Art Stuff

This afternoon I spent half an hour going through a couple of boxes of my art stuff! What I mean by art stuff is paint, brushes and pencils. I haven’t actually painted anything (except walls and window frames) for years now – since moving in to my own home I haven’t drawn or painted anything. That doesn’t mean that I haven’t been given or bought art materials – I have a huge section of watercolour paints, acrylic paints and charcoal/pastel pencils. I also have a feeling that there is a box or two still in the loft that I need to go through. After I had a bit of a clear out and donated some craft things like glitter to my nieces, I now know what I have and where it is. All I have to do now is actually start painting again but what to paint. Not sure if I could do still life again – bowls of fruit or still life. Painting nude women or men who are normally over the age of sixty is not that exciting either. I quite enjoyed painting flowers and I went through a phase of painting flowers on glass bottles using glass paints. I also enjoyed abstract art at college – so maybe something to do with flowers and abstract, ummm now that is an idea.

I will have to make sure I get started on some art soon as I would like to start another OU course in October (still deciding on which one to take but I’m sure I will write about it on here). Once I start another course it will take up a lot of my weekend time so there will be no time for art but it will be good for me to have a deadline to get some painting done. One way that I have been using my creative skills is in Adobe Illustrator, not only for work in creating icons but at home. I don’t really create anything in particular except for an icon that I created for my OU website course but it’s great fun playing around with Illustrator. As I don’t have a printer at home I can’t print out any of my designs but I have used one of them as my Skype picture. Well, lets see if I can get myself motivated and start drawing and painting again on good old-fashioned paper.

Nothing, absolutely nothing

I have nothing to write about, sorry readers.  I’ve been sitting with the laptop in front of me for about half an hour now and cannot think of anything exciting to  write about.  Maybe I’m just tired or maybe the two Cosmopolitans I had earlier have sucked my brain of all exciting things.  Maybe I need a holiday – well only a week until that happens, yippee.  Well, I’m off to make another cocktail so goodnight and I promise to write lots more tomorrow!

Can he do it?

That was the headline on thelondonpaper tonight – yes he can! Good old Bob the Builder, he can fix anything. Actually, the article was about Barack Obama and not a children’s cartoon character whose catch phrase is “yes we can” – I don’t know if Bob the Builder ever made it across to the States but it is quite funny how Barack has borrowed his catch phrase. I’m sure he hasn’t really! Now that that Democratic nomination has been accepted and I believe the Republicans hold their conference next week, this means non-stop coverage about the Presidential elections in the US. There will be a many catchy slogans for this from the UK press like “America decides 08″ and “Race for President”.

Obviously no one with a British passport can vote but we do seem to take a real interest in this contest. Maybe that’s because it actually feels like a “World Presidential Vote” and not just for one country. But that might be because the British politicians always follow suit as to what America does. From a personal view, I hope Barack wins but who ever wins I hope they put an end to all the conflicts that in the world and let the troops get home safely. Wow, what a current news type of post this is, anyway hope everyone has a good weekend!

Conor Oberst at the Electric Ballroom

Last night was the Conor Oberst gig at the Electric Ballroom in Camden. I was luckily enough to get a ticket for this – well I did order them ages ago and the two tickets I got where numbered 7 & 8. When I checked the ticket sites a few weeks ago it was all sold out. Met up with my “gig mate” Sim and went for a quick tour of Camden. Great place, I must try and get there again soon. After some tapas, we went to the venue around 7.45pm and there was a small crowd already at the front of the stage. Decided some drinks where needed and surprisingly, it was quite cool in there. I was expecting it to be a really hot room with no air-conditioning. About half-an-hour later the support act came on – an odd welsh trio with some good songs. After this, another trip to the bar was needed and a quick purchase of a t-shirt – I’m loving my concert t-shirts at the moment. Then it was back amongst the crowd to wait for Conor to appear.

