancing years catching up to me. I’d still be able to bat and impersonate a fielder but if I can’t Run Real Fast, I don’t think there’d be a point in continuing the cricket. I have to be in the team on merit or not at all. Hopefully losing weight will give me another few seasons, at least long enough to make it worth buying the gear I’m intending to pick up.

But … most sporty charity stuff involves running a half marathon or something like that. I’m not built for that. I don’t have any significant run-for-miles endurance but have very good recuperation powers. I’m built for short fast sprints and lots of them. Cricket is the perfect game for me. And cricket over a season is a marathon because it’s a very easy game to get injured in and someone like me will be carrying injuries over several games, plus you do more running in the field than you’d expect.

So my sponsorship idea revolves around cricket. And that can get really complicated as (if the shoulder behaves) I can do everything on the cricket field :

Cash for runs as a batsman (I’ll expect lots*)
Stumpings if I’m needed as a wicket keeper (these are rare)
Catches held (more as keeper)
Run outs caused (lolworthy if I’m batting!)
Wickets (unlikely to happen unless I can bowl more than just doosras)

* While I’ve held my catches and won games with my bowling, (6 wickets in a game once, 4 wickets several times) I’ve never scored a 50 with the bat. That’s something I Want to do, it’s unfinished business. I’ve also turned games with my fielding, keeping the runs down, getting key run outs or holding important catches. But while I’ve anchored sides to wins, I’ve never had that massive innings of my own.

Other performance sponsorship options are things like Cash per Game played. And I intend to play as much as my body lets me this summer. And then play anyway if I’m feeling slow. Oh, another reason for thinking about doing this is to give me some solid motivations to continue playing.

So there we have it :

Pink Hat Project = Sleepypete trying to get as much cricket in as possible, wearing as much pink gear as I can acquire. That’s been a struggle :

Pink cap – acquired, although I’m uncomfortable about wearing England badged gear on the field. I haven’t earned that right.
Pink floppy hat – only idea I have here is to get a red one and leave it outside to get sunbleached.
Pink keeping gloves – these exist … but I’d need to know I’d be keeping wicket.
Pink bat grip – I can get one of these at Globe Sports and will do so when I know which bat I’ll use this summer.
Pink helmet – think I’d be able to get a pink cover for mine … more investigation needed.

That’s the limit for pink stuff though. We play with red balls and in the evenings when the light starts becoming a factor, so pink outfit + red ball = tricky to see -> unhappy opposition.

As for the fund raising bit, I’ll be looking at Justgiving.com. I’ve seen other people posting up links to Justgiving and a colleague did a similar sponsored cricket thing a couple of seasons ago, I think using Justgiving.

That’s it for now – Pink Hat Project feels like it’s getting closer to reality the more I show people the picture of the Pink Hat I got last Friday 🙂

Another one grabbed from Facebook :

Of all the door to door people who come knocking, it’s the religion ones that I’m most wary of. The only one who’s come close lately has been the Anglian windows bloke who I thought would try and force his way in.

The religion ones are the worst of the lot though. I have nothing against people who live with religion close to their hearts, it’s the evangelists who I don’t have the respect for. The people who will drag a child with them when they go doorstep to doorstep, with that child being a moderator for any offensiveness that might be justified by preventing a stranger from forcing their way into your home.

And that’s what it feels like with the doorstep religion people, they expect that you will invite them into your home and often don’t bother waiting for an answer. Cue slamming of door in faces.

But that’s just style. I had a similar reaction to the Anglian windows person who :
Didn’t show any personal ID
Only identification was an “Anglian” on his fleece top
Was bordering offensive in his efforts to get me to talk to him.

Yep – I’m paranoid about the doorstep sellers and will only let them in if they’re as sexy as the Npower girl who convinced me to change away from British Gash, which is something I had planned to do shortly anyway. (Customer disservice again)

Before I go into the next lot which I suspect may upset a few religious people, I have every respect for what people believe in. It’s your answer and your interpretation to fundamental questions. And I have no right to question those beliefs. Organised religion, however, is fair game – muahaha 🙂

I have a kind of religion but it’s a personal one. I think there’s gremlins, spooks, ghosts, supernatural wibblies out there who like to toy with us. Use a computer for a while, you’ll know what I mean. Strange things happen that defy the logic these things are supposed to run on.

