What can I write blogs about?

Blogging this year hasn't been high on my list of things to do.

The main reason is because my laptop hasn't been working since mid 2011 and I've not got round to getting it sorted...


However in the occasional times I have decided to write a blog, my mind goes blank and I can't think of a subject to voice my opinion about.
Sometimes I get half way through writing a blog and then I give up, sometimes I write a load of nonsense and then delete it all before I publish it...

Sometimes I simply don't get round to the publishing part of writing a blog, and when I do, the topic is out of date; I feel that publishing it would be a waste of your time and mine...

So if you have any suggestions for topics I can write about please either email me alazystudent@hotmail.com or leave a comment below!

- Thelittlerich

Why do we make New Years resolutions if we have no plans on keeping them?

Happy New Year everybody! I hope everyone had a good new year, didn't get (too) drunk, and celebrated the arrival of 2012 in style?

Personally, we went to a family house party, just a small gathering with the kids running about, the adults joining in with the party games and all having a merry time.

Just like everybody else, as the bells tolled at midnight, everybody across the world made their New Years Resolutions, and probably by about the 3rd Janurary most of these resolutions have been broken...

So why do people make big life-changing plans when we are moving from one year into the next?

I can totally accept moving into a new year can mark a fresh new start, the chance to make the decision to change your life for the better or the chance to quit a bad habit.

However, if these changes are all swept under the carpet under a week, is there any point in making them in the first place?

Whether you have decided to quit drinking / smoking / unhealthy eating or start going to the gym more often, these kind of changes will not happen if you decide to change it overnight.
Making these kind of changes will take time, and maybe New Year isn't the most sensible time to decide this is how you are going to live your life...

The chances are, if you were not prepared to make these changes in the previous year, they won't happen in the new year...

Should "New Years Resolutions" be disbanded in that case? They give people a false hope that because the calendar has changed so will they... Or does it give people a new hope to find the courage to make the changes required to live a happy life?

Your comments please.

- TheLittlerich.

Merry Christmas

Wishing all of my blog readers a very Merry Christmas and a happy new year!

Has online shopping put a nail in the retail coffin?

This is the last week of my Christmas job, my contract ends on Christmas eve. I must admit I'm really going to miss the job, as well as all the people I've been lucky to work with over the last couple of months.

The run up to Christmas got me thinking about how retail has changed over the last few years. I heard on the radio that Monday 21st December was the crucial 24 hours in which retailers could meet or fail to meet their sales figures for the end of the year.

The main problem with retail is that consumers are more and more often opting to spend their money online. It is simply so much easier as a consumer to sit in the warmth of your home, in front of the computer and have everything you buy delivered to the door...

Consumers can avoid the queues, the cold weather, the (lack of) parking, pavement rage and being laden down with big, heavy bulky bags...
It simply makes sense, doesn't it?

However, there are several things that you don't get with online shopping: the personal touch.
Apart from maybe a quick chat with the delivery driver, there is no human contact during your shopping spree. There are no sales advisors who can help you choose the best item, make recommendations to you or to have a bit of a laugh with and raise your spirits!

Another downfall with online shopping is you don't have the item until it's delivered.

Many people would prefer to have their shopping with them in their hand after spending their money. Even with companies offering speedy delivery services, there isn't the same guarantee of getting your stuff... Not in time for Christmas / birthdays / anniversary / ever!

Sometimes you want the safe knowledge that your purchased items are with you and not on the back of a lorry somewhere between your home, the depot and timbucktoo!

As an option, I would use online shopping to order hard to find  items, perhaps an item from overseas, but I admit I prefer to go into a shop and browse-buy, flirt with the pretty sales assistants and leave with my shopping in my hands.

What are your thoughts on the online shopping vs retail shopping? Leave your comments below!

- Thelittlerich  

How much can a job change your life?

Hi folks! I'm sorry that I havent blogged for ages... I have a lot going on over the last few months, so thought I would write about my updates in one blog, as a way of catching up...




Working in a toy shop: Brilliant fun!

 I think the biggest change is the fact that I now have a job!
It is a part time vacancy, working for a local toy shop in town over Christmas, but it's amazing the difference that getting a job has made to me!

I've secretly always wanted to work in this shop - being a big kid at heart I always imagined it would be quite fun.

When I applied and was called in for an interview, I actually told the manager that I wanted the job because I wanted to play with the toys! Ha ha!

(This approach worked though, because I pretty much nailed the interview and left feeling on a total hype!)



Picking up my uniform...


After being out of work for over a year, and having sent out literally hundreds of applications for job vacancies, now I have found a job I feel a lot less stressed out, frustrated and fed up!

I really enjoy the job, and despite only being within the position for a few weeks, I've had a few of my colleagues mention that I'm doing a really job!

