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Joelsanders

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Posts posted by Joelsanders

  1. Me too, and I think the staggeringly intolerant views of many boaters on here reinforces and supports Joel's perception that there are a lot of angry boaters out there!

     

     

    I suppressed the urge to point that out and must admit I was hoping someone else would spot it. I'm so glad you did.

     

    Yes, it's exactly the same mindset - intolerance / repressed anger / an inability to give up control / a determination to be seen as "right" - that I explore a lot in the blog. I see it in many boaters (and muggles too) . Sometimes it's explicit, for example on this forum where some feel they can be braver whilst hiding behind their keyboards than they can in real time face to face scenarios (which others might argue is the epitome of cowardice) . Usually though, it's repressed and comes out in other ways.

     

    It interests me so much because that's my baggage too.

     

    For myself, it was those kinds of issues that drove me to find a slower pace of life , hence this floating around thing that I do now. So I figured that - in one form or another - it would also be the story of many other boaters.

     

    After all , why would someone make such a radical lifestyle change to one which - allegedly - centres around calmness & tranquility if they did not feel that calmness & tranquility were things they wanted more of in their life? When I react to it in others though - often with an angry moment of my own - I soon recognise that I'm judging myself more than I am them.... and with that understanding comes a learning opportunity.

     

    I think I have a better understanding of myself and of what it means to be human as a result of this approach. Rather than hide or feel shame about my imperfections , I try to acknowledge them and be transparent.

     

     

    P.S. Joel's bombshell that he obtained approval from the mods here before embarking on promotion of his blog is something either he, or a mod, could and should have mentioned a whole lot sooner, in my personal opinion.

    I felt that too and experienced some self pity & anger when I felt I was being misjudged. On the other hand , by being made to appear more contentious than I was, more people have found this thread and seen the blog. The egocentric side of me will take that over ambivalence or anonymity any day.

    I'm on my phone

    Bad news. I'm starting to warm to you,

    Ironically the nay sayers have probably got yourself and blog a great deal more attention than would otherwise have been the case.

     

    Might even sign up to your blog now, Greenie awarded though for post 44 :)

    I was just thinking the same. No such thing as bad publicity etc

    dido :)

     

    how truly boring would this life be if we all agreed on every little point.

     

    I really enjoyed your first two offerings, not so much the lock one, but still enjoyed your writing "style". Keep up the good work

    Thanks. The lock one wasn't my favourite tbh. It could probably have done with another edit before I put it out there.

  2. Me too, welcome Joel!

    I don't know quite why some posters were less than friendly. One of life's mysteries.

    Thanks!

     

    A perception that I was here to plug my blog and not contribute in any other way may have been a factor. I see it as a testament to how strongly such members value this forum that they would want to protect its etiquette and style. It's very rare that anyone acts with malice unless they feel there is a reason to.

    I don't know why quite so many people found it a good read. One of life's little mysteries.

    Such is life.

    Good morning Rachael. What would life be like without its little mysteries? (It's rhetorical. Don't feel obliged to focus your mind on that one ).

     

    Glad to see the laptop survived , after all.

  3. Excellent post. I am not sure if anybody has welcomed you to the forum? But may i do so.

    I will be subscribing to your blog and therefore probably catch you over there.

    I'm off now to take the dog for a walk, where I might take a photo, and pop in the shop, just the local one.

    I'll also say i have struggled with some of the attitudes on this forum, of a few, and i find yours a refreshing and honest change. Viva la differance.

    Best regards.

    Thank you very much. See you there ... and here

  4. I understand that last year, certainly in london, there were some boaters who stayed an extra 14 days after the period of their winter mooring had ended. CRT had not been clear then about this point. Consequently, they received criticism from other sections of the boating world for the "confusion" that their lack of clarity / inconsistency had caused. My guess ,this year, is that they feel under some pressure not to have a repeat of that situation, hence the firm reminders , exclamation marks etc. It's aimed at those who might consider extending their stay a bit longer (and perhaps also for the benefit of those who had criticised them last year to demonstrate that their concerns had been listened to ) . Inevitably, though, that will irritate customers who have paid for a winter mooring as it makes them feel unvalued.

