So it feels like I’ve been away from the internet for a year or something. In actual fact it has only been a couple of weeks. A very busy couple of weeks.

The biggest thing to happen during that time is that I’ve finished my old job of eight years and started a completely new one. I guess stupidly I hadn’t factored how much of a huge impact this would have on my life. I say stupid because as work is where I spend most of the daylight hours in a week it was bound to be a fairly big change and one I should of seen coming…..for some reason though my brain is still struggling to keep up.

It is a change for the better I’m sure but at the moment all the small changes in people, place and work are blowing my mind, I feel overloaded and slightly out of my depth….I know this is only temporary and as I stick it out my brain will adjust and things will reach a stage of equilibrium but at the moment it’s just lots to take in. I guess I’m older than I once was and maybe my brain is slower or maybe the pressure of having to succeed in order to provide for my family heightens those feelings of fear but I am struggling a little. The first ball I have had to drop is my internet time. Gone are the days where I’m so on top of my job I can find an extra hour or two in my day to catch up on cyberspace activity….in fact at the moment quite the reverse.

For the time being I’m going to attempt to update my blog and post at least a photo or two once a week. I’m sure in the new year once I’ve adapted and sucked up the info from the 999 training courses I have to attend I shall be able to up this to something closer to my previous levels of activity. This bites hard though. Sad as it may seem blogging and the social interactions I find on the web are one of my main hobbies and something I really enjoy and find comfort in. Not being able to indulge myself in this way is not pleasant but sadly paying the bills has to take precedent. That in itself is also a point of added stress at the moment as because of the way the my end and start days worked out I now have to try and cope on three weeks pay until January which is not going to be easy at the best of times let alone with that thing called “christmas” slap bang in the middle of it!!

I’ve spent the last couple of days away in London on a trip that has been occupying my mind for sometime. Chloe (my lovely wife) had to go and visit a specialist at St Thomas hospital to try and figure out why she hasn’t been all that well over the last year (or longer) and whether this is in anyway connected to the babies we’ve previously lost during the late stages of pregnancy. All in all very heavy stuff. The good news though is that the specialist does seem to know his stuff and is keen to get to the bottom of her condition. It seems it may be a condition called Hughes Syndrome (or sticky blood syndrome) but at the moment they are running more tests to confirm or deny that theory. It wasn’t all doom or gloom though as whilst we were in the capital we took a very cool trip to the science museum and on more than one occasion hooked up with some cool friends (Nathan, Jodie, Louise and Simon) for some good times. The trip would have been pretty bleak without them and I owe them all big time for being such good pals!!

In fact yesterday I met up with Nathan and Simon and went and took some shots at Leake Street near Waterloo where the walls (and floors) are covered in some awesome graffiti. A great place to get some shots and I got to see some great artists at work. Was brilliant to get out and take photos as I think its the first time I’ve had the opportunity in weeks.

Photography is one hobby I don’t want to suffer whilst I get to grips with my new job, so I’m going to try extra hard to not let that suffer more than it has. I’ve already missed week four of my 52 weeks but I’m not determined to not miss more…..

This post all sounds a little glum…life isn’t all that bad….the new job is a change I’ve been seeking out for a long long time, I just need a little time to adjust to my new surroundings. Chloe is finally after over a year of being passed around the system seeing someone who has the experience to possibly tell her what is wrong with her and come up with a treatment plan……and money…..well that will sort itself out in the fullness of time I’m sure. I just wanted to put up some explanation here of why my mind has been elsewhere….and it’s also a great way to put things into perspective for myself.

peace out

Stu

Yes I’ve spent the last week fighting off a virulent strain of manflu whilst also dealing with some heavy family stuff and that has seriously impaired my blogging capabilities…..luckily though I battled hard, kept on working and the viral fog is finally lifting….I’m still more congested than the main road into Weymouth in the heat of summertime but my brain is starting to think creative thoughts again, my shutter finger is itching and my keyboard fingers throbbing……that’s all good!

I really miss blogging about photography, I need to sort something out in that area….there was a work in progress but that sadly hit a bit of brick wall…..and more thought required. I think I shall cut my losses until I’ve settled into my new job and Christmas becomes a faint memory but I really need to get something organised.

This is one of a series of pictures I took of Robyn on the beach today, Just a simple setup with a single strobe (that’s all I have..lol) but I think it turned out well. Would people pay for a portrait I’d taken of them?…not sure.

It’s crossed my mind lately though, a quick google search of photographers in my area throws up a mix of some “ok” photogs and also some bloody awful ones (sorry if your reading this and feel guilty) but its got me thinking whether there is some money to be made…I mean I don’t want to do weddings (just not my bag and I wouldn’t enjoy doing it) but I enjoy shooting portraits and it would be nice to earn a little money to pay for some more gear…..is it a realistic ambtition or am I just blowing smoke up my ass? your thoughts as always appreciated….

