Parking Problems

As a mum I've had reason to sit for many hours in car parks waiting for my daughter. Even though I sometimes got frustrated by the time spent, sitting, waiting, at the whim of someone else's time keeping (or lack thereof), there was nearly always entertainment to be had in watching other people attempting to park their vehicles. I was even inspired to write a short story about it, free to read in the QT library. In all those car park hours, however, I never witnessed anything as spectacular as the incidents recorded in the Telegraph's gallery today:
Telegraph Bad Parkers Gallery
I particularly liked the Lexus in the wet concrete; there was something aesthetically pleasing about the highly polished bodywork set against the smooth fresh concrete. It could almost have been an art installation. But I bet the driver was thankful for the tinted windows!

Slight Hitch With Book Two

The conversion of Book Two of the Boldre Wood Trilogy went well - that's not the problem. The stumbling block is me. I've been proof-reading the book on my Kindle and have decided that whole paragraphs need to be wiped out. I've also spotted some very obvious typos that somehow made it through three edits! It's amazing how reading the book in different media allows you to see it in different ways. Edit, edit, edit and apparently, edit again! Still, this one shouldn't take too long. Most of the work is done, now it's just polishing it to the highest possible shine, so all being well, a launch date should soon be forthcoming.

Am I a Social Misfit?

A story that's playing out across the internet today is the suggestion that an absence of a Facebook account is regarded as suspicious by some psychologists and employers, some even going so far as to say that shunning the social network may be a sign that you're a psychopath. In other words, if you don't have a Facebook account you could find yourself being rejected by potential employers, who regard resistance to the social network as a clear sign of social disfunction.
Hm. There's so much to shout at with this idea that I'm not at all sure where to start! To begin with, I find the idea of laying my entire life out online to be, in itself, rather suspicious. Surely I don't need dozens of people to 'friend' and 'like' me in order to assert my mental health? Besides, given the repeated warnings that we should be mindful of protecting our personal data, mixed with Facebook's reputation of tinkering with privacy settings, it could be seen as a sign of prudence not to have an account.
I've always been contrary, which is no doubt an indication of a deeper psychological issue, but I can feel my heels digging in whenever anyone tries to force an idea upon me. I have a feeling that my Facebook account is even further away now than ever.

Olympic Heroes

I haven't spent much time in the company of my computer these last few days. I've been acting as labourer and second consult in the construction of the new shed (which is nearly finished at last), and I've also been rather distracted by the Olympics.
The latter has led to a whole new set of ambitions:
       Firstly I'm going to be a cyclist - though not in the velodrome, that looks scary
       Then I'm going to be a champion rower - not paddler, as I suspect I would probably do the
             entire canoe slalom upside down and I believe they deduct quite a lot of points for that
       Next I'm going to be a long jumper, high jumper and hurdler
       I'm also going to become a crack shot at Skeet Shooting
       And a trampolinist, a swimmer, a weightlifter and ....
So, the London Olympic aim of inspiring a generation has worked, though I have a feeling the inspiration would have worked better for me had it struck thirty years ago.

Boris and the Zip-Wire

In further Olympic (ish) news, Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, took a turn on a zip-wire yesterday as a publicity stunt. It worked rather better than he expected, because he got stuck halfway and now every news site in the country is covering the story.

Now photoshopped pictures of the incident have been appearing all over the internet, showing Boris dangling precariously, in one example, above an enormous shark:

Boris' and the Zip-Wire

For me, it's the flags, badly fitting helmet, and ankles that really make the whole thing work.

Team GB Strike Gold

He's done it again - the sideburns cruised to victory in the Olympic cycling time trial! Congratulations to Bradley Wiggins on his gold medal, the perfect accompaniment to the yellow jersey. And while we're on the subject of gold medals, congratulations to Helen Glover and Heather Stanning for their emphatic win in the ladies rowing pairs at Eton Dorney, earning themselves not only the first gold medal for Team GB, but the first lady's rowing gold medal since the sport was included in the Olympics.
Good luck to the rest of Team GB.

Boldre Wood News

'Billy and the North Oakian Alliance', Book Two of the Boldre Wood Trilogy is nearly ready! The edits are done, we're now starting the conversion, then there'll be a final read-through and then, finally, it will be ready for launch! I'm really excited about this book. The story is really moving now, with Billy leaving his native Angloak and getting into all kinds of trouble on the Great Lake en-route to North Oak, all set to the underlying story of the increasing threat posed by the Carintheans.
I've begun the re-write of Book Three, 'Billy and the Carinthean War', in which the people of Boldre Wood are forced into an epic battle for their homeland. Further updates to follow.