All of a sudden the Mystic Valley Band came on and then he appeared to a rapturous cheer. Straight into the music with Sausalito – now I should be able to write down what order the playlist was but I was too busy singing, foot stomping, trying to see (damn too short sometimes) and trying to take pictures to write/remember it (a kind person commented below with the setlist). But he did play all the songs off the new self-titled album except for the strange ditty “Valle Mistico” and there was a few songs that I didn’t know. These were sang by other band members, which was quite a cool thing to do. My most memorable songs of the night were: Eagle on a Pole, Lenders in the Temple (one of my favourites and just beautifully sung), Moab, Get-Well-Cards, NYC – Gone, Gone (really got the crowd going – shame it’s so short) and at the end before the encore, I Don’t Want to Die (in the Hospital). At the very end he played Breezy, I have never heard this song before (had to look on the net to find out what this song was called) but it was just fantastic. A real heartfelt song.

It was such a happy experience, shame it had to finish (when he waved goodbye I foolishly waved back as if he could see me with a 6ft guy in front of me). Just thinking about the concert now just makes me smile. My friend said “there was a lot of love in that room”. I just wish there was more space for dancing and that everyone else was moving about more. I really wanted to clap/wave my arms in the air more but there wasn’t much of that going on. But there was always a great applause and cheering at the end of every song. Maybe that’s the way it should be, obviously going to see the Prodigy at V made me think that clapping and arm waving always happens at every concert! I would love to see him again especially in the States, as I would imagine that would be very special and maybe more dancing would be involved. I think that I was one of the few there that knew all the words to nearly all the songs. On that note, I would like to apologize to anyone near me for my singing, I was very out of tune and as loud as possible.

A trip out to Camden

I’m off to a gig tonight (Conor Oberst) at the Electric Ballroom in Camden. It has been about 15 years since I’ve been to a proper gig. That was Blur at the Kilburn High Street Ballroom.  I remember lots of jumping up and down at that one!  But I think this will be my first time to Camden!  How did that happen? I’ve always lived near London and worked in London for ten years. So tonight will be full of surprises and new things to experience.  Also means I’m rushing out the door at work and won’t be home until late tonight so I just won’t have the time to write a full post but maybe that keeps everyone on their toes for when I ramble on for about an hour!! I will write about the gig tomorrow – ah, the mid-life crisis continues.  What fun!

Run Fat Boy Run

Great film with Simon Pegg and at the beginning when he is just starting to run, that’s just how I feel when I started running. Out of breath in about one minute and unable to walk let alone run anymore. Except I didn’t sign up for a marathon or wear short shorts. My running is getting better but at the moment it’s trying to find the time to fit it in. Most of the running guides suggest every other day which is fine and most of the time I can do that like last week. This week is a bit of a sham – went on Saturday and was hoping to go tonight. Considering it is nearly eight o’clock at night and I’m still on a train, while writing this so I don’t think that is going to happen. I’ve got this blog to write, dinner, ironing and some tagging of work headlines to do. Before you know it it’s ten at night and I’ll be ready for bed.

I’m definitely not the type of person to get up at six in the morning and go for a run. I would never get to work then. It’s alright at the weekends but that’s running at eight/nine in the morning.  For a bit of inspiration for my running I read about 6o-odd year-old (in the papers she was reported as Granny – she didn’t look like a Granny) Rosie Swale-Pope who has just spent the last five years running around the world.  Not that I would like to run around the world but it’s something to think about while I’m trying to run my measly-odd miles.  She was quoted in saying “Don’t let anyone tell you it’s a small world” – it might not be if you are trying to run, walk, cycling or motorbike around it but it is with technology.

The Olympics is over…

… so now what I’m I going to watch. Nothing much actually but have just spent the last hour watching the Reading and Leeds Festival on the BBC iPlayer. Shame I can’t save the festival programmes to my iPod Touch to watch on long plane journeys or maybe I can if I was really naughty and looked for a hack online! Anyway, back to the Olympics – how well did Team GB do! Amazing! Much better than I think anyone ever thought. I am imagining that it will be another four years before I watching athletics, swimming and cycling again. I don’t really watch much sport on TV – the London Marathon and maybe a bit of tennis while Wimbledon is on. Until the Olympics is back on!

