Art summer sessions: Very good. ((Technically week before but hey ho)).
Music summer sessions: good but very much hard work.
Working with Lesley again: great.
Seeing studio well sorted: massively good. Well done that Nick you did what others could not and would not.
AQA, awarding body for A levels: words cannot express how cross with them I am. Murderous does NOT cover it.
College: support = poor.
Books:
Book 5 (Did You Know) - at print now for digital release Aug 26. Woot. All agreed and seems to be being well received which is positive.
Book 6: (Mess). At designers being laid out for Oct 16th launch. Very WOOT.
Book 7: (Dr Sylver 3) going to soft print (review copies) tomorrow morn. Massive WOOT, especially as I managed to get some cool reviews sorted and fixed the one remaining plot hole that's been bugging me for weeks this very night. Release: Oct 31st. I'm still on the cadge for notable reviewers but so far the work is paying off better than it did last year that's for sure. So far anyhow.
Launch parties? Oh yes. Watch this space. They may be gigs :) :) Would be cool if we can get that sorted.
Apart from that I don't know whether I want to laugh, cry, kill people or smile this week. I have done three of the four things on the list and the fourth was certainly on my mind...
Also: my daughter's lampshade fell on her head today (paper one, disaster averted). Is it a sign? Is the sky falling?
Also also my wife just asked me if I'd seen the Orangina advert and I said I hadn't. ((Like I have time to watch tv for a start)). Then she described it to me and I said I thought I'd seen the work of the artist and she looked at me as if I were a complete sicko. Have now seen the ad online and yes, it was the artist I was thinking about (although I can't remember for the life of me where I saw that work in the first place...) Should I be worried about that? Don't really want to talk about the ad as that's what the company want and since when have the Coca Cola company been the bastions of good taste?
Also also also: had some wasabi coated dried peas today. Total Yum.
Currently listening to:Quench: Reality Radio. Just released on iTunes and a TOTAL CORKER... Currently playing:Hohohohohohoooooo. Space Invaders Extreme, when the time allows. Currently working on:Three books back to backto back... Nearly done now and then I can sleeeeeeppppp... And then it's back to college on Sept 2. :(
Complete sidetrack but been married 14 years today. Woo.
Also goddaughter number 1's (in a time sense not favouritism natch) baptism anniversary too (nice and useful collision of dates there...)
So yay. Not that we're doing anything too huge, not today anyhow, but still, nice to enjoy the day together and all that.
Currently listening to:Macbreakweekly 100. Currently playing:Nothing :( 360 is broken, and time is tight. Currently working on:Dr Sylver 3, M??? and Exile Road 1.5.
Loads of news, loads to come... Just.... loads....
(kercal, July 29, 2008, 9:23 pm)
Hey all,
So where we at?
Past two weeks have been monstrously busy. The youth bands did two gigs back to back following on from the drama groups doing some amazing stuff at Guilfest. Made some top friends there and we hope that next year will be even better for us. We'll see.
The biggest gig we've done was a three hour 8 act singathon at Guildford's Boileroom. It's a fantastic venue and, for a start, they do great noodles. But also they were really great with the bands (despite some occasional provocation from teens who were occasionally a little too excited) and it was a fantata evening. Very tiring though, at times it felt like a one person organisational thing because it was a one person organisational thing :( I've really got to work out how to delegate the gigs out to someone else... But was loads of fun. Just gearing up to two solid weeks of summer sessions and then the kids playing another festival (this time the Euphonic gig) with two of our bands playing, woot.
After that? Been finishing up a teaching resource for Spring Harvest based on the Exile Road characters ((do you need some teaching materials for a Summer school or sunday group he said in a google friendly series of keywords? Then give the Did You Know pack a look see)). That's been a fun one to work on also.
After that? Back to college for teaching and teacher training back to back. Having a little bit of a hassle working out the working hours (they seem to want me to work 6 hours split over three days and a fourth for the training itself which is taking the michael a little bit) and then onto books 6 and 7 released back to back in October. Book 7 is Sylver 3, which comes out at the end of October (I think). And that just leaves one project which is coming out at the beginning of October which I can't talk about just yet but should be interesting to see how people take to it.
Added some DYK artwork here and will add some more stuff soonish. Hope you enjoy.
