JP's Corner of The Blogosphere

Thanks to Anthropax , I ended up taking one of these bizarre personality tests, and apparently I'm a Hippie. Worryingly, some of the detailed analysis is probably not especially inaccurate - though I've never smoked anything in my life, let alone pot. I include the results for your viewing pleasure. Hippie You are 42% Rational, 85% Extroverted, 14% Brutal, and 14% Arrogant. You are the Hippie! Characterized by a strong sense of extroversion, irrationality, gentleness, and humility, you no doubt frolic through fields preaching peace and love to all! You are probably either very spiritual or needlessly paranoid about "the man", like most hippies, as a result of your focus on intuition and feelings over cold, brutal logic. You are also very, very social. And like any hippie, who would have no qualms about hitchiking across the country just to meet some interesting people, you too love to interact with others, even complete strangers. Because we know most any hippi...

So there I was on Tottenham Court Road, at lunchtime and I passed a 'Subway'. "Mmmm" I thought. The trouble is, it had no seating area which didn't sit well with me having two bags and the street outside being a bit rammed. So, I decided to tube it to Leicester Square on the basis that there'd be somewhere to sit and surely another 'Subway' (by this point the Meatball Sub really had taken my fancy). Popping up in Leicester Square however I found McDonald's, Burger King, some random Italian places but alas no Subway. Then, just as I was about to give up, salvation came in the form of a man with a placard. You know the type; usually the placard says 'American Golf Sale' and you're just left wondering how much he gets paid to do that. This time however, the placard said 'Subway' and pointed me in the direction of my tasty meatball sub. So it just goes to show...

Greetings from Mornington Crescent Tube station. I'm led to believe that this is of some significance if you're a Radio 4 listener, but I'm not so if someon e would care to enlighten me... I've not got a lot else to say other than it was one of the more bizarre tube stations I've been to; I had to wait in an initially deserted corridor for a lift to the surface. On with my travels...

Not quite as random as Ramsey Island but very cool nonetheless, this post is coming to you from the Tate Modern, where I'm sat with a pot of Earl Grey and a view of St Paul's. How cultured. Following a quality lunch at Lincoln's Inn (thanks, Eleanor!) I've enjoyed something of a reflective afternoon. Shortly I'll be meeting my cousin, which I'm looking forward to. Until next time...

I've been catching up with a lot of friends recently, and it's been great to learn that my corner of the Blogosphere does indeed have visitors; thanks guys! Apologies for the slight lack of postings recently, but it's one of those times where lots is going on and I lack anything in the way of a routine. Last week I enjoyed a day back in Oxford, which was quality. I'd had enough of a break from the place to really appreciate it again when I was back. It just seems to attract the beautifully random and highlights of my day included seeing my scout, my notetaker and lunching with a friend who somehow has earned himself the nickname 'Skittles'. This weekend was my aunt and uncle's Silver Wedding celebration, and they had decided to get the entire family together. This included such relatives as my dad's cousin's children and other such random relations and it was a fantastic day, even if I was completely confused as to where everyone fitted in. As a ...

Hello folks! I had a wonderful weekend in Ireland with Stan; we stayed in the Wexford area and explored the sunny South East. The weather was beautiful and I really enjoyed my first taste of the Emerald Isle. We stayed in Wexford, which was quaint, if a bit small. It was the sort of town where we were able to come across the same drunk piper on no less than four occassions in no less than four places in about as many hours. It did appear to have some life though, and we were priviliged to witness the reopening of 'The Back Room' in the Centenary Stores, which seemed to draw in the crowds. And if that wasn't enough excitement there was always the Harry Potter launch, which saw the streets filled with kids who really shouldn't have been out in the town at that time. With all the various costumed people and street entertainers it was all a bit surreal. One thing that really impressed me about Ireland was the hospitality and friendliness of the people; it really has t...

