New Year, old routines, old gripes, but new memories to cherish too - that's what sums up this month for me - I'll get the bad stuff out of the way first.
Obviously, I'm back in the UK now, my winter US trip came to an end on the 11th, and it was a very bittersweet moment indeed, perhaps more bitter than sweet. With all the jetlag it felt really weird coming back home and barely recognising the place, and it took me about a week to completely recover.
Being back home meant getting back into old routines, namely that of my work placement, and that was fine, it was pretty much like I'd never been away, really. What I didn't enjoy coming back to was the jobsearch and pressure side of it, from that certain place I won't name. It's just making me realise how much I need to sever my ties with them, because they just seem to get worse as every year passes. I wasn't put on this earth to be a pawn in their stupid game.
This month was also my birthday of course (29 already?), and while I enjoyed the day very much (more on that in a bit), I just found myself feeling let down by a few people on DeviantArt - you see, every year I make birthday giftarts for friends on DA, I put a lot of time and thought into them, and I don't ask for any giftart in return, just a somple greeting when my birthday comes round - however I end up feeling frustrated year in year out because there are always some of these "friends" who fail to give me a greeting in return. Now some of them may have a genuine reason that they forgot, but unless told otherwise, I have to assume that they just want free art from me and that they couldn't give a crap about my own birthday. It sounds harsh and selfish, but that's how I feel about it. So if I draw you birthday giftart and you don't give me a greeting in return, you won't be getting any more giftart from me, simple as that.
And finally with the bad stuff, I feel like this last week of January I've had a slight touch of the January blues, and possibly post-holiday blues by extension. The cold weather and the snow that we've had (no snow-free winter this time, unlike last winter) haven't helped either, but it'll pass.
Now onto the good stuff, and back to my US trip - again, I just can't put into words how much of a brilliant time I had. I got to ring in the New Year with my lovely Nicole and her family, as well as celebrate my birthday with a stay at a very nice hotel and bowling at a very fancy bowling alley - and on both occasion a lot of drinks were involved too. However, there was one little thing that happened right before New Year that I deliberately forgot to mention - you see, I wanted to get back home and tell my family in person before going viral with it.
On 30 December, I took Nicole to our favourite spot in Branford Point - a hill overlooking the beach and coastline. It was freezing cold, but there was a beautiful sunset in the background, and it just felt like the right moment to finally do something that I'd been plucking up the courage to do for quite a long time (I can hear you saying "Get on with it Mark!" at the back there...)...
I got down on one knee and asked Nicole to be my fiancée...and I think you can guess what her answer was. :)
So there it is - we're engaged. And right now, it's still very much sinking in for me, because this is without a doubt a huge step to make. This also means that 2015, if all works out, will be my last year living in the UK - me and Nicole are going to apply for a fiancée visa, and are hoping to have me move over to the US in October, with a view to signing our marriage licence in early 2016 (it's just signing a bit of paper, we plan to have a proper ceremony at a later date). This has all been in the works for months, and I've been chomping at the bit to let you all know - well, now you know.
It's not going to be easy - saying goodbye to my family, when that day comes, will be one of the hardest things that I will ever have to do in my life, and I'll miss all the familiar places that I know - but unless I do this, I'll spend the rest of my life regretting what could've been. I feel like I'm stuck in a rut in my current situation, and something, for the longest time, has needed to change, and maybe starting a new life in the States with the girl I love is that change that needs to be made.
So, there you have it - what a month indeed. After all that, I think I should probably leave you with some futuristic Flyer artwork. All the best for the rest of this New Year.
31/01/2015
31/12/2014
December 2014
Where do I start...what a month this has been, and without a doubt it's been a month of two halves.
You know that feeling when the festive season slowly starts to creep in, even though you try so hard to try and resist the cheesiness of it all? I had that, but also a lot of nerves, which was pretty much how it was for the first half of this month, working at my charity shop placement and keeping busy with that, my artwork and buying Christmas presents for family and friends (as usual, I cut it fine).
Those nerves were all for the anticipation of the second half of the month, as I knew I would be spending my first Christmas and New Year away from home (27 years though, quite a record) - on the 11th, I jetted off on my second trip across the Atlantic to the US this year, and my sixth US trip overall. It was very bittersweet leaving my family behind, but at the end of the day I know that they want me to be living my life and enjoying it - and when I travel, that's what I'm doing.
