For the last week I have given up listening to my radio because every other song is Michael Jackson.
I have thought twice about putting the news on because you can guarantee a 30 minute expose on Michael Jackson.
Even watching normal TV is difficult to do without someone mentioning the name Michael Jackson.

HE'S DEAD..... WE GET IT....... LEAVE IT ALONE NOW AND LET HIS FAMILY GET ON GRIEVING IN PEACE!!

Don't get me wrong, I loved some of Michael Jackson's work, songs and videos, I even remember staying up until midnight to watch the new Thriller video, I just don't want it rammed down my throat every time I turn the radio on.

HE WAS NOT A MESSIAH.

He was an american pop star with a very dodgy mental state and a debatable private life.
I know this is going to anger some people but as much as I feel for his children, I think that now he is gone they actually stand some kind of normal life and especially childhood!

So PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE can we have our radio and news back again?
Enough is enough.

8.10 on Saturday 4th July.... Just as I go to publish this entry with the BBC news on..... there he is.... I thought we were going to get away with it this morning but sadly....NO!

God, could things get any worse!

I reached a low point on Friday.
The last two weeks hadn't been too bad. A little strained because of the financial situation but plodding along, getting on with things and planning for payday and exactly where the money is going to need to be divided to try and salvage the pilfered Xmas savings.

Thursday night however I was spoiling for a fight, I took it out on my kids and my hubby and ended up having a bit of a row over everything imaginable.
Friday morning saw me lose it completely.
Murron just got up and decided that it was her mission for the day to wind me up and she just picked the wrong moment because I let rip. So much so that on the way to school I broke down and cried while screaming at her for being horrible and selfish.

After the school run I sat and mulled things over even more and then let rip at my Mum. She listened while I blubbed about the last month and that I didn't know where I was going wrong with Murron and basically let me get it out of my system.
Unfortunately that wasn't enough because I got to work, sat down for the handover with Sue, the Ward Manager and Sister Julie and when Julie asked if I was OK I blubbed all over again!
Thankfully the day was very busy as we had to deep clean most of the ward while it was quiet so I had plenty to keep me occupied without having to interact with too many people. 

Saturday, things had calmed down a little. I had a quiet day doing practically nothing before taking the kids out to a family party for the evening and we just chilled. They were little angels. Which is frustrating because I know they can be little angels! Why can't they do it all the time?

Anyway, Sunday arrived and Ian was home and we broached the subject of 'our future'.
It's Frightening when you think that we have been renting the house we are currently in for 7 years and that adds up to £52,000!!!!!
I had never looked at it like that before. If you add the 2 years rent at the previous house that's a grand total of £66,500 of our money going into other people's pockets!
So, we went to our local housing development to look at 'possibilities'. There is a house within our grasp. We just need to seriously speak to a financial advisor to see what he 'advises' in the current climate with our current credit history.

We came home, did some gardening, had a roast dinner, things were looking normal...........
Then our fridge freezer stopped working! FUCK IT, want to throw anything else at us this month!!!!? C'MON!!

I had intended to lighten up a little when blogging but right at this precise moment in time I have very little to lighten up about.

I'm sitting here contemplating what to do today.
The utility room is a mess, the kitchen is a mess, the house in general is a mess, my car needs cleaning inside and out, the back garden needs a good weeding....... I simply do not have the get up and go to do any of it. 

We have had an absolutely horrendous few weeks and it's got to a point now where it has just got to get better.

Financially we where finally on top of things but at the end of the day things where still VERY tight. Bills all paid and provision made for future expected expences like Car Insurance, Car Tax, House Insurance, Xmas and our Holiday.
But as always, the best laid plans never go as expected. I could say they went down the crapper but at the time we didn't even have a crapper!

Here goes.....

My car failed it's MOT. Suspension springs and shocks - £120

Ian desperately needed to go to the dentist - £50 and then ended up having to go back to have a tooth pulled after five days of pain ridden hell.

Ian's car died. I mean it actually died. It had to be replaced. Luckily his mechanic brother had a car that Ian could have. It cost us £250 and to be completely honest it's a piece of crap but what do you expect for £250. It will do until we can find something a little more permanent.

Bathroom was then being ripped out. Landlady has promised for a couple of years and finally got round to doing it with a week's notice.

