Funny things people say #4... ish

Parents and technology don't always bond very well.... my mum is a prime example of this... Some techie things she is actually really keen on (she's more upto date with mobile phones than I am!), others she has difficulties with.... she is no technophobe, but she can sometimes struggle with bits...

The internet is one of the things that she struggles with. Terminology is another such problem area...

Today was a discussion about her upcoming upgrade to BT Internet... (After about 8-10 years with AOhelL)

She was telling me how she's ordered BT broadband to be installed tomorrow....
She read out the list of what the package contains.... during this list reading, she read out something that had me briefly confused before I realised what she meant... I had to tell her to repeat the previous item...

Apparently this BT broadband package of hers has integrated WeeFee...


'nuff said really....

A mini update

So... I've not vanished off the blogsphere .... yet... hehe

A mini update of what has been going on recently:

Have officially reached 28% of my fundraising total, thank you everyone who has kindly donated, you are all stars!

Broke my toe, a big set back to training as I've had to do nothing for at LEAST two weeks... I went back on my exercise bike last night for the first time, so I don't feel too bad now!
Worst thing about it is that I did it accidentally kicking a fishtank! Typical! I'll post more details later.

It is now officially exactly 5 months and 17 hours (at time of posting) until the London Marathon.... Scary stuff!

My first MA assignment was handed in last friday, a few niggling problems but overall a fairly smooth assignment of which I am very relieved about as I was panicking a little due to the 'newness' of the course. The semi finished product can be seen below:



Visited a conference in Gregynog, was really interesting. Met Mark Dowd who used to work for Panorama and has since made numerous documentaries for channel 4, most well known is Hallowed Be Thy Game which was also showcased at the conference. He was a really animated man, very intelligent, it was a great opportunity to meet him. Gave me a lot to think about in terms of filming, editing and scripting non-fiction.

I'm writing a 5min radio piece for Vision-thing the best of the groups get showcased on BBC Radio Wales which should be fun! More details when I know more...

I'm de-clutterfying my life, so stay tuned for some lovely ebay auctions that you can bid on which I can then convert into rent money!... Fun fun!

So back to the training next week... I'm on week 7 on the training plan, although I may take a step back after such a long pause.
I'll post again soon with my training schedule....

So until next time
ttfn!

I know... I know!

Yes, I'm alive! It's shocking I seemingly vanished from this lil blog of mine...

Fear not! I am working on a small essay worth of updates! (Ok not that long but a fairly chunky meaty post!)

In the meantime, listen to this music track... it's been my recent musical obsession...
Tis Placebo's Running Up That Hill (love the original... Kate Bush for those who don't know their 80's fabs).



Another recent obsession of mine in the film format is CSI... Just managed to watch the second episode of season 8... GSR fluffy... very awww how cute... followed by a grusome murder... best of both worlds!


Like I said, I'll post properly soon... promise!!


So until next time
Ttfn!
Nic
X

Confirmation.... I'm running the marathon!

Yup its true! I'm running the 2008 Flora London Marathon!
Kids Kidney Research have fully confirmed and offered me a Golden Bond placement... so no excuse now for slacking off! ^_^

Wanna help me reach my goal of £1250? Please visit the link to donate to my fund!
http://www.justgiving.com/NLight

All for little Lois and others like her.


I'm sending off my signature tomorrow, and after that it should be all sealed, signed and done.

Rather scary prospect really....

So until next time!
ttfn

Nic

Marathon Training....

So, it starts....


Yup I've started formal training....

Running outside! (Not just peddling on an exercise bike!)

I'm following the Flora London Marathon 24 week plan which supposedly I'm to do twice over in order to feel the full benefits...



I've started to lose weight now, about a stone. I'm feeling much better about the prospect of making it to the end of the race now, I was a bit concerned at first that it would be impossible! (Although I'm still a tad worried about heat and sun, being a ginger does not mix well with direct sun... I get moon burn! ^_^ )



Still waiting for the charity to fully confirm my place, but with the news that Spar is willing to hear me out about sponsorship I think it's coming together... albeit slowly.



So until next time
ttfn!

Nic
x

Funny things people say.... #3

In Spar customer comes in and walks up to the counter and faces the staff in front of the cigarettes....

Customer: (VERY BBC English) "I'll have a disposable ash tray please"

Spar Employee: "Er..."

Customer: "No... er.. a... a..."

Spar Employee: "Lighter?"

Customer: (Acting as though he'd meant it all along) "Yes,Yes. One of those."

