depublished

'learning outcomes'

2010-04-24T19:17:00.006+02:00

RAIN
Originally uploaded by paintMonkey

black is the new black.

[insert Time Out here]

[beep].

That is all from Dialogue Editions on this Channel.

Good evening, goodnight and good luck.

Dialogue Editions Published.

april 2010

'learning outcomes'

2010-04-20T02:18:00.001+02:00

RAIN
Originally uploaded by paintMonkey

[insert life lesson here]

reason is a bus stop.

2010-03-02T03:12:00.001+01:00

postcard: wetherby road (just past the kestrel) by night
Originally uploaded by paintMonkey

analogue visual micro blogging.

i have a thing about landscapes.

i have a thing about how the landscape changes as we pass through it. I've spent twenty years trying to draw what i see and how i see it.
I keep doing it because i'm not satisfied that i've translated the way i see it. so i do it again. and again. and again.

i've decided that i should put them straight onto postcards. it's quite refreshing to be doing Diary Editions without the comfort of the notebook/sketchbook.

ooh Kirsty just came up with "Delivery Editions". I like it. (She's brilliant.)

Reason is still a bus stop.

tunnel monkey studios

2010-02-15T21:02:00.001+01:00

tunnel monkey studios draft 2
Originally uploaded by paintMonkey

have branding. will travel.

IMG_0500

2010-02-14T15:13:00.001+01:00

IMG_0500
Originally uploaded by paintMonkey

Ezekiel 25:17.

"The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men.
Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the Valley of The Darkness.
For He is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children.
And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers.

And you will know I am The Lord when I lay my vengeance upon you."

BAM!

And the dirt is gone!

selected views from ™ Studios : Out & About

2010-01-25T03:28:00.001+01:00

selected views from ™ Studios : Out & About
Originally uploaded by paintMonkey

...and trees *are* made of wood.

a quick January report:

...been mostly getting up to speed with some new camera hardware, new spaces and working schedules.

™Studio is up and running. Getting some work done.

Oliver Biggles (a dog) is getting bigger. The "being a dog person" thing is, quite literally, life altering. Whole new character in the house. Brilliant, love him. Good dog, sit.

There have been other excitements and dramas recently, i shan't bore you with them now, just the normal stuff that life throws at us from time to time... Instead i will suggest you follow the click through to see my photostream. Unless you have something better to do of course, in which case don't. I'm not that bothered.

f/o

view from the top of The Hill. Fall 09

2009-12-01T04:31:00.001+01:00

view from the top of The Hill. Fall 09
Originally uploaded by paintMonkey

damn it.

i missed out november.
I'd had an unbroken run of somehow documented months on blogger since June 2006. That's three and a third years. I thought about it the other day too, "i must put something on the blog, it's nearly december...", i thought.
Didn't though. [hmm].
Funnily enough November was an eventful month, had plenty to blog about really;
Bonfire night in the drizzle, the ups and downs of a dysfunctional ex-relationship, postcards from the Netherlands, new doodles, old ideas reissued, my continuing happy suburban adventure, one working situation coming to a(n inevitable and) natural end, another starting quite organically...and... "The irony of spending money i don't really have on things i do actually need but only so i don't have to pay so much tax", is one subject i was going to rant about at one point...but i thought better of it.
It's all exciting and transitory, as always. Life's all about having a/to go, isn't it. I feel steadier in my foundations now, The dramas aren't so dramatic, hurdles and obstacles navigable ...I am a leaf on the wind...I am a leaf on the wind...we are leaves on the wind...(K is wonderful) ;-)
...also, we got ourselves a puppy (Oliver Biggles I) and we put up the Xmas tree. It's sparkling it's festive magic behind the telly, safely out of reach of chew-anything puppies.
in summary, November's landscape was okay, odd, fine, fun(zoned), gentle, inevitable, distracting, fresh, life affirming, warm, close & good.

I also want to say a hello to Jim, hope you feel better soon old friend.

December: I am growing a beard.

[Your experiences may differ from those advertised]

*click*

by observing the event, i changed the result of the moment.

2009-10-28T11:43:00.001+01:00

by observing the event, i changed the result of the moment.
Originally uploaded by paintMonkey

quantumography?

...these last four months have been the longest period of security and calm in my personal life that i can remember.

K and i have been busy making plans for the future. We have picked a destination, and we're heading there together. I couldn't be happier with how things have turned out. More on that later as it all becomes relevant and valid. Exciting times ahead...