Then on the Thursday after this, I was working 12 - 8 and decided to go to Tesco before I popped round to Mum's for a shower and then work.
Unfortunately my car decided to break down in the Tesco carpark! This was 11am and I still hadn't had a shower. Luckily Ian was home and after a major panic I actually got to work at 11.45 stressed but showered but it turned out to be a day at work that I couldn't wait to get away from. Doesn't happen very often but it happened that day.... typical.

The car needed a new alternator £160 which Ian's brother would get and fit for us over the weekend.

The next 2 days I had booked as annual leave, Friday and Saturday, so that I could be in the house when Martin the infamous builder was fitting our bathroom.
It was a lovely day Friday so I did some gardening. It was such a lovely day we decided to BBQ for dinner. I set the BBQ up ready to light in the back garden and my Mum came round so that me and Ian could go and get a shower and freshen up.
I was in the shower when I got a call from Mum to say that we needed to go home because Murron needed to go to the hospital!
She had come off her bike and anihilated her thumb.

GIVE ME A BREAK!!!!

3-4 hours in Bedford A+E on Friday night only to be told that she needed surgery at the Lister on Saturday.
Just to rub salt into the already open wound, my car with my Bedford Hospital car parking pass was with Ian's brother so we had to pay for our parking!  
My parent's had their weekend shattered because they had to take Marjorie and Dharma while we concentrated on Murron.
We sat around all day Saturday waiting for a surgery that never happened and were told to go home and come back on Sunday.

We woke up on Sunday to a lake in the kitchen...... the new toilet had leaked overnight.
We sat around all day Sunday for surgery that again, never happened and were told to come back on Monday.
It was at this time we found out that my car would be a little longer because the alternator that arrived was faulty and needed to be sent back.

Surgery finally took place on Monday at 10am. £40 pound in petrol, £18 in parking and £20 in food.
This happened to be the most fabulous weekend's weather's we have seen so far this year and we saw none of it!

I had to add the Sunday and Monday as annual leave and Ian took Tuesday and Wednesday. To say that we both hated doing this is an understatement. My ward is struggling for staff as it is and this didn't help them one little bit and Ian has only just started his job so time off is not really a good thing to do.

Anyway, things finally settled down. The bathroom was finished. I got my car back. Murron is fine.

I got back to work only to find out that the 'proposed' change in hours at work that everyone opposed are actually going ahead from July 1st.
This would mean my earlie's will start at 7am and end at 3pm. This is only a half our earlier than normal and not a problem.
My lates however will change to 1.30pm to 9.30pm! 1 and a half hours difference and it would mean I wouldn't get home until after 10pm.
To say I am not a happy bunny about this is an understatement.
My kids will all be in bed when I get home.
I am also still expected to do an early shifts right after a late shift which would mean only 9 hours between shifts but it would also mean that I would say goodbye to my kids at 8.30am on one morning and not see them again until teatime the next day!
I will of course give it a go and Julie is doing her best not to give me lates followed by earlies but if it doesn't work for me then the ward will be losing yet another member of staff. 

Yesterday was Dharma's birthday and she wanted to go out for Dinner with Edward.
So Murron and Marjorie got packed off to Mum's again and I took Dharma and Edward to Kid's World and then a MacDonald's.
We came home and watched a movie before going down the river to feed the ducks and play at the park.
It was finally a good day.

So! Monday morning, new week, new start. £660 over budget for the month (dipping into Xmas savings.... grrrrrrr)
It has got to get better.    

On the upside we are at least having a better month than Gordon Brown and the Labour Party!! but only just!        

I've just seen an advert for action aid.
Very noble and worth while in most cases but this advert was aimed at a child living in the slums of Bangalor.
Now here's where I get just a tad angry.

Don't get me wrong, I really sympathise with these children and their families but I absolutely refuse to give money to help a country feed it's people when that country spends BILLIONS of pounds on it's own space program!!
Nice to know what your own governments priorities are.

How can the Indian government justify spending Billions on a space program and just leave millions of it's own people to starve and live in pittiful conditions. It's just not right.

When people support charities that give money to India they are literally telling the Indian government that it's OK for them to treat people in this abysmal way because the well off and gullible people from the rest of the world will keep paying for their shortcomings.