I think it was purely because the bloke was behaving like a pompous ass that made this VERY funny at the time...

London Marathon entry... Sent!

The ballot has just recently opened for the London Marathon and I've just applied!

I've also applied for a "golden bond placement" for the Kids Kidney Research charity in honour of my cousin Lois (Every charity has a number of these bond places to guarantee runners for their charity, but if you get a place form the official ballot you can still run for the charity, it means they can have even more runners).



I've got my training plan from the Flora website, which I've now started, but unfortunately I don't find out until November whether I get the place or not... Which is a bit annoying if I get a "golden bond placement" from the Kids Kidney Research charity as I have to pledge a minimum of £1250!! oO
One good thing about the the golden bond placements are quicker and I should find out in the next month or so...

I've got a plan to document the marathon training all the way to the day in another blog, one specific to the marathon, and also on film which I may youtube if its good enough!

I'm hoping RAG (The society that allows the university to raise money for charity) can help me out a bit if it is the case that I get a golden bond place, as I think I'm going to struggle to raise that huge figure... and if you don't you don't get to run!

I'm up to an hour and half on the exercise bike every day and short runs with some mates around the Lampeter countryside every other day... so I'm on track at the moment, but no major training as such just yet.

Its a bit annoying the wait between application and results of placement as all the training in the interim may be for naught... I suppose fitness is good regardless!

So until next time!
ttfn

Nic x

Band of The Week Sunday #3!

Today's band of the week is a band that I fell in love with but then completely ignored for about half a year! (Shocking!)

The Cat Empire! Fantastic Aussie band with a random mix of jazz, ska, rock, soul and a touch of latin influence... what a mix!



So until next time!
ttfn

Nic
x

Oh P.S I've not posted about the final Harry Potter purely because I want to read it again before I go all fangirl scream happy ;)

Funny things people say.... #2

A small debate over raisins and other dried fruit ended with the following:

Bob: "I quite like raisins" (While eating a tub of raisins)

Me: "I don't mind them really"

Bob: "I was SO surprised when I found out they were actually grapes!!"

Me: "Haha yeah, my mum told me when I was little, when did you learn?"

Bob: "Just now! It says it on the packet!"

Me: ".....you really didn't know?!....." (then proceeds to giggle)

Bob: "Well I suppose you could guess from the packaging with the whole raisins and grapes all together, but I thought that it was just a graphics thing"

Me: "So what... you thought there was a raisin tree or something?" (Still sniggering)

Bob: "Well yeah, I thought since the raisins are ugly it must be a really ugly plant"

Me: "Surely you would have learned where fruit came from at school"

Bob: "Well obviously, but not ALL the fruit, and I've got better things to do than find out what all the fruit plants look like"

Me: "Like finding out how raisins are made?"



So until next time
ttfn
Nic

Band of The Week Sunday #2

YAY!

Today's band of the week is Rogue Wave... particularly their track thats possibly the most prominent due to the exposure from the hit show Heroes.

If you've not heard of it.. WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!
It's a fantastic show! Luckily its been bought up by BBC for those in the UK and is coming soon... hurrah! Although the recent advertisements for it that the BBC have produce REALLY do not do the show justice. Its a crime! :P

I've watched the first series a few times now, its brilliantly written with very clever character plot interweaving.

As a side note, everyone should have a pet Hiro! (You'll understand once you see him ;) hehe)

Anyways, back on topic.... below is a youtube video of the bands key song "Eyes" played with some scenes from the show.



Brilliant....

So until next time
ttfn!

Nic

The Doctor with an exercise bike walk into a bar...

Had to post this youtube video, firstly purely because I <3 the doctor! (I think Tennant is FANTASTIC as the Doctor, one of the best out of the 10. He's also a bit gorgeous!) and secondly because Book of Days is a fab song....



Squeeeeeal! (Yes I admit, I'm a sad geek! :P )

On a more personal note.... I have FINALLY received my exercise bike! After the delivery being delayed by 20 days (Yup I'm serious twas 20 days) its arrived and after a bit of fiddling its built and ready to go... I've had a couple of goes on it but not a proper session yet so I'm looking forward to that (Surprising as it sounds I really am looking forward to it, me and exercise? Who'd of thought it eh?! :)

I'll post some pics later, so you can stare in awe of the shiny that is my new bike ^_^

So until next time
ttfn!

Nic

Wheeeeeeeee!

Yup...

I've become a bit obsessed with this video to be honest.... As for Harry Potter release date, I've already organised booking saturday off so I can read it... how sad is that?!