I also believe heavily in karma, do good things for others and they’ll remember when you need the favour returned.. And that stands me in good stead at work, where I get more responsiveness out of our contractors than some of my colleagues do. I think that’s partly the contractors knowing that I don’t ask them to do stuff which would be a waste of effort. I’ll also work through the problems and “how do we do this ???” to the benefit of everyone. Lol, I’m usually asking them to do stuff they know they should be doing anyway but without bashing them over the head with a reminder of that.

So that’s the “do unto others” tenet that the Christians like to think they follow. (Look up history, the Christian mob ethic has been consistently “do unto others before they do unto you”). Don’t get me wrong, it’s a fine belief system for individuals, it just goes badly wrong when it gets organised.

I have to admit being soured on Christianity by what I experienced in primary school over in Northern Ireland. I went to a Quaker school which was heavily populated by Protestant kids with the occasional Catholic. The playground could literally be a battlefield. It was also during the time when the Troubles were still active, when the Peace Process was not quite started up. As an 8 year old, I was confused : “You follow the same god right, why are you fighting ?”. I found it nonsensical and didn’t want to have anything to do with it.

Oh, there was also the ganging up on the English boy too 🙂 Everyone gets bullied for being different but our differences are what make us strong. I was also known as the Milky Bar Kid at that Irish school.

Yep – my pre-teen mind was so confused by the Protestant vs Catholic thing that it went its own way and sought its own interpretation. My own code of ethics borrow heavily from what I learned early on but a strong ethic of “Be Good To People” should be the core of everyone’s ethics, religion should not have anything to do with that.

In terms of meaning though … My superstition makes me think there’s a supreme being type entity out there. But not the capricious gods of most major religions. They’re more concerned about their worshippers legging it for someone less cruel than they are concerned for the welfare of those worshippers. (Yes greek gods, I mean you!).

So what do I believe in ? I believe in Luck. Fate. Destiny. It’s why I have my superstitions that guard against tempting fate. You can go some way to making your own luck. Don’t walk under ladders that are unstable and have things perched on top. Take precautions when working on that ladder.

Why luck ? Most religions are centred around the question “Why Am I Here?” and answer that question with something that keeps control of their flock. I prefer the scientific element inherent in the sheer luck involved in us being here.

Astronomic chances of a life bearing planet in a life supporting solar system
Having a moon that causes tides that generate our climate
Sheer random chance of those first amino acids getting together
Enough radiation to spark random evolutionary mutation
Random evolution making creatures as smart as we are
Incalculable chances of the chromosomes that made me ME coming together

The mind boggles at the staggering amount of luck that makes us US. And it is sheer luck that makes us what we are. When you look at it, luck makes a lot of sense too as a Creator. Bad luck comes along with Good luck. Believers in a perfect supreme being (Christians) have no explanation for the innocents inflicted with Bad Stuff. A perfect being can make no flaws in their design. We all know how many flaws are in this world and a bare fraction of those are punishments for evildoers. Nothing in this world is perfect (although someone I know comes close!) which puts the kybosh on “God made us in his own image”. Ok, that makes their god flawed and imperfect too and in no way befitting the tag assigned to them.

No. I prefer to believe in Luck, as I know how fickle luck can be. Luck will also respect it when you put the effort in to improve your chances.

And I’m now starting to run out of things to add to the Wall Of Text without repeating myself. Questions and last thoughts :

Always ask : does this belief make sense ?
Trust in your own choices
Have respect for the choices of others, particularly what they believe in
Treat others how you would expect to be treated in return
Being nice leads to cookies and chocolate
And a hug feels better than a sermon

Very last thought – would I get married in a church ? If it mattered to my partner, definitely. That’s part of having the respect for the beliefs of others. My feet might feel a little toasty but it’s her day as well as mine. Oh to find someone though both interested and interesting. I do know someone who more than fits the “interesting” part, she’s smart, sexy, full of life, has a good soul and most important, can keep up with my brain which works in its mysterious ways. But “interested” ? she’s got other stuff going on that’s got her full attention. There I go again with chasing the unattainable !

