All I'm missing now is that one big life changing moment. Well, it can't be long now...can it?

Criteria Marking: A guide to British education's box ticking bureaucracy.

To be a successful student, it often comes down to three important factors:

1. Refuse social interaction, and allow yourself knuckle down occasionally.

2. Befriend your teachers/lecturers, as they will often have words of wisdom and opportunities available that they don't feel they have to tell you about unless you're on first name terms with them.

3. Know the system.

You may have never heard of it before, but an academic rubric is a very firm part of our educational structure. A rubric is (and you can fail me for quoting wikipedia) "a set of criteria and standards typically linked to learning objectives that is used to assess or communicate about product, performance, or process tasks." It an assessment tool, and one that many students are very aware of.

In basics, marking criteria is a way of marking student's work en mass, while also giving time for the lecturer/teacher to exist outside of the classroom. It is a generic set of rules that the student has to have adhered to, and a set of lessons that they should have learned. It is the devil incarnate for those in education, as it is the little list of things that you've most likely forgotten to talk about in your 1500 word essay, and the single little tick box that sits you in the realm of a high 2:1, instead of a first.

It is fucking evil.

This method of assigning marking criteria has given students a chance to learn the rules and tick the boxes without going to a single lecture. This is the tool that takes a wave of creative upstarts with an honest passion for what they do, and then shakes it's finger and orders you to conform for another 3 years. 

It is the view of your writer that student's don't pay up to £30k a year to conform and learn exactly the same as everybody else, only to come away with a 2:2 because they didn't learn exactly the lessons that a piece of paper has commanded. £30k for mediocrity? That stinks of a bit of a rip off to me. I don't believe in the stories of the bible, but at least their rules were supposedly carved in stone as opposed to printed from the same Word document up and down the country.

In an example, I often imagine that marking criteria is used because another, larger tick box has declared that an average amount of knowledge must be given to the 10-150 students on each course per semester. This teaches the bottom of the class a wonderful amount of new things, while teaching the more experienced members of the class (as my lecturer often famously proclaims) "fuck nothing". To selfishly use myself as a further example, I come from a just-about-middle-class background in the countryside, and I certainly was not the smartest from my school of 800 or so pupils. However, from doing a reasonable amount of work throughout the whole of college, and from actually having a vague interest in the subject I came out with pretty good results. However, anyone who's read this blog further than a page will tell you that I'm basically a frustrated creative person, who's learning (to reuse my lecturer's famous phrase) not a lot.

University is a wonderful chance to get out into the world, and explore your dreams for everything that they are. It's also a chance to become completely disillusioned by your dreams, causing you to run home to your mother and work as a mechanic for the rest of your days. This isn't to say that either outcome will make you happier, but when you're spending that much money, and putting yourself out on that much of a limb, and destroying yourself physically, emotionally and doing it all for the 1 in 20 chance that you'll get a job vaguely close to where you want to be- you'd think that there would be a silver lining.

My university experience has been an amazing year and a bit, and I've spent a ton of low-interest loan on equipment that will last me onwards into my professional life. I've gained skills that I could not have imagined while living in miserable little Yeovil, and met some of the most fascinating people that I'll ever meet- and not one of these things has happened because of my course. University is the only time that you're in the presence of so many people who are positive, and who are driven to do well in life- and it's contagious. It's not selfish to want happiness- and the second that you see that everyone is working together to get there, you'll realise that any pettiness and rivalry between your friends back at home really doesn't matter, and if you want to get anywhere then, chances are, you won't be able to do it alone.

In conclusion, marking criteria can curl up and die in a hole.

Serious, that's it. If the educational system is too lazy to allow me to learn, then I'm too fed up to conclude and finally justify my views with an assortment of unbiased comments from other respected individuals, and I'm sure as hell not Harvard referencing. Although I may give a word count.

Word count: 868

I think this is probably the perfect time to admit:

I think I'm going through the yearly rough patch. Everybody has about one a year, and this one is sticking around like a fucking Irish person at the end of a party; who mistakenly thinks they can down the rest of the whiskey without anyone noticing. 

On a positive note:

This is officially a post.

Took a week off.

Due to forgetting that work actually needs to be done at university, not just recording and pissing about. I'm not necessarily saying I'm back now, but I'll attempt to say something interesting soon.

No excuse

I'm just not in the state of mind to do this.

I'm in the new house

THISISWEIRD. I can't post, I don't even understand where I am. WHY IS IT DARK OUTSIDE.
SUN COME BACK.
I miss my cat.

Something's gone wrong.

I'm starting this post at 1:07am. I'm doing this to myself as I've snapped under the pressure of the constant box-ticking of university. My course, as of yet, has offered very little chance for any creative thought- and as it's supposed to be a Bachelor of Arts course, I hoped for more.

Thus, I drank two cans of Monster Ripped around 4 hours ago and now find myself chugging down apple tea and counting down the moments until I leave London tomorrow to go and check out the new place in Somerset. Yes, we've finally been able to move in. 

True story, we lived in our old house a full month and a bit without paying the mortgage- turns out they don't have any money to get us out either. Everybody's poor, congrats Conservatives!

