Hummous for all!

As I'm sure you're aware, the mood as of late has been quite... sorrowful and 'deep'. Well, I'm all for deepness and introspection and whatnot. But, like all 'umans, I need a scoop of happy with my icecream!

So, today I thought I'd make a recipe for something which we all know and love (unless you are eeevil and strange! If so, get outa here, punk!).

We're making...

Hummous!
Though, you should have guessed it by the title, silly!

So! I say, let's get started! I'm going to start making my hummous as soon as I publish this wee post.

You can follow me, though! At each stage I'm going to be taking a picture for you to see.

The recipe I'm using is this one.

The music to have playing in the background when this post is fully completed is this wonderful song. If you want, you can play this instead (you may want to play this one through first to grasp its craziness!). If you don't have it playing in the background, we can't have our scoop of happy with our icecream! Nuuu!

Okay! See you in a few minutes!

********

UPDATE!

Let's get started, then. :]

Firstly, I gathered all my ingredients, a chopping board, a hand blender and a knife.

Upon washing the chickpeas, I found a little green one. Suffice it to say, he wasn't allowed in. ;)

So, I got all of my hummus ingredients together in my dip-making bowl!

To start with, it did NOT look tasty!

But then, of course, it started to work! YUM!

But within a minute or two of blending, I had myself some nice hummous!

I wasn't too sure of the taste, so I added a touch more lemon and another clove of garlic to the stuff. Then I plopped it into this here bowl to make it look all pretty. :]

How easy was that! I even made myself some nice carrot sticks to go with it.

Do it yourself! It's *really* easy!

Dun dun duuuun!

This post is a direct bounce-back from a previous one I wrote. I seriously suggest you read that one *first* before you read this one. Okay? Great.

Hello!

So, with the knowledge that you've read the last post, let's get stuck into this whole shocker that my mind just gave me.

Let me start off with this; a little bit of a frame for you to hang all of this, if you will. I happen to be one of those people that are just a bit... different. I don't know why. Perhaps it's because I'm left-handed or Gay or was the third boy birthed from my mother -- again, I don't know.

But I'm definitely not like the other kids.



So, anyway, today I went for a couple of bike rides and really started to get myself moving in this beautiful (and no doubt fleeting) weather we're currently having in Englandshire. Strangely (or perhaps not), I exercise more when it's coupled with a tang of guilt. Well, perhaps more than guilt. Any stingy, swirly, negative emotion, really.

Though I've been reluctant to really recognise it, I've been feeling... odd. And not general Matt-odd. Like, mood-swing odd. Bad odd. I hadn't been able to put my finger on it until only a few minutes ago -- perhaps an hour ago by now -- why. With all the stuff that's been going on with my mind remembering people from the past, I guess it was bound to happen.

"What's bound to happen? What?"

Like so many of us humans, I glossed over the fact that while my mind was dredging up old friendships and whatnot, emotional stuff was also being churned out simultaneously. I, of course, happened to forget this. So out came all of this emotional stuff that I was so determined to ignore. A natural extension of that, then, was to push it all back down to the emotional depths I had last stuffed it all. It just wasn't working this time. Not one bit.

What happened next, though, really made me stop.

So there I was, on my Tweetdeck, listening to a bit of Lily Allen on the 'tube (that's YouTube, not The Underground). I checked my @replies; for those of you who don't know, @replies are short 'updates' directed at someone in particular: "@Burnt_feet You're an awesome kid!". What did I see? That certain Floridian (seriously, what's the word for a person that lives in Florida?!) had sent me a message.

BAM. All of these odder-than-odd feelings rolled in.

I was getting reeeal tired of all of this all by now. Lily wasn't working. Friends re-runs weren't working. I was so fed up with these mood swings and random emotion splurges that I stopped and squarely asked myself, in my head:

"Why does this guy make me feel like this?"

You won't believe what echoed back. Well, maybe you will. Regardless: psychologists, psychotherapists and psychiatrists, get your pens poised!

"Because he embodies everything you think you'll never be. Everything you wish you were."

Sh*t.

The Wheel of Change & Unfinished Business

I remember reading (a long time ago) about an idea within the Pagan religions about this thing called 'The Wheel of the Year'. Simply speaking, Pagans divide their year up with 8 festivals (the 2 solstices / 2 equinoxes + 4 others). Though I don't consider myself to be a Pagan, the idea of the year going around cyclically resonated -- and resonates -- with me still.


You see, I've decided to have a nice big clean-up of this here blog. I just had to re-vamp it all. Why, you ask?