LOL

Yoinked from Facebook :

Love it

Ahhh SkyPad – how to say less, show less but take far more time doing so.

And Martin Brundle's new co-occupier of the com-box is a raving moron.

Oh, don't forget the imaginative new idea – the SkyPad [LMAO]

First Crazie Movie outing for a little while on Friday and it must have been a little too long since I’ve enjoyed the company of friends chilling out with a movie night …

The hyperactivity hasn’t quite been so prevalent lately, as I’ve been feeling somewhat ground down before the Easter break (happens every year). Anyway, one pizza night + one enjoyable film + company of good people = hyperactivity (and therefore Pete’s cheerfulness). Would still have loved to see a Special Guest come along as I think it would be a good escape from home stuff.

How was the film ? We watched John Carter (of Mars), which admittedly is a product of the Disney house so we were expecting some cheesiness to come in. But despite the efforts of the cast to drag the story down, it was a really enjoyable bit of fluffiness. I’ll buy this one when it gets to a decent price and watch it until it wears out.

What can I say, I like scifi and if there’s a Princess like Deja Thoris (played by Lynn Collins), then those glittering blue eyes and fiery character will make me pay attention.

So yeah, it’s a good and watchable film despite the efforts to drag the original story down to Disney level :-). And I now need to pick up a copy of that original Edgar Rice Burroughs story to see how it compares. It shows the benefit of starting with good writing.

Which brings me to the garbage we’re being subjected to on telly at the moment …

We talk a little about what’s on while we’re at work. The favourites at the moment are The Walking Dead, with a couple also being interested in Spartacus. I’ve been hanging on with The Walking Dead as there’s still a little something there (although it has been “where are you going?” struggling lately) but gave up on Spartacus and True Blood after just the one season. Walking Dead still has the goodwill from a first season that was planned and paced really well, this season is too drawn out.

They seem to be falling back on the maxim “Sex Sells”. My objection to that drew the comment “can’t handle the raunchy stuff ?” (which has been bubbling away in my head over the last few days). Let’s just say : I think in pictures, I can freely manipulate those pictures, join the dots. Muahaha (and giggle).

My objection to stuff like Spartacus is that they’re using the sex aspect to cover incredibly weak stories. And you can get better sex pics from actual softcore porn rather than stuff like Spartacus which is soft core porn masquerading badly as serious drama.

That is what it is. And I found it so boring and unimaginative that I didn’t bother watching it after the end of the first series.

But that’s not what I really get annoyed with. The sad thing is that the series that are going the Sex Sells route are continuing to get made, instead of potentially brilliant writing in Terra Nova (enjoyed that), A Town Called Eureka and most of all Defying Gravity. Of those :

Defying Gravity – killed after half a season. This had an interesting grand plan, a good cast and remembered that key of entertainment : Have Fun. It was scifi done well and I really wanted to know where they were taking their distopian view of the future.
A Town Called Eureka – definitely Has Fun and passes that on to the viewer. Likely to get canned after its fifth season
Terra Nova – hopefully this will get renewed but the future isn’t bright after Fox dropped it.

Yep – I wish I could be watching Defying Gravity rather than Spartacus, yet the tits & arse of Spartacus means the tired, unimaginative and BORING storyline is what reaches our screens.

Meh. Ranting again … Time to close out 🙂

Friday’s activity didn’t see me getting around the shops as Plan A said. I’d originally intended to scout Globe Sports for gear, mosey around Bristol centre and avoid buying hifi stuff at Richer Sounds. Spent longer at work than intended so I only got to Globe Sports. And even that needed half an hour walking up and down the hill from the car park. Good 1.5 mile blast inc hill which I felt in strained muscles that evening.

(training maxim – if it’s hurting, it’s working)

But I did have time to pick up :

I’d prefer a Panama style wide brim hat (keeps the rain off and keeps off-centre sun away) but if the Pink Hat Project needs me to run around in a baseball cap, so be it :-).

I kept it down to just the cap though, there was a very shiny feeling bat there and I’ll get new spikes for this season too. But … I need to have a practice session before I buy a bat so my muscles remember a little about what they’ll be looking for in a bat.

