Archive for the ‘People’ Category
November 6th, 2007
Recently my good friend’s Paul and Esta popped their first sprog (well, Esta did most of the work I’m told) - And in traditional fashion I brought them a gift to celebrate. It’s called ‘Smoking Baby’ and I’m sure if you want you can get one from somewhere on the net, but I got mine in Brighton.
As you may imagine, I was chuffed to bits to meet little Amelie - she’s gorgeous and despite myself I think I actually said “Awwww”. I quickly had to talk about football to regain some equilibrium (not that I like football - it was just the first manly thing that came to mind). But seriously, she is amazing - even if she is making Katie broodier than ever.
I was not so pleased to be asked to take back my gift though! I mean, come on, what self-respecting parent wouldn’t want Baby smokes-a-lot around to teach their kid at an early age that smoking is not only sociably acceptable, but also makes you look cool. I’m surprised this little guy hasn’t got a pair of ‘knarly’ shades or ‘far out’ tattered jeans - Just look how cool he looks puffing away on that big tab.
Well done proud parents - I bet you can’t wait to see what I get her for Christmas!
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September 25th, 2007
Paul Lloyd and I went to school together. We laughed and cried together. We shared chips from the same paper bag. But alas, he is not keen on the new design. I don’t know if we can weather this rift in our friendship. As an attempt to repair broken prides and clear the air I would like to publicly discuss the issues my friend Mr. Lloyd has with my design.
But first, a brief history.
As already mentioned, myself and Paul went to the same fine secondary education establishment. After a teary goodbye, we both left for our respective Universities - Paul choosing a course in Graphic Design and myself a stint in Multimedia Design. After completing our eduction (both with an Atilla) we moved into jobs, greasing our way up the ranks to reach the lofty heights of Lead Design at Ning and Interaction Designer at Glaxstar.
It should be mentioned at this point that whereas I have always had slightly more technical skill than Paul, he far outstrips me on the design front. That said, lets now move onto what he thought of the new design.
F*****G Stars!
Were the first words out of Paul’s mouth. Too many stars apparently. I gathered from this that Paul was less than impressed with the new design.
He then sent me an email, a design critique if you will, kindly enclosing a re-hashed version of the design that ‘he did on the train’. This gave me a basic overview of each area of my sins:
- Typography
- Colour
- Use of space
- Use of images
- Those stars
Ok, time to get serious. I must admit to having my pride a little battered by Paul’s redesign, but he’s an awesome designer and a great friend. I just thought this would be funny - And a chance to put both designs out there. I’ve uploaded Paul’s Homepage and About Page to Flickr. Please feel free to take a look and rip either or both versions. Again, it’s over to you!
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September 21st, 2006
Sunday saw me and Katie meeting half-way between our two home towns in Oxford (yeah, long distance relationships are a bitch). And man, the weather for late September was amazing! So off we trottled on the open top bus, and had a day of touristy-magic. Including a trip to the Turf Tavern, a pub which was unsurprisingly full of American tourists and Oxford students not having the kind of conversations that I remember from University.
But not just that, oh no, not me and Katie! We went all out crazy-go-nuts on the tourist trail stopping off at the Oxford Story a trip back 900 years into Oxford history, and then (much to Katie’s delight) a bit of shopping at Alice’s Shop.
But, I think the pinnacle of the day was Oxford Castle Mound. Not that the mound itself was that amazing, just a lot of dirt, but the security system for keeping people who’d not paid the one pound entry fee was pretty much state of the art.
To get on the mound you first have to go in the shop and buy yourself a ticket. Upon exiting the shop you then make your way to the mound itself. Before ye can pass, ye must buzz the buzzer on the 5′ (possibly electrified) gate. Then, when your identification has been verified using a series of voice and DNA checks, the gate is opened electronically.
As we came down the mound we passed a guy who’d obviously missed the sign that said “this mound cost’s a pound” and was chased down by the huge guy who worked in the shop. I wouldn’t have liked to get on the wrong side of him.
So was the mound worth a pound? Well, we damn well made sure we got our monies worth! A whole 30 minutes we sat on the mound. It was quite a moving experience.
8 Comments »
August 1st, 2006
Ah, I used to love a bit of photography, getting down in the mud to get that perfect low angle sharp focus background, soft foreground shot (you know the sort). But then, it all stopped. My Flickr became a bit of a waste ground of random holiday shots and friends eating ice cream.
So then what to do? Well, If it’s anything like all my other “creative” ideas it’s simply to stop the boredom at work when the clients are procrastinating. Nevertheless, I have made a start! Armed with a couple of photos of Katie and good old Photoshop 7 I made this…
… Okay, so maybe it isn’t the most creative idea in the world, but with other my friends out doing me at every turn, I’ve gotta start catching up!