In fact... In the short time that I've been there, I've managed to prove myself to my manager. He has been great and has asked me to work in two seperate stores (he is the manager of both of them!) and because my contract ends before Christmas, he has recommended me for another local store!

I am not sure what he said, but he must've put a very strong recommendation forward because basically I've been head-hunted!

I went into the store that is offering me the job, and without even undergoing an interview I was asked when I could start! Not only that - today they called me up to ask what size uniform I require!

It really is true that once you are in a job, finding another one is soooooooo much easier! I've been emailing my CV and covering letters out for months before I got this job, and now I'm in it, I've secured a permanent job from it!

Yaaay!!



Meer-ry Christmas!



I've also been focusing on a new hobby... Needlecraft! I've been bitten by the bug to sew and stitch fabric together and be creative!

I mentioned starting up a needlecraft hobby to Jan, and she seemed to think it was a good idea. She told me she likes to make the cross-stitch patterns!

If I'm honest, I'd never heard of cross-stitch until she showed me what it was... However we found a couple of kits in a local hobby craft shop, and I started by making a small cross stitch pattern of some meerkats.

I was very pleased once I had completed it, I think it looked pretty cool! 

I fancied making some other stuff, and so I tried making a teddy squirrel from a kit we bought. After maybe 4 or 5 hours of sewing and about half an hour of stuffing I had managed to piece the kit together and make a squirrel!

Stitching up a squirrel....

The following night, I decided to trawl the internet and see if I could find any other soft toys to make... I discovered a great teddy lamb pattern to follow and ended up making my very own lamb, out of my daughters old sleep suit.

I made this! Not Baaaaaad, is it?!

I will admit that the lamb is the one I am most proud of - in my opinion it looks quite professional! I've given it to my daughter and she loves it! (Her reaction was to cuddle it and go "Awwwwww!").

Our next step is to invest in a sewing machine and start making more things, such as cushion covers and other items!

When I showed some of the photos of my creative handywork to a few friends, some of them mentioned that I should make more soft toys and sell them... Who knows - maybe I can start to sell some of my creations online?!

If I don't update before Christmas, then I wish you Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and whatever festive seasons greetings you wish to celebrate!

- Thelittlerich.

Not blogged in a while...

Hey folks, I am still alive. I admit I've not blogged in quite some time...
I haven't really got any decent reason as to why I haven't put digital pen to digital paper. To be honest, I've just not felt inspired to write much lately.

I have had a few half-ideas for subjects to write about, but the enthusiasm to follow through, research into the subject, find or take pictures and then put it all together in a nice blog has not been flowing...

I can't even blame lack of events going on in my life - since my last blog we've had Dominic's birthday, his birthday party, some job search stuff, the start of our healthy eating drive and today is Jan's birthday...

So if I think about it, I have had a lot to write about... I promise to try and get back into blogging!

- Thelittlerich

Can I boycott Facebook for 24 hours?

With Social Networking sites such as Bebo, Myspace, Twitter and Facebook becoming such a large part of everybody's everyday life, being online and being connected is becoming a new type of addiction.

If anyone was to ask me if I am addicted to anything, I would probably have to say my main addiction is being online, using social networking site Facebook...

I am sure that I am not the only one who uses Facebook and other social networking sites many times through the day.
(I don't even know how much a person has to use a site such as Facebook before it becomes excessive! Although whatever that figure is, I am quite possibly in that percentage...)

Which is why I decided that for 24 hours, I would completely boycott the use of Facebook. I wouldn't log on, update my status, upload any photos or check other "friends" online content. I would make a note of how I coped through the day.


I call this experiment: ANTI-SOCIAL NETWORKING.


8:27 AM
Normally when I get up, the first thing I do is grab my iPod, head into the toilet and have a quick blast of Facebook whilst I do my morning business...
This morning however, apart from switching the alarm clock off (several times I must add - drat that "snooze" option!) I have only used my iPod to record my thoughts for transcribing later. For once my iPod hasn't been anywhere NEAR Facebook!

I must admit, I have thought about logging on since I have got up though... I have a feeling the next point that I will want to log on will be after the school run... We shall see!

Luckily this morning, I have quite a few "distractions" that will keep me offline and away from Facebook... (It's called LIFE!)

My Facebook app had to go!

8:38 AM
I was scrolling through all the apps installed on my iPod, and I came across the Facebook app icon. The icon had changed to inform me that I had 2 notifications. I had an overwhelming urge to click to see what they were! In order to kerb my urgeto click on the app, I have had to delete the app to prevent me from accessing Facebook from my iPod!

Is this cheating? Possibly. I don't know!

It will certainly be easier to refrain myself if I don't have access to Facebook. However, I do know that any time I am in a wi-fi area I could always download the app again!

It's amazing how much of an urge you get when you know you have notifications...

