The Present

Today newspapers are running a story that this week, Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin group, along with other leading businessmen, will warn parliament that the world is running out of oil and will face an ‘oil crunch’ in the next five years. I feel this is a welcome move that will help draw attention to the need to plan for our future supplies of energy nationally.

Even ignoring the effects on the environment, burning hydrocarbons is – and always has been – completely unsustainable. Most children learn in school that coal, oil, gas et al are formed as a result of the decomposition of dead organisms buried deep underground. This is a process that takes millions of years, in some cases exceeding 650 million years. Children are also taught that there is, for all practical purposes, a finite amount and that we will run out.

I don’t know about you, but that really scares me. I feel as though the whole climate change debate, while important, misses the point completely. Don’t get me wrong, I think that climate change is very real but with peak oil forecast as early as this year (although the recession will have offset that slightly), I think that energy security should be far more pressing worry. Here in the UK we have gone from being net exporters of fossil fuels to net importers. There are huge economic and political issues that arise from prices going up as supply falls away. I don’t like the idea of living in a country with a devalued currency or the idea of my access to energy decided by a corporation or foreign government.

These consequences are guaranteed if we do not act. Regardless, then, of climate sceptics’ moaning, we need to push on and harness our own abundant renewable resources to generate electricity and start the difficult process of replacing industry and transport fuelled by oil.

…for the record, I went to all of my lectures today.

A quick note on progress with my last post… Er, very little. None that is.

Never too late! Each day is a new day! Etc. [insert self help truism here]

So starting tomorrow, I’ll begin again. To help me, I’ve made this:

In other news, I submitted work today! That really does deserve an exclamation mark, as it was on time and everything. I even feel as though I’d made a good job with it! I have another piece due tomorrow so I will shortly be leaving for the library to get it done. Doing stuff feels good at the moment.

Four exclamation points were harmed in the writing of this post.

So my last self improvement project didn’t go so well… I failed miserably at not playing video games, I think I gave up after just one day of not playing! I think that I may have been a little overambitious.

So now to the probably important bit: my new idea. In fairness, it’s not my idea, I’m pinching it from this blog. It’s important because you have to write what you’re aiming to do down, otherwise it is all too easy to just forget about it completely. I’m going to attempt, for just 7 days(!) to start my morning at the same time and follow the same routine each morning. The routine is as follows:

1. Drink a glass of water.
2. Open the window and let some fresh air in, but not the curtain just yet, I’m on the ground floor and I’ll most likely be naked.
3. Make myself breakfast and a cup of tea.
4. Wash and dress.
5. Open the curtain.
6. Make my bed.
7. Tidy my desk.

That doesn’t seem like too difficult a task… but we’ll see!

Just to see if this posts properly to twitter.

Oh wow, its over a year since I last posted… Well, a swift catch up might be in order.  I applied to uni, got into Lancaster to read mathematics. That’s about it I think.

So it’s going okay at the moment, I could be doing a lot better though. I have to be honest somewhere and write it down so there’s a record of me being honest… This week I’ve missed a lot of lectures, and missed all 3 of the weekly assignments I was supposed to submit. Why? Because I’m a dick. One of them I even did but fell asleep all day yesterday and didn’t hand it in. I think keeping a journal of what’s going on might keep me from being such an ass, although I guess it might be just another form of procrastination when the pressure is on.

Next week I have a few exams and tests so it’s really important that I have a good weekend of studying. I have past papers so I’ll just work my way through those and hope things will be okay!

Today… the plan today is to go to all my lectures (gasp!) and tidy up a little. If I’m not too exhausted I need to plan the next weeks meals before doing some shopping. Getting back on track with GTD wouldn’t be a bad idea either. I just have to make it to 8pm (24hours of being awake) and I’ll be sorted for a good night’s sleep.