A Small Job!

After getting a bit of mediocre new yesterday, I'm happy to report that I did get picked up for a very brief runner gig in Cardiff next week. Its only for one day, but its something a little extra that I can put on my CV in the future.

Slight Bummer

Heard back from a very hopeful sounding mixing job for an indie film and sadly they had decided to go with someone else in the end. They wished me well though so that's more than any of the other positions I've applied for so far. I also got a message from another bloke I was meant to be doing sound for in two weeks time, that shoot has now been pushed back by another 3 months as their location fell through last minute which is a real shame.

Overall, today was a little bit of a bummer on that front. But I did successfully schedule a pickup of my dissertation and send over a final list of folks willing to go to Youth for Europe this year. Ticked a few of my boxes.

Apprenticeships?

Eyed up a few juicy looking apprenticeships this morning. Positions at the BBC and the Bottle Yard have opened up and I'm in the process of writing up a killer application for each of them. In the meantime though, I finally got my hands on a copy of Metal Gear Solid 4 which I have been dying to play ever since its first trailers came out a decade ago. It'll serve as a nice carrot to the stick of writing covering letters.

Do you want my Services?

Put my name out for two new jobs today, one of which has already asked me some follow up questions so I've really got my fingers crossed. On top of that, my old housemate Lincoln recommended me to be a sound guy for one of his mates working on a really humble and fun production. I had a Skype call with the director earlier this evening so we could finally see each other and chat face-to-face. Really excited to get back in the game now.

'I'm the Ice Guy'

Louis once told me that if you ever wanted to get into a comedy or music venue for basically free, all you need to do is buy a few bags of ice, turn up to the bouncer and with authority say: 'I'm the ice guy.'

That's what it I felt like saying after walking into Rebecca's work while carrying a plastic container and a cool-bag full of ice and the contents of our fridge as we scrambled to get it into the chiller in her staff room. See, our fridge broke this morning, at least, we think it happened this morning. We came back having done a big weekly shop and a boat load of frozen salmon to find a big puddle in our freezer drawer. It was back to Asda for me. I came back with several bags of ice to dump into some vessels we found, it seemed to do the trick for a little while, fortunately Rebecca had the bright idea to stash the food in the fridge at her work.

In addition, our washing machine broke today, it started to make this death rattle after our first wash went through and then our timer didn't go off while we were cooking some garlic bread. The bad luck culminated somewhere around lunchtime when Rebecca and I couldn't help but laugh at all our misfortunes as I started to knowingly sing the chorus of 'Manic Monday' while bursting into hysterics.

A bit of light came back into our lives as Jamie and his girlfriend Heather came to visit though. We went out for dinner with them and I had a good old catch up with Jamie about all the time in-between now and Christmas. I always say on this blog how nice it is to see old friends, and after a crazy day like today, you learn to appreciate those moments all the more.

Damn You, Clocks!

The clocks going forward normally gets me, bit this year it knocked me quote hard. Getting out of bed was a real struggle, especially after I had an oddly restless night. First thing I did was down a glass of Barocca and apply to another job before heading out with Rebecca's parents once again. We took the to Brandon Hill to bask in the glorious sunshine and then headed to a little cafe for a bite to eat. Rest of the day was spent recovering from the clocks again, Rebecca had a nap while I just powered on through, don't think I've ever had a successful nap.

Rebs and her Folks

Rebecca and I took her parents out to see the various sights Bristol has to offer, from the humble delights of our flat, to the majesty of the Suspension Bridge. Actually went for a very long walk with them which culminated in a meal put at Prezzo's which was very nice indeed.

Hooray for my Lecturers

Responded to a runner position I saw being advertised by one of my old uni lecturers. The jobs in Cardiff so I'd have to make a short commute each day but its all good experience if I get it, and its paid too! Rebecca and I have started to get the flat ready for her parents tomorrow as they are spending the weekend in Bristol. I think Rebecca's a keyed up a full itinerary of things to do in a very chill manner so I should have a full, but easy going weekend ahead.

Mezze Meet-up

Hooked up with Pearless for dinner tonight since he was down and about in Bristol. mark and I took him out to the delicious (and affordable) Mezze Palace for a predictably excellent meal. We chatted mostly about his own personal job hunt and how he's eyeing up a position somewhere in Manchester and frankly, I think he'll be alright when he settles into a good job someplace. I shot out another speculative email to a work place too in the hope of hearing back from them sometime, you never know if you'll hear back doing it this way but at least occasionally worth doing.