So until next time
ttfn!
Nic
x

Finally! They've arrived!!

After waiting for MONTHS they've finally arrived! 120 Swarovski crystal 4mm beads! Hurrah!

For those who haven't a clue about why I'm 'wheeee!' about these little things... well they are a bit expensive buggers and I managed to get a good deal on ebay, oh the joy!

So you might be wondering what I need these things for? Hummm.... well I tried a prototype tonight to test them out....



Yup... RINGS! Beaded rings, from start to finish... I've been trying out a few different ring sizes, I'm going to sell them so I need to provide different sizes, so it makes sense really ;)




Its a bit loose on me, fits my thumb fine, but its a good trial run, one minor mistake near the end (snipped a wire!! ARGH!) but it was salvageable and the ring is quite sturdy, I've been manhandling it for a good hour and it seems secure.

So...I've started another one!....



Hurrah! Let the ring empire begin! :P
(Oh and sorry for the dreadful pics, my mobile camera hasn't been up to scratch recently, I hope its not on its way out... erk!)



On a more personal note, the boyfriend has just found out he has to have a tooth removed next week after a course of antibiotics, hope you're better soon!!

So until next time
ttfn!

Nic
x

I don't think I'm paid enough....

As a part-time job, my current employment is not too bad, I work evenings which is a bit annoying but not taxing. I am a supervisor so I get to lock up and so forth and get 30p more than minimum wage for the privilege....

However there are some evenings where I wonder if I'm paid enough.... Tonight is one such evening. Saturday night, late night convenience store... nice mix.

To be fair it was fairly quiet... then we had this gentleman come in with what seemed like a cut thumb. He asked for some plasters (Band aid for you americans) after he lifted the tissue he was using to stop the blood me and my colleague quickly realised that it was a bit more serious than a plaster worthy cut.... there was quite a bit of blood and once wiped the extent of the damage could be seen. He'd cut his thumb down to the bone! It was a slow filling crater in his thumb in between the two knuckles and the bone itself was a stark white.

Whether it was the removal of the tissue and him moving more animatedly or possibly the increase of temperature from outside to inside (Probably a combination of all three) but whatever had clotted decided not to hold and he started to bleed a bit more freely but was still adamant that it was "Just a scratch, I just need a plaster and I'll be fine once I'm home"

It was obvious that he wasn't and that his hand needed stitches... my offer to call an ambulance was flatly refused and he threatened to leave if I did... So I went to get our first aid kit. Unfortunately it consisted of a foam pad, a plaster and two eye patches.... nothing particularly stood out as useful for this particular situation...

In the end I offered to run to the university porters (Who while I presumed had a first aid kit, would also be able to call an ambulance without raising suspicion) and he allowed me to do that.
Luckily there was a policewoman on her rounds visiting the porters at the time and offered to speak to him. We both went back to the store and she managed to get him out of the store and rest just outside and then finally managed to persuade him to get a paramedic out.

Meanwhile us store staff, had to disinfect all the blood from the counters and front door.... joy.

I'm very glad he's ok, and I'm especially glad he finally got some medical attention, but really, is it worth minimum wage to have to deal with that? I know I would have unquestionably done something regardless of whether I was working or not, but while I'm working, could people please not bleed in the store? :/


So until next time
ttfn

Nic
x

WTF FACTOR FRIDAY! #13!

Yup time for a long overdue WTF FACTOR FRIDAY post ;)

This week has been taken from an old 1990's British children's TV programme...
It is a genuine program... honest... I remember watching it!

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=c_1QyOQDx6w

Unfortunately I couldn't embed the video, but please check it out... it's a genuine WTF FACTOR FRIDAY entry!

So until next time
ttfn

Nic
x

Funny things people say....

I was in Spar yesterday and overheard something that made me chuckle....

Three people were talking about a recent divorce...

Female one: "Yeah well after two years, he finally signed the bloody papers... he wouldn't sign 'em, you know!"

Female two: "Och! That's terrible! Did you get one of those thingies... annledment? No, thats not it.."

Male one: "Annulee-ment?"

Female two: "Yeah, thats it an annulee-ment?"

Female one: "No, was married for too long for that innit, I couldn't get an annulment, I had to get on a whatcha-me-call-it"

Female two: "Ah! I know what you mean! Approachable differences?"

Male one: "Nah... it's not called that!"

Female two: "Tut, ooh whats it called Amicable differences?"

Female one: "Its something like that, yeah"

Female two: "... I'm sure it's amicable differences..."