So: how come the long silence and all that? Let's break it down...
Arts centre:
very demanding. I'm trying to be in the process of shrinking my hours in the hope that saying I work 15 hours a week and working 20+ will equal me saying I'll work 9 hours and then only working 15... ((Yes, I'm aware that there's another solution, 2 in fact, but I do love the place)). But it's so tricksome at the moment. Between a couple of staff members playing silly games to all of the musicians wanting more and more gigs it's very chaotic. Highlights include a Woking gig this friday and a Boileroom gig at the end of the month and one of our drama groups absolutely storming Guilfest this past weekend. Our Arts Awards group are just coming up to their second accreditation as well and, between now and September, we're going to do a very cool room redec for two of the rooms in the centre. It's all go.
College:
Just finished and both cohorts did really well under the hardest of conditions. This years been horrible for a number of reasons and the staff team have had to go through some pretty dark weeks. Can't really say that much about it in some cases but it's been quite harrowing at times but, for the moment, we've all committed to try and stay and fix things. But the kids did well and that's one of the main things and the exhibition was strong in places. I start teacher training next term (having ducked the issue successfully so far for three years, oh well).
Books:
Ah well that's where it's sort of the most chaotic of all. Springy went well and Exile was very well received which was ace. And then it went a bit odd. Sylver 3 was aimed for October and it currently looks good for getting there and, while writing that a book that had sat on the shelf aimless for a year was picked up for October as well. Spring Harvest asked for teaching materials linked to Exile for August so suddenly I went from one book to three books in one swoop. Let's just say the manic energy thing has been pretty manic this past few months. Yesterday had a launch meeting with the publishers of 'the other book' and that was loads of fun, lots of ideas on paper and hopefully a good percentage of it will come to pass. Today had a meeting with Highland Books about Sylver 3 and again the excitements there for me, I'm looking forward to seeing how people react to the changes that happen to some of the characters. TBH I still have four to five pages left to write, one thread needs some nurturing, but review copies go out next monday so I hope that this will mark a very interesting Christmas...
Ironically next year may well be pretty quiet - I'm still waiting to hear whether Exile 2 will go ahead but that's the only thing on the slate so far. I do have a couple of ideas that I'm looking forward to working on when the time allows, including a stage show based on Exile and an animation which I'm really looking forward to getting back into the swing of doing... apart from that things next year may even include me getting some sleep woo hoo!
Apart from that had two nights off consecutively woo hoo so time spent with fam and wifey and stuff very much appreciated.
The rest of the week is supposed to be fairly quiet - bar helping out at someone else's centre on thurs and doing the youth gig on fri (and if you're around the Woking Ypod at half seven pop in and say hi :) It's £4 a ticket and the bands are sick. To use the lingo).
Currently listening to:Podcasts, Open the Skies and Quench. Currently reading:Sylver 3 draft 2. Currently working on:Too much stuff need sleep.....
Yowsers, haven't updated this since Springy? Very, very slack I do apologise.
Manically busy. Spent the whole day doing the last thing for the AS level students so was externally verified through the day. Very tense and nervey but apparently myself and my AS colleague should be confident re following comments (we find out how we did at the same time as the students).
Secondly: wow, so much to say and to pass on... That said, and I'm very tired, but I thoughts I'd just add one thing that will be of interest to a small amount of people. At the moment as things stand I have two books out in October/November and one of them is Sylver 3. And the first draft is playing about between the printer and the computer as we speak (the cable has issues it would seem...)
Still, exciting times for me. Shall say loads more but just thought I'd say hi.
So, yesterday travelled up with a few church families to go to Spring Harvest, Minehead.
Haven't been to that one for yonks, if we've been it's been to the Skeggy one so it's like travelling to a vaguely alternative dimension, more so than Springy is in the first place.
Weather's been odd, he said, reverting to English type. Sun, Snow, wind, rain and flipping cold so far, 24 hours in. Traffic was also awful, for hlf of the families. Traffic accident on the M4 caused no end of disruption for two cars.