And now the trip itself - with only an annoying delay to my long haul flight and a customs office giving me the third degree, my travel to the US was pretty much fine, so once again all the nerves about the flying was for nothing. Since I arrived Stateside, so much has happened - I got to be with my lovely Nicole again, as well as her family and friends, we revisited places that we'd been to before, including Branford Point, Stony Creek, Mystic Village, and of course the Big Apple aka New York City, as well as also spending a couple of days over in Long Island revisiting a couple of close friends from DeviantArt, however I was seeing it all slightly differently, with it being my first trip to the US in Winter - my previous visits were all in either Spring or Summer, and while there were some unseasonally warm temaperatures and no blizzards, there were also some freezing days too - and as I type this, there's still every chance of one of those infamous wintry nor'easters to hit. I also discovered some new places previously unseen, including the beautiful Chatfield Hollow State Park with its forests and lake, and the impressive collection of planes on display at the New England Air Museum.
It was a little bit strange celebrating Christmas over 3,000 miles away from home, but I still enjoyed it, and I got to experience the occasion American style, and not that this is much of a big secret, but the Americans don't half make a bigger deal of Christmas than what we Brits do, that's for sure - every other house had elaborate lighting displays, Christmas music was all over the radio, and Nicole's family certainly weren't shy with the presents, not that I asked for anything - the only present I wanted was to be able to spend the festive season with Nicole, and I think that's the one present both of us truly asked for. (I apologise for the slushiness.)
I also got reacquainted with some old American food favourites, as well as giving some new ones a try - and there was also another first this trip, as myself and Nicole attended two of her friends' wedding, and we weren't just spectating, we were both in the wedding party, Nicole was the maid of honour, I was one of the groomsmen, and we were both dressed the part for it too. The ceremony went beautifully, the reception was blast, many congratulations to the happy couple, and I was glad that both me and Nicole got to be a part of it too.
As I type this, 2014 is into its last 24 hours, and I will be getting to see in the New Year over in the States, with Nicole, her family and friends. My final thoughts on this year? Like most years it's been up and down - there have been times where I've wanted to crawl into a hole, but also times where I feel like I've had the time of my life. No-one knows what 2015 will bring, or what'll be happening a year from now, but I will be celebrating on New Year's regardless. If there is definitely one thing I want to celebrate from this past year, it's all the memories that have been made.
To sign off, I'll leave you with this festive group shot I made for my DeviantArt friends. Wherever you are, and whoever you're with, all the best for 2015.
You know that feeling when the festive season slowly starts to creep in, even though you try so hard to try and resist the cheesiness of it all? I had that, but also a lot of nerves, which was pretty much how it was for the first half of this month, working at my charity shop placement and keeping busy with that, my artwork and buying Christmas presents for family and friends (as usual, I cut it fine).
Those nerves were all for the anticipation of the second half of the month, as I knew I would be spending my first Christmas and New Year away from home (27 years though, quite a record) - on the 11th, I jetted off on my second trip across the Atlantic to the US this year, and my sixth US trip overall. It was very bittersweet leaving my family behind, but at the end of the day I know that they want me to be living my life and enjoying it - and when I travel, that's what I'm doing.
And now the trip itself - with only an annoying delay to my long haul flight and a customs office giving me the third degree, my travel to the US was pretty much fine, so once again all the nerves about the flying was for nothing. Since I arrived Stateside, so much has happened - I got to be with my lovely Nicole again, as well as her family and friends, we revisited places that we'd been to before, including Branford Point, Stony Creek, Mystic Village, and of course the Big Apple aka New York City, as well as also spending a couple of days over in Long Island revisiting a couple of close friends from DeviantArt, however I was seeing it all slightly differently, with it being my first trip to the US in Winter - my previous visits were all in either Spring or Summer, and while there were some unseasonally warm temaperatures and no blizzards, there were also some freezing days too - and as I type this, there's still every chance of one of those infamous wintry nor'easters to hit. I also discovered some new places previously unseen, including the beautiful Chatfield Hollow State Park with its forests and lake, and the impressive collection of planes on display at the New England Air Museum.
It was a little bit strange celebrating Christmas over 3,000 miles away from home, but I still enjoyed it, and I got to experience the occasion American style, and not that this is much of a big secret, but the Americans don't half make a bigger deal of Christmas than what we Brits do, that's for sure - every other house had elaborate lighting displays, Christmas music was all over the radio, and Nicole's family certainly weren't shy with the presents, not that I asked for anything - the only present I wanted was to be able to spend the festive season with Nicole, and I think that's the one present both of us truly asked for. (I apologise for the slushiness.)