Nifty CV

Massive shout out to Mark for helping me take my CV and covering letter for my job application from a 6/10 affair to a hearty 9.8/10. My CV is suited and booted to do some serious damage now so I shot off the application and went back on the hunt for more. To round off the day, Mark, Dan and I all got together to play a bit of Killing Floor 2 together to bask in the teamwork and bloodshed - the best kind of evening.

Potential Vacancy

Found a very promising job vacancy as an editing assistant today. In the processes of writing up a tailored covering letter ready to send off tomorrow, and after that I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Household Chore Day

Had a bit of a 'tying up loose ends/getting mundane stuff done' between Rebecca and myself. Got through a lot of laundry and finance stuff, turns out Rebecca owed me a tidy sum for all the shopping I'd been doing recently that we didn't have a chance to split. House is covered with wet clothes that smell of laundry detergent (yay, my all time fav scent) but at least we have gotten a lot of housework done.

Finally committed to completing the new Zelda too. I'd been putting it off for quite some time as there always seemed to be a quest I wanted to do, or a bit more of the map I wanted to explore, that and I guess I found it hard to admit that the experience was coming to a close. It's been a good, long ride, but I think I'm just about ready to put Zelda down for a fair old while.

Switch in Public

Rebecca and I both tried to do the most stereotypical millennial thing ever today: Sit and read in a coffee shop for a few hours. So we packed our bags and headed to Coffee #1 to drink and take it easy. I took along a backlog of graphic novels, and got through both 'A Taste of Chlorine' and 'Take it as a Compliment' which were both decent, if short. I also took my Switch with me so I could do a little bit of public gaming. Wasn't too sure if I turned any heads, nor did the shop all want to join in like they do in the adverts...

Alas, the good folks at Coffee #1 didn't take to it like this.

Dan Time is Bro Time

Daniel came down to Bristol today so Mark, Lucy, Rebecca and I all took him out to lunch and then had a really nice chill out session with him. I got a chance to show him Zelda and the Switch which he was in awe of, he kept trying out all the various bells and whistles that come with the game and frankly you could tell that he was having a ball. We rounded off the night with a few games from the JackBox collection. and a few cokes, courtesy of our haul yesterday, and it was just a massive bro session, had a really nice evening as a result. We like Daniel.

There were 24 Glass Bottles...

Spearheaded the job hunt after having a little pep talk with Rebecca. I've drawn up a little spreadsheet for a whole bunch of places I'm interested in applying to. I'll be shooting off CV's and the like after the weekend so they don't get lost in the hoards of Monday emails and I'm slowly drumming up excitement about what my next venture will be.

To keep me going, Rebecca's work were getting rid of a large create of cola in glass bottles. The batch had just fine out of date so I went to bring home as many as I could carry. My greed was greater than my strength however as I quickly discovered that 24 glass bottles weigh a lot. After a taxing walk home, the muscles in my arms actually started to seize and cramp up a bit, the motion of lifting a glass to my lips was almost impossible thanks to the cramping; what an ironic punishment...

Just needs a Name...

Continued some writing efforts today as I am thinking about starting a separate blog to this one to post more fleshed out game and film reviews. I've already written up a smattering of articles and I'm just trying to think of a good name for the blog itself. Rest assured that I'll continue posting here on a daily basis, but I may well be linking to another site from time to time just to flaunt my work.

'Next Steps' Lunch

Met my ex-boss for lunch today to discuss next steps and other potential career paths. It turned out to be a really helpful and inspiring chat, more than ever I feel confident in applying for some different roles within the media, he even offered to put me in touch with a few other people in the field so that a definite leg up.

Shopping for Shame

Left my debit card at home before going shopping. Very nearly had to do the walk of shame, but luckily I have been carrying a £50 note on me since Christmas that I never got around to cashing in. Of course that did me no favours on the self-checkout machine so I was escorted to a separate customer services desk - walk of shame lite I guess.

Finally got to watch 'Me and You and Everyone We Know'. Its been a long time coming since we actually used the trailer of that film as a reference piece for our 'Indie Film Trailer' short we did a few years back. The film itself was almost so Indie it hurt, yet it wore its heart on its sleeve throughout and that pulled it above its contemporaries. Everyone is so refreshingly earnest throughout, even the side characters get a good amount of screentime with substantial arcs. Found myself enjoying it a surprising amount, and if you have and independent film itch, this is the one to scratch it.

