First Attempt

Here's my sons first attempt at stop frame annimation using Windows Movie Maker.  It was after doing this that he took on the epic production of the Doctor Who Episode that I blogged about previously.  Well done again to my kiddo for having a good imagination and improving technical talent.

Doctor Who The Lost Episode

This is a fan movie that my son has made of Doctor Who.  As its his first undertaking of a movie this size and it includes a mix of both stop frame animation and video footage I think he's done a storming job.  He used over 700 photos alone, plus the rest.  Have a look, but beware of the Man-Eating Guinea Pig ARRRRGHHH

Don't become a victim to your environment.

This is a mantra that I keep repeating in my mind.   In essence it means, don't allow things around you get you down or make you it's victim.  For instance your work, or your neighbourhood, or even the people you mix with.  There is always something we can do about it.   It could be as simple as changing the way we look at these things, perhaps the easiest and most practical way of improving our environment.

In a job you don't like?  Then try looking at it as a means to an end, where the job just facilitates your real life away from it.  What about if this proves impossible and where the environment effects you or your loved ones severely?  In that case you have to make bigger decisions.  Do I/we stay or do we move?  Do I stick with this job that makes me unhappy?   etc etc.

These things have to be thought about even more seriously when we have others that are dependant upon us, like a family for instance.

For me though it comes down to this in the end, do I still want to be in this same situation for me and my family in 10 years?  The answer over the last few years has been no.  Our home wasn't serving the job, so we did something about it.  My sons education was a problem, were we going to allow him to continue being a victim of his environment?  No we did something about it?  Ignoring a situation can only go so far, but looking at ourselves every once in a while and saying, "Do I want to be in this same situation in 10 years?", can help to motivate us to do something about it.

The  most recent thing for me has been work.  I am doing a job that I dislike that does not pay enough to cover our bills.  Thing is, we are in a recession and work is harder to find.   For a long time I have reasoned that even though it is far from perfect, it is still the best solution.  That has changed and as well as the opportunity to make a change arising, it also coincides with the fact that I've had enough.  So I'm moving on.  It's not an easy decision to make or to put into action.  My success from here is now up to me, I can't be a victim to anything or anyone else.  I either find another job or make work that will support the family.  Success or failure is down to me from now on nobody else, it is my effort or lack of it that will make the difference.   One thing is for sure I am determined not to become a 'Victim to my environment'.

Happiness or Contentment?

Thats what i'm trying to work out on my daughters face here.   The sugar around her chops (frosting around her mouth) just adds to the effect!   I have been assured that was a very good donut!

Decisions

That cold and cough was severe, beyond normal man-flu I tell you.  Until earlier this week I had been unable to go outside for the previous ten days, because of the cold and its effect on my cough and chest.   It's a great relief to be clearing up from it now at last.   Someone suggested that maybe it was the infamous 'Swine-Flu' that has been talked about so much, but personally I think it was just a nasty 'Piggin' Cold.

Things are back to normal for life and work again.  When it comes to work, normal means dreadful.   My true feeling is that I really am unhappy in my work, but I have always believed that work is a means to end.  So I should be able to find a little place of contentment knowing that it funds my real life.   Thing is now I can't hide away from it, the reality of redundancy is looming for many including me.   The discussions about cost reduction and headcount has made things a little more complicated. I can't go into the details as it could easily be the catalyst for making my severance a premature one.  So its like this, do I sit it out and just wait and see what happens?  Or do I take the bull by the horns and turn my hand to something else.  The latter option is the one I really like, because I hate the thought of being a victim and having someone else decide my future.   Thing is though, I have a family, a mortgage, a loan and to pay and two pets to care for.  I don't want to put them under pressure unnecessarily, the family I mean, not the pets, they might become the meal at this rate (only kiddin of course).   I have had enough of the corporate world, and would love to turn my hand to other things, but I need to earn a minimum that covers the essentials. 

I think reality is that I will have to sit this out, even though I really don't want to.  It's realistic that I might have to look at other options anyway, as the situation could easily turn terminal (in a work sense).  In that case what does a man do who has IT skills but lives away from the big towns and cities and lives by the sea, where a lot of old people have retired?  Decisions, decisions.

Oh No!! It's a man with a cold....stay away unclean! unclean!

Typical caught a blimmin cold, and I can't sleep.  The kids have got it too.  What annoys me the most about colds is that are so.....inconvenient!   You know you're not going to die, yet it's capable of stopping you doing anything constructive.  Then you also have to watch out for the cold outside making you worse.  I'm fed up of colds, they are irritating.  The kids agree too, my poor daughter was half crying/half moaning that she wanted it to 'go now',  it was making her feel rotten.  This is why I am blogging now at a time when a normal person would have been asleep for a few hours already.

I have tried hard to use the time 'ill' to do some things with the kids.  Any free time I've had since before the holidays I've tried to have little craft projects on the go with them.  Over the Christmas time my son and I worked on his Doctor Who Tardis, Airfix model kit.  We spent a lot of hours putting it together and painting the Tardis, but we spent even longer painting the Doctor and his assistant Martha Jones.  (if anyone is interested I will add some photos of our workmanship of which we are very proud)  If none of this makes much sense please look up Doctor Who and use the links I've provided.

Anyway as I said there is another craft project I have been working on.  It's very girly too. My daughter and I have been creating a little fashion brochure, and she has been designing her own fabrics.(or at least decorating ones we already have to her own taste)  I am genuinely impressed by her definite taste in clothes and how much she notices the little details like the collar and the pockets, even the buttons.  My role has been mainly advisory, but I'm good at cutting and I also designed and drew the mannequins we are dressing.  I'm loving it!  It's really interesting, not the clothes, I mean the craft and design involved.  I'm loving us working as a team too, good old quality time with the kids.

While we have been doing this, my son has been building a spot of LEGO.   He loves it!  He obsesses with a model until it is complete.  He's built 2 ships, a helicopter, a Batmobile, Darth Vaders Tie Fighter, the mojority of Spongbob Squarepants themed LEGO, such as the Rocket, the character houses, the boating school blah blah blah...there's loads more!  The latest one is a bit smaller it's a car, and a snazzy  one at that.  It looks like a Shelby GT500 (aka Ford Mustang) to me, which makes it muscle car cool.  Here's an image of it taken on my mobile phone.

A break in the weather

Just a week or so back, just as the first snow had cleared, we had this beautiful day.  It was cold, but there's a certain something about sunny wintery days that motivates you to action.  I had earlier in the day come across this little opening to the beach less than a mile from home, and had to investigate it with the kids as soon as possible.  It's now my favourite local beach, quiet and clean.........beautiful.

The photo isn't as clear as I'd have liked because I was zooming using the digital zoom.  Still, I love the activity of the waves and the sea, all so busy!

Who wouldn't want to look at the waves like that.  I think actually my son was letting the waves chase him up the beach.....and he used his real feet and legs not even virtual ones!

There's always the excitement of discovering something interesting that came in from the sea.  This skull was a major discovery that day.  After a bit of discussion we decided it was a fish skull rather than a seagull which was my first thought, but still it looks interesting and we bought it home.

This stone has been added to our collection, with its squiggles and veins.