I also got reacquainted with some old American food favourites, as well as giving some new ones a try - and there was also another first this trip, as myself and Nicole attended two of her friends' wedding, and we weren't just spectating, we were both in the wedding party, Nicole was the maid of honour, I was one of the groomsmen, and we were both dressed the part for it too. The ceremony went beautifully, the reception was blast, many congratulations to the happy couple, and I was glad that both me and Nicole got to be a part of it too.
As I type this, 2014 is into its last 24 hours, and I will be getting to see in the New Year over in the States, with Nicole, her family and friends. My final thoughts on this year? Like most years it's been up and down - there have been times where I've wanted to crawl into a hole, but also times where I feel like I've had the time of my life. No-one knows what 2015 will bring, or what'll be happening a year from now, but I will be celebrating on New Year's regardless. If there is definitely one thing I want to celebrate from this past year, it's all the memories that have been made.
To sign off, I'll leave you with this festive group shot I made for my DeviantArt friends. Wherever you are, and whoever you're with, all the best for 2015.
30/11/2014
November 2014
I can't say it much more plainly than this, really - for the most part, this November was more or less a carbon copy of October. As I write this I've now been at my work placement for 7 weeks, and while I'm used to the routine of it now, some days have been better than others, but on the whole I got lucky getting the placement that I did. I just can't help feeling that when I'm there sometimes I could be doing so many more things that I'd enjoy a lot more - but then again isn't that how everyone feels in a job?
Something that got my attention for the wrong reasons this month was the whole Black Friday mayhem - something that up until now I thought only happened in the US, but it seems that it's spread. I fail to see what's good about queuing up at insane hours just to buy something expensive that's been reduced when the reductions aren't even that massive, and when all it does is cause people to turn into crazed maniacs. I feel sorry for the frontline employees working in the participating shops who have to deal with the madness, and I hope I don't ever end up in that position myself, either.
Speaking of the US, the excitement and nerves are starting to kick in for me now - as I type this it's less than a fortnight till I fly back over there to see Nicole, her family and friends, and spend the festive season over there. It will be strange with it being my first Christmas away from home and my family, but hopefully it will still be very enjoyable.
That's pretty much all I have to day for this month - come next blog, if all goes to plan, it'll be from Stateside once again.
I'll leave you with a tribute picture that I made - dedicated to those who have fallen in combat.
Something that got my attention for the wrong reasons this month was the whole Black Friday mayhem - something that up until now I thought only happened in the US, but it seems that it's spread. I fail to see what's good about queuing up at insane hours just to buy something expensive that's been reduced when the reductions aren't even that massive, and when all it does is cause people to turn into crazed maniacs. I feel sorry for the frontline employees working in the participating shops who have to deal with the madness, and I hope I don't ever end up in that position myself, either.
Speaking of the US, the excitement and nerves are starting to kick in for me now - as I type this it's less than a fortnight till I fly back over there to see Nicole, her family and friends, and spend the festive season over there. It will be strange with it being my first Christmas away from home and my family, but hopefully it will still be very enjoyable.
That's pretty much all I have to day for this month - come next blog, if all goes to plan, it'll be from Stateside once again.
I'll leave you with a tribute picture that I made - dedicated to those who have fallen in combat.
31/10/2014
October 2014
I'll get the obvious shtick out of the way - I wouldn't say October's been frightening, however it has been a bit upside-down to say the least.
As I mentioned last month, I started a 6 month work placement at a charity shop - having not worked for 4 years, it's taken a bit of getting used to, having to get up early and go walk around a shop all day, shifting stuff around and sorting stuff out, but I guess I'm pretty much adjusted to the routine now, though I have found myself feeling a lot more tired at the end of the day - having a full-time job will do that to you, not that that hasn't already been said.