The week ahead is gonna be a weird one! my last week at my current job…..the thought of moving somewhere else after eight years of employment in that building is pretty daunting and also exciting….what’s ahead? who knows? almost feel like I’m at a crossroads in life and I’m hoping all the changes are going to be positive but so many unknowns right now to know for sure.

by John McCrae, May 1915

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep,
though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

]]> http://rojojam.com/2008/11/remember/feed/ http://rojojam.com/2008/11/remember/ http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/rojojam/~3/443694615/ http://rojojam.com/2008/11/green-onions/#comments Wed, 05 Nov 2008 21:44:03 +0000 Stuart Mackenzie http://rojojam.com/?p=207

I’m not big on sharing my political viewpoints in public….but I make no bones about the fact I enjoy watching the process unfold. The elections in America yesterday (whether you agree with the outcome or not) were a fantastic historical event for many reasons and I hope it is the start of positive changes for America and the rest of the World.

I managed to stay awake until 2am GMT to watch the first few results come through….it was all very exciting. This morning I watched Obama’s victory speech on the BBC website with my daughter Robyn (aged six). I think it important she understands what’s going on in the world and that exercising a democratic right to vote is extremely important thing to do….She was pretty interested and asking lots of good questions like “can I be president when I grow up?” etc etc….but then 4 or 5 minutes before the end she turned to me and said “so is this Louis Hamilton?”….DOH!!

I then set off for work and on the way was listening to the blues brothers on my ipod…this bit from green onions I thought almost relevant.

“All right people. The rest of the hard working all star Blues Brothers are gonna be out here in a minute, including my little brother Jake. But right now, I’d like to talk a little bit about this tune you’re hearing. This is of course the Green Onions tune. It was a very big hit in the early sixties in this country. And of course it was composed and recorded in Memphis, Tennessee, right here in the United States Of America. You know, people, I believe that this tune can be acquainted with the great classical music around the world

Now you go to Germany, you’ve got your Bach, your Beethoven, your Brahms… Here in America you’ve got your Fred McDowell, your Irving Berlin, your Glenn Miller, and your Booker T & The MG’s, people. Another example of the great contributions in music and culture that this country has made around the world. And as you look around the world today, you see this country spurned

You see backs turned on this country. Well people, I’m gonna tell you something, this continent, North America, is the stronghold! This is where we’re gonna make our stand in this decade! Yeah, people, I’ve got something to say to the State Department. I say take that archaic Monroe Doctrine, and that Marshall Plan that says we’re supposed to police force the world, and throw ‘em out! Let’s stay home for the next ten years people! Right here in North America and enjoy the music and culture that is ours. Yeah, I got one more thing to say

I’m just talking about the music, people, and what it does to me. And that is, as you look around the world, you go to the Soviet Union or Great Britain or France, you name it, any country… Everybody is doing flips and twists just to get into a genuine pair of American blue jeans! And to hear this music and we got it all here in America, the land of the Chrysler 440 cubic inch engine!”

- Elwood J Blues (aka Dan Akroyd)
- Everybody needs the Blues Brothers (1988)

I love Sunday mornings because most weeks it’s a period of unadulterated ME ME ME time in our household! Which is rare. Don’t get me wrong I’m a happily married man with a gorgeous wife and fantastic daughter and I LOVE being in their company. We live in a very small house though and spend an awful lot of time together. Some times a bit of space is good. I know it’s selfish…hate me! go on I dare ya!

Sunday mornings are different because Chloe and Robyn both go to church and I don’t join them! I was brought up in a Christian home and to have Christian beliefs and to some extent I still have them……but not currently to the going to church extent…..I dunno….I still haven’t settled on what I believe in life and this post isn’t meant to be about that but too many things have happened over the last ten years for me to be easily sure one way or another, but I certainly have no issues with my family exercising theirs.

This does mean that Sunday morning is about the only time in the week I get to have the whole house to myself and it is such a luxury.

Below is a list of my favourite Sunday morning indulgences. Mostly simple things but that’s why their special.

• lying on the sofa in various states of undress and scratching myself.
• eating food…..mostly of the not very good for you variety.
• watching cookery programs……I love food television.
• listening to music of my choosing without headphones.
• working on websites.
• catching up on flickr comments.
• taking photographs of random things.
• playing my guitar and singing (yes singing!).
• napping
• leaving the toilet seat up

What are your favourite things to do when you get one of those alone moments (no not that…..keep it clean)? and do you get regular ME time?

