I would have got a better one of him posing with his head poking out from behind a fold in my duvet but it didn't focus properly and the lighting's a bit off. Might as well upload it here actually.
12.1.10
One Hundred Days - Day Forty Three
Another photo of Frankie today:
I would have got a better one of him posing with his head poking out from behind a fold in my duvet but it didn't focus properly and the lighting's a bit off. Might as well upload it here actually.
I would have got a better one of him posing with his head poking out from behind a fold in my duvet but it didn't focus properly and the lighting's a bit off. Might as well upload it here actually.
11.1.10
One Hundred Days - Day Forty Two
"Here I am, brain the size of a planet, and they ask me to take you to the bridge. Call that job satisfaction? Because I don't"
Happy day 42!
Happy day 42!
One Hundred Days - Day Forty One
Quite pleased with this one. A drawing of my uni friend and former housemate Derwent, who has his own 100 Days Project on the go, based on a photo he sent me. The mouth turned out a little weird, but they always do when I have to draw teeth. Thats partially why I've been putting off drawing the Fourth Doctor....
One Hundred Days - Day Forty
Talking of 2001, with the classic space men yesterday....
We are now living in the year 2010, so I thought it was about time I read 2010: Odyssey Two, in which a team of astronauts and scientists travel to Jupiter to recover the Discovery and find out what happened to HAL 9000, the crew and that Monolith...
So here's a drawing of the Discovery.
Very much enjoying the book, by the way. Not sure what it is about Arthur C Clarke's writing, but he's very easy to read. I may have to look into more of his work as i've only ever read 2001 and a third of 2010...
We are now living in the year 2010, so I thought it was about time I read 2010: Odyssey Two, in which a team of astronauts and scientists travel to Jupiter to recover the Discovery and find out what happened to HAL 9000, the crew and that Monolith...
So here's a drawing of the Discovery.
Very much enjoying the book, by the way. Not sure what it is about Arthur C Clarke's writing, but he's very easy to read. I may have to look into more of his work as i've only ever read 2001 and a third of 2010...
One Hundred Days - Day Thirty Nine
Bonus pictures today!
First off, this was my main picture for todays 100 days photo:
I just love the space theme, and the original classic space men are my all time favourites. I have no idea why, they're just so simple, and remind me vaguely of the space suits from 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Bonus picture 1: More spacemen, but this time the original Blacktron, who're also cool but for different reasons to the classic spacemen. Also nearby are the M-Tron, who were my favourites when i was growing up, before I'd discovered the classic space men.
Bonus picture 2: Here stands every minifig I've ever owned. Minus a handful of Star Wars droids who wouldn't fit.
First off, this was my main picture for todays 100 days photo:
I just love the space theme, and the original classic space men are my all time favourites. I have no idea why, they're just so simple, and remind me vaguely of the space suits from 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Bonus picture 1: More spacemen, but this time the original Blacktron, who're also cool but for different reasons to the classic spacemen. Also nearby are the M-Tron, who were my favourites when i was growing up, before I'd discovered the classic space men.
Bonus picture 2: Here stands every minifig I've ever owned. Minus a handful of Star Wars droids who wouldn't fit.
One Hundred Days - Day Thirty Seven
More snow based stuff. I wanted to draw something, and I hadn't built a snowman, so I drew one instead
One Hundred Days - Day Thirty Six
Two photos in one today. We had a bit of a snowfall so I took a photo, similar to day 30's, but then only an hour or so later, it was so much deeper I had to take another one.
One Hundred Days - Day Thirty Five
Today I drew a Hawaiian Bobtail Squid. Just cos they're so incredibly cute.
One Hundred Days - Day Thirty Four
This is based on a drawing I did a while back. I was chopping up spring onions in the kitchen when I noticed a particularly large and twisty one looked like some sort of tentacle monster. So here he is on a rampage through Portsmouth. The photo is one of several I took way back on day one.
3.1.10
One Hundred Days - Day Thirty Three
I was a little bit late with this one. Didn't expect it to take three hours to draw. The spaceman returns, and this time he has met the first Lego minifig I ever owned.
2.1.10
One Hundred Days - Day Thirty Two
I very nearly forgot about 100days yesterday. I think it must have been because I didn't upload the new years eve pic until the morning so somewhere at the back of my brain a little voice was trying to tell me I'd already done it when I hadn't. Also I was preoccupied with the brilliant finale of Doctor Who featuring the regeneration of poor Mr Tennant.
But enough of excuses. I was determined to draw something instead of just taking another photo (and I had no idea what to take a photo of) so between 11:50 and midnight I drew this quick, rough sketch of the TARDIS.
I very much enjoyed the Doctor Who finale, which was mildly surprising considering RTD's previous efforts, which are usually a little disappointing. A brilliant send off for Doctor ten, and really looking forward to seeing where Matt Smith and Steven Moffat take it in the spring.
But enough of excuses. I was determined to draw something instead of just taking another photo (and I had no idea what to take a photo of) so between 11:50 and midnight I drew this quick, rough sketch of the TARDIS.
I very much enjoyed the Doctor Who finale, which was mildly surprising considering RTD's previous efforts, which are usually a little disappointing. A brilliant send off for Doctor ten, and really looking forward to seeing where Matt Smith and Steven Moffat take it in the spring.
One Hundred Days - Day Thirty One
Another photo of Karen and Ash's puppy, now named Ralph, having a pre-midnight nap on new years eve. He is a Bullador, half black Labrador and half bulldog. He's very cute, very friendly, very playful and very inquisitive. One of the children from McFly has bought one of his brothers so he's sort of related to a 'celebrity'.
He was very good at midnight. He seemed a little puzzled by the party poppers, but he wasn't scared at all, and he had a little drink from a glass of wine someone had left on the floor before we stopped him.
He was very good at midnight. He seemed a little puzzled by the party poppers, but he wasn't scared at all, and he had a little drink from a glass of wine someone had left on the floor before we stopped him.
One Hundred Days - Day Thirty
Day Thirty was going to be a drawing but then I had an unexpected cinema trip (St Trinians 2. An entertaining enough film, but they pushed it a little too far at the end and it fell apart a bit. Wouldn't have seen it by choice) and I didn't get back til late so I just took a photo out my window.
In retrospect, I should have framed it slightly higher up to have more of the sky and not the wall and car roof, and maybe used the tripod as theres a touch of camera shake.
In retrospect, I should have framed it slightly higher up to have more of the sky and not the wall and car roof, and maybe used the tripod as theres a touch of camera shake.
One Hundred Days - Day Twenty Nine
Uploading multiple photos to blogger in one post is a pain in the arse so I'm gonna do the backlog of updates as single day posts:
First up, day twenty nine. My sister and her husband were meant to be coming to ours for dinner on this day, but then mum had a call from Karen saying they might not be able to make it, as they were in essex, buying a dog. They called in a bit later once they'd finally got back to Portsmouth so I took a quick picture of him on my phone.
This photo was also featured on the 100 days website, which was nice.
