On top of everything else I am doing to keep myself busy and free from boredom I am also learning to play guitar. I have been taking lessons twice per month for the last year and began as a complete beginner not knowing anything about scales or chords.
I have loved music since around the age of 12 but never took the subject in school as I found the lessons dull and who wants to learn to play the recorder anyway?
The decision not to take the subject I deeply regret as I am now having to learn everything thing from scratch which can be a little frustrating at times.
I love playing even though I totally suck and it is on my bucket list to become proficient enough to play on stage one day at my local pub.
I like to play mainly rock music and a little blues from time to time. I mainly try to play Black Sabbath songs as I don't find them too fast. I get the most enjoyment however from finding a nice rock backing track and just improvising along with it. I find it soothing and kind of lose myself in the music when improvising.
Anyway, below is a video of me playing along to a rock themed grade 3 guitar track called Fallout, hope you enjoy.
Saturday, 30 April 2016
Saturday, 23 April 2016
DungeonWorld
Been a while since my last post so thought an update was in order.
I have recently just signed myself up for a play by mail game called Dungeonworld. I used to play this game many years ago for about 5 years but quit due to money issues and lack of time.
Play by mail games were big before the internet as they allowed gamers to play the same game even if they were hundreds of miles apart.
Dungeonworld is set in a fantasy world called Bereny which is ruled by a king and under constant threat from evil monsters. As a player you take control of a single or multiple characters who adventure deep into various dangerous dungeons in search of gold and treasures. It is also possible to play as the Baron or Lord of an estate with its own castle and land and the gameplay revolves around keeping the estate both profitable and safe from those who would wish to steal from or attack it.
Dungeonworld can be played completely for free and I fully recommend giving it a try. It can be a little confusing at first but after your first few turns it gets progressively easier and very enjoyable.
If you fancy giving it a try then please visit the website HERE.
I have recently just signed myself up for a play by mail game called Dungeonworld. I used to play this game many years ago for about 5 years but quit due to money issues and lack of time.
Play by mail games were big before the internet as they allowed gamers to play the same game even if they were hundreds of miles apart.
Dungeonworld is set in a fantasy world called Bereny which is ruled by a king and under constant threat from evil monsters. As a player you take control of a single or multiple characters who adventure deep into various dangerous dungeons in search of gold and treasures. It is also possible to play as the Baron or Lord of an estate with its own castle and land and the gameplay revolves around keeping the estate both profitable and safe from those who would wish to steal from or attack it.
Dungeonworld can be played completely for free and I fully recommend giving it a try. It can be a little confusing at first but after your first few turns it gets progressively easier and very enjoyable.
If you fancy giving it a try then please visit the website HERE.
Tuesday, 5 April 2016
Karate & Kickboxing Graduations
I spent this weekend graduating for my martial arts which was a tiring affair to say the least. I got into martial arts 6 months ago, I needed a way to keep fit and going to the gym to work out just isn't my kind of thing. I had been taking my son to karate classes for the last 2 years so it just seemed natural that I join him on the mats and kill two birds with one stone, so to speak. I have been doing karate for 6 months and kick boxing for about 8 weeks.
I am a green belt in karate, working towards my blue. For the graduation I needed to complete my Pinan Yodan kata as well as all my previous katas and various techniques and combinations. Despite being nervous and making a couple of mistakes I still managed to get a blue stripe for my green belt, I just need to learn Pinan Godan now and that should earn me a blue belt next time I graduate.
My kick boxing graduation was far more physically intensive, in fact at one point I thought I was going to collapse. It was my first graduation for kick boxing and have to say as tiring as I found it, it was fun. It was non stop exercise for 30 minutes which included running, push ups, sit ups, skipping, techniques and combinations, bag work and sparring. I cant wait for the next graduation!
Sunday, 20 March 2016
Mrs Bigglesworth
Brazilian White Knees have a reputation for being on the aggressive side as far as Tarantulas are concerned, indeed they can even be downright psychotic!
But Mrs Bigglesworth was the largest and most chilled out spider I ever held and I told Dan that I had to have her.
I have had Mrs Bigglesworth for 6 months now and despite her fasting for a couple of months not long after I got her she now has a ferocious appetite. Handling her however is now a little hit and miss, Dan tells me I have broken her lol. Usually she is okay buy occasionally she will spin around and turn on me and rear up when I go to pick her up. Oddly I am not overly fond of spiders, house spiders creep me out big time. In fact before I held a tarantula I was terrified of all spiders to the point whereby if I noticed one in the bedroom my wife would have to remove it from the room for me.
I would highly recommend anyone thinking about a pet tarantula to just go and get one. They are easy to care for and require nothing but food, water and warmth. Whilst they aren't really a pet for handling, some will tolerate it and some won't, it's just pot luck. They are fascinating to watch, especially at feeding time and cheap to buy and look after.
About Me
Hi and welcome to my first post.
I have created a few blogs in the past but always found keeping up with them a bit of a chore. This has usually come down to the fact that they have generally been about a single interest of mine be it, guitar, reptiles or ecological issues and I tend to run out of content to write about.
By creating a blog for all my interests i hope to be able to post on a more regular basis and manage my posts more effectively.
