Pruning

This blog has been knocking around for so long now that many of the links on the sidebar are defunct.  Time to hack away at some of the decay and maybe include some new ones, I think.

Also, the other day I was bemoaning the fact that women have much cooler clothes available than men, including hats, but I managed to find a new hat that I liked.  Yes, it may be brown and woolly, but it covers my ears and my newly-shaved head (which is important now that the weather is starting to get a bit cold).  It may well be a bit of a granny hat, but it does the trick.

Note: my aforementioned shaved-head is so stubbly that it acts like velcro, making removing or adjusting said hat a bit fiddly.

Did I really spent two-thirds of a blog post talking about a hat? You’d better believe I fucking did.

Q: Why would you park a car like this?

A: because you're a fucking twat.

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Pointless Update

Last Thursday my back started hurting so badly that by 2am I couldn’t breathe.  May have had something to do with falling down the stairs on my back twice in the last two weeks, but whatever.  It’s starting to hurt a bit less now.

Also, let’s see if this Flickr plugin thing works:

Hey look at that, it’s my boy!

Video & Waves

Between us, Kei and I must have taken over a thousand photos of baby Milo since his birth (and the poor sod’s only 8 weeks old!), but yesterday I dug out Kei’s old* mini DV camcorder so that we could capture those moments not quite so suited to digital stills – ie, him flailing his arms and shouting gibberish, like a very small drunk.

It’s been good fun, and I anticipate that soon my external hard drive will be filled with hours of footage that are of no interest to anyone but his doting parents :)

In other news, I finally got a Google Wave invite from Bob! Now I was never quite sure how Wave was supposed to work or what it was supposed to do, but from the moment it was announced I wanted in; mainly because a) it’s made by Google, and b) it’s new. So yeah, me and about 3 people I know are on there.  I like it, but it’s hard to describe; kind of like emails, but that can also be public, like Twitter, but with realtime editing and a slew of options for embedding media and such.

This morning I did find out how to search public Waves, so I’ve been talking to random people and finding out how some of the other features work, which is really cool, so it’s not so bad that so few of my friends are on here.  I guess the only thing to do is keep playing with it and see how it gradually develops; maybe it’ll grow into something as all-pervasive as Twitter, or maybe Google will give up on it and drop it like a hot bag of shit.  Who knows?

*old as in, bought in about 2005.  Not really old, but already quite dated…

They Even do Great Pixel Animation....NSFW

Just saw this hilarious, scatological animated music video.  Didn't realise until the end.... that it's made by bloody French people. Again.

Another test, this time of vPost

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Franimation Again

Yet more French people being good at animation. Those bastards.

 

THE LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER from THE LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER team on Vimeo.

Email Post

Just a test, folks.
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Let’s pretend that Shrek never happened

Let’s face it, Dreamworks haven’t exactly made a lot of great animated films.  Kung Fu Panda was fantastic, but that was a rare blip in a history of ok (Monsters vs. Aliens) and terrible (the Shreks) films.

But lo!  Here is a trailer for a new Dreamworks offering that not only features some nice animation and non-hideous character models, but also seems to not completely rely on dated pop-culture references.

Just a shame about the terrible voice acting of the lead character, really.

 

Blah Boobidy Baya

Day two of Argos training: complete.  Now I know the mysterious inner workings of the big place where they keep all the stuff that you buy!  It’s not bad so far, pretty straightforward like.  It’s a shame that it’s only for the Christmas period.  I don’t think I have the will to look for another job afterwards. 

That’s all I have to say really, other than that I feel really, really, really tired, and that my showreel is taking longer to finish than it really should.

Curse you Frenchies

In terms of animation, and art in general, French people seem to inexplicably kick arse (look at some of the stuff coming from Gobelins…).  Just look at this trailer I found – I’m assuming it’s French purely because the people involved in creating it are called things like Charles Lefebvre and Thierry River – how do they bloody do it?

 

BAIDIR
by slimTUGG

Bloody French people do it again

EMPLOYMENT(?)

That Argos interview must have gone alright – they said they would call everyone later in the afternoon to let them know whether or no they had been successful, and sure enough, come 6:51pm, they called to say I’d got the job.

Or they would have if I hadn’t been using the toilet. 

I got the voicemail message, and tried to call back (as they asked) to discuss contracts and start dates and whatnot, but couldn’t get a fucking answer.

I tried calling again this morning, again to no avail. I will try again this afternoon. But as far as I know, I am now employed. See the look of joy upon my features:

 

Argos Again

I have another interview at Argos today.

Another?

Yes well last month they phoned me, twice, to ask me about my application, and even invited me for a group interview.

I didn’t get anywhere with this, but then yesterday they asked me to come to the big branch in the retail park for an interview.

So fingers crossed, ‘cos I really need a fucking job now.

Epic Win(dows)

Kei finally went and got a new PC (that she will actually be able to get some work done on, rather than needing to use my laptop).  It’s a Packard Bell quad core beast, that comes with the brand new and shiny Windows 7 (64bit).