The photo is from a series of exploratory night shots for a project i've been wanting to have a go at for a while. The night drawing set has been induced simly by not having Photoshop to play around with. Working within my and the camera's limitations i've painted some realtime/non existent moments, I'm pleased with some of the results, but it still needs some further development. Once i'm over this fucking face/toothache and work is a little less intense, i'll get back on it... K is a brilliant helper too. Nice to have someone on board who is enthusiastic and encouraging.

that is all. as you were.

working again

2009-09-30T11:03:00.001+02:00

light drawing
Originally uploaded by paintMonkey

mojo found and fed.

Wherever. What!? Wow! & Who'd've known..?

2009-08-05T20:28:00.001+02:00

A debriefing:

S'been a busy and full few weeks on all fronts.
Been all the place on various mini away missions and field trips with work - Blackpool Waterpark most recently, but also kiing in Castleford, Going Ape in Dalby Forest, York Dungeons...Lightwater Valley... It's all been very exciting.

Other elements have been the final endings of some things which were dragging me down and the beginnings of something truly wonderful & uplifting.

These are Good Times. Long may it continue.

That is all. As you were.

Replacement parts.

2009-07-29T05:49:00.001+02:00

Subject: Replacement parts.

Funny old few weeks i've had.

No need to go on about it though.

I'll waste no more time on it.

New stuff and things...

vincent (a cow)

2009-06-15T13:27:00.001+02:00

vincent
Originally uploaded by paintMonkey

for no other reason
than just to do something now,
i'll blog this picture;
i've painted of an airbourne cow.

it has meaning, point
which is relevant to me,
you don't need to know
it is, afterall, for free.

Bill

2009-05-29T20:38:00.001+02:00

Bill
Originally uploaded by paintMonkey

i heard today that a dear old friend of mine, Bill, died.
RIP Bill.

Good man.

the infinite charm of solitude_lo

2009-05-12T03:36:00.001+02:00

the infinite charm of solitude_lo
Originally uploaded by paintMonkey

it's all i can do to type the word 'beep' today.

beep.

Turn on, tune in, drop out.

2009-05-03T23:26:00.001+02:00

Eh? What?

paintMonkey

Pitcher and Piano for num nums_lo

2009-04-27T15:57:00.001+02:00

Pitcher and Piano for num nums_lo
Originally uploaded by paintMonkey

RT @paint_monkey:
it's positively a Blues Bar Away Day. The ususal suspects have decamped to The Pitcher & Piano for some num nums.
2:15 PM Apr 26th from mobile web

Operational Theory

2009-04-24T03:15:00.003+02:00

My Red Elastic Band Ball is now over a year old. I guess it's birthday was some time in February or March.

It's birthday isn't important. It is just a ball of discarded red elastic bands.

I couldn't tell you how many elastic bands make up the ball, how much it weighs or even (right now) how wide it is.

All I can tell you is; The Red Elastic Band Ball is there, solid and quite heavy, on my desk (it is too big and too cumbersome, I no longer carry it around in my pocket or my bag).

It unavoidably exists. It takes up space. It is demanding my (and your) attention. It's all very random.

paintMonkey

Operational Theory:

2009-04-24T03:15:00.001+02:00

My Red Elastic Band Ball is now over a year old. I guess it's birthday was some time in February or March.

It's birthday isn't important. It is just a ball of discarded red elastic bands.

I couldn't tell you how many elastic bands make up the ball, how much it weighs or even (right now) how wide it is.

All I can tell you is; The Red Elastic Band Ball is there, solid and quite heavy, on my desk (it is too big and too cumbersome, I no longer carry it around in my pocket or my bag).

It unavoidably exists. It takes up space. It is demanding my (and your) attention. It's all very random.

paintMonkey

Transitional Mechanics.

2009-04-11T16:47:00.001+02:00

You may experience an almost overwhelming desire to list various adjectives. Exorcise this demon with exercise.

Be aware that futile and misplaced application of trust will distort the image. Subjective perceptions may appear closer than they actually are. Repetitive cases of futile application of trust will distort the image further creating the illusion of attachment and obligation.

Scenes, plots and narratives within your own screenplay are the result of choices you have made. If you ignore the warning signs, the fault is your's.
Own it.

Reinvention is common. There are conflicting schools of thought on this subject. A Mask is still a mask by any other name.

Fixtures and fittings may be contaminated with toxins, do not forget to wash your hands.

The last person to leave the waiting room should please turn off the lights.

Thankyou.

it was colder than it looked.

2009-04-10T17:53:00.001+02:00

it was colder than it looked and i was steaming inside_lo
Originally uploaded by paintMonkey

...well, that sums up the nature of that particular day and that particular realtionship. A year, (culminating in an afternoon from which the picture is taken) of humilation and embarrassing behaviour (again) , which only served to demonstrate how far we were from the projected ideal. See previous post for debriefing.

