Ed Vogue's World

According to the Journal of Clinical Psychology, reported third party , the top ten New Year resolutions are as follows; Lose Weight Getting Organised Spend Less, Save More Enjoy Life to the Fullest Staying Fit and Healthy Learn Something Exciting Quit Smoking Help Others in Their Dreams Fall in Love Spend More Time with Famil y http://www.appforhealth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/list-of-New-Year-resolutions.png This was a study of Americans and the same statistics claim that 45% of Americans usually make a New Years Resolution of one kind or another with only 8% successful in achieving their resolution. 75% last a week and only 46% are still maintaining their resolution after 6 months. The study lists a lot of confusing statistics but one interesting claim that the study makes is that people who explicitly make resolutions are ten times more likely to attain their goals than people who don't explicitly make resolutions. Ten times.....

When I was 18-21 New Years Eve was an awesome party night. I would meet my friends at a designated pub, we would have a few drinks and then move on to another pub. Along the way we would encounter more friends, listen to live music, eat free food provided my the landlords of the public houses we frequent and maybe even the odd free drink at our regular haunts. http://cbslasvegas.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/newyear2013.jpg When the chimes of Big Ben sounded we would all raise a glass of whatever we were drinking the time and then all sing Auld Lang Syne (does anyone actually know all be words; does it matter?) and then after another hour or so of drinking we would return to to the designated friends house and crash out in sleeping bags, or a bed if lucky, to wake the next morning with a fuzzy head, a dehydrated throat and the taste of a number of spirit based drinks lingering on the tongue. New Years Day would be spent mostly in recovery from the excesses of the night before and th...

The Christmas clearance is well underway and if you haven't managed to get down to the sales yet you have probably missed the bargains that would make your trip worthwhile. http://beadworksphiladelphiablog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/sale-logo.jpg I watched with interest, tinged with disgust, at the pictures of the customers in a world famous London department store fight for entry and then clamour in what could only be described as a scrum for the bargains that were on offer. I wonder if many of these people actually went to the shop with the intention of buying that particular item. Or was it in fact the reduction of 50% that generated a frenzy in their mind that resulted in them buying something that they didn't want just because they believed that they were getting a bargain? The chance of a bargain is not really the way I shop. I need to want something to buy it. I am very unlikely to buy something on the whim so these sales don't tempt me in at all. In fact ...

There are some people that when you meet them you just click and you know that you are going to be friends for life. These are the people that you can go a long time without seeing and then when you do meet up again it feels like it was just yesterday that you were last together. I have friends like that. People I have known for many years. People who are really important to me, who I have shared many experiences with; some which have shaped my life. http://collider.com/wp-content/uploads/friends-tv-show.jpg When we meet the same old stories are told and the same old jokes are made and the time that has passed since last meeting seems to fade away. So for all those close friends of mine thank you and I look forward to you being in my life hopefully for the next fifty years at least. Posted with Blogsy

It's amazing what you can find on a beach. I went for a little walk on the beach today, it was windy and a little chilly but the Sun came out and reflected off the sea making it a lovely little wander. Being winter the sea had been a little rough and the remains of many sea creatures were in evidence washed up on the seashore. The picture shows a selection of items that were found including: Scallops, Edible crab carapace with eyes still intact, Mussels, Oysters, Whelks, Dogfish egg sacs, Cuttlefish These items were in abundance and only those that didn't smell too strongly of rotting fish were collected.     I don't think they will remain in our possession for too long as on our return to the warmth of the house is causing the odour to increase in its pungency.   Posted with Blogsy

The day after Christmas Day is upon us. I find it a slightly strange day; after the anticipation of the coming of Christmas and all that it entails the day always feels a little flat to me. It's still a holiday in the commonwealth but for many the day is about shopping. For people to shop others have to work, therefore many people across the country are manning tills and restocking shelves etc. and therefore for them far from being a holiday it may actually turn out to be the busiest day of the year. https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXg5mFSxmTUzlREejBH_xAgYwCKiPmr06IHFJ2ZCw8yjL8giC6nbdTkeu6EZpADpoAAZndNfagxyk3cf8XrPzvAPsx92QNbl0B8SI8-mYJ4ctVLc3f6UQ9uXCeMHhyphenhyphenMImtaKsJ3PfP2fAZ/s1600/boxing-day-sale.jpg Many others will spend a large proportion of the day in the car travelling between friends and family. With so many out and about on the nations roads the chances of traffic jams are high; not the most pleasant way to spend the day. Of course t...

