Review 2022

 Twenty-Twenty two had like the preceeding years its challenges of which one, considerable industrial action by a variety people was to cause issues such as delayed playthings, anxiety inducing logistical nightmares as train services were curtailed even if planned, difficulty in weekend travel as no train drivers were rostered so services were cancelled at short notice and so on.

Like a lot of people I had this Covid that doesn't test positive too and indeed are suffering from it as I type being unwell for days  at a time which does lead me to say, please wear your masks if you're in busy crowded spaces as it seems to spread just like the others.

On the otherhand I did have a great time with friends at a halloween party, making things, running around in competitions hunting for things and a great fireworks party which is really part of the stuff I loved as a boy.

I did get out about here enjoying the fresh air and countryside dressed in short short trousers with temperatures down to four degrees in my dufflecoat and bobble hat which was very much how school winters always felt to me.

Our forum stayed busy with fresh people arriving and conversations aound all sorts of boyhood related topics and interests which was why it was set up - to be free by one basic rule - to discuss the whole including things as boys that  can't happen on more "adult" orientated sites.

Monday was a great day over at my parents for Christmas, clad in grey with blue stripped school uniform, sat crossed legged on the floor playing as my younger brother and spouse arrive, just looking like a schoolboy.

Openess like that to our families and the wider community is something we all can struggle with, for some having to agree to some restrictions but for just being the boy you are it's so worth it.

A pause in the conversation for Christmas

 

Things with the weather are at least improving in some ways, trading extreme cold the likes of which I don't recall ever experiencing for more rain and strong winds here which is kind of progress I guess.

Some of the postal backlog is being got through even if bits remain unaccounted for which as well given the things you may of been expecting at christmas.

Talking of which we will be pausing here as there'sa lot of activity with card and present swapping, things to be sorted and a bit of tidying up lest we have visitors drop in.

With that I'll wish everyone a Happy Christmas and all the best for 2023.

Holding hands

It may seem old but one of the most comforting things for me is holding hands. I like how you feel directly connected to me, how you're gonna care for me with all that freely given love.

It makes me feel loved and critically alive.

I suspect the England squad and their manager could well be needing that after Saturday's crashing out of the World Cup at the hands of France aided by a referee who seemed to ignore blatant fouls and was by common consent really out of his depth for such a important competition.

I felt in the main they performed well, perhaps a bit more engagement in the first half might of helped but you have to remember France is the Worlds current best side with Mbappé an exceptional player and in some respects we were unfortunate to face them in the quarter finals first

Reflective post

Here we go, making a bit of a milestone post on this blog which in some ways is the "oddball" blog of the stable that's been around since mid 2017 when things were very much different  than they are now never mind how things were just two years ago for all of us.

We might as well start somewhere and say this blog is for people who do identify as boys at least mainly as distinct from men even if, like many of us you have to do a bit of "adulting" in the workplace, compromising within adult relationships to make things work.

If you look at that, see yourself in him and see you as very much him now, you certainly belong here even if you might wear a skirt or dress the odd time because for all that you see yourself as that boy.

This blog talks though various things - its why Boys Talk is in the title - whither it's to do with play, how we may present, various issues in life and a bit to do with interests from boyhood.

It's the conversations we'd have walking back from school, in the locker room, making our way to scouts  or the local library, boy to boy.

Sometimes it's light hearted in nature, sometimes it's about finding your boyish spot in a adult world, sometimes it gets serious cos sadly somethings are in a form less likely to go than places like Tumblr or on Tapatalk or allowing a bit more frank expression than they do.

We should pause just after next weeks edition cos I need to to play my part in making family Crimbo with my family - yes doing what they tell me! - as that boy and things get busy her in the week and a bit before the day.

Here's to the next batch of issues!

Words best not said

We appear to be going through a period at one site where people seem to be more interested in pursuing agendas  than just saying what there own experiences are.

I've seen this at a particular music based site before where certain members who see themselves as followers of its owner talking in a ultra uber "Our Host said" way as if they were some music engineering diety, whose approach cannot be questioned.

One has a personal site devoted to this individual with lots of photos of them and in over 15 years I have seen him always without exception pile on any other audio mastering engineers work and labels they work for as if no one ever could do a good job and this other person never made a mistake at all.

Personally I'm not into Cults of Personality having bought a good number of records and cds over the years including those issues targeted at people with hifi system looking for the best available copy of an album.

Good people can and do make mistakes and even if they don't another person may of improved upon previous attempts so the most sensible approach is to just listen to them and set out why you favour one rather than the other.

Others promote very old copies of cds that just do not play well with modern cd players as they lack the ability to reliably tell if some older discs where the high notes were boosted and a signal to switch a circuit in the play to correct it that helped some very early players.

If they get that wrong they sound "tinny" and you can't manually switch it over so a really good modern copy without that makes sense for people in that situation.

Similar some older records were made to louder because some like a more "in your face" presentation where the actual recording may have a more subtle dynamic sound and that is what a new copy is trying to give people.

That can when matched with improved detail make for a much more enjoyable copy to sit and listen to rather than perhaps bopping along on the dance floor.

Ultimately it's really about what you feel makes for a great listening session with your favourite recordings and why these other people and labels have given you a new version.

Sometimes a new "flavour" of an old favourite really does it for you.

Roadmaps?

It's kind of funny how it is you find the inspiration you need  when and where you may least expect it such as this drawing by TheLatestKate on Tumblr.

Tumblr is a funny place in that all manner of things can be found on there, sometimes original texts or as in this instance art amongst a vast forest of straight reblogging of everyone elses so sometimes you see the same thing several times over not helped by encourage people to reblog things that may not even be their own just because someone got there first.

But actually, to get back the post itself,  when I first started this blog and got on a few sites sites way back when, truly I had no real idea of where everything would lead, never mind the series of connections and roundabouts I'd go through tryin' to figure it what was I was and what it was I wanted and needed.

Today I have more of an idea where I am at and how that can fit in with others because you don't have to become in effect someone else to fit into any group or especially take part in an activity because everyone is different, unique, hey even by the next guys standard "wierd".

I may like to wear my uniform under a dufflecoat and enjoy jumping in puddles just like I did way back then but I don't have to do what you might like  and that's okay.

We all have the right to be us having things in common and things different than everyone else.

Self control and getting better

Sometimes it can seem as if the easiest of things proves to be the hardest to actually achieve and this last week or so recovering is rather like that because it involves judgments about how long to rest things and when to start some graded exercise to build strength back up again as this was a bit more serious than I had anticipated.

I also had to recall I had faced similar challenges earlier in my life and managed it so was the problem more an over emphasis on permanency of injuries and fear of moving on from this incident?

The best inspiration for me is at my own level.

If boys can get up, work on improving matters and still be physically and socially active then really there is no reason I ought not to try and that is where we are at having taking time to walk about a mile and half pausing as necessary on Monday which is an improvement.

This, I feel contains quite a lot the truth for me personally and maybe a good number of you too. 

For all my real life problems and disabilities, I do have enough control over my thoughts and actions to exercise appropriate choices but I don’t and that put simply is why discipline makes sense. 

It’s to move me toward doing what I’m capable of and ultimately have self discipline kicking in straight off.