Either way, the lack of creative processes in my mind has exploded to me starting a huge new project based on voice, and I'm currently recording and sampling my flatmate's voices. Tomorrow I have Tobe and Percy, the French guy, laying down some vocal. Excited to get this started, as then I may get my inspiration to continue this course back.

So, take this as a pre-warning for any of you who wish to take a sound engineering course in the UK; just don't. Work: you won't owe money and you won't have to tick these fucking bureaucratic, completely pointless and utterly irritating boxes.

Not regretting it though, it's the time of my life with friends I've been around constantly now for 3 years. I couldn't hope for better company, and the time spent in London will only make staying here easier!

Hello, page views.

You guys are bad people.

I love the guy,

But he's become narrow minded since he found her.

Once a strong-minded chap, he instantly melts into a soft paste upon answer her call. His evenings are either spent on his own terms or hers- one being the social option, and the other being locked in his room on Skype. Not to indicate that there's much difference between the two, just one involves the door being open and the Skype window being replaced with iTunes.

His backbone has vanished, replaced with what I presume is a small electrical chip that replaces all logic. Upon powering up, the chip decides that no single thing is more important than this very moment- and that all future hopes and dreams must be thrown asunder in order to please the only woman that ever could possibly matter.

It's a saddening sight to see him pining for a phone call, or feeling that he has to mark his territory for her approaching visit. I find it hard to watch people lose control of their mind's shaded ape-like figure, in which they slowly become driven entirely by their subconscious' need to be the best damn male (/female) reproductive machine that they can be. 

This point loosely links to the plight of over-sensitive people, but I'll offend too many people if I say what I want to say about how they should grow the fuck up (everyone dies, everybody poops and everything is wrong- the only right decision is that you can do nothing about it. However, there is a large world out there- and your troubles can only follow you so far. Mine only took me 3 hours on a bus via Wincanton.)

I'm a romantic person, but my love for this industry, and for music, is equally as important to me as my wonderful other half. I would never say that I love it more, as there are times that I hate music far more than I ever could my girlfriend. In fact, in a straight fist fight, love would (probably) ultimately prevail and I'd get a 9-5. But it's now a large piece of me, and I'd always require the room for myself where I could feel part of the sound again. I realise that I've been blessed with the single girl on the Earth who can accept me for this terribly selfish, dangerous and reckless way of life, and I'm completely thankful for her. 

Ladies, gents.

Love does not need to conquer all. It turns out, many spouses and partners actually enjoy the idea of you having a life and being happy away from the relationship. And as long as you bring home the bacon/ love juice and behave yourself- I don't see a downside of trying to be happy. If you consider that a selfish thought, then also consider how selfish your thoughts have been while reading this. 

And thus, I'll end with the single cheesiest line I can think up on the spot.

Be all you can be.

Still no money.

But on a positive note, the Adam West EP I'm currently working on is sounding great and the remix has been started- even though I'll doubt I'll do too well against the might of Hitchcock's creative brain!

The life of a studying producer is incredibly multi-timbral, ranging from the 10AM lectures and taking notes, to the 5AM "Oh fuck, I've been making beats all night. I had better sleep before my 10AM lecture."

This is often why I am found by a search party most mornings, barely awake and certainly not ready to learn. I'm sure many of you saw the picture of what I look like before 10AM (http://doomcats.blogspot.com/2011/03/some-may-ask-why-i-blog-so-late.html). It's not a trait I'm particularly proud of, but my work rate is high and I'm a productive person, so I am not to be blamed too heavily.

And surely a producer's true job is to be productive above all else? 

SO HOT.

MY NEED TO POST MY LIFE AND TIMES ON THE INTERNET IS MELTING.

ALONGSIDE MY COMMON DECENCY TO MAKE UP REASONS WHY I'M NOT POSTING.

FOLLOW ME IF YOU WANT TO LIVE.

@lorisseyleopard

My university refused to accept the paradox of refusing students access to their loans until they pay £100 for "studio fees" and £10 for missing an appointment that we were not notified about. £110 from students who have yet to be given any funds, and have already had to pay out £1.9k in advance for accommodation.

Whatever the issues, it's done and I'll be paid soon, hopefully. So good times will ensue. 

But for now, I have uni in the morning and I've stayed up waiting for a Skype call that completely hasn't happened. So, you know...whatever.

Today I was in Mile End with my brother as he's looking for universities. Some disappointing frappuccino, and some spectacularly busy tube lines mixed into a tub of a shit ton of travelling. 

Tonight was spent walking streets with over £3000 worth of audio equipment, standing underneath a bridge near Hammersmith with two large rapper types and a small camera, in a flat playing drink Jenga, in Notting Hill getting kebabs and insulting pizza companies while offering them CVs, and, finally, I'm now tucked up on a sofa bed above a dentist.

 London threw me a curve ball, and I have now completely remembered why I chose to move here.

Turns out

That Funny Games aren't funny.

