I have a new blog so this blog is now closed down! 

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http://steves.businessblog.com/

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If you want to know why I switched have a look here

http://steves.businessblog.com/blog/_archives/2004/8/25/129522.html

- Posted by Steve Richards - 7:56:34 PM - comment []

I came across this site in the OneNote forum,  it has some nice concise tips for studying and note taking

http://www.westshore.edu/webs/ltc/study_skills_resources.htm

of particular note is the Cornell Note Taking Method, which although not fancy does provide some insight into the fact that learning does not stop when you finish taking notes!

- Posted by Steve Richards - 4:56:03 PM - comment []

There are two discussion threads active on the GTD forum on Offices.  The first is asking people about their home offices and I have replied to this with some links to my blog.  Inspired by the interest people seem to have I have updated some of the pictures and added a couple of new ones.  Of particular note is my new baby spider phone, (brand new and 2/3 off retail price off eBay!):

Then Eric Mack got into the act with this "not so tidy" desk post, and another post that links to his blog:

I cope with this by having a designated untidy area:

My wife and kids also have a desk each, and share this one in my office, which helps keep them away from mine:

- Posted by Steve Richards - 7:50:51 PM - comment []

Check out this web site if you are interested in encouraging a positive world

http://www.sohp.com/

I particularly liked the 31 Types of happiness

I also subscribed to the email newsletters, no RSS feeds I am afraid!

- Posted by Steve Richards - 11:02:02 AM - comment []

I had promised Jenny a "1 to 1" trip to the cinema which is always really difficult to organise as the other kids always want to come along as well.  So I chose a movie that I thought would only appeal to Jen, "13 going on 30",  I was not really looking forward to the film, but was really looking forward to the time with Jen.  As it turned out we both really enjoyed the film, and not for different reasons.  The film synopsis follows:

Jennifer Garner (Daredevil, TV's "Alias") and Mark Ruffalo (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) star in this hilarious flash-forward romance about a pre-teen girl who goes from geek to glamorous. With the help of some magic wishing dust, 13 year-old Jenna Rink (Garner) becomes 30 and gorgeous overnight, with everything she ever wanted, except for her best friend Matt (Ruffalo). Now, this grown woman must create some magic of her own to help the little girl inside find the true love she left behind.

Whilist its true that there was a romantic theme to the film, I think what Jen and I liked most was that the girl re-invented the woman, sort of as follows:

1. 12 year old girl knows her own mind but is starting to be seduced by the need to be popular
2. On her 13th Birthday she is desperate to get the "6 chicks" to her party, they end up letting her down in a big way
3. Just after her let down, she wishes herself 17 years forward to herself at 30, and finds that she has achieved all her ambitions, she becomes a member, in fact the leader of the, "6 chicks", becomes editor of her favourite, (when she was 13), magazine, get the hunky boyfriend etc
4. However her 13 year old self, starts to dislike her 30 year old life, she no longer takes calls from her parents, misses family christmas, is rude and ignorant, betrays her magazine to further her success etc.
5. The 13 year old re-invents herself by re-branding the magazine.  More on that later
6. She tracks down her best friend from when she was 13, who she was very cruel to, he falls for her all over again but in then end stays with his existing girlfriend because he says, "he made decisions he has to live with" ...
7. She goes back to being 13 again and decides to live her life, rather than chasing an empty dream
8. She marries her best friend

Ok, slightly different from the official version, one of the cutest bits of the film is how she re-brand the magazine.  This is a teen magazine, it goes something like this:

1. Clothes
2. Shoes
3. Makeup
4. Boys
5. All fashion models

She realises that this is the rubbish she pushes at kids every month, its the stuff that got her hooked on the empty life she ended up with at 30.  She talks to kids, she get her old best friend, (who is mad on photography), to help out, she re-images the magazine, to focus more on:

1. Real people that kids can relate to and admire
2. Team spirit
3. Family
4. Success in meaningful areas, sort, music etc
5. ....

She says to kids its all right to be normal, to enjoy simple things, to have friends and family, to help each other, to not have enough money and to make do, to work hard etc.  Thats what I took away from the film.

