2010: the year, the people

I haven't blogged for a few weeks because I wasn't feeling it. I can't force my writing (not that i'm a writer or anything) but i feel i've got to want to blog, to blog. I just can't come up with things on demand. But it's Christmas, nearly New Years and as the sun sets on 2010 and rises on 2011 I wanted to do a blog post to all those people who have helped make 2010 quite a decent year. Indulge me for a few minutes as there's lots of people and so many reasons to give you all a special mention.

Firstly, Linda. Great friend and work colleague. She helped me through the trauma of last Christmas and New Year with her funny texts - "a fucking telly!!" haha. We've laughed together and cried together in the office too many times to mention. We've talked rubbish in a language that only we could understand. Our little sayings are legendary and they're listed on one of the many notepads on my desk for when the book is published. A friend in every way.

January 2010 saw me try to shift this blog over to SquareSpace and redesign it and in doing so I got into a conversation on Twitter with Mark (@markofrespect). Mark I now consider to be a friend. A good friend. Hope he doesn't go all showbiz now he's moved to Londonshire.

Then in my twitter stream a giant electrical structure appeared. It turned out to be @Pyllon. One of life's good guys. Always there, always listening, always around in the background. A machine of a man with the kind of determination and grit I could only dream of. I'm proud to call him a friend.

Which leads me on to Nicola (@LilacSwizzle). One half of the bro-sis tag team. When I came across Nicola and then met her i couldn't believe how alike and yet how different we were. She is one amazing lady and despite everything that 2010 has thrown at her she's still here, still smiling and hopefully riding the bike to fight another day. We had a good day out on the bikes when i fell off for the second time, it wasn't even steep but it was into a jaggy nettle bush. Ouch! good times.

Ah the bike... this brings me nicely on to Petesy (@Petesy)  and Phil (@Bobinson1). A few good summer nights out on the bikes in the Kilpatricks were had. I like going out with these guys because the banter is good, I don't get left behind and there's tea and sandwiches at the garage when we finish. I don't even mind the grilling I get every time we meet. :o)

Talking of bikes there's Ross (@ThirdSectorLab) who encouraged me to join the MTB group. A genuinely nice guy. Not a bad word about anyone, thoroughly decent and a trainer geek to boot! Win.

I was pleased to finally meet Craig (@CraigZielinski) on a night-time bike ride with Petesy and Phil. He was running, we were cycling. No, seriously. He ran all the way up and all the way down. A no-nonsense, straight-talking, lovely guy. Get some.

There were a few themeet140 meetups in Glasgow this year and that gave me the opportunity to meet a lot of really nice people. Kevin O'Neill, Ali McGill, Brian Barnes, Julie Broadfoot, Stuart Glen, Stephen O'Donnell, Geraldine Coleman, Michelle Rodgers, Kelly Forbes, Electro Ross Burns, Aaron Bassett ... this list could go on. Sorry if i've missed anyone.

Plus it was good to finally meet these two great fellas too Allan Barr and Martin Keane. Top, top guys and one has a very impressive tattoo sleeve (not Allan!). And a fab young lady in Holly Smith. I've read her blog for over a year so to meet her was cool.

I knew i'd forgotten someone else i finally met. Mr Stephen Bonnar - that fantastical drawing machine whose print will soon hang in a room when i get a frame from Ikea. Go check his work out.

People I have not met but would love to meet, have and keep in my life are, what i affectionately call, my Southern Crew. A good bunch of tweeters that in 2011, i will make it my mission to meet (Oh dear, have I really said that!!). You are all great for various reasons but mostly for being friendly tweeters whom I've taken to my heart. The straight talking passionate Miss Andie Kiss; fabulous husband and wife team of Ben and Carly Woodall (are you preparing a blog as i type Ben?); lovely lovely Laura Woods. I owe her lots for reading my emails; that scamp Paul O'Neill and the lovely Anna Rosenberg; fab Miss Kat; little Miss Embot; Richard Baker; Mr Jamie9A - he's living in the 80's this week; very cool Mr JJ Kilpatrick; lovely John Heath; and the inspirational and truly fantastic Mr Neil Fox. He will change the face of 2011, big time.

