Audio: Nobody Does New York Worse

Phone hell with Purrplechick and a little Swingnut.

Download: PhoneHell.mp3 – 6.1MB – 4 mins 27 secs

Video: Murdering Britney

Acoustic hell.

Starring Swingnut, Purrplechick and me.

Oh No, Not Again!

Oh look!

Yes, another month of trying to take a meaningful picture every day and posting it to a group on Flickr before midnight, but this time without the shower shot late posting forfeits (thankfully, I don’t want to be hosed down in the garden in November, sheesh), daylight, nice weather, etc.

Hopefully this will include all the original members, but who knows. Lots has happened since Part 1 that changes the dynamics quite a bit.

And despite the title on this post, I am looking forward to it. Last time it was utterly addictive and I relished the opportunity to do stuff that was different and interesting, plus the social aspect of connecting with people and the fun that came with the various themes. Something like this makes you think about the photos you take, whether they are a daily journal or intended to show how you’re feeling that day. Or whatever.

Oh, Consequences

Hello, world.

So where have I been and why haven’t I been blogging? Well, I’ve been right here, where I’ve always been, but busy in a development phase. This differs to the support phases I get into after a release in that I tend to be working on ideas and concepts that can span days or weeks, not hours or a single day.

Sure, all things can be broken down into chunks but when you have to spend a couple of weeks working in preparation for a couple of days’ work that was the original point, it seems like all you can do to sprint to that place and not break the concentration. And then I start thinking in code.

NSEnumerator *thoughts = [[steve randomThoughts] objectEnumerator];
Thought *thought;
while (thought = [thoughts nextObject]) {
	[steve startNewParagraph];
	[steve switchSubjectTo:thought];
}

Consequences. Some can be minor, others may not come to light for years. Often, one can easily imagine the benefits. Do X, Y will happen and we’ll all live happily ever after. But it’s important to work out the crappy implications too, including any long-term effects. How will this pan out years down the line?

Life has no undo. I sometimes wish it did, particularly the sort of non-destructive editing you see in apps like Aperture. Just remove that one mistake without changing anything else. Fuck cause and effect.

I don’t know when I stopped talking to people, but I think I know why. I don’t wanna talk about it, as Rod Stewart once croaked.

I like being spontaneous, but I’ve been burnt by my own friction so many times. Sometimes after that I become too cautious but soon feel stifled by my security blanket. Now I’m trying to find the balance.

I really am a creature of speed. I want it done now. As soon as I start something, I’m thinking about the next thing. I have a voracious appetite for the new, the different and the unusual and yet what I have before me is the same old tired shit.

Some people enjoy cleaning. I don’t. That’s what I’m doing and while things look nicer for a little while, it’s never long before I’m back where I started.

So, lots of chores to do, just want them done, need a change of scene, not enough hours in the day. Running out of enthusiasm beans. Will get there one day. 2006 sucks.

logout

Put It Away, Mary!

I started going back to the gym just over a week ago, now that my ankle is better, although it still aches every day, more so since starting back at the gym. Your ankle is one of those things that is really difficult not to use. You only notice how much you use it when it hurts.

Anyway, so, back at the gym. It’s a good gym, not cheap, and this has the advantage of occasional eye candy, and of course, being half-gay I can sometimes get a little extra after the workout too. For example, a local rugby club uses it to train and I was sharing a shower with one very tall, handsome, perfectly-endowed guy last week. Damn! It was all I could do not to gawp. I have control though, you learn how not to show your feelings, ifyouknowwhatImean.

The downside to this is that if you get the timing wrong, there really isn’t anything special to look at. Old, fat and ugly is the order of the day. Now, I don’t have a problem with nudity, people who may not have the best bodies, biggest dicks, whether they’re old or young because perfection can be boring, HOWEVER it’s what you do with these things that counts.

So, to the 6′ 4″ guy with the business class stomach who insisted on shaving in the nude in the toilets today, I would like to say PUT IT AWAY, MARY. You ain’t nothing special, kinda small for your height, ugly and your stomach looks like it belongs in an ill-fitting suit, shirt and tie, not casting a shadow over the basin in all its glory. For fuck’s sake do us a favour, wrap a towel around your waist or something, and why the fuck are you shaving in the toilets in the nude anyway? Perv.

Video: Look Into My Eyes

Some random clips with a hasty introduction. Still lop-sided after the dentist:

Includes a drive through Gower to Rhossili Bay, Wales and the view from Rhossili Downs, 632ft above sea level, looking down at the sea.

Music by Underworld. Hosted free on Podshow+.

Dead Lesbian (well, dying)

A few weeks ago pioneer podcaster and power lesbian, Madge Weinstein of Yeast Radio, suffered a botched operation to reduce her weight and is now on her deathbed in a Mexican hospital with questionable standards.

Madge’s alter ego and show producer Richard Bluestein assumed responsibility for hosting the show and I offered to create a new blog theme for his site, along with iTunes artwork, etc.

I was really looking forward to this. I need a change of creative scene every now and again, especially after a month like the last one where practically all I did was answer emails and fix bugs day and night.

Trouble is I had absolutely no idea what to do! The show is evolving at quite a pace and not even Richard really knows what it will turn out to be. During a quick discussion with him and John Ong (aka Miss Penang), he suggested a take on Da Vinci’s Last Supper, with politicians instead of disciples and him as Judas.

Brilliant, we said. It’s the sort of idea that designs itself (well, you know what I mean). Both Richard and John (who is obsessed with fonts and kerning, even more so than me) oversaw the design and I also got a little input on fonts and colours from Hans, too.

You can see the finished theme in all its glory on the Yeast Radio site or here, in miniature:

I’m really pleased with how it turned out. I think it suits Richard and his new podcast by managing to look contemporary without following the herd. And besides, it’s amusing. That’s all down to Richard – his idea. The CSS and images, they’re down to me.

If you liked the idea of Yeast Radio, which has always been eclectic and quite political, but didn’t like the lesbian, then check out the new show. It’s improving every day as Richard finds his feet, voice, and other parts of himself that were previously hidden by the mask of Madge.