General Musings for the week 29th August 2010

I was fascinated by the guy who wants to travel around the world with no luggage. The concept is very simple: Take a round the world trip and only bring with you what you can carry in your pockets. of course he's being sponsored by a company that makes travel vests built with lots of pockets. But nevertheless the idea is excellent. Watch the video to see how he manages to take all his clothes, accessories, blogging apparatus and computer with no bags. I love the vagabond motto - tack half the stuff and take twice the money. I'll be following his blog closely as can you: Follow his blog here.

Good to see my old friend Jon over the week. He was down in London with his youngest daughter who was taking a weeks course in stage school. She has her own Youtube channel and is a very talented guitarist with a great voice. It wouldn't surprise me if we see her on 'X Factor ' soon.

The weather this week has taken a toll on the filming. Our sets have turned into quagmires ("Giggity Giggity") and everything has slowed down. Luckily every one is bringing forward the 'blitz spirit' and we are managing to cope. But wet clothes and leaking boots are not all that comfortable.

So there are people out there who seem to think that putting a cat into a wheelie bin is amusing. I wonder if these are the same people who laugh at mentally disabled people and think that 'Jackass' is high culture.  I hope they throw the book at her.

The case of the Chilean miners found alive - but unreachable - in a mine in San Jose is fascinating. They are all gathered together in a 'refuge' 2,257 ft down the mine where a small air tube has been drilled. Through this they can be passed water, food and letters. But to drill a hole 68cms wide and pull someone out will take rescuers until Christmas. Having thought about that, would you like to travel 2,257 ft through a newly drilled hole that was a little more than 2 feet wide? Obviously these guys are not claustrophobic....

Nice to see that the NFL pre-season is well underway. As usual there will be the moans and groans from the pundits, players and team owners complaining that the pre-season is a way of increasing the possibility of injuries to players (And this has been bourne out by some of the current crop of injuries). The eternal debate does go on about pre-season. Why have it? It isn't usually a good indicator of the strength of a particular team given that last years Superbowl team The Indianapolis Colts lost all their pre-season matches (as they have done for a number of years). All it does is allow the teams to get more money (the paid attendance of the Redskins at the Jets was 50,000 for a game that saw 5 quarterbacks play a game for a total of 27 points, 12 of which were from field goals and 2 of which were a safety), risk the health of players and showcase one or two folks they might want to play in a future game. Or am I being cynical?