Just watched the film, and I'm a little too sketched out for rational thought so I'm going to be brief:

Breaking the 4th wall and rewinding time to save yourself during a film is so much scarier than a gun or a shark. This film makes so little sense and that's a little terrifying. But it's okay, as I have Old Boy to watch afterwards.

"Tim Roth has said making this film abused him, and he'll never watch it. He said he was particularly disturbed because Devon Gearhart resembled his own son." (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0808279/trivia)

No wonder, I'll never watch it again unless I want to be disturbed for the rest of my days. I'm going to settle down and get an apple tea, I'm no good to talk tonight.

Met new flatmates

Ever heard a French male talking to a heavily Irish female? It's freaking hilarious, let me tell you.

Second day and it's been a little better. It's not home, and I don't think it will be until it's actually a comfortable place to live and until girlfriendcat is here. Soppy I know, but telling the truth on blogs kind of makes sense after this long. However, this will do as I have everything set up how I want it- and I have The Girl That Played With Fire to watch tonight thanks to Tobe's everlasting DVD collection.

Success!

No picture with this, can't be spoiling you so early into the term or you won't come back.

Wait.

You're not going to come back, are you?

I'm back in London

And it's been a while, internet.

The move in process was a little difficult, took me about a day and the whole "leaving my lifelong home for the last time thing" is yet to kick in. Although I'm glad I have very little part in moving out of the old house now as it means it'll hurt a little less when I return to a different house in Somerset next time I come back. As selfish as that sounds, it makes sense in my head and makes me feel a little less guilty- plus I can offer my room out as a storage space which will be tenfold more helpful than myself.

Only half of us have returned, the other 2 are still in the old town harbouring commitment issues over coming back, for whatever reason. This behaviour will only lead to them having an inferior amount of time to settle in before lectures start, as opposed to a solemn couple of days in a terribly flycatching part of the world. By this, I mean that it can suck you in and bleed you dry without noticing- with only it's greenery manifesting a positive reason to stay.

So, bring on the later nights and house hunting so I can get out of this place and into somewhere that feels like home! Need to get my photoshop skills back to top form too, this building drawing was so lazy and uninspired that I almost abandoned the post.

Actual happiness incoming soon, promise.

It's now basically the home straight

It's like 10/11 days until I should be going back to London, and I've been keeping myself ridiculously busy with everything. This is also being mixed with the whole thing about the internet having a million freaking ways to say everything, and another million ways for other people to read it. It's just a spot, I'll be back soonish.

In a week

Nothing/everything has changed.

Still in the same house, although most of it is in storage elsewhere.

Still unsure of where we're living in a month.

Still awaiting a single piece of good luck regarding the whole moving process.

However, I went to Reading festival with girlfriendcat and had a great time- and it's fuelled my need to continue writing ridiculous music with multiple bands as I shall not let others have all of the fun while I'm behind my pretend mixing desk inside of a computer. 

Anyway, I haven't slept properly since yesterday morning so excuse the blunt post. My argument is one of dynamic- if you don't read me at my worst then you'll never appreciate me when I'm at my best.

Although, the other argument is whether the best actually exists...

Good night internet.

Huge increase in traffic

No time to write a post about how the move is going, but it's stressful and things are not really going to plan. This is partly due to the fact that we are without one, as of yet. We also only have 7 days until we have to be gone. It's like a Slow Loris themed Countdown clock, ticking down at it's gradual, but constant, pace. 

Note: I know Slow Loris' aren't really that slow. Again: mind+move=mush.

But I really want to thank everybody who's reading. Please feel free to say "Hi" by leaving a comment somewhere, I need some positive social interaction to keep me ticking over at the moment.

House: why is it so hard to leave you?

So we're moving

and it's not so kosher. It's not necessarily on our own terms, but it's happening. I've had a little while to think about it,  and while I don't like the idea of it I do like what it's doing to my family. It's almost as if every box we pack is one less thing to worry about, one more bad emotion to leave behind in this house that really doesn't feel like home any more. 

It also helps that the few people I call my best are brilliant, and they are keeping me throughly entertained- therefore not thinking about any little sadness I have in leaving the place I've lived in all of my life. Well, minus the last year, but I always knew it was there.

Mixed luck.

Great weekend, some good recording and some epic bands. However, we've been hit with some rather awful news and chances are that in about 3 weeks I won't be posting from here any more. Obviously, it's not the blogging bit that's awful- but I have to dress it up so I can tell the general public without actually telling you much.

Anyway, enough of that. Check out what we did on Saturday:

 

Snowball

More blog readers make me feel bad about how I haven't posted for a week, so this is me making more excuses about how home issues and Leopard are keeping me fully booked and not giving me a lot of time to self reflect via blog mutterings.

But the good news is we're recording a band in a local festival Saturday, and recording a pretty good band from Somerset soon- using a ton of new gear that's been ordered in this week. This is exciting for a sad individual such as myself, so it's keeping me going! We're also 3 weeks of so away from mine and girlfriendcat's romantic musical weekend away, alongside a million other things that will bankrupt me so I'm rocking the zero pennies.

Anyway, this is a bad post and I'm tired and I'm going to let it slide.

News soon, it's on the tip of my tongue.