Merry Christmas everyone. I hope that Santa made it to everyone safe and sound and that everyone's day has been peaceful and full of love. By now I guess most people have eaten their fill of Christmas lunch with turkey and all the trimmings, followed by the Christmas pudding and obligatory brandy butter. What follows are a few hours where the remnants of the feast are cleared away, the pot of tea comes out, maybe a snooze, some Christmas TV and a play with some of the children's presents. Before you know it the time has arrived for the snack of the year, turkey sandwiches. Slices of turkey sprinkled in a little salt and sandwiched between two pieces of white bread. For me the cheap 'plastic' white bread is actually the best type. I love my turkey sandwiches served with tomato ketchup on the side and accompanied by a cup of tea. However, mayo and a glass of your favourite tipple would be equally acceptable. For some reason this meal is one of my highlights of Christm...

As I write this Father Christmas has already started his rounds and has delivered his gifts to Australia, New Zealand and according to the NORAD Satellite tracking him he is currently emptying his sack in Vietnam. But what does Santa actually look like? You would think that a large man dressed in a red coat lined with white fur would be quite conspicuous and maybe his clothes should be more appropriately camouflaged for his nocturnal coming. http://ivarfjeld.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/santa1.jpg It is widely believed that the current image of Father Christmas was as a direct result of a cunning and hugely successful advertising campaign by the drinks giant Coca Cola in the early 1900's. Before that images of Father Christmas were more likely to look like some kind of tree elf. Some of the stories that I have read go back further than that and interestingly originate in the snowy woods of Lapland and northern Russia. It appears that the nomadic inhabitants of these lands live...

So last night saw at long last the finale of Strictly Come Dancing. Now into its 10th series I think finally the celebrity was crowned and through all the tears, celebrations and Brucie's bossiness the glitter ball was handed over. Apparently it was the toughest final ever and the celebrities who put themselves through literally months of gruelling training all 'did themselves proud.' http://www.katestamp.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/strictly-trophy.jpg This Saturday night formula show has certainly been popular with an average of 10.7 million people tuning in to see the show, although this was slightly down on the 10.9 million of last year. I think these shows have had their day. As soon as the formula is obvious then it should cease. This year the celebrities were chosen to fill certain niches: the popstar; the old one; the model past her time; the overweight one; the one for the younger audience; the one with 'the guns'. Each year the show fundamentally do...

This Autumn has been certainly been damp, with rainfall over the Autumn months being 109% above the 1971-2910 average. I think that makes 2012 one of the wettest years on record. The rain that dampened spirits during the Jubilee abated for the Olympics and then seemed to return with a vengeance during September and again during the last few days. The ground is sodden and it is strange to contemplate that much of Britain was under a drought order during the earlier months of the year. http://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/flood_uk_2007.jpg I feel very sorry for those people who's houses, possessions and lives have been affected by the latest round of floods. Of course it is never a good time to be flooded but for that to happen a few days before Christmas is just the most awful thing. So for those people out there who tonight have barricaded their front doors with sand bags and other flood defences and are anxiously watching the using waters I hope that your fear...

So 11.11 GMT, the winter solstice, passed us by this morning and the majority of the world population just went about their normal business and nothing of interest happened. Some people may have been watching their clocks waiting with bated breath for something big to happen, may be loved ones held hands and waited for the end to occur. http://eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/images/imagerecords/57000/57723/globe_west_540.jpg Surprise, surprise it didn't. The most exciting news event in England today was a line side fire near Paddington Station, London that caused disruption for people travelling to Heathrow. Although frustrating and incredibly inconvenient for people attempting to journey to the airport in time to catch a plane it was hardly the end of the world. No meteorite, no rogue planet, no nuclear war, no super-volcano, no reversal of the Earth's poles. The Mayans got it wrong - what a surprise!! Actually I'm not sure that the Mayans ever claimed that the world would e...