Male one: "...er...."

Female one: "Maybe it is... I dunno, it doesn't sound right... close though..."

Me popping out from behind the isle: "I think you mean irreconcilable differences"

Female two: "THAT'S IT! THAT'S IT! Irr... Irroc... go on say it again..."

Me: "Irreconcilable differences"

Female two: "Ah! Yeh, irreconcilable differences! THANK YOU! See look at her and her long words... you a student?"

Me: "Yes"

Female two: "See all those students! I knew she was a student! Didn't I say she was a student?!"

Male one: *nods* "yeh"


I left the store....


"Amicable differences" Surely thats not even possible?? Made me laugh anyways...

So until next time
ttfn

Nic

X

Band of the Week Sunday!

New blog segment on a sunday! Band of the Week!

To kick off this brand new segment.... a band that have become a bit addictive, a bit more rocky than my indie/folky sentimentality but nevertheless a fab band. I introduce to you (Although you probably all know of them anyway heh)The View



Check them out!

MySpace

We'll see if this sticks... worth shot anyways ;)

Oh and a big shout out to all those who were lucky enough to go to 'ole Glastonbury this week end... You lucky fiends! I suppose TV and a comfy dry sofa will have to do I guess... Still not quite the same... heh

So until next time!
ttfn!

Nic
x

Crafty craft!

Its been AGES since I've posted anything on a crafty nature... I think its about time I lived up to the blogs name and dished out some crafts!

I've been recently commissioned for two projects recently (paid too, even better!) one to make a fanart bag based on the character Yuki from Fruits Basket anime and the second was to make three keyrings of 3D beaded animals, two cats and one tortoise.

Neither project is fully complete. The first is delayed by the fact that I don't own my own sewing machine and I've had to rely on my mum's who lives about an hour and half drive away :/ Since she's making some new curtains at the moment, I've unfortunately been unable to liberate the sewing machine for the cause. Hopefully I'll have it next week or so...

I'm aiming to get this from an ebay listing:



At the time of posting this, the listing was currently at £41... I'm hoping it will stay roughly at that so I can bid, much more and I'll be out of the running :( I REALLY want it!

But back on topic... The first project the bag has come along, albeit slowly, I did as much as I could on a short visit to parentals home but the bulk will have to wait until I get my paws on a sewing machine.

The main image patch was made using faux suede, its SO soft I think I'm going to have to make a trip back to the fabric shop and buy some more.

The inner lining with a small little pocket.

I'm fairly pleased with it. There were some little errors with the patch, but it has been awhile since I've used a sewing machine so fair play its a bit wiggly around the ears!

The second project was three 3D beaded keyrings, specifically two cats and a tortoise. Fortunately these can be made without specific equipment other than my hands!


I've added a couple of pics of some different views of the beaded tortoise. Made with copper wire 34gauge and glass seed beads.






The cats are under construction, just a bundle of wire and beads! I'll post some pictures later.


So all in all a much needed craft session has descended upon me! Its good really, as its taken my mind off the whole mess that is my course and work and all the mundane blah of being a poor student/ or most people really I guess (rent and bills anyone?!).

Fingers crossed for that sewing machine eh?

So until next time
ttfn!

Nic
x

"Conceptual Bullsh*t"

I've been told from an arty forum I frequent that I don't "get modern art" and that I attack certain artists simply because I "don't understand them and their feelings"

And so, after a heated debate on one forum... I open it to you blog readers/stalkers... ;)

I feel that I'm rather open to modern art actually... there are a good few artists that I like, Anthony Gormley for example (Before he went all popular and sold out) Richard Long's series of walks is very clever.... but.... in some cases is 'modern art'... art?


I HATE Damien Hurst... I'm not afraid to admit that, he's not an artist, he's a performer, there's a difference....

Its not just the fact that he doesn't actually lift a finger and do any of the work himself (He has a studio of hired help for that I mean duh! he might strain a finger if he paints a dot....) but the fact that he associates everything that "he" does with some big long winded conceptual bullsh*t about what the art means...
Bearing in mind he's been quoted to say: "I've stopped worrying about what art is. If it's in an art gallery on the wall or the floor, it's probably art." (*cough* d*ckhead *cough*)

To me art = A skillful application of media with some thought behind it.

His preserved shark and diamond encrusted skull MIGHT have an idea behind it (that's a stretch) but to me it just sounds like just another quick way to get attention without working hard at it or showing a skillful application (which in turn opens the door for others to forget about any technical skill and try to get a ride through the art world on ideas alone).

