good old auntie

I was perusing Facebook earlier and spotted that a number of friends stateside had made mention of the earthquake that hit Los Angeles today. I popped on over to the BBC News website and looked for the news report but had to look under the world section to find it. Lloyd blogged a few weeks back about how the BBC have a sense of humour/don't think about headlines on their site. On the right hand side of the report, the top stories about the Americas were listed.



You have to love the BBC and its British-ness, don't you?

Timmy "Not at all shook up" Magic

things i don't do often

Over the past few days I have embarked on a few things that I don't do often.

* I have had a day at home with nothing but my own company.

I didn't speak to anyone in real life or feel the need to be out doing something, which is odd for me. I just sat and enjoyed some of my own company.

* I have been out without my usual comforts

Most people who see me frequently will know that I almost without fail will have a rucksack with me. My bag normally contains a coat, a kite, an iPod, a set of headphones and Moses. This week, however, I have been without. I haven't listened to podcasts on the train, I have watched the scenery beside the tracks. I haven't read a paper on the tube, I have watched people and wondered who they are, what they do and where they are going. I have been without a coat, so if it rained, I would get wet. Simple things, but often ignored in the bustle of the rush hour.

* I have been walking in London

For someone who spends his professional life outside in the city, I miss quite alot of things. When trying to spot crime or criminals, or get to places in a reasonable rush, it is easy to miss (or difficult to see) the quaint things that make the capital what it is. A haze of blue when passed on a bike could be a crisp packet or a plaque announcing some local celebrity of yesteryear. So many people ask for directions to places that it becomes second nature to point them on the right way without stopping to marvel at shopping centres that were department stores, museuams that were houses and churches that are still churches.
So I went out with Becca, after some food, to wander aimlessly around the city that is our home. We started at Victoria and took some back streets through to Buckingham Palace, through St James's Park and into Whitehall. From there we went down through Parliament Square and onto the South Bank, before heading to Blackfriars to come home.

* I have made the most of time with friends

So often in our collectively busy lives, social interactions are moulded to fit the time and effort we can spend in and amongst the business. Sometimes it is nice to make plans not to make plans, if that makes sense. Just spending time with the people who you care about and who care back is a great use of time. 'Doing' takes the place of 'being' - people often say 'we should do something' when maybe their time would be better spent just being together and making the most of it. A friend and I once sat together, individually. We didn't need to talk, or even look at each other. Merely existing together was enough. To the person on the outside looking in, it would appear the relationship was a cold one. To those on the inside, it showed absolute comfort in our relationship. A friendship with love, respect, humour, closeness, understanding, but most of all, without an agenda.

Timmy "Using Time Wisely" Magic

2 acknowledgments

I am a bad geek.
I have a blog and don't write stuff on it for periods of in excess of two weeks (sometimes).

At the same time though, I am a good geek.
I queued for the new iPhone at 7.45am on Friday. My geek balance has been restored and I will be back to the blogland once I stop playing with my awesome new gadget. Or maybe I will blog from it - who knows?

Timmy "iPhone lover" Magic