Normally I don't go in for Facebook memes, but this one seemed interesting enough. Enjoy!
1. I have pretty shit self-esteem, although in general I’m pretty good at hiding it. I not quite sure what started it all off, but it’s not exactly got any better recently, I blame Psycho for that. This is usually why I’m quite shy in many situations, and find it awkward talking about myself.
2. I’m anti-war, and in a major way. I protested against the Iraq war, and I refuse to support the War on Terror. And before anyone starts kicking off about me not knowing what it’s like to be affected by Terrorism, a close friend of my family was killed when they blew up the tube train at Russell Square. I know what it’s like, ok?
3. I’m still afraid of dogs. This all stems from when I was about 6 when a dog mauled me because I poked it or something. It tore a massive hole in my cheek and chin, and if it was really determined it could have killed me. From that day on I’ve been afraid of anything canine. I’m not as bad as I used to be, but I’m still pretty uneasy around them.
4. I’m also afraid of heights. Well… depths. I’m usually fine until I see the ground, only then do I get terrified. God only knows what brought this on, but it’s been like that as long as I can remember.
5. Despite calling myself an atheist, I actually believe in some things, I just say it to save time. For example, I believe in reincarnation, as it makes the most sense to me. I also don’t believe in any particular god, but I think there is more to this universe than meets the eye, I just doubt it’s anything we can explain. Apparently this makes me an agnostic.
6. My dream home would be Stromness in the Orkney Islands. I first visited the place when I was seven, and fell in love with the place, and have been back a few times since. It’s a small, peaceful and old stone built town on the southern coast of the mainland. I doubt I’ll end up there for a long time to come, but one day I WILL live there.
7. I’m a relatively creative person, I write, I draw, I come up with crazy stuff. Thing is, I tend to work better when stressed, angry or unhappy. . Downside of all this is that when I’m happy I suffer from extreme creative block. Such is life I guess.
8. I have an alarming knack to get too emotionally attached to things, places and people. This probably stems from my low self-esteem, and the perceived need for some kind of stability in life (it makes sense to me).
9. Mentally speaking, I tend not to work in any particular language. In my mind concepts are images not words, and it takes quite a while to work out how to explain these in ways other people, and often myself, can understand. Makes for interesting discussions, I can tell you.
10. I also talk to myself on various levels. Think of that how you will. Often it’s just a few words muttered under breath or something like that, occasionally it can be an entire conversation, argument or similar. This usually happens when no ones around though, can’t have folk thinking I’m insane
11. The whole hair and beard thing, no it’s not spiritual or cultural, it’s me being me. Could you honestly imagine me without it? Didn’t think so.
12. I’m surprisingly open minded about food, more so than most. I really only have two things I refuse to eat, avocado and bananas, but beyond that I’ll try anything once.
13. Whilst it seems the majority of people think it’s comedic gold, shouting Jesus at me in the street is not funny. In fact it’s fucking annoying. My idea of heaven is a place where comedy seems to have evolved slightly beyond that kind of thing.
14. I don’t really consider anywhere in particular as Home (note the capital). Watford was too long ago to remember much of it; Tring I never really formed ties with the place, and it’s the people that I remember from there; as for Boro, I’ve not lived here long enough to put down roots.
15. If I had to choose, I pick intelligent films over all out action. This is why I like 1408 more than Gornos like Hostel and all that, Brazil more than (similarly themed) Equilibrium. Don’t get me wrong, action films can be good at times, I just don’t see the draw.
16. I am a fan of computer games. Yup, it’s like that, but I tend to go for older games. My current favourites are Wip3out, Elite, Sonic 3 and Paper Mario (The GameCube one). Only one of them has been made post millennium. Suck on that, Graphics Whores!
17. I have a weird taste in music. Most people look at me and instantly assume heavy metal. Boy are they wrong. Personally I’m more alt- and indie- rock, but lets face it I’ll listen to anything.
18. Many people assume I have no accent. Well, that’s not exactly true, mainly because I stifle it most of the time. I have an accent that’s a weird mix of Lancashire, Newcastle and London with bits taken from the accents of people I’m around most of the time. It never really comes out when I’m calm, but when I get annoyed, wow, does it show.
19. I’m currently studying to become a Graphic Designer, as many of you will know. I wanted to be one ever since I played Wip3out in 1999. The game featured design work by the now sadly defunct Designers Republic, one of my idols that presented a strangely bright view of the future which still influences me today. I loved mitDR, and will miss them.
20. I have two places I want to visit before I settle down anywhere. First is Iceland (again), another place I fell for after a trip when I was younger, and the other is Tokyo. No particular reason for it, I just want to see it one day.