     

    CRT -even though i feel that they frequently work to the detriment of continuous cruisers - are often in an impossible position. Many decisions they make (or undertake to make) that will benefit one section of the boating community will - by their nature - upset another. Boaters with home moorings want very different things from continuous cruisers . ... and those hire boat companies with so much alleged clout often want different things again. There are not so many win / win situations if you are CRT. Poisoned chalice syndrome .

  5. Some of you might be aware of the ongoing conflict between residents on Noël Rd, Islington and boaters. It's a VM area but the residents have been trying to change this for a while. Some of them have council connections and they recently won a small battles - double breasting has been banned until the end of March). Boris Johnson is one of the residents there although -as far as I know -he's kept out of the debate. Mooring space is ridiculously limited in London and this is one of the nicest spots going. I'd hate to see it compromised any further,

     

    The other story this thread brings to mind is Sonning on the Thames. Uri Geller bought the mooring space outside of his (huge) house and has outlawed mooring there. I suppose if you have paid the right people, 'no mooring' signs can be legally enforced. Either way, he's made sure there is nothing outside to moor onto.

     

    I thinkthe residents in Islington and Geller both cited the health risks from carbon monoxide as their justification.

  6. Well apparently this is not your site so why do you feel entitled to inform me - especially in such a derogatory manner - of how I should discuss my boating blog here? Do you not trust the site administrators to be able to make their own judgement over whether a member is breaking the rules?

     

     

     

     

     

    Disagreeing is fine, of course. I welcome it. A small number of the earlier comments were solely abusive though without engaging with the content. That's trolling, right?

  7. Well apparently this is not your site so why do you feel entitled to inform me - especially in such a derogatory manner - of how I should discuss my boating blog here? Do you not trust the site administrators to be able to make their own judgement over whether a member is breaking the rules?

     

     

     

     

     

    Well, it is very big of you to break the rules on advertising only once a week.

     

    The rule is simple. You may link to your blog in your signature, which gets posted at the bottom of every message, and as such the URL will be available every time you join in a discussion. You may not make posts that have no purpose other than to advertise your blog.


    Disagreeing with you does not make anybody a troll.

    It's a term too readily bandied about on here, some people should check the definition including what the term has become increasingly to mean lately before they suggest anybody on here is one.

     

    Disagreeing is fine, of course. I welcome it. A small number of the earlier comments were solely abusive though without engaging with the content. That's trolling, right?

  8. Hello Lady Muck . Please message me privately if you are involved with managing the site and we'll figure out the best way forward. I'm new here and I haven't figured out which of the negative comments here are bonafide, which are from trolls and whether any of them have any official backing - so it's hard to know what I should embrace and what should be deflected.

     

    Can I make a suggestion? It's a blog, Joel is not selling anything, some of us find it an interesting read, (well, ok a blog can have ads but you get my drift).

    But yes I can appreciate it does get a bit spammy if you start a new thread every time.

     

    Perhaps Joel could just post in one thread rather than starting a new one every time he makes a new post?

     

    It might upset some of our members uhm, a bit less. smile.png

     

    Shall we merge your threads Joel?

    .

  9. I've been thinking about anger because I have spent a long time being Mr Angry and because of it I caused a lot of pain to those I loved and to myself.

     

    In a nutshell....

     

    I think anger is not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes it is an honest reaction to a set of events and therefore healthy.

     

    So I think it is ok to be angry. - But it is not ok to inflict your anger on other people

     

    Neither is it ok to hide your anger - it is commonly known in the counselling world that anger, denied, turns inside, into self doubt doubt and self criticism, neither of which are healthy. Rather the opposite - anger turned inside is destructive just as anger inflicted on others is destructive.

     

     

     

    My stepfather used to say - if you feel angry find something to punch like a wall or a door. Get rid of your angry feelings that way. A door is better though because it has some give in it.

     

     

     

    Edited to add....