But i won't say too much (at this point) for fear that *someone* will lose the plot over my ever & always honest ramblings - even if it is fine for her to have copied the format ...

But that is done with now, i'm sick of going around in circles with her, it was and is all a waste of time.

Done, dusted. Bish bash bosh. Move along, move along, nothing to see here.

The Drawn Curtain approach: "The end...

2009-04-05T11:13:00.001+02:00

...of it, I suppose I should debrief.

At the end of the day, there are three things which are deal breakers;
Lack of respect for one's self,
Inappropriate attitudes towards children, Inconsiderate behaviour to those closest to you.

I don't actually like those, it offends my emotional attention for so many different reasons.
I think I finally got that *those* feelings weren't really mutual either.

Shame. It was never dull.

Publication Artist Collective Edition.

2009-04-02T03:30:00.001+02:00

paint_Monkey: "there are tones of truth and shades to reason. The lines drawn around & through define the focus"
Emma Pace-Hill, less than 5 seconds ago

monkey ei6: status update.

2009-03-16T15:51:00.001+01:00

monkey ei6
Originally uploaded by paintMonkey

*Work going great. The project which i took the lead on climaxed on Friday. Everything went according to plan and the kids thoroughly loved every second of it. Now planning my next project having realised that I have effectively free reign up here. I love my job, i really do.

*had a chilled weekend with J- mostly slobbed about in underwear, eating, drinking and smoking. I'm happy we sorted ourselves out, we really are very good together.

*did yardening- been very excited about having a yarden. did weeding, tidying and planted some bulbs (faux orchids). Now planning on getting some pots, plants and getting my mother to return my space-age bbq.

*watched a few great films. the most notable being Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind. Farbeit for me to compare my sedatory existence to a hollywood movie, but if anyone wanted to know what goes on between me an J and the nature of how we relate to each other, then that's the film to watch. Quite uncanny really.
But don't watch it for that reason, watch it because i say it's a great film.

* started some sketches for new series of paintings. Not sure what i'm trying to get across just yet, it's just a feeling, but I feel fired up for the first time in a while. Very aware of spring springing into life. Sketch books, camera and warped sense of reality at the ready...

*now i'm back at work, and i'm shopping. I've got a (seriously mah00sive) budget to spend and i intend to spend it all on toys, gagets and stuff.

*course and heading as standing orders.

*that, as they say, is all. As you were.

The Scatter Cushion technique: "Crazy...

2009-03-03T02:58:00.001+01:00

...in all the wrong and right ways I suppose.
At the end of the day, and through it all, I actually like that, it holds my emotional attention for so many different reasons. I think i'm beginning to get that *it* really is mutual too.
And if you find a good wave to ride in on, you should ride it...yeah?

So if I wake early enough in the morning, i'm going to force myself to start a new project. Probably a painting. Havn't done anything for a bit (as previously mentioned) and feeling the sap of spring begin to rise is egging me on to get off my lazy ass. More importantly I need something to sell, season is about to start and I need to suppliment my pathetic (but gratefully recieved) income with some pocket money. Which reminds me, I must fill out *that* form in the morning too.

I may try to blog my process. For my own sake rather than yours'. Whoever you are. [smiles shyly and waves uncertainly]

Work has taken on a new flavour too, much more encourgement to 'take the lead' in projects and the program. Which is all good and not unexpected, I am however slightly concerned i'll drop the ball/fall at the first hurdle/[insert relevant insecurity metaphor here] and/or make an ass of myself, but only way to find out is to get it on I guess. I can be quite competent when I need to be...sometimes.

Hmm.

I'm having a deja-vu thing as I type this, so i'll just add; "more power to the engines". Which is now the correct response to such sensations of coincidence, serendipity, luck, synchronicity, time travel and reality inversions.

It's very lazy of me I know...really I do. But here's the lyrics to my mainstream theme tune for the last month or so.

2009-02-23T13:43:00.001+01:00

How dare you say that my behavior is unacceptable,
So condescending unnecessarily critical
I have the tendency of getting very physical
So watch your step cause if I do you'll need a miracle.

You drain me dry and make me wonder why I'm even here,
This double vision I was seeing is finally clear
You want to stay but you know very well I want you gone,
Not fit to fucking tread the ground that I'm walking on.

When it gets cold outside and you got nobody to love
You'll understand what I mean when I say
There's no way we're gonna give up...
And like a little girl cries in the face of a monster that lives in her dreams,
Is there anyone out there? 'cos it's getting harder and harder to breathe.
Is there anyone out there? 'cos it's getting harder and harder to breathe

What you are doing is screwing things up inside my head.
You should know better you never listened to a word I said.
Clutching your pillow and writhing in a naked sweat,
Hoping somebody someday will do you like I did!