So, the last day of the world is nigh. The end of the world is upon us and as of yet I have as a subject of one of the most developed countries of the world not been issued with any advice at all. I find this remarkable seeing that I received information regarding the great digital switchover at least two years before it happened, moreover I was even informed more about the recent elections of the police commissioners and that didn't even matter one bit to anyone's life. As the government has been lax on its duties I have had to turn to more reliable sources such as the Daily Mail and the blogosphere for my information. According to one source I read on the internet 1 in 10 of us are concerned that the world will actually end tomorrow. In Russia the government issued a decree that the world would not end to prevent people from panic buying supplies. If the world ends why buy supplies? The Chinese authorities arrested 500 end of the world theorists. In America NASA felt ...

Less than a week to Christmas, six sleeps I have just been reliably informed, and it is time to wrap those Chrimbo presents. This is a job that I can't say I look forward to terribly much. Truth be told I'm not very good at it. I think I try to buy rectangular gifts so that I can indeed wrap them. Any oddly shaped gifts and I'm stuck. This is particularly true if the item in question is a cylinder. I get the wrapping of the tube but struggle when it comes to the ends. I never seem to get this quite right. I also dislike having to wrap and big object where the roll of wrapping paper doesn't quite fit around the box and then you have to start the patching exercise. http://cdn.sheknows.com/articles/2011/12/couple-wrapping-christmas-gifts-together.jpg Then there is the tape, don't even get me started. It gets stuck on the wrong place and then rips the paper or the roll falls on the floor and the end magically sticks and you can't find it. When at last i...

As a father of two children my thoughts and condolences have been with the parents of those children that were savagely and unbelievably shot and killed by a deranged young man in America on Friday. The grief that the community of Newtown, Connecticut is currently experiencing is simply unimaginable. It is the type of terrible occurrence that will be hard ever to come to terms with. The bravery of the children and there teachers, some so young, will be remembered for ever and the actions of these teachers undoubtably saved the lives of many others you will be forever grateful. This incident, the second worse of its kind, in American history has once again sparked the gun debate. It is over issues such as gun ownership and religion that reveals how polarised the political opinions of the American people really are. It makes me question who actually runs the country. It was suggested on the radio that the NRA (National Rifle Association) wields so much lobbying power that to cross th...

When was the last time you went out with a group of people to a restaurant? http://www.bridgeandtunnelclub.com/bigmap/queens/flushing/xiaolajiao/09check.jpg I went just this evening. I had a lovely time with my work colleagues. We all had a set menu with a fixed price. The only difference really was that some people had alcohol, others soft drinks and some just tap water. Then came the bill. Due to the set menu paying the bill should not have been a problem. We are all pretty intelligent individuals as well as being honest and fair but still the bill caused problems. Surely it was just £20 each yet it still took literally half an hour to sort out, with some people paying cash and others using their debit cards. The restaurant also had to issue us with two new bills to correct errors that they had made. Eventually the money was collected and the bill was settled. Although it took a lot of time it was all pretty amicable and no one seemed upset by what they had to pay. In the...

Sunday night with Christmas approaching and the evening outside is a little damp and chilly. This is just the time when a bit of comfort food is required. This evening my comfort food was a homemade cheesy tuna pasta bake. Just the job. Pasta dishes like this a real comfort food for me, as is a big plate of burger and chips. These are the types of food that you need on such a winters day or after a busy day where your energy levels are starting to fall. These foods help to make you feel better and then recharge your batteries for the next challenge. Obviously after a main course such as this a proper dessert is required...none of that Creme brûlée rubbish. My comfort food dessert would definately be an apple and blackberry crumble with custard. Delicious.   Posted with Blogsy

It's hard not to notice them. Every year they are certainly getting more common and over the top. Some of them are simply twinkling lights and some at the other end of the spectrum include large inflatable Santa's and animated puppets and perhaps even sound effects. I am of course talking about the Christmas decorations that are once again adorning the outside of many homes across the country. What used to be a fairly infrequent occurrence has now become much more popular. Here and there about our nation are some Christmas decorations that are totally over the top. Some of these have even been known to stop traffic as drivers turn their eyes from the road to stare at the gaudy adornments. http://media.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/photos/images/2010/dec10/christmas_lights_sm/christmas_lights_08.jpg According to the Lincolnshire Echo a couple have decorated the inside and outside of their home. Their bungalow has become totally transformed into a shrine for the festive season...