He ain’t dead ya know…he works at tesco! that guy has the moves baby……mmm yeah!

erm thats all I have to say about that! what a bloody miserable day. It’s freezing cold and flippin’ wet….grrrr

am I letting it get me down…naaaaa!

It seemed like a good idea at the time! watching it back its pretty embarrassing…lol

Anyway a very big happy birthday to Simon Pollock. From us folk down here in Dorset. Hope you have a cracking day you old focker!! If any talent scouts out there are watching this Me and Robyn are currently unsigned and looking for work

oh and also apologies for my mock australian accent….I’m aware its accuracy is off by a few million miles

So for those who aren’t in the loop I have a new job! yay…at last after eight years in the same building with the same people I’m moving on to pastures new. I’ll start up at my new place on Nov 24th and I’m pretty damn excited about it! Don’t get me wrong I’m really thankful for the experience and opportunities I’ve had with my present employer but its definitely time for a change. I’ve been stuck in a rut for some time now and because of that I’ve not been happy most of the time and probably lost a bit of my self respect. It feels pretty good to know I have skills that someone else wants in their organisation and to have a job offered to you after a fairly gruelling recruitment exercise well it makes you feel pretty cool about yourself.

It was commented today by a good friend (Scott) whilst I was tweeting from the office about how I was not enjoying my last weeks that I have a bad case of “short timers disease!” I’d not heard the expression before so had to look it up on google. The Urban dictionary gives two definitions.

1. short timer

That bastard co-worker who found a better job and no longer gives a shit about shit.

2. short timer

After turning in your resignation, you end up not giving a damn about your job during the remaining two weeks notice you gave them
“Sure, I’m leaving and gave two weeks notice, but I REALLY want it to be over NOW. I have short timer disease”

LMAO - yeah I think I have short timer disease!!

I mentioned in my previous post about how cool it had been making new friends on flickr whilst completing my 365days self portrait project….and it has been nice since the completion to meet a few more of them in real life. The weekend just after threesixtyfive ended Me and my mate Darren (above red teeshirt) were lucky enough to get a visit from our mutual flickr friend fwumpbungle (Paul) (also above) who incidently was one of the people who inspired me to embark on such a ridiculous project in the first place and gave me the name disco~stu. As we expected he is a real top geezer in real life just as he comes across on his flickr stream. We had a great day and were really thankful to him for making the long journey from stafford to come and spend a day at the seaside with us…..was fab. Cheers Mate. You can catch more photos from the day here.

….and you would think that would be exciting enough but the following weekend we were visited by not one but THREE talented photograhers from London. I refer to the amazingly cool bigcrustyape (Nathan), susan&her5D (Louise) and gtvone (Simon). I’ve had the pleasure of being in the company of these peeps before when me and the girls met up with them in London during our summer hols this year but it was really cool that they could come and visit us by the seaside….I really don’t think I’ve had so much fun in one day for a long time (well at least since the previous week…lol). We ended up shooting on the beach (amongst other places) and even did a bit of dressing up (like you do)…..below is a slideshow of some of my shots from the day. I recommend checking out their streams to find more!

well so that’s it…..done…..finished …..the end!

one self portrait every day for a year…..mission accomplished . I didn’t  miss one day  (and yes I’m slightly smug about that). I am really gonna miss it, I have enjoyed it (at least 75% of the time).

I won’t be doing a year 2 but I will still be active on flickr, chances are after a short break I will return for a 52 week project. I’ve also got to get some more strangers added to my 100strangers project, and I have another project coming up which will involve flickr….so they’ll be plenty of ME about. I also have not one but TWO flickr meets coming up over the next couple of weekends so that will mean lots of pics!!

I hope my flickr contacts enjoyed following my stream as much as I’ve enjoyed shooting the pictures…..I guess my main aim at the start of this was to improve my photography and I think I’ve accomplished that, I’m still no expert but I’m much better than I was and am still enjoying and learning. I mentioned it yesterday but I can’t describe how much enjoyment I’ve gained from interacting with other people on this project and the friends I’ve made makes the whole project pretty special to me. I certainly have no regrets.

This picture is also about thanking the other two people who made this all possible without the good humour and support of my lovely wife Chloe and gorgeously cheeky daughter Robyn I wouldn’t have got through this…..they’ve had to put up with this eating into a lot of our family time and have done so in good grace knowing it was something that made me happy……I love them more than words and pictures could convey….In fact you can see in this photo that Chloe actually had the honoured job of pressing the shutter….for "purists" who say this is now not a self portrait….BITE ME!!

For those who haven’t been around from the beginning the whiteboard in this shot is a reference to day 1 and my half way shot…..I felt like I was tied to use it in a shot today but wanted to do something a little different also……I quite like how this turned out.

Please head over to the set on flickr to see the finished project in all its glory.

oh and the end is always worth viewing bigger

Peace