When it gets cold outside and you got nobody to love
You'll understand what I mean when I say
There's no way we're gonna give up
And like a little girl cries in the face of a monster that lives in her dreams
Is there anyone out there? 'cos it's getting harder and harder to breathe
Is there anyone out there? 'cos it's getting harder and harder to breathe.

Does it kill?
Does it burn?
Is it painful to learn
That it's me that has all the control?

Does it thrill?
Does it sting?
When you feel what I bring
And you wish that you had me to hold?

When it gets cold outside and you got nobody to love
You'll understand what I mean when I say
There's no way we're gonna give up
And like a little girl cries in the face of a monster that lives in her dreams...
Is there anyone out there? cos it's getting harder and harder to breathe
Is there anyone out there? cos it's getting harder and harder to breathe.

Lyrics by someone more famous & more successful than me. Not used with permission etc.

VIDEO_1234

2009-02-17T18:21:00.003+01:00

VIDEO_234
Originally uploaded by paintMonkey

[insert standard blog with relevant details here]... so after an up & down, in & out, wierd weekend, it all turned out rather nicely. Still things remain which will need maintainance and keeping an eye on.
But i'm happy with the way the dust has settled. The weekend which traditionally sets off the starting gun for the Inner Circle's calendar has been fired.

and we're off.

VIDEO_1234

2009-02-17T18:21:00.001+01:00

VIDEO_234
Originally uploaded by paintMonkey

i'm out. assume i've fucked off south with the geese.

2009-02-14T04:15:00.001+01:00

The Art of looking sideways.

2009-02-06T05:49:00.000+01:00

° Silent Running Mode Deactivated [beep]
° Holding Patterns Terminated [beep]
° January Survived [tick]

This new house is full of odd new noises.

At this moment I amtrying to work out whethet it is a car outside on the street, it engine running idle, or the radiator in my bedroom that is making *that* humming. The taps, bangs and ticks coming from downstairs are, I have decided, some elves fascinated by the goldfish, my toys and my books. It is the only explanation.
Chambers was finally decommissioned on February 1st at about 1500hrs with the much appreciated help of the 'Red Team'. Fronted up by my good (and helpful) friends the Rev_Dino and Eddie. I was, it must be said, a little bit sad for a moment as I said "stand down" to the empty apartment. It's funny how we become so attached to bricks and mortar.
But now, there is Ei6:Quarters commissioned and ready. It has some stairs (a novelty for me) inside, a 'yarden' outside, a couple of rather exciting sliding doors and a shed. All very exciting, useful and well, brilliant. Quarters is a goodly new Epac Island.

So this week it snowed and the country (embarrassingly) came to a grinding halt. Slack and I took the opportunity to take a brief away mission into the winter wonderland. I took some photos (www.flickr.com/photos/epac_island) as I do.
It was a refreshing and necessary exercise for me, I feel to have been distracted, drained, sucked dry of my perspective and mojo over the last 6 months or so. 'Almost' like someone has been looking over my shoulder constantly or wearing my skin, doing my thing, only badly and without knowing the what's or why's of it all.

That won't be my problem anymore, it'll be someone else's. I can get on with what I do without the dramas of late.

Right it is silly O'clock and I should be sleeping. I have work and stuff to do tomorrow

Seleceted Views From Epac Island.

2009-02-03T02:21:00.001+01:00

my yarden by snodium light_lo.jpg
Originally uploaded by paintMonkey

my yarden by snodium light_lo.jpg

Id, Ego and the Misplaced Monkey in retrospect

2009-01-07T14:32:00.001+01:00

Id, Ego and the Misplaced Monkey
Originally uploaded by paintMonkey

...it's a self-portrait that has been blogged before (sept 06), i just wanted to reiterate something to myself, something about facets, masks and agenda.

So, 2009 has eased itself in, i have the ubiquitous list of resolutions, which i will not post here, but i may evaluate how last year's went. Certainly one was achieved, it was an important one and i feel good that it was...but more on that another time and in another place.

For now i will just say that all but a couple of my jigsaw pieces are in place...

That is all, as you were...

DeComm Day 1

2008-12-19T19:40:00.001+01:00

De Day 1
Originally uploaded by paintMonkey

1234 10/12/08

2008-12-17T15:17:00.001+01:00

1234 10/12/08
Originally uploaded by paintMonkey

a wee Happy Festive Season image from me to you.