An unrelated point

Found these freakin' adorable mac icons, courtesy of http://blog.artcore-illustrations.de/aicons/ . I'm a little bit in love, but it also helped me realise how little I've customised my laptop- so I've gone a little nuts and downloaded every menu bar app on the planet and changed as many icons as I could in a short amount of time. 

Also, I've been looking up the ins and outs of iTunes podcast releases- for use with recent leopard findings. It's sounding like a big ask, but it could be an amazing thing to try and could be great for the team.

Minus that, the only real news is that there is another band who will be getting free recordings from us in our madness- in that we allow ourselves to be used for the greater good. As I've stated before, it had better pay off in the end as it's beginning to grate when girlfriendcat asks if I can pay to eat out somewhere and I literally only have coppers to my name.

But such is life for a late teen in 2011, and it's not like I'm not slightly enjoying it. Life is epic and the summer is hot, I'm now one of those people who I always hated when I never did anything. Tip to past me: it wasn't because you were unpopular- it's because you didn't want to do anything to begin with! 

Wow, two posts in two days. Am I feeling okay?

No love for Twitter

After spending much of my blog time trying to create a passable layout for my production team, I have been left with very little time to moan about Twitter in it's absurdities. However, I can link you all to the page and let you have a gander if tweeting is your thing. 

@LeopardAudio

Come into my musical world.

Life is keeping busy, and for once I'm actually feeling in demand at home. I may even need to purchase a diary so I don't keep booking over people. Booking bands to record, and getting such little pay from it that I had to check my wallet to see if I could afford a Tesco apple crumble earlier. Harsh times, but it will pay off. It had better pay off, or I'll be pissed off beyond belief for the pure effort of packing up my gear every day and scratching my pretty monitors.

Yes, I'm childish and I get annoyed at scratches.

I'm in a bad mood for writing, I'm going to stop before I moan myself into oblivion. I'm having a great time, and some point soon you'll get a drawing about it. Promise.

Pondering

There's a thin line between a blog which is well maintained, and filled with short snippets of info, and one which is poorly updated- but with lengthy and well written content. I'm pondering where I ever wanted to go with this page, as it's always been floating somewhere between the two depending on my mood. I rarely write more than a couple of hundred words, and the content is usually lazy and spontaneous. While I do not have a problem with this, I recognise it doesn't make for easy reading for those few people who seem to visit often.

Thus I'm considering a less/more focused approach. In detail, keeping it a spontaneous page but never promising large amounts of writing over a picture of a cat doing something ridiculous. I also want to be a little more personal, as I'm not anything more than a sad bastard who spends too much time on a laptop and I don't want to pretend that I am!

So yes, pondering.

again- NOT DEAD

LIFE IS BUSY, I HAVE BLOG COMMITMENT ISSUES.

HERE'S A FREAKIN' APOLOGY OWL-

In short, I'm trying to earn money alongside trying to boost interest in Leopard as a name for music. It's going well, but it means I don't spend endless hours on the internet like I do in London- therefore I have so much less to say when I'm put into this awkward blogging mode. However, this owl took me a while and I'm proud of it so I think it's a plenty good apology for my continued absence while I work on important shit. Then, in about 3 months, I'll be alone and filled with late teenage angst- as I'm sure that's exactly what you want to read.

Another note, my hometown sucks.

Girlfriendcat is making some epic healthy food.

Mighty fine sunshine, only enhanced by cheap Rosé wine and my other half being sublime.
She's a wonderful housewife, and is looking after me well since her parents went away- leaving us rattling around the house feeling small. Epic weather mixed with long days of togetherness, music 24/7 and the possibility of my comrades at Leopard spending lots of money on some new equipment-  I'm loving the beginning of this Summer!

Told you that I'd show you some film pictures

Here's my favourite:

Fact:

It took me 2 and a half litres of white cider to find the courage to write my first blog post.

And now, somehow, I can't shut up.

Addictive shit.

In a nostalgic mood, wondering how on earth I survived my first year of university. 

It wasn't pretty- mean, my head did explode.

and gain an unhealthy dependence for alcohol in all of it's forms:

but it was good fun. Bring on year two, only about 3 months of holiday left!

So yes, I'm pretty busy.

It's nice to feel wanted for a bit, spending loads of time sorting out recording projects and my life in general- and heading up to London to grab some gear back this week. Is all good.

I'm a bad boyfriend. Well no, that's a lie- I'm a good boyfriend, but I have a bad habit.

Girlfriendcat works a lot, her hours are both unsociable and confusing for any of us who have not yet entered the realms of full time work. This means she doesn't get a lot of free time, especially to see people and go out. So I, being the super nice boyfriend that I am, often find myself saying:

So it's left at that. A week later, I ask her what we're doing on Monday and she says that she's booked in a little time with her best friend. Alone. And although I've trained myself so well, it slips out. The lip quivers, and the puppy dog eyes arrive.

Yes, I have a dark jealous side too. I pretend that I'll spend the whole day alone, but we both know it'll be fine and I'll have a man friend over to keep me company or something. However, this is filed under the "Another reason I'm lucky she's as mad as I am" folder, she puts up with me well. 

