13

13

my current iPhone 'lock-screen'

I was just 13 years old when one of my sporting heroes completed monumental success, winning both the Giro D'Italia and Tour de France.  A good year for me, in terms of the professional sport that I followed. Arsenal had completed the 'double'. France won the World Cup. I got to meet many of my heroes of the Juventus squad. Michele Bartoli (my favourite) was a one-day specialist cyclist. He won many, many races, including the Liege-Bastogne-Liege, and taking the overall 'world-cup title'.

Perhaps the most monumental success, was that of Il Pirata (Marco Pantani).

For the above victories, I was 13 years old. Whilst listening to Lauren Laverne on 6Music earlier in the week, it was stated that this is a very iconic, special age for everyone. Listeners were suggested to research the music chart, recorded on their 13th birthday...

Top20 highlights on 13th birthday was checked through this amazing site...

http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/19970810/7501/ 

No.1 - Will Smith - Men in Black

 - Backstreet Boys - Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)

 - Meredith Brooks - Bitch

 - Texas - Black Eyed Boy

 - Oasis - D’You Know What I Mean?

 - Number 23 was - Verve - Bittersweet Symphony

Eeeek! Over 18 years ago! EIGHTEEEEEN!!! 

I have cut this post short, as i have found that my list of notes was in fact a list of moans which you may not find very interesting at all!

Important note! My favourite coffee blend has been found. Square Mile - Red Brick. 50% Ethiopian, 50% Guatemalan.

Mmmmmmm mmmmm

I hate wasting energy  - Christmas lights ALREADY !!! Still November

My town's Christmas lights got turned on last night. Yes, 24th of November! Over a month before the festival has been held for the last two thousand years! Don't look at me, it was not MY fault. Someone ****ed up, not me!

Word has it that it's because today is 'Black Friday'. Apparently this is a festival held in America (Trumpland). Britain had democratically decided this year, that it wants out of everything. Now this! 'Independent country', whatever!!? How to waste even more energy, and harm our climate even further? Copy the US! Why have festive lights on for just one week, when you can increase capitalist consumerism and harm Earth even further, for a whole month?!?

Keep Christmas special.

Another note that i revive, explains my utter disgust. Whenever I enter the supermarket, I have dirt thrown in my face (or that's what it feels like)! Newspapers are stocked in front of everything else. 'Newspapers', fair enough. 'Right-wing propaganda'  disgusting. Vomit is building in me, every time i glance at the front of 'The Daily Mail'. I sharply turn away glancing at the next, 'The Express', WHATTTT?...

Then, elderly people (the 52%, who voted 'out') just pick themselves a copy, without a second thought. These are the right-wingers who vote. It is their fault I live under a Tory MP, under a Tory PM. We are not governed by MPs, but Newspapers. The problem disgusts me. 

I stop, I am stressing myself out.

Link to my other popular blog...

Where to go for a good coffee, without falling for a 'fast-food coffee' in one of the chains.

http://independentcoffeeshops.blogspot.co.uk

Today is a gift

Kingston rainbow

One of the best espresso's in Surbiton.

Two notes of today's date November 18th 2016. Totally separate.

One of my personal heroes, the late Jeff Buckley was born 50 years ago, today. Died, aged 30 in May 1997, but was born on November 18th 1966.

Of a globally wider-significance, today marks a century since one of the most costly battles of all time, was concluded. Today's date, marks 100 years since the Battle of the Somme ended.

I continue typing, but it will be difficult to return to this blog from such a huge, disastrous topic!

My week's first note -

Sweaty arms!!!

Basically a note explaining my surprise. I finished at the gym, monday morning, glad that i felt something that I have never done so before. Never, even before my accident, had i felt my arms sweat! Legs, unsurprisingly, yes. It is only, in recovery from this injury, have i actively trained my arms. Monday was the first time that I felt sweat gather  on both of my inner-arm creases. Strange satisfaction! 