     

    In a scene from Call The Midwife one of the midwives was talking to the Mother Superior about the relative of a patient she was dealing with who was angry and aggressive and difficult to deal with. Jenny Agutter told her that anger is very often a response to another hidden emotion, usually fear, anxiety, or a feeling of vulnerability. So look for the cause of the anger and respond to that, not the anger itself.

     

    I found that quite profound.

     

    I can see the truth in it. In my opinion there are powerful emotions that can be said to exist as a direct reaction to events. Sadness and joy for example. The emotion kind of stands in isolation if you see what I mean. I think anger is different though because it is almost always an emotion that is a response to another emotion. But the anger is what people see because it is there on the surface (and what the angry person is conscious of). It is in your face, obvious. Therefore the anger is what people focus on and react to.

     

    It is the unknown hidden deep emotion, that the anger is a response to, that is the real problem.

     

    I use this myself. If I feel angry I let the anger stay without inflicting it on others and without denying it. Though I do tend to go off by myself. After a while, when I've simmered down somewhat, I can begin to look inside and ask myself what is it that provokes my anger? What am I afraid of? What is it about this set of circumstances, this event, that makes me feel anxious or vulnerable?

     

    If I can understand, not just my anger, but it's root cause then I find the anger dissipates quite quickly leaving me able to focus on it's cause.

     

    That philosophy helps me to cope with other people's anger too.

     

    I'm sorry if this sounds like a lecture but I find this thread and Joel's blog very interesting because it strikes a chord with my own recent thinking. I also find that the act of writing about this kind of thing is, in itself, a productive process because as I write I can see ideas, trains of thought, forming, taking shape, and clarifying themselves.

     

    More power to Joel's elbow I say and I have no problem with him prompting me that there is an addition to his blog. I can see how it might be tiresome for some, though, as Dave Mayall says.

    Thanks Barry / Bazza. That was a fabulous read. Ultimately, we're all very similar in terms of what drives us - the emotions are there within us all: we seek out experiences which make us feel validated and we avoid experiences that cause us to feel shame, fear or guilt. Some of us have figured that out consciously; other do it subconsciously. Some of us express our feelings; others repress. Most of us do a bit of everything.

     

    For myself, boating started as a bit of an escape. I have come to realise that is true for a lot of people (just look at how many boat names allude to escaping, freedom, serenity, dreams etc).

     

    Speaking for myself, I had very high blood pressure and - within a few months of getting into boating - it dropped drastically. Now that boating has become 'normal' for me, my blood pressure sometimes gets high again. It's nowhere near what it was but that's because I started looking at other areas of my life too, slowly made lifestyle changes and learned to understand myself better. As you alluded too very openly, I also make an effort to examine myself when I get a reaction to something. If that 'something' happens to be related to boating, I turn my 'angry boater' brain on and explore it through writing about it. It's partly an excuse to focus my mind on staying self aware.

     

    In some of the 'confrontations' (if that's what they are) I've used as my blog as starting points, I've seen aspects of myself in other boaters - aspects I don't necessarily like. Despite what some of the more self aggrandising comments to my post have alluded to, I'm not generally being critical of the other party when I document a tense encounter with one. Ultimately, I'm not being critical of myself either really. I accept my vulnerabilities and understand the benefits they have brought to my life as well as the drawbacks. When other forum readers react with aggression to my blog or comments, it's quite likely that they are experiencing some kind of denial. Perhaps something I wrote has triggered something they do not want to deal with. On the other hand, it could just be blowing off steam for the sake of it. The anonymity of the internet makes it easy to speak to people in ways that we seldom with have the courage to do face to face - to dehumanise the other party so to speak.

     

    Ultimately, that all sounds very serious but it isn't necessarily. I usually find my reactions to things and the awkwardness that sometimes ensues quite funny . A good squirm can be delightful

     

    Thanks again for your comments.

    David

     

    From your tone (unnecessarily sarcastic as it may be ) I am assuming you are the site administrator? Is my assumption correct? I see that you are a long standing member. Please clarify.

     

    Thanks

     

    Well, it is very big of you to break the rules on advertising only once a week.