Does anyone ever look at it like this?
I know it's hard to leave people in that state but unless we put our collaborative feet down with the Indian government things just aren't going to improve and they will never get out of the slums.

I work for the NHS so I see bureaucracy at work every day and it makes me mad.
Well this weekend I completely had my fill.

Murron came off of her bike on the way home from a friends house on Friday afternoon.
She's managed to break her thumb in several places and has also lacerated it right to the bone.
We went to Bedford A+E at 4pm and ended up being told that she needed to be seen by a 'plastics' team.
Unfortunatly Bedford don't have a plastics team so we had to go to The Lister Hospital for 9am on Saturday.

We turn up at Children's Ambulatory at 8.45. Murron has been nil by mouth since midnight. We eventually get assessed but told the surgery wouldn't be until mid afternoon so Murron was given food and a drink and then we were taken up to the ward to wait for surgery. 
At lunch time Murron is given dinner because she has been bumped to early evening because of an emergency.
Come 8pm she is told to go home and come back on Sunday.

We arrive at 7.30 and again Murron has been nil by mouth since midnight.
She gets into a gown and a nurse even arrives on the ward to take her to theatre........... only to be told that Murron should have some breakfast because she has been bumped until mid afternoon.
Come mid afternoon, we and several other patients that have been lining up over the weekend, get told that we have been bumped again and will probably not be going to theatre until around 9pm.
At 8.30pm we are told that the surgery will not be happening again and that we should come back for 7.30 on Monday!!!!!!!!!!! 

To say I was a little pissed off is an understatement and the poor consultant got all barrels.
It turns out the hospital has been running with just one theatre for the weekend. More and more serious emergencies kept coming in and bumping everything else.
Don't get me wrong, I work on a children's ward I know how this all works and I totally understand that More serious injuries get priority.
What I don't understand is why they wouldn't just open up another theatre to help with the backlog.
There were 6 patients alone on the children's ward and heaven knows how many others elsewhere in the hospital.
These backlogs are going to have to be seen on Monday and some elective surgeries may have to get cancelled and all because they simply wouldn't open another surgery.

What a complete waste of time and resources and how many people are going to get cancelled and have to re-arrange their lives all over again.

We were lucky. My Mum was available to take Marjorie and Dharma for the weekend but we still had to fork out for three trips to Stevenage and as of 7.30 tomorrow morning we will have spent £18 on car parking, not to mention about £20 on food and drink.
What about people who don't have family backup or transport or are running on benefits and can't afford petrol and parking and food every day?

The consultant said, get back for 7.30 and 'hopefully' she will be first on the trauma list.

HOPEFULLY!!!!!

I think you can guess my reaction to that little statement.
Anyway, I think a trip to the PALS desk is in order tomorrow. They are going to get a serious complaint about all this and I will also be complaining to Bedford Hospital.
What are they doing referring people to a hospital over a weekend when that hospital quite obviously can't handle it.

All this hassle for us and 5 other families and all they had to do was open another theatre.
It's not as if the surgeons weren't available because they were! all there ready to work, just frustrated because their surgeries kept getting bumped! 
They can't say it's a matter of money because keeping all these bumped patients and rearranging elective surgeries must surely cost an arm and a leg.

Anyway, It's nearly midnight and I have to be up at 5am to get a shower at Mum's before we have to leave.
(Martin still isn't finished replacing the bathroom)

BUT THAT'S ANOTHER STORY..............

I don't get to blog as much as I used to.
To tell the truth I'm not particularly missing it either. Not that I'm going to stop however!
So, time for an update.

Things are going pretty well at the moment.
I have a job I'm actually enjoying. Ian has landed a job he's never been happier with and can actually see a future with.
Murron is doing OK at school and has just finished her year 6 SAT's.
Marjorie and Dharma are both still enjoying lower school and Marjorie is looking forward to joining Murron in middle school in September. 
We are all looking forward to a week in York in August and Xmas is already saved for!

It's safe to say that short of earning a little more money or winning the lottery, things are going pretty well at the moment.
There's the problem.
We have everything under control financially. Bills are 'all' paid on time every time but at the end of all that we struggle to have enough of everything we need at the end of the month. Money for clothes and shoes, particularly for the kids, is so tight it's virtually non existent.
It's tough when you can see your kids outgrowing things at such a rate when you know you can't just go out and replace them.
Me and Ian only get things when we are so desperate that if we wear something again it's likely to fall apart.