PS Forgot the “of racing” bit … Watching the Formula 1 off SkyF1 at the moment and if you haven’t got it, you’re not missing a thing. The filler is about the same standard as the BBC filler. Like – utterly missable. I’m likely to be hitting fast-forward much more next weekend for Malaysia. The pictures will be the same on BBC because they’re fed from the host broadcaster. Commentators are Martin Brundle (who F1 fans will know) and another commentator who thinks he knows all (doesn’t) and insists on showing off his lack of knowledge. DC was a far better summariser.

You are missing nothing by not having the SkyF1 channel !

I’m still having those random thoughts bouncing around like crazy …

One of them today was on the gaming again. I think because I’d touched on comparing Star Wars The Old Republic to World of Warcraft.

There’s a thing with Massively Multiplayer Online games that we didn’t see before the online thing really took off. At some point, you stop playing the game for yourself. You start playing it for other people. You feel compelled to log in and Do Stuff in game because you’re supporting other people. That’s where it starts getting into dangerous territory …

Specifically the question : “Why am I playing this game ?”

After all, gaming is one of the most unproductive activities I can think of, especially when it stops being Fun. If the answer to the question is one of the following, that’s a good reason :

To relax (Settlers IV is mind numbing … and sometimes that’s precisely what I need)
To enjoy a good story (Deus Ex, Mass Effect)
To complete everything possible (Skyrim will do this)

Some of the games coming out these days have writing and action that’s every bit as good as novels on the shelf or movies on the screen. Better in some cases, as you have the chance to rewrite the story the way you want. Like where my Mass Effect play throughs always seem to go Paragon (good guy/gal) because those are the dialogue options I like. I have real trouble acting the bad guy. Something in me is fundamentally uncomfortable with being rude, arrogant or cruel.

I don’t include “to be the best at it” as a good reason, which is probably why I avoid online shooter type games. There’s plenty of other things in life to be “best at” which are more productive than fleeting games.

But if the reason you’re in the game is :

Because other people expect me to be in there.

Then it’s time to find another thing to do. Note “expect”, that’s different to you being with a bunch of people like Violence Reborn (my WoW guild) and Mercs (old WoW guild) who were awesome to be around. “Expectation” is much different to “Anticipation of fun”. Some of the time I’d log into Warcraft just to see what crazy thing was coming over the guild chat. And then I’d be drawn into Mumble which would make me laugh even more.

The problem with Warcraft is that the expectation of being in the game started to overweigh the Fun factor inherent in playing the game. And this gets more than a few people too. Trouble is, they don’t realise they’ve got burned out on the game and keep playing because they feel that expectation. If your MMO has become a second job, it needs to be binned before it becomes more important than your primary job. (Like me binning the indoor cricket team all those years ago)

I’ve binned all my MMO subscriptions now, I just wasn’t enjoying the game play style. I’ve been ignoring the calls from one or two people who say I should come back into Eve, WoW or SWTOR. If you’re not enjoying something that is supposed to be fun, then why pay for it (Masochists may disagree).

With my current state of mind, being involved in an MMO would likely be highly dangerous too. I’m in a state where I’m needing to be involved with other people. I can be quite self contained but I also depend on contact with others. My own feelings of self worth depend on that (and it’s quite low at the moment). So an MMO would expose me to that contact which I crave, exposing me to an addiction that had me at emotional collapse in the last days of me leading the Mercs guild.

But – while I’m not doing the MMO thing, I’m still logging into Steam almost every night.

There’s someone who I randomly ran into in a game store last year (in a “Isn’t that … ????” kind of way) who I ended up chatting to for way too long, which led to me getting another Steam friend. We’ll bounce thoughts about gaming off each other (we both like the same games) and I hope I make her laugh as much as she makes me laugh.

Laughing is the best therapy for a weary soul.

Oh and I’m allegedly a people person 🙂 Not sure if I believe that because of the difficulties I have with communicating but if The Boss says I am, I definitely won’t argue :-). And that’s someone I’ll definitely miss over the next week or so – Snow Queen and The Boss are both out all next week. Missing them already.