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July 24th, 2006
Has it really been over 12 months since I last went camping? But it was certainly worth the wait! Last week we’d had some of the hottest temperatures on record, and looking forward to a camp weekend was just the thing I needed to get me through the work week.
As the weekend approached, it got hotter and hotter and as temperatures soared to the mid 30s the good old bbc weather told me there was torrential rain forecast for Saturday in Derbyshire. Well, the weather didn’t disappoint! Amazing lightening and the welcome refreshment the rain brought just added to the fun of the weekend.
So as the rain set in we decided to visit some caves called the Devil’s Arse, so called because of the wet farting noises the river makes when it’s draining away post-flood. Unfortunately we didn’t get to hear the cave’s flatulence, but we did have a very interesting cave guide. She was magnificent to say the least!
Anyway, we got some cool photos, so if you’re interested have yourself a look.
15 Comments »
May 4th, 2006
After nearly two years I’m moving on from Michelle’s cell group. Steve, Gill & I are joining a brand new cell based in Coalpool, which should prove to be both extremely interesting and no doubt challenging.
While I’m keen to see what the new cell will bring, tonight has also given me a chance to reflect on the journey I started at the end of an Alpha in Michelle’s living room what seems like a life time ago. I’ll miss my weekly meetings with all these guys, it’s been interesting to say the least, and without doubt a lot a fun!
Onwards and upwards. For His glory.
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March 13th, 2006
I went and did it, huh, I think I did it. Yes, this weekend saw the biggest move away from Brownhills since University. I am now an official WS1 resident, slap bang in the middle of picturesque Walsall.
I guess this has been coming ever since I realised that Walsall (at least for the moment) is where I need to be. The Kidz Klub thing continues in Coalpool and I can see scope for getting a lot more involved there.
13 Comments »
January 23rd, 2006
My old mate Lloydy has finally announced on his blog (so I’m finally officially allowed to write this post), what a few of us have know for ages: He’s off to work for Ning. Well done mate, you’re now part of an elite.
Amongst us so called “web designers” (yeah, I suppose i’d include myself there, although most people would just say ‘geek’), there are those that have risen above the rest. People like Jeffery Zeldman and Molly Holzschlag who now get to travel the world telling people like me about new innovations in the world of web. There are whole confences dedicated to it. It’s an exciting life in the non-stop, fun filled world of elite webbers.
Ok, you might have sensed a hint of sarcasm in that last sentence, but I’ll admit that may be a bit of the green-eyed monster speaking. After all, it’s not every day that a large company head hunts one of your friends for their new lead designer. I genuinely expect great things from you Mr. Lloyd. And a set of free tickets to at media 2007 (where, of course, you’ll be the headline guest) wouldn’t go ammis.
Good luck, God speed and all the best for this new chapter in your life. You deserve it mate.
6 Comments »
December 15th, 2005
Isn’t it funny how you meet new people? Let’s say for example that you commented on someones Flickr photos, and six months later you fly out to Spain to visit them. Well funnily enough (cue sincere laughter) that’s exactly what happened to me…
Madrid was awesome, and a good time was had by all. We saw castles, bars, mountains, bars, shops, bars, trains, planes and automobiles. Oh, and bars. But all this got me thinking up until I’d actually spent more than one afternoon with Liz I’d been feeling a little… seedy… about meeting someone over the internet. Maybe that’s not the right word, but my limited vocabulary doesn’t allow me to be any more descriptive.
I’m sure you know what I mean, ‘meeting’ people via the internet does have a certain stigma attached to it. I’m very happy to say in this case my new friend (who I’ve firmly move up from ‘flickr friend’ status) turned out to be awesome, but there’s always that danger that the person you are online isn’t the real you. I’ve done it myself, been someone else online just ‘cos it’s easy to do. Not to mention fun. I wonder if it’s just me with this mental stigma, or do other people think the same?
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May 25th, 2005
Rob’s just had his first year anniversary. A year?! Where did that go? And then, last weekend, his sister got married (which was awesome, really nice church and a huge reception at an old country estate). Next weekend it’s Lee’s turn, and I’ve already got invitations to two more this summer.
When did I get old enough for my friends to start getting married and having kids? Not only that but getting proper grown-up jobs, houses, 2 cars, mortgages, life-insurance and other things that my parents have but I’m obviously too young to deal with. But i’m not anymore…
So this got me thinking, when (if ever) do you start thinking of yourself as an adult? I mean you hear those “older” folks (of which I guess I’m no one) talking about how they’ve felt 16 all their lives, but I’ve never really thought that would happen to me. I always thought this was something people said, but you’d feel older, you’d know you were a growed-up. But apparently not. Oh well, here’s to many more years (at least) of thinking and feeling like a 16 year old. Anyone get served in the offie?
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