Successful Monday

Rebecca had the day off today so we thought we could make the most of it together. Briefly we headed to our local library to return some books, I'd only been in there in passing previously so I spent a bit more time eyeing up their selection and I was actually quite impressed. We went on a quick walk up and along to the SS Great Britain too and along the harbour which was nice too, its a side of Bristol we don't see often.

Later on we went over to Rebecca's college's house for some homemade paella which was spot on. Had a really good evening drinking wine and chilling round there. As far as Mondays go, we have done very well.

Go Karting For Real

Stoph and I went go-karting today in an epic bro-time session.Out on our track suits and revved the karts, I went ito the race feeling oddly confident. It wasn't until I got halfway through my first lap that I suddenly realised that my skills at Mario Kart weren't as transferable to real life as I thought. I really struggled to do the basics on the track, accelerating and braking were ok, but going round corners was a real mission for me. I tried to go round as quickly and as carefully as I could, but to my horror, everyone was overtaking me. I felt like I really was going as fast as I could round turns, and even during straights, but all the other riders seemed to hit pass everything else with ease.

Finally, I plucked up my courage and decided to do a 'fast lap' and you guessed it, they were some famous last words. I spun out on a harsh corner in the middle of the road and had to get a wingman to push me back on track. First thing I thought to myself was 'I hope Mark doesn't see this,' mid spin out, I lock eyes with him as I cut him off on the road and he just shook his head slowly...

Despite bricking it, I had a great time. The sense of speed on those things is amazing and I'd probably do it again if I got the chance. Hopefully with a bit more skill and confidence, but you gotta start somewhere.

Faster Writing

Started writing up my review for the Nintendo Switch, managed to blitz through a lot more than I expected which is amazing from my perspective. Normally I have found myself to be a quite slow and methodical when I try to write something like that, instead I went in an just wrote it all down as it came to mind rather than trying to micromanage every little word, I should try that style more often. Hoping to put that up very soon with pictures too.

Mark Meet Up

Met up with Mark at lunch today just because I haven't had much bro time recently. We headed to the street food place and got some amazing jerked chicken curry and I showed him the Switch after finished eating. It was really chill and I actually had a really good hour just chewing the fat with him.

Met up with Rebecca in town a few hours later so I could go jeans shopping with her. Bagged an amazingly cheap pair from M&S and managed to use up the very last of my gift card I got years ago. At long last, jeans have reentered my wardrobe!

Bit of Me Time

Took a little time out of my day to have a bit of 'me time.' In short, I sat on the sofa without distraction and seriously considered the direction I want to take with my career. I reckon my days of being an adverting creative are over, and I'm probably better off for it. I think I have a slightly better concept of where I would like to head towards now which is good.

House Husband

Since I am now technically fun-employed at the moment I have taken the opportunity to personally give myself a brand new job role: 'House Husband'. Now that Rebecca is temporarily being the breadwinner I have done all the house chores that a stereotypical 50's housewife would have done (This gender reversal is timed perfectly with it being International Women's Day too.) Tidied the flat, hoovered the floors and wiped down every surface before cooking a nice dinner in the evening, Rebecca said she could get used to this new me.

Joking aside, the job hunt has progressed. I got in touch with my ex-boss and arranged a coffee meet-up soon to discuss next steps. I've been looking into other places on the side too, but I'm eager to have a chat with someone 'in industry' before committing to anything just yet.

Merry Switchmas

After years of waiting, I finally got my hands of the Nintendo Switch and the new Zelda game: Breath of the Wild. As a console, the Switch impresses out of the box with its screen sharing capabilities, but it does feel a little lacking in features. no doubt they will be patching more apps and content into the unit over the coming months, but right now, it feels a little bare bones. Zelda on the other hand, is phenomenal. The totally open-air nature of the game makes every journey and action feel bespoke - you are the master of your own story in this Zelda. The game had a lot of promises keep, and so far it has delivered on all fronts and even offered more. Whether its a bustling village full of characters who run for cover when it rains, to a serene moment amidst the rustling grass, every moment feels like another opportunity for the game to put another smile on my face.