First up, day twenty nine. My sister and her husband were meant to be coming to ours for dinner on this day, but then mum had a call from Karen saying they might not be able to make it, as they were in essex, buying a dog. They called in a bit later once they'd finally got back to Portsmouth so I took a quick picture of him on my phone.
This photo was also featured on the 100 days website, which was nice.
28.12.09
One Hundred Days - Days Twenty Four, Twenty Five, Twenty Six, Twenty Seven and Twenty Eight
Whoops. Quite a bit behind with my updates here. I blame the festive period. Lets crack on then:
Day 24: On the last day of my Lego advent calenders, the gift behind the final door on the City themed calendar was a Santa minifig with a fireplace and stockings. Then I realised I had two more Santas knocking about somewhere so I decided to dig them out. But now I have three Santas. What do I do? obvious answer: fight to the death! THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!
The vague red and black theme with the spectators wasn't planned. It just sort of happened when I was picking out the minifigs so I went with it . This was also the featured image for the HundredDays website on Christmas day too, so I'm quite pleased with that.
Day 25: Speaking of Christmas day, here it is! I was a bit busy this day, as you can imagine, so I just snapped a quick photo of the tree in the morning, while there were still presents underneath it.
Day 26: I had planned to draw something for Boxing day, but when I saw Frankie sleeping on the roof of his cube I couldn't resist a photo. He doesn't do it as much as he used to, but its nice to know some things never change. The top picture is the picture of the day, Frankie, just a couple of weeks off the old age of 16 months, and below it is a comparison of him in exactly the same place when he was just four weeks old.
Day 27: I'm not really sure what happened yesterday. Again, I planned on drawing something, but somehow time got away from me. Instead, I took a photo of our knitted nativity display...plus guest.
Day 28: Derwent has been bugging me to draw him an astronaut pretty much since Day One, so I finally decided to give in and have a go at drawing the Lego space man who was still hanging around and exploring my desk from christmas eve's Santa fight. Really pleased with how well it came out. May have to try drawing some more minifigs over the next few weeks...
Day 24: On the last day of my Lego advent calenders, the gift behind the final door on the City themed calendar was a Santa minifig with a fireplace and stockings. Then I realised I had two more Santas knocking about somewhere so I decided to dig them out. But now I have three Santas. What do I do? obvious answer: fight to the death! THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!
The vague red and black theme with the spectators wasn't planned. It just sort of happened when I was picking out the minifigs so I went with it . This was also the featured image for the HundredDays website on Christmas day too, so I'm quite pleased with that.
Day 25: Speaking of Christmas day, here it is! I was a bit busy this day, as you can imagine, so I just snapped a quick photo of the tree in the morning, while there were still presents underneath it.
Day 26: I had planned to draw something for Boxing day, but when I saw Frankie sleeping on the roof of his cube I couldn't resist a photo. He doesn't do it as much as he used to, but its nice to know some things never change. The top picture is the picture of the day, Frankie, just a couple of weeks off the old age of 16 months, and below it is a comparison of him in exactly the same place when he was just four weeks old.
Day 27: I'm not really sure what happened yesterday. Again, I planned on drawing something, but somehow time got away from me. Instead, I took a photo of our knitted nativity display...plus guest.
Day 28: Derwent has been bugging me to draw him an astronaut pretty much since Day One, so I finally decided to give in and have a go at drawing the Lego space man who was still hanging around and exploring my desk from christmas eve's Santa fight. Really pleased with how well it came out. May have to try drawing some more minifigs over the next few weeks...
23.12.09
One Hundred Days - Days Twenty Two and Twenty Three
I forgot to update again yesterday didn't I? I just snapped a quick pic of the days Lego advent calendar gifts. I thought the Pirates one and the City one went together rather well...
And today, here's Frankie with his own little christmas tree, also courtesy of the Lego City advent calendar.
And today, here's Frankie with his own little christmas tree, also courtesy of the Lego City advent calendar.
21.12.09
One Hundred Days - Day Twenty One
Another drawing today. Little Frankie loves his chocolate drops :)
20.12.09
One Hundred Days - Days Eighteen, Nineteen and Twenty
Apparently I keep forgetting to update my blog. Will try to keep it up in future. I've still been doing my daily project, just about, so here they are:
Another attempt at the Doctor. not particularly happy with this one, but not sure why.
Nearly forgot on day nineteen, so I doodled a quick 'self portrait' in the last 15 minutes before midnight.
Spent a bit more time on todays picture. Borrowed a recent photo of one of Tara's ponies all wrapped up in the snow and used it as a reference to draw him.
Another attempt at the Doctor. not particularly happy with this one, but not sure why.
Nearly forgot on day nineteen, so I doodled a quick 'self portrait' in the last 15 minutes before midnight.
Spent a bit more time on todays picture. Borrowed a recent photo of one of Tara's ponies all wrapped up in the snow and used it as a reference to draw him.
17.12.09
One Hundred Days - Day Seventeen
Another quick snap today. This is my other advent calendar, and the far less festive of the two.
I only have a half day at work tomorrow so I will try and draw something. I did only have a half day today too, but time got away from me a bit so its just the photo.
I only have a half day at work tomorrow so I will try and draw something. I did only have a half day today too, but time got away from me a bit so its just the photo.
16.12.09
One Hundred Days - Day Sixteen
I was determined to draw the third Doctor tonight, but another busy evening and tiredness means its just another quick photo. One of my Lego advent calendars, the City themed version and much more christmassy version of the two :)
15.12.09
One Hundred Days - Days Fourteen & Fifteen
Blarg. Didn't do an update here yesterday as I was bloody knackered after waking up at 5 in the morning, sleeping badly til my alarm went off at 7.30, then doing a full day of work at my first day of Express FM. While on the train to come home, which was sat at the platform for 40 minutes before it went anywhere, I realised I hadn't taken any pictures and I was far too tired to draw anything so I snapped an attempt at an artistic seat shot. Not sure how well it worked.
Other than being completely knackering, my first day was rather good. After sorting out some paperwork in another building, I returned to Express FM HQ and found that the guy I was meant to be seeing to show me the ropes had just gone home because he'd decided he was ill. Well...more that everyone else had decided he was ill and made him leave because they didn't want to catch it, which was understandable.
So instead I took the audio from the 3 hours of the urban music show which was broadcast last friday and spent the day editing it down to a 28 minute podcast type thing.
Today began as more of the same. Every tuesday morning, around 8.30, they interview someone from one of the local councils, so first thing this morning I took the 8 o clock hours from the tuesday shows for the last 7 weeks and chopped out the interviews into seperate files.
Then there was a bit of a lull. Vicki explained this is normal. Everyone comes in first thing and is very productive for the first hour or two, but then people start getting distracted and it all falls apart a bit, and then its suddenly lunch time. Everyones much more productive again after lunch.
I, however, didn't have a whole lot to do early afternoon, so I just listened to the soft rock show from the night before, which wasn't too bad. Rob said it was aimed at the older audience, but most of the tracks they played are currently on my iPod, and I enjoyed a live performance of Queen covering All Right Now by Free.
And then I was given a job to do.
I produced my very first radio show!
