The blog of Steve Root – Page 42

The blog of Steve Root

Eurocon 2009 – Let Battle Commence

15 April 2009

I’ve not been bloging as much lately because I’ve been very busy. Busy organising an ‘outdoor skills day’ (I’ll write about it later), busy with work and busy with life in general. Life has been good. You’re about to see a torrent of postings, not on things that are still in the ‘waiting to be written queue’, these will all be up to the minute current events as close to real time as I can make them happen. For the next 4 and a half days, I’m on holiday. I’m going to Eurocon!

Last year, my journey to Eurocon was at rather short notice. Just 24 hours before the start my friend and online gamer from Germany known as ‘Flubby’ posted in our forum that he was too ill to go and his already paid for place was free to anyone who could cross Europe at such short notice. Rhonda said I could go and thus began a dash to the port and 4 days of fun.

This year, it’s a little better planned. I booked my place months ago, I booked the ferry months ago and I sit here at my laptop writing not from a ferry this time, but from the terminal waiting area.

I was booked on the 04:30 am ferry to leave tomorrow morning 15th April, but I’m in the terminal at 9pm on the 14th. Why arrive 8 hours early for a ferry? Blockade! The French fisherman have been blockading French ports again, lorries are parked all along the motorways of Kent waiting for crossings. Disruption galore to channel crossings, my journey could be over before I’ve even left blighty.

All is not lost, last night a few ferries left overnight and on the phone to P&O they said I could arrive early if I wanted but they couldn’t guarantee a crossing. Fair enough, I arrived very early and they think they’re going to get a ferry out at 11pm. They’ve given me a ticket, now I just have to hope it leaves.

On the plus side a group of German students are singing songs around a guitar here in the terminal building so it’s actually quite a happy pleasant place to be. Just like going away with the youth club all those years ago. Except for the language of course the only work I remember from German is Hangover that I learnt last year. Oh, and something like Ich haben deinen medicine! when I delivered a special bottle of Spitfire Ale to Flubby at home in Achen at the end of the Eurocon (it being only a few hours drive away).

Anyway, time to go post this, set up the sat nav, stick on the head lamp adapters and try and remember what I’ve forgotten to pack (well, there’s always something!).
Marley and Me (Rooty Film Review)

26 February 2009

I often think I’m lucky. Well luck isn’t just mine, Rhonda won two tickets to see a special screening of a new film not out until March, from the local radio station Invicta FM. Things got better, Uncle Dave agreed to baby sit and said he really liked the book. Marley and Me* was set to be the first grown up film we’d been to together for years. Children affect life in many ways, Wall-E, Toy Story and other similar films become the only cinema experience you remember after a while.

Marley and Me is based on a nonfiction book, which is based on 15 years or so of a news paper reporters life. Starting just before he and his new wife get a dog after a friends suggestion that will delay her needs for a baby for a little while. It ends…. hmm, I’m trying not to give too much away, but it ends when the dog dies.

I liked and enjoyed the film. It follows the real life trials and tribulations that happen to us all and that I think gives something that almost everyone can relate to. It’s a true life story that hangs around the presence of a pet dog but could just as easily hang around a much beloved family car or home. That said, Marley added his own life to the situation as only an animal can. Time flew by, the film was 2 hours long and there were good times and bad, happy times and sad, making the whole audiance move from laughter to tears then back again.

I always find it hard to know whether a film is worth watching before hand and I’m often disappointed by the ends. In all honesty I’d often choose not to go the cinema and just have a couple of hours time with one of the many books I have waiting to be read. This film though was well worth watching. If you’re not lucky enough to win the tickets as we were, I’d recommend it as worth paying for.

Rootie Ratings are normally a book thing, but I’d give this a four out of five. If only it could be found in the second hand bookshop along with all my other favourites.

*The little animated dog also came from the films web site http://www.marleyandmemovie.co.uk/ where you can also dowload desktop wall papers and other parephenalia. The animated gif was suggested as an ‘e-signature’ that you can use within your email. I wont be, but it makes a nice little place holder graphic for the review.
Rotary – Club visit 8 to Chestfield

12 February 2009
It’s true to say my rate of posting to my blog has diminished of late, but that’s simply due to being so busy with other things. While it’s fresh in my mind I must just post about this mornings visit to the Rotary Club of Chestfield.. The last time I visited was a special evening meal and presentation though I’d decided to go during that same day. This time, I decided to go less that 24 hours before hand too, partly to spread the word about our club ‘Outdoor Skills Day’ (more another time on that).

Although it’s been a while since I’ve visited another club (having been so busy), once again it was time well spent. They had an excellent speaker talking about how to implement successful, sustainable water projects in the developing world. The speaker (who spends 3 months in America and 3 months in the UK for her work in this field.. or perhaps lake seeing as we’re talking about water) clearly understood the issues involved in not only delivering an aid project, but making it sustainable. She’s also worked with Rotary in the past, including at the Rotary International level and explained some of the RI logic in allocating the international charitable funds. For example, RI wont support a project to put a well into a village unless there is a justification this is the best of all systems for that village. She had a photo of an RI person at a well in a village that was very overgrown. The well worked fine but the locals didn’t use it, they were happy to drink the water from the river not aware that it caused disease. For that particular village, a different solution would have been a more effective investment of resources.

Summary of things learnt at this meeting:
- Rotary International is careful about how it spends funds collected for the international projects
- Even a single Rotary Club can call upon the skills of experts working internationally
- All daffodils are Narcissus*
*Thanks go to President Andrew for that fact, they were selling flowers, I think to raise club funds.

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