I came back from Ramsey again this afternoon having had a very pleasant afternoon. The weather was glorious and I saw deer, ravens, oyster catchers, seals and a pair of rather large butch lesbians. This evening I came across an ad for Radio Pembrokeshire in a local newspaper, and I quote: "102.5 Radio Pembrokeshire - a local success story. Official radio audience research has once again confirmed our place as the most listened to radio station, out of all BBC and commercial stations across the UK." I wonder who they surveyed to come up with such blatantly biased statistics? Still, I for one found it amusing. I also booked my ferry ticket to Ireland for the weekend. Two of us are heading over and staying in Wexford, which should be a laugh. Do any of you know the area, and do you have any recommendations? Being a cheapskate, I won't be using my phone to blog whilst abroad, though you may get another post before I cross the water. Bye for now...

Number One: Ramsey Island. A small island off the Pembrokeshire Coast with only two houses and a warden as the only resident, Ramsey is pretty remote, especially in blogging terms. Life is pretty good, it has to be said. Thanks to Nick for his comments; has anyone else parted with money for terrible music? Comments please...

...you'd know what on Earth possessed me to buy The Best of Wham CD. I bought it a long time ago and found it during my epic clear-out. To add insult to injury, the sticker on the box implies I parted with £16.99 for it. Ouch. On the subject of music, I made a rather more successful purchase the other day when I picked up the best of Van Halen double CD for just £6.29. Bargain. Despite being very '80's' in places I'm very pleased with it. Eddie Van Halen pioneered various guitar techniques and some of the guitar parts are sublime. The album also contains such classics as 'Ain't Talking 'bout Love', with its catchy riff. Incidentally this particular song is about casual sex, and I was amused by the person who'd commented on SongFacts.com saying "I wish I'd known the theme before I had it as the first song at my wedding dance". Hmm. Currently I'm enjoying a relaxing few days in Wales. The weather might be lousy, but it's g...

Despite what the rather lame title might lead you to believe, today is not a particularly special day from my point of view. In fact, I shall probably be spending most of it tidying up, continuing from where I left off yesterday in sorting out all my old books and other associated junk. It's good to have some time at home, but given the weather at the moment I'd much rather be with those who've been fortunate to jet off somewhere exotic. Mrs JP is in Italy, Mark is in China and those of you following Sam and Anthropax through the Blogosphere will know that they are now in Hong Kong. Wouldn't it be nice if we all had friends who's grandparents vacated their flat in Hong Kong for us? I have to say, I'm very pleased for Sam (if admittedly a tad jealous) especially as he also has a contact who bumped them up to Club Class for free as they boarded the plane. How cool... I'm also quite excited by Mark's work for ISEC, teaching English and working with kids ...

Further to yesterday's posting about the Live8 gig, I would like to reaffirm that despite my sarcasm, and in cynicism in some cases I am of course behind the idea of making poverty history. On the advice of Anthropax in his last comment I checked out Keith's blog from where I have shamelessly stolen the title for tonight's post. The good idea is to pray for the G8 Leaders . What a top idea. Go on, take a moment now to pray. Incidentally, church tonight was great - we were priviliged to be addressed by Tony Anthony , who has an amazing life-story to tell . More on that later...

Currently I'm on a train en route to Manchester, and I'm listening to Radio 1's coverage of Live 8. The idea of lots of artists performing round the world is very cool, and the idea that it's promoting an end to World Poverty isn't a bad one. The thing is, I'm less than convinced. Is it going to have a positive impact? We'll have to wait and see. But, if it's all about ending world poverty, why have I just had to endure Snoop Dogg singing "What's my name? Snoop Dogg"? Did no one tell him that the world in which we hope to eradicate poverty does not centre around him? And what's with the (unnecessary) use of bad language? All very 'rock & roll' it might be, but come on people this is meant to be a charity gig, with the aim of affecting the opinions of world leaders. And kids are listening... Being a big fan of making poverty history (seriously) I'm going to do my bit, following in the steps of those I've been listenin...