     

    The rule is simple. You may link to your blog in your signature, which gets posted at the bottom of every message, and as such the URL will be available every time you join in a discussion. You may not make posts that have no purpose other than to advertise your blog.

  10. Yes, obviously some people will get hacked off - and others with be appreciative. As long as enough people seem to welcome my contributions, I will feel motivated to contribute.

     

    As for....

    "posts that have no purpose other than to drum up readers for your blog are inappropriate and not permitted under the forum rules"

     

    .... of course that is not my only purpose. I read other threads, will contribute elsewhere if I feel I have something to add and - since my blog is about boating issues that are of interest to me (and seemingly others) - linking to my blog and engaging with any ensuing discussion about it - seems to be an ideal way for me to contribute to the boating community.

     

    That said, I understand that too many samey posts might be annoying to a few and I'm mindful of this, hence limiting myself to no more than one a week. So thank you for pointing that out. Point taken.

     

     

     

     

     

    OK, that is where you are going to increasingly find that people are hacked off with you.

     

    You came here and you made a post specifically to tell us that you have a blog. People went and looked at your blog. Some liked it and decided to read it. Others decided that it wasn't for them.

     

    So far, so good, and nothing to object to.

     

    However, if it is your intention to post every week simply to advertise your blog, then patience will rapidly wear very thin. This site is "Canal World Discussion Forum". people come here to discuss stuff. It is not "Canal World Blog Advertising Forum", and posts that have no purpose other than to drum up readers for your blog are inappropriate and not permitted under the forum rules;

     

     

     

    Essentially, if you want to come here and discuss stuff, that's fine, and you can even include a link to your blog in your signature. If all you want to do is advertise your blog, it isn't fine.

     

    It is, in any case, not going to achieve anything. You have got the word out, and most of the people who might read your blog from here are now doing so. Continuing to advertise it isn't going to garner many readers, and is very likely to persuade some of your readers not to bother in future.

     

    If what you write is worth reading, you may even occasionally find that other people choose to link to a particular item.

     

  11. nope

    I was serious.

    As FTS says just put the bow into the throat of the lock, its not rocket science.

    Oh and I have missed paddles and I don't get angry with anyone but myself because I made the mistake.

    You're a great testament to our species. I hope, someday, to be able to demonstrate such poise and wisdom myself.

    I agree with your opinions on this one TDH

     

    The Blog appears to promote a discourteous and confrontational approach to meeting other boaters.

     

    Third rate Stand-up comedy and not at all enjoyable.

     

    The OP says he is/was an entertainer,seems like a low cost publicity exercise

     

    Being considerate and courteous to fellow boaters is much more enjoyable.

     

    CT

    It might appear to do the opposite if you read it. That isn't what I'm trying to do and I doubt that it would come across that way to anyone who has given it more than a skim read. Your comment, on the other hand, is incredibly discourteous and confrontational. Another example of seeing in others that which we judge most strongly in ourselves, perhaps.

  12. In september we tried to moor in Little Venice to no avail so we tried Paddington Basin also no go so we decidedmto go back to Kensal Green and try to join the township but as we passed Little Venice a boat pulled out so we pulled into the vacant space. About an hour later the sais boat returned and I was given a verbal tirade to the effect the "that was my mooring". I pointed out that I was on a visitor mooring to which he replied that he worked round the corner an he always moored there and it would really put him out. He seemed completely oblivious to the mooring restrictions. I suggested that he breast up but he declined saying that he liked his privacy. I said tata then he went off in a right old hump

    You were very unlucky to bump into someone so self centred , I think. Boaters in london happily double moor all the time.

  13. Its always worked fine for me on a 60ft NB does the extra 2ft make it impossible or is it you just don't know how to handle a boat, come to that do you know how to work a lock? About the first thing you should do is check the paddles at the opposite end before opening the ones at your end.

    Oh dear. Please tell me that was ironic

    I wonder if we are talking about different places. I meant the bollards behind these parked boats

    camden-lock-landing.jpg

    Ah I see !

