It's not very Rock 'n Roll but...

I'd been thinking about heading out to the cinema this evening - I've been out and about today until about 5pm and then had an hour or two before an evening showing. Seemed perfect. But as the hour of departure approached, I decided I didn't really fancy it. "Not very rock 'n roll, being in on a Saturday night and ready for a quiet evening curled up at home," I thought to myself. "But..." And it was the but that did it. The but was an excuse. An excuse for being me, doing what I do and feeling what I feel. Which is CRAZY.

For starters, I'm not rock 'n roll, I'm Tigger.

And, should there need to be anything more, I am who I am and how I spend my time is entirely down to me. No-one to justify to. No-one to please. It's me, myself and I. Admittedly, that's simplified by the fact that my life really is very straightforward in the sense that I don't have dependents or immediate "family" I live with (partner / children / very close friends). But even if those factors were there, there's still just me to keep happy and healthy - while supporting others where I can.

I've noticed myself almost unconsciously justifying myself to fit a perceived "norm" mold previously. And year on year, I've broken away from being bothered about it. But this evening's rock 'n roll moment reminded me there are still expectations I put on myself. There's no-one else doing it, just me. And what a waste of energy it is! The flip side to the "Not very rock 'n roll..." thought? "Great! I've an evening to rest. To curl up and enjoy my space. To get an early night so I can enjoy the daylight tomorrow. To save watching that film for another time when I REALLY fancy it. And most importantly, the best thing this evening in will do for me is help recharge my batteries. Acetastic."

Me? I like the flipside.

Entirely unrelated to rock 'n roll, but I've been having an interesting thought-foray into taxes and energy. I am generally very ignorant about what my tax money actually goes on. And I'm getting to a point of being very dissatisfied with that. I'm also wary of scratching too deep and finding much deeper frustrations with how the money is being spent (or, potentially, wasted). But that's another story. The energy issue is also coming to the fore, somewhat "by accident", and has brought me back to a query I've had for many moons.

Why is so little said about energy efficiency?

 Yesterday I was watching a film (Into Eternity) about Onkalo, a nuclear waste storage facility in Finland which is being designed as a long-term (100,000 year) storage facility for existing Finnish nuclear waste. Phenomenal concept and one I'm still reeling from not having heard of before. It's a serious undertaking but one which is the first (and as far as I know only) instance of its kind, all other nuclear waste being kept in very much short-term storage. Anyway, if you're interested, watch the film. Fascinating stuff.

At the end of the screening there were also a couple of short films about campaigning against the new generation of nuclear power in the UK. What fascinated me most about the shorts was a stand alone comment to the effect of:

"If every home in Britain was properly insulated, we wouldn't even need the new reactor."

Crikey.

There's a thought.

Where this nugget came from, what it's based on and what the caveats are around it (I'd love to know the financial comparisons, let alone the job creation potential) I have no idea (although if anyone does, I'd love to hear them!) but it was a real stop-and-think moment. This evening I watched a short TED video (www.ted.com if you fancy some thought provoking browsing) of a pro/anti nuclear debate. And not a sentence was given over to efficiency.

It's still mulling but I'm pondering. What happens if instead of funding a new power station (of whatever variety) the money is spent on energy efficiency measures for residential homes as well as commercial businesses throughout the country. Local job creation? Lower energy demand? Less fuel poverty? Lower household bills? Negative impacts? And are there reasons why money can't be spent like that? Again, I remember a crazy stat that rather than bailing out failing banks everyone in the UK could have been given a tenner - not necessarily practical, but a fascinating thought when it comes to the quantities of money involved.

But for now, I'm mulling. Wondering and pondering and contemplating my next step. It's an interesting spot to be in.