Apart from that I've been running around the place saying hi to people, bigging up the Exile Road stuff (I am the worlds worst self grandising author so I dare say that it's not going well that side of things :0 from my side at least) and generally being far busier than I anticipated I would be
One prob though, I was going to meet Dave up here and I've got the wrong number for him. If anyone knows his humber could they give him a text and ask him to get in touch with me, either through the team office in the yacht club (no, it's not, it's the name of the Costa coffee bar before anyone starts getting sarkey - which the church families all did as soon as they heard where I had to sign in) or by text (he's got my number). Would e cool to meet up as planned, I just need to be more organised than I had been :)
Apart from that, it's been a weird and wonderful start to the week. More news if there is some.
Hey all, mixed day for me today. For a start got work coming out of ears (meeting, meeting, break, meeting, set up for gig, gig, set down) and I'm a bit lethargic before I even start. Today is work from 9.30 - 10.30 and one of them is in the wrong timezone :) May be good though, battley type meetings a couple of them but we'll see. Positive possibly to come ((all art centre related natch atm)).
Spring Harvest starts next week so, again there's that pensive air to proceedings. My side of things: Exile Road stuff is all done as well as I can do it, there's no more work to be completed (well, one more thing but it's an - if you can do it - type thing rather than another teeth filled deadline) but it is the cusp of people seeing it and starting to mention the project... How will it go down? Will various age groups pick it up and enjoy it for what it is rather than... Well, hmmm... Again it's a wait and see moment really. Like I say I've done the best I can really, now I just have my breath held in for a week or so and see if anyone mentions it on the Spring Harvest forum or via word of mouth.
One lower point on that score was the fact that I've recently found out that the Dr Sylver books are unlikely to be carried by the book stalls during Springy. That's a bit of a shame for me, it struck me as a good cross marketing thing and that would lead in nicely to Sylver 3. As it is I may see if we can get some flyers printed out or something in time (hey, woo, another job) but otherwise have to rely on word of mouth comment following Springy. Was a little disappointing that's all. While Sylver is not the newest fiction series on the block it is (he says massively egotistically and playing a fanfare MP3 as he type this out) very well reviewed and endorsed. But hey, maybe its time will come.
Apart from that had two wonderful nights at arts centre (podcast and music) and we've got a gig tonight then a new staff welcome night thurs. So, again, no rest times but very blessed to be working with such an ace group of kids. Very grateful for that I am. For college I'm starting to take one cohort through their exam paces now and again I feel quite blessed to be a part of that.
Lastly was mooching through the book sampler I picked up at Wesley Owen the other day now that I'm on the last chapter of Whatever happened to the Ark of the Covenant (which I've become very taken with and just bought two more copies as pressies for friends and my one will go in the church library). It's a shame and, in the same way that it's the first book that's really caught me since Velvet Elvis I hope that another book comes around and grabs me once I've finished. Anyway, was reading through the sampler and found two that caught my attention for various reasons. One which contains a link to the arts centre that, again, I feel quite blessed by so that's something positive to follow up.
Righto, off to get a bus to meeting 1. Woo :) Hey and Whoa (and all that).
Currently listening to:Onehundredhours and Jamie Hill. Currently playing:Contact and Jam sessions. Currently working on:Dr Sylver 3, Exile Road follow up stuff, college As level prep and Exikle Road rock opera...
So was a cool night today. In fact a cool day all told. Very tired but had to ask a question...
WHY WHY WHY...?
Spent the morning sussing various organisey bits out, then teaching, then arts centre and had loads of fun with that. Three bands playing, podcasting session with an accoustic band playing live. Lovely.
Then on the bus coming back someone throws... What...? A little paint pot? Something with paint in anyhow, at the bus front windscreen. Fortunately didn't smash it but made a heck of a noise. But why though? Interesting question actually. But for the most part relieved on behalf of the driver as much as anything.
So: comics arrived this morning. Woop. So far, on the negative side, I've found one typo, one area where I forgot to up the brightness/contrast, and one page which I now wish I'd swapped around in terms of page order. Also found one sentence which I now wish I'd reworded...
BUT! I always tell the kids at the arts centre to enjoy the positives and not be so picky! So: it looks ace, I think, and a brief read through makes me feel pretty happy with how it came out so, um, nice one, me :)
Mentioning it at church tomorrow (which haas to be brief because.. well, just because) and should be interesting to see how people who've been around me look on the final version.
So, um, hey. Next step stepped, onto the one after.