21. My current “Plan B” for various situations is flee to Ireland. I’m waiting to see if this is gonna work.
22. As you’ve no doubt noticed, I can ramble on a bit about very little. It’s a condition I have, I can’t help it, I’m just good with words. And sorry this note’s so long…
23. Very few people have seen me properly angry. I get annoyed a lot, but I tend to remain relatively calm about it. Proper anger I reserve for “special occasions”.
24. I’m a bit of a comics geek at heart. Read that how you will. My current favourite is Transmetropolitan by Warren Ellis, and I usually favour English creators like Ian Edginton and Dan Abnett. I also think Alan Moore is slightly overrated at times.
25. I really fucking hate my psychotic ex-girlfriend, Rachel (known as Psycho forever more), mainly for all the random emotional trauma, heartache and the fact she cheated on me at least once, and I gave nothing but love in return. It’s enough to turn you off relationships for life (and I’m kinda worried it has…). And yeah, I hope you fucking read this.
12/02/2009
06/02/2009
Nostalgia in the Snow (or lack thereof)
In one of my now semi-regular pilgrimages from the studio to the Students Union, all in the cause of sanity and hypotension relieving sugary things I assure you, I picked up a Wispa bar from the shop. Now this was one of the first Wispa bars I've had since they vanished from the shelves some years ago for... whatever reason. Eating this rare chocolaty treat on the way back in the surprisingly clear-but-cold winters day, one thought crossed my mind "My god... New Wispas suck!" And yes, folks, truly new Wispas are not anything to shout about, much like pretty much every other Cadbury's product in existence, that is to say bland, uninteresting, safe and tastes slightly of chemicals. Pleased I was not.
This whole incident set my mind in motion, casting it back to the glory days of the Old Wispa, the Good Wispa, My Wispa... until a terrifying thought entered into the equation. Wait a damn second, Wispas have always been like that! Yes folks, it looks like nostalgia has screwed me over yet again. And isn't that always the case? 9 times out of 10 the random nostalgic moment you experienced probably wasn't that great at the time, you're just using it to overcome how crap the world really is ("future shock syndrome", as John Wagner puts it). Whilst in some fields, it's a case of So Bad It's Good (gods bless you TVTropes), it's still bad, and that gets us nowhere. With Wispa bars, I really don't get what the fuss was about, and currently think the whole deal was pretty silly.
On the subject of silly and nostalgia, I recently uncovered my first attempt at blogging, the Life & Times of JitteryJoe (for those of you who don't know, Jittery Joe is my long-time user name for most things). At the time of writing this, I've read through a few posts there and I can safely say the following: I Am So Sorry, internet going public. By all that's holy, I wrote some shit back then (4 years ago folks, 4 years), including such gems as Fuck copypasted some hundred times, half formed rants about coffee and my magnum opus, Are There Any Belgians Out There? Once again, I can only apologise, I was young then and was a bit of a dick. This is especially evident in a post doubting Nintendo when the Revolution was announced. I offer full retraction of that, even if "Wii" remains a bloody stupid name for the best console on the planet.
Now it's not all bad, as by the time I abandoned the damn thing in early '07 there was some shades of what you're reading beginning to peek through and also a link to the very first, and for it's time incredibly deep, Somewhere Else (which I'll post here some time in the future). But this in itself does not make up for the idiocy and the many spelling mistakes, oh the spelling mistakes... *shudder* The Life & Times was destined to die when I gave up 2 years ago, and die it shall. I'm not gonna subject the internet once again t it's wrath. If you're honestly curious, Google it, but don't say I didn't warn you.
Moving swiftly on, if you've been in Britain you've probably noticed the snow, which according to the BBC is the worst to hit the country on two decades. I remain unconvinced. Today, in my current location of Middlesbrough has been clear yet cold. In fact we haven't really had that much snow since Monday which, whilst very pretty, didn't really amount to a national emergency. I have heard varying versions of how it's going around the nation, as Hull has been similar (according to Sarah, a close friend of mine), as has Cornwall, where my housemate is (and is possibly stuck in) at the moment. Mother London, however, is snowbound, giving us some frankly hilarious videos of commuters sliding down the steps of London Bridge station, and trains across the south have been canceled regularly. I think this must be one of the few times I've ever heard the North getting better weather than the South. What a turn up.
--Dom
--The past is a foreign country, I choose not to dwell in it
This whole incident set my mind in motion, casting it back to the glory days of the Old Wispa, the Good Wispa, My Wispa... until a terrifying thought entered into the equation. Wait a damn second, Wispas have always been like that! Yes folks, it looks like nostalgia has screwed me over yet again. And isn't that always the case? 9 times out of 10 the random nostalgic moment you experienced probably wasn't that great at the time, you're just using it to overcome how crap the world really is ("future shock syndrome", as John Wagner puts it). Whilst in some fields, it's a case of So Bad It's Good (gods bless you TVTropes), it's still bad, and that gets us nowhere. With Wispa bars, I really don't get what the fuss was about, and currently think the whole deal was pretty silly.
