Month: May 2002

Things to make Graybo happy:

• the arrival of the Big Tilt EP by Visit Venus
• the arrival of the utterly fantastic new Cinematic Orchestra album, Every Day, supplied most efficiently and cheaply by the fine folk at Ninja Tune records. This may be one of the best albums that I have ever bought, and certainly is likely to be the best of 2002 unless something really stunning comes along.
• a late night phone call and a tentative arrangement to visit Amsterdam to visit someone after my exams
• the new issue of Wallpaper*
• succeeding in getting some good quality college work done

Work until late, followed by a brief beer with Julie, Caroline, Arron, Paul F, Malcolm, Dave and Helen N, with sightings of Anne and Kirsty.

I was thinking this morning (in the bath – it’s a good place for thinking) about how past relationships can influence a person’s life in even quite subtle ways, and sometimes those influences stay with us for a very long time. For example: food and drink. As regular readers may know, I’m quite a foodie – I love food and drink, enjoy cooking, love buying food and eating good meals. But there are many foods and drinks that I’ve only discovered through the influence of relationships:

• bagels – introduced to me by Kate
• chinese food – Jill (no, really! I never ate Chinese food before I met her)
• chorizo – Andrea
• pinot grigio – Louise

…the list goes on. And don’t get me started on the influence of people I’ve known on my taste in art, architecture, music and literature.
Of course, this isn’t really rocket science. It’s just the realization that people you know and love have an influence on you.
I can be very profound in the bath.

Hmm. Dropping one’s mobile phone onto the pavement outside the Accord Southern offices in Chichester whilst running for a train doesn’t seem to be a good idea. Thankfully, I managed to gather the scattered case components and reassemble it, and it seems to be working ok. Good job it is insured.

Warm + sun + evening = Priory Park. Pity it is also (+ CIM case study).

Incidentally, several people are stumbling on Grayblog looking for help with their CIM Diploma World Class International (WCI) case study. We were discussing this in class the other day. We should have a comprehensive analysis completed by Monday or Tuesday of next week, and it would be fairly easy to sell it on disk (or even online – I already have a PayPal account to accept credit cards). It will only be an analysis of the case, without any strategic proposals, but would certainly be in-depth. It will be in PowerPoint for Windows format and cover around 30+ slides. I reckon it is worth a minimum of £30 (working on the basis of £1 per slide), although I’d need to discuss this with the other guys in our class. The question is: are there any serious takers? If you’re interested, leave a comment or e-mail me.

Is it me, or does Sabrina Setlur bear an uncanny resemblance to a sun-tanned version of our very own Robyn?

Hmm. Thought so. It’s me, isn’t it.

Yet another long day at work, which featured a visit to this place to deliver a van-load of plants for the garden. Based on a very brief walk around, I’d heartily recommend a visit to the gardens. Can’t comment on the Palace itself, but judging by the pictures, it looks very impressive. I’ll attempt to get back there one day on a day off.

College tonight, followed by some time doing some valuable study, and then a very quick beer with DA, Kev, Kearn, Aris and Phil. Also briefly visited by Lord Percy.
I’m sooooooo tired.

Well, it looks like I may have possibly slightly upset someone who is special to me by being slightly surly the other day, and then writing something here which could be misinterpreted.
I really need an escape. I need a get out of jail card. I need something to lift me out of this mood that I’m in – or, more precisely, I need to lift myself out of it. But it’s like I’m in a long dark tunnel, and I can’t yet see the light at the end. It’s hard to be motivated when you feel like that, and it’s hard to keep the jolly happy persona visible for all to see.
And there isn’t anyone to just take me by the hand and reassure me at the moment. I know I need to find the whole thing within myself, but a little support would make it easier.
And before anyone leaps to any conclusions, it isn’t just any one thing – it is a whole mass of things individually and bundled together that make me feel llike this.
Oh well, best just to get on.

At least my itsagoal.com team did better today.

After my comprehensive victory in itsagoal.com division 13 last season, down to earth with a bump with a 2-1 away defeat in my first match of the new season. Hmmm.