Friday, January 5, 2007
Blogging

I've tried a few blogs - a rugby one that despite my absolute addiction to the sport didn't last more than a month, another on a comic book sitethat started well but rapidly declined and obviously this one. What little I've learned can be summed up like this:

Blogs are for when you have something to say, there is no obligation to fill it with nonsense when the words won't come. This has been my biggest mistake, looking back on my posts here a helluva lot of it is chain-of-thought crap.

There is no defintive size for a blog post, like a diary if you had a bad day write it all down, but if the day was ho hum then an essay isn't needed.

Lastly (told you it only a little) talk about what you like. Pandering to certain subjects merely to be read is a waste of time because the lack of enthusiasm comes through clearly in your posts.

To this end I will endeavour to be less productive but more consistent with my blog this year and write constructively on topics you have no wish to read. Sounds like a plan already.

Posted by Owen Jones 2007-01-05 12:31:48

Wednesday, January 3, 2007
A New Year - Huh?

It sneaked up on me this year to be honest and I only had Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Eveoff so it really didn't feel very christmasy - even if such a word existed. I'm inclined to believe that there is only so much christmas you can stomach before saturation occurs, snow looks great on a card and even seems fun in theory but three weeks of driving to work twenty minutes earlier, at ten miles an hour,for fear of black ice and the cumulative effect on near-bald tyres (amazing what you notice at the last minute - for three weeks) isn't so much fun. Ditto the 9-5.30 xmas songs marathon they put on in our shop, it's too much and commercialism is to blame. Maybe it's always been that way but at a quarter of a century old (ooooooo) it seems excessive and nothing like what it was when I was kid - but then nothing ever is.

So happy new year to you all, my 'signs' for this year are apparently very good which will probably mean less than nothing in the scheme of things but if Ibecome a millionaireduring Juneor July, slide between the sheets with an actress/supermodel in October and spoil christmas for a lot of people - then you know they were at least a third right.

For those that care, I am writingseveral comicbooks, haven't touched a short story or novel length piece in nine months, coincidentally about the same timeI stopped blogginghere, and have far more ideas than can be right for someone incapable of writing a sustained sentence (this blog entry has taken me four days to write so far ;)) Welcome to a brave new year and don't count on this writingbeing a regular thing :)

Posted by Owen Jones 2007-01-03 16:00:39

Sunday, March 12, 2006
Banks

Despite a great Sunday of sport -- does anyone believe SA chased down 430+ to win in the cricket? I have to talk a little about banks. I hate banks. I hate the idea that people charge you to withdraw your money from your account, that they are already profiting from. I hate the hidden charges that 'they're so sorry' to apply to your account because they changed your account details without telling you -- then the letter telling you they're changing the account turns up in the post with a second class stamp two or three days later.

I'm not going to claim I work ridiculously hard for my money but it is still my money and having to swallow charge after hidden charge just to get at my money, without any recourse to compliant really annoys me. For example, I pay my credit card bills off at my bank from my account. It should be immediate because my credit card issuer and my bank are one and the same entity. However some months I have been down, paid off my card and next month been penalised for late payment because the lady at the desk hasn't done it there and then. When I did complain about the situation (I like complaining and getting a rise out of customer service people when I believe I'm in the right, sue me :)) I was told to allow a working week for payment. Except I'm doing it directly. Yes but you need to allow aworking week for that aswell. Gotta love 'customer service'

So if I wasn't to deposit my money with a bank and lose part of it that shouldn't really be, what could I do with it? Under the mattress? There really are no other options and so this pathetic state of affairs will continue because it can. The government is happy to take far more of my money than they have a right to, so the banks have decided to get in on the act. More and more I see why people claim unemployment, now that is free money if ever I saw it.

Posted by Owen Jones 2006-03-12 12:12:13

Saturday, March 4, 2006
Top of the world

I have a strange body clock that likesto stay up late. Perhaps it's the steady diet of boxing,NFL andUFC action I've fed it but at 4.08am I feel top of the world. One of the reasons for this and why i won't be able to sleep for the next few hours, is that a Welsh warrior just battered the young upstart. Joe Calzaghe was unfancied by much of the boxing fraternity, outside of Marvin Hagler, Duke MacKenzie and a few others, it was going to be a shut out. The grand crowning of an awesome talent, asmaller Mike Tyson without the behavioural problems so they had us believe. Indeed the bookies even got it wrong by putting Jeff 'Left Hook' Lacy as 6/4 favourite. I'll be collecting on Monday, thanks Joe. But what most buzzed me, was the style of victory. Anyone who has seen Joe fight knows he may slap a bit in there, but the guy is pure boxing class when challenged and tonight he stepped into top five pound-for-pound territory.

Having been to the MEN in Manchester for a fewRicky Hatton fights, I can personally vouch for how electric the atmosphere is and how knowledgeabletheir boxing fans are and my hat is off to them for putting on an event on a par with Hatton vs Tszyu. I'm glad to see boxing back on ITV for free!!! and long may it continue. Super, super Joe :)

Posted by Owen Jones 2006-03-04 22:15:14

Sunday, February 26, 2006
I have more to say

Yes it is true, I have more to say. In lieu of spamming this blog with my constant thoughts on rugby, I have moved them - along with the significant parts of my brain - to here: http://rugbyrants.blogspot.com/

Needless to say more ranting will ensue, only of a more specific nature. Keep on rucking :)

Posted by Owen Jones 2006-02-26 14:27:12