- Posted by Steve Richards - 11:04:32 PM - comment []

On our walk today we were playing Spy's.  The kids used my Pocket PC to get instructions from Spy Central, and the camera to spot losts kids, (who glowed green), and other enermy spys, (who glowed red).  There were several model planes flying on the beach and they 'radioed' the owners to get them to take out the spies and rescure the kids.  They spent the rest of the day playing spys up in the twins bedroom, we are just off to go scooting on the promenade on their 'hover scooters'.

- Posted by Steve Richards - 6:47:20 PM - comment []

Tessa, Anna, Jenny and me went on a long walk today.  The weather was glorious so we trekked to Fairhaven Lake, the kids had an Ice Cream, (I am on a dairy free diet), and then we walked back along the beach.  I bought a very cheap low resolution camera last week and the kids clicked away with it as we walked.  Most of the pictures were rubbish, bit I liked a couple of them.  One was one of my favourite cafes, right on the beach:

The other was the library at the end of the road.

- Posted by Steve Richards - 4:46:28 PM - comment []

Stephie was at drama school last week.  They did Richard III.  I thought it might be a bit dry, (not being big Shakespeare fan), especially after Blood Brothers the week before, but it was great.  The adaptation was loosely based around James Bond and Gold Finger.  They used the movie music and some of the songs and lots of great comic touches for anyone who knows the films.  But they also spent a lot of time in workshops understanding the play and the language, so it was not just a trendy adaptation. 

Everyone loved it, and Stephie did great, a marked improvement over last year.  The group she is in is really starting to bond now, and it should get better next year as she moves into the senior group.  Even better she is also going to help out with the Junior class which should build responsibility and confidence still further.  Drama is such a gift for kids,  I was totally turned off by school drama where 70% of the kids just mucked around.  I wish I had had the chance to get over my shyness in such a supportive environment!

- Posted by Steve Richards - 11:52:23 PM - comment []

We live 5 miles down the road from Blackpool, which is not one of my favourite places.  However on a quiet day its not a bad location for shopping, its got a great beach and the promendae walk is excellent.  On a busy day, (never go on a Bank Holiday!), its full of drunken louts and is best avoided.  That said it has some great entertainment my favoutrite of which are the yearly shows, and the best of these is eclipse, a combination of Music, Dance and Acrobatic circus.  It really is worth a visit.

Here is the marketting buzz:

Eclipse is the first and only circus musical created in the UK. This unique show is pure theatre. From booking your seats your journey through the elements and a fantasy of our world class performers will leave you truly amazed as they perform elegant and death-defying feats before your very eyes.

With the ultimate in choreography we dare you to see the whole show in one visit. All the special effects in this show have been created especially for you - so you will have a dream come true and a memory forever.

ECLIPSE - A SHOW YOU DREAM OF SEEING!

"BEAUTIFULLY STAGED" - OK! Magazine

"STUNNING" - The Daily Telegraph

"MUST SEE" - OK! Magazine

We all went to see it again today, I have seen it twice, Debbie' Jenny and Stephie 3 times and Tessa and Anna and one of their friends saw it for the first time.  Tessa and Anna are six and they sat mesmerised through the whole thing!

Check out the web site if you are interested

- Posted by Steve Richards - 7:17:39 PM - comment []

Jenny, my second eldest, just completed her first week at Drama Summer School.  She was part of a great performance of Blood Brothers one of my favourite musicals.  Jenny had quite a few small parts and did very well although she did get rather over-heated as she was wearing two outfits for the whole performance.  The cast overall were great and there is some real talent in the little group. 

We get to see probably 4 performances a year by this youth group and we are really getting to know the actors quite well now, its a special plus looking forward to seeing the best of them develop and trying to spot some of the talent that we are going to enjoy in the years to come.  I was also lucky enough to get to see the individual talent show last Thursday, some of the group shows were very funny, and one of the singers was amazing, she certainly had no problems with projection!

Stephie my eldest is at the school this week, doing the rather more academic Richard III, which she is enjoying, she has spent 3 weeks researching it on the web and creating a project folder so she is well prepared.  She is busy making a coffin in the back garden at the moment!

- Posted by Steve Richards - 8:08:43 PM - comment []