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Another birthday?
Someone has pointed out to me that today is technically the second birthday of my other website - Just Shoot - as on 30th January 2004 I was the first person to register on the community forums ad launch the thing. We now have 206 registered members, at least a quarter of which are very regular users, and we have lots of camera-related fun and games planned for 2006. So, if you have a camera (Lomo or not) and are into photography, pop over and say hello. Perhaps this year I'll even get round to to redesigning the site!
Posted on January 30, 2006 | Comments (0)
Lori Health Update
I went in for my second weekly x-ray and check up this morning. The doctor said that the reduction in swelling has left a bit of room in the cast and so my wrist has been moving about. Because of this, the bones are now not where they should be so he wants to operate to put "K" wires in. These will go through both pieces of bone (possibly on both sides) and will stick out of the skin so thee is a chance they may get infected. Thankfully I'll have a cast as well, and won't have to have another operation to remove the pins in six weeks as they can take them out in the clinic. All sounds painful though.
I mustn't eat after midnight tonight as I have to go in tomorrow and report to the ward at 8am for morning surgery. They say patients don't usually have to stay overnight, but they're keeping a bed free anyway as it depends on how I react to the operation. If the pain's bad, they'll keep me in. I've also phoned work and they were really nice about it, considering I've not really got to know them yet. Could be worse though - I spoke to some people in the waiting room at the clinic and one guy broke his wrist when he was trying to re-fit his own kitchen. It was so bad he's had a cast on since November and it's the hand he writes with!
Hopefully I'll be able to post again later in the week... about something other than myself too.
Posted on January 30, 2006 | Comments (0)
Public transport is bad for your health!
Just thought I'd let you know that posting may become even more infrequent as I am having to type with one hand. I was standing up on the bus on the way home from my new job on Thursday night, as there are not enough parking spaces for me to take the car, and the driver braked really hard for some reason. I don't actually remember what happened, just that I woke up on the floor of the bus, near the driver, with my left arm underneath me. I must have put my hand out to stop my fall as I had dislocated my wrist and have a severe fracture on the joint too - must have passed out with the pain!
Anyway, I have a scratched face and a cast on my arm, but am fine apart from that. The hospital kept me in overnight as they thought they might need to operate in order to wire me up for it to heal properly, but they're just going to x-ray me every week to see how it's getting on. The hospital reckons that, even after it heals, my wrist will be stiff and will never get back to how it was. I'll also have increased risk of arthritis. Oh dear. So, on day 5 of my new job I was home again and may be for a while. This sucks.
UPDATE 23/01: My face bruises have turned scary colours today, so I've taken some photos. Now you can share the sight that greeted me in the mirror this morning!
Posted on January 21, 2006 | Comments (10)
Just, no!
What makes a rather posh sounding BBC news reporter think that refering to 50 Cent as 'Fiddy' in her report makes her look anything less than quite ridiculous?
Posted on January 17, 2006 | Comments (1)
What's wrong with Girls Aloud?
Having just seen one of their first videos on one of the many music channels we now seem to have access to, I think I've worked out why Girls Aloud have been freaking me out so much lately. In the promo for No Good Advice they are five slim, sexy girls in slinky outfits who look like they're enjoying themselves. In the video for the more recent See The Day, they are skinny bored-looking Barbie clones dressed up in a selection of dull party frocks. It was inevitable that the pressure of constant snapping by Paparazzi, bitching from the likes of Heat and Closer, and (no doubt) constant pressure from management would result in the girls becoming ridiculously thin, but when did they start becoming role models for 5-year-olds? And why does anyone think it will sell records? Perhaps that is their target market these days, but it doesn't look like they want to go to the ball. Let them get back into Top Shop to choose their own clothes again, for goodness sake. Then one of them might break a smile.
Posted on January 15, 2006 | Comments (2)
Got the shutter bug
On Thursday I visited the amazing Diane Arbus show at the V&A. Beforehand I was just planning to go along so that I could write about it in my AS level workbook, as I didn't think that what appeared to be simply a collection of photos of circus freaks and trannies* would be of much interest. However, the inclusion of a lot of Arbus' notebooks, letters and contact sheets revealed a lot more about the artist and her work, enabling me to see the images themselves in a new light. I wish I had enough money to buy the accompanying book, as I only spent a couple of hours there before moving on to the National Portrait Gallery.
I found a lot more photographs in the NPG than I thought I would, which was a bonus, but my main reason for stopping by was to view the Schweppes Photographic Portrait Prize 2005 exhibition. It was an interestingly varied selection which gave me a few ideas for my own project this term, but one thing stood out above everything else. One name. Philipp Ebeling. The guy who took this photo of Topper and me for Guardian Weekend. I mentioned on this blog that I feel glad to have known him, even for a couple of hours, and that's even more true now. Seeing how he worked will perhaps give me some courage for attempting portraits of people I don't already know. If I manage it, I'll share the results.
*One particular image made me think of an episode of Spaced...
Tim: You've got a friend called Vulva? Who's called Vulva?
Brian: Her real name's Ian.
Tim: What do you mean her real name's Ian?
Brian: She's non-gender-specific.
Tim: Oh what, you mean like a tranny?
Brian: [Smiles] More than that.
Tim: [Scoffs] What, a big fat tranny?
Posted on January 14, 2006 | Comments (1)
Organisation?
Now I'm into my last week off, before I start my new job on Monday, I thought I'd make some plans to use the time constructively. So far I'm not doing particularly well. On Monday I went into town, mainly to visit Manchester Art Gallery, but failed to check on the web beforehand, so got there to discover that the exhibition I wanted to see had finished the day before and the gallery is closed on Mondays. Typical! I hope my day in London tomorrow isn't similarly spoilt. I have, however, checked gallery opening times on the internet first so I guess the only thing that can really mess it up is Virgin Trains. Oh dear.
Posted on January 11, 2006 | Comments (0)
Plucking Hell
In yesterday's Guardian, I discovered that The Observer is now launching a fourth monthly magazine - Observer Woman. I guess they've dropped the word 'Monthly' from the title of this one because it would sound a little iffy but, thankfully, the tradition of quality writing present in the other three titles will be carried over to this one. Already, things are looking promising. In today's Observer, a full page ad for next week's mag (on page 36 of the news section - see the free digital edition if you haven't bought a copy), promises an article on why women are obsessed with body hair and teams the headline I have used above with an image of a model whose legs are clearly in need of some depilation. It's been a while since I've waited eagerly for my copy of a women's magazine, so I'm hoping they can live up to the promise, "Style and Substance".
Posted on January 08, 2006 | Comments (2)
Carry On Stockport
Yesterday I ventured to Stockport to entrust a roll of film to the nice gentlemen at Snappy Snaps so that I'd have some prints to hand in at my evening class tonight. On the way from the car park to said photo emporium, I heard a voice behind me as I walked saying "excuse me". I decided that this couldn't possibly be directed at me and so continued walking. The next thing I knew, a tall, smartly dressed man of African appearance was walking alongside me and had indeed been trying to catch my attention... to tell me I'm sexy. He wondered if I wanted to go for a coffee and, when I made it clear I did not, offered me his phone number instead. I politely declined. All I know about him is that his name is Samuel, he's from France, and he's very brave approaching strangers in the street like that. What an odd day.
Posted on January 04, 2006 | Comments (3)