Untitled-1

2008-12-11T21:05:00.001+01:00

Untitled-1
Originally uploaded by paintMonkey

i live in untitled times.

i decommissioned 7 pairs of shoes

2008-12-09T18:43:00.001+01:00

i decommissioned 7 pairs of shoes_lo
Originally uploaded by paintMonkey

..certainly not the most painful part of the Chambers Decommissioning process, but By Jove! throwing away my shoes was tough. I could've packed all my books in the time it took me to pluck 7 (innocent) pairs of shoes from the collection.

...at least the process is underway now though. new and exciting adventures await no doubt.

i know there is activity behind the glass but it isn't clear.

2008-12-05T18:57:00.001+01:00

PIC05725
Originally uploaded by paintMonkey

Sometimes, the world looks like how i feel. That is why i photograph it and/or draw it.

This may, or may not, be one of those times.

supplies, choices, agendum and standing orders.

2008-11-30T17:08:00.001+01:00

supplies2_lo
Originally uploaded by paintMonkey

i started to write something about the differentiation of view and the duality of perspective, but quickly realised that it was obviously pretentious, potentially self justifying and certainly trite (so i will save it for another time).

security level zero

2008-11-28T03:38:00.001+01:00

security_lo
Originally uploaded by paintMonkey

by installing cctv, are we creating a legitimate deterant or just accepting that nothing and nobody can be trusted?

are we defined by 'what' we do, or by 'why' we do it?

holding patterns

2008-11-20T01:53:00.001+01:00

holding patterns ii_lo
Originally uploaded by paintMonkey

...beep.

four days in autumn

2008-11-17T15:43:00.001+01:00

four days in autumn_lo
Originally uploaded by paintMonkey

i am sulking over the death of the camera on my pda/phone/thingymajig. i feel powerless somehow.

there are other options, it isn't the end of the world - i do have many cameras, but the convenience of having a semi-decent camera on a thingymajig that i carry habitually everywhere is...well, very convenient.

perhaps it is the universe's way of telling me to get back to sketching again, and maybe i'll listen to that...

pfft and bugger.

so many landscapes, so little time, so i took a photo whilst having a ciggy.

2008-11-03T12:43:00.001+01:00

landscape_lo
Originally uploaded by paintMonkey

45 minutes down the line...

So, yes, my mission profile has changed somewhat and adjustments are in motion.
After a rather stressful and cash free four week break between jobs, i now work somewhere other than the place i worked before. I'm not really sure how much i'm allowed to say about the job i'm doing now and where exactly it is, or indeed whether it is wise to say anything at all, so i will keep the references to a minimum. I'm sure you wouldn't find it that interesting anyway, it's just a job (which feels like it could have been created just for me) - the important things are;
I'm enjoying it, it ticks my creative boxes, keeps me busy whilst giving me the time to focus on my own work and fulfills certain StarTrektic fantasies i have had over the years (a non-combative commission aboard the USS Enterprise, boldly going along for the ride...). I've met some very cool, fun people and am still being initiated into the community which surrounds the job.

It is all very exciting and new.

i will make no references

2008-10-27T02:19:00.001+01:00

i will make no references_lo
Originally uploaded by paintMonkey

...and The Things & Bits That Are Not There.

2008-10-24T01:31:00.000+02:00

Looking around I realised that the landscape was begining to crumble and fall away...

2008-09-11T16:23:00.001+02:00

The railway station was dry but smelt of wet clothes, the air was sticky, the flourescent lamps hummed and made the place look ill. A couple of students, huddled by their rucksacks and plastic bags, giggled at some unheard and weed relevant joke. I chose on a bench in the middle of main foyer, sat and looked at my watch. 1629hrs. I checked my pocket for lose change and decided there was enough to buy a 45 minute journey in either direction.

As the scene is one of my own creation, it surprised me that the shutters came down. Maybe there is another booth farther along...

2008-09-10T15:09:00.001+02:00

The street lights flickered into life, casting halos of orange into the wintery drizzle around their lamps. I turned up my collar, pulled my coat close and headed for the railway station. I would dec ide my next course of action from there.

Within the scenery the objects and songs remain the same, but the songs are of a different arrangement.

2008-09-09T10:25:00.002+02:00

The glass collector bustled off to another table, the sneezing man wiped his nose on his hand, sniffed and returned his attention to the crossword and his pint.
I looked at my watch, 1623hrs. I wasn't meant to be anywhere else but this would a good time to leave,
"right, I'm off to catch my train, i'll leave you boys to it.", and without waiting for any coherent response, I grabbed my hat, bag and coat and left.