About me.
I am a typical 39 years old bloke with a wife and child. I settled down rather early in my life and I am now at a stage in my life where I want to do more and catch up on the things I missed out on when I was younger.
I have a love for exotic pets, I have kept reptiles since I was 11 years old. I have always been fascinated by how they move, eat and will tolerate us. My favourite aspect of keeping reptiles is creating and maintaining a habitat for them to thrive in. The photograph you can see to the left is a habitat I created for my wife's Crest Gecko. The habitat consists both live and fake plants, Bamboo, Jungle Vines and a clean up crew made up of springtails and tropical woodlice.
This is what is known as a Bio-active set up. In short, everything pretty much takes care of itself with minimal fuss.
As well as a crested Gecko, we also keep a 7ft (and still growing) Boa Constrictor, a Royal Python, a Mexican red knew tarantula, a giant Brazilian white knee tarantula as well as a dog, a guinea pig and rabbit.
As you can imagine we spend quiet a lot of money feeding and keeping our pets but they are worth it in our eyes.
Another of my interests is learning guitar. I have always loved music and in my younger years always wanted to learn guitar but I never had the time or money to really take the plunge and learn. Last year I decided to book my first guitar lesson and I have not looked back since.
My favourite genres are rock and metal but I do enjoy to occasionally play blues. My guitar is very important to me, when I play I somehow lose myself and any stress or problems melt away for a short time. I find it very therapeutic.
I also enjoy playing board games, not the usual run of the mill board games like Monopoly but the European variety such as Settlers of Catan, 7 wonders, Pandemic and Carcassonne. I think in a world where technology is running away with itself and people are addicted to their games consoles, computers and phones there is a lot to be said for the humble board game and sitting around a table friends and a few beers and having a laugh.
Finally I have recently started learning martial arts after being inspired by what it has done for my sons fitness and confidence. I began learning karate (Wado Ryu Style) just over 6 months ago and am now a green belt. Since childhood I always loved martial arts films but was always too self conscious to step into a dojo to learn. I was always too afraid of what other may think, stupid I know. I am now at an age however where I don't give a shit what others think of me. Because I have enjoyed Karate so much I have also enrolled in kick boxing classes and I have never felt fitter. It is my hope to one day step in the ring and fight just for the experience more than anything else. I have already come first in a small karate tournament but to fight in a ring would be an amazing experience to look back on.
In a nutshell these are my main hobbies and what I imagine the majority of this blogs posts will consist of.
I have created a few blogs in the past but always found keeping up with them a bit of a chore. This has usually come down to the fact that they have generally been about a single interest of mine be it, guitar, reptiles or ecological issues and I tend to run out of content to write about.
By creating a blog for all my interests i hope to be able to post on a more regular basis and manage my posts more effectively.
About me.
I am a typical 39 years old bloke with a wife and child. I settled down rather early in my life and I am now at a stage in my life where I want to do more and catch up on the things I missed out on when I was younger.
I have a love for exotic pets, I have kept reptiles since I was 11 years old. I have always been fascinated by how they move, eat and will tolerate us. My favourite aspect of keeping reptiles is creating and maintaining a habitat for them to thrive in. The photograph you can see to the left is a habitat I created for my wife's Crest Gecko. The habitat consists both live and fake plants, Bamboo, Jungle Vines and a clean up crew made up of springtails and tropical woodlice.This is what is known as a Bio-active set up. In short, everything pretty much takes care of itself with minimal fuss.
As well as a crested Gecko, we also keep a 7ft (and still growing) Boa Constrictor, a Royal Python, a Mexican red knew tarantula, a giant Brazilian white knee tarantula as well as a dog, a guinea pig and rabbit.
As you can imagine we spend quiet a lot of money feeding and keeping our pets but they are worth it in our eyes.
Another of my interests is learning guitar. I have always loved music and in my younger years always wanted to learn guitar but I never had the time or money to really take the plunge and learn. Last year I decided to book my first guitar lesson and I have not looked back since.
My favourite genres are rock and metal but I do enjoy to occasionally play blues. My guitar is very important to me, when I play I somehow lose myself and any stress or problems melt away for a short time. I find it very therapeutic.
I also enjoy playing board games, not the usual run of the mill board games like Monopoly but the European variety such as Settlers of Catan, 7 wonders, Pandemic and Carcassonne. I think in a world where technology is running away with itself and people are addicted to their games consoles, computers and phones there is a lot to be said for the humble board game and sitting around a table friends and a few beers and having a laugh.
Finally I have recently started learning martial arts after being inspired by what it has done for my sons fitness and confidence. I began learning karate (Wado Ryu Style) just over 6 months ago and am now a green belt. Since childhood I always loved martial arts films but was always too self conscious to step into a dojo to learn. I was always too afraid of what other may think, stupid I know. I am now at an age however where I don't give a shit what others think of me. Because I have enjoyed Karate so much I have also enrolled in kick boxing classes and I have never felt fitter. It is my hope to one day step in the ring and fight just for the experience more than anything else. I have already come first in a small karate tournament but to fight in a ring would be an amazing experience to look back on.
In a nutshell these are my main hobbies and what I imagine the majority of this blogs posts will consist of.
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