A very special mention goes to Adam Morland. My friend. Producer of the first baby in my twitterstream - little gorgeous Zak! I can't remember when our first contact was but i'm glad we connected. He's a friend, a confidante and a wonderful father and husband to his gorgeous family. Big love Mr.

And finally to these nice people, thanks for your tweets over this year. A pleasure talking to you and hearing your stories: Al Christou; Mark Kalch; Annie Beee - will we ever meet?!; Chris Pritchard; Mark Beaumont; Owen Philipson; Chris Hall; Claire Edge; Mark Cooper (truly inspiring winner at life!); Annanyah; Mr Rob Green; that wonderful landscape photographer Stewart Smith (buy his work, please!); Nick Dixon; Ceasar Lopez who was genuinely interested in my graphics class; Stuart Witts; the very wise Raam Dev; Lorne Rutherford. I've probably missed a few, if i have sorry!

Angela x

What I Digg in 2010

I read a blog the other day about things a guy was liking in 2010. His was mostly iPhone apps and Google calendars etc and so I thought i'd do my own post about Things I Digg in 2010.

ONE
My iPhone. Ok so I got it late 2009 but that's a year I've had it now and I'm sorry to the Apple-phobes but i just could not live without it. It's a constant companion to me holding a compendium of info and apps and music and podcasts and photos.  Love it.

TWO
Hipstamatic, Camerabag, Instagr.am and lots of other photography/camera apps for the iPhone. I love taking photos, of anything. I've got a pretty decent digital camera (Panasonic Lumix) but for convenience and time-saving I use these apps.

THREE
Spin class at The Peak sports village, Stirling. I love it. It keeps me sane. I get a buzz when I'm done and if I haven't been feeling that great I always come out feeling much better about things. It's the combination of the loud music, the pushing yourself to the limits and the nice folk there. Andy is a brilliant instructor and motivator.

FOUR
Paul Mitchell Sculpting Foam keeps my curly hair in check. And the delicious coconut scent makes sure my hair smells lovely. A spritz of water in the morning brings it back to life. Curly hair rocks.

FIVE
My lovely CUBE Access SL mountain bike!! It's the best and biggest purchase i've made in a while. It looks great and does exactly what i need it to.

SIX
The shop All Saints. Yes it's a bit expensive but i've ordered a few things online and each time I'm thrilled with the service and free delivery. I get an email when the items were dispatched, a text with a hour long time slot of when the items will be dleivered and they are always beatifully packaged. My deliveries have always been bang on in the middle of the texted time slot. Plus in their end of summer sale I got 4 pairs of shoes for £110!! Bargain considering that one pair alone should have been £145.

SEVEN
Sending wee parcels of goodies to friends. I've sent a few of these this year to a small number of lucky people and they've been well received. So look out, you might get one in the post. A surprise mind, so i'm not telling you.

That's a few of the things i Digg in 2010.  I might update this post with more but since 2010 is nearly over and as 2011 approcahes at a pace so fast i'm slightly uneasy, then perhaps I'll wait until then to post on this subject.

Ange x

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To-Do, To-Don't: my head is spinning

Spinning has been all the exercise I've been doing of late.  For about the last 3 months actually.  I go with my friend Elaine who has been motivator-in-chief over that last wee while and long-term confidante extraordinaire (along with Linda!).  Before Christmas we stepped it up to 2 classes a week.  For me there are 5 stages of spin.  1) the dread an hour before you go.  2) the excitement of getting there.  3) the high of starting off on the warm up and getting going.  4) the absolute horror halfway through when it gets tougher and tougher you're dripping with sweat and you're quads are burning!  5) the final 10 minutes when the instructor announces "only 2 more hard-working tracks left team" and then the exhiliration when you finish.  You just feel great, you're face is bright red, but you feel great and that's the reason I go back.  But it's time to get serious again because you never know what come up in the future!...

Spin classes take place at The Peak which is a new fitness and sports centre that opened in Stirling in April / May 2009.  It's a good place and I really like the atmosphere when you go in.  There's an ice rink, swimming pool, gym, fitness studios, sports hall and a couple of 12m climbing walls.