Well. Foremost, the biggest reason is documented in this post. However, another, perhaps more human reason, was that it really didn't feel right. I'm one of those touchy-feely types and so I have to have things feel right to me. It's just how I'm programmed. If things don't feel right, I bail. Hey! I just explained why I don't ever finish projects! *snarf*

But, no. It was feeling wrong. So, naturally, I decided to re-vamp it a little (and I'm definitely not saying I'm done!). So, with all the changes I decided to follow suit of my good writer-friend Lezstar and make myself a nice little blog twitter.

And so there I was, ferreting away through follower lists to pick out people who I thought looked nice and would be interested in reading this here blog. Then, BAM, brainwave. Years ago I knew this guy that lived -- and I assume still lives -- in Florida. I'd been thinking about him for the past couple of days. I search for him on Twitter and, lo and behold, he's there!

And I think it's funny. MUY funny. "Why?", you say? Let me give you a bit more background.

As of about a month ago, yours truly had recieved psychotherapy for a good 2 and a 1/2 years. One of my very first therapists (or, as we call them, counsellors -- not like the US 'Camp Counsellor') explained to me this thing from a theory called 'Transactional Analysis'.

Stay with me!

What she explained was this thing called 'Taking Stamps'. Very kindly, she used post-its (I <3 post-its). For example, every time this tweeter ignores my @replies, I take a stamp of offense. If these stamps continue, we 'cash in', the stamps and 'act out' (normal speak: do something as a result of that emotional energy) towards that person. In my situation, it could either be an abusive tweet at them or, perhaps more healthily, an unfollow.



So, how does this relate? Well, I think that this is what a lot of people do with 'unfinished business' (though, for you psychology geeks, unfinished business really relates more to Gestalt). The person has all of these stamps from the things that certain person said. Yet, at the same time, they've not been able to 'cash them in'. Or, I guess, find closure with that relationship.

And so how interested was I when, after stumbling upon this long-lost Floridian-friend (is that the word for a Florida person? I don't know!) that all these emotions came bubbling up!

My Wheel of Change in motion, it seems. With all of this re-branding and re-vamping and re-whatevering it seems life has plopped this guy back into my life. Well, if I've got some unfinished business, then that's quite alright with me!

I wonder, then.

Where is your unfinished business hiding?

Perhaps a little re-brand, too?

To tell you the complete truth, I've not yet been content with how my blog looks. I guess that has to do largely with the fact that I don't know what I'm writing for (sort of, at least). So, perhaps a little re-branding of this here blog is in order?



I think so! :D

Let's dig in!

Okay, let's dig in. :]

Foremost, after a short spell in the world of Wordpress, us in The Kingdom of Matt decided to return to the world of Blogger.



So. With that out of the way, let's talk about this idea I've had.

If you happen to be following my blog (which, to be honest, I wouldn't really expect you to be doing (you'll understand why in a second)), then you'll probably have noticed how disjointed my posting is. Sometimes I'll post a couple times in a week, but then I can go three weeks and remain completely silent.

I'm a ponderer (actually, I'm a Type 4 and an INFP, if you're interested), and so naturally I wondered why my posting habit was so sporadic.

And then it hit me.

When any person writes any thing, three specific things are woven into it specifically. When those things are put into a series, it's assumed that all of those written 'things' follow these three specific things. Confused? Me too.

When anyone writes, they naturally conform (whether they realise it or not) to Audience, Purpose, and Style.

So, if I am writing a post about cake-making, my audience is people that bake cakes. My purpose is to write about cake-making. My style is fairly explanatory and instructive.

But my blog didn't have that.

What was it, or is it, that I'm trying to achieve? My first posts don't fit the style of a typical 'personal rant'-esque blog. Yet, my later posts now seem a little political and ranty. What am I trying to achieve here?

I couldn't tell you. But, thankfully, the brainwave struck.

So, I was thinking to myself on how my P.A.S. could all be put together to make my blog work for all of us -- for you and for me.

But I suppose that brainwave is only half of the brainwave I need. I understand that I need to make this blog cohesive -- to have a niche -- but whatever that niche is, I don't have a clue.

So, I shall leave you with this beautiful video as I ponder on this last, difficult step of my blog's path. It keeps me going, at least. :]

Blogger begone.

I don't know about you, but I'm finding blogger to be another one of the world's phail whales.

And you know what?

There are more than enough blog posting sites to choose from. We're moving to Wordpress.

See you there!

The Phail Whale of British Schooling

What do the words 'embed', 'learning initiative' and 'radical strategy' have in common?


They're just a small selection of terms thrown around within the British Educational Sector. And let me tell you, they're just the tip of the 'blue-sky thinking' iceburg.


Within the past 10 years there has been a 'radical' transformation within the educational sector and, being a student at a so-called 'good' school, I've seen first-hand the implications and repercussions these 'radical strategies' and 'learning initiatives' have.