It was a prerecord for Dave Allen's Christmas Show which should be going out in the afternoon of christmas day, but not sure for certain yet. All I had to do was queue up the tracks, fade up the mic when Dave was due to speak and fade him down and fade up the tracks when they were due to play. Easy. And a lot less scary than I was expecting it to be. Quite fun in fact.
Need to make a couple of edits tomorrow. Just need to trim out a section near the start where I accidentally started playing the first track again instead of the second track, and then replace the start of the penultimate track as Dave started talking to me before I'd turned off his mic.
I still can't really believe something I've produced is going to be broadcast on the radio. Maybe it'll sink in closer to broadcast. Dave also mentioned me by name in one of the links too, which was pretty cool!
For my #100days photo I was going to get one of Dave in the studio, but by the time we'd finished recording I'd completely forgotten, and didn't remember til I was waiting on the train so I couldn't even get a shot of just the studio. Maybe another day...
Instead, here's a photo of the shows track list with a couple of notes, and the CDs with the tracks on. Not quite as exciting visually, but still exciting for me none-the-less.
Other than being completely knackering, my first day was rather good. After sorting out some paperwork in another building, I returned to Express FM HQ and found that the guy I was meant to be seeing to show me the ropes had just gone home because he'd decided he was ill. Well...more that everyone else had decided he was ill and made him leave because they didn't want to catch it, which was understandable.
So instead I took the audio from the 3 hours of the urban music show which was broadcast last friday and spent the day editing it down to a 28 minute podcast type thing.
Today began as more of the same. Every tuesday morning, around 8.30, they interview someone from one of the local councils, so first thing this morning I took the 8 o clock hours from the tuesday shows for the last 7 weeks and chopped out the interviews into seperate files.
Then there was a bit of a lull. Vicki explained this is normal. Everyone comes in first thing and is very productive for the first hour or two, but then people start getting distracted and it all falls apart a bit, and then its suddenly lunch time. Everyones much more productive again after lunch.
I, however, didn't have a whole lot to do early afternoon, so I just listened to the soft rock show from the night before, which wasn't too bad. Rob said it was aimed at the older audience, but most of the tracks they played are currently on my iPod, and I enjoyed a live performance of Queen covering All Right Now by Free.
And then I was given a job to do.
I produced my very first radio show!
It was a prerecord for Dave Allen's Christmas Show which should be going out in the afternoon of christmas day, but not sure for certain yet. All I had to do was queue up the tracks, fade up the mic when Dave was due to speak and fade him down and fade up the tracks when they were due to play. Easy. And a lot less scary than I was expecting it to be. Quite fun in fact.
Need to make a couple of edits tomorrow. Just need to trim out a section near the start where I accidentally started playing the first track again instead of the second track, and then replace the start of the penultimate track as Dave started talking to me before I'd turned off his mic.
I still can't really believe something I've produced is going to be broadcast on the radio. Maybe it'll sink in closer to broadcast. Dave also mentioned me by name in one of the links too, which was pretty cool!
For my #100days photo I was going to get one of Dave in the studio, but by the time we'd finished recording I'd completely forgotten, and didn't remember til I was waiting on the train so I couldn't even get a shot of just the studio. Maybe another day...
Instead, here's a photo of the shows track list with a couple of notes, and the CDs with the tracks on. Not quite as exciting visually, but still exciting for me none-the-less.
13.12.09
One Hundred Days - Day Thirteen
Another quick snap today. This is the Triggs family's christmas tree. One of two actually. The bigger of the two. Personally, I think they could have got an even bigger one.
Its my first day at work tomorrow. Eep!
Its my first day at work tomorrow. Eep!
12.12.09
One Hundred Days - Day Twelve
Completely failed at drawing again today. Couldn't think of anything to draw, and then when I eventually did I couldn't draw anything I actually liked. So heres a photo instead. All ready for christmas.
11.12.09
One Hundred Days - Day Eleven
A lot happier with today's drawing. Both compared to yesterday's and my previous attempt at the Doctor. The proportions are better. Still not quite right, but still a vast improvement.
Don't really know what else to say now. I drew this over the last 2 and a half hours while watching through series 1 of Torchwood for my doctor who marathon.
Don't really know what else to say now. I drew this over the last 2 and a half hours while watching through series 1 of Torchwood for my doctor who marathon.
One Hundred Days - Day Ten
Whoops, forgot to upload this yesterday apparently. I did post it through twitter and facebook though, so it still counts.
my sister requested something australia related so I did this, and it is rubbish. I guess I should have added some shadow or something, but i just wanted to get it uploaded so i could forget about it.
Koazilla
Oh, yeah, and the photo is of my sister from her honeymoon trip to australia last christmas
my sister requested something australia related so I did this, and it is rubbish. I guess I should have added some shadow or something, but i just wanted to get it uploaded so i could forget about it.
Koazilla
Oh, yeah, and the photo is of my sister from her honeymoon trip to australia last christmas
9.12.09
One Hundred Days - Day Nine
After I uploaded yesterday's picture, James Bailey, an old school friend, sent me a message through facebook:
"I request a photo tomorrow with a yellow theme."
So, I had a think about it. And I had absolutely no idea what I was going to do. I overslept this morning as I was up til 3 last night finishing Time Gentlemen, Please (an excellent and hilarious point and click adventure game, btw, and sequel to the equally excellent Ben There, Dan That) and then had to go on the weekly Tesco trip which inexplicably takes up the whole afternoon, so I didn't have time to go out and explore to find something suitable to photograph.
Luckily, while I was waiting for mum and nan to find birthday cards for my dad, I noticed a little something else in the card aisle and snapped a quick pic using the camera on my phone.
Surprisingly good quality for a phone picture, I thought. And Mr Bailey's response? "Supurb"
"I request a photo tomorrow with a yellow theme."
So, I had a think about it. And I had absolutely no idea what I was going to do. I overslept this morning as I was up til 3 last night finishing Time Gentlemen, Please (an excellent and hilarious point and click adventure game, btw, and sequel to the equally excellent Ben There, Dan That) and then had to go on the weekly Tesco trip which inexplicably takes up the whole afternoon, so I didn't have time to go out and explore to find something suitable to photograph.
Luckily, while I was waiting for mum and nan to find birthday cards for my dad, I noticed a little something else in the card aisle and snapped a quick pic using the camera on my phone.
Surprisingly good quality for a phone picture, I thought. And Mr Bailey's response? "Supurb"
8.12.09
One Hundred Days - Day Eight
Today was my first request picture. 'Something dog related' so I drew my aunt's dog, Duke, based on a photo I took earlier this month:
Tomorrow's request is more of a challenge. 'A photo with a yellow theme'. Hmmmmm....
Tomorrow's request is more of a challenge. 'A photo with a yellow theme'. Hmmmmm....
7.12.09
One Hundred Days - Day Seven
Today I decided to draw another weird robot as weird robots are always cool. When I uploaded the picture to Twitpic it gave it the link 'skugm', so i have decided Skug is an appropriate name for the little guy.
6.12.09
One Hundred Days - Day Six
Another rough sketch today, and another Whovian picture. Does anyone have any requests for things for me to draw?
