Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Life through a lens

There are many ways that our lives differ but one I guess I haven't really thought about much until now is sight. For the record I have worn glasses (some approaching the extreme of such a description) for eighteen years and all my immediate family wear them. I'm not sure whether my nose is any stronger for holding them up for so long or my brain's growth hindered by pressure from the arms, but I do know that I have lived my life, almost without change, through a lens.

What's so odd is that for such a conspicuous item they are very easy to forget. Put them down somewhere and you cam't remember where they've gone. Fall asleep reading and the arm is guranteed to be twisted come morning (unless you've got those expensive flexible ones) But all of this I already know, what I don't know is what it feels like to look at a TV screen without glasses and not worry about headaches. About reading without having to clean dust from the lenses and the ability, should I so choose, to be a fighter pilot :)

Given such thoughts I guess it must seem very odd that I haven't tried contact lenses and now that I've written the words I'm wondering as well. I'm used to glasses, very much so, and to be honest sticking things in my eyes - not that appealing. So I'm wondering; are contact lenses any good and would they make a difference?

Posted by Owen Jones 2006-01-11 19:20:36

Tuesday, January 10, 2006
House hunting

Natural disasters it seems are the new wars, or at least they are according to my father. Having had a hip replacement operation over the christmas period to get rid of one of his 'eighty year old hips', according to his doctor, the old grump has had too much time to sit around and ponder. Being a man of action this has not sat (sic) well with him, indeed was my brother not at home regularly due to his shift pattern, I imagine my father would be back in the hospital with the curses of doctors ringing in his ears.

Yet place him in front of the worst imaginable disasters, westerns or Stargate and you'd be hard pressed to get a sentence out of him. Having watched a documentary on Discovery (the saviour of our household at present) about the terrible events around the Tsunami in Asia, he then began to draw on this new found knowledge about potential danger spots in order to inform me of where I should and shouldn't live in the future.

Apparently the North-West of the United States is out, so too the Yellowstone area (although thanks to a certain gentleman who has to have the last word, I already knew of that problem) Asia sadly, Australia and the list went on. When he had finished the only place safe to live in was the one we already do (insular parochialism through learning? surely not?) So why wars? Because you are now, supposedly, more likely to die from a natural disaster than you are from war. House hunters beware :)

Posted by Owen Jones 2006-01-10 18:58:00

Monday, January 9, 2006
Fish and chips

Happy New Year to all :) Well this blog really tailed off at the end of last year and even given mitagating circumstances, I'd like to apologise. Writing something new everyday is difficult and when that something has to be worth someone's time then it becomes doubly more so. In light of this I am going to point out that this year's sleaker blog will be absolute rubbish, scraped from the bottom of my brain pan to inflict on the world - you've all been warned ;)

Having travelled across a few continents and several nations (some unintentionally) I have yet to come across a delicacy so wonderous as fish and chips. Call me uncouth, call me barbaric and any other words you wish but sitting down in front of breaded plaice and chips, with some buttered white bread on the side and a glass of ginger beer takes some serious beating. What makes it so appetising is both the knowledge that, given it's calorific value, it should be eaten sparingly and due to the chip shop being open about once in a blue moon - seriously do they actually do a week's work in a month - that your timing has to be spot on. If there is no place like home, there is no meal like fish and chips - unless you're not British :)

Posted by Owen Jones 2006-01-09 17:05:55

Saturday, December 24, 2005
Merry Christmas

Well after a long day at work with the sun peeking through my window, I have come to the realisation it's Christmas Eve (all the chocolates gave it away) so Merry Christmas one and all, enjoy whatever holiday you have :)

Posted by Owen Jones 2005-12-24 16:47:38

Thursday, December 15, 2005
Dedication

There are many people who through occupation or bad luck experience death too often. I've been lucky to avoid losing people so far in my life, only my grandfather in my circle of friends and family has passed on - until Friday. On Friday a friend who I'd been in school for seven years with and who I'd played rugby with for even longer died suddenly of meingitis at the age of 23. Darryl Dyke was a great guy and had a helluva lot going for him, having just come back from holiday in Mexico with his girlfriend it seemed like Darryl couldn't have been happier. Suddenly he is gone and there are no words to explain how tragic that is. You will be missed.

Posted by Owen Jones 2005-12-15 19:32:31