I bought new shoes to break in in time for Springy and, so far, they're pretty comfortable on their own.
OK so various banners are going out around the place and I'm trying to re-formalise this as my blog of choice (because it IS my blog venue of choice because, hey, I was a wibsite fan of old before having my own spot here and feel really happy to be a part of the community).
Aaaanyhow: if you're new to all of this, coming on here form my myspace or facebook pages or from some of the other Exile areas then hi! Welcome to the chaos of my randomised gibberish! There's no real structure, I haven't tagged things into Sylver and Exile and arts centre and other areas, it's just what's on my mind and when, really.
So: me. I'm a college teacher, youth worker, youth arts centre manager, doodler and writer. I'm really blessed with a cool wife and kids, jobs that I love doing (don't let the frown fool you when I'm doing the paperwork) and all sorts of stuff happening, generally often at the same time.
At the moment I'm way deep into The Exile Road stuff on behalf of Spring Harvest. Big fan of Springy, me. Love the atmosphere, the work they do so am really happy to be working with (and for) them. Woot. That gets more crazy than it is in April when the comic is released but there's stuff to follow so if you're going to watch a space here is cool or for news from their side www.springharvest.org will no doubt have release dates and a more globalised picture.
After that it's Dr Sylver and the Tapestry of Time for Highland Books. That, I really hope, is October. We'll see. Hope so anyhow. More news on that one when we get there.
After that things have been zany with various stuff including the Boileroom (check out their myspace), Uni/south east BME stuff (check out their webpage), Guildford College (and them) and the Woking Youth Arts Centre. (www.myspace.com/wyac).
Now a brief about them/that/there. I am HUGELY proud of the kids that come in and play there! It's a youth group, yeah, but such a cool place to be, hang out and be a part of. If you're a WYAC user here mooching about then big ups from me I'm a HUGE fan :) We have some really cool cats involved in the place and, from my side of the fence, it's as much being around friends as it is work so nice one you lot/them lot, thanks for making it so cool 'cos the ones who is the wyac is the reason for what we do (sorry, in joke).
Hmm that's me I think. Will do a thanks thing soon as the space in the Exile Road comic was too limited and I missed some good friends out in the rush, apart from that come in, pull up a chair, have a mooch around and see you on the road.
So I've now sent, I think, the last images to Springy (promotional stuff) and am now back on serious college/arts centre catch up. MOstly it's taught me that what I do at those two places cannot be done in the hours I'm hired for so there'll be some changes there methinks. But catchup will be had and then I'll sort out from there where we go. I do have a rough plan (don't worry Dave, should you be reading this, plan is a good 'un from your side of the fence) but loads to do before I get there.
I have started on the next but one project. Couple of freelance book covers and stuff to do before I'm at Spring Harvest for a week and then it's head down to do the teachers notes, which I've got an idea well entrenched in my mind, just have to organise it into various year groups content.
My main thing, from now on in, is to juggle things around Sylver, which I'm really keen to get sorted this year. We'll see, but where the kids go in Syver 3 I'm really keen to share, because there are some surprises to be had. I did do the graphic the other day (with the betrayal tagline) and then had to field two days of someone asking me who it was that betrays and who is betrayed. Sigh...
Ironically, as Trivia Man was the last character added to the Exile Road he's been really well picked up so far, which is cool.
A month to go... Less than in fact... Printed copies should be here by the end of this week.
AARGH!!!!
Actually, on this subject, brief bit of bigging up of Nick Page and his book: What happened to the ark of the covenant? Loads of fun, very cool stuff and lots of meat in it to digest but put across in a really accessible way. Also gave me a complete LOL moment on the bus which gave everyone else a laugh as well, just not one I might have planned.
...no, not the cholcolate bar more the never ending list of things to do.
Officially Exile finished for me a few days ago with final amendments being sent to print yet there's still loads to do in the background. Final banner images and stuff go off today (maybe first thing tomorrow... The speed increase of the mac mini isn't quite up to spitting out the standing banner any time quickly although as the layered psd file is 1.3 gigs maybe that's understandable :) )
The art centre takes its crust as well with me being in yesterday, today and tomorrow evenings, which is... hmm... Well, it's OK because I'm working with some ace groups at the moment but there's a few rules that have become less followed this year while I've been too busy to keep an eye on people so April is d-day in terms of making a few minor and couple of major changes.