On the upside, our landlady has finally decided to replace our bathroom and toilet! After 7 years the mucky cream suite and cream tiles with big orange flowers is going to be replaced with (hopefully) something plain and white! I say hopefully because if she had any input in what it was being replaced with then it will probably be lime green, bright yellow and stamped with chilli peppers!
Thank god she let's us decorate.
She is also replacing the carpet in our hall, stairs and landing. Again, hopefully, it will be a neutral oatmealy colour that we stressed when they came to measure up. If there is a pattern (and that includes the bathroom) in any way, shape or form I'm moving!........ and I mean it.

I'm actually looking forward to all this, the only problem is that it's all being ripped out this week! Half term holiday for the kids!
The builder has promised that the toilet is the priority and will be replaced the same day. It better be or we'll be staying at his place that evening.......... and I mean it.

OH MY GOD.......

Excuse the interuption to what I have been writing but I've just seen something I can't believe.
Our neighbour is cutting his grass.
Nothing unusual there you might think but I have never seen him cut the grass in the 7 years we've been here.
It's always been his other half that cuts the grass.
He's a muscly meat head that loves pumping iron but when it comes to houswework and gardening it always been the missus that's responsible. He's an arrogant dick to be completely honest.
So, when I heard the lawnmower 5 minutes ago I expected to see her. Imagine my complete shock when I saw him! I almost choked on my brunch.  

Anyway, time to think about getting ready for work. I've still got a uniform to iron. Still, last shift for 4 days and I'm really looking forward to it.

I've been picking my way through people's reactions to the new Star Trek movie and for the most part they are really raving about it. Some even say that they like it better than X-Men Origins - Wolverine.
MMMmmmmm let's see.
Hugh Jackman, buffed and naked (a great deal of the time) or
Zachary Quinto, struggling with his emotions and falling in love......
It's a difficult one but I really can't decide.

Anyway, I did a quick IMDB on JJ Abrams and at the top of his list of future projects is this......

'Untitled Star Trek Sequel (2011) (announced) (producer)'

YAY! ANNOUNCED ALREADY!

Now the debating will start.
What will the next movie be called?
Who will the villian be?
They can pretty much do as they want in this 'new and parallel' universe. They could potentially encounter the Borg and hopefully do a better job than they did with First Contact.
When we first encountered the Borg in Next Gen they were 'really creepy and menacing'
They just didn't come across as particularly creepy and menacing in First Contact. 

I only hope they don't do the 'safe' thing and go for the Klingons.
The Klingons have literally been done to death..... they are getting quite boring now.
The next movie really needs to do something we haven't seen before.

Anyway, the 'New' crew has only just got going. Let's give them a chance to show us what they can do in the ratings and takings stakes. Let's get the Directors cut DVD before we start to think about the next one.

To say I was a little bit excited about the new Star Trek movie is an understatement.
The more pictures I saw, the more snippits I found out about just made me salavate more and more.
Well, my wait is over.
I went to see it yesterday and in the two minutes I have to write this, all I can say is...........

JJ NAILED IT!!! IT'S F###ING AWESOME!!!

I don't want to give anything away just yet but I will say that it's funny, slick and the characters are all spot on.
There is a really clever little twist in the story that now means that they can do anything they want with all of the characters and not have to worry about ruining what we already know of the history of the classic crew!
There is BIG potential in a whole new string of movies (or tv series?)
We just need to hope that the film is a major hit worldwide.  

GO AND SEE IT!

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12 noon on a Sunday afternoon.
I'm supposed to be at work but I was up all night with a daughter doing her impression of The Exorcist and apart from the head doing a 360 she did a pretty good job!

Anyway, I need to unwind a bit so I am blogging about something that has been a bit of a passion of mine for the last ten years or so.

Until very recently I did computer artwork that I sold at conventions and multi media gatherings. Before that I used pencils and conte sticks and paper. Haven't done that for quite a while and I think it's about time I picked up the pencils again. Could be a good way to unwind and get a 'fix' for my fascination.
You see, most of my subjects since I started drawing have been portraits.