To be honest, I dont mind it, going into the shop and doing the work, it keeps me busy, makes me feel useful, and most of all I get some exercise out of it. The part I have the problem with is having to go and do 4 hours of jobsearch once a week - the training provider who organised this placement and who supervises the jobsearch are just a joke, more specifically the attitude of their staff, they come across as very condescending, and while I haven't really been on the receiving end of it, some of the others who I work at the shop with have, as I have to listen to them rant about it on a daily basis. It just really brings everything down, and there's been too many days during this placement that I've wondered what the point of it all really is. When it boils down to it, everyone in this situation is being exploited just to massage the unemployment figures, and we have no choice but to go along with it. I do NOT want to be stuck in this situation for the rest of my life - but the only way to avoid that is to get a job, and it's the obvious failure in that department which is the whole reason I'm in this situation.
On the flipside, even though it might come along more slower than normally, I'm still doing my artworks in whatever spare time I have, and still doing my livestreams also. Working shouldn't mean having to give up what you enjoy - as a well-known saying goes, you should work to live, not live to work. As well as that, it feels like it's getting closer to December, closer to taking my next US trip and seeing Nicole again - and it really can't come soon enough.
I'll leave you with not one but four sets of Halloween themed artwork - one for each of my comic series. Wishing everyone a Happy Halloween, and also hoping that November will pick things up.
A Monster Thing Halloween 2014
Bob & Flyer Halloween 2014
Snow Sam Halloween 2014
The Surf Club Halloween 2014
As I mentioned last month, I started a 6 month work placement at a charity shop - having not worked for 4 years, it's taken a bit of getting used to, having to get up early and go walk around a shop all day, shifting stuff around and sorting stuff out, but I guess I'm pretty much adjusted to the routine now, though I have found myself feeling a lot more tired at the end of the day - having a full-time job will do that to you, not that that hasn't already been said.
To be honest, I dont mind it, going into the shop and doing the work, it keeps me busy, makes me feel useful, and most of all I get some exercise out of it. The part I have the problem with is having to go and do 4 hours of jobsearch once a week - the training provider who organised this placement and who supervises the jobsearch are just a joke, more specifically the attitude of their staff, they come across as very condescending, and while I haven't really been on the receiving end of it, some of the others who I work at the shop with have, as I have to listen to them rant about it on a daily basis. It just really brings everything down, and there's been too many days during this placement that I've wondered what the point of it all really is. When it boils down to it, everyone in this situation is being exploited just to massage the unemployment figures, and we have no choice but to go along with it. I do NOT want to be stuck in this situation for the rest of my life - but the only way to avoid that is to get a job, and it's the obvious failure in that department which is the whole reason I'm in this situation.
On the flipside, even though it might come along more slower than normally, I'm still doing my artworks in whatever spare time I have, and still doing my livestreams also. Working shouldn't mean having to give up what you enjoy - as a well-known saying goes, you should work to live, not live to work. As well as that, it feels like it's getting closer to December, closer to taking my next US trip and seeing Nicole again - and it really can't come soon enough.
I'll leave you with not one but four sets of Halloween themed artwork - one for each of my comic series. Wishing everyone a Happy Halloween, and also hoping that November will pick things up.
A Monster Thing Halloween 2014
Bob & Flyer Halloween 2014
Snow Sam Halloween 2014
The Surf Club Halloween 2014
30/09/2014
September 2014
September usually isn't one of my favourite times of year - it's that time where summer ends and things turn very autumnal, and of course in the past it was also the month where the summer holidays ended and I had to go back to school and get readjusted to being in a different class and having a different timetable, and all that jazz - and the way things have gone this month is not too dissimilar.
Last month I mentioned about being put on a training course that turned out to be refreshingly bearable...well, I've now been put on something else by that certain place I keep mentioning, and this time it's definitely not bearable - for 6 months, I'll be doing a 30 hour work placement, which will be in a charity shop, along with having to attend a 4 hour jobsearch session at a training provider every week. The problem is that I don't get a wage for this, just my unemployment money every fortnight as normal. As it stands, I don't have the placement yet, the training provider is apparently trying to sort one out for me, however if they can't, I have to attend their jobsearch session every day and do nothing but jobsearch for 30 hours a week. It's all BS, I know it is, because I've been in this position before, and the only reason they make people do 30 hours of jobsearch is so they can keep tabs on them - as I mentioned, this is only designed to massage the unemployment figures and put money in the pockets of the organisations concerned, and I have no choice but to go along with it, for if I choose not to attend, I'll get my money stopped. I'm really not happy about being put in this situation at all, and I find myself worrying that I won't be able to have much of a life outside of this placement/jobsearch deal - I know that's how it would be if I had a permanent job, but at least I'd be earning money to justify it. I just feel like I'm being used as cheap labour at the end of the day, and other than work experience I fail to see what I can get out of this. Obviously once more happens, you'll hear about it here.