Guess what, I got a freakin' Twitter account. Well, another freakin' Twitter account because I deleted the last one. It still sucks, I don't have THAT much to say. You all know that, how long's it been since the last post? Like 2 weeks? The haters should be hatin' on that. Anyway, Sunday morning shower ahoy- catch you guys later.

I'm alive

and busy, and uninspired to draw things. I like to think that if I don't have anything good to say then I shouldn't be posting, but this is an exception to the rule simply so I can banish my blog guilt for another few days. 

Nothing is funnier

than girlfriendcat's new Wii Fit board.

To begin with it's literally a look of:

which eventually leads to

girls are easy to convince.


* Short post today in memorial of my favourite local venues sudden closing, it has shocked us to our musical cores and it will be a hard space to fill. Here's to the 'box, and all of the amazing people inside of it.

Posting at my girlfriendcat's house may become more frequent

as there's still no usable internet at my place still, so only expect updates when I'm at hers! 

So Leopard have put out the green light on a new project, involving a shit ton of bands and a shit ton of work for basically no pay. It's going to be stupidly tough and earn us very little, but this portfolio could set us up extremely well- and give a little something back to the local music scene. These are exciting times, so I'm currently busying myself by trying to find the biggest bands I can to be part of the project and some suitable venues to try out our style of guerilla/sonic ambient recording! We only have about 3 months to get this done before we're expected back in London so we'd better get cracking, and we have to collect a small selection of things from the flat so I'm expecting to be skint from travel fees in no time. Bummer.

Nonetheless, you've missed relatively little- minus the college gigs I showed up to in support for those only a year behind me.

It was great, a bit of support from the locals and a really well played show for the most part. One artist had a bit of a stage meltdown, which was a shame- however it was all pulled together eventually and it made for some fine entertainment, alongside fine Tennessee whiskey. Heading back into the old college next week to check in with the head, and have a chat about some ideas alongside Tobe. It's nice to feel that even a year after we finished college, he's still kind of a lecturer.

Anyway, girlfriendcat's out of the shower now- so I'll be off to either play on the wii fit thing she bought so I can get buff, or off into town for the first time in ages! 

Mad times, haters.

The London trip didn't go well for posting, we went to Brighton and pulled another 35 hour one- then stayed at a friend's place. Watched Mad Men, drank enough energy drink to sink a horse.

Intrigued about our companions bath room, due to the dubious white marks on his floor.

Apparently due to how deeply he falls into a trance while brushing his teeth- in that he awakes two minutes later with the entirety of his arm covered in toothpaste/rabies foam and his floor covered in saliva/toothpaste/rabies foam- as if there was a difference. However, Brighton is a wonderful place and it was a stunning day so I will be back at some point! I can hit this site with some pictures when I get around to taking the films to Jessops.

So I'm back from London already- at girlfriendcat's house while she is sewing up a shirt of some sort. This is because she's one of those talented types who can fix things and not have to wear broken clothes due to sewing illiteracy. Actually, that phrase doesn't exist. But that's how bad I am at it.

I have a ton of music to be making, and the leopards have got many a plan to put together to try and get the useless bands of the South West to get off the fence and start recording on the cheap- so here's my little bit of selfish advertising:

Click it! 

LONDON

HEY THERE.
It's nice to be back, the flat already seemed nostalgic to walk through.
Maybe my drawing finesse will return over the next couple nights.

So I'm home.

Received expensive new toys, spent time with girlfriendcat and family- and back to working for pennies today so I can afford to live.

So, all-in-all, it's like I never left.

I tried drawing a nice picture of the landscape, but it looked awful. I think my drawing skill only comes alive after 12am. Maybe I'll try later, but because I'm back in South West mode I'll likely be doing something unproductive and homely like playing with the cat/taking the piss out of his recently-given, medical head cone.

Again, I tried drawing a cat in a head cone.

So freaking bad.

I may be losing my edge.

Finished uni work, leaving London tomorrow

And not to be antisocial, young and filthy mouthed-

but thank living fuck.

After 3 separate 30+ hour stints, including yesterdays infamous 40+ hour one, all work has been completed and given in.

Lord knows if it's enough and if I'll pass, but I'm fairly sure that I'd feel like this even if I destroyed it so I'm trying not to explode in anxiety like some sort of self-obsessed tit.

No, I'm all for the Summer-

and the fact that I won't sleep alone tomorrow night.

Shame this packing takes so long!

Speak tomorrow, maybe a drawing.

Sorry, I've been ignoring you.

I'm in the last week of uni, so I've trashed most habits.
But be assured, I'll return.

I am literally working my ass off, another full 30 hours stint completed.
A whole valley of work completed, and a million less things to worry about.
I just want it done so I can leave and get out of this place before it drives me insane.
And then I get my girlfriendcat, and the Summer.

Oh god the Summer.
No stress in the Summer. <3

Sex&drugs&rock&roll,

The day the Earth stood still,

The Darjeeling Limited (parts 1 and 2).

Admittedly an odd collection of films, 59 years between the first and second choice.

