Archive for the ‘Personal’ Category

Razor Blades and Lies

Monday, May 26th, 2008

Paul Swanson reviews some old fashion shaving kit

In my old age I’m now discovering that not all advertising can be valued as highly as the Holy book itself. Take for example men’s shaving razors. As an informed consumer I know that two blades are better than one, three better than two, four than three and so on in an exponential fashion. I also know that the purpose of the extra blades is to lift hairs, as I shave, for a closer cut. I am also dutifully aware that the longer the title of the “shaving system” the better the shave and the smoother my face will be; “Mach 3 Turbo Extreme” obviously yields a better shave than “Men’s Razor”. So you can imagine how distraught I was when I recently discovered all of my shaving knowledge was utter bullocks.

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Balcony BBQ

Sunday, March 30th, 2008

Paul Swanson's Balcony BBQ

I now have a new kitchen toy, for the balcony, it’s my BBQ. At the beginning of winter I saw these little beauties for sale and procrastinated to my own detriment. Now, months later, they reappeared and I snapped one up for $10. There’s nothing quite like a succulent pork loin grilled over hot coals of Carpathian hard woods on a cool night.

Boots

Monday, March 10th, 2008

Football boots

For months I’ve been playing football, the game in which the ball is actually propelled primarily by the foot, but in the course of learning to kick in a given direction I managed to injure my big toe. The sensation, upon connecting with the ball, was similar to belting one’s toe, dead-on, with a small hammer. I decided that my runners were the likely cause of the symptoms and so forked out the cash for some real football boots. I’m pleased to say that the low profile and grippy sole seems to have put my amateur football career back on track.

Telephone Troubles

Monday, March 10th, 2008

Telephone troubles

I’ve been having some trouble with telephone calls of late. Specifically, Internet telephony (or VOIP). Making telephone calls from our computer gives us an economical way of staying in touch with home, but lately it has done little more than inspire me to gnaw my own toes off.

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Librarian 2.0

Monday, March 10th, 2008

Paul’s Library

I’m not turning hyper-pedagogical, nor am I trying to out do my mother; I have started my own library. Library 2.0 to be precise. I know this careless expression is just compounding the obscurity that veils, what is arguably, the maturation of the World Wide Web, but, in a shameless bout of whimsy, I’ll employ its misuse regardless. The bottom line is this, I’m starting my own library to retain, and catalogue, articles which, for whatever reason, interest me. This means that I don’t need to rely on bookmarks that could be outdated with time.

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Playground duty

Saturday, November 17th, 2007

Pechersk Playground

Looks kind of serene doesn’t it? I can assure you however that the conditions that produced this idyllic sight were not. Yesterday afternoon I found myself on playground duty for an hour, in the snow, below zero temperatures. It was actually pretty fun however; football, snowballs and a hot cuppa. I guess you just have to learn how to live with a chilly face when you’re having fun after school.

White out

Sunday, November 11th, 2007

Paul’s Snow Video

What is white, cold, not made of toothpaste and falls on Sundays? Snow, of course!

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God bless the Brits

Saturday, November 10th, 2007

Yorkshire Tea

Over the October break two wonderful people requestioned me wholly satisfying amounts of my favourite tea for which I’m very grateful. There is just something entirely satisfying about a stodgy cup of British tea, and nothing delivers that sensation better than Taylors of Harrogate Yorkshire Tea. The moral boosting shipment could not have come sooner, my last bag had been carefully rationed over 3 months and was beginning to appear more finite than ever.

Here I shall ramble

Thursday, October 11th, 2007

Paul Swanson

Welcome to my new blog; here I plan to do whatever I please. I don’t expect anyone will ever read it, but who cares, I’m going to self publish regardless.