Just An Update & The Week In Pictures

Hi, just an update, check out new interviews with Andrew Collins, famed BBC radio presenter and broadcaster, and writer of Blog, Never Knowingly Underwhelmed. Also check out my interview with Jennifer Jones author of Blog, How To Tell If A Guy Is A Jerk. As always you can check out the archive.

So, in the news, an 80 year old woman from Florida crashes into a driving test centre, on the day of her test. She accelerated too hard and went through a wall in the driving test waiting room, injuring 11 people. Well they say Florida is God’s waiting room, but I didn't know he was a driving examiner. Imagine if God was taking the test.

God : OK son, buckle up, and choose your path.
Learner Driver : I'm not sure where to turn.
God : Look for a sign.
Learner Driver : Ah, I see it's a one way system straight ahead, who's that person making faces at me Lord, on the sidewalk there?.
God : Don't pay any attention son, turn the other cheek...Aggggh, but keep your eyes on the road!
Learner Driver : So hows my driving God? It's pretty awesome isn't it?
(Bump)
God : Oh My... You just hit that little old lady, I told you pride comes before a fall!
Learner Driver : Ooops I'm sorry God, I'll make it up to you.
God : OK now you just need to turn in here and park to complete the test. Not so fast!
CRASH!
God : What have you done?
Learner Driver : God knows..well you told me to turn over a new jeep.

The Dutch have been working on innovative floating eco-homes, to combat floods and the rising sea level. So Waterworld could really be a reality with talk of floating city's. Where Australian Olympian Ian Thorpe will rule the world with his size 17 feet, and people will have genetically modified webbed feet. That's my prediction for the future.

Silicon has been found in petrol in the UK, so that's what they mean by inflating prices.

Here's a selection of my favourite pictures from the past week. Thanks to David over at his hilarious site The Spine, as featured in my interview.

'Posh Is Coming To America!'













'Home Grown Terrorists'






















And thanks to John Pangia at Sid In The City, who also featured in an interview with me.

That's all for now folks.

Joe Blog's Interview #96 Welcome To Hicksville

Name : Choochoo (well, no. Not really)
Age : 27.
Location : Hellhole.
Vocation : Student and writer (= broke) and professional complainer.
Philosophy : Someone ought to give me money just for being me.




Sum up what your blog is about.
Well, basically it’s a collection of all the strange stuff that is allowed to go on inside my mind when there's nobody there to stop me.

Why are you doing your blog?
I'd like to say that it’s because it’s about all things important and that it's got all sorts of deep meanings, but that would be a blatant lie. Mostly it’s because of boredom.

What’s the funniest entry on your site?
Oh, its all brilliant stuff, of course and I would highly recommend that everyone reads it all. But if I absolutely have to pick one, I'd choose the one from 22/02, about the guy who got shot by his dog. Basically, because I find the idea of being shot by a pet funny, but also because my long-term blogging memory sucks.

What is your writing style?
Am I supposed to have style? Damn, I thought it was enough to just show up...

What do people commonly say about your site?
The word "therapy" keeps coming up. I have no idea why. A friend once told me that if I had a wild, exciting life somewhere civilized, in stead of just blogging out of boredom, it would be the best blog ever. My ego just sucked that one right up and swelled like you wouldn't believe. And I liked it.

What would you be doing if you weren’t doing your blog?
It would probably be a toss-up between watching TV or shovelling the driveway.

Why should someone visit your site?
If nobody ever visited my site, there would be no point in blogging and then I'd have to shovel the driveway, which depresses the hell out of me. You wouldn't really want to be responsible for that, would you?

What did you learn from your first love?
I had my first love when I was eight years old. It was Cary Grant, who was both gay and dead. Eventually I learned to not develop crushes on men unless they were alive, straight and in colour.

Are there any blogs, you enjoy reading?
Sure. Too many. I have a whole link list on my site. See, there's another good reason to visit, right there.

If you could invite anyone to a dinner party who would it be and why?
Cary Grant. Okay, so I'm not -completely- over it. So shoot me.

What one website would you recommend and why?
I always check PostSecret every Sunday. It's fascinating.

Tell us about a good deed you have done recently.
I made a donation when the National Organization Against Crib Death called not that long ago. That made me feel like a real grown-up. But then they started calling me almost every day, and I had all sorts of ugly thoughts about them, so I'm thinking that I might have blown whatever karma I racked up there...

What are the people like in Hickville?
They drive tractors everywhere and they're very religious. Not normal religions, mind you. They have weird sect religions. They also wear overalls a lot.

Tell us a random funny story that comes to mind.
A few years ago we rented a very nice cabin on a very nice island in a very nice forest. Around the cabin, there were sheep, some of which were nice and some weren't. I once went there with my uncle and my cousin. My uncle, being slightly odd, spent the evening playing heavy metal songs on a ukulele. This drove the sheep into what could only be described as a mad frenzy. They broke through the fence and crapped absolutely everywhere. That was funny. At least it was once we put some distance between ourselves and the huge piles of sheep-crap.

What advice would you have given yourself 5 years ago?
Get over yourself, for crying out loud!

