OK here's the thing today I'm 58 , well my body is, my brain / personality / curiosity etc is still i the 14 - 16 age group. I still have wonder, I still love it in others , I still crave love , knowledge , attention, friendship and happiness. Maybe my caring, love and valuing of friends has grown over the years . I do look out for people and when times are bad I am there for them it does spread me thin,
Some people need me more than others. I need some people more than others.
Anyway here's the thing , here's the task. You know I love music so there will be 58 posts , one a day , each with a record from a year in my life. They may mean something , they may mean nothing, the may be relevant to the post or not.
So whats , number one , this originally was going to be Harry Nillson's One a very sad song , but I was just going to base it on the day number , but this gives me a chance to play something uplifting and worthy , and the words to this resonate so well Little Richard's "The Girl Can't Help It " from 1957
This is really difficult. That i snot in a bad way , but someone has inspired this post and I can't say anything about who she is or what caused this but it is not anything bad or worrying, There's a new girl in the office , but turns out she has been with the company for sometime. Continuing my modus operandi of talking to everyone about anything I asked her name and she showed me her pass and said it was very unusual .
I countered with well yes it is , but I am very familiar with that name as he has a composer credit on of my all time favourite albums, now over 40 years old . She came back with yes that's my uncle and he played on that album and the hit single as well.
That's as far as I can take it. The rest is secret as I can't betray confidences, well I wouldn't say anything without permission. People could probably work it out but I don't think they will.
But again talk to someone , it will do you both lots of good . I have lots of meets lined up this week to talk with friends I don't see all that often , and to help some friends in their pursuit of something special. I hope you can do the same my friends
If you want to share do it, if you are hurting let a friend help , we can add our strength to yours.
I want to do a TED talk based on this idea , that we should talk to each other more , even if it seems irrelevant or trivial I will do it soon have it ready to submit when they are looking for speakers.
Very often if we don't talk , especially if things aren't going well , things seem to get darker, some times you can't do things on your own and you need a helping hand.
A while agao the was a lovely shop called Cake in Newcastle , and one day it wasn't there. I lost touch with the owner , a totally lovely girl, and as you know I don't take losing friends lightly , especially if they may be experiencing hardship.
On Friday I was chatting with people at work about the fact it's my birthday and I may get cake from Pet Lamb , and said that I had been upset when Cake shut. The girl I was speaking to said she knew the proprietress and is going to get her details for me. She has probably forgotten me but it would be nice to be in touch again.
The thing is I suppose I am a devil for not asking for emotional support when I need it but I make sure I am always there for others, but writing this has lifted my mood, and today has been a great day seeing friends and chatting with them and the more I think I about what has happened today the better I feel. I do have people I can talk to , and recently our head of finance threatened me with a severe talking to if , as expected , my presentation over ran it's allotted three minutes.
So please talk to someone , even if you don't feel you need to , you may find something useful , you may feel better , you may make them feel better. Just do it.
There's only one song for this isn't there , it's this.
This is an addendum to my last post. In the UK it's now dark , and usually wet and damp in a good devils to fight my bad devils),
morning. If someone is in a dark place they will be feeling even worse just because of the weather. This means that if you are in an OK place , like I am (OK I am a devil for hiding when I feel bad cos I don't think anyone needs to be bothered with such trivialities, although I have
So here's your task for today:
Smile as much as you can if you are happy
If you are not happy ask a friend to meet (that might be me)
Phone A friend
Hold Hands
Go For A Coffee
Just Talk
It's easy to think you don't matter, no one wants you , and you mean nothing . That is not true. Reach out and I will give you my hand and give you a hug. I've included two Big Daddy songs , play these and your day will be better and you will smile.
Sometimes things go wrong , life isn't always easy. For some of us it's fine , but for others it's not. They may be homeless , ill , under pressure at home , lost , any number of things. Sometimes the offer of a hand , a kind smile , a drink , a talk , can make all the difference.
I haven't written for what seems ages but, thought I would just post something upbeat, one of my favourite songs but the sadly missed Kevin Ayers , this always makes me smile and hope it will for you.
I have two very busy weekends coming up , but I always make time for my friends, always have a smile for people and that always makes me feel good.
Tomorrow when you are out , smile at more people , that person who wasn't feeling too good might feel a little better and you will have done a wonderful good deed.
The Rugby World Cup has kicked off in style. Whether its's because the UK has it this year or what I don't know , but it is brilliant to see a sport not riddled with drugs cheats , rule cheats , bribes , back handers , the deaths of thousands in countries not fit to play the sport.
I cannot pretend I know all the rules , and did get out of it fairly young , having seen so many lost teeth in clashes , though I felt the same about boxing . You do need to be hard to play rugby. I remember many years ago being at a garage and the the sky went dark . Bill Beaumont got out his car and made me look small and you know how big I am.
After the curtain raiser with England getting the better of Fiji , today we had the competition starting in earnest. And the matches are anything but one sided , well mabe the Irish dismantling of Canada , but Tonga vs Georgia should have been closer and Japan took South Africa on a knife edge in one of the biggest shock results , and the competition has hardly started.
The excitement is there and you can see they want to play the game and the first thing on their mind isnt their image rights.
Another thing, Newcastle are staging some matches , and for the Olympics there was a blackout on
everything that wasn't official sponsored , none of that for this competition.
As I pen this France lead Italy 25-10 , Italy have come back from 25-3 down , and while I expect France to run out victors , they aren't having it all their own way.
I know this isn't my normal sort of post , although in a way it is because events like this get your adrenalin going , and that makes you happy , and it is great to see good friends getting out and enjoying the games.
I wont be having a bet because I don't know who is going to win, the only thing I'm sure of is it is going to be a great tournament and looking forward to taking in some matches with friends.
Paloma Faith has recorded a new version of World in Union , I cant say I am that impressed prefer the Holst original , so I've included the Swing Low below below which is slightly better , but niot much.
What does ? Everything . Well lots of things , maybe I should just list things.
I know my recent posts have been about being happy , hugs and feeling good rather than slagging off Apple and mobile phone companies or being slightly down about Preston losing , but seriously, I am grateful for being able to make this list. Part of the reason I can do so is that I do always look for good things regardless of what happens, and a small thing , today I got told I was out of my probation period and they liked me at work and last night Youtube relented and allowed my Ezra Furman slideshow for "One Day I Will Sin No More" . I will record my own version of this and put it up on my Youtube Channel soon.
The love and support I get from my close friends and family , here and all over the world
The fact there is always someone there for me , and I am there for them
The appreciation that people give me when I share time and experience with them
I love my hometown of Preston , I don't get there enough , but Newcastle is now my home and I love the place and it's people and the friends I have made here make me fall in love with everything every day
I can't get down for too long because there is always something good about to happen
I love the positive things I can show people
I love berating people about not visiting The Lit & Phil , it is a beautiful amazing place
I love the fact that so many people don't know about the Vampire Rabbit and the look on their faces when I take them is brilliant
I love the fact my friend Barbara has resurrected Trillans and my friends Maz and Shev have made The Black Bull into the North East's Go To Punk venue and Dave and Julie Campbell have turned The Schooner into a brilliant Western Swing venue and brilliant pub
I love my friends
I love the culture , the museums , the coast
I love well I might never stop
Anyway that is just some of the stuff, have a brilliant day everyone , I really do love you all