Then, finally, there's the small matter of having been doing everything the past week half a leg down (no idea how I did it but my right leg has been really painful to walk and stand on for a week). That's been fun.
On the Exile side of things (which equates about 80% of my run-time at the moment) did have a lovely quote come in for it:
"a moving and insightful presentation of the realities of exile and the hopeful message of Isaiah 40-55."
Nathan MacDonald. St Andrew's University.
Which was cool, especially as the historical aspect has been the thing I've been most self-conscious about. Good to have a 'get out of jail free' card, ahem, I mean a quote which underlines and acknowledges the work I've done on Exile...
Artwork to come, would have been done today but my mac mini is already struggling :) :) although I don't think wifey will take that as a good excuse to get a Mac Pro of anything...
Currently listening to:Iona: Woven Cord. Currently reading:Nick Page: Whatever happened to the ark of the covenant. Currently working on:Dr Sylver 3 and Exile Road.
...Not really related to anything and may well do a fuller blog post later on tonight - depends on energy levels but loads to talk about - but I was on a tube today and really wish I'd taken a photo of a new Heinz soup advert that struck me as being appallingly dual layered...
It's for Beef and Dumpling soup and it's a picture of the tub with the ingredients which say: Ingredients: uncles and aunts who aren't really uncles and aunts.
I think the strapline says something like: takes you back (or something like that).
I don't know if I'd like to eat a soup that was made out of pretend family members. Whichever way you flavour it that is still cannibalism.
Unless they meant something different. But even so, if Heinz are going to make soups out of people I think it's not a positive sign for the way this world is heading.
Unless they did it deliberately so that people who blog would make witty mention to it...
...are not fun... Despite having an excellent buffet lunch (thanks Deborah!) (and Sainsbury's!)
And now I've got to set up for two groups of musicians, some video editors, 2 DofE guys and a couple of others in to help out.
My heads going to be thumping by the time I get home I can tell........
Sigh....
however! Proofs on Wedsnesday woo! Very excited! Also a meet up with people on Weds concerning outstanding unreleased projects double woo! And! Um... Something else.
Yeah!
My head hurts so much though, would love to take some medicinal Sushi but that'll come soon I think. ANd there is me, on my own in the centre, meetings over and two hours to the next group and the rest of the buffet lunch is here, so I won't starve :)
SO todays been pretty hectic. Mothers day tomorrow of course but today has been both daughter and dads birthday. Loads of family around the house and not but two stupidly large meals which left me feeling incapable of movement afterwards.
Also, because I have come to a time where if I'm not juggling twenty or so things at the same time I get worried, I found out that I owed Highland books a poster for CBC on monday for Sylver 3. Cure some very frantic imagery making last night and here's the result. Hope you like.
Lastly I found myself in a position on friday where I just have to reevaluate things over this weekend, work wise. I forgot about the family parties and stuff so that time isn't going to happen, which means I'm going into monday on a bit of a back foot. Strange days.... Ah well. Maybe inspiraton will hit me tomorrow sometime.
Righto, must be dash, need some sleep before tomorrows mums day festivities. Woo the mums! Hope you all have a cool day tomorrow.
((edit: hmmm just noticed the colours of the image are way different to the colours on y photoshop file, which is a bit odd. Will amend that when I gette chance, but nows not it. NIght all)).
...was finished off with a gig by the lovely voiced Gwyneth Herbert. Utterly amazing singer backed only by the equally capable Al Cherry on guitar.
Did think I was going to miss the gig. Had started the day at 5 and by the time I'd put the kids down at 8 I was flagging. Went to the show and it was all sorts of cool. All of the opening groups did a great job and, when Gwyneth came on... Hmmm... Did wonder if it might be anticlimactic. Wasn't, in a big way. Top voice, lovely songs, good stage presence, interacted with crowd like a pro, managed her way through a couple of mishaps (bongo falling over? Didn't break her stride and added a joke in for good account).
Was ended with the most beautiful note possible: the encore was sung around the tables with no amplification. Half the crowd had been chatting through the entire set (it's a pub as well as a gig venue) but, turning the amps off, everyone stopped and listened. Brave, a good choice, worked well and finished the night off in the best possible way.