     

    There are always boats there though -usually double moored

  14. I still don't understand why you can't tie the fore-end of your boat to it, to save turning around.

     

     

    MtB

    Perhaps I could have done but - as a single boater -I would have had to line the boat up, run through the boat to the bow and hope that by the time I got there -the wind hadn't blown me away from the landing (and it was a very windy day)

    Because then there is nothing to write half a blog ofwhinging about it?

     

    Erm and where did I say that.

    What I said is there is no need to spam forums with it.

    But then again you would have nothing to write about if you did that would you?

    Because then there is nothing to write half a blog ofwhinging about it?

     

    Erm and where did I say that.

    What I said is there is no need to spam forums with it.

    But then again you would have nothing to write about if you did that would you?

    You didn't say that . I was quoting from my own blog (well Harry Enfield, really). . I was suggesting that you want others to live their lives according to your own values. It's a character trait often associated with depression and, ironically, anger.

  15. Anyone who is a member of your blog will get your new posts on their blog roll. You don't need to tell them.

    There is a blog section on this forum you can post updates in there.

    If people want to read your blog they will find it. Ours was set up for friends and family to keep tabs on us as we don't see them for most of the year we are in the boat. It somehow seems to have gained a following despite no spamming of forums.

    And it's Rachael. And that's my Sunday name or name when I'm in trouble not for everyday use!

     

    I thought you had better things to be doing.

    Or you could, now this will be a shock to you, offer something useful to the forum!

    Shock horror.......

    Ah I think I understand now. I'm supposed to manage my blog in the way you manage yours. "You don't want to do it like that! You want to do it like this!" That's not how the world works though - never has / never will.

  16. Don't worry about her abusive attitude,its not personal she's like it with everyone. Rachel only visits the forum when she's in a bad mood and looking for an argument.I made an argument thread for her but she just won't stay in it

    You look after her well. It's nice here.

    There is a lock landing of sorts. Just before the footbridge that spans across the end of the lock there are some bollards on the left. They are meant to be a lock landing. I have not been through Camden for a few months but last year most times I went through there were boats parked there. *sigh* It is a common problem in London *sigh*, I have not been through to see if the new paint colours have made a difference.

    Yes, that's the landing I reversed into. It's too short for a 62 footer

    The blog concept grates with me - however well written. I have an aversion to the negative and have almost perfected a way of ignoring those that display it (we do have a choice to be or not be angry!) so perhaps it's not for me and, as MtB alluded to if it's a slow day, do you have to go out and stir up some angryness from within? perhaps involving others?

     

    Note, I did say almost.

    Thanks for commenting , Mark , but I think you've missed the point. I don't believe there's anything "negative" in what I wrote.

     

    Firstly, there is an assumption there that to be angry is a negative thing. It can be, of course, but everything has 2 sides. Greenday alluded to this when they wrote, "anger is an energy (oh ey oh ey)."

     

    I'm interested in finding the 2 sides - including the lessons that these so called negative feelings can provide. To do that, I believe I have to get beyond the repression that you are alluding to.

    Boating was more fun before the internet was invented?

    That's funny. I didn't have a boat then but I'm sure you are right.

    Exactly. This is what I don't understand. The whole blog post under discussion doesn't really hold water does it?

     

    If the OP can get off the boat after winding it, he can get off by the same route without winding it. He seemed unable to explain why this is not the case when I asked earlier. Asking someone why the lock won't work then being angry when told the reason doesn't make sense either.

     

    I think the whole incident was made up! Not sure why, other than perhaps to keep the blog going.

     

    MtB

     

    Sorry but I don't understand.

     

    Quite. It's libel when the slander is in writing.

     

    :D

     

    MtB

  17. It would be really so much easier to ignore if you didn't post so many adverts on forums that you have written a new post.

     

    If it had such a big audience you wouldn't need to spam it everywhere! I can see that this is very troublesome for you

    Who has claimed that my blog has such a big audience, Rachel? I certainly haven't. I've only been doing it for a few months and, yes, I hope to have a bigger audience for it over time. One of the ways I am striving to do that - once a week - is by announcing my new posts to relevant boating forums. If you know of a better way, I'm open to hearing it.