Its like the scrap book of ideas that all artists have, only instead of creating a "final piece" the scrap book pieces are on show instead...


Tracey Emin falls into that catergory too I feel....



This is apparently one of a series of paintings about her abortion in 1990
Now to me that seems to me that it really is a pre-final piece. If that...

Example:

A recent exhibition... four artists... one called Ian Jacob produces this for the theme "Alternative Pembrokeshire"



Called:
N 51° 44 • 954’
W 004° 53 • 996’
Study 1

(All of his paintings have coordinates, not just the exhibition ones... )

Now this artist is a retired marketing exec... what better than an artist who can spin?! He talks about the inner depths to his works. I don't quite see it myself, and I'm quite liberal minded (I would like to think anyway). If it was left as is, I would probably just say its a bit ugly art, but with the whole blah attached to it, its a little bit hard to swallow....

David Light on the other hand says that his art doesn't need explaining beyond the fact that he's trying to display a location. That you can look at the whole area of a location and not be limited to one specific view.

Beyond that? Thats entirely up to the viewer. Its their experiences and understandings that make the painting what it is for them.



David Light's new works can be seen on his blog. Ian Jacobs is available on West wales arts centre

(btw westwalesartscentre I quite like Sonya's works too... they're the mountains portrayed in feminised forms)

I'm all for new expression and new representation of art... but where's the cut off for what is art and what's just sketch book folly?

Another rant... I do seem to have these every so often don't I? hehe

So until next time
ttfn

Nic

x

New layout... *again!*

Yup got bored of the last one, thought it was time for something new... and made all by myself! Took me forever to get the kinks out and I still want to mess with the main body background as the pink is just a bit too pink for me!

The background flowers is not mine... It belongs to Anti-ivy... a website that has helped me to learn more about blogging templates and the nightmare of html code!

But all is well now I think, other than tweaking the main post background and some other little bits (Like getting Last.fm widget to fit properly) I'm hoping my boredom levels will remain abated with this layout...

So until next time
ttfn!
Nic

x

EDIT I've just been informed that the page length doesn't fit for firefox... anyone using Internet Explorer let me know if its the same, I'll have to fiddle about with it later... its fine on Camino.. Gurrrr...

Nic
x
EDIT 21st June
HAHA Scrap all that I said... in the end the template was driving me mad, bad bit of code on my part... so I abandoned it for a pre-made blogger template that I've customised. It still needs some tinkering but it'll do... it'll do... I said it would be the last change! Famous last words eh?!
Still using the same background so its not too much of an edit. Kinda...

A farewell to Monty... and making some sushi

So... once again I've neglected this poor blog... A big slap on the wrist for that I do apologise, I can't use uni work as an excuse as I currently have no assignments to do!

So what have I been doing with this valuable time?

Well since the last blog one of my dear pets has died. Monty had unfortunately passed away after the vet found a growth on his liver and it seemed to be too unfair to put him through what would have been a very painful existence purely for the sole selfish reason that we couldn't let go... so the best course was to let him be put to sleep peacefully.



He was perfectly happy and healthy the day before, but apparently knicked the growth while playing which led to internal bleeding, the vet said he wasn't in any pain just slight discomfort... he was 13 afterall, a fairly old age for a Scottie... Monty you will be missed dreadfully but you lived as you wanted, grumpy and doing exactly what you wanted to do!

We had him cremated in the end.... it was a bit expensive but we wanted to bury him in the garden and the cost didn't really matter in the scheme of things. We were going to plant an Azelea but when it came down to it (I took a week of work to go home for a bit and say goodbye) we couldn't do it, so he remains where he was most happy, on the window sill of the living room looking out at the holiday makers. :) Until we're ready I think he's staying there....



On a lighter note... After coercing Bec to try sushi (which she discovered she actually quite likes) we thought it was time to take it to the next level... and try and push our student culinary skills and make some sushi from scratch!



Seaweed and rolling mat to start.....



Me doing some layering.... Sticky rice really lives up to its name!!



Rolling...



Finished? Not quite....



Starting to look more like sushi...



Now THAT looks like sushi!



Wo tanoshinde kudasai!!

It was very nice, although I think we made a bit too much for the both of us, especially since we made miso chicken noodle soup to start and made a bit too much of that too! Oops!

WTF FACTOR FRIDAY has been put on hold... until I find some nice WTF videos and sites and since this blog seems to suffer from sporadic posting other than WTF entries I thought I would leave it be for awhile and see what my actual posting rates is :D Don't worry though its not vanishing, just less frequent!

