Gareth's blog- welcome!

Sometimes you gotta do right!

garethg — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 20:05:54 +0000

Heading out of Tesco tonight with a pizza and some lager, I happened to notice that some poor bugger had left their lights on; “That’s a shame” I scoffed, heading back to my unlit vehicle. Yet then I stopped, and decided to head back across the car park to the store and report it. That made me feel happy, doing good is addictive- I will be trying harder from now on!

The Monster is loose

garethg — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 11:26:20 +0000

So my namesake Barry George has been released from prison having obviously been not guilty of the dreadful crime of murdering Jill Dando. The fact that he was even arrested in the first instance shows a state of panic amongst the senior policemen on the case, and the pressure put upon them by the tabloid press here in the aftermath of the death of a ‘national treasure’.

I have read numerous books on this topic and read interviews from fellow cons, prison officers and even a governer, none of whom believe for one minute that he committed this terrible crime. Yet what the hell is he doing being released into society and potentially being given a large sum of money? The guy is obviously bonkers. One of his alibi’s for not shooting Ms Dando is that he was stalking another woman at the same time.

Barry George is mentally ill and afraid. He suffers from panic attacks, depression, anxiety and low self esteem. He has raped and attacked women in the past and you would not bet your mortgage for him not to reoffend. The bottom line in this awful case is that he should be placed into a caring medical establishment, away from temptation, and treated for his illnesses.

Sadly none of this will mean one iota to Ms Dando’s family, and meanwhile the real monster who killed her is still loose.

Stag night

garethg — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 15:08:18 +0000

Last weekend saw me visit Blackpool to celebrate the stag weekend of my cousin and close friend Neil ‘Chin’ Tomkins. On our trip were a few celebrity snooker players, a HGV driver, a large Ginger Welsh man, a car appearance technician (valeter) and the owner of a large car sales lot. This rowdy and yet diverse range of characters descended on Blackpool with the smell of a good weekend in their nostrils. And boy didnt we enjoy it! Nights out full of the traditional haunts of a stag party followed by beer fuelled brunches and rides on the rollercoasters: it was a great time.

Yet my favourite part was as ever the last day; the dread of a long train trip home being replaced by camaraderie, jokes and raucous laughter when stories of the previous weekends activities are told. I discovered I had new friends, we were bonded over beer and fun, the best way to make friends (as people who have experienced university fresher weeks will understand). Thus my disappointment as I shared a last beer with two of these new chums, one 61 one 47 when I realised that there was no way I would ever probably see them again.

They were my friends for the weekend, and I would willingly go away with them again. Yet when I got home and saw my real friends, I knew it was good to be back.

We was robbed!

garethg — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:19:16 +0000

What a day yesterday, I woke to find that my car and most of our household possesions had been stolen whilst we slept. We were not insured for the contents and thus are massively out of pocket- lesson one learnt! The thieves managed to climb in through the tinniest window, one which I am not confident Stewart Little could have got through without disclocating his shoulders. I suppose it was sheer determination for our goods that enabled him/her to get in harm free? Yet the window was still open- lesson two learnt.

As the day went on and the realisation of how much of our possesions had been stolen dawned on us, our moods sank. Yet we continued to laugh and joke and try to make the best of a dreadful and painful situation.

So the third lesson I have learnt is you can have everything stolen from you, but your true friends.

it continues….

garethg — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 08:03:12 +0000

Step, row, cycle, run a few km, home, shower, healthy food, bed- that is now my life. Having hit the gym 5 of the last seven nights, with only a small break to fall off the wagon at the CIPD awards, I feel great. The very nature of pushing yourself as far as you can go (without having a mild heart attack) really does make you feel like you have done something with your day, much more than watching football in the pub.

Yet I know only too well, I am still fat and unhealthy, so these days will need to turn into months for me to do myself any real good.

Until the next time…

You’ll feel better for it

garethg — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 08:09:12 +0000

“You’ll feel better for it”, the words of a many a friend when I told them I was to start hitting the gym and “Bollocks” I replied in turn. I feel better watching Fraiser on Paramount TV2 with a bottle of wine and some cheese traditionally, but that has now changed. Having sweated my proverbial breasts off on a variety of equipment, I traversed the country lanes that lead to home with the windows down and a fine mist of sweat escaping the car, when suddenly my whole perspective changed. A mild form of intoxicating elatedness washed over me, followed by a sense of self-praise and happiness. I wanted more and like a junkie I will be back for that feeling again.

How fast?

garethg — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:30:43 +0000

Its bloody June! Where did that come from? The last thing I remember was ho-ho-ho’ing my way through a party at Christmas, and consuming huge portions of turkey and whatever wine was closest. Now however my weekends consist of BBQ’s, cricket, beer gardens and sleeping with the window open.

I remember my Dad saying when I was a kid that the older you get, the quicker time passes: and my reaction which was something along the lines of “yeah, ok dad- bollocks”. Yet it is TRUE. I am 26 this year and yet in my head it feels like about three weeks since I received driving lessons for my 17th birthday.

So what is the best course of action- be bored and live forever, or have fun and get shocked when you make an involuntary groaning noise whilst putting your shoes on.

I am off now- I think it has just started snowing.

Is it actually all around?

garethg — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 20:04:45 +0000

Interesting point- for the last couple of years I have noted that who is actually in love (yes I am watching the film at the moment)? My parents of course, a couple of friends and colleagues but that’s it: we were all single merry men.

Now however, but a few short months after, I am the only single person in my house- I watch Megastructures on Tuesday nights and “I’d do anything” on Saturdays. I have nobody beside me, no one to cook dinner for nor argue over the remote control with. I am the forgotten one.

Still, I do love the Hoover dam!

Its bloody hot!

garethg — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 16:58:01 +0000

It’s hot, its humid and I have no idea what to think about it. Having spent this afternoon mowing waist high grass and sweating like a Turk’ s jockstrap I long for the cold wet winter months.

Yet now as I enjoy a cold beer in the late afternoon with the sun going down the scene has changed and is blissful.

I have no idea what I now like, thus I will never look at the weather report as I know it will disappoint me or thrill me in equal measures.

9/11

garethg — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 09:14:15 +0000

It is September 11th 2001 and four plane crashes iniated by radical muslim fundamentalists have shaken the world, aftershocks from which continue to be felt everyday since. A day that saw New York, the US and the World pull together in a way that lives on for ever saw a recovery from the attack on freedom as the Western World weeped.

Fast forward 6 and a half years and families continue to mourn their relatives and friends lost in the destuctive attack on freedom and New York, Washington and Pensylvania are still counting the cost of the attacks. Yet fighting continues over the large symbolic void which is the space left by the demolished World Trade Centres 1 through to 7. Architects criticise the design, banks and hedge funds moan about the lack of office space above the 82nd floor in the new building, and a small forgotten voice whisper of dreams of a memorial for their lost loved ones. This has culminated in the new ‘freedom tower’ only recently emerging from thirty flights foundation. This bitter squabbling has deprived the World of any momentum of a true staging post for a long term memory of those citizens, and hero’s the World lost that day and as each day goes on, a part of this memory fades.

Yet who cares? The new tower and complex will make many people lots and lots of money, which is exactly what the first tower was designed to do…. and exactly why it was attacked.