The path is paved with lip service and conditional rhetoric. But it is still a path and the scenery on either side of the path, is still valid.

2008-09-08T17:18:00.001+02:00

There was an uncomfortable silence after his outburst, broken only by the glass collector picking up the empty glasses from the table and a man sneezing into his sleeve.

This path could take me anywhere.

2008-09-07T19:45:00.001+02:00

"No!" he said over the drum and hum of the background chatter, "You don't understand, I have a frown on the inside of my eyes. This face of a cross clown that you see is neither to be trusted nor believed. Through the monochrome grey floor tones my inner frown is making me see red and...", he paused a moment, lost in his own vision,".. and green, I'm seeing a lot of that too. If I wasn't carefully distracting myself with the bad habits I have picked up and mastered over the years, I'd be coming at you all with a fucking broken bottle right about now."

"...but no man is an island", he said, but he had never known a loneliness like mine. Another stretch of the path and definitely no sidekick this time, I walked on.

2008-09-07T01:09:00.002+02:00

-----Original Message-----
From: paintMonkey
To: EmmaHill@Depublishing

The Blues is no place to have the blues.

2008-09-05T00:32:00.002+02:00

BLUES_LO
Originally uploaded by paintMonkey

i had a hangover for most of the day.

After we changed the world.

2008-09-03T01:48:00.001+02:00

I really shouldn't, but I think i'll have one more cigarette before bed.
My recent brief attempt at stopping smoking has been put on pause whilst I wait for my view of the world to stop turning upside down and inside out to a soundtrack of distant 'popping'.
I won't bore you wih a self pitying rant about how it never seems to work out for me. I've bored myself stupid with it for the last week and it has done no good at all. Self pity will be of no benefit right now, i'll channel my energies where they're needed, but when this storm has passed, I'm going to put a contract out on my never ending bad karma. Tenders welcome.
I have no idea what will happen in the next few weeks, except that changes in mission profile are coming but I'm sure my compulsions will insist I blog them as it all happens... All I can do is brace myself for Worse Case Scenario (which currently looks inevitable). Hurumph.

My cigarette is almost smoked.

status: silent running

2008-08-30T23:19:00.001+02:00

status: silent running
Originally uploaded by paintMonkey

We are currently experiences some technical difficulties. please standby.

[my strength wasn't the issue, her weakness was]

2008-08-26T02:44:00.001+02:00

i was on my own (and not delusional about anything or anyone).

2008-08-23T15:23:00.001+02:00

i was on my own (and not delusional about anything or anyone).
Originally uploaded by paintMonkey

i found some stray photos that had been saved in some obscure folder on an SD card from that there trip to London a few weeks back, bunged them together and uploaded them etc etc. chronologically out of order but posted at an appropriate time, with an appropriate title (original title was 'Route: Any Permitted' but i thought that wasn't subtle enough).

TREES_LO

2008-08-22T01:10:00.001+02:00

TREES_LO
Originally uploaded by paintMonkey

.diagnostic. d. d. de. de. agnostic. deagnostic test through operaMini/Flickr 'blog this' feature on pda/thingymajig

move along. this is a test. nothing to see hear. 'xcept the photo. which personally i really like.
that is all.

A bit of thursday morning.

2008-08-21T09:46:00.001+02:00

[Click]
I was quite 'squiffy' when I went to bed last night, hung over and forgot to shave this morning. Havn't had a proper mid week celebration with The Rev Dino, now Lord Bishop Ott3r, for months it seems.
We stood on the steps by the front door for most of the evening smoking fags and chatting to people, old, new and some inbetween, as the band was the equivalent to having molten candy floss poured over your face. Just my opinion, others seemed to be enjoying the one-note whine that spanned various songs and beats.
With the ups and downs of the last few weeks, it was refreshing to identify that there are other pebbles on the beach (so to speak). I went to bed with a smile on my face.

rock, paper, scissors.

2008-08-18T13:08:00.001+02:00

rock paper scissors_lo
Originally uploaded by paintMonkey

An interim Rule/Game Of Life.

Its a terribly dramatic thing (and slighlty obscure thing) to say; but there is something wrong with how i approach the game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. I don't understand how everyone else gets more wins than loses.

just thought i'd share that.

in transit.