And what can I say?  Other than, it’s nice.  I think someone at Microsoft sat down and finally listened to what people thought, and designed a UI that doesn’t feel like a labyrinthine insult to the end user – even if it does look like a Vista update rather than a replacement.  It’s made me want to shell out £59 quid to install it on my computer now, thought I can’t find a job and the job centre have neglected to pay me any jobseeker’s allowance yet, so fuck knows how long before that’ll happen.

 

Sweet Jesus

Anyone who knows me, knows how little respect or tolerance I have for organised religion.  Christianity in particular is like a childish joke to me.

But without the story of Jesus Christ, there would have been no inspiration for this amazing animation.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you… Jesus 2000.

JESUS2000 from jesus 2000 on Vimeo.

Whew

Well, had my interview.  Thankfully it was pretty short as interviews go, and I think I did OK.

Until I got to the door, tried to put my jacket on, and got my watch caught in a tear in the lining of my sleeve…. as I do every single time I put the damn thing on. I must have looked a right tit.

I just don’t think sometimes.

I had a chuckle when I arrived at the shop though - I had just told one employee I had an interview, when Boris, who works in the warehouse, came over to say hi.  The other guy turned to me and said, “do you knows this ‘tard?”

INTERVIEW TIEM PLZ

Ohhh shit I have an interview at Currys tomorrow.

Thanks in no small part to the recommendation of my friend Chris who was worked there for years now… but I’m still nervous.  Look, I know I’m good for the job ok? I just happen to really suck hard at interviews.

In any case, expect to hear how it went soon.  If it turns out to be another rejection, expect some drunken incoherent posts instead…

Stuff

I don’t really have anything of any interest to write today, but I’ve just downloaded Windows Live Writer and am trying it out on my blogs.  I know, it seems a bit redundant to have a dedicated program for writing blog posts, which you can use offline, when you need to be online to post them anyway, but it’s pretty cool.  For a start it’s a lot more flexible when it comes to post editing than the standard Blogger interface, and lets you interface with multiple blogs.  I’ve also been using Windows Live Mail to manage my manifold email accounts too, so I guess I’m one sep closer to becoming a total Microsoft whore (though I will never, EVER use Windows Media Player – not  while it’s a hamfisted, bloated and unusable piece of crap anyway.) Writer also has a plugin which automatically creates a Twitter entry when you write a new post, which is great too.

So that’s it really.  In other news, I have an interview for a job at Currys on Monday – I’m confident that I’m suited for the role.  I just suck at interviews.

I’ll leave you with this image that demonstrates what happens when you leave me with a baby and a webcam:

Brief Update

Just looked at that post where I said my Grandfather was ill - yeah he died in like July.  Completely unfair of course; I could name about one hundred people more deserving, but there you go.

And my son was born in September, so he missed that by only a couple of months.  Anyway, baby Milo is great, he's the picture of health and growing fast!  His mother is recovering well, and I'm struggling with unemployment again.  Only back in Wales now.

So that's it from me.

Fuck you all.

Dilapidation

Wow. Looks like I've completely forgotten about this blog. Well, it's not so much that it's forgotten, just that I've been busy uploading stuff to my art blog, and so there doesn't seem to be much need to update this one. And of course I'm mostly active on DeviantART. Although I had forgotten how therepeutic it can be to just type a post full of nonsense.

So what else is new? Still working at Forbidden Planet, for the time being. Still drawing, though I really need to be animating more. My cat is trying to eat a stale chip covered in barbecue sauce. I have just discovered an awesome band called Bury Your Dead (their back catalogue turned out to be of great comfort during the hellish Tube strike over the last couple of days.

That about covers it I think. There's other stuff, but I don't feel like going into it now...

IT LIVES

Doubt anyone comes here any more, but stuff has happened since the last post (of course). So, for your enjoyment, here is a dainty list of bullet points:

• Saw the Mighty Boosh live, and it was good
• Lost my job at doof thanks the credit crunch (now a full-blown credit crisis)
• Got a Christmas job at Forbidden Planet
• My grandfather fell ill, and it turned out he had a tumour in his stomach, which he is now getting chemo for
• I got a contract with Orange for a Blackberry, so now my wish of emails on the move has been fulfilled
• Christmas was good, and I finally watched Dark Knight (Heath Ledger sucked, by the way)
• 2008 became 2009
• Kei and I looked at a new flat, because we gave notice to move out by the end of January
• None of the Christmas temps got kept on, so now I'm unemployed
• My birthday rolled around, and I got Guitar Hero 3
• Now we're waiting to see if we get the flat, and I'm looking for a damned job again

I think that about covers it? There's probably more, but that covers the main events since October. Shit happens. And now, I have things to be getting on with....

Trapped in a Box by a Cockney Nut Job

Okay, 18th October I'm trekking back to Caerdydd to see the Mighty Boosh. Live.


In the spirit of things, I'm dressing up as the second greatest boosh character... the Hitcher!