I love faces. With a passion I might say.
They don't have to be good looking (but it helps) and they don't have to be pretty (but it helps)
No, as long as they have plenty of character they are simply irresistable to look at and work on.
I have stated in past blogs that there is something quite intimate about working in such close up with someone's face.

What does it for me the most is eyes and smiles and recently there has been a plethora of eyes and smiles to choose from.
I haven't done a piece of artwork for nearly a year now and I think It's time to do something new.

My first subject could well be Zachary Quinto. 

My current obsession. Just look at those eyes! Deep brown, heavy brows and he can go from looking totally evil to totally innocent by simply raising the brows and popping on a set of glasses!
Pencils or computer..... that's the question?

One of my favourite computer pieces from the past is my Johnny Depp piece.

One of the greatest character actors 'ever' and at the moment I don't think anyone comes close to his ability to portray such different characters. 

Of course one of the obvious pieces to work on would be a mirror piece to my Classic Star Trek crew.
To gather images of the 'new' movie crew and mirror this image.......

Yes, I like that idea a lot.
Now do I work on a computer generated piece or a pencil piece?
The computer piece will be cleaner and look like an oil painting when it's finished and will probably only take a few days but a pencil piece is going to be more of a challenge.
I haven't picked up a pencil in anger for over ten years so I'm going to be rusty and there's no room for error. I won't be able to 'undo' a wrong stroke like I can with a computer.

So here I go..... on an image hunt.
Watch this space.

After seeing this weeks installment of 24 all I can say is this.........
Tony Almeida is a 'dead man walking'!!!!

Why, why, why?.......
I just knew there was something dodgy going on with Tony. I've been saying it from the moment we set eyes on him again early in the season and this week he proved me right.
Then again, this is 24...... I can cling to the hope that I am completely wrong and that another major twist will make Tony a good guy again and all his sins will get forgiven.

Yeah right!
Unfortunatley I think Tony is set to die at the hands of Jack. If not in this season then there will be a major show down in the 8th and final  season.

Go Tony!

Well, given the current state of the economy we honestly didn't expect Ian to get a job particularly quickly this time round.
How wrong could we have been?
Made redundant on March 13th and starting a new job on April 1st! (yes I know it's April fools day!! but this is no joke)

What a relief. He's on the same wage he was on before which means we don't have to change a thing when it comes to our bill payments and savings pots.
The best thing however is that we get to keep the redundancy money. It doesn't have to tide us over while Ian hunts for a job anymore. Subsequently we have decided to split the bulk of this between our Xmas pot and our holiday pot. I can't believe it... Xmas is actually paid for before April and there's no worrying about where our spending money is coming from when we go to York later in the year. We may even have a bit left over to do some makeovers in the house. 

Time to relax a bit. It's been a really long week and a really busy one! I've just finished 8 straight days and yesterday we were out at a 50th Anniversary gathering all day.
So! today I am going to do NOTHING! I am just relaxing, catching up on TV and even the dinner is going to be a quick to throw together chicken stew. Mum ironed me a uniform ready for work tomorrow and I'm going to get Ian to sort out the kids uniforms for school.

So that's it for this update. Short and sweet and hopefully if all goes well with Ian's new job I'll be reporting on how he's enjoying it the next time I update.

I have just seen a pre-air of the first episode of season three of the Tudors and boy oh boy is it off to a cracking start.
The sumptuous feel of the sets and costumes is still a high priority and they look truly stunning as always.
The reformation is well and truly underway by the end of this episode.
Jane Seymour is pittifully unaware of when to keep her mouth shut!
Cromwell manages to piss the King off and as this season is apparantly taking us through Henry's marriages to Anne of Cleves and Catherine Howard as well, I think Cromwell is destined to lose his head well before the end. 

I believe Cromwell lost the Kings blessing after convincing him to Marry Anne of Cleves after only seeing a painting of her. When he finally meets her he is said to have described her as 'The Mare of Flanders!'
Cromwell was later attainted and then beheaded.
(Attainted means the metaphorical 'stain' or 'corruption of blood' which arises from being condemned for a serious capital crime (felony or treason). It entails losing not only one's property and hereditary titles, but typically also the right to pass them on to one's heirs.) He 'really' pissed Henry off!!!

