Yesterdays Tomorrow = Tomorrows Yesterday

It's ok, this isn't a competition. At least I don't think it is, it may end up as one, that's the trouble with some most of my posts, they end differently to how they started. Or, more accurately, I either go off on a tangent (something I am quite adept at I hasten to add) or I am not sure what I am going to go on about until I get started.

This is one of the latter.

Lets just see where it takes us shall we, we can always come back if we don't like it, cant we, did we get a return ticket?

I don't by the way, know lots of words, I will often use a word inappropriately, ok maybe not inappropriately (though occasionally) but more out of context. I also quite often read or hear a word I don't know and need to find out what it means, which I feel is a good thing. When I say quite often, I don't mean hourly, or even daily, probably not even weekly, to be honest I have never kept count or worked it out. Maybe I will, maybe I will post again in (insert number of days/weeks/months here) and give a breakdown of new words I have learnt, nicely presented in a pie chart.

Or not, maybe I wont, I wont, I decided, I might just eat a pie.

There was a program on television last night about words, we taped it. We didn't, nobody "tapes" things anymore. We "recorded" it via a different medium, no VHS or Betamax here, no no no, not that there is anything wrong with video players/recorders, it just things move on.



I am sure, at the time, back in the 80's it was a massive battle, VHS or Betamax, which VHS won if I remember right. I say won, it wasn't a lasting victory as now neither is used, certainly not by many people anyway.

QI is another good one for words, we watched a "taped" episode last night that had aired a few weeks previously and there were some real doozies of words contained within.

Yet another place I see words I haven't seen/read before is the Radio Times, although I am sure, much of the time they are out of place. I will often read the "pick of the day" part, that's not true, I don't, I skim it for any program (or program name) of interest to me. During such reading (of program I know or of interest) the review/write up will be going along smoothly, comfortably, then, from nowhere, a completely out of context word is used. Its not out of context with the meaning, its out of context in the review of that program. Its as if its been used for the sake of it, the rest of the piece is very much in a "Dick and Jane" style, or similarly as simplistic, then out of nowhere, a word slips in that is completely out of sink with the style the rest of the writing. This is probably to either (and I like this possibility) send people scurrying to look up what it means, the person writing the review will be sitting at home picturing various people reading the review then stopping at a given point to see what "that" word means. The other possibility (there are probably many, I am just giving you 2, you can think of more yourself if you can be bothered) is that the person writing it is being "arsey" (me using the wrong word again? maybe) and trying to portray themselves in a certain light by using a word that is not commonly known or used. Not commonly by a "non wordy" person like me anyway.




My dearly beloved Mrs R (henceforward to be known as DB, as I have already used this acronym on the other blog numerous times) is a very "wordy" person. She writes a lot (though not as much as she would like) and is rather good at it, she will no doubt be turning her eyes up at some much of this post, my grammar, sentence structure, appropriate use of words etc not being as they should be no doubt.

Did you notice that in the last paragraph, within the first bracketed part I possibly did what I moaned about certain radio times writers doing?

I have also realised this post and its contents are a sure sign I am getting old, I have mentioned the radio times far too much (I did earlier on Twitter today too) and have also gone on about video players and Dick and Jane, all things from long ago. Well not the radio times, you can still get that if you are so inclined, but the other things.

Before I draw this post to its ultimate end I think a quick musical interlude is required because, well, because I can.

INTERLUDE

I am a huge Talking Heads fan and the Tom Tom Club do have a rather close association, it also keeps the word theme going I feel.

Out of interest, is there another word for Thesaurus?

Happy Anniversary!

Let me start by saying I really don't like the "keep calm" trend that dictates you can seemingly now place the words in front of anything (and everything) to make it, more humorous?

Neither is the post linked in any way to love, despite the heart being present at the top of the image.

The image above purely exists to mark the wonderful occasion the ongoing neglect that is 2 years old today, It being that long since I last posted on this poor, cobweb riddled and dust covered blog.

I am tempted to have a rant about the vast array of products that now feature "keep calm" etc etc, I am also tempted to do a little piece about hearts (biologically and love related) but will refrain from these things for now, though will likely (if I post again within the next 2 years) produce a love related post, but more on that at the time.

So, 2 years eh, wow, what can I say, would it really matter or excuse the total disregard I have shown, does anyone really care, so many questions..........