One Hundred Days - Day Five
Again I had a terrible day for drawing. Everything I tried, i just thought it looked terrible and deleted it after a few lines. So I decided to go for a really rough and scribbly approach and was much happier with the results.
Giant Angry Robot:
Giant Angry Robot:
4.12.09
One Hundred Days - Day Four
Ugh. Really not happy with how this turned out, but its too late for a second attempt now. The proportions are just wrong and the face isn't quite right. But I was determined to not just take another photo today, and it was too late for a second attempt so I just finished it and had done with it. Could be worse I suppose.
Here's to getting more practice in and improving over the next 96 days!
The Doctor:
Here's to getting more practice in and improving over the next 96 days!
The Doctor:
3.12.09
One Hundred Days - Day Three
Today I decided to draw something. A few months back I drew a monster based on a rather large and twisty spring onion I'd seen. So today I chose one of the pictures of the city I took on monday with the intention of drawing the spring onion monster rampaging through it. Then i decided it would be a good idea to add one of the chinooks that are frequently flying around here, but it seems today was one of the few days there weren't any so I couldn't get a photo of one and that idea has been shelved.
Instead, here is a photo of my foam rubber toaster. The very same prop thrown at a zombie by Simon Pegg in Shaun of the Dead.
Instead, here is a photo of my foam rubber toaster. The very same prop thrown at a zombie by Simon Pegg in Shaun of the Dead.
2.12.09
One Hundred Days - Day Two
Today's picture is of my little mouse Frankie, who was surprisingly happy to pose for it. Usually when you try to photograph a mouse you end up with hundreds of blurry pictures of their bum.
Frankie is starting to look a bit like an old man now. He is going to be 15 months old on sunday, so I suppose he looks like one because he is one.
Frankie is starting to look a bit like an old man now. He is going to be 15 months old on sunday, so I suppose he looks like one because he is one.
1.12.09
One Hundred Days - Day One
ONE thing, done ONCE each day, for ONE hundred days
I have decided to take part in this project, so for one hundred days I will be doing a drawing, taking a photograph or somehow combining the two, and uploading them here and on Twitpic.
This will make me a better person as I frequently take photos or doodle things, yet rarely have the confidence to show anyone. Hopefully this project will change that.
So for day one, I walked up Portsdown Hill, took a phew photos and selected this one for the first picture:
In other news, I've found someone to employ me! As of 9.30am on December 14th I will be Express FM's Imaging and New Media Engineer, so you may hear more about that in the future too.
I have decided to take part in this project, so for one hundred days I will be doing a drawing, taking a photograph or somehow combining the two, and uploading them here and on Twitpic.
This will make me a better person as I frequently take photos or doodle things, yet rarely have the confidence to show anyone. Hopefully this project will change that.
So for day one, I walked up Portsdown Hill, took a phew photos and selected this one for the first picture:
In other news, I've found someone to employ me! As of 9.30am on December 14th I will be Express FM's Imaging and New Media Engineer, so you may hear more about that in the future too.
8.5.09
Dull, Dull, Dull
My life is currently very boring.
It mainly consists of sitting on my arse in front of my PC, browsing the internet, watching TV or DVDs, chatting to my friends around the country, working my way through the big stack of books i want to read and jobsearching.
Occasionally i'll cook dinner for the family, occasionally i'll see my friends or go to the pub. on wednesday afternoons i push the trolley round tesco with mum and nan, and on alternate weeks i go to the jobcentre to sign on.
Thats pretty much it. All the days are pretty much the same, just with varying degrees of boredom, and occasionally the boredom will stack up too much and i'll get depressed for a few days.
So until something blogworthy actually happens, i'm not gonna bother blogging.
Feel free to follow my updates on twitter though. Theres a feed somewhere over there on the right, ----------------------------------------------------------->
or you can follow me directly here
So thats it for now. I'm planning to take MarkMark, Mary-Anne and Taz up to Stafford in a couple of months to see my uni friends who're still up there and have a BBQ, so i'll probably blog that if it happens.
TTFN.
It mainly consists of sitting on my arse in front of my PC, browsing the internet, watching TV or DVDs, chatting to my friends around the country, working my way through the big stack of books i want to read and jobsearching.
Occasionally i'll cook dinner for the family, occasionally i'll see my friends or go to the pub. on wednesday afternoons i push the trolley round tesco with mum and nan, and on alternate weeks i go to the jobcentre to sign on.
Thats pretty much it. All the days are pretty much the same, just with varying degrees of boredom, and occasionally the boredom will stack up too much and i'll get depressed for a few days.
So until something blogworthy actually happens, i'm not gonna bother blogging.
Feel free to follow my updates on twitter though. Theres a feed somewhere over there on the right, ----------------------------------------------------------->
or you can follow me directly here
So thats it for now. I'm planning to take MarkMark, Mary-Anne and Taz up to Stafford in a couple of months to see my uni friends who're still up there and have a BBQ, so i'll probably blog that if it happens.
TTFN.
17.2.09
Hokey Cokey Pig-in-a-Pokey
On tuesday I applied online for jobseekers allowance. Woo.
Thursday morning they called back:
Job Centre Person: Hello, is Matthew there?
Mum: Yes, who's calling?
JCP: I can't say, because of the data protection act.
Mum: Ah, you must be the Job Centre
JPC: *coughs*
After mum had woken me up and handed me the phone the job centre woman went through and asked me pretty much everything from the online application again, and made me an appointment at the job centre in cosham for 12 noon on friday.
The next day I went to the job centre, checked in with the security dude, got sent up to room a, where I checked in with a security dudette and was told to sit in the waiting area. At 12:05 I was called over by a grumpy woman who kept putting apostrophes in 'fees'. She asked me half of the questions from the online application and the phone call again, just to be sure, checked my passport to see if I was me, and photocopied my last bank statement and my nationwide book. Then I was sent back to the waiting area for a couple of minutes before being called over by another, much more cheerful and friendly woman.
This woman showed me the details I'd given over the phone to make sure it was all spelled right, asked what sort of work I was looking for and told me about the jobseekers diary and stuff, then told me to come back on the 25th when I might get some money woo!
I've also just applied for a Studio Technician vacancy from Pompey Uni so hopefully I'll hear something from that.
Thursday morning they called back:
Job Centre Person: Hello, is Matthew there?
Mum: Yes, who's calling?
JCP: I can't say, because of the data protection act.
Mum: Ah, you must be the Job Centre
JPC: *coughs*
After mum had woken me up and handed me the phone the job centre woman went through and asked me pretty much everything from the online application again, and made me an appointment at the job centre in cosham for 12 noon on friday.
The next day I went to the job centre, checked in with the security dude, got sent up to room a, where I checked in with a security dudette and was told to sit in the waiting area. At 12:05 I was called over by a grumpy woman who kept putting apostrophes in 'fees'. She asked me half of the questions from the online application and the phone call again, just to be sure, checked my passport to see if I was me, and photocopied my last bank statement and my nationwide book. Then I was sent back to the waiting area for a couple of minutes before being called over by another, much more cheerful and friendly woman.
