So I maybe a bit afk (Away From Keyboard for the non-geeks)

Just a note to let you know I'm gonna be a bit absent from the blogsphere for awhile as I try to attempt to curb my procrastination tendencies and get going with REAL LIFE work that seems to be building up in my to do pile.

I'm off around the country too at the moment, Cardiff, London and South East England. My trusty Acer Aspire One will be coming with me, who on earth can go without the internet?! Purely social network addiction methinks but I guess work emails are important too...

I should still be on the ole twitter feeds as twitter is a bit more mobile than traditional blogs so if you need my spam you can find me there.

"This, Jen, is the Internet"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAUyaELfwBo

Nuff said....

Back?

I seem to have become completely addicted to Twitter.
I'm obviously getting lax with my writing if I prefer to spew forth hundreds of 140 character posts rather than actually do my proper blog(s)... shame on me! The new generation of lazy net people... exhibit A = Moi.

Whats new? Well after Ffresh and Insight Out, I now have a company! Shocking but true. Its not fully up and running but I do have a scary amount of followers now, proof that I need to move my butt and launch my beta site! Go forth and sign up, the more numbers the more guilt I can accumulate to limit my procrastination tendencies... www.twitter.com/skillbucket

Dad's art is going well, not only is he having a HUGE exhibition soon (Can't tell any details as of yet. but its BIG) but he's publishing a BOOK! A BOOK! It's completely unfair as I've always planned to publish a book and he beat me to it.
Joking aside I'm very proud, I even bought some new arty cards for him to hand out to gallery visitors. (Big thanks to Moo.com for their really snazzy mini cards).
We're talking about doing some ceramic collaboration, I'll teach him how to use my kiln and ceramic materials and he'll wave his magic art skills and we'll create a series of pieces that complement his current work. Obviously I'm just piggybacking on his current artistic wave but if it encourages him to give me some studio space then why not?
Also lets me play for a bit before trying to find my own niche. (Having said that I've got that many projects going at the moment it's probably for the best that I avoid using ceramics as a means for procrastinating!)

My main focus is my dissertation, although I'm reluctant to admit it and I've been procrastinating heavily, it really is quite important! Least its started.... The website is moving forward though so hopefully all will be well.

Well I'm off, I'm a bit boring at the moment, I have a brand spanking new digital camera from christmas that I've been playing with, check out my flikr account in the side bar.

My ongoing mission for this year: To complete my patchwork quilt... although I'm not sure if thats before or after my diss :P

So until next time
ttfn!

Nic x

Ffresh, Nesta, Insight Out.... Oh my!

After ffresh, I was encouraged to apply to the NESTA Insight Out course. After a fairly scary board interview I was amazingly given a place on the course. It was really useful in developing my company ideas and format, and how/if the idea was even viable.

I managed to drum up a bit of media coverage too. Nothing major, the local paper and my university website but as they say, every little helps!

University news post:

Creative Business Wales supports Lampeter Media Production postgraduate’s modern day Skillbucket: where funky crafts meet the Internet

Everyone has heard of Facebook. Now Lampeter Media Production postgraduate student Nicola Light hopes that her Skillbucket business venture will be similarly successful. Having entered the idea into the Pitch to Win contest at Ffresh: the student moving image festival of Wales and won through to the final in February 2008, Nicola is now taking her vision forward with the guidance and support of Creative Business Wales, as she develops her innovation into a successful new creative business. During September and October Nicola will receive individual guidance, mentoring and support as well as help and advice on her business plan, having won a place on the on the Welsh Assembly Government’s Insight Out programme for new Creative Businesses in Wales.

The central theme of Skillbucket is that it connects the creative DIY and crafts movement and modern interactive media, using the Internet to create a community of users that will support and educate its users in the fun and exciting world of contemporary crafts.

Nicola describes her vision of Skillbucket as “a unique project that is dedicated to all things craft, providing information and resources primarily for users in the Wales and the UK that are itching to display their creative talents without breaking the bank.”

“The connection between ‘New Wave Craft’ and the Internet will allow the audience and the craft producers to interact in ways unimaginable 15 years ago”, explained Nicola.

So what were the results of the Insight Out programme?
Well I won a grant of £1000 to develop the business, made a dozen of useful contacts and was given a "Young Entrepreneur of the Year" certificate which fuzzled my ego nicely...

ttfn!

Band of the Week #8

I've been sitting on this for months.... but I can't delay it any longer... The
band of the week are 1980's AWESOME...
They are Men Without Hats... They eschew headgear....

Men Without Hats - Safety Dance




Ttfn

Band of the Week # 7

Bit addicted to this artist atm... A Fine Frenzy, nothing specifically new in terms of genre but for some reason she's really sparked an interest in me...



Another fav of mine:



She's a redhead too! Woot Woot!

Funny things people say #6

A recent short phone conversation with a friend:

Friend: Didn't I know the girl who gave you a lift?

Me: I don't know, I think so... she was short with really long black hair... Damn I wish I could remember her name....

Friend: .... What was her name?

Me: ....*snigger*....

Short but sweet :D

Band of the week #6

Phew I'm here! Honest!