That said the bus did try and drive past me (having orange hair I am quite inconspicuous) but even that was resolved amicably. Got home, flat out, teaching today and I haven't really woken up. Do have an important meet at l-time so if anyone reads prior prayer would be good but can't say why. Just something I want to try and get help moved onwards.
Don't suppose anyone knows what code I would add to an img src line to resize it by either a percentage or to a specific pixel width/height? Any wisdom muchos appreciated.
Site Sprung, ratios guessed at (although not too far off) and thanks Ian for the link and the text. Percentages didn't work so I'm guessing that it means that you have to work it out and then add the pixel dimensions. Allign = " middle " doesn't work for me though :( Hmmm wonder if it should've been centre? but apart from that no nasty resizing stuff woo.
And.. . while we're in harvest mode, I really like the artwork for their music cds/books this year. Can't find a bigger one yet but this is a small version:
.. but had a cool lunchtime meeting today about doing some more diocese book covers which was cool. Thanks Mark!
In fact today was pretty chilled all round which was a welcome about face following the past few weeks. Went to the gym for the first time in yonks to find they'd change it all around. Did some paperworkey things, did the meeting, went to my favourite art shop ever (Quarry Street Guildord, a palace of pencily wonders) and back home for kids back from school.
Woo.
And thanks, since there were issues this morning, to all who sail the good ship Wibsite. Much appreciated for all of your hard work and efforts.
Currently listening to:Wandan, Larry Norman and Onehundredhours on rotation. Currently playing:Tried Sim City DS. Didn't get on with it... Want to have a crack at Patapon, Professor Layton and some others soon. Currently working on:Marketing stuff for Dr Sylver 3 and Exile Road.
So here it is... Time to move out onto the Exile Road...
(kercal, February 26, 2008, 11:28 am)
So this years been odd for many reasons... Primarily it's been down to the juggling of this project with life and other jobs. It's been a huge undertaking - work wise - and by far the most intricate piece of work I've been involved with, yet it's also been wonderful, strange, excellent, excruciating, all sorts :)
Most of all it's been wonderful to work as both artist and writer again as the disconnect when I'm either writing or drawing is a strange feeling. This isn't the first project I've done in both roles (the Onehundredhours comic in a past issue of Porpoise is one example and the currently unreleased project Gloryana is another) However it's the first released to a large audience and that is hugely exciting.
So I present: The Exile Road. 72 pages of story, interactive pages, positive reinforcement and a cameo by the Hours. Trivia Man returns from past sketchpads and is joined by Martha, Simoan and Johabim. All very exciting. The comic will be available throughout Spring Harvest and via their online bookstore. I hope that it's positively received...
And there's going to be puppets for three of the characters (sadly not one for Tre and Tori, maybe next year, and, actually I was vaguely hoping that there would be a me puppet but again that may be another year in coming I hope...) you'll have to be at Spring Harvest to find out who though...
The amazing scenes is possibly a little obtuse :) If you're an E3 watcher then you'll know the reasons and it'll make a percentage of the audience smile. Hopefully won't cause MASSIVE DAMAGE :p
So. Comics done. Now it's just the website, flyers, posters, all that stuff. And I need to get some artwork done for Sylver and CBC. It's all go go GO!!!
Finished! + Next week, plus all that. Plus comedy injury that isn't funny...
(kercal, February 23, 2008, 11:49 am)
Son boy is sitting next to me saying he need Cbeebies so briefly (briefer than I'd planned but hey, keyboards are magnetic aren't they?)
So. This months been manic. Stupidly busy. Art centre stuff has had to take a back seat (read: I'm actually doing my hours rather than loads of extra) and college is coming up to parents evening.
In addition to that I've been writing and drawing a 72 page, full colour comic for a large publisher which I finished, well, last night woo! There's a little more to do, some pages need a slight amount of amending and the whole thing needs to be saved as print happy pdfs but, apart from that, it's a done deal. Photoshop's been worked to within an inch of it's life and my lovely new mac mini has been well christened (although not exactly explored... Haven't touched any of the new features I wanted to play with more than turn on, photoshop, turn off at midnight...)
Phew.