So until next time
ttfn

Nic
x

Sick...

Having said that I was alive last post, I think I may have spoke to soon! I've caught the boyfriends man flu.... granted its just a cold but its ruined my free weekend dammit!

I'll have to kill the boyfriend for spreading his boy germs... urgh! ^_^

Luckily I have a very very nice friend who works at my employer who has swapped shifts with me... phew.

Since I've not really done anything but be ill I've very little to say in this post... so I'll take my sniffles with me and draw this to a close.

So until next time..
ttfn!

Nic

Random Update

Yes I am still alive!

Just been a bit MIA from the blogsphere due to REAL LIFE commitments...
After months and months... and MONTHS of trying to sort out my MA course I think I'm finally sorted out... hurrah! So I should be free soon to procrastinate without worrying about my course being screwed up. As soon as I know more I'll go into more detail, for now mum's the word ;)

This absence has also meant that I've missed a couple of WTF FACTOR FRIDAY's.... I will try and make that up but instead of doing extra ones, I'll just carry on as normal, it seems the best way.

I've become slightly addicted to mashups at the moment... For those that don't know, a "mashup" is defined as:

Mashup (music), a musical genre of songs that consist entirely of parts of other songs

So I have this example (Introduced to me by Bec... thanks Bec) to share by Lenlow:

powered by ODEO

People either love it or hate it... I'm from the former section :D Actually Lenlow's stuff is pretty nifty... have a gander here

I've noticed the past couple of posts seem to be very music related and very little crafting seems to be going on! I'll try to cure this immediately, as soon as my course is definately confirmed as being sorted I can relax and procrastinate surrounded by all my craft materials... joy!

Yesterday was the cocktail night! Hurrah! Had a couple of cosmopolitans, and a martini or two... while playing the Sex & the City drinking game (Not a huge fan of the show, but I'll watch it). For some rules have a look here

Bec bought a brilliant bar accessories:

YUM! Appletini anyone? :P Fun times!

Oh and since I seem to be so obsessed with music at the moment, I thought I would embed this too... (Might as well :P) Its Ameno by ERA but the Techno remix... I LOVE it but I can't seem to find this particular remix, if anyone knows where I could find it I'll buy you a pint!




I'm still in two minds about which blog player is better... I know there's a fair few out there, I've narrowed my choices but I still can't decide so I open it out to you: imeem or odeo?

So until next time!
Ttfn!

Nic

Something for the music lovers to think about....

Just how much of modern day music is influenced by pachelbel?

A brilliant music skit by Rob Paravonian thats been circulating the internets for awhile now, but since I'm feeling rather musical, I thought it warranted a quick blog... hehe



So until next time!

ttfn

Nic
x

Listen to my music!

For those that want an insight into my music tastes listen to my new radio widget!... All thanks to the fabulous Last.fm! (They are the ones who allow me to display my weekly music chart in the sidebar, how nice of them!)
I've been a member for awhile now, I love it!

GingaNic's LastFM User page

I've added it to my sidebar instead of directly in this post as it seemed easier than having a mass of widgets floating about on the main page!

So until next time!
ttfn!
Nic

xXx

WTF FACTOR FRIDAY #12!!

*Drum roll....* Yes, ladies and gents its time for WTF FACTOR FRIDAY! *Canned applause*

This week its retro remix music... Super Mario techno?

Pretty groovy... pretty WTF... but what do we care, its super mario!



So until next time!

ttfn!


Nic
x

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Trailer 2

I know all you Potter fans will know that this has been out for a bit... but today I just had to get another fix and watch it again.... and forever more it shall be in my blog...

Harry Potter *squeeeeeeeeeeeeeal!*



So until next time!

ttfn


Nic
x

Crafty beads.... and plushies!

I think there's decidedly not enough craft stuffs on here!

So I'm going to show case some beeeeads!

I managed to get this bundle for £3.20 from ebay... the woman who was selling it had given up the hobby. She lived so close (I didn't realise this at the time) that her husband dropped them off so free p&p!



A crafters squeeeeal ran through me as I opened the box... more and more beads!
Amazing!

So what to make I hear you cry?!
Well I've started small... Beaded animals! (Coincedentally some of which are available to buy on my etsy store *cough* :D --->)

Beaded Goomba

Seahorse earrings


Dog

Cat!