The other morning I was watching the diving (lots of men in very small trunks with amazing muscular bodies!) and it made me think of a funny story of Speedos. While on holiday in France a few years ago during the summer we were staying in a chalet with lots of other holiday makers. Didn’t know anyone else but it’s a great way to meet loads of people and have a great laugh. Sharing a breakfast table in the morning with a small group of strangers of all ages, that are all interested in mountain biking and hiking is fab! One particular couple had a day off from all the biking and walking and decided to go to the local open air swimming pool. On arrival, Simon (I’m amazed that I can still remember his name!) was told that he couldn’t wear swimming shorts and had to wear Speedo pants instead for hygienic reasons (the French are odd at times!). Thus, he didn’t have any Speedos but was ask if he would like to hire some! Yuk! Being British, he refused and had to buy some new ones but the idea of borrowing some tight Lycra pants that many other men have worn is just grim!! I wonder if they wash them inbetween hires…

Bank Holiday Weekends

Sorry readers (whose who aren’t enjoying the long weekend in the UK) but decided to have a couple of days off from writing. Back on Monday with hopefully tales of my new mobile phone which I off to buy now! Enjoy your weekend.

It’s Friday…

Friday’s are always the most difficult days I find to write for my blog. It’s the end of the working week and I’m either out or sitting at home drinking. Tonight I’m home alone with music on, eating dark chocolate and drinking a Manhattan. After a few weeks of drinking Manhattans I’m actually getting a taste for them now – I’m sure I don’t make them as strong as they should be but I’m working my way up to that. I particularly like the Maraschino cherries in them and at the end of the drink they are all soaked in alcohol.

Spent most the day at work but with the Olympics on in the background via BBC live texting. No one else was in today so it always seems quite quiet in the office, I wonder if I could get some iPod speakers on expenses? I think Team GB have done really well so far and there might be more medalling to be won tomorrow (I put that in as my friend was complaining about the use of medal as a verb). I really felt sorry for Aaron Cook who lost out in the Taekwondo – he looked really upset but at only 17 I’m sure we will see him at 2012 winning gold.

Here is a picture for all you need for a good night in while blogging – I’m sure other people have their own version of a good night in blogging. Like not actually blogging but out down the pub or watching a film or out with friends. Not sure how the glass of water got in there (that’s really to stop me getting too drunk on my own)! Happy Friday!

Speak and Spell

Ah, for any readers under the age of 20 (maybe even 25) you might not have heard of “Speak & Spell“, the electronic spelling game that nearly everyone had back in the eighties before home computers.  An electronic voice gives you a word to spell, you spell it on the colourful keypad and then it tells you if you are right or wrong.  Obviously, I never really played with this much as my spelling is pretty bad.  But over the past few days I have noticed a slight improvement – I think this is down to Skype IM, Twitter and my work chatroom.  All three of these don’t have spell check unlike Word or email.  Before if a word stumped me I would try and think of something else to write or I would spell out a word and then quickly check it on Google with one of the many dictionary sites to make sure it was right. But the past few times I have done this the word is correct – blimey!  Not saying that my spelling will ever be great but I’m surprising myself these days with the things that I’m learning. Actually what I’m remembering!

Which reminds me I must look in to doing another course with the Open University.  Definitely something geeky like web applications or at least something to do with HTML.  I won’t get my results from my last course (Design and the Web) until sometime in September and the next courses start in October. I’m not sure if to sign up for a new course now or wait until I get my results. Oh well, it’s been quite nice having my weekends back but I don’t seem to be doing anything constructive with them (from what I can remember).  Running and ice-skating seems to be about it so maybe I should get back to all the things that I wanted to learn and do when I started this blog – Ruby, my grammar and finishing the Big Read.  Tess of the d’Urbervilles is proving to be a really hard book to get in to and it’s only 350 odd pages. I must try and finish it before the end of the month and then I can get in to something exciting like Brave New World or The Clan of the Cave Bear.