This woman showed me the details I'd given over the phone to make sure it was all spelled right, asked what sort of work I was looking for and told me about the jobseekers diary and stuff, then told me to come back on the 25th when I might get some money woo!
I've also just applied for a Studio Technician vacancy from Pompey Uni so hopefully I'll hear something from that.
10.2.09
Welcome to the New URL
As the blog hasn't been 'Matts Movie Making Blog' for a number of years, the mmmb.blogspot URL was starting to annoy me, so here we are.
Things are going from bad to worse on the job front. There seems to be literally nothing going anywhere. At least nothing I can actually do that doesn't require a decade of experience.
I signed up on reed.co.uk on saturday. you upload your CV and what you can do and what cities you want to work in and it recommends jobs to you. Out of the 125,585 jobs they had on record, they recommended me......FUCKING NONE! A real morale booster.
Yesterday it had three for me, but two of them were the same job and I couldn't get to where either of the jobs were based anyway.
I've since signed up for Monster as well, and I'm still checking the job centre and all the local job websites.
I think I'm gonna have to start signing on before long.
Things are going from bad to worse on the job front. There seems to be literally nothing going anywhere. At least nothing I can actually do that doesn't require a decade of experience.
I signed up on reed.co.uk on saturday. you upload your CV and what you can do and what cities you want to work in and it recommends jobs to you. Out of the 125,585 jobs they had on record, they recommended me......FUCKING NONE! A real morale booster.
Yesterday it had three for me, but two of them were the same job and I couldn't get to where either of the jobs were based anyway.
I've since signed up for Monster as well, and I'm still checking the job centre and all the local job websites.
I think I'm gonna have to start signing on before long.
13.10.08
Filler Art
Sorry for the recent lack of updates, there hasn't really been anything to talk about. I'm working on putting together a proper website so hopefully I'll get back into blogging once that starts getting somewhere.
In the meantime here's some filler art:
It's the Many-Matt Space Exploration Team off on a voyage of discovery. This came about from one of my slightly surreal MSN conversations with Derwent a few weeks back. He created a clone of himself to do his bidding, so I created four clones of myself to defeat him, so he created ten more clones, so I created twenty. It continued escalating like this for a little while longer, until I decided it was getting silly. I destroyed half of the cloned Matts and all the Derwents except the original, then sent the remaining Matts off into space. Then I decided to draw a picture of it.
Enjoy
In the meantime here's some filler art:
It's the Many-Matt Space Exploration Team off on a voyage of discovery. This came about from one of my slightly surreal MSN conversations with Derwent a few weeks back. He created a clone of himself to do his bidding, so I created four clones of myself to defeat him, so he created ten more clones, so I created twenty. It continued escalating like this for a little while longer, until I decided it was getting silly. I destroyed half of the cloned Matts and all the Derwents except the original, then sent the remaining Matts off into space. Then I decided to draw a picture of it.
Enjoy
12.9.08
Further Correspondence
as it had been a week and i hadn't heard anything i sent the following email last night:
this morning i received the reply:
Dear Jane
With reference to the email I sent last week, I wonder if you are still looking for someone to fill the position of photographer.
I am still very interested in this job and would like the opportunity to discuss it further, particularly if the reason you have not replied is the difference between the salary you have available and the one I suggested.
Gaining experience in a job where I use the knowledge and skills I learnt at university is more important to me than the salary at present and so I would be disappointed if this was the sticking point.
Please would you let me know the current situation regarding this vacancy and the salary you would offer a suitable candidate.
Yours sincerely
this morning i received the reply:
Hi Matthew – sorry not to get back to your earlier but we had a tremendous response to our advert. Unfortunately you have not made the short list, however I will keep your CV on file should any other opportunities arise.
Thanks for your interest and every success for the future.
Jane
oh well....back to the drawing board. it would have been good to have some feedback on why i wasn't suitable and if my salary is reasonable or not, but never mind.
5.9.08
No Man Can Live At That Speed!
After quite a slow week of not making much progress, things are suddenly moving rather quickly indeed.
I found an ad in the paper which said:
Now I wasn't expecting much to come from it, but when I woke up this morning I found an email in my inbox from a certain Jane.
Now i'm slightly worried. I have no idea what sort of salary to ask for. I have no idea what they're thinking. If I ask for too much they could cast me aside and hire somone out of college with a photography a level for minimum wage, if I ask for too little they could stamp my file with a big "CHUMP" stamp, hire me for my suggestion and put however many thousands a year extra I could have been earning into their profits. Scary stuff.
Having thought about it for a bit, and discussing it with the parentals, I'm going to ask for something in the region of £17000-£20000. I suppose I'd better draft an email now....I'll come back when I'm done...
UPDATE:
It took a lot of thinking but I've finally written my demands in the form of an email:
I found an ad in the paper which said:
WEB SITE PHOTOGRAPHERI thought that sounded interesting so yesterday evening I sent sent this email:
Portsmouth based surf/lifestyle website requires a full time photographer to start with immediate effect. W need you to be able to hit the ground running!
If you would like to join a fast moving company and have the following qualifications and a flexible attitude then get in contact with us now!Qualified to A Level standard in photography. Knowledge of a digital SLR camera. Proficient in the use of Adobe Photoshop or similar software. Experience of a flash studio set up.
You need to be able to work using your own initiative and respond to the seasonal demands of the business. You may also be required to help out with product descriptions and web design if necessary.
Salary negotiable depending on experience.
References required.
Contact us by Email.
Dear Jane
I am emailing to enquire about the website photographer position you advertised last week.
I am a graduate from Staffordshire University with a BSc (Hons) in Digital film, Animation and 3D Technology.
The course included working with both digital video cameras and digital still photography, image manipulation using Adobe Photoshop, 2D animation using Adobe After Effects, 3D modelling and texturing using both Maya and 3DS Max, lighting for both photography and film and 3D rendered models, video editing and effects in both Adobe Premier Pro and Adobe After Effects and DVD authoring.
I do not have experience with a flash studio set up, but I thought my experience with lighting for film and photography would be helpful.
I have attached a copy of my CV with a more complete list of my skills and also contains a link to a showreel of my previous projects.
If you think I would be suitable for the photographer position or if you have any other positions you think I would be suitable for, please let me know.
Yours Sincerely
Now I wasn't expecting much to come from it, but when I woke up this morning I found an email in my inbox from a certain Jane.
Hi Matt – thanks for your email
Our website is: www.boardsportwarehouse.com – take a look.
All product is photographed in our studio at our base in Farlington.
We need all our products photographed and loaded onto the site which at times would also require product descriptions. We are a seasonal business so there are peaks and troughs as to when product arrives. At the start of each season i.e. Aug/Sept & Feb/Mar there is a constant flow of goods coming into the warehouse this then peters off which is why we need someone who can be flexible. At peak times it is a matter of getting as much photographed and onto the website as quickly as we can. Outside of these busy times we need design work done on the site and monitoring of other sites who we see as competitors.