So apart from beeead overload, what else have I been procrastinating with?... Well although mums sewing machine has now been kidnapped back home *sniff* I HAD to give this a whirl BY HAND *faint*:



Although unfortunately I forgot the head gusset so it only has one ear... Oops! The Boyfriend says that its not a scottie dog but is in fact a unicorn... I hit him...

So until next time!
ttfn

Nic
x

New layout!

New layout with thanks to:

Magic Paper

A cheat since the template isn't mine.... but lovely anyways :D

So until next time
ttfn

Nic

Serious Rant: Smoking Ban in the UK

The reasons that prompted me to blog about the current smoking ban in Wales (For those that don't know I live in Wales...) that was introduced on the 2nd April 2007 was due to a debate that began on the unofficial Lampeter Students forum Lampyland.

While I understand the fact that the ban is a pain for smokers as it prevents them from smoking in public areas; ie pubs, clubs, restaurants and the like. I can't understand the extreme outcry that seems to have been produced by it....

Its been proven that second hand smoke can cause lung problems, the extreme of which is lung cancer, and that the toxic fumes within a building is significantly more concentrated than outdoors (obviously). While I understand nipping out in the rain to feed the need for a nicotine hit is undoubtedly uncomfortable, I don't see how that is really a problem, its a few minutes out of your life and hey presto you've had your hit and you're ready to join the rabble again.

The ban was needed because SOMETHING had to be done. It was and is a public health issue. Which leads to the issue of the non-smoker. On the afore mentioned forum one member stated that:

The only non-smokers to get lung cancer from tobacco smoke are those who work consistently in smoky atmospheres. Barmen, full-time waiters and waitresses and (until they banned it on aircraft) air hostesses. The people are taking a risk, a standard occupation hazard which they are well aware of.

It would make just as much sense to ban slippery floors, hard edges, germs and sharp things.

The human individual should probably be given rather more credit.

I think this is rather narrow minded, for the ban is not only applicable to pubs, but is in fact applicable to all public arenas. A child is just as probable to frequent a restaurants for example. Are they not at risk too?

Cancer Research:

Children are particularly at risk because they breathe faster than adults and have underdeveloped immune systems. A study by the Royal College of Physicians showed that about 17,000 children in the UK are admitted to hospital every year because of illnesses caused by second-hand smoke 41.

A large study of over 300,000 people found that children who were frequently exposed to cigarette smoke at home had a higher risks of lung cancer as adults 42. Another study found that children in households where both parents smoke have a 72% higher risk of respiratory diseases. And the EPIC study found that exposing children to second-hand smoke increases the risk of bladder cancer later on in life by a third.43

So one could argue that they are in fact more susceptible to lung problems as a direct consequence to breathing in tobacco smoke. I think its a bit far reaching that young children do not attend public places like restaurants. I was a frequenter of restaurants from a very young age, my parents made a point of including me into their world instead of foisting me off with some babysitter eating some crappy turkey burger shapes, chips, beans and the such. (Which beyond school dinner food I've NEVER had, my parents made a point of me eating what they ate, albeit Caesar salad to bloody calves liver) What better way to promote good eating etiquette than to be brought up visiting restaurants where bad behaviour is simply not tolerated?... But that's another rant...

The argument that its the non-smokers fault for not leaving a smoking room seems a bit to wet for me. Non-smokers do not actively change their environment, smokers do, and their smoke can remain within an enclosed atmosphere long after they and their smoking habits have gone. Saying that I respect a person who does have a habit, its their choice... but it's not a non-smokers choice to breathe in their waste products.
So again links back to my original puzzlement, what is wrong with popping outside?!

So what am I saying? Are we becoming victims to a nanny state? Or is the ban an attempt to address and curb growing numbers of health problems, all of which are smoking related yet some of which are been developed by non-smokers?

While I think a ban on freedom is not something anyone should condone, in this case, I think its the only way to ensure the health of those around you, of non-smokers, of your

friends

family

children.


After that ramble... I think I'll leave you be...
So until next time
ttfn

Nic

WTF FACTOR FRIDAY #11!!

Yup its that time again!!

WTF FACTOR FRIDAY! Its already reached its 11th friday! Shocking!

Well lets move on

This week isn't so much WTF, its actually an animated poem, one that struck me as needing to be shared, while retaining a certain element of WTF (As bec discovered while watching the thing with no sound :P).
Enjoy



So until next time!
ttfn!

Nic

One Day Silence

WTF FACTOR FRIDAY!! #10

WTF FACTOR FRIDAYYYYY! No. 10

This is a bit odd.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAICzC6FVb8


Unfortunately embedding has been disabled by the user but I think this video proves that some people have strange strange minds....

