Drink, Politics and stuff

OK, Day one.  When I started this blog, three Augusts ago, it was to record my year off the booze.  I managed to do that albeit crashing less than a fortnight before I was supposed to… because of a certain Scottish politician winning a personal case he had brought against a newspaper, and slandering and abusing a generation of socialists in the process.  I think it is fitting to restart this blog for two reasons - one, I am again doing something for a year - more on that in a wee while - and two because of the recent positive Scottish Socialist Party campaign in Glasgow East - my thoughts on the left split are produced below.  For a great article on that, please visit the main SSP website and read Rithie Ventons article - http://www.scottishsocialistparty.org/new_stories/glasgoweast/result.html .

Yip - I would say my year off the booze was successful, and the following year, my year off meat - and last years year off sugar was probably the most successful as I have little desire to eat sugary foods and desserts even now the year is up.  So I have had three years of going off something.  This year is going to be a bit different - I am not giving something up - rather, I am going to start something and do it without stopping for a whole year - long enough to, hopefully, ensure it becomes part of my life again.  And that is… exercise.

Yup, this lard arse is going to become fit.  I don’t think I will be scarey and become the lycra wearing runner/cyclist I was in my 20’s… TOO scarey.  Nope - I just want to get fit, and be able to be more active and use less of the car etc.

So there you go.  I will try to keep anyone straying here updated in my fitness regime - and I will also post any political stuff I am involved with (along with the odd piece of writing I do).  So here we go -fitness year it is!

Oh - and I have given up beer until Christmas to try to aid my tummy… perhaps the most difficult part of this…

OK.  I know I said I was going to quit this blog… but instead I have decided (and I realise it has been 6 months) to partially rename this blog and carry on. 

There are a number of reasons for this.  Firstly, I want to blog… and erm…

OK.  I admit it - I enjoyed doing this blog.  It was an outlet for a lot of thoughts that just drift into the ether these days… and I made a few friends here.

Secondly, I want to talk about the booze, much in the way I spoke about it during the year off - that is, hardly at all.  I will say, I went back on it, and found it was hard going.  It didn’t take much to give me a huge fucking hangover… and wasting hours on end recovering the next day.  I have decided to give the booze a rest for a while again, but It won’t be another year off.

Thirdly, a few other things have come along I would like an outlet for my own thoughts.  I have been involved in a “Left Unity” group on “Second Life” which has had successes and failures - and would like to give my own partial view on those, as within the group this is difficult as I am accused of trying to be a leader when I offer my sometimes forthright take on things.  If you haven’t become involved in Second Life… my advice is this.  If you already have a life, then to be honest don’t bother.  It can take a lot of your time - though I would say, those who live in the parts of the world where we have dark afternoons and evenings in the winter - it is an ideal space to visit sunny beaches and Dublin pubs etc and meet some interesting people.  Though I must say there are some people who are there not to be interesting, but to fulfil inner desires they may not be able to fulfil in real life (rl) like being a mating dog or something.

I also want to use the space to place my political views on record and my views on education generally and education in Scotland specifically.

Lastly, I hit a wall during my time away from blogging - and this wall actually led me to Second Life.  Depression is an awfully dark place.  And a difficult place to emerge from.  I may use the blog to talk about that.