However, watch these films. Yes, I'm a film reviewer now. 

You'll learn something from them, and maybe if you're wanting to feel better you should watch Mad Men series 3 in completion, and with the DVD the final disk containing the entire famous Martin Luther King Jr speech, with moving pictures attached, it's a sure bet for empowerment.

I'm in a good place right now.

Just wish that the work would leave and allow me to sleep, and not post boring things on here. 

I can't tell you stories because today I woke up, worked, ate a spaghetti surprise meal and skyped to girlfriendcat for about 2 hours.

Boom, story over.

Promises of decent material after the load is off.

Maybe.

Fuck it, I'm going to read a book.

This is because I'm tired and stressed and can't think of good things to write.
As you can see, I am once again turning the animation business on it's head with my natural skills.

Hey look- it worked.
I am now shattered and stressed from university work.
So here is the world's quickest story.

In other news, my "doom" folder with all of these drawings is now so big that I have to use my search bar to find drawings.

Night all!

So blogger went down

And you all missed the amazing story of my battle with myself to stay awake a full 34 hours so I could put my sleeping pattern back into shape, but at the same time remain super productive and do university work while writing and recording a metal track in less than 24 hours, fuelled purely on sugar, pizza and energy drink.

I'm actually being serious, I have the 5:40am sunrise picture on a film waiting to be processed and a fully guitared and bassed metal track, along with some really badly written work and a slight "energy drink green" tinge to me.

I'm more gutted that blogger didn't post my posts. I feel betrayed.

Maybe I'll recover later for some dramatic pictures of the day.

But maybe not.

*UPDATE

there are now some ramblings beneath this post which are pretty much what I wrote up in my sleep deprived madness. I was going to act like I did loads of carefully planned out writing, but in reality I rambled and basically could've sat on the keyboard and made more sense.

Shame on me.

Finished creating guitar lines.

And I'm still awake. Thank you, lethal amounts of caffeine.

Another can of monster,

And a couple of hours of university work later, I'm still awake. 5 hours until I'm allowed to sleep, thus knocking my sleeping pattern back into shape.

Or putting me in a coma, whichever comes first.

Actually, in hindsight, that may have been a little overdramatic.

Decided to try make it through today without sleep.

It's going well, already one monster and 2 packs of assorted sweet things in.

The writeup is done

And I am no longer dribbling. Really need to sort out my sleeping pattern though.

Over 3000 words written today.

Must

stop 

typing.

If I keep all of these late night working sessions up I'll have scratchy red eyes and be dribbling for the rest of my life.

It's been a weird one.

I woke up to the sound of glass smashing. I immediately looked out of the window, and light came streaming into my eyes far too quickly for my brain to comprehend the image of a normal London morning- and instead I saw some sort of explosion, the light from it burning my eyes. Yes, I honestly woke up at 8am thinking something outside of my 7th floor window had exploded.

I'm such a twat when I'm tired.

Needless to say, I didn't get out of bed until 3am due to the fright, and the distinct possibility that I may have been a ghost. The glass smashing was the recycling trucks during their morning collection.

Their weekly morning collection. 

Special post for girlfriendcat.

Because she's my girl, therefore when she asks me to draw her in cat form I can't say no.

Dodgy lining- check.
Mouth falls outside of the face - check.
Bold writing - check.

I do believe this is my greatest work.

Tonight I participated in shameless merchandising.

And I bloody loved it.

Didn't sleep last night until 10am, so I need bed desperately. Even if I wrote you something awesome it would be spelt like tihs and be filled grammar with mistakes. So I'm going to continue being crap and draw something.

Boom, threw a curveball and did some animation.

One of the worst ones I've ever seen, too.

*UPDATE

I like the look of animation on the page, I'll get a little better and start doing more. Now, to bed.

The real trouble with coming back to London

is the whole work thing. I've just finished 10 hours of straight Dreamweaver and I'm not especially in the mood for writing- especially not with the gaping four weeks without a girlfriendcat to keep me sane.

Tomorrow should be better, but deadlines are going to ruin it a little. It's like "HEY, let's have a good time!" But then the deadline monster is like:

You know what, deadline monster? I do not care for you much at all.

A chance to look into my little head.

It arrived back, and we immediately recorded our Bond theme cover. I don't think I've been this happy about a recording in a long time, and I'm proudly plugging it here in my internet corner. Listen, enjoy and download if you want to, you can also let us know what you think in the comments and whatnot! I'd love to hear from a few of you, especially the ones who seem to be arriving on this page by searching only the scariest and more unrelated selections of words.

And now I'm sat next to Punk and his ukelele, musing on the day's efforts. It's been good.

Thank you, Firestudio.

Oh I accidentally showed the world where I live and post from. Oh dear.

Arrived home yesterday

But was too busy being a badass angry person to post.

However, the news is that it should be back as soon as I venture down the seven floors that separate me and the reception. It's more of an avoiding disappointment move in that I haven't left already, as if I get down there and it's an hour late in delivery then I would enter the depression spiral of chocolate, wine and drumstick lollies again.

