My Writings. My Thoughts.

BBC: Sherlock

// August 27th, 2010 // No Comments » // Review, Television

Everyone knows the names of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor John Watson is very familiar with the storylines from the books by Arthur Conan Doyle, but rarely do we get a complete re-imagining of a concept such as this. The writers, Stephen Moffat and Mark Gatiss, have breathed new life and energy into a old and somewhat dusty set of stories. The lead actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman have given us a new take on the iconic pair.

The basic details of the Holmes stories remain untouched, they still live at 221 Baker Street, Mrs Hudson is still there as Landlady, not housekeeper (played by Una Stubbs) and somewhere in the shadows is a furtive character called Moriarty and Lestrade is still the bumbling police Inspector from Scotland Yard out of his comfort zone and desperate for answers that make sense. That, however is where the similarities end. This version of Sherlock is bang up to date and set in today’s London and not the smog bound filthy, prostitute ridden streets of a Victorian eastend.

This is the CSI of New Scotland Yard using all modern forensic techniques including Sherlock’s razor sharp perception and powers of observation along with fingerprint powder and DNA testing.

 If you missed the show when it aired, do yourself a favour and buy the DVD when it’s released on the 30th August. You might be pleasantly suprised. It isn’t rocket science it’s elementary my dear…

Another week over…

// August 27th, 2010 // No Comments » // Job No1, Job No2, Weekends

It’s been a busy old week this week, the 12 hour days are beginning to take their toll as I’m dog tired and starting to look and feel exhausted. I’ve been working full time teaching from 8am until 5pm each day, then going over to “The Loved Ones” in Penistone and doing another 4 to 5 hours stock production in readiness for another show this weekend in Norfolk.

I need a holiday, but because we have shows and events booked in right up until the end of November, even the annual trip across the pond has been put in hiatus until next year.

I don’t mind doing the extra work, I’m working for me this time, not someone else, but there has to be a point to all the extra effort. What’s the point in making extra money if you don’t do anything with it? Ok I can save it and watch it grow, but I’m not a “Rainy Day” kinda guy. Who knows I could be dead tomorrow! 

Cheerful post or what!

Walking in Eternity

// August 23rd, 2010 // No Comments » // Job No1, Life & Death

Today we’ve been doing a session on planning for the future and one of the questions that’s been asked by one of my students is that if I was offered a pill that would make me immortal would I take it?

Immortality by Jennifer Shipley

It’s a good question and one that I had to think about, because although the offer of immortality is appealing, would it become a curse? I suppose it depends on the conditions of immortality. Would you remain the same age as you were now? Could you choose to end it at will if necessary? It’s an interesting thought!

The possibilities to being immoratal are endless, you could learn different skills and gain so much knowledge. You could learn to be a doctor and spend 30 years healing people, then learn how to fly an aeroplane and work as a pilot for 20 to 30 years then move on and paint for a hundred years or maybe just drift and see the world country by country for 20 to 30 years, learning different languages and amassing as much knowledge as possible like a modern day Methuselah.

 How would you feel after a couple of hundred years knowing all your family were gone? Would you start new families as you went? Would it become too painful watching them grow old and passing on, or would you have to leave to avoid the pain of the loss time after time? It’s too hard a question to answer quickly.

 I’d want to read the small print before I said yes.

Weekend Roundup

// August 23rd, 2010 // No Comments » // Job No2, Weekends

The weekend just gone seemed to fly by although Saturday we managed to save a little bit of time for ourselves. The sun was shining for the first time in a few weeks and “The Beloved” and I took the opportunity to enjoy the sunshine by taking the dog out for a walk in Roundhay Park. The park is beautiful in summer and Saturday morning was no exception. I love the park in the summer months.

The rest of the day was spent in preparartion and packing for Sunday’s show in Houghton Le Spring.

Sunday dawned early for us when the alarm went off at 4am and we dragged our tired and sleepy bums out of bed and set off for the journey north to Tyne & Wear. We arrived at 6.30am and off loaded the stand and stock and had it all set up and ready to go by 9.30am. The doors opened at 10am and from then on we were pretty much rushed off our feet for the rest of the day until 3pm. We only just had enough time to sneak out for lunch and for me a couple of quick ciggie breaks! Most of the day we couldn’t actually get onto our own stand!

We arrived home at 6.30pm tired and hungry, offloaded the stock did a quick stock check and count up of the cash we’d taken for the day…not a bad day all in all financially!

We ate a quick meal, which for me consisted of 2 peanut butter sandwhiches (I didn’t fancy anything else!) and then it was bath and bed at 10pm as I had to be up at 6.30am to drive back to Barnsley ready for work and a new intake of students.

Weekends seem to fly by so quickly these days! 

 

Time Flies…

// August 19th, 2010 // No Comments » // Doctor Who, Television

It hit me today just how much has happened in the 8 months that I haven’t been blogging, The 11th Doctor’s first series has come and gone and we’re approaching the Christmas special! Obviously I watched all the episodes with my heart in my mouth, not because of the story lines..but because I was hoping for just a little bit…more!

I did like Matt Smith, I wanted to like him even more, but I just felt as though the whole series was lacking…I don’t know what, but it left me feeling as though something was missing. Don’t get me wrong there were some very good episodes such as “The Lodger” and the ones with the Weeping Angels; how could you not love River Song!

I just felt as though some of the stories such as the ones with the Silurians to be cop outs, it could have been so much more if the writer had used the older style monsters or at least kept the masks on! The human type eyes were a big put off!

I also thought that the new bigger and badder Daleks were a great idea, just badly executed. They look like Chav Daleks, the Ford Cortina of Daleks with all the nasty black plastic trim,  Chavleks, ha now there’s a good new name for them!

It’s still early days and it did take me a while to get used to David T too, so who knows what the future holds….only the Doctor could tell you!

Just typical…

// August 19th, 2010 // 4 Comments » // Christmas, Humour

Even the gingerbreadmen are trying to tell me something!

It’s an Ideal World

// August 19th, 2010 // No Comments » // Blogging, Job No2

One of the reasons that I’ve been off blogging over the past few months is that over the past year I’ve had two jobs. My main job of teaching the great unwashed hasn’t changed, apart from now being based in Barnsley, but I now have another job, that of graphic designer of papercrafting products and Director of Kraftyhands Ltd. Since setting up the new company last year with “The Beloved” we’ve been working flat out designing and manufacturing our own range of products for crafters to make their own greetings cards. This has involved lots of headaches, lots of queeny strops and lots of money. Money being paid out and money coming in!

Almost every weekend over the last year has been spent either producing or designing products and selling our products at craft shows and events all over the country. It has been a long and difficult struggle to keep myself sane and motivated.

Christmas came very early for us this year, it arrived in April and still hasn’t gone away! I’ve been designing Christmas products since Easter and now is the prime time for selling Christmas products to crafters. They start early!

To add to the pressure, we’ve also struck a deal with one of the main TV shopping chanels. Our first product goes live on air in September and no prizes for guessing what kind of product it is! So, here I am, finally getting my blogging head back into gear,  ready to start talking to the outside world again rather than to myself.

I’ve missed my blog, I only wish that I’d had the time and energy to share what’s happened with  you sooner, but now, hopefully all that will change!

A New Beginning

// August 18th, 2010 // 4 Comments » // Blogging

It’s been almost 8 months since my last post and I’ve almost forgotten what it’s like to be a regular blogger. The old blog is gone, lost in a technical frazzle and so I’ve had to create a new blog with brand new layout, theme and content. The old “bigyellowtaxi” site is still there but everything that was on my old .com site has been deleted. So I’m here again at the beginning…take a deep breath…and off we go!