I already have a black coat (thanks to Kei); on the weekend I bought a spring-loaded retractable toy knife and a fake thumb (which was the base for the giant thumb in the top photo); I ordered gloves and a top hat (which I will glue polos to!) from ebay, and I'm also waiting for the boots to arrive.... I've made my solo polo peeper out of masking tape, cardboard and papier mache (see bottom shot!)

Now I'm waiting for the wig and face paint to arrive.....

p.s. This will also be my halloween costume hahahaha
p.p.s. The greatest character is of course Rudi van Disarzio, but his afro is too mighty to even begin to contemplate!

It's all coming together....

Alright you bastards, I'm going to see the Mighty Boosh next Friday,  and in preparation have been putting together a Hitcher costume.  Today I bought toy knife (retractable), a fake thumb (needs some papier mache) and some PVA glue (needs Polos).  My hat and gloves arrived today, now I'm waiting for the boots and need to find the right face paint.... 

Shortcomings

It amazes me to see artists, who are actually a bit rubbish, getting paid to draw cartoons for publications or similar. Seriously, without trying to be egotistical, I am much better than some of these people (and by the same token there are hundreds of thousands of artists who make my work look like absolute dross). It makes me realise that I could probably achieve a lot more if I were to make the effort.

In any case, I'm still plugging away at the daily sketch thing, but I've yet to sort out all my drawings and scattered files, so the blog is a bit empty at the moment (this is a knock-on effect of the big move to London in June). I'll keep you posted.

What Felony Are You?

I think you should take this test. It seems pretty accurate.

You Are Arson

No doubt about it, you have a serious destructive streak. You can't help it! Sometimes you just get so frustrated with the world, and you have to let your aggression out You have a notoriously bad temper. You are obsessed with getting your revenge. You are obviously a pyromaniac, whether you realize it or not. It feels great to watch something burn.

What Felony Are You?

Still Here - Now With Added Employment!

In case anyone actually comes by here anymore, I'm still alive! Nowadays I mainly use my other blog, for all my artwork and animation, which actually helped me land a job as a Flash game artist designer at Doof! It's a Flash social gaming website, so if that sounds like your kind of thing, click the link and take a look!

Here's me hard at work:

Them's the Breaks

Things have progressed since my last post. I did indeed travel to London on my broken foot. Yes, last time I said I had broken my toe, but I've since seen the X-rays and it's a fracture on the fifth bone of my foot, right at the base, so really it's my foot thats broken (hence the stupid cast). More on that later though.

So on Saturday, the four of us went to meet our landlady, sign some contracts, and hand over ridiculous sums of cash. Or rather, Kei and Allyn did, seeing as Alicia and I are skint. In any case, we now have the flat! Romana - the landlady that is - and her husband explained all the boring bits about heating, showed us the post box, handed over the keys and fucked off. All we have to do now, for the time being, is decide what lovely cheap furniture we're going to get from Ikea (we also have to set up Direct Debits, arrange internet access and telephone lines and all that business, but that can wait!)

It was absolutely crippling, though. Due to the stupid half-cast thing on my foot, I couldn't put any weight on it, leaving my to lurch from tube stop to tube stop on a pair of crutches that were mangling my hands - probably because I'm to fat to support my weight on a pair of plastic handles.

I'm alright now though! I went to the hospital today and had that cast taken off, and now I have a metatarsal slipper. This is basically a small open-toed cast with a rubber sandal, so now I can walk on my foot but I look like even more of a tit than before! At least it will be easier to get round London this Saturday to go furniture shopping....

A Visit From the Broken Foot Fairy...

As I may or may not have mentioned, I've been looking for a flat in London, to share with my fiance and a couple of friends. Whilst in London last weekend, looking at some places, I managed to break my toe. I was running to catch up with Kei and Allyn, and twisted my ankle. Or so I thought. After a visit to the hospital last night, X-rays revealed a fracture in the base of my little toe, and I was given a semi-cast type of thing. See how fucking ridiculous that looks? This happens to be the first bone I have broken. Ever.

In any case, the flat we are having is very nice. Look how nice it is. Want to see some more photos of it?

Job Satisfaction (2006)

My second year film. Still haven't figured out why Youtube throws my sound out of synch.

Beowolf: A Throbbing Piece of Shit

For anyone who hasn't seen Beowolf yet, don't. I only recently saw it, and I have to say that it sucks cock. If you did see it, and enjoyed it, fuck you: you have shit in your eyes.



Also, if you're wondering how they came up with the idea to design Grendel as a dorky looking deformed retard, I've worked out the equation:

Domnique Pinon + Keith Richards=

+ =

Grendel!

365 Days of Sketch

I've just joined in with this Project 365 thing... basically, I'm drawing an posting one sketch a day, every day, for a year. I'm on day 4 now; keep up with the action on my Sketch 365 blog.

New... Kind Of

Another comic?! What??
Well, I actually started this one last year. Only I didn't finish it until yesterday, and now it's up!