Shall mention it around the place this week coming, which promises to be a busy week even though the pressure is now relatively off, but hey, things are cooler and calmer and I'm now letting my brain chill down a little (at the moment it feels like a kiln fresh pot so I'm hoping that it gets back in the habit of not working silly hours soon)...
And the injury? Well, that has something to do with son boy cuddling me around my neck from behind and then deciding to jump. Backwards. Ow. So, one bruised windpipe later I'm not whooping at finishing project, just jumping :) I never liked Goldeneye and my dislike started when Bond is in a plan with a cheesewire around his neck and he decides to press the ejector button. Now, I can suspend disbelief a little but even so he should by rights have been shorter after a trick like that and the film would have had a shock early ending. Similar effect anyhow and hurts but hey ho.
Righto, cbeebies needs to be fired up and then it's next step on the treadmill, but here's to next week, should be interesting.
Currently listening to:Son boy telling me the Mr Silly story... How Silly. Currently playing:Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. DS. Hoping to go onto Rock Band pretty soon... Currently working on:A 72 page comic/graphic novel for release in April... More news this week... :)
Hmmm... Switching off for the night, just coming to that want to do more but just can't so aiming to sleep soon. Not been the most productive day - project wise - but been a lovely family day so that's not to be sniffed at. We all went into town to see a Chinese Association new year showcase which was lovely but whittled us down from four to two pretty rapidly. DId the normal lunch thing - family situations don't allow for much in the way of experimentation but it was alright. Not my thing but again good to be together and not have a distraction just to have us.
In town we mooched around the shops together - again something we don't normally do - I'll get to this in a minute, it's vague for a reason - and managed to get a couple of bargains which is the sort of thing that makes me happy. Bought the Richard Hammond biography and Earth book for a bargainous £2 each and a monitor for the new computer for a clearance price. Got home and wifey went off to escape some of the hazards of the past few days so I took the kids to the park. Got home and in the slow tired time that follows running around like mad things I started to read the Hammond biog.
And it's the most affecting thing, but not for the more obvious reason. TBH, time wise I started at the day when everything changed for him and his family. I know that's skipping 50 pages which are probably excellent set up, but the book was for wifey and my curiosity - while pretty morbid but saved for the fact that I know the ending was happy - led to a certain amount of impatience. I'm also not much of a tabloud (sic) reader so hadn't caught much more of it that had come across on Radios 4 and 5. 170 pages later I'm stil reading, haven't got as much work done as I wanted (thanks Hamster) and thoughtful on grounds away from the books content.
Y'see today was a good day, which is ace, but we still had to cope with a few episodes as a family which we now take, pretty much, for granted. We accept the funny noises, the strange head shakes, the running off and not listening to reason above the phrases we would shout to a pet. We accept the funny looks we get from people who walk past us and misdiagnose the issues we cope with. We accept autism in our family.
Reading about the Hammond families bravery and courage in the face of the most awful of critical conditions was very touching and haunting, inspiring at times and dispiriting at others. The parallels with coping with autism kept creeping up on me. Occasionally someone asks how we deal with all of the strangenesses we live with and we've become so used to it all it strikes us as an odd question yet reading about the issues of dealing with short term amnesia and all of the by products of head trauma it's like seeing into our world through a strange shaped window. Catching a glimse of how people see us from an odd angle (which is an ironic turn of phrase taking into account an autists difficulty in looking at something head on).
Odd. Was expecting to be moved by the book of course yet have actually been spun around by it. A very well put together book and so far it drives me (ho ho) to carry on reading - eyes are just tired so I'm forcing myself to stop and carry on soonish. But it is catching me on a level I wasn't expecting. I've tried reading the Curious Incident book a couple of times but find myself unable to continue - not because of quality but because it touches some very raw nerves. Hammond's biography catches me in the same place but because it's not about autism ostensibly it doesn't hurt too bad. Occasionally I do wonder where we'll be in ten years, twenty, more... Sometimes it's the trickiest thing to reconcile myself to, autism is a funny thing - just not funny haha at all.
So anyhow, odd day. Good I think because it's got me evaluating a number of things yet not in too harsh a way (although I know that it's not going to go that far but thanks Richard and Mindy. Your book has helped on an unexpected tangent).