     

    However, it appears that the idea of someone else trying to create something is very troublesome for you... and I am curious as to why that might be? Your manner has been abusive and, considering that we have never met, I am curious about what is driving you.

  18.  

    clapping.gif

    Indeed! I think you're rather brave, single handing through london in a 62 footer - and Camden "gongoozlers" i would imagine are the craziest bunch - my mate had 6 drunks try to get on his boat in camden a few years ago!

    Thanks but I don't feel brave . When I first started boating, moving around singlehandedly was harder (and scarier) but, like anything, with a little practice, it becomes easier and there's less fear. Keeping it slow is the key, I think

    It's a wind up, Joel probably writes for that other wind up blog purporting to tell it how it is.

    Which blog are you referring to? (I don't write for it but I'm interested in taking a look)

    Joel writes a self reflective blog.

     

    He's human like everybody else. He makes mistakes, he cocks up, he has bad days, he can get in a really grumpy mood and when he does somebody else can get the brunt of that.

     

    He also has the ability to reflect on that lot, recognise his vulnerabilities, and work out where he went wrong.

     

    He also has the ability and the guts to write about that - self identified warts and all.

     

    A lot of what happened in that exchange with the guy helping was Joel's own fault but he knows that now.

     

    I see no gloating.

    Thanks Barry.

     

    Yes, the idea is to put my inadequacies out there - against the background of my boating life - and explore / learn what I can about myself and others through doing so.

     

    It doesn't feel brave though. I accept my weaknesses and don't really have much shame attached to them.

     

    I agree with you there. I enjoyed the OP's thread and I think a lot of people (if they were honest with themselves) can see a bit of themselves in that post.

    By posting negative slanderous comments you are falling into the "should" crowd.

     

    That's pretty astute, I think.

     

    Plenty of people on here from all walks of life so my take on things is not going to be for everyone.

     

    I totally agree.

     

    I made a point of not reading "Angry Boater" before, because the very title made me feel I did not want to read it.

     

    However a lot of people seemed to think the previous posting was fine reading, so I thought I'd give it the benefit of the doubt and read this one.

     

    It's not often I disagree with some who have posted in support here, but this is one blog I'll not be bothering with again.

     

    It seems to me that the person you are getting "angry" about has done nothing wrong at all, other than point out what you don't appear to have worked out for yourself up until that point(!) If the nuance is supposed to be that you are actually taking a poke at yourself, rather than him, that's not how it comes across to me.

     

    Sorry!

    No need to be sorry. I appreciate your feedback

    Yes stimulating in a way that makes you want to throw your laptop out into the car park so you don't have to read such shite.

    Perhaps hold onto your laptop and, next time, maybe just avoid reading my blog. You'll thank me in the long run.

    Must admit that some of his stuff does make me chuckle and is probably a good guy.

     

    I think i can also work out why he is a lone boater.

    Thanks (I think)

    I wonder if the guy with the windlass is also writing a blog post wondering what he did to get a reaction like the OP's when he pointed out the raised paddle.

     

    People have different ways of talking. To the OP the guy might have sounded sarcastic where the guy in his own mind could have just been light hearted. That's also why some topics on here go the way they do.

     

    If someone was struggling with a gate and said to me "I don't know why" I would think a quite acceptable reply would be "because you've left a paddle open".

     

    If I was the OP I don't think I'd let it bother me. I certainly wouldn't blog about it.

    We parted as friends.

     

    The good news is that you don't have to blog about your experiences. It's entirely a choice. I choose to write about my (sometimes awkward)) experiences, irrespective of your certainty that it is wrong to share yours. That's how it works.

    By the time I realised I did to want to read it I had already started reading it.

     

    Too late.

     

    Technically where I am it would be a desk top smile.png

    I sympathise with your struggle, Rachel. I think you're coping very well.

    I think the answer is easy for those who do not appreciate the content of blog is indeed just not to read it.

     

    I too read some of the earlier stuff and decided it's not for me, it just don't see the point really. Of course it is a free country and people are free to like and appreciate many different things so blog away, clearly it has an appeal to some.

    I shall be aiming to win you over with the next one

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