Any interesting travel stories?
I once went to Bulgaria where I gave several lifeguards a fright (or many frights) by floating face-down in the water as if I'd drowned. In my defence, I wasn't very old. Old enough to know better, but young enough to ignore that fact.

What’s the most incredible thing that ever happened to you?
That might be the thing with the sheep. I feel as if I really learned something about those woolly creatures that day.

Now it’s your turn! Ask me one question, anything you like.

What did you do on September 9th 1998?

Joe Blogs : Oh good question. This is like those what were you doing during JFK assassination or 911 questions. Okay so 9th September 1998, I'm not sure exactly what I was doing that day. I was 17 so probably not up too much good. I was enrolled at college doing A Levels in Media, Sociology, and English Literature. I was probably still getting over England's poor showing in the World Cup come to think of it.

So that's me, it begs the question what were you doing on that day Choochoo?

Your Site Address : Stop Looking At Me

Joe Blog's Interview #95 Revealed : How To Tell If A Guy Is A Jerk

Name : Jennifer Jones
Age : I’m the perfect age!
Location : Virginia
Vocation : Therapist, yoga teacher, musician
Philosophy : The universe is calling forth the goodness and creativity within each of us to further the unfolding our the story.

Sum up what your blog is about.
How to Tell if a Guy is a Jerk, is my attempt to lightheartedly help women find great men, and to help great men be found!

Why are you doing your blog?
I encounter many women who need some help in finding a great guy, and there are great men who need help to be found!

What is the funniest entry on your site?
I posted about a device known as a “Jerk meter”… this is a real devise used by scientists to measure jerks. I’m not kidding. I randomly discovered there was such a thing and decided my blog is actually Jerk meter. The post may not really be that funny but for some reason, the idea of brilliant, scientists all sitting around studying jerks with their Jerk meter just made me laugh!

What is your writing style?
For this blog, I write as if I am writing to all my girlfriends who have made some poor choices in finding a partner. On occasion however, I do find myself switching into counselor mode but mostly it is lighthearted and positive!

What do people commonly say about your site?
Everyone (with one exception), who has commented on my site has praised it! What is surprising is how many men totally love this site! I think it validates them because they are really great guys! I’ve had tons of women tell me they wish they had found the site earlier!

What would you be doing if you weren’t doing your blog?
My free time is my blogging time so if I didn’t blog I would be finishing up art projects, gardening, reading, or working on some research project!

Why should someone visit your site?
Single women looking for a great guy should definitely read this blog to assist them in finding a really terrific man. I’ve also had lots of dad’s recommend this site to their daughters so parents that want their daughter to stop hooking out with not-so-great guys may find it helpful. I put a lot of effort into making this blog very positive toward men… it really celebrates their goodness and highlights the fact that women don’t need to settle for jerks. There are great men out there!

What did you learn from your first love?
My current love is my first and only true love. I’ve learned about life, about myself, about relationships, about what it means to be partner, and what it means to truly love and be loved.

Are there any blogs, you enjoy reading?
I have several. I really enjoy blogs that give me something to ponder, something that expands my mind and heart and experience of life, or something that enriches my soul!

If you could invite anyone to a dinner party who would it be and why?
I have a very LONG list of people with whom I would like to chat…Mostly scientists, spiritual masters, and, enlightened thinkers… Stephen Hawking, Brian Swimme, Robert Wright, Ursula Goodenough, come immediately to mind.

What one website would you recommend and why?
I have numerous great sites I would recommend, but Greg Laden’s “Evolution – it’s not just a theory anymore”, is really important and timely for our world.

Tell us about a good deed you have done recently.
I decided to dedicate some of my blogging time to the individual needs of readers who contact me. Communicating with readers has been a big blessing in my life.

So can you summarize, how can you tell if a guy is a jerk?
It comes down to two things…. Women need to live consciously and listen to their gut! So many women ignore important warning signs, and they ignore their own heart and mind. I am hoping to help women more clearly identify what is or is not a truly great man. The things that make a man great have more to do with integrity, decency, and respect than they do how much money they have, what kind of car they drive, or how powerful is their job!

On the flip side, how can you tell if a woman is not right for you?
I think for both men and women, the secret to finding someone right for you is to really know yourself, and to know what is important to you. Being really clear about what you want in your life and in your relationship makes a big difference.

What advice would you have given yourself 5 years ago?
As long as I can remember, I’ve needed the same advice… be true to yourself, listen to your heart, follow your dreams. I still need this! LOL!

Any interesting travel stories?
I’ve had some amazing adventures… my most exotic travel experience was living in a very, VERY remote native Alaskan village for a summer. No, electricity, no phones, no cars…. It was wild!

What’s the most incredible thing that ever happened to you?
I’ve had some amazing experiences but the two most profound are: Knowing and experiencing love, and giving birth.

Ask me one question, anything you like.
What can we do to heal the world and bring goodness to our lives?

Joe Blogs : Brings to mind a Michael Jackson song. Um, I don't know, if we all treated each other as we would want to be treated is a good one. Quite a big question really. Charity begins at home I say, does that make me a jerk? Or the fact that I sometimes wear mismatching socks, and misuse apostrophes, how do I rate on the Jerk meter?

Read Jennifer's Blog to find out more on this complex issue.

Your Site Address : How To Tell If A Guy Is A Jerk