Also, why do I NEVER meet anyone in the neighbouring town that I know from there? Met 9 people from non-youth group related things yet met no-one from the area itself yet that's where I do the majority of my youthwork? Bonkers.
Righto, time to rest eyes and get some kip. God bless all (well, hi mum at least :) )and next week we'll have something to show from project April.
Currently listening to:One Life Left podcast. Currently playing:Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. DS. Currently working on:A 72 page comic/graphic novel for release pretty soon... More news as it happens... :)
Actually I'm beginning to wonder if I like Soon as a title more. Hmm.. No, I do like the one we've chosen.
Anyhow, first released colourful image. Hope you like.
Currently listening to:Podcasts and Mothership. Currently playing:soft play area with son and daughter. Well, this morning anyhow. Currently working on:A 72 page comic/graphic novel for release pretty soon... More news as it happens... :)
Well, no, not really nearly. Sort of a way off but, you know how you start walking down a long street and you can see the building you're heading for but even so as it's a long, straight journey it's still ages away? Something like that.
aaaanyhow was trying to do one of my myspace blogs (diff audience. Most of the myspace friends are teens from the arts centre so I say slightly diff things on there - I think - and that's down) so I thought I'd blather on here as the footie starts...
So, where at? Anything changed since Weds?
Yes. For a start I got SO SOAKED the other day walking home from college you wouldn't believe. Clothes all sticking to me, things in pockets damp beyond repair in some cases, water soluble pencils in inside coat pocket beautifully colourful and vivid, just not on a canvas I would have chosen. Which was also the day I had to get straight out to do a group at a school CU. During which a fire bell rang. Where we then stood out on a muddy field for ten minutes. I gave up on having warm feet for the rest of the day.
And! Loads happening behind scenes. I think I can tell you that the new client is Spring Harvest... The rest will come in time but it's a cool thing to be a part of, I'm fond of all of the times I've been to Springy, bar one, which I probably moaned about on here... Then, just when I thought it couldn't get any cooler, I found out that one of my art students will be at the same week I'll be at which'll be ace. It's cool to be going with church friends and all that but they'll all have their families and I was anticipating some spare cog times as well. Nice to know there'll be twenty or so teens that I can spend some time with at times.
Apart from that? Hmmmm... Did a youth group last night which was the most amazing fun. We've been quite quiet for a while, not a bad thing, the current intake is perfectly formed and all kids that require some positive attention for various reasons so we've not been on a recruitment drive so that we can have a positive focus. It's never been about numbers for us, whether it's 6 or 60 (we've had both one week after the next, go figure) it's fun to be a part of. Anyway this week I said if it was quiet I'd hide in the office and do some drawing and it was, let's just say, not even remotely quiet. It was all sorts of aces and the kids we had, well, I din't think it might work, that we would have a little more policing to happen, that some of the groups wouldn't get along and, to the best of my knowledge we had no warnings given out and no real reasons to even raise a voice (well, there were two occasions but on both the teacher voice did the trick). SO I spent the evening sitting with a group of ten kids drawing and making shrink plastic and playing about and doing an impromptu and unplanned drawing lesson and we all had LOADS of fun. For the first time in a while, and I don't mean this negatively, I didn't want the group to end. Not that I want to be rid of it but by 9 pm having been working in one way or another from 8am I like saying good night and setting down so that we can all go home to sleep. Last night I'd have been happen to carry on and keep playing.
So, it's interesting. College has been challenging this week, so it's nice to have swings to go with roundabouts. Arts Centre is ace but, again, occasionally issue based, sometimes kids come to you with problems that you can't help with - short term at least - and those moments are always hard to accept and keep going through. But we keep talking and trying to help and hoping for breakthroughs. And there have been some amazing times at the centre, so again ups to counter downs.
RIghto, one goal scored, need to start washing up to footie rather than blogging. Hope things are cool in blogreaderland. And, again, normal service, rather than verbal tomfoolery, will be resumed as soon as.
Currently listening to:5live: Arsenal vs Man City. Currently playing:When time allows: Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. DS. I'm so far behind on any semblance of gameplaying so nobody mention the end of any game for the past 9 months in case I've not completed it ta. Currently working on:A 72 page comic/graphic novel for release pretty soon... More news as it happens... :)
The librarians tangents. 
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