The star in a Jar blog

what a week...

2010-11-26T14:35:00.000+00:00

Last Friday I was singing along with The Blanks a.k.a Ted's band from scrubs, (yes, that is my arm around Ted!). On wednesday I watched Dobby die in Harry Potters arms (very sad), Today it is snowing! (yay), and tonight I am off around Swansea doing a treasure/pub quiz/hunt/thing...

missing my old office..

2010-10-13T21:16:00.000+01:00

...just having a day of thinking about:
Vimto lollipops, mugs in the dishwaser, missing spoons, inflatable reindeer heads, traffic lights, my old paper mache cow of companionship, the big pink pig moneybox, sign off forms, chasing purchase orders...

and my friends :)

hello...

2010-10-12T16:13:00.002+01:00

... I'm not dead... just really busy...
... don't panic Roger :)

11 days to go...

2010-04-15T20:45:00.002+01:00

...well, actually it is 11 working days, but that doesn't include days within that 11 that I am not actually in the office. So in fact it is more like 8ish days to go.

And then I join the group labeled as the 'full-time self employed'... eek!
I am still kinda bouncing from excitement to fear and back again, following a meeting I had today with a future client who loves the work I have done for them so far and is giving me even more work. I left the office where we met and I had a glow of job satisfaction.
Shortly after that I ended up back in my office where among the cloud of existing despair I was greeted by a bombardment of problems and things I had to fix, even though I hadn't caused the issues in the first place!?!?

my glow faded quickly

Atreyu: "Fight against the sadness Artax. Artax, please. You're letting the sadness of the swamps get to you. You have to try, you have to care. For me, I'm your friend, I love you."

(Artax is shortly after consumed by the sadness.)

what a day...

2010-03-11T22:07:00.002+00:00

as my facebook status says:
"I feel I should say something profound regarding the events of the day but can't think of anything really except to tell the guys that he works with that it has been a privilege working wth you. But different paths are now ahead... Let's se how good a designer I really am eh?"

What a last five years...

http://open.spotify.com/track/7Ap54TEMVlXUN4l1tzrTvY

...here's to the future.

newness...

2010-01-05T15:24:00.002+00:00

Well it's 2010... there's snow on the ground and a chill in the air. So what does the year ahead hold? I dunno... I think my resolutions this year should fall around the following:
1) Do less free work for folk
I tend to volunteer to help people out when I really shouldn't. There are enough people out there who appreciate my skills and are willing to pay good money.
2) Less of the sarcasm
Yep, I tend to be a bit too sarcastic.
3) Get fit
A staple resolution each year but this year it is probably more likely with me enjoying a bit of kickboxing.
4) Stop gardening
Amazingly I was out clearing the gardening plot and discovered a single carrot last weekend! I had thought they had all been eaten by some evil bug but nope... one survived. This year the ground is going to rest and so shall I. The ground is soon to be a nice big rabbit run.
5) Don't even think about doing another '10 things'
That project almost killed me and I quickly was working on a billion things and losing my free time. So from last year I am selecting the most profitable and developing them into sustainable incomes. They will probably be:
www.makeasockmonkey.co.uk
Steadily going well. I just need to do a bit of publicity for it.
www.localbusinesscard.co.uk
A good idea that just need some time invested in getting it all rolling.
www.starinajar.co.uk
My own company, going from strength to strength.
www.lifeismootiful.co.uk
Cows! selling well in America, I should have some money soon to look at getting them printed and sold in UK shops
www.inmemoryofthem.co.uk
Working with jenny to provide an extension service to starinajar.

Watch this space...

almost...

2009-12-10T21:21:00.002+00:00

well it is almost Christmas! I have a week and a day off and then only 3 working days left! whoohoo! I haven't posted for months! nothing substantial to report really... um...

...here is a website I love:
www.sketchysantas.com

...and Panchos Lament have released a new album!
http://open.spotify.com/track/0WCNTM2xAzlJVDj5DZ6F3O

one for the harry potter fans...

2009-09-17T16:43:00.000+01:00

www.universalorlando.com/harrypotter/

what were they thinking?...

2009-09-17T16:41:00.001+01:00

www.animalswithlightsabers.com/post/186147770

random but cool...

2009-09-17T16:38:00.004+01:00

www.howmanypeopleareinspacerightnow.com/

I love this...

2009-09-11T14:27:00.001+01:00

Customer: “My internet is not working.”
Me: “I can help you with that. Are the lights on your modem lit?”
Customer: “Yes.”
Me: “Good, is the one labeled ‘online’ blinking?”
Customer: “I don’t have a light like that, but it does have the time.”
Me: “The…time?”
Customer: “Yes, and there’s a button labeled snooze!”

Read more at my new fav website Not Always Right.

analyse this...

2009-09-10T14:43:00.001+01:00

recent phone pics...