I am so lucky. I am forced to live this alternative life. I had spent life from the ages of 12-22, similar to most, full of energy, spirit, expectation, hope, confidence, love. These young years are lost (not forgotten), by everyone, forever. Education aims to prepare people as best as possible for life’s next stage. Education of everything lasts forever, but our abilities to learn at such a rate, diminish. Humans then smoothly enter adulthood. Jobs are attained, desires and attractions are shared, and families maybe created. Younger years on life’s road, fill you full of hope and expectation. My road led to nowhere.

Road to nowhere

Take today as a gift. We are all lucky. Live for now. Now is the present. Be grateful for the present. 

Do not waste time living in the past or future. The past is gone forever, and the future never exists now, but may always taunt our dreams.

Not widely released yet, but as a fan, I was emailed by her via 'bandcamp'. Below are the words I sent in reply...

Diane Birch, ’Night-Time Talking.’ (slightly morbid, 'arty' video to magical tune)

'Thank you Diane. 

Beautiful, soft vocals, yet haunting too. You always work magic on me!

:)

You cast an enchanting spell on me, yet again.

Thank you'

http://dianebirch.bandcamp.com/track/nite-time-talking

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wElKbTqvrSE

lost for words

Hello all!

This past week saw this blog pass at total page view count of 40,000. You don't really care, it has forever been recorded and measured for entire the life of the blog. It is about 2 months short of it's 6th birthday. This alarms me, as I have been living alone for six years, and there are still key things that i am missing. Entirely my problem.

40,000

People enjoy hearing the truth!

I learnt this from the beginning.

The best thing that I have learnt, since my accident, is this...

All people welcome the truth being told to them. People seem to be pleasantly surprised, when an explanation is given involving correct, true facts. It seems that people are scared of some truths, but if you can deal with them, don't be afraid.

Cats rule. Ok.

Cats are superior, and they know it. 

Cats look down us.

Dogs are dogs. 

A cat looks at both humans, and dogs, condescendingly. It is beyond their comprehension that a dog may s*** in a human pathway, do nothing about it and expect a human to clear it up!

In comparison to cats, dogs are stupid, foul and dirty, yet humans love them! Understandably, cats cannot comprehend this.

Often, I pause and am forced to take a step back. Reality hurts me greatly, so I find another view...

I am so lucky/unlucky not to be on the human conveyor belt 

I experience a different, very lonesome life. The clap of the car, on the side of my head was when I was thrown off of the conveyor belt. The 'human conveyor-belt'. Life continues in the same direction, we are all on course to reach our final destination. It has only been because of this lonesome, floating, existence, am i able to view the rest of you, happily, plodding along on life's path. You do not realise it, but you are all trapped onto this conveyor belt happily living all very, very similar lives to each other. You all find lifelong partners, which you need, and is good for you. You are all so similar. You are lucky enough to inhabit this special, unique planet, yet you have reached a tipping-point that is irreversible. Take, take, take, but we all must be prepared to give back more. Now the planet's natural reserves of so many unique elements have been drained, completely. We humans, live in a lazy ignorance. We don't know what is going to happen. Human intelligence is wise enough to cope with vast quantities of scientific facts. We cure illnesses, discover histories that we thought were lost forever, and we fly off to other planets. This knowledge is then used to predict future results, correctly. It is wrong for us to ignore science, if it doesn't suit us!

Everyone cannot rely on just telling people, directing others. Each human being, is not only responsible for themselves now, but also the entire future of humanity!

Please act responsibly.

We owe humanity.

The global success of such regressive politics, is terrifying. Both the UK and USA have had democratic disasters, electing victors who could be seen as puppets for an extremist National Front (NF). One puppeteer does spring to mind, given those letters...

'Just warning you all!..

I was lost for words (almost).

I was delighted to meet Caroline Lucas MP, earlier in the week. She was part of a team, promoting progressive politics, campaigning for a proportionally representative electoral system. Amazing speech.

My note is made, as i explain how foolishly I hadn't prepared what to say to her. I am confident in my ability of explaining my feelings, without any preparation.

This time was unique. I cannot remember meeting someone of whom I have such an incredible amount of respect for. 