New BAND OF THE WEEK... The Gaslight Anthem with their single The '59 Sound...


The Gaslight anthem are an American punk rock band from New Brunswick, New Jersey.
While some of their other tracks are not totally to my tastes upon a few repeats they've started to grow on me...

Some of you might remember that they 'broke into the UK sphere" by making British music history for becoming the first band to ever grace the cover of Kerrang! magazine last month... It's been quoted that they will be "The best new band you'll hear in 2008", I'm not totally sure about that one, doesn't seem to have the punch required for that title but definitely worth popping a track on the favs list....

Ok I admit I blog fail...

I know, I know, I promised pictures AGES ago....
After only nearly FOUR MONTHS I'm going to FINALLY post some London Marathon pics! (Shocking to believe but I really am going to post a 'proper' blog post!)


I look slightly odd in this picture... my mother wanted a picture of me at the starting point and I felt a bit uncomfortable as compared with some of the others I DID NOT look like a runner :P


The Big Queue to the start line (I am in that picture)...
About two minutes before this was taken I needed to use a toilet, portaloos are NOT you friends (anyone who knows my bathroom obsession knows I do like a clean nice toilet!). Given the time crisis, I've never spent a penny so fast in all my life... almost record worthy....

Then I was told that there was ONE truck left to put my kit bag onto, so with about 15 seconds to spare I managed to get my jacket, trackie bottoms(I ripped the bottom of one leg but time was limited to care!) and other miscellaneous bits off me into my bag which was unceremoniously thrown onto the truck and made it into the line with about 5 seconds to spare... Phew! Stressed before I even started! Typical! (Unfortunately, and rather idiotic of me I left ALL my plasters in my kit bag... I did tape up my feet but I did want to carry some back up supplies with me just in case... oops!)

Strangely, there was loads of people throwing clothes off and into the road just before and just after the start line, I presume they forgot to put them in their kit bag? I wonder if the organisers donated them to charity or if they ended up in the bin....


The last stretch... by this point I could no longer feel my knees let alone my feet!


I'm smiling because I saw my mum in the crowd... luckily she was wearing a bright yellow mac... thinking back on it I think she did that on purpose... :P


Three steps away from the finish!


The woman I crossed the line with really helped me...
I wouldn't have been able to do the last 6 miles without her, she helped me find the last bit of energy to go for it... and yet I can't even remember her name... but whoever you are thank you, you are a star.


Collecting my medal... by this point I was rather emotional... my eyes were definitely watering! I think I was in a bit of shock, not only that I had finished but that I didn't have to run anymore!


My shiny!


The back of my shiny! Funnily I didn't realise that 2008 was the centenary for the London Marathon (In its current form). Made it all the more special in a way...


A marathon isn't complete without injuries!
I really can't figure out how on earth this blood blister didn't burst during the race. I was also surprised that given how pathetic my feet usually are to all forms of shoes that I managed to get away with only a few blisters (Although I did lose a nail on one of my toes, a rather gross event that I'd rather not repeat).

My knee played up after about 18 miles into the marathon (If you look at my times I did a kick arse first quarter) so I spent quite a bit of my journey fiddling about with my knee support, although to give it credit I know I would have never managed it without the annoying thing!
St. Johns ambulance told me twice to stop running, once with my knee and the second time was due to both my knee and the fact that my hands swelled up to twice their size (I was told I had had too much water).

An amazing feeling of hunger overcame me once I received my finishing bag (Which contained fruit... within about 5 seconds I had demolished an apple, before I'd even met up with my mum I might add)
I've never experienced anything quite like it, it wasn't hunger in the general "I'm hungry" it was a genuine NEED. After consuming a granola bar (I don't like currents and raisins but I didn't care) we made it back to the car and headed back to Wales...
I had planned on going back to uni but I returned home for a day as the St. John people had advised that I be watched to make sure I was alright due to swollen hands...

Next morning checked my iPod (equipped with Nike+ naturally) and saw that I had burned 3897 calories during the race... oO
No wonder I was hungry...

I felt genuinely sorry for those that had to drop out. I saw a fair few during my travels around the course. One in particular will forever remain, a woman skidded on the wet road and unfortunately clipped her jaw against the tarmac, her mouth erupted in blood as she struggled to stand. A very nice LARGE Londoner man scooped her up and carried her into the pub that was a few feet away. A few paces later and St. Johns personnel was running past to her aid. A nasty way to end her race. Especially as we were only 15-16 miles in...

I have applied to the 2009 marathon, but if I do get a place from the ballot, its on the condition that I sort out whatever is wrong with my knee, I refuse to do it again in that pain again!!
Fingers crossed though, the pain is worth going across that finish line. The whole experience was breathtaking. An experience I recommend everyone to try at least once... trust me.


Phew... belated description but thats in typical me style! I get there eventually!...

Until next time
ttfn

Nic

Band Of The Week #5

I've tried to resist....
but I can't help myself...
I've HAD to make The Verve's Love Is Noise a Band Of The Week entry...



Also I'm still here!! ! I've not abandoned this here blog...
What would my stalkers do with themselves?!
I'm not that cruel... ;)