That's the bad stuff out of the way, now onto the better stuff.
Since around 2008, when I flew on a plane for the first time, I've had a big interest in planes, more specifically commercial airliners - at the back end of August and most of this month, I've been taking that interest a bit further. You see, I like to planespot, just watch planes flying up above, and it just so happens that where I live lies right under the flight path of air traffic flying in and out of Newcastle Airport, which is great. By taking it further, I mean that I've now been logging each plane that I see, and obviously if I've logged a plane already I don't log it again. This also harks back to a hobby I had when I was a kid - me and my brother would walk around the streets and write down the make and model of all the cars parked in the street and tally them up. Funny how things come full circle.
This also ties into the other good part of this month - on the 28th, myself and my lovely Nicole celebrated our 2 year anniversary. Sadly we couldn't be physically together for obvious reasons, but we still made the most of it via Skype - I sent Nicole a home-made greeting card complete with cheesy words, plus two packets of her favourite Aero Bubbles chocs, and a little gold clock that I came across a few months back - I thought of Nicole as soon as I saw it, because even though we're separated by distance and time, there's also not that much time until we do get to physically be together again (December). So it just seemed right that I buy the clock for her, as a reminder that time isn't always against us.
I said this ties into the planespotting - Nicole's present for me was a model plane, and not just any plane, but a British Airways Boeing 747, just like the ones that have flown me to the US to see her on three occasions now, and what will be flying me back there again in December - and it goes without saying that I can't wait. Too bad we can't just skip over October and November, I'll especially want to this year.
I'll sign off with some artwork, as always - a group shot of the cast of my comic series "A Monster Thing", and speaking of that, I've gotten back to making my series of cartoon blogs on my YouTube channel - go take a look at those and more if you're interested.
Sayonara for September.
PS: One last mention - many congratulations to two good friends of mine, Andy and Hayley on their recent marriage - all the very best for you two crazies. :)
Last month I mentioned about being put on a training course that turned out to be refreshingly bearable...well, I've now been put on something else by that certain place I keep mentioning, and this time it's definitely not bearable - for 6 months, I'll be doing a 30 hour work placement, which will be in a charity shop, along with having to attend a 4 hour jobsearch session at a training provider every week. The problem is that I don't get a wage for this, just my unemployment money every fortnight as normal. As it stands, I don't have the placement yet, the training provider is apparently trying to sort one out for me, however if they can't, I have to attend their jobsearch session every day and do nothing but jobsearch for 30 hours a week. It's all BS, I know it is, because I've been in this position before, and the only reason they make people do 30 hours of jobsearch is so they can keep tabs on them - as I mentioned, this is only designed to massage the unemployment figures and put money in the pockets of the organisations concerned, and I have no choice but to go along with it, for if I choose not to attend, I'll get my money stopped. I'm really not happy about being put in this situation at all, and I find myself worrying that I won't be able to have much of a life outside of this placement/jobsearch deal - I know that's how it would be if I had a permanent job, but at least I'd be earning money to justify it. I just feel like I'm being used as cheap labour at the end of the day, and other than work experience I fail to see what I can get out of this. Obviously once more happens, you'll hear about it here.
That's the bad stuff out of the way, now onto the better stuff.
Since around 2008, when I flew on a plane for the first time, I've had a big interest in planes, more specifically commercial airliners - at the back end of August and most of this month, I've been taking that interest a bit further. You see, I like to planespot, just watch planes flying up above, and it just so happens that where I live lies right under the flight path of air traffic flying in and out of Newcastle Airport, which is great. By taking it further, I mean that I've now been logging each plane that I see, and obviously if I've logged a plane already I don't log it again. This also harks back to a hobby I had when I was a kid - me and my brother would walk around the streets and write down the make and model of all the cars parked in the street and tally them up. Funny how things come full circle.
This also ties into the other good part of this month - on the 28th, myself and my lovely Nicole celebrated our 2 year anniversary. Sadly we couldn't be physically together for obvious reasons, but we still made the most of it via Skype - I sent Nicole a home-made greeting card complete with cheesy words, plus two packets of her favourite Aero Bubbles chocs, and a little gold clock that I came across a few months back - I thought of Nicole as soon as I saw it, because even though we're separated by distance and time, there's also not that much time until we do get to physically be together again (December). So it just seemed right that I buy the clock for her, as a reminder that time isn't always against us.