Our website is fulfilled by our retail stores – currently numbered at 6 – we have partnerships with Animal & Quiksilver.
Hours are Mon to Fri 9.00 to 5.30 (with an hour for lunch).
If this interests you then please email your salary expectations.
Thanks
Jane
Now i'm slightly worried. I have no idea what sort of salary to ask for. I have no idea what they're thinking. If I ask for too much they could cast me aside and hire somone out of college with a photography a level for minimum wage, if I ask for too little they could stamp my file with a big "CHUMP" stamp, hire me for my suggestion and put however many thousands a year extra I could have been earning into their profits. Scary stuff.
Having thought about it for a bit, and discussing it with the parentals, I'm going to ask for something in the region of £17000-£20000. I suppose I'd better draft an email now....I'll come back when I'm done...
UPDATE:
It took a lot of thinking but I've finally written my demands in the form of an email:
Just after I sent it I got an automatic reply saying she'll be out of the office on monday the 8th and tuesday the 9th, but thats fine by me because on sunday I'm going to Frome to visit Hogie, we're going to the Doctor Who Exhibition in Cardiff on monday and I'll be coming home tuesday, so its all good :)Hi Jane
Thanks for getting back to me, the position does sound very interesting.
The salary I was thinking of was something in the region of £17000 to £20000, depending on terms and conditions. I would be interested to hear what sort of salary you had in mind.
As I said, I am interested in the position, and I would be happy to come in to discuss it and have a look around.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Thanks
Matt
29.8.08
I *AM* Still Alive
So i've decided to get back into blogging. Even if no one actually reads it, it might actually inspire me to do something worth blogging about.
So what have i been up to? Since I last blogged, quite a bit has changed:
I've completed and handed in many pieces of coursework with varying degrees of success.
I've completed my final year project and disertation and handed them in.
I've moved out of Stafford for (probably) the last time and back into my parents house in Portsmouth.
I've spent a couple of months trying not to worry about results while watching many DVDs.
I've received a letter telling me I have passed my course and am now a bachelor of science with third class honours, which isn't the best but it's ok, because its still a pass, and Daisy in Spaced got a third.
I've put on a silly hat and coat and shaken hands with vice-chancellor Christine King.
I've received a certificate which officially declares me a bachelor of science with third class honours.
I've watched every serial of Doctor Who from the time William Hartnell was the Doctor
I've extended the overdraft of one of my bank accounts and closed the other one completely (after two months of trying in which they took 36p interest, and 91p 'advance' interest which seemed like a desperate last grab at my money)
I've watched every serial of Doctor Who from the time Patrick Troughton was the Doctor, up to The Evil of the Daleks, which I plan to watch soon.
I've spent some time socialising with my good friends Mark and Mary-Anne.
I've met up with a friend who I've known for several years over the internet.
I've started coming to the end of my extended overdraft.
I've decided its probably about time i started trying to get a job.
Thats about it really. I have also read many books, and still have a pile of about twenty six to go after the current one, Dr No, by Ian Fleming.
I have also decided that unless it comes to having to live on the streets under a newspaper, eating out of bins, I will NEVER go back to work at McDonalds. Last summer I only returned for the money and the friends I had there. This year it seems that most of those friends had moved on, and I'd be surrounded by trainees who'd be thinking I was a trainee too, even though I'd been working there since December 2004. And they've got a new uniform so I doubt I'd still be able to get away with wearing my old uniform which was the one before the last uniform they had.
But yeah, I was enjoying it little enough last year when I still knew most of the people. If its just whoring myself out for McDonald's money, I think I'll give it a miss.
So what am I going to do instead? Ideally i'd like to get in somewhere doing graphic or motion design, working with Photoshop and After Effects, and gradually work up to becoming the next Guillermo Del Toro over many, many years.
This does seem a little far fetched however, so while I'm sending my CV and showreel (have a look ) off to whatever graphic design, or video production company I can find in Portsmouth, I will also be looking for something a little smaller, and a bit more temporary, that I will enjoy and keep the money coming in for a bit longer, just until I can get myself into the industry I got a degree for.
At the moment I'm planning on asking if theres any vacancies in the library and the shop round the corner that sells action figures and collectables, as well as considering applying for the ICT technician type vacancy which has come up in my old secondary school.
If all of that falls through I'll have to think of something else.
I also have a Plan B, which I have started already, but will kick in properly either at my birthday in 5 weeks time, or once I've managed to get myself into a temporary job and earn a bit of cash. The first part of the plan, which I have already begun, is to read The DV Rebel's Guide by Stu Maschwitz, which is "an all digital approach to making killer action movies on the cheap".
Step two is to aquire a digital video recorder of a decent quality, if not HD, for as little as possible. At the moment i'm thinking the Toshiba Gigashot K40H, which can do HD and will set me back less than £400. Hopefully I'll get one for my birthday, but if not I'll have to save up from my temporary job and get one myself.
Objective three is to follow the advice in The DV Rebel's Guide, and rope in a few friends to throw together a couple of short films. Maybe not action films, but definately done to the best of my ability on a minimum budget.
I'm not entirely sure what direction Plan B will go after this, but if nothing else it'll be something to add to my showreel, and shouldn't hurt my prospects for future industry based jobs.
Plan C is the promise from my fellow Stafford Alumni, Derwent, that if he gets a film project off the ground he will employ me as a cameraman for £4.95 an hour, plus expenses including travel and the cost of a drink.
I think thats pretty much everything up to date. As usual I'll add an update if I think of anything else, and hopefully I'll blog a bit sooner than I did this time.
So what have i been up to? Since I last blogged, quite a bit has changed:
I've completed and handed in many pieces of coursework with varying degrees of success.
I've completed my final year project and disertation and handed them in.
I've moved out of Stafford for (probably) the last time and back into my parents house in Portsmouth.
I've spent a couple of months trying not to worry about results while watching many DVDs.
I've received a letter telling me I have passed my course and am now a bachelor of science with third class honours, which isn't the best but it's ok, because its still a pass, and Daisy in Spaced got a third.
I've put on a silly hat and coat and shaken hands with vice-chancellor Christine King.
I've received a certificate which officially declares me a bachelor of science with third class honours.
I've watched every serial of Doctor Who from the time William Hartnell was the Doctor
I've extended the overdraft of one of my bank accounts and closed the other one completely (after two months of trying in which they took 36p interest, and 91p 'advance' interest which seemed like a desperate last grab at my money)
I've watched every serial of Doctor Who from the time Patrick Troughton was the Doctor, up to The Evil of the Daleks, which I plan to watch soon.
I've spent some time socialising with my good friends Mark and Mary-Anne.
I've met up with a friend who I've known for several years over the internet.
I've started coming to the end of my extended overdraft.
I've decided its probably about time i started trying to get a job.
Thats about it really. I have also read many books, and still have a pile of about twenty six to go after the current one, Dr No, by Ian Fleming.
I have also decided that unless it comes to having to live on the streets under a newspaper, eating out of bins, I will NEVER go back to work at McDonalds. Last summer I only returned for the money and the friends I had there. This year it seems that most of those friends had moved on, and I'd be surrounded by trainees who'd be thinking I was a trainee too, even though I'd been working there since December 2004. And they've got a new uniform so I doubt I'd still be able to get away with wearing my old uniform which was the one before the last uniform they had.