2009-09-01T08:38:00.011+01:00

Nick working his way through two medium spicy pizzas after he found out that Pizza Hut had run out of large pizza bases (gutted).

This is a pic from my very first Ice hockey match I went to see with Jon. The Cardiff Devils drew 2-2 in what must be one of the most amusingly violent sports I have ever watched. I am looking forward to watching them again when they play the Stingrays on Sunday 13th Sept.

The view from a very tall mountain in west Wales following a blustery climb.

The photo that started the 'I look like the dad pig off Peppa Pig' discussion.

Cath drinking coffee (which is what we did lots of on holidays).

One of my favorite views because it means I am probably drinking a grande white mocha with whipped cream and eating a cinamon swirl in Starbucks.

song of the day...

2009-08-27T09:01:00.002+01:00

song of the day...

2009-08-26T16:14:00.000+01:00

ahoy there...

2009-08-25T21:13:00.000+01:00

There are some greetings that due to some unknown reason aren't used enough. 'Ahoy' being one of them. If you are reading this blog, leave a comment with other lesser used greetings that you think should worm their way back into common usage :)

three years...

2009-08-16T10:57:00.000+01:00

can't think of anyhing else to say.

look a like...

2009-08-15T11:04:00.002+01:00

Do I relly look like Mr Pig from Peppa Pig? Cath thinks I do (especially when I haven't shaved).

i bought a book...

2009-08-14T23:54:00.003+01:00

I'm not a huge book fan really but something about Pride and Predjudice and Zombies stood out to me. It is my summer read along with City of Thieves which I am enjoying so far.
I am staring to feel better now, there are fewer badgers in my skull, and wierdly I am missing the gym!?!?! who'd have thought that was even possible? I even missed people in work too, not the work mind, please don't get confused with that.
My car failed it's MOT on it's number plates?!? random eh? but that was cheap enough to fix.

I'm tired and shouldn't blog when I'm tired.
good night all.

ouch...

2009-08-04T08:33:00.009+01:00

"He was so deadly, in fact, that his enemies would go blind from over-exposure to pure awesomeness!"

Today I am Kung Fu Panda. I have a lovely bruise on my right foot and ache all over.

I will be the dragon warrior! (but it may take some time)

"Hey, what you got? You got nothing because I got it right here. You picking on my friends? Get ready to feel the thunder. Come out with the crazy feet. What you goin' to do about the crazy feet. I'm a blur! I'm a blur! You never seen *Bear* style!"

ooops...

2009-08-02T09:52:00.002+01:00

looking back on yesterday I may not have eaten the best food possible If I am trying to get into shape. But to be honest at least bananas in custard contain one of my five a day right?
Today I need to get to the gym and burn off some of the junk.
I am working on ways to simplify my life. I think I may have bitten off much more than I can chew and as tasty a ferero rochers are it is very difficult to eat more than seven in a minute. I think the same with me that although I love doing all the things I am doing I need to cut it back somewhat. My 'Ten things' idea has already been smashed and I am regularly asked to embark on more and more projects. Thankfully I am now involving others in it all to take the load off me. So for now I am focusing on my business and cutting back on other stuff like making sockmonkies, local business card, life is mootiful, and a host of others. not forever you understand, but for now I am passing them over to carefully selected folk, chosen for their skills and character.
I'm not good at trusting folk, nothing personal. I just find it hard :s

love this...

2009-08-01T20:42:00.002+01:00

Don't know if many people out there listen to the Scott Mills show on radio 1? but regardless he introduced a singing sensation to the world:

WING

out of tune, high pitched but very lovable.
But guess what?!!?? she is on spotify!
http://open.spotify.com/track/2DT1ipIEzUU22tXMAnPHaD
Click the link for the clasic ACDC 'Back in Black' as only Wing could sing it.
check out all the other songs by her, there are loads! love it.

UPDATE: just found this and almost wet myself:
http://open.spotify.com/track/1kHf03VBgrWu84rK5XmU6B

how to de-stress...

2009-07-30T09:26:00.001+01:00

Let the jibber jabber take your stresses away!
p.s has anyone got one of these they fancy giving me? I think it'd look great on my desk in work! and I can shake it in the faces of clients who annoy me!

harry potter and the half a story line...

2009-07-29T09:06:00.000+01:00

I took my youngest to the cinema last night to watch Harry Potter 19 (the half-hearted storyline)... hmmmmmmmmm... It was one of those films when the trailer was more interesting than the film. Why did it seem such a good idea to have an entire film revolving around the love lives of 27yr old (not far off anyway) school kids? followed with gandalf faling from a tower???
Anyway, the trailer for G.I. Joe looked ok, and I wierdly fancy watching G-Force too,

I don't know why to be honest, I think there must have been subliminal messaging in the trailer.

surely...

2009-07-28T15:04:00.000+01:00

the 'fruit' in fruitcake counteracts the 'cake' in the fruitcake?