Farewell Amsterdam

Took one last wistful stroll around the canals of Amsterdam. We took a visit to the 'book street' which was full of extravagant boom stores, including a Water stones, complete with an 'British Food' section.

Following that we just relaxed at a few cafes while drinking in the sights. It was always a bit on an in-joke between Rebecca and I that I spent the whole holiday excited to go home to play on Nintendo's new console, the Switch. But as we walked down one of the quieter streets in the city I turned and looked around one last time and felt a real sense of passing. As excited as I am to play the Switch and the new Zelda, I would have happily waited one more day just to stick around in Amsterdam for just a little while longer.

Anne Frank's House

Went out for a bit earlier today so we could have a decent breakfast before heading g to Anne Frank's house. Luckily we four d a small cafe on the core er of a canal that served pancakes at very decent rates. With full tummies we headed to Anne Frank's house which was really tastefully done. It was amazing to go through the same rooms as Frank's family as it really put what it must of have been like hiding from the Nazis in perspective. Really excellent exhibit, well worth a look.

Another mooch-about was the next step for today, and after pootering around the outsides of the biggest museums we collapsed into our hotel room to escape the rain. We emerged a few hours later to tuck into some former burgers and a quick stop to a bar so we could fully appreciate our final night in the city.

Amsterdam is Pretty Cool

Sorry about the lack of posting last night, Rebecca and I quite literally went to rest our eyes once we got to our hotel and fell asleep a lot faster than we expected. Probably because we were shattered from a really successful bout of sightseeing. We've done plenty of bits around the city now and minced around the main square and all the canals. Today we took a train to The Hague to go around the art gallery with The Girl with the Pearl Earring and The Goldfinch, the latter being one of Rebecca's favourite books and painting so she even got a little fridge magnet of it as a souvenir. Took a late night spin round the infamous Red Light District too which was 'informative' as Rebecca put it.

Been chowing down on lots a great food too after dodging bicycles. Looking into getting some pancakes and pastries for breakfast tomorrow; already can't wait.

Farewell Rubber (Feat. Bob Ross)

Went in for my last ever day at Rubber and it was a bitter sweet affair. On the one hand I was excited for my holiday in Amsterdam, but on the other, I was beginning to feel nostalgic for all the good times over the past 6 months there. They even took me out for a farewell lunch and just before I left I shook several hands as they all truly wished me well. Leaving work was actually quite sad, it was amazing to work in such a cool environment amongst like minded people, but advertising just wasn't for me it turned out and that's OK.

Immediately after, Rebecca and I headed out to Lucy's secret 'Bob Ross' themed party that Mark organised. We were each given a canvas and a load of paint so we could paint along to the 'Misty  Mountain' episode of 'The Joy of Painting.' It was a great time, there were seven of us in total and it was remarkable to see that even though we were all following the same guidelines, each painting had its own unique style. This is mine.

Considering that I haven't really painted anything for a handful of years, I'm really pleased with how this turned out! Mark, Lucy and Louis really knocked it out the park in their efforts, but I am just so pleased with mine. Excellent idea for a Birthday party, everyone put in a really genuine amount of work in and it was great fun.

I'm actually writing this bright and early at the airport, its nearly 5am and Rebecca and I are waiting for our gate to be announced. Super excited to head back to Amsterdam, we have WiFi at our hotel so I'll post some holiday stuff over the coming days.

A Final Night out with Rubber

Took a spin out with the alternative work lot, as in the team we share a work space with, and it was really nice. Went out to the pub for a quick drink before heading out towards a really good Chinese restaurant. I ordered a satay chicken in a 'birds nest' as a bit of a gimmick and was not let down. The meal arrived inside a crown of deep fried noodles that shaped a pseudo wicker basket around my cashews and chicken. It was decidedly the centerpiece dish, but the nest part was impossible to eat without making a total arse of myself. Luckily the table was equipped with a lazy Susan so i was able to share the nest with anyone else brave enough to try it. Headed to another pub afterwards and chatted until it was time to hit the hay. While I didn't go out with anyone from my immediate work, its still nice to hit the town with co-workers and share a good time.

I'll be heading in for my last day tomorrow at Rubber. I sent out my 'farewell email' today basically saying a massive thank you for them taking me on initially as a show of good faith. I'll get a proper opportunity to say my farewells in person to everyone else tomorrow I'm sure.