However, the notifications could be anything - even something as pointless as somebody clicking "Like" on a photo I have uploaded or a status I have written; or somebody "poking" me... In which case, the notifications don't really mean anything.
On the flip side the notifications could be comment, in which case by refraining from checking I am not receiving the comments... (I must admit I am starting to ponder what they are, now that I'm thinking about it!)

However, they can wait until tomorrow!

8:50 AM
On the way to school, and Dom has just made a comment that my camo trousers matches my jacket... At that moment, I thought it was funny, and my immediate reaction was to take a photo on my mobile phone and upload it to Facebook!

Nope! Not today!! :)

9:10 AM
By now I would have normally logged into Facebook at least once. However, because today I am NOT logging on, I have decided to try and focus my thoughts, energy and mind into doing other stuff... So far I have managed to clean up the dog mess in the garden and put the bins out. I think I will get started on gutting the kitchen after I get Makayla up and fed!

10:01 AM
Well, so far so good. I've managed to get through about 2 hours of my day without logging onto Facebook! It's starting to get trickier now, because I am getting a feeling that I should have logged on by now, checked in, updated my status, etc.

Already, I have had a few thoughts that I would have shared as a status on Facebook (for example, as I was hanging up the washing, I noticed that it was all inside out. I thought about posting a silly status about trolls that live inside the washing machine and turn clothes inside out...) However I couldn't do as I am not ON Facebook today!

10:09 AM

Pushchair for sale: £40!

As I have been pottering away this morning, I have ben thinking about this blog. I have thought about what it means to be ANTI-social networking for 24 to some people. It occurred to me how ironic it is going to be when I post a link to this blog ON Facebook about AVOIDING Facebook!

I have also wondered about how people use Facebook nowadays... As an example, we are trying to sell a push chair, (£40 if you are interested, btw!) and my girlfriend Jan has been using Facebook to try and advertise it. She received a message last week from one person who wanted to buy it. Since then, for about 10 days it doesn't appear as if they have been on Facebook...

I wonder if the avoidence has been through choice or lack of availability; I also wonder how people react when they find they can't access their social networking sites.

If you have any thoughts on this subject, please leave your comments below!

11:09 AM
I have just sat and went through my internet history to document my job search... Obviously on my history there are records of various different pages on Facebook I have clicked on. As my rule states that I am not allowed to go on Facebook at ALL, I had to skip over them and avoid them!

My girlfriend Jan and I were talking about a bus crash we had heard about this morning. She had a Facebook page loaded up - it was a news report about the bus crash posted on the Council's own Facebook wall - which she asked me to read... I admit I read it over her shoulder, sure! BUT I don't count that as USING Facebook!

My reasoning is that I could have read the news report from any source - any newspaper website, council website, news websites etc... I didn't actually INTERACT with Facebook directly, and this is why I dismiss this as a breach of my own rules!

12:08 PM
I have managed to reach lunch time without logging on to or checking Facebook! I can't say it's been that difficult to be honest, however I have been quite busy this morning.
Nobody yet knows of my experiment yet, but they will do. The interesting thing will be tomorrow - when I'm back on Facebook - to see how many people realise that I haven't logged in for a full 24 hours... Should be interesting!

13:42 PM
Just finished my meeting with my job coach and I am heading home now. So far I haven't felt much of an urge to log onto Facebook, however I have a funny feeling that now is going to be the point I find it most difficult - in the hour or so between getting home and getting the kids from school!

I automatically typed in facebook.com...

14:30 PM
When I got home, I had to email my CV over to my job coach. I logged onto my computer to do so, and the first thing I did when I launched my internet browser is start automatically typing "Facebook.com"...

It is kind of worrying that your internet history and sites you visit becomes automatic...

After I corrected myself and loged into my email and there is a large advert to connect your services to Facebook, Myspace and LinkedIn... It just goes to show that even huge corporations such as Microsoft actively encourage social networking - encourage the addiction! But so far, I've refrained! :D

Encouraging online addiction seems good for business!

15:09 PM
I've still managed to stay clear of social networking sites! I have, however, found that today I've been a lot more active doing other things rather than sitting about on a computer all day, so I don't know if it's a fair test or not.

I was quite interested to see that there was an article on MSN about modern addictions! I will read through it and offer my views!

15:56 PM
I've been reading the article on MSN about modern addictions. The first part of the article is about "Internet Addiction Disorder" which is now a recognised disorder. The symptoms include "forgetting to eat or sleep, withdrawal, fatigue, irritability and a feeling of isolation from society".
From what I have read previously on various dirorders, these symptoms sound similar to depression...?

Clearly, if people are spending far too much time online, surfing the internet and being connected to social networking sites, then I think there could easily be a link between internet addiction and depression - which is quite worrying really!
:s

16:03 PM
I was reading the article I discovered on MSN about modern addictions when Jan asked me if I was on Facebook so she could send me a link to something posted on Facebook... When I said I wasn't, she called me over to read a post...
(The post was an urban legend warning style message, the type that is shared because although it is probably a hoax, if anybody is in the situation described they know what to do to survive).

