Before I set off for my usual Friday afternoon/evening with friends, I was looking at some old photos again….this time from this day in 2011.
I’d been playing around with some silly online program that let you put different hairstyles around a photo of your head and even let you change your skin colour in some cases. I created a few of myself and put them up on Facebook one at a time over the course of the morning and couldn’t believe that some friends were commenting on them as if they believed they really were photos of me from years gone by !!
Really ? Even the last one ?!!!!
No, not even in my Denzel Washington days !
Actually I wouldn’t have minded N0.4……kinda SoCal surfer dude. Yeah, that’s me for sure.
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I set off early afternoon to visit my friend, Barbi, and we’d arranged that I’d call at the local Subway on the way and get us both lunch. I do this so often on a Friday that I’d not even got to the counter when the little Asian lady who owns the place started fixing my order before I’d opened my mouth.
I had been thinking of having something different but felt under pressure to go with what she was fixing – how British was that ! Next time, if I want, I WILL have something different. I will.
I can be strong ! Maybe.
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After visiting Barbi, I went on to Daphne & Stephen‘s house for our usual Chinese & A Movie Night. Now as you may know, we don’t always have a Chinese but have Indian, Fish & Chips or something homemade on a rotation basis. Tonight it WAS Chinese but before we ordered it, we watched last night’s “Survivor” which was different as the contestants were divided into 3 groups, Brains, Beauty and Brawn.
I knew just what some female contestant in the Beauty group would say and wasn’t disappointed.
“If I get a chance to use my looks to progress in the game, I will.”
I hate that sort of attitude with a passion. Obviously I know there are people who are good looking but when they are so full of themselves that they have that attitude, well it just pisses me off. To me, they immediately become ugly on the inside and I just wish someone would put them in their place. Sadly I’ve never seen it happen and others fawn over them, thus stroking their egos even more.
I guess if you ARE really handsome/pretty and are always being told that you are, then it must be hard not be affected by it. Personally I’d just prefer it if those people had the modest boy/girl next door attitude and then they’d be attractive (to me) on the inside too.
But I think I may be in a minority……..
Anyway after Survivor and our Chinese we settled down to watch “Spotlight” which I’d enjoyed a few weeks ago. Once again I found some of the dialogue very hard to hear and was glad to find I wasn’t the only one.
It may pick up an Oscar but it wouldn’t be the one for Best Sound !
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Back home I watched a new episode of Gogglebox. I love that damn show. For those who don’t know about it, the format is simplicity itself. Several families/couples/friends watch tv shows in their homes and we watch them making comments about what they’re watching.
I know, right ? How could that have been successfully pitched as a concept ?
But it was and it’s one of the most popular series on tv here in the UK and regularly picks up awards. It’s on its 7th series now.
And I love it.
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It’s that time of year when a retired person thinks about holidays ! I’m thinking about a few road trips this year, weather and health permitting.
First up would be a trip up to Scotland for the ferry over to N. Ireland for a few days visiting old haunts before driving down the west coast of Ireland as I’ve never done that before. Where I get the ferry from back to Britain is still in the planning stage but it might be one that would take me across to Wales so I’d end up visiting all the main countries that make up the British Isles. I’ve done it before but it’s always worth another go around !
I also want to drive again over in continental Europe. I toured parts of France, Portugal and Spain last year but driving 3,857 in 22 days was just too much in a small, manual, non air conditioned car. I’ve been offered a place to use as a base in Southern France near the Spanish border so that might dictate my route as I could then go east along the French Riviera to Florence in Italy, up to Venice and back home via Switzerland, Germany and Belgium.
A rough guide to the distance comes out at 2,881 miles so that’s already 1,000 miles less than last time but the big difference would be that I’d not be booking hotels in advance. I found that had more cons than pros as the Ibis Hotel prices on the day were just the same so booking in advance didn’t save money AND it meant I had to pass up on nicer places to stay that I passed on the route. Another plus to not booking in advance would be that I could change my entire route at any point and stay more time or less time depending on where I was.
It’s at the early stage of planning but I enjoy the planning stage. I’ve never been to Switzerland or Germany and I love to visit new places.
I’m getting excited already.
And if I do that trip in the early part of Summer before the temps get too high over there, it’ll leave me the rest of the summer to visit parts of the UK I’ve never been to before, especially Devon/Cornwall if I can avoid the school holidays !
I’ve not ruled out a late trip to the US although that very much depends on others as I don’t want to go there on my own again. Been there, done that.
Anyway that’s all in the future with much planning ahead but it gives me something nice to think about.
First things first though. I’d better make a start compiling my road trip music !
Retirement Rocks 