Farewell to Facebook.
Last year, I decided to stop using Facebook. I have never liked it, and believe it brings out the worst aspects of the internet. It has some good features, but these are offset by its culture.
Unfortunately, a small number of my friends (about 4) don’t use email or text, and only use this medium so I maintained a presence there.
I unfriended all but the 4, and tried to stop using it. Problem is over time, I ended up re-friending, made new friends and all the rest of it. I’ve done some thinking this weekend, and about an hour after this post, I am going to decommission my Facebook presence.
In the end, I believe it takes more energy from my life than it gives. If you find your unfriended, please don’t think I’ve fallen out with you (I would have emailed you personally if there was any problems) and to those who remain on Facebook, you have my best wishes.
Talking of internet communication, I saw the quote bellow recently:
nabed4t at 2011-03-01 08:01 CET:
“@ zerosk8a, dude stop trying to flame a perfectly good conversation. The Show is Greys Anatomy, NOT Scrubs. Now relax, take a step back and Literally fuck your own face!.”
I wasn’t sure whether to put that on my website, for fear of offending people. Honestly though, that’s the kind of things that I see every day. I wonder if Burners-Lee would have worked so hard designing the web, if he’d know it would be used like this ?.
Socializing.
On Thursday, still smarting from the end of Chicago code, I decided to cheer myself up and go out for dinner. Finances aren’t great, but a meal at Pizza hut for £5 looked promising. Unfortunately, the place closes at 9pm and I dragged Glenn out, so was feeling bad.
To the rescue, Bar 15. Run by the excellent Jackie and staffed by one of Chester best Barmen, Nathan its got rid of its reputation from a few years ago, and has the right mix relaxing and fun. After this we got a Hotbox of Singapore noodles from Wok & Go as we walked home. Sometimes impromptu social events are the best.
On Friday I attended Lyndsay’s night out in Stockton Heath (the sort of Disbury of Warrington). The area seemed to buck the recession trend as all the pubs and bars were busy (and seemed to become progressively busier and louder).
I found the place quite upmarket. There seemed to be girls trying to be models everywhere, and a nearly fight broke out, with one of the protagonists, adopting a traditional boxing stance (I’m from Newton Heath, I couldn’t stop laughing).
Suggestions of clubbing (and frankly I would have preferred Seal Clubbing) in Warrington were dismissed, as we headed home.
On Saturday, Dan and I headed into Chester to visit our old haunts (I was busy with work earlier in the day, so had to miss the Chester Globetrotters talk, which was bitterly disappointing).
The staff in the Temple Bar provided the electric hospitality which we had both missed to often.
Joined later by Brett (who’s punctuality made Amelia seem like a sergeant in the army) we headed to 15 to watch United play Barcelona in the champions league.
Afterwards we went to Asia fusion for a curry. I haven’t been there in over a year, when my friend Dave Littlewood “took one for the team” and burned his arm to get us all a free meal :).
Beer, curry and old friends – good times. I think were all glad that we don’t do that kind of thing every week any more, but as a one off, it was great fun.
Natural Justice is done.
Many of you will know (if your unlucky) that a Gorilla war has been going on in my back garden. Some pigeons have nested on my sky box and window sill, and put droppings into the garden which infuriates me.
I was overwhelmed by the council’s offer to send someone around to “look at it” for the bargain price of £25 (when the amount of council tax I pay would comfortably have seen Richard the Lion Heart returned to his home shores !).
One useful piece of advise I did get, was not to shoot the said birds (shame really, would have given me a chance to purchase an air rifle, which I was denied as a youngster). Citing various health and safety “essentials”, he finally commented, that If you shoot it, another bird will be passing, see the nest and occupy it almost immediately.
I have some of those spiky sheet things (I opened the box without paying full attention, and trust me, they are vicious). Problem is, I don’t have any ladders, so for the time being, the pigeons hit and run tactics seem to be working.
I have put a lot of hard work in the garden (well kind off) and this has lead to much ill feeling.
As the quote from the film Colours goes – there’s all kinds of justice in this world. I awoke this morning, to find that a cat had taken one of them out (and I don’t mean for a meal).
That’s why, the picture above is not the actual pigeon (although I don’t like them, children may visit this site). It does however capture some of the arrogance of the original bird, as it used to eyeball me from the satellite dish I paid good money, to have installed.
Well, hatred aside, its no excuse for losing standards of decency. I wanted to reward a fallen foe, so was going to construct a boat from chippy trays, and give the creature a Viking burial on the Shropshire canal (with a camping stove cartridge, to supply the pyrotechnics).
Alas, Steve pointed out, that a ceremony wouldn’t be needed. The antics on the canal would see you charged with fly tipping, and Ill put it on the allotment compost heap.
Brilliant picture by Julie.
My friend Julie B is going through a lot right now.
Since were on the subject of Animals, I couldn’t resist sharing this picture that Julie put up on her Facebook page, hilariously titled Tortoise Porn.
Take care of yourself Julie, and to everyone else, near and far, the search for adventure continues…