As one friend put it:

It's the kingdom of penises! ... holy ****... wait does this mean when I die, I turn up wherever sans manhood, because he's gone to pervertland?

"Love filled tickle fingers?"

W T F ?!

So until next time
ttfn
Nic

WTF FACTOR FRIDAY #9

Just a quickie WTF FACTOR FRIDAY this week

This entry is a Bill Plympton short "Nosehair"



Nosehair... yup...

So until next time
ttfn!

Nic
x

Buy some art!

Thats right, you can own ORIGINAL NICOLA LIGHT art!

Not only that, your purchase will go towards: Nic's Rent Fund. A worthy charidee that allows Nic and Tom to have a place to live...

So what will I get? I hear you cry! Well have a look at this here link:
Ebay Auction 1


I'll edit as more is uploaded to ebay... Don't delay, buy today! :P *groan*

So until next time!
ttfn
Nic
x

WTF FACTOR FRIDAY! #7+#8!!

Yup its that time again... Its time for WTF FACTOR FRIDAY!

For No. 7 I present: "Surreal Surgery"

A mirror effect, an old education video and some strange music? Yup its WTF?!

For No. 8 I thought we should step away from YouTube for awhile and instead look at some strange Japanese inventions... Now some kind of make sense... others seem to be totally insane!


Noodle cooler fan... yup...


I think this is actually quite clever... condiments within your utensils to dispense as and when you need it directly to your food... ok its a tad weird but I think its pretty cool...


Fresh air? Feed your plant your own carbon dioxide!
Erm I'm not quite sure how this one works....


Why share one single umbrella when you can use a dual one?! The thing that amused me is the colour differences... why? Then again the whole thing is a bit WTF?, but I grant that it is a clever idea....


Need a snooze while commuting to work? Fear not because with this hat you no longer have to worry about nodding off and drooling on someone elses shoulder! THATS RIGHT, with this baby you can drool on your own! Hurrah!

I think I'll leave it there... lol

So until next time
ttfn!
Nic

Stealing art?

What is your view on using other peoples artwork to create your own?

Where is the line between what classed as taking inspiration to downright copying?
You could for example argue that some Roy Lichtensteins work was "stolen' from the comic authors, where he used entire comic panels and created large canvas copies. A move that raised many complaints from artist circles (particularly that of comic book artists).

However he argued that it was not simply a case of him copying someone else's art, he was attempting to bring the "art of today" into a broader scope of the art world. Its a difficult example, but it does highlight my point... was he simply copying lesser known (and smaller, comic book following) artists or was he highlighting an important idea of our perceptions of art and Art? (Bearing in mind that it was the 1960s)

Anyway the focus of this post is that of Todd Goldman aka Todd Goliath of David and Goliath]David and Goliath
(The bloke who produced the "Boys are stupid - throw rocks at them)



He has come under fire from the webcomic world for using a known comic and copying it as a painting, and then displaying it in a high profile LA art gallery (Wentworth gallery)in an exhibition entitled Golddigger.

The original image is well known and some of you will probably know of it. Its original form is from Purple Pussy by Dave Kelly from the September 19, 2001 strip. Its a popular webcomic which has been translated into a number of different languages.



So it came as some surprise when this was submitted in Goldman's exhibit:


Not only that but he's done a few of them and has slightly modified them... the original artist Dave Kelly overlayed his image over Goldman's to see how he's changed it in later revisions:




Bit too close for comfort....

This has obviously made people look at the other works by David and Goliath... and what do you know... found another similar looking character...
One being that of graphic novel artist Roman Dirge and his character Lenore


and David and Goliath's Evil L


Complete with matching cat sidekicks...
Might be a random coincidence since they do look different but share similarities.... but it does make you wonder...

Random similarity or genuine blatant stealing of other peoples work?

Most art can genuinely be copied if its NOT sold for profit... so if the painting of the praying squirrel is just on display and not for sale it is, in theory allowed... but should it be when the original artist has no clue about its existence?

Hummm....

On another note, its time to FINALLY announce the winner of THE ULTIMATE BLOG PARTY COMPETITION


GingaNic's PARTY COMPETITION

Drumroll please.....








The winner is EEEEMommy!!
I'll be emailing you soon EEEEMommy, your prize awaits!

Oh and I realise I've missed last weeks WTF FACTOR FRIDAY!, I've not been on the net so I failed to venture onto the blogger world... so next friday will be two submissions... hurrah!

So until next time
ttfn
Nic