So! 3 marriages, an uprising by the common people against the reformation and plenty of beheadings and hangings! Not to mention the ever gorgeous Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Henry Cavill.
Can't wait to see how they deal with the 'obesity' issue that has to raise it's head this season.

15 years this August.
That's how long we've been married and still going strong. Good going these days I think!
The last 10 years have been a bit rough financially though. Ian's job market collapsed back in 2000 dropping our income by half and creating havoc with our mortgage, credit cards and loans. We ended up having to sell our house and going into rented accomodation where we have been ever since.
With the help of the CAB we fought for 7 years to get everything else under control until in April 2007 we finally threw in the towel and went bankrupt. It was the only way we could ever get our finances and our life back on track.

For the last year we have finally got things under control. Bills are paid when the pay cheques come in. Money is split into pots so that 6 monthly or annual bills are catered for when they arrive and Xmas is saved for.
I finally got back out to work in July last year but even with my wages we still have an income less than we had when we first got together 15 years ago! Sickening.

We had finally stopped worrying and we were just getting on with our lives and trying to make plans for the future.
Then along comes 2008 and a new recession.
Ian's company has fully outsourced his job and as of Friday the 13th this week (and Ian's birthday!!) he is redundant.
Because of the state of the job market at the moment there is little chance he will virtually walk into another job like he usually does.
To top it off....... our washing machine is on it's last legs. It sounds like it's going to have a catastrophic failure every time it goes into a spin so we now owe my Mum for the new washing machine she just bought us.
GIVE US A BREAK!!!!! It just isn't fair. Every time something begins to go right for us it just gets slammed away.

I refuse to give in though. We are just going to have to tighten our belts a little bit more until Ian gets another job.
Looking on the bright side....... If Ian gets a job fairly quickly then the redundancy money he got from (spit, spit) Unisys will pay for Xmas and our holiday in York this year with hopefully a little left over. The key word being 'IF'

So the next few weeks are going to be interesting.
I am now going to spend some time having a long hard look at our shopping bill to see where we can save a little more money.

Just seen the new trailer for Star Trek 11 that due out in May.
I was excited before but this just gave me goose bumps.

I think or should I say it looks like they've got it right!
They've gone back to the original crew, they've casted with young vibrant actors that are still going to be around for future movies and they've brought the whole feel of the franchise into the 21st century.
They seem to have done it without insulting everything that has gone before.

I sincerely hope I won't be eating my words after I've actually seen it. 

I've just had a two week break from work.
A week to myself and a week with the kids on half term holiday.
What have I done in that two weeks?..........

ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!!!!!

Seriously, I haven't even updated my blog.
Yes, I've kept on top of things around the house but my Mum has still done my washing and ironing. (Love you Mum!)
Other than that I have had a VERY lazy two weeks and just enjoyed my free time doing nothing but play on my computer, catch up with the TV downloads and fed the family. (only one trip to A+E!)

Anyway, the break is over. Back to work tomorrow.
I'm actually having an interview at work tomorrow. A temporary secondment to playleader is opening up for one year to help cover 2 maternity abscenses. It will mean a small pay rise for that year but unfortunately it will go back down afterwards. It's a perfect opportunity to get some more experience and possibly a qualification under my belt.
I have been asked on several occasions when I will be joining the nurses because they think I would be really good at it. Unfortuantely I have no interest in going in that direction. I don't want that kind of responsibility on my head and the hours and commitment the nurses have is just not for me. I want to be able to go home at the end of the day and not worry about whether or not I gave the right medications or if I missed something important.
I still want to work on the ward though.
I love working there, I like the people and for the most part I love the patients and their families with very few exceptions.
As a Health Care Assistant there isn't really an opportunity to advance your career unless you go down the Nursing path.
If I want to stay on the ward the only way I am going to advance my career is through the playleaders.
I know that the current position is only for one year but the opportunity for a permanent move has got to come along at some point so getting to know the position now and getting some qualifications under my belt can only be a good thing. 

So, the last few hours of freedom. Better make sure the kids are all set for school and get organised so there is no panic in the morning.