Interestingly (at least I find it so) the last post (yes, 2yrs ago) made reference to my eyesight and the fact I was so proud of myself as I had been to the opticians that day and had been given the all clear, much to my surprise. Well, a few weeks ago, I repeated the exercise and this time (drum roll please)

Yes, I was given a pair of the finest glasses you ever could see, I couldn't, obviously, well, not without my glasses on but it appears that (as the Optician said to me) "its finally caught up with you" (meaning old age) (which incidentally I have known for a long while lol) and subsequently I now need reading glasses. To be fair, they have proved most beneficial (and clearly much needed) for reading and close up work. The flip side to this, is when looking at anything past about arms length while wearing them I seem to enter a strange world of distorted images with a degree of disorientation, not helpful. There is a remedy though, one that all you spectacle wearers will already be well aware of, the "end of the nose perch position" as I refer to it. This enables me to look at things and people in the distance, and also see things close up, by looking down my nose at them (not that way) although I am told (by some) it looks a bit disconcerting (probably a polite way of saying weird), still, I don't notice this, just those looking at me when I am doing it so I'm happy :-)

Prior to posting today, I took a quick peek at previous posts (including the first one) and remembered that I had said at some point I may well post a link to this (and my other) blogs predecessor, my first foray into blogging if you will. In theory a perfectly good idea, but first I had to find it (the predecessor) after all, its been a while and as you know (2 years since posting here) I am not the most active or attentive blog poster/owner. After a bit of hunting, I managed to find it and took a glance at some of the posts. I remember changing the layout and look of it when it was "decommissioned" so some of the images and videos don't "sit right" on the page (I'm being fussy) but it was good to look back at some of it. My reason for telling you all this, well, one is to post the link in case any one is bored interested enough to take a look (its there on the right under the "In the beginning" heading) as I said I would in my first post here, back in June 2011. The second reason, its an excuse to repost one of the photos I stumbled across on there as it made me smile, his name is Bob incidentally.......

On a warm day like today its probably a little odd to see snow, so focus on Dignity instead if you want (the red bug in the background) not the word, or song about a ship (good tune). He (Dignity, not Bob, he melted) is in Cornwall now with my (truly wonderful) son and has his own page on the internet (Dignity, not my son) made by his previous owner.

On a final note (I need to get on with other things and for reason and another its been a day of much writing) although I neglect my 2 current blogs, I don't think I was as bad with their "predecessor" at least not initially. It was only active for less than 2 years (8th Sept 2009- 28th May 2011) and had 94 posts during hat time, compare that to the same time period on this blog and its actually 94 more!

I will definitely definitely definitely not leave it so long next time, which thankfully gives me 729 days to play with until I need to post here again, I imagine it will be much sooner though, now I have reacquainted myself with "Neal by mouth"

Further ongoing neglect

However, last time I suggested I was being neglectful it had only been 3 months between posts, the longest gap to date is the 345 days prior to this post......

On this occasion, it has only been a mere 250 days between posts, while this is much longer than 3 months gap leading to me initially suggesting I was neglectful, it is not as long as the record 345 day gap. What can we take from this, anything you want really, I'm just supplying the facts, what you make of them is up to you (too much use of the word "this" so far, need to remedy this, that)

So where have I been? What have I been doing? Is it even interesting?

I would love to be able to tell you but unfortunately I am unable to for safety reasons, yours, not mine. If I started to divulge to you the events of the last 250 days of my life, I guarantee it would not take long until you nodded off, this, could obviously be dangerous, depending where you are reading. in saying that, its been (in general) a jolly good 250 days, I just cant be bothered to recount it all, it would take far too long, suffice to say there have been no changes you need to be aware of dear reader, if there were I would tell you, you know that.

Opticians, I went to see them today, well I am off for a few weeks (with 3 days work in between) so am using the time to catch up on things I need to do, opticians, dentist, BLOGGING and other assorted "I really must do that" things that have been put off. So why do I mention it, well for the past few weeks/months my lovely Fiancé has been of the opinion that I may need glasses. To be fair, I have been tending to agree with her, due to me doing odd things while holding things to read. I don't mean breaking into an impromptu version of the Riverdance, Michael Flatley I am not, nor do I mean thinking it would be lovely to visit Old Trafford and watch Gollum do his best to emulate old purple nose....... Sorry, my mind and fingers feel soiled now just typing it, eeuugghh, sends a shiver down your spine.

No, its none of those things, the odd things I have been doing are a sure sign of age, moving the item I am reading back and forth in front of me as I try to read it. This is something I have been doing at varying degrees recently and I genuinely thought I may need glasses in some shape or form. It turns out I was wrong though after receiving a clean bill of health today at the opticians. I was told my eyes are starting to deteriorate (its an age thing) and the "slowness in adjusting" that I demonstrate when reading things in certain light close up will only increase (can slowness increase, do I mean decrease, nope, I mean increase) but at the moment no further intervention is required. I am to return in 2 years, though if it gets bad before that I am to return sooner, either way, its good news. I'm deteriorating, degenerating and generally falling apart slowly as I get older, but I am still just about hanging on in there.