I said this ties into the planespotting - Nicole's present for me was a model plane, and not just any plane, but a British Airways Boeing 747, just like the ones that have flown me to the US to see her on three occasions now, and what will be flying me back there again in December - and it goes without saying that I can't wait. Too bad we can't just skip over October and November, I'll especially want to this year.
I'll sign off with some artwork, as always - a group shot of the cast of my comic series "A Monster Thing", and speaking of that, I've gotten back to making my series of cartoon blogs on my YouTube channel - go take a look at those and more if you're interested.
Sayonara for September.
PS: One last mention - many congratulations to two good friends of mine, Andy and Hayley on their recent marriage - all the very best for you two crazies. :)
31/08/2014
August 2014
Well, this month was another month of two halves - and as I always do, I'll get the bad half out of the way first.
A certain place that I won't mention referred me to a mandatory training course,the likes of which they've forced me to go on before, you know the type, sit in a classoom with a bunch of strangers while someone tells you "do this, do that". These courses aren't even designed to help the "customers" on them, they're just an exercise in massaging the unemployment figures and keeping the money rolling in - so naturally, I was expecting the worst.
I was surprised, however - the course I was sent on is probably one of the better ones I've been on, there's a relaxed atmosphere to proceedings, and the staff there, unlike other places, actually seem to care about the people in their charge, and I have to admit, there's been some subjects on the course that I haven't been taught on other courses, such as confidence-building and assertiveness. I mentioned those two examples, because I'm lacking in both of those, and I find myself wishing I could be more confident and assertive, not just in looking for a job, but in my whole life too.
Don't get me wrong, I still hate the idea of being stuck in a classroom for 6 hours a day being told stuff I mostly already know, but at least this particular place tries to make the process far more bearable.
During this time, I had some food for thought about my future...one of the staff at the course ave me some advice about what I should do if I want to go into an art career, and their advice was that I should go and study art at college, and try to get a job in something that could lead to an art related job, such as data entry. However, to be brutally honest, I'm not getting any younger, and I don't think I could face being put back into a school situation, at least not full-time anyway. I would like to think that there's another way that doesn't involve college, but that's probably just wishful thinking (I do far too much of that.) I want to live my life, not spend it in a classroom.
On the plus side of things, I got a hold of some new music, and good new music seems to be a rarity these days - the album "Violence & Destruction" by Islander - alternative metal with a sounds throwing back to early 2000's "nu-metal", but without most of the cliches that gave that genre a bad name. Take a listen to one of the tracks from it here.
There was some more nice summer weather to enjoy, and I took advantage of it to take some trips to the beach at Tynemouth - if you haven't gathered already, I love that place. I've been to many beaches, but I always find myself going back to that one, because it's got bags of character, and it's simply beautiful. And needless to say, going there makes my summer.
I'll leave you with a beachside real life/cartoon crossover - no prizes for guessing which beach this was taken at.
A certain place that I won't mention referred me to a mandatory training course,the likes of which they've forced me to go on before, you know the type, sit in a classoom with a bunch of strangers while someone tells you "do this, do that". These courses aren't even designed to help the "customers" on them, they're just an exercise in massaging the unemployment figures and keeping the money rolling in - so naturally, I was expecting the worst.
I was surprised, however - the course I was sent on is probably one of the better ones I've been on, there's a relaxed atmosphere to proceedings, and the staff there, unlike other places, actually seem to care about the people in their charge, and I have to admit, there's been some subjects on the course that I haven't been taught on other courses, such as confidence-building and assertiveness. I mentioned those two examples, because I'm lacking in both of those, and I find myself wishing I could be more confident and assertive, not just in looking for a job, but in my whole life too.
Don't get me wrong, I still hate the idea of being stuck in a classroom for 6 hours a day being told stuff I mostly already know, but at least this particular place tries to make the process far more bearable.
During this time, I had some food for thought about my future...one of the staff at the course ave me some advice about what I should do if I want to go into an art career, and their advice was that I should go and study art at college, and try to get a job in something that could lead to an art related job, such as data entry. However, to be brutally honest, I'm not getting any younger, and I don't think I could face being put back into a school situation, at least not full-time anyway. I would like to think that there's another way that doesn't involve college, but that's probably just wishful thinking (I do far too much of that.) I want to live my life, not spend it in a classroom.