But yeah, I was enjoying it little enough last year when I still knew most of the people. If its just whoring myself out for McDonald's money, I think I'll give it a miss.
So what am I going to do instead? Ideally i'd like to get in somewhere doing graphic or motion design, working with Photoshop and After Effects, and gradually work up to becoming the next Guillermo Del Toro over many, many years.
This does seem a little far fetched however, so while I'm sending my CV and showreel (have a look ) off to whatever graphic design, or video production company I can find in Portsmouth, I will also be looking for something a little smaller, and a bit more temporary, that I will enjoy and keep the money coming in for a bit longer, just until I can get myself into the industry I got a degree for.
At the moment I'm planning on asking if theres any vacancies in the library and the shop round the corner that sells action figures and collectables, as well as considering applying for the ICT technician type vacancy which has come up in my old secondary school.
If all of that falls through I'll have to think of something else.
I also have a Plan B, which I have started already, but will kick in properly either at my birthday in 5 weeks time, or once I've managed to get myself into a temporary job and earn a bit of cash. The first part of the plan, which I have already begun, is to read The DV Rebel's Guide by Stu Maschwitz, which is "an all digital approach to making killer action movies on the cheap".
Step two is to aquire a digital video recorder of a decent quality, if not HD, for as little as possible. At the moment i'm thinking the Toshiba Gigashot K40H, which can do HD and will set me back less than £400. Hopefully I'll get one for my birthday, but if not I'll have to save up from my temporary job and get one myself.
Objective three is to follow the advice in The DV Rebel's Guide, and rope in a few friends to throw together a couple of short films. Maybe not action films, but definately done to the best of my ability on a minimum budget.
I'm not entirely sure what direction Plan B will go after this, but if nothing else it'll be something to add to my showreel, and shouldn't hurt my prospects for future industry based jobs.
Plan C is the promise from my fellow Stafford Alumni, Derwent, that if he gets a film project off the ground he will employ me as a cameraman for £4.95 an hour, plus expenses including travel and the cost of a drink.
I think thats pretty much everything up to date. As usual I'll add an update if I think of anything else, and hopefully I'll blog a bit sooner than I did this time.
14.2.08
13.12.07
blargh
Just to let whoever might be wandering through here know that I'm still alive. Been meaning to blog since I went home for the weekend about a month ago. On saturday i'm going back down for the christmas hols so perhaps I'll have a proper blog once i'm properly set up there.
At the moment though, i'm working hard to get my Lighting Tech assignment finished so I can hand it in tomorrow. My five scenes are modelled, lit and rendered off, I've written up the lighting keys for the five renders and now its just the 1000 word piece on light and colour theory. Only 1000 words. Should be easy....
In the meantime, here's some pretty pictures:
My bedroom at night: modelled in 3DS Max 9, lit with three simple omni lights and rendered with Mental Ray
My bedroom again, this time lit by a daylight light set to simulate what the light would be like at 9am on the 12th of August 2007.....in Birmingham....it was the closest place to Stafford that was available. Then I applied a radiosity solution before rendering.
At the moment though, i'm working hard to get my Lighting Tech assignment finished so I can hand it in tomorrow. My five scenes are modelled, lit and rendered off, I've written up the lighting keys for the five renders and now its just the 1000 word piece on light and colour theory. Only 1000 words. Should be easy....
In the meantime, here's some pretty pictures:
My bedroom at night: modelled in 3DS Max 9, lit with three simple omni lights and rendered with Mental Ray
My bedroom again, this time lit by a daylight light set to simulate what the light would be like at 9am on the 12th of August 2007.....in Birmingham....it was the closest place to Stafford that was available. Then I applied a radiosity solution before rendering.
28.10.07
Return From Oz
Last Tuesday I skipped my DVD Tech lecture and made my way down to Stafford station. There I got on a train and a couple of uneventful hours later, got off at London Euston.
An even more uneventful ten minutes followed as I got the tube to Waterloo where I met up with a certain girl called Hogie who I've known for several years, yet never met face to face before as she was in London to see the Kaiser Chiefs.
We wandered around London for an hour or so, reminising about the good old days of the Green Wing Community on the IMDb messageboard before the second series where loads of n00bs showed up and ruined it by starting thousands of threads aling the lines of "Mac! Squeeeeeeee!", and talked about which bands Hogie had stalked and seduced recently and which were next, and the benefits of free newspapers and underwear with a giraffe on them.
Then she very nearly made me miss my next train by trying to get me lost, but I managed to get on just in time, and I was once again on my way to Portsmouth. This was another very uneventful journey, except I was standing some of the time for this one. About six I got got off the train at Cosham and encountered Christ on a bike. I navigated my way around him as he got off, folded it up (it was a collapsable bike) and carried it onto the train, then I made my way over to a taxi and got a lift down to the Kings Theatre, where I went in, found my seat and waited for the show to begin.
At 7.30 the curtain went up and on stage was a busy farm scene, evidently run by Henry and Em who were apparently wondering where their niece, Dorothy, had got to and were worried as it looked like there was a storm coming in. A few minutes of comedy banter later there was a familiar voice from off stage and on walks Toni in a blue dress and pigtails.
When she started singing Over the Rainbow I was almost blown away myself. I had no idea she could sing like that. I'll never know how its possible to fit a voice like that into such a little girl.
What followed for the next two hours was a very entertaining and VERY funny version of The Wizard of Oz (if you hadn't already guessed) with some very talented actors (not just Toni :P). And during the interval the family I was sat next to bought me an ice cream which was very nice of them. I think it was jus cos I was there on my own, but either way I'm not complaining.
I think Toni may have spotted me in the audience, as she was looking right at me for a couple of verses of Follow the Yellow Brick Road, but I can't say for sure as it was quite dark in the stalls and I have no idea if you can actually see to seven rows back from the stage.
Unfortunately Toni was caught up with theatre stuff after the show so I didn't get a chance to see her, which was a shame as I'd got a copy of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum to give her, so I waited outside for the crowd to die down a bit and got a taxi home.
The journey home was slightly more eventful than the journey down. The first part, a ten to fifteen minute journey from Cosham to Fareham, went very well. the train left Cosham on time and even got to Fareham a minute or two early. The train from Fareham to Southampton Central left on time, but then it went downhill very quickly. About half way there we stopped for no apparent reason. Five minutes later there was an announcement to say that the signal man needed to talk to the driver and we would be off again once he'd gone back. After another five or ten minutes we evenutally started moving. Unfortunately, by this time it was 1.15, the time my train from Southampton to Stafford was due to leave. As we aproached the station I saw it going the other way.
When I got to the station I found there wasn't another train to Stafford, and the best I could do was wait an hour and catch the Edinbourgh train til Birmingham New Street and hope I'd be able to make my way from there. So I endured an hour on the freezing platform with a very loud child who repeatedly told his very tired mother about his dream where he was stood on the edge of the platform and he fell on the track because he was 'wiggling', and then I got shifted off my seat by a group of elderly Italians for no apparent reason, as there was a perfectly good empty bench next to the one I was already on which I sat on instead.