In all honesty I haven't been to the gym at work since about October 2009, instead preferring to go to spin and yoga classes.  It's a pity too because It's quite a good gym but tended to get busy when I went straight after work.  Then I just sort of got fed up with it.  I mean I couldn't run and felt like I was just going and plodding away with not much happening.  Now I'm swithering about whether or not to join The Peak gym.  Currently I'm spending about £36 per month for spin bike classes and for an extra £3 (£39 per month) I could become a member and use all the facilities and go to any of the numerous classes they run.  But... I still pay my membership for the work gym at £13 per month which is a great price.  The only drawback here is the classes are limited in variety, there is no spin.  Hhmmm I shall have to think this one over for a bit before I commit one way or the other.

I've decided to try running again too.  I haven't tried this for about 5 months really.  I've stopped getting physio as the last one (NHS guy) told me after 4 appointments that I didn't need it any longer and my legs / knees would be ok (probably cos I hadn't been up a hill or ran to test them).  So after my expedition up Dumyat on 1st January 2010 I can confirm that the knee pain is still well and truly there.  It was a real downer as soon as I started to feel it coming back on.  But on the positive side, the next morning the pain had all but vanished.  So I decided I wasn't going back to a doctor/physio or any other thing like that.  It seems there's problems that even they cannot fix.  I will instead be trying to build strength into my muscles and will actually get my arse into gear and start using my TP Therapy roller kit properly too.  Oops.  Since I got the TP Therapy hip and lower back kit back in September it has kinda just lay there with the occassional use (sorry Kristian!!).  But no more.  It will be getting used as well as my big foam roller.  The thing is it's sore to begin with but once you've done it a few days you get used to it and you can feel where the pain (tight muscles) need loosened.  No pain no gain as they say.  For that is what the pain is afterall - tight muscles.  Calves, Hamstrings, Quads and IT bands - although technically the IT band is a tendon and not a muscle.  Trust me.  I have researched this until my brain bleeds.  Now the only question about running is whether or not to put the ortho insoles back into my gutties?  I'm thinking not.  Everything I've read seems to indicate that you should but then there's a few (including my last physio) who say NO!  And I would like a complete dork if I took my trainers off and ran bare foot!  The Nike uniformed brigade would turn and look with disgust because they've been programmed into thinking that £100 trainers ARE worth it.  I know they would, I used to be one of them.  But having tried different trainers I can testify that it doesn't really make one bit of difference to me.  I'd probably be just as good running in my Converse plimsoles.  Ach the dilemmas...

My shopping ban is going well.  Except I seem to still be spending money on food!  I mean I need to eat but it's the extras I pick up when I'm in the supermarket that needs to stop.  I've only bought three tops since my self imposed ban.  Two of those were in an online sale at £5 each and one is a new top for spin class/gym so it's useful and much-needed.  White is the new black for the gym I feel.  Other than that not much money is being spent at all - yay!  Which leads nicely into this...

BIKE NEWS:  There is no news!!  I'm really getting fed up now but an update from the bike shop indicates that Cube are being very slow.  As soon as it's delivered I will get an update on here going.

My book of 2010 is taking shape nicely.  

It is a lime green Moleskine soft backed notebook and is dedicated to 2010.  It is a list of to-do's.  It is a log of inspirational quotes.  It may even hold a few little short stories!  New to-do's are being added as and when they spring into my head.  Each one having a different colour.  There will also be a section when each to-do has been completed.  Hopefully it will be a reminder to actually do things during this year as with each new year we all usually say I'm going to do this, I'm going to do that but how much of these to-do's do we actually complete during the year?  Probably less than half.  Some of the to-do's are grand ideas indeed and others are just normal things we might take for granted.  Examples are: a trip to a beach on Skye and a visit to the cinema at least once a month.  

I feel we are all friends here now so lets share...  What are some of your to-do's for this year?

Ange x

Music:  Dogs Days by Florence and the Machine  An old song that's been about for ages but turn it up full blast in the car and it's even more fan-bloody-tastic!!