On the subject of silly and nostalgia, I recently uncovered my first attempt at blogging, the Life & Times of JitteryJoe (for those of you who don't know, Jittery Joe is my long-time user name for most things). At the time of writing this, I've read through a few posts there and I can safely say the following: I Am So Sorry, internet going public. By all that's holy, I wrote some shit back then (4 years ago folks, 4 years), including such gems as Fuck copypasted some hundred times, half formed rants about coffee and my magnum opus, Are There Any Belgians Out There? Once again, I can only apologise, I was young then and was a bit of a dick. This is especially evident in a post doubting Nintendo when the Revolution was announced. I offer full retraction of that, even if "Wii" remains a bloody stupid name for the best console on the planet.
Now it's not all bad, as by the time I abandoned the damn thing in early '07 there was some shades of what you're reading beginning to peek through and also a link to the very first, and for it's time incredibly deep, Somewhere Else (which I'll post here some time in the future). But this in itself does not make up for the idiocy and the many spelling mistakes, oh the spelling mistakes... *shudder* The Life & Times was destined to die when I gave up 2 years ago, and die it shall. I'm not gonna subject the internet once again t it's wrath. If you're honestly curious, Google it, but don't say I didn't warn you.
Moving swiftly on, if you've been in Britain you've probably noticed the snow, which according to the BBC is the worst to hit the country on two decades. I remain unconvinced. Today, in my current location of Middlesbrough has been clear yet cold. In fact we haven't really had that much snow since Monday which, whilst very pretty, didn't really amount to a national emergency. I have heard varying versions of how it's going around the nation, as Hull has been similar (according to Sarah, a close friend of mine), as has Cornwall, where my housemate is (and is possibly stuck in) at the moment. Mother London, however, is snowbound, giving us some frankly hilarious videos of commuters sliding down the steps of London Bridge station, and trains across the south have been canceled regularly. I think this must be one of the few times I've ever heard the North getting better weather than the South. What a turn up.
--Dom
--The past is a foreign country, I choose not to dwell in it
01/02/2009
Oh, I really suck at this...
Hmmm... I'm willing to overlook the fact it's been, what, 4 months since I set this up and haven't posted in it since if you are. Agreed? Agreed.
Anyways, life moves on and such. Recent events include I am now actually at university, slaving under tyrannical deadlines and insane equipment costs whilst learning to be a Graphic Designer. Fun times? Most of the time... If you're in the slightest bit interested in my work, have a gander at My DeviantART Account to see the stuff I've done in my spare time. It's good, I swear!
Other events include I'm currently trying to get FerretCrossing, my much maligned website, back up and running for the new year. Since I seemed to have missed the entirety of 2008 on the site, I think it's probably high time I revive it...
Finally I'd like to take a few lines here to mark the passing of Tony Hart. The man served as an inspiration to at least two generations of artists and creatives, and while he didn't influence me directly, he inspired those that inspired me. He also deserves credit for showing Morph, one of the early gems from Aardman Animation (of Wallace and Grommit fame). RIP, my man, you will be missed.
I'm also gonna crow bar in here (in lieu of another post later on) another loss, not quite as important as Tony Hart, but just as depressing to me. In this last month, The Designers Republic, the design firm who inspired me to go into the industry, folded. These guys were my icons, and will also be missed. I hope when Ian Anderson says they'll be back, he really means it.
--Dom--
--Wow... tough month...
Anyways, life moves on and such. Recent events include I am now actually at university, slaving under tyrannical deadlines and insane equipment costs whilst learning to be a Graphic Designer. Fun times? Most of the time... If you're in the slightest bit interested in my work, have a gander at My DeviantART Account to see the stuff I've done in my spare time. It's good, I swear!
Other events include I'm currently trying to get FerretCrossing, my much maligned website, back up and running for the new year. Since I seemed to have missed the entirety of 2008 on the site, I think it's probably high time I revive it...
Finally I'd like to take a few lines here to mark the passing of Tony Hart. The man served as an inspiration to at least two generations of artists and creatives, and while he didn't influence me directly, he inspired those that inspired me. He also deserves credit for showing Morph, one of the early gems from Aardman Animation (of Wallace and Grommit fame). RIP, my man, you will be missed.
I'm also gonna crow bar in here (in lieu of another post later on) another loss, not quite as important as Tony Hart, but just as depressing to me. In this last month, The Designers Republic, the design firm who inspired me to go into the industry, folded. These guys were my icons, and will also be missed. I hope when Ian Anderson says they'll be back, he really means it.
--Dom--
--Wow... tough month...
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