On the plus side of things, I got a hold of some new music, and good new music seems to be a rarity these days - the album "Violence & Destruction" by Islander - alternative metal with a sounds throwing back to early 2000's "nu-metal", but without most of the cliches that gave that genre a bad name. Take a listen to one of the tracks from it here.
There was some more nice summer weather to enjoy, and I took advantage of it to take some trips to the beach at Tynemouth - if you haven't gathered already, I love that place. I've been to many beaches, but I always find myself going back to that one, because it's got bags of character, and it's simply beautiful. And needless to say, going there makes my summer.
I'll leave you with a beachside real life/cartoon crossover - no prizes for guessing which beach this was taken at.
31/07/2014
July 2014
Things have warmed up this month - not on the job front though, I'm afraid. The TK Maxx job was a non-starter, I heard absolutely nothing back about it, and I'm inclined to believe that contrary to what I was told, there was never going to be an interview at the end of the course that I took in June. Typical false promises as always.
I did actually get an interview though - not with TK Maxx, but with Greggs the Bakers, for a job as a team member in my local store. Trouble is, it was also a managerial position, and of course I have no managerial experience - they as good as told me that at the inteview. I think you can guess how that ended.
The weather's been warm though, much warmer than June, and I've been making the most of it, going out for walks and heading to the beach at Tynemouth. I prefer it when there's a breeze to counter the sweltering heat though, that's not to say I don't enjoy the sunshine. Summer is my favourite time of year for a good reason.
This month brought back memories of last July, when I was over in the US for my longest trip abroad to date - you can read about how that went right here and here.
While I wasn't abroad this summer, I did get to go to this year's Sunderland Airshow - it was my fourth time there, the first three being in 2005, 2006 and 2012. The getting to and from the airshow was a nightmare, because of all the crowds, chock-full trains and buses not turning up, however, the airshow itself was as brilliant as it always is. I saw quite a few aircraft, some I'd seen before and others that I hadn't - my personal highlights of the airshow were the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (Spitfire, Hurricane and Lancaster); the Breitling Wingwalkers; and of course, the star attraction of the airshow, the Red Arrows display team.
You can watch my videos of the airshow at the links below:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Again, I wasn't abroad this summer, but my brother Chris was, he spent a week in Prague in the Czech Republic, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I didn't mind having the house to myself, although you know how it is when one of your family goes away on holiday, you're soon wishing for them to come back. Chris has set foot in Holland, Germany and now the Czech Republic - I have yet to set foot in any European country outside of the UK, so there's a bit of sibling envy going on there!
As always, I'll leave you with some artwork - and considering it's summer, it's only right that it's something summer themed.
I did actually get an interview though - not with TK Maxx, but with Greggs the Bakers, for a job as a team member in my local store. Trouble is, it was also a managerial position, and of course I have no managerial experience - they as good as told me that at the inteview. I think you can guess how that ended.
The weather's been warm though, much warmer than June, and I've been making the most of it, going out for walks and heading to the beach at Tynemouth. I prefer it when there's a breeze to counter the sweltering heat though, that's not to say I don't enjoy the sunshine. Summer is my favourite time of year for a good reason.
This month brought back memories of last July, when I was over in the US for my longest trip abroad to date - you can read about how that went right here and here.
While I wasn't abroad this summer, I did get to go to this year's Sunderland Airshow - it was my fourth time there, the first three being in 2005, 2006 and 2012. The getting to and from the airshow was a nightmare, because of all the crowds, chock-full trains and buses not turning up, however, the airshow itself was as brilliant as it always is. I saw quite a few aircraft, some I'd seen before and others that I hadn't - my personal highlights of the airshow were the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (Spitfire, Hurricane and Lancaster); the Breitling Wingwalkers; and of course, the star attraction of the airshow, the Red Arrows display team.
You can watch my videos of the airshow at the links below:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Again, I wasn't abroad this summer, but my brother Chris was, he spent a week in Prague in the Czech Republic, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I didn't mind having the house to myself, although you know how it is when one of your family goes away on holiday, you're soon wishing for them to come back. Chris has set foot in Holland, Germany and now the Czech Republic - I have yet to set foot in any European country outside of the UK, so there's a bit of sibling envy going on there!
As always, I'll leave you with some artwork - and considering it's summer, it's only right that it's something summer themed.
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