After World Aids Day

I missed world Aids day this year.

Well not exactly missed it, I turned up, I was still alive.

But there was no ribbon on my chest.

My excuse

I couldn't find any this year.

I didn't see a single soul wearing one either.

It was always a big thing when I was young.

We should still care

And it's still a global problem, 34 million people were living with HIV/AIDS worldwide in 2011, check the World Health Organisation.

It still has no cure.

Yet, no ribbons.

Strange.

My science obsession continues

So I thought that this YouTube post by the guy from SciShow was a really nice way to conceptualise numbers through translating them into time.

Have a look it's great, it makes it all more real.

If you wanted to make it real.

If you're a billion pounds in debt for example, maybe you'd rather continue to be hazy on it.

Am I being too negative?

It's my new obsession.

Watch it, watch it, watch it, she says like an over excited puppy.

THE Spaceman

I should have put this up when Neil Armstrong died, but I've only just discovered it.

My favourite SciShow geek has 10 reasons why Neil Armstrong was badarse.

And no that isn't a spelling mistake, I'm British.

I should have posted about a million different things, but things have been quite busy over here.

Whoosh, bang

I walked home from a seasonal fireworks display last night.

It was the brilliant Brockwell Park display, which is thankfully still free and musically accompanied.

Their display knocked the socks off the Bermondsey display of last year.

Winter warmer

I love fireworks night.

It makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.

Though I've still failed to make treacle toffee, which would make things complete.

Logistics

However, I was a little dismayed by the human traffic jam to leave the park, which left me nervous about a repeat Hillisborough.

I was also frustrated to find that all the traffic had just decided to stop running towards my home.

I ended up walking all the way home; I wasn't planning on so much exercise.

American health care

I found this on YouTube.

It's an intelligent unpacking of the American health care issues.

Doesn't it make you feel lucky?

Hello beautiful

Yes, a guy saying 'hello beautiful' in the pouring rain is a thumbs up.

I was waiting innocently and soggily at the bus stop, I was not expecting compliments.

This is not being hailed as a child or scolded for not giving some egotistical idiot the attention he feels he deserves.

This is someone nodding through ugly British weather and saying: "You, you look good even under the coat with which I am sheltering my head."

Thanks, you don't look bad either.

Make your own chocolates

I started my Wednesday by turning up at The Royal Exchange shopping arcade in Bank to meet Paul A Young, master chocolatier, for the first time.
This delicious smelling event was all about making your own chocolates.

Paul A Young talked the assembled crowd of, mainly, women about making truffles.

Mixing chocolate

First off he poured nearly a full tank of melted chocolate onto a stone slab, assuring us that it would not spill on the floor – amazingly it stayed put.

Then got about mixing the cooling liquid chocolate in on itself.

Once the chocolate had cooled to the point of forming ripples, he poured it into the remaining chocolate to finish. 

Rolling chocolate

Now for the tricky bit, he took a small ball of ganache and placed it on his still cocoa covered fingers, taking the other hand to roll the ganache into a perfect ball.

Now for some real fun, he smeared his gloved hand with chocolate and repeated the rolling process on the prepared ganache and turned the finished chocolate in a bowl of cocoa to finish.

Our turn

Making my first chocolate turned out not to be as hard as I had envisioned.

And smearing my hands with chocolates is very messy and extremely fun.

I found my later chocolates decided to squash slightly, but my over all effort was a good one and I even got a compliment. 

The verdict

Hand made chocolates are worth the money and Paul A Young is a chocolate rock star in the making. 

Check out my interview.