Asics Contend 10 Running Shoes £54.99

The older I get, the grumpier I become, especially with things falling apart seemingly shortly after I buy them.

But is it really poor workmanship that we're all getting scammed by, or just my perception of time?

To try to figure this out and maybe combat it, I'd like to try to write long-term reviews of purchases. Not just the quick 'Four days later' review that Amazon demands.

So here's the first one.

My red running shoes are falling apart, as are my knees, so I thought it was high time to invest in another pair of runners. I chose these Asics from Sports Direct and the shop assistant also suggested some Slazenger gel insoles at £5, so I cut them to size and put them in.

Day 1: very happy with them out the box. I'll let you know how I get on with my first run.

My right knee has been hurting, just under the kneecap, and the google AI machine suggested this was patellar tendonitis, and that the standing quad stretches I have been doing before and after running for 40 odd years could be damaging. That and the old shoes. Jumper's knee it's called apparently. Hence the trip to Sports Direct.

So no stretching, no running, no crawling for me, at least for the next few days. 

This is day three after the run and already feels much better.

I woke up this morning with a headache and the remnants of a nightmare about going back to work, its tendrils still in my nostrils. I was teaching two new classes in a lecture hall, and I couldn't get any of the kids' names right, nor even read their handwriting on the register. Also construction work was being done on my old classroom and no-one had bothered to tell me.

The headache I have attributed to being out in the midday sun (like a mad dog or Englishman) yesterday, trimming the bushes at the front of the the house. However, I am currently rehydrating and already feeling better.

I won't be going for a run though until the pain in my head and knee abates so I'm afraid you will have to be patient for the next installment!

31/7/26 Update: Still good! Knee getting better

Rubbish at French!?

Hard to believe the Eiffel Tower was just meant to be a temporary exhibit in an expo.

I had a very interesting conversation with my ten year old son today about his French class. It was prompted my a comment his French teacher made during their lesson which he was quite upset about.
According to him she said, "You are rubbish at French!"
First of all I tried to get him to calm down using the techniques I've discussed with him before. Take a deep breath, relax every part of your body. Because if you relax the body, you relax the mind. Did he know that? No, he didn't.
Good. Now he does. Score one for dad.
Then I tried to understand the context. Did she mean just him, or the whole class?
The whole class.
Is she French?
Yes.
Is she old or young.
I don't know, but she is wrinkly.
Did she teach you last year.
No. I mean yes.
Would you say your class is rubbish at French?
No. I mean, not all.
Who in your class would you say is good at French?
Me, and about eight others.
And how many are in the class?
18
So half the class is quite good at French and the other half is rubbish.
Yes.
Okay, that sounds about average. And what was said to prompt this outburst from the French teacher?
We were all reading something.
Together?
Yes, and we came to a new word that we had just learned that day.
And who could read it out loud?
No-one.
Well, it doesn't sound a very nice thing for a teacher to say to a class.
No, it's not.
The next time she says something like that maybe you can just mutter under your breath, "Sacre bleu!"
What does that mean?
I'm not sure. It's what French people say when they're surprised.