Though, still:

Making music ability is good.

Back to normal posts soon!

Heading home in 24 minutes

Don't miss me too much.

Have a mighty little time, my merry midget gems.

3am? Oh shit.

Finished Twin Peaks, an outstanding series- thus ending my Twin Peaks based posts. Also finished packing, texted someone complimenting their exquisite beard and beat my brother twice at chess. Although, apparently there's some religious debate on whether it was twice as his internet cut out near the end of the second.

I also said, with an air of flippant over-confidence;

"I'm going to be hardcore and not post tonight!"

Brother: "And you're not going to feel guilty?"

Me: "I already do."

...

*Boots up photoshop*

Either way, a nice night had.

Meaning I have to be a shit person and draw something for you tonight, as I have today's work to catch up on tomorrow.

Here, it's a really bad drawing.

It took me ages, shut up.
Catch you tomorrow if I remember, failing that:

A reply to myself.

- Work: 

Wake up tomorrow and Thursday and be a work hero.                              ✖

- Home: 

Wash clothes.                                                                                      ✓

- Travel:      

Pack for home trip.                                                                               ✓

- Recreation: 

Watch the rest of Twin Peaks season two.                                             ✓

- Relationships:  

I - Wake up flat companions so that they, too, can be work heros            ✖

II - Be excited about being with her in less than 48 26 hours.                   ✓

- Emotional:

Spend every waking minute blaming all of my troubles on DV247 for not, as of yet, returning my Firestudio- therefore destroying my one true creative output and making all of my problems just that little bit harder to deal with...                                                                                          ✓

I failed so deeply at working today that I deserve to be punished.

However, by not working I have managed to watch 7 episodes of Twin Peaks.

I can't work out if this is a good thing.

First off, hello to the new visitors overnight.

For some reason whenever I write a new post, people come flooding in.

And unless it's a wave of angry midget readers who didn't enjoy my previous post, but are too shy to post a comment (to whom I say please do feel free, I'm tougher on the inside than I sound. Ish.) then people actually want to read about me. 

However, I have remarkably little to say tonight.

Punk's new SE Titan microphone arrived, we were pleased.

Tobe is collecting his new SEs soon as well.

Stealth China is at a wedding.

And I'm sat alone with a detuned guitar. 

Thinking it's only two days until Thursday. Until I can see my girlfriendcat.

And be happy and junk.

To do list before Thursday 6:15-

- Work: 

Wake up tomorrow and Thursday and be a work hero.

- Home:

Wash clothes.

- Travel: 

Pack for home trip.

- Recreation: 

Watch the rest of Twin Peaks season two.

- Relationships: 

I - Wake up flat companions so that they, too, can be work heros

II - Be excited about being with her in less than 48 hours.

- Emotional:

Spend every waking minute blaming all of my troubles on DV247 for not, as of yet, returning my Firestudio- therefore destroying my one true creative output and making all of my problems just that little bit harder to deal with...

(2nd time of use, I am aware.)

- Internet

Remember to say goodbye, incase the internet is still crap at my place. Which I'm certain it is, unless there's some huge surprise upgrade. Which shouldn't be such a nice idea for a surprise, but it just is.

NICE. So sorry for another shit post, at the end of a current line of them- but I'll make it worth your while. I'll draw something, and it'll be really good.

OH SHIT, test from last night.

Question 1: How many band members are in the Ampersand Sea Cadets? 

Question 2: Name one song from the Leopard Audio Productions Soundcloud (Available from the Facebook site.)

Question 3: Why haven't you liked the Leopard Audio Productions Facebook yet? (There are no correct answers.)

Send your answers to these to morecorethananappletree@live.com, and if I can work out what password I used to create the account all that time ago then I'll send you a prize. Deadly serious. 

And it'll be good.

Like koala good, not royal wedding good.

Easter has ended

But although I don't appear to have moved far today, I spent most of the day balls deep in graphic design work. 

And you all know how bad I am at that.

So I'll start that if any of you want to do me a real favour, check out these.

These are a selection of things I do. One is our production team, and the other is the beginning of a hilarious band image for me and Punk. Go ahead and spam them with messages claiming that I write a shit blog, any publicity is good publicity.

We've had a good weekend here at the flat, we've spent about £400 on microphones in the last two days alone and watched enough TV to sink a fat unicorn. However, I am back at Monday night now- and with university tomorrow at 10am I still find myself typing here at 1am. I don't know why I do this to myself, maybe it's a love of my teeny tiny audience of people. 

And now I'm imagining that only midgets read this.

Which is somewhat comforting.

Avid readers will notice the change in band name. This is because we decided that we had a problem within the foundations of the band image, in that we didn't have nearly enough nautical references. This would cause a problem, in that we would have to have many songs about Atlantis, and other seaward things to truly fit into the genre. So, by changing our name to something of the naval sense, we have solved that problem and freed our songs from the tyranny of the overworked metal sea shanty. 

So I'm leaving you with those links for tonight, check them out and report back to me.

There will be a test.

... i <3 my midgets.

I'm entering a competition

For the worst blogger on the internet- I think I'm winning.