It occured to me that Facebook is obviously a perfect platform to spread this type of information. People can read it and then share the information very quickly with others.

I don't think sites such as Facebook are particularly bad, unless they are abused and used for malicious purposes.

19:25 PM
I have filled up my day today with activities that have taken me away from the computer. We went out for a drive, and I wouldn't have had much of an opportunity to log into Facebook anyway.
Saying that, I know that now I face the ultimate test - the evening - as I tend to sit for hours online once the kids are in bed.

I tend to sit on my computer during the evenings.

I have decided that instead of going on my computer, I am going to do something different! I feel quite positive already, and I feel that my day without Facebook has went quite well!

19:52 PM
We have just got the kids down to bed. My usual routine from this point tends to involve sitting down and logging on to Facebook... Which is not what I am going to do tonight - I am going to have to find other things to occupy myself!

(I will probably end up playing computer games or something). I am starting to wonder if substituting social networking for similar activities - browsing the internet or playing computer games - if there is any real difference?

What are your views on this? Leave your comments below!

20:17 PM
My girlfriend Jan has just found a photograph of her 13 year old neice on Facebook. The photo features her neice and has been tagged, along with her new boyfriend.
Jan's neice hasn't mentioned anything about having a boyfriend - the only reason we know about it is due to the tagged photo on Facebook.
It is slightly worrying that simply by tagging somebody - who may not even realise they have been tagged - in a photograph, it can allow that person's contacts to see the photo and potentially open a big can of worms!

I am aware that Facebook has recently reviewed their tagging policy, offering better privacy options and security. However it is possible that many users of Facebook are not offay enough with the technology (or perhaps too young to understand what the privacy options are), and they don't realise that anybody can "tag" a photograph featuring them (be it good, bad or indifferent).

As far as ME looking on Facebook is concerned, I still have not used it at all... Yes, I have had passing glances at content that Jan has shown me, however I have not used Facebook (and don't intend to use it) until my 24 hours are up!

21:09 PM
After waking up for a bottle and a clean nappy, Makayla woke up and walked into the bathroom, banged on the bath and started saying "Dirty! Dirty!".
It was a really cute and funny moment, the sort of event that would normally trigger me to pick up my iPod and either take a photo, record a video or post a comment on Facebook...

But I didn't! :D

22:38 PM
I've been distracting myself for pretty much the entire evening. I've kept clear of my computer and watched TV instead. I've had a few urges to update my status in response to some of the programmes I've seen (such as An Idiot Abroad).


I don't feel like these urges have been "addiction level", where I must log on to Facebook to satisfy them. I can only describe the feeling like years after you quit smoking and occasionally you have a mild craving... If you wait ten minutes then the craving usually goes away, or you can find other things to occupy your mind...

Is Facebook as addictive as smoking?

I think I am about an hour or so away from going to bed, and that staying away from Facebook for 24 hours is going to be possible!

01:00 AM
I've just watched a film, and now I am on my way to bed. I know that I won't be logging on to Facebook until the morning now, after my 24 hours are up!

SUMMARY:

Despite my initial thoughts about how difficult it would be, this experiment wasn't particularly difficult to accomplish - I have managed to last a full 24 hours without logging into Facebook despite feeling the occasional desire to update my status a few times throughout the day.

One thing this experiment has made me realise is how much I actually think about Facebook and other social networking sites, even if I don't actively use them.

I have also discovered that funny or humourous moments tend to be my trigger for online connectivity - if I think something is funny, witty or interesting I feel the need to share it with others.

Perhaps I need to learn to just enjoy the moment within myself, and that just because I find a moment, a thought or a visual element stimulating, others will feel the same way.

As I commented earlier in the blog, I wondered how much of an impact I make to others with regards to social networking.

I mentioned the fact that I hadn't used Facebook for 24 hours to Jan and her first reaction was to call me a liar! The woman I live with didn't even realise that I hadn't logged on all day!

I also decided to ask who realised I hadn't logged on... The response almost speaks for itself!

This is the reaction I got after boycotting Facebook for 24 hours...

The following day, even after my self imposed ban was lifted, I have not been as active on Facebook as I would normally have been. I haven't really felt the urge I did before I spent 24 hours without it.

One question I asked myself after returning was "What did I miss by avoiding Facebook for 24 hours?"

The real answer: Hmm... So, I didn't play on a couple of games that require Facebook, or respond to random and fairly irrelevant comments... So what?! Life goes on!

I didn't even miss playing BackYard Monsters!

I don't actually feel that I have missed out by being ANTI-SOCIAL NETWORKING rather than SOCIAL NETWORKING.

I do feel that I should call my parents this weekend though! :D

- TheLittlerich