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....
26.9.07
'Bout Time I Blogged Again
Back up in Stafford now, awaiting the arrival of my new PC.
I think I've settled in up here. My room is smaller than it was last year, but I've still managed to fit a suitable amount of geekery in without it becoming crowded. I should probably upload photos like I did last year and the year before but perhaps I'll have a tidy up first and add them later...
Kinda annoyed at the uni we've missed two important lectures about our final year projects, first because no one bothered to tell us there was one and second because two different people (including the lecturer on the lecture we were meant to be at) told us that we were meant to be going to the Friday one when we're not. we're meant to be going to the Monday one. Grr.
As for Toni...my paranoia of the last blog went completely after I saw her at work the next day, but unfortunately we didn't get a chance to meet up socially before I had to come back to Stafford so things are kinda on hold for the time being.
Now I'm gonna tidy up a bit...
I think I've settled in up here. My room is smaller than it was last year, but I've still managed to fit a suitable amount of geekery in without it becoming crowded. I should probably upload photos like I did last year and the year before but perhaps I'll have a tidy up first and add them later...
Kinda annoyed at the uni we've missed two important lectures about our final year projects, first because no one bothered to tell us there was one and second because two different people (including the lecturer on the lecture we were meant to be at) told us that we were meant to be going to the Friday one when we're not. we're meant to be going to the Monday one. Grr.
As for Toni...my paranoia of the last blog went completely after I saw her at work the next day, but unfortunately we didn't get a chance to meet up socially before I had to come back to Stafford so things are kinda on hold for the time being.
Now I'm gonna tidy up a bit...
7.9.07
Bemuddled
[Warning: This is written straight after a night out at Guildhall Walk. Not drunk, but quite tired]
Wednesday last week I went on a date with Toni, a girl I know from work and have kinda liked for quite some time. We went to see Harry Potter 5, then onto Wetherspoons where we had a drink and spent a couple of hours just talking, exchanging our life stories, before getting a pizza in Cosham, coming back to my place to eat it, and she asked if we could watch my Road to El Dorado DVD. We had a great time and before she left we had a hug and she said we'd have to do it again before I go back to Stafford.
Only problem is, other than an hour at work last friday, tonight was the first chance I've had to see her. We went to Bar Me and then on to Route, but we were with people from work the whole time and she was kinda distant from me, sticking to the other side of the group. I did buy her a drink though and had a couple of hugs, but didn't really get a chance to talk. It didn't help that as I was getting up the courage to say something to her, try to talk about us, she bumped into Ronnie, her ex, although they're still friends.
A bit later on she came over to say she was going home, and as I'm not a huge fan of clubbing, if she wasn't there there wasn't much point me staying so I asked if I could bum a lift. In the car it was just the two of us and we had some time to talk, but I still couldn't get myself round to asking about us. When we got to mine I said thanks for the lift, gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek, but that was about it.
Problem is, I don't want to rush things, but at the same time its less than two weeks til I have to go up to Stafford.
When I started writing this post I was going to say I don't know what to do, but in the typing process I've had some time to think.
I think I'm gonna have to keep texting, as I am now, not pestering her, but being friendly, asking how her shifts have been, if she's been having a good time at her many social events, etc. at some point I'll have to arrange a time where we can meet up, just the two of us, have a drink or two and just talk about us. Depending on my shifts next week, Wednesday will probably be the last chance we'll have to have a proper date. Ideally I'd like to have the talky thing after that, because the second date might solve all the issues, but I don't know my shifts for next week yet and if they're all lates than it'll have to be this Saturday. If she's free that is. If the worst comes to the worst we'd have to do it by text, but I think that should be avoided if at all possible.
Think I'm starting to lose my own train of thought. Must be time to go to bed.
I think what I'm trying to say is, I don't want to rush things with Toni, but I'd like things to be resolved before I go back to Stafford, so I'm going to have to try and arrange a time when just the two of us can get together and talk about what's happening, find out how she feels about it and what she thinks, then maybe go on from there. I dunno...will have to see what happens. I'm gonna go to bed now...
Random moment: why is there a paper clip on my bed?
Wednesday last week I went on a date with Toni, a girl I know from work and have kinda liked for quite some time. We went to see Harry Potter 5, then onto Wetherspoons where we had a drink and spent a couple of hours just talking, exchanging our life stories, before getting a pizza in Cosham, coming back to my place to eat it, and she asked if we could watch my Road to El Dorado DVD. We had a great time and before she left we had a hug and she said we'd have to do it again before I go back to Stafford.
Only problem is, other than an hour at work last friday, tonight was the first chance I've had to see her. We went to Bar Me and then on to Route, but we were with people from work the whole time and she was kinda distant from me, sticking to the other side of the group. I did buy her a drink though and had a couple of hugs, but didn't really get a chance to talk. It didn't help that as I was getting up the courage to say something to her, try to talk about us, she bumped into Ronnie, her ex, although they're still friends.
A bit later on she came over to say she was going home, and as I'm not a huge fan of clubbing, if she wasn't there there wasn't much point me staying so I asked if I could bum a lift. In the car it was just the two of us and we had some time to talk, but I still couldn't get myself round to asking about us. When we got to mine I said thanks for the lift, gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek, but that was about it.
Problem is, I don't want to rush things, but at the same time its less than two weeks til I have to go up to Stafford.
When I started writing this post I was going to say I don't know what to do, but in the typing process I've had some time to think.
I think I'm gonna have to keep texting, as I am now, not pestering her, but being friendly, asking how her shifts have been, if she's been having a good time at her many social events, etc. at some point I'll have to arrange a time where we can meet up, just the two of us, have a drink or two and just talk about us. Depending on my shifts next week, Wednesday will probably be the last chance we'll have to have a proper date. Ideally I'd like to have the talky thing after that, because the second date might solve all the issues, but I don't know my shifts for next week yet and if they're all lates than it'll have to be this Saturday. If she's free that is. If the worst comes to the worst we'd have to do it by text, but I think that should be avoided if at all possible.
Think I'm starting to lose my own train of thought. Must be time to go to bed.
I think what I'm trying to say is, I don't want to rush things with Toni, but I'd like things to be resolved before I go back to Stafford, so I'm going to have to try and arrange a time when just the two of us can get together and talk about what's happening, find out how she feels about it and what she thinks, then maybe go on from there. I dunno...will have to see what happens. I'm gonna go to bed now...
Random moment: why is there a paper clip on my bed?
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