Last night was spent with 3 others drinking our weight in fruit juices, and eating 4x our collective weight in unhealthy snacks while watching season one of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Which ended around 2am, which led on to another 2 hours of Twin Peaks.

I'm a 90s TV whore.

Which is funny, because I live without a television and hate everything that is shown on it 99% of the time- but my weaknesses lay in Dexter, House, Twin Peaks, Buffy and Mad Men as they are all excellently made and usually fairly dark. Except Buffy, which is literally a show you could take your brain out for and still see the plot line 40 minutes before the show even begins.

Although, in hindsight I'm seeing that "funny" may not have been the correct word.

So if you ever get the chance to see any of these programs on the cheap, then definitely do so, especially for the very well written musical scores. Except, again, on Buffy. Avoid Buffy unless you like trash, and you have enough snacks to sink a small rhino.

10 minutes ago:

Me: How do you draw a rhino.

Brother: Draw a unicorn, then make it fat.

Tada-

I am the worst thing to happen to art, ever.

I was going to write a really long and interesting post tonight

I was even going to start early, plan the story out and try and be funny for once.

However, this idea died when I was asked to help colour Punk's girlfriend's hair, because I'm the only one in the flat who's trustworthy and not evil. So instead of posting to my small corner of the internet and becoming famous for my amazing story, I ended up spending over an hour failing with purple hair stained gloves. 

I refuse to confirm nor deny that this is the same image used yesterday except with purple instead of red, I also refuse to admit that my drawing skills are going downhill. 

I'm not lazy, I'm a true energy conservationist.

Camden was amazing, as usual, today. Wish I had cash to spend there but it's my fault for buying expensive things all of the time. However, today's festivities led to the full use of my second film- meaning that I have my first two ready to develop. This may seem boring, and it is, but I'm excited about seeing my dodgy old film camera pictures come to life. I mean, the Punk can do it- so why can't I?

So yeah, running through the key points:

- I'm shit and forgot to write a good post.

- I'm in a hurry to get to bed so I can get up early and go to uni all day like a nerd.

- To take my mind off how much I miss my time with girlfriendcat.

Which has led to

- Guilt about writing a crappy post.

- Excitement about seemingly nothing.

- A random picture of Bernie, the useless Easter Bunny understudy.

He's like:

Hey, here are your eggs. I don't get the whole chocolate thing, so I got you real ones.

They're better for you too. 

Actually, by the looks of it I may have brought you chickens. 

Oh, and they're kind of dead. 

Happy Easter?

2

BOOM he follows up on his promise and delivers.

I'm as shocked as you are.

After a long night of Twin Peaks, a large meal and a musical conversation than could span a solid mile if interestingness was measured in inches, I have returned to the laptop. However, due to the wonder that is Good Friday tomorrow- I'm unsure how to spend my time productively. This is because I am now on my cloud of pride and I don't want to tumble to earth in a wave of depression caused by the ever-churning sea bed of reality, which rests on the fault line of uncertainty.

What was my original point to that?

Oh yes, I'm all up myself and can't give myself a day off or I'll fail my course and die or something.

Shh, lazy photoshop blood isn't a sign of my drawings going downhill- it's more proof of how distracted I am by the prospect of real death.

So I'm going to say the moral of this story is never be productive unless you want to enter a spiral of self hate for not being productive any more. You'll look back on the day that you used to get shit done, and wish you could still have that many attractive future prospects. Well, you might. I work in the music industry, I have never had attractive prospects and I never will.

So with oh so few minutes until Britain enters Good Friday, I'm applauding myself for two posts in a day, and also wondering why it's not 3am already. Have a nice chocolate weekend beginning - I'll see you for day two tomorrow no doubt!

Another reason I'm useless with everything.

I was too distracted with the finale of Mad Men Season 2 and the beginning of Twin Peaks Season 2 to even comprehend the thought of being a good internet whore in posting something from my brain last night, so today you can have two.

Productive day was productive, and thus I'm floating on a lovely cloud of pride as I'm actually working fairly hard as opposed to failing university and becoming a truck driver, or something like that. I say truck driver as I can't drive, not because there's anything wrong with driving a truck- I don't want the Truckers Union of Regional Drivers all over me. The elevation of my mood from worry to cloudy pride may also have been caused by a certain 8-bit musical wonder that an artist I'm very fond of put online a few days ago.

I'm in love with it, and it will, no doubt, be married with my Battles album (when it does arrive in June) as my two new favourite Summer albums. The internet is such a wonderful thing.

The grindcore band? It's going well, thank you for asking. We have a hilariously well made logo, in that it's completely illegible, has some fake blood and a black background- as per the heavy rules regarding metal band logos. We also tried wearing similar trucker caps and shirts last night and lowering our guitar straps, but we failed at this point as our humility would only allow us to stretch so far before we would want to jump from our 7th floor windows. 

I'll leave you now so I can conserve some creative juices for later. Maybe a story and more pictures? Shit, now I feel obliged to do so- so I'll feel guilty when I forget.

Yes I know I could just delete that sentence, but I would know that I did it.

I am such a twat.