My Passion for the Blog

Standing on the brink of another break from writing this blog, I've suddenly got a greater passion for it than ever - so much so that it's going to be hard not being able to post for the 3 weeks that I'm on the continent. That said though, I'm going to be traveling for 3 weeks which will take the edge off this disappointment somewhat. It'll also give me a chance to think about new things to write and might make the things that I write about more interesting. I feel that the best way to make your writing interesting is by being able to include personal experiences in it - something that I should have in abundance come the end of June.

Happiness is in the Eye of the Beholder

I've been waiting to use this piece of writing for a while and, to be perfectly honest, I don't know why I have been holding it hostage for so long. The thing is that I don't get sent much in the way of guest writer material and I guess that I've been keeping it 'special' for a while - something in the bank for a the day when writer's block reigns supreme. The thing is that I'm not struggling to write stuff this week but I felt that I would go for a little bit of variety. It means that I now have no more guest writer pieces and so I'm asking for more - people always seem to love them as well. The great thing about the material that I've got for you today is that the person doesn't think they are that good. I think that it's true that some people just can't get to grips with writing but my feeling is that everyone has something to say no matter how 'bad' they think they are. Don't compare yourself to the stuff that I write every week for the very reason that I get quite a lot of practice. Most people have the natural ability, it's just whether they choose to hone that ability as I have. Anyway here's my most recent offering from a guest writer; someone that has more talent that they know:

Human Sculptors

If I've never used the phrase 'learn from your mistakes' in at least one of my blog posts in the past then I'll be shocked. I feel that the sentiment behind saying such a thing can also be applied to good things in your life: 'learn from your successes' so to speak. It is through the things that we do, and the things we don't do for that matter, that we become who we are. If we were all to sit indoors all day not doing anything or testing ourselves against anyone then we would remain the same until the day we decide to get up and move. It is through physical and mental acts that we create who we are and, as the title of this post suggests, sculpt ourselves in the way that we want.

The Tourist Psychology

Living in the capital of Scotland I encounter my fair share of tourists. You can usually spot them a mile off with their cameras pointing up at some unknown building ('that's just a Greggs mate!') and a map sprawled across their face because of the relentless gale blowing at them from every which way. In fact the easiest thing you can do to identify a tourist during the week is by asking yourself if they are either a student or a businessperson; if they are neither of those then it is highly likely that they are in town for the sights and sounds. I love seeing tourists because they all seem so happy - they have every right to be, they're on holiday after all - and they make you see your home city in a whole different way. For example, I saw a group of tourists (it was the camera thing this time that gave them away) standing at the top of one of Edinburgh's many steep closes and I thought 'what in St Giles' name are they looking at?': it turns out that if you stop to look down those steep piles of steps, it's something to behold. Instead of getting your head down to avoid eye-contact with the junkie standing on one of the steps, have a look past him (or the ever increasing number of 'hers' I see at the side of streets) and appreciate how cool these places are. If it turns out that there wasn't much to look at then the chances are that the tourists were in fact taking pictures of said junkie - they are (sadly) a part of our culture after all.

It's Good to be Back!

As I clear my throat and stretch off my weary fingers, it feels good to be back. My great loves in life are football, books and people but I never considered myself to have something that was a little different - something that I could say was mine. Until this blog was started about a year and a half ago I think it would be fair to say that I was without a hobby. I started it up because I had something to write on a cold day in January and here we are today, over 60 posts later and I've realised just how important this empty text box is to me. These last 2 weeks have been some of the most challenging of my life and have certainly put me and everyone around me through the wringer like never before. I think it was a good idea to take a little break from writing my blog but I really have missed it - have you guys? I suppose it wouldn't be much of a surprise if I was to stop doing it all together because that's generally what happens with blogs over time; unless it hits the big-time the writer gets bored. I've always maintained that I will be happy even if only one person reads what I've got to write and that looks set to continue. It's good to be back!

Notice of Silence

Hey guys. This is going to be a very brief post basically saying that I'm not going to be blogging for the next couple of weeks because of my exams. It might be nice to have some time to think of new and more interesting posts and I plan to have a 'bumper' week when all of my exams are finished and I can try and get back to a little bit of normality. All that remains to be said is 'here goes nothing'...

Over and out (for now),

Martin

A Life Without the Monarchy

You know you have problems when even your habits (good or bad) are over taken by exam preparation. I've been writing two blog posts a week for quite a while and I was starting to find it something of a habit on Monday and Wednesday nights to sit down, write a post and then see what people thought - this did not happen on Monday. For those of you that have found themselves looking out for my posts (and I know that there are at least a few) you will have been scouring your Facebook feed, looking in desperation for what I promised a few people would be an interesting post. It wasn't there, as I imagine you will have noticed by now, and for this I apologise. It wasn't until I was settling into bed for a well deserved sleep that I realised I had forgotten something. I had a strong taste of mint in my mouth so I realised that it can't have been my teeth and so I quickly realised that I was without a blog post - that and I could hear the sound of crying coming from some of you die hard readers as you refreshed your feed over and over again. I'll try and not do it again without prior warning but my head is fairly mushed up with other stuff just now so no promises! Today's, I can happily inform you, will be on your feed. In fact that's probably how you got here so of course it was. I've been looking forward to writing this post for a multitude of reasons, some of which I am going to cover in this, my (recently changed) views on the British Monarchy.