So this is the 183rd consecutive day that I have posted a blog which by my rudimentary maths makes this 6 months since I wrote my first blog about the tap dripping . That was way back in June, in the days before the Olympics. During this time my blogs have had a total of just under 10,000 views and I would like to thank those of you that have read any one of them. http://blogote.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/blog_writing_mac.jpg I have had readers from all over the world and seem to have a little following in Russia. The post that created the most attention involved my rant at the codes that groups of women use on Facebook . I think this was viewed by people trying to discover the meaning of the code rather than the popularity of the post itself. I am just happy to be writing and am delighted that a few people pop in occasionally to read my writing. Thank you Ed Vogue Posted with Blogsy

Has our high street had its day? Are we really becoming a nation of Internet shoppers? Christmas shopping is surely becoming easier. So many purchases can now be made online and delivered at your convenience often to your place of work. http://www.whichbetter.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/online_shopping.jpg Now there is no need to trawl around the shopping centre car park looking for a space. No need to hustle and bustle through the crowded shopping mall and then queuing for hours to buy that must have item. I remember when I first discovered the convenience of internet shopping. We had been to the local shopping centre and had looked at a number of items. Whilst in the shops I was looking up the same items on my phone and found without exception I could find each and everyone cheaper and all from the same Internet based company located somewhere in South America. We decided not to buy but made a list of the items we wanted. That evening I bought the entire list sitting in f...

There was some suggestion that last night temperatures might have plummeted to -14 degrees but although cold it didn't quite reach that temperature. At 7.30am this morning my car was recording -5 and that was certainly cold enough for me. Just before going to bed last night I went outside to my car. It was freezing and the air was full with fog but no ice had formed on my car. This morning it was a very different picture. The Sun rose to a near cloudless sky and there was a still crisp feel about the day. The fog had lifted and the world was covered in a marvellous frost. As you are probably aware frost occurs when air containing water vapour comes in contact with surfaces that are below the freezing point of water as well as the dew point. The dew point is the temperature at which water vapour in the air condenses to form liquid water. If the surface that the dew is forming on is colder than the freezing point of water then the dew will form frost. The frost forms as ...

According to the Wkipedia entry controversy is a state of prolonged public dispute or debate, usually concerning a matter of conflicting opinion or point of view. It goes on to state that the most controversial subjects, topics or areas are politics, religion and sex. Of course the main debate in the UK today is a topic that has a great deal of politics, religion and sex surrounding it, however I will come back to that later. I thought I would try to find out the top ten most controversial subjects ever, just to make sure that this blog entry was full of controversy. After a bit of searching I came across I website ( www.goodsirs.net ) that suggests the top 10 controversial topics that every citizen should consider: Should human cloning be pursued? Should health care be provided by the state? How should immigration be dealt with? What role should the government play in religion and vice versa? Should abortion be legal? Is war ever justified? Should everyon...

I have to admit that I love my phone. I use it quite a bit for a variety of different things. In fact I would be quite lost without it. However what I won't do is use it to watch a live event that I am physically at. Let me clarify what I mean by that statement. Have you been to a big sporting occasion recently? Perhaps a gig or a parade? Or like me tonight your child's Christmas concert? You may have noticed that many people like to video what they are watching. Tonight there were many parents who were standing or holding their phones high in the air to capture their little darlings performance. http://planetgreen.discovery.com/imported/nav-techtransport/2009-08/cell-concert.jpg Of course this behaviour means that the whole event is actually watched recreated on a LCD screen even though the live action is happening right there, right then. The argument is that the performance is being digitally recorded for posterity, but it would be my guess that in fact the reco...