2008-08-15T11:29:00.001+02:00

transit_lo
Originally uploaded by paintMonkey

... "oh, stop being such a victim", is what i wanted to shout. Wouldn't have made any difference though, as the entire conversation was being conducted by text.

urinal

2008-08-14T12:08:00.002+02:00

urinal_lo
Originally uploaded by paintMonkey

i have switched my phone/camera/pda/thingymajig to greyscale and i'm going to do an exploratory series of single shot (gasp!) photos. I realise that it doesn't sound that exciting, but actually it is to me, it's the difference between scanning and recording my own peripheral vision in a wide angle montage to focusing-in to a single point, a single surface. i'd like to compare it to the difference between, say, Virtual Reality (remember that?) and a hand held Nintendo DS games console... I drifted off to sleep last night visualising the whats, hows and why's of it all, quite excited like i say.

the photos will be rubbish (initially), but that's not the point - i need to diversify. expand the fortpolio...

btw, MIND anoTHEr GAP.

too much time

2008-08-14T11:12:00.001+02:00

too much time_lo
Originally uploaded by paintMonkey

ah, hello.

i'd just like to say i'm very pleased with how this montage came out.

the guy on the left seemed to have something on his mind that would either make or break him. i hope it made him.

depart: 1223hrs YRK - arr: MLTN 1247hrs

2008-08-12T11:37:00.001+02:00

1223hrs YRK - MLTN_lo
Originally uploaded by paintMonkey

Click! [initiating standard blog technique AKA 'biting lip']

another weekend away, this time moo and i went over to see my mother's new place in Pickering. All good. Hopefully my mother will stay where she is for longer than 6 months, this will have been the 8th time she has moved in the last 4 years- we didn't even get to see the last place...

It is a beautiful area and one i've never really explored, been through it loads of times on the way to Scarborough or Bridlington, so was good to wander about.

Spent Monday at Monk Park Farm a brilliant 'hands on' petting farm. i fed a llama. And then i fed it again. they have really lovely faces (and they know it), a bit like a camel, a bit like a giraffe, a bit like a horse. I took loads of photos (as i do) but lost them all on a corrupted SD Card. which was slightly annoying. My mum and Moo seemed to really enjoy the time together, now that they live closer they'll be able to see more of each other.

the few photos/pics that weren't lost have been uploaded to Flickr... standard stuff - getting quite bored of the way i put the montages and stuff together, am now looking for a new technique... hmm . thats for another blog entry i think.

your milage may vary.

hocache

2008-08-06T02:16:00.001+02:00

ho's of harrogate
Originally uploaded by paintMonkey

London Report

2008-08-05T11:07:00.001+02:00

Some of you will already have followed my micro-blogs from That There London this weekend as they appeared on Twitter, but here is the complete set. i had a brilliant time and have now confused myself with what it is i want to do next with my life. London felt full of opportunities, potential and beautiful people... i think i've already mentioned that the photos and images are now uploaded to flickr.

Friday continued...

08:44 PM August 01, 2008 watching the sun set over the appropriately named East Midlands.

09:26 PM August 01, 2008 come the revolution, families with young children will be banned from trains after 1800hrs. or family trains should be introduced...

10:13 PM August 01, 2008 on standard approach to KingsX. i'm quite excited about hearing the actual "Mind the Gap" announcement.

10:16 PM August 01, 2008 control, we have touchdown in That There London.

10:22 PM August 01, 2008 gonna get a sharp intake of nicotene before i brave the Tube. do some london people watching,

01:10 AM August 02, 2008 London is everything it should be. i'm very excited by it's noises, smells and bustle.

02:28 AM August 02, 2008 installed now at VT Towers. there's a monkey in the jungle watching a vapourtrail, caught up in the conflict between his brain and his tail

03:09 AM August 02, 2008 only 160 HOs needed for the 1000. VT says we should print a book of the first 1000. i concur.

Saturday

10:14 AM August 02, 2008 VT making Real coffee. Gonna drink that, get dressed, eat something and then go into The Big City to meet with MarkNicolson and see Sights.

12:50 PM August 02, 2008 london is full of people

01:47 PM August 02, 2008 hunting HOs.

02:21 PM August 02, 2008 sitting in st james' park with VT and TNQF discussing Pete Scarth's unfeasibly large scrotum.

03:08 PM August 02, 2008 green park opposite buckingham palace, hiding under an umbrella arm in arm with these boys here.

03:32 PM August 02, 2008 there are an unnatural number of mercedes cars in london.

