Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.....

I'm not saying I'm a big kid or anything but I do tend to get a bit excited when we get a little snow....and I have now built two snowmen in a space of 24 hours!!!

The first, on my left, I created at 10.45 pm when I got home last night. My wife thought it most hilarious, if a little odd, that I wanted to go out in the cold as soon as I got home and build a snowman ready for my daughter when she got up next morning. As it happens, Emilie wasn't that excited by it and barely glanced at my monstrous creation this morning before looking at me with a "And, yeah...?" expression which I am sure she has inherited from her mum! I think she's still too young to appreciate my efforts as she wasn't bothered at all about it! There's gratitude for you.....

My second snowman was much better recieved and was created this afternoon in my mum's back garden. She was returning from Cypress late tonight and this afternoon, in my split shift break, I went over to her house for some quiet time! My sister was there with my nephew as they often are on a Sunday and were trying to make a snowman...badly! Of course I stepped in and showed my nephew how it's done and, together, we made a fine example of a snowman!! That was a much better effort in part due to the fact that I was making it in the day not at stoopid o'clock just home from work and that I could actually see what I was doing! Unfortunately we don't have any pictures of him so you will have to put up with scary, scary night-time snowman instead!

At least this year I didn't make a transexual snowman, but thats another story......

Taking on the Crunch.....

In a vain attempt to take on the Credit Crunch, I have decided to try and cut down on non-essentials and stream-line my shopping so thought perhaps I should make a log here of how I get on along with any hints or tips I might have for anyone else trying to get by.

I have already mentioned- DOOYOO; this is a review site I use that helps provide me with a little extra cash. You can review almost anything and if something is not listed, you can make a suggestion. You get points for writing any review over 150 words, writing a first review of something and also when someone reads and rates your review. It is not a get-rich-quick solution but the money I made helped contribute to my buying an XBOX 360 and any money I make from now on will be helping with the bills. You have to rate other people too to get them to rate you in return and there is very much a " you scratch my back...." philosophy involved. Also it doesn't pay to just write 150 words and that's it just to earn some cash as, if people think you are "churning" or if your reviews are consistently not good enough, then you will not get people rating you. You can also earn crowns for outstanding reviews if members nominate you which give you more points. When you reach 10,000 you can get an Amazon voucher but if you reach 50,000 you can convert to cash. This is not as hard as it sounds and you can soon earn points just by reading and rating other members and getting yourself noticed. I have been on there two years now and, as an example, am back up to 50,000 points again after cashing in some money in September. Course I'm not going to cash in just yet, I want my points to go up so that when I do cash in, I won't have to wait so long before I can get some more money. If you like expressing your opinions on products, I fully recommend you give it a look....

This week I shopped at Asda and bought items that were labelled buy two for £3 etc that I buy every week. Things like sarnie meat etc that I can keep one packet out and freeze the other- I didn't save a lot of money but I am hoping that by stocking up on some stuff I buy every week, it may cut down my shopping bill next week....this week I spent £40.74 so we will see...

Martyn Lewis, the money-saving expert, recommends going down a level of shopping for every item you buy to save money so buying own brand goods instead of big brand names but that doesn't help me as I try to buy as many of the cheaper store brands as I can now. The fact is that with bills and petrol, I struggle to make ends meet, have a little debt to my name and really don't earn enough to get by. Only the fact that there are a lot of people in worse situations than me keeps me going. I think the key is to stay postive but realistic and just cut corners everywhere you can. One of the other things I am doing is not wearing my contact lenses every day and wearing my glasses more as I wear daily disposables off the internet and if I wear them every day that works out at £10 a month which is not much but as my wife says all adds up. I will still wear contacts but less than I have been so that a months supply lasts longer....

I am not sure what else I can do.......

WHO READS THESE BLOGS ANYWAY?

So finally thought I'd start this Blog off properly with a few words and an introduction. I'm Mark; my on-line friends all know me as Sparkymarky which was a nickname first introduced to me by some of my old off-line friends who changed it to Narkymarky when ever I was in a bad mood. I'm 35 years old, currently working as a chef, am married and have a 14 month daughter called Emilie Ann. I came up with the name of this Blog because one of my on-line friends is called Miss Muppet and when she first started her Blog, she asked for suggestions as to what to call it. She liked my suggestion and used it so I thought I would return the favour and name my Blog after her.... hopefully she takes that as a compliment. Anything else you need to know about me, I'll tell you as I go along. Oh and if anyone reading this is on DOOYOO, then look out for my reviews under the name of Sparkymarky1973 and please rate them and I promise to return the favour....

Which brings me around nicely to the title of this post.... When I first started on MYSPACE (these days I am more likely to be found on FACEBOOK), I started a Blog and asked the question- Who actually reads these Blogs anyway? That was my first attempt at Blogging and seeing as how that post is just as relevant today as it was when I first posted it, I thought I would post it again on my new Blog!! So.......

"Just thought I'd start my first ever online blog with a question.....who actually sits and reads these online blogs anyway??!!??

I know I don't normally and, personally, none of the people in my social circle will admit to reading them either so exactly who are these people who spend their time chasing down the strange,abstract often random musings of this new online generation's chaotic mind??!!??
Really, asuming that no one ever reads these blogs anyway, I could write anything-pages after pages of complete and utter rabid nonesense; perhaps something controversial like all gay people will burn in eternal damnation for their sins( I don't think thats likely though in all honesty-do you?) or perhaps something more topical like wasn't it good when we all had black people as slaves? Or wouldn't it be good if all foreigners fecked off back to their own country? (though as I'm not the supposed star of a reality T.V show or a bigot or a racist, all this would simply be a sensationalist excuse to draw attention to myself and lets be honest, I'm sure the majority of intelligent people in this modern day and age are intelligent enough to realise that underneath all of us are equal anyway and that, quite frankly, the world is big enough for all of us to survive without resorting to hatred or bloodshed surely!!)

At this stage,I would just like to make clear that I don't believe in any of the abhorrent views expressed above -I was just trying to make a point.Which, seeing as how no one ever reads these blogs, was probably wasted anyway. Which brings me back to my first question- who reads these blogs??!!?? Who are you reading this now-why are you reading this-in what way are my thoughts touching your life??!!??

Instead of reading about my life on here,now,why aren't you out there living yours?? Life is for living, life is too too mercilessly short- so make the most of it, live every day like it's your last, enjoy yourself-prepare for the future but don't let your plans interrupt your enjoyment of the now!!

Live fast, die hard, don't give up ever without a fight.....and remember tomorrow may be the last day of your life-how will you choose to be remembered??!!?? By some thoughts in a blog you wrote when you were bored- or by something memorable you once got off your fat arse and did for somebody??!!??

There are millions and millions of people on this planet, don't be a stranger.

Make your presence felt.....before it's too late. Even if it's only making that visit to your mum like you always say you'll make or just being there for a friend. Because their clock is ticking too...and theres nothing worse than realising there was so much you could have said or done and knowing now it is too late.

Hope this gives you something to think about......Sparkymarky"


hmmm....well it's no Shakespere thats for sure...lol

Till the next time......laters!

(And if you are reading this, please leave me a comment, maybe give me a suggestion about what I should talk about next....you never know I might actually listen!)

My first post......