At 2.15 I got onto a very crowded train and managed to find a seat, although it didn't have a window, I was still glad I didn't have to stand. At Reading things improved dramatically as I was turned out of my claustrophobic, no window seat by the people who had reserved it and was forced to sit at a table seat right next to a great big window instead, along with Trevor McDonald and a young boy who was happy to have finaly got a Nintendo DS and a copy of Pokemon Diamond. I considered challenging him to a battle (the young pokemon trainer, not the McDonald impersonator) but as he was still excited about catching Starlys, I thought my Elite Four-beating team might have overwhelmed him somewhat.
My luck continued to stay changed at Birmingham as I got off the train and found that the next train on the platform right next to the one I was on stopped at Stafford. It was absolutely packed and I had to stand, but I didn't mind too much as it was only two stops and I eventually got home two hours after I would have if I'd got the direct train from Southampton.
But still, despite all the trouble on the journey back, it was still worth the trip down. I finaly got to meet Hogie in person (two GWC members down, along with Shari, only Deppy, Paula and Lucy to go) and I got to see Toni and hear her sing, even if I didn't get to talk to her or give her a book.
Thursday night I wrote Toni a little letter and posted it along with the book on Friday, so hopefully I'll hear back from her soon.
Not much of interest has happened since I've been back. I pretty much wrote the entire proposal for my Final Year Project (FYP, for future reference) on Thursday and handed it in Friday so I don't have to worry about that any more, just the FYP itself...
Today I got fed up with the clothes and books all over my floor so I gave it a proper tidy. Once I've taken down the plates with the remains of last nights dinner on it'll finally be good enough to take the photos I mentioned last time, so I'll upload them tomorrow.
I've found a recipe for pumpkin pie so I might give that ago tomorrow too. Its bound to be a disaster, but hopefully it'll still be a TASTY disaster....
An even more uneventful ten minutes followed as I got the tube to Waterloo where I met up with a certain girl called Hogie who I've known for several years, yet never met face to face before as she was in London to see the Kaiser Chiefs.
We wandered around London for an hour or so, reminising about the good old days of the Green Wing Community on the IMDb messageboard before the second series where loads of n00bs showed up and ruined it by starting thousands of threads aling the lines of "Mac! Squeeeeeeee!", and talked about which bands Hogie had stalked and seduced recently and which were next, and the benefits of free newspapers and underwear with a giraffe on them.
Then she very nearly made me miss my next train by trying to get me lost, but I managed to get on just in time, and I was once again on my way to Portsmouth. This was another very uneventful journey, except I was standing some of the time for this one. About six I got got off the train at Cosham and encountered Christ on a bike. I navigated my way around him as he got off, folded it up (it was a collapsable bike) and carried it onto the train, then I made my way over to a taxi and got a lift down to the Kings Theatre, where I went in, found my seat and waited for the show to begin.
At 7.30 the curtain went up and on stage was a busy farm scene, evidently run by Henry and Em who were apparently wondering where their niece, Dorothy, had got to and were worried as it looked like there was a storm coming in. A few minutes of comedy banter later there was a familiar voice from off stage and on walks Toni in a blue dress and pigtails.
When she started singing Over the Rainbow I was almost blown away myself. I had no idea she could sing like that. I'll never know how its possible to fit a voice like that into such a little girl.
What followed for the next two hours was a very entertaining and VERY funny version of The Wizard of Oz (if you hadn't already guessed) with some very talented actors (not just Toni :P). And during the interval the family I was sat next to bought me an ice cream which was very nice of them. I think it was jus cos I was there on my own, but either way I'm not complaining.
I think Toni may have spotted me in the audience, as she was looking right at me for a couple of verses of Follow the Yellow Brick Road, but I can't say for sure as it was quite dark in the stalls and I have no idea if you can actually see to seven rows back from the stage.
Unfortunately Toni was caught up with theatre stuff after the show so I didn't get a chance to see her, which was a shame as I'd got a copy of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum to give her, so I waited outside for the crowd to die down a bit and got a taxi home.
The journey home was slightly more eventful than the journey down. The first part, a ten to fifteen minute journey from Cosham to Fareham, went very well. the train left Cosham on time and even got to Fareham a minute or two early. The train from Fareham to Southampton Central left on time, but then it went downhill very quickly. About half way there we stopped for no apparent reason. Five minutes later there was an announcement to say that the signal man needed to talk to the driver and we would be off again once he'd gone back. After another five or ten minutes we evenutally started moving. Unfortunately, by this time it was 1.15, the time my train from Southampton to Stafford was due to leave. As we aproached the station I saw it going the other way.
When I got to the station I found there wasn't another train to Stafford, and the best I could do was wait an hour and catch the Edinbourgh train til Birmingham New Street and hope I'd be able to make my way from there. So I endured an hour on the freezing platform with a very loud child who repeatedly told his very tired mother about his dream where he was stood on the edge of the platform and he fell on the track because he was 'wiggling', and then I got shifted off my seat by a group of elderly Italians for no apparent reason, as there was a perfectly good empty bench next to the one I was already on which I sat on instead.
At 2.15 I got onto a very crowded train and managed to find a seat, although it didn't have a window, I was still glad I didn't have to stand. At Reading things improved dramatically as I was turned out of my claustrophobic, no window seat by the people who had reserved it and was forced to sit at a table seat right next to a great big window instead, along with Trevor McDonald and a young boy who was happy to have finaly got a Nintendo DS and a copy of Pokemon Diamond. I considered challenging him to a battle (the young pokemon trainer, not the McDonald impersonator) but as he was still excited about catching Starlys, I thought my Elite Four-beating team might have overwhelmed him somewhat.
My luck continued to stay changed at Birmingham as I got off the train and found that the next train on the platform right next to the one I was on stopped at Stafford. It was absolutely packed and I had to stand, but I didn't mind too much as it was only two stops and I eventually got home two hours after I would have if I'd got the direct train from Southampton.
But still, despite all the trouble on the journey back, it was still worth the trip down. I finaly got to meet Hogie in person (two GWC members down, along with Shari, only Deppy, Paula and Lucy to go) and I got to see Toni and hear her sing, even if I didn't get to talk to her or give her a book.
Thursday night I wrote Toni a little letter and posted it along with the book on Friday, so hopefully I'll hear back from her soon.
Not much of interest has happened since I've been back. I pretty much wrote the entire proposal for my Final Year Project (FYP, for future reference) on Thursday and handed it in Friday so I don't have to worry about that any more, just the FYP itself...
Today I got fed up with the clothes and books all over my floor so I gave it a proper tidy. Once I've taken down the plates with the remains of last nights dinner on it'll finally be good enough to take the photos I mentioned last time, so I'll upload them tomorrow.
I've found a recipe for pumpkin pie so I might give that ago tomorrow too. Its bound to be a disaster, but hopefully it'll still be a TASTY disaster....
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