2nd Choice: Stopping Power

First choice was the Head Badge of a Puch Prince, rescued last year from a police auction for thirty quid. Third choice was the beginnings of the chicken run now that the concrete has been laid. But the 1st choice photo wouldn't upload, so instead you get the stopping power of the hydraulic Hope Mono Mini brake on my mountain bike.

"Why?" you may well ask, "Why would you take a picture of a brake on a bike?" Erm. I may have to get back to you on that one. Perhaps all the sawing involved in starting on the chicken run frame sent all those particles of sawdust into my brain and befuddled it. But I didn't shoot anything else while out today at lunchtime, and I was alone on my floor at work with the boss (two other people just not in, and his PA ill). He wasn't in a good mood, though not bad with me. The thing is you can never be sure when it's going to spill over and so leads to a day on the edge.

So I got the head down and stayed out of trouble, with the benefit of actually clearing a fair amount of stuff off my desk. And then I won a cuddly giraffe, after putting down my charity pound and correctly guessing he came from Djibouti. Who'da thunk it.

On a bit of a downer after seeing a group of friends got together at the weekend for a Christmas meal and drinks and stuff and I didn't get an invite. Not that I blame them - of late, say the last year or so and probably more, I've been bloody awful at actually turning up at things for one reason or another. I'll start to turn it round occasionally, then get back to square one.

The problem really is that I try to please all of the people all of the time, and simply end up letting most people down by being spread too thinly. And I'm not sure how to resolve it without annoying or letting other people down. My dad always accused my mum of being too nice, and I thought it was an odd concept, but I can sort of understand it. The accompanying guilt or regret makes you wonder if sometimes you should just, every now and then, from time to time, be a bit of a git.

After all, women love a bad guy.

Although I'm pretty sure the same doesn't hold true for friends and family. I need to stop for a while (Hey, see what I did there? I should be on the radio or something with seamless links like that...) and just take stock. Though not exactly the easiest time of year to do that.