I survived, saying everything that I had wanted to, but I was in such awe. Special. Thank you 'Green Party'.

http://independentcoffeeshops.blogspot.co.uk

My coffee blog. Hmmm. I looked at the map of South-West London. A fairly even spread of red-crosses (coffee shops) across the area, obviously heavily concentrated in my local area (RBK). However, I decided a trip to Clapham Junction was needed, and i had already been given directions to a worthy coffee-shop!

Curblless Clapham Junction 

St John's Road

Leaving the station, I approached the cross-roads with the famous 'Arding and Hobbs' department store in about 1 o'clock position. I turn down St John's Road (3 o'clock).

'2goodteandcoffee' is further down this road. I enjoy the use of the new buses here, but also applaud the introduction of a new 'curb-less' road/paving system. This is an obvious advantage to those of us in wheelchairs. There is a shallow trough for rain-water to flow into drains, which also provide a slight texture difference for those with visual impairments.

Greatest Scenes in Film: The Great Dictator - Final Speech

The above scene is incredible, well worth viewing, to all those who felt as low as i did, regarding US politics.

Silhouette photo

I took the photo on my phone yesterday before i was told by someone that it is just a silhouette.

'A rainbow is just a silhouette'.

Magical silhouette.

Today is Armistice day. 98 years ago, today!

Sunday 13th is 'Remembrance Sunday'

RIP Leonard Cohen. Thank you.

Do NOT fund such racial divisiveness!

Please show sense, and do NOT allow such racially charged, national 'newspapers', to succeed. I do not censor the images or names, because I want to name and shame these publications! Utter filth.  

After taking these photographs today, I stood back and watched the customers, desperately buying these without question. I realised that these are the people who vote with national/racial pride, and are stuck in the last century! This is why our country is choosing to follow this global pattern of racial divide. People who are not elderly, must realise that our world, is to be lived in by us and future generations.

Toilet paper is only a few aisles away! ;)

https://soundcloud.com/findlay-music/wild-unwise

Originally, I had planned to open this week's post with a brilliant piece of music (above link). A single that I love. Not too rocky, but definitely not soft and mellow!

5min halloween version

Current 'lifelong' version

At about 8pm on October 30th, i realised, quite comfortably, that I had nothing planned 'Halloween-wise' for the following day. I never am a large fan of this holiday, but spent 5 minutes (if that), rapidly updating my social-media 'photo'. I do not use photos to symbolise myself because I cannot stand what i see in the mirror. I am more than a visual image.

I was in the gym on Monday. As part of my 'circuit routine', I spend 5 mins on the gym-bike.

PB 30kph

Only 5 minutes, but such a power-increase I achieved, shows to me the advantage that one gets by resting before a trial. Previously this year, I had developed myself aerobically, but this time I was trialling myself strength/power-wise, for only 5 minutes. I rode more successfully with rest beforehand. Happy :)

There is something that I want (not a material object). A concept. I have wanted it for about 8 or 9 years...

I just deleted half of the note above as I couldn't work out how to finish it. It was depressing me.

I continue by praising 6music, again. I know his name so well, but it was only through unexpected surprise, hearing this piece on the radio, and being able to take it as a single piece of music, i was emotionally moved by it's beauty.

6music Mary Anne Hobbs, 'Biorhythms'

Ludovico Einaudi

I Giorni

youtube

Buggy ;)

 Empty buggy sits in front of sign. Bus luggage area, empty (picture below)

I remember when I used to get so p***** off!

Photos on the bus, this morning. I was able to chuckle to myself because I knew that there was enough room to squeeze behind, and I remember when i was first a wheelchair-user , scared of new life experiences, which i may have to face! I am experienced now.

Universal

How design of things should be

Optimum usability

Sorry about the photo quality (my experience of taking photos of toilets is non-existent)! The purpose, is to explain 'how things should be'. There is only room or need for one toilet, but it can be used by everyone! There is no need to have two smaller toilets, men's and women's.

Incredible. Must-view. 

A docu-film presented by Leonardo DiCaprio. Just about the biggest and best actor in the world explains the biggest and worst problem that the world faces...

Before The Flood

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6f6sRXLBl6k

.... I almost forgot! Weekly updates given to my 'Coffee-shop blog' :)

http://independentcoffeeshops.blogspot.co.uk