And let me tell you, it seems we're moving from the 'information era' to the 'phail whale era'.



Of course, slagging off the educational system of my own country means nothing without something substantial to actually give it relevance. So, let me tell you about a lovely, controversial 'change of school culture' that my school has decided we are 'ready for'.

It's called 'Vertical Tutoring'.

Normally, when a pupil arrives at any secondary school in Britain, they enter what's known as 'Year 7'. Each school year they arrive at the next 'year'. This continues up until 'Year 11'. At that point, the student is provided the opportunity to continue to 'Sixth Form', to get a non-'standard' qualification or to head into the 'world of work'.


Under the current system, when a year 7 arrives they are put a in group (better known as a 'form') of other year 7's in which they spend all of their lessons together and also registration time. Every year more and more separation occurs for the lessons but, regardless of what group a child is given for their subject, the 'form' stays the same regardless. Traditionally, that 'form' has a specific teacher (also known as a 'tutor') which is there to support and nurture them until they leave school.


Registration time is 15-20 minutes a day, after lunch, when the students of the form, whether 11 years' old (Year 7) or 16 (Year 11) gather together to 'develop' and/or chat about inconsequential stuff which they wouldn't otherwise be able to talk about at lunch or break time.


So far, this system has worked fine. We call it 'Horizontal Tutoring'.

Of course, this system wasn't enough! Straight in line with other the other pie in the sky ideas of this current decade, a new system has been released. Yep. It's Vertical Tutoring.


So, let's go back to those Year 7's.


With Vertical Tutoring, when they enter the school year they are all divided into fours and slotted into forms containing:

• 4 Year 8's
• 4 Year 9's
• 4 Year 10's
• and 4 Year 11's.

Or, if you're a Sixth Former, like myself, you end up with a form containing:

• A handful of Year 12's
• A handful of Year 13's.

Beyond the fact that this type of tutoring was denounced in the 80's and is riddled with problems, the 'leadership team' (that really means the managers) of my school have decided to instigate it. Fancy, eh?


And why is that?

1. 'Greater chance of cross-pupil development'
2. 'A change in the school culture'
3. 'A better "climate for learning"'
4. '"Dilution" of bad behaviour in registration time'
5. 'A reduction in bullying in registration time'

Of course, let's not forget that:

A) Most bullying, at least in MY school, occurs on the trips to and from school,
B) Most pupils spend a lot of their registration time interacting with other members who they wouldn't normally otherwise, and so will bring that into their lessons instead,
C) Most impressionable Year 7's will be vulnerable to the less-than-pure influences from Year 10/11's (a good minority of which take drugs and/or smoke)
D) A tutor cannot possibly tend to the needs of an 11-year-old at the same time as a 16-year-0ld without some sort of quasi-communication,
E) The majority of both pupils and teachers within schools that implement this type of tutoring are opposed to it,
F) This type of tutoring has already been and failed, causing the reinstatement of horizontal tutoring in the 1980's.

And even then, take a look from MY o-so-'selfish' view. For the past 6 years I have learnt the ins and outs of a group of, what is now, 16ish people. We've been through thick and thin together. Through form-fun days and changing the clocks to get out early. When did that mean that some group of managers, of which less than a quarter know even one our names, get the right to chop us up and redistribute us?


Please, though, don't see me as a Negative Nancy or No-Change Norman. I'm willing to change. In fact, I am FOR change. For example, with this Vertical Tutoring comes a house sytem. That's great. It's different and it sounds fun. And, moreover, there are more than enough problems within every school around the country, including ours. Sure, let's fix them. But why start here?


As a close friend of mine said last Thursday, "if it aint broke, don't fix it."

I'm inclined to agree.

But you know what? I wouldn't be as opposed to this vertical tutoring idea if it weren't for the following cynic-proving info.:

- With VT, they can change 5 heads of years (Year 7 head, Year 8 head, etc.) to 4 Heads of Houses. Saving the school a hunk of money? You bet.


- Now the school putting in VT can show that they are continuously 'improving' the school and are keeping up-to-date with the latest 'educational strategies'. Great for OFSTED reports? Don't you forget it!


- Schools: they're democratic, right? They listen, right? After an interview with one of the members of the 'leadership team' yesterday, I stumbled on the conclusion that this was definitely NOT the case.

And now I'm wondering what to do. Do I garner a fight against this? Do I ride the wave and live with it for the year of schooling I have left? Do I send journalist pieces to local newspapers to show how we're fighting it or sabotage it once it's 'on its way'?

They're calling it tough love, I'm calling it Oligarchy.