I have a very bad habit of missing out on good or even great TV shows on their first run.
I will catch an episode from the second or even third series before realising I've actually missed something worth watching.
I did this with the X-files, I didn't start watching until well into season 2.
I did this with Stargate SG1, I didn't start watching until series 2.
Firefly had finished before my husband talked me into watching it, the same with Enterprise.
These name just a few but I have just broken a record.

On a recent day off spending some time catching up on film and TV news I did some research on Zachary Quinto who is playing Spock in the new Star Trek movie and can currently be seen in Heroes (a show which I have avidly watched since episode 1!)
Apparantly he also appeared in the third series of the hit show 24.

Now...........

24 is a show that I have 'never' watched. Not even a single minute. Don't ask me why not, I couldn't really say.
Just out of interest I took a peek at a few episodes and very quickly found myself completely hooked and most of the way through the entire 3rd season.
Then I took a look at the history of the show.
Seven years this show has been running!! Seven years!!! How could I miss such a masterpiece of tension and suspension and action and twists and turns. A show that doesn't hold back. Anyone is fair game. Your favourite character may not make it to the end of the season and if they do they could quickly be killed off in the next. 
A show that shows no signs of slowing down in Season 7.

I must admit that the shock killing of Tony Almeida in season 5 lost a little of it's impact because I knew he was in season 7 but apart from that the catching up on the remaining 6 seasons has been a roller coaster ride.
I am now shooting through season 6, missing Tony a little but otherwise looking forward to making it to the end and then sticking with it through season 7 and beyond.
Whether or not Tony makes it to the end of season 7 and if he does will he be a good guy or bad guy only time will tell.
Personally I want to see him to the end as a good guy but I think that's wishful thinking.

Let's take a moment to admire a work of art.

NOW SNAP OUT OF IT!

It's no good. He's simply too perfect in this picture.
The steely gaze, the stubble, the shirt provocatively unbuttoned at the neck (mmmm the neck........) and that fabulous hair.
Definately better with long hair. 

I have just watched the first ten minutes of a programme and I can't watch anymore.

Half Ton Son focused on a 57 stone 19 year old boy in America.
The thing that made me so angry was his Mother.
She just fed him, day in, day out, whatever he wanted up to 8000 calories a day!
She was talking about how much she loved him and that he was the centre of her world and that if he died she didn't know what she'd do!
I just screamed at the TV....

STOP FEEDING HIM THEN YOU STUPID BITCH!!!

At that point I decided that it wasn't a good idea to keep watching because I would probably have a coronary before the end.
How stupid was this woman exactly. What posessed her to think that she was doing him any favours?
She should be in prison for child abuse and if he died she should be up on manslaughter charges.

Then to make matters even worse the boy himself started wailing that 'it's like being in a prison' boo hoo and then in the next shot he's shoving 3 Big Macs down his neck.

What planet are these people on?

I was shocked at the statistics at the beginning that said there were 2 millions Americans over 40 stones and 9 million American teenagers who were clinically obese!

I thought I had problems.
I think I'll just move to the states and then I'll feel like a supermodel. 

Slipped Upper Femoral Epiphysis....... there's a mouthful for you.

Well it turns out there is a possibility that Murron may have it!
Great start to the new year.

I don't know if I mentioned before that Murron has been getting chronic pains in her left hip, knee and foot over the last 12 months or so. A couple of months ago she actually saw a physiotherapist that said she had a flat foot and gave her some corrective exercises to do which seemed to help but last Wednesday on her way home from school her hip and knee went again and she was in some real discomfort.
When she woke up in pain we said enough was enough and we took her back to the doctor.

She saw a new Doctor at our practice. He's an American who after a good examination suggested she may have a Slipped Upper Femoral Epiphysis or more commonly referred to as 'Hip Dysplasia'.
As soon as we heard that the alarm bells rang and we mentioned that Marjorie had had to have surgery for dysplasia when she was three and that bad hips run in the family.
That was when it was decided that she should be referred to the hospital to get it thoroughly checked out.

Technically what Murron may have is different to the type Marjorie had.
Marjorie's hip socket wasn't growing correctly so had to be re-set. What Murron has is a shift in the growth plate at the top of the femur which pushes the femur up into an unnatural position and can then twist the femur and cause pain in the knee. 

If this is the diagnosis then surgery is probably on the cards!
So there we have it! and we're not even 2 weeks into the new year!