04:33 PM August 02, 2008 dont mean to labour the point, but i LOVE London. i may start a campaign to convince myself i belong here with the ghosts of my mum's family 06:39 PM August 02, 2008 @MarkNicholson excellent to hang out with you today sir. excellent. long over due... 11:22 PM August 02, 2008 i have an invisible blister from the urban MN-VT-PM Safari today. 11:42 PM August 02, 2008 now field flickring highlites. bifted, chilled, glass of red and funny telly box. VT Towers is a lovely spot of calm in the London Jungle. Sunday: 11:56 AM August 03, 2008 have stirred. fell asleep watching the telly box last night, feel rough & got a headache, but ready for missions. 01:00 PM August 03, 2008 VT&I both feeling quite rough, taking today as it comes. VT is being brilliant and constructing a mahoosive brunch of bacon, eggs & coffee. 04:12 PM August 03, 2008 flickring the complete highlites from yesterday's urban safari with VT&MN. may now have a ciggy & venture into the outside in the 3hrs left. 05:13 PM August 03, 2008 wandering about wandsworth common, discussing the ins and outs, ups and downs of it all with VT. fresh air feels good. 07:58 PM August 03, 2008 'moffoam. had a perfect mix of weekend sightseeing, relaxing and catching up. there's a sinking in my chest at having to leave. but ho hum. 08:00 PM August 03, 2008 @vapour_trail, thanks very much for having me, it has been brilliant being a guest at VT Towers. :) 09:55 PM August 03, 2008 any hopes that the return journey would be quieter were extinguised by the number of red football shirted passengers. i'm doodling. 10:26 PM August 03, 2008 judging by the smell of bifta coming from the toilets and the giggling 18-24 yr olds, i think the smoking ban may have been disobeyed. 11:05 PM August 03, 2008 2303hrs. leeds. its grim at night. 11:15 PM August 03, 2008 the fat man i noticed at KingsX is now waiting for the harrogate train and is wearing a Tshirt that says "i'm not dead yet". a woman in a red dress seems restless & I'm tired. 12:31 AM August 04, 2008 From VT Towers to Chambers it took 5hrs and 10 minutes door to door. Tube, trains and taxi. Glad and yet sad to be home. Had some time to ponder on the way home. I know what i'm doing wrong. i'm perpetuating my own patterns. i need to quit somethings and start some others. sounds simple enough...

london eye

2008-08-03T17:40:00.001+02:00

london eye
Originally uploaded by paintMonkey

complete highlightes from Saturday's Monkey-Vapourtrail-MarkNicholson_Safari now uploaded to flickr. Will update further with text later on the return journey, when i'll be in the mindset to reflect...

Field report. 1343hrs london.

2008-08-02T14:41:00.001+02:00

Moff to trafalgar sq after looking at a river, a wheel and some houses of parliament. London is full of people.

touchdown

2008-08-02T05:23:00.001+02:00

Travelling backwards, the early evening sun, heavy with long shadows, is on my left.

2008-08-01T21:47:00.001+02:00

time 20:04

paint_monkey
i'm sitting in a railway station, gotta ticket for my destination. about 2 hours ago

paint_monkey
the linenesque cargo pants i bought for 3GBP are too new and feel wrong. about 1 hour ago

weaseljem @paint_monkey
have a really good trip x x
about 1 hour ago

vapour_trail
Preparing VapourTrail Towers for the PaintMonkey's arrival.
31 minutes ago

paint_monkey
the small commuter transport has successfully * with the larger, faster transport. i've a window/table seat. T minus 2min til liftoff.
9 minutes ago

paint_monkey
* previous microblog missing the past tense of the borrowed french word rendezvous. rendezvoused? no. rendezvu'd? no. anyway met connection.
7 minutes ago

paint_monkey
iPod drowning out sounds of various languages and states of children's mania. i'm travelling alone on a train! i forgot how much i love this
less than 5 seconds ago

[addendum]

I've never been a train spotter, the numbers and names aren't something that keeps me awake at night. I do love trains though, or in the very least I love a good train journey, especially alone. With no responsibilities or obligations to another, I can lose myself in my sketchbook, passively observing the other passengers, or a good book (i'm reading Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy again) or, like now, just satisfy my inane desire to write and, thanks to the miracles of modern technology, publish the nonsense that comes to my mind whilst listening to Josh Ritter on the iPod nano that WJ (the squeeze formally known as tankGirl) has lent me.
It's not that I dislike or pro-actively avoid travelling companions, I don't and enjoy those moments too, it's just that over the years i've come to prefer travelling alone, if given the opportunity to go anywhere at all. Its sends a breeze through my soul and centres me.

Signal says "Go!"

2008-08-01T20:00:00.003+02:00

'moff to That There London for the weekend.

I have been looking forward to this trip since it was arranged a couple of weeks ago but today i've had all the (minor) anxieties associated with leaving my home for a while. I have over-fed the fish and over-watered my plants, i've been checking the train times and tickets every 20 minutes, packing and then repacking the same few items of clothing, adding and taking away things that I won't need if I take them but will need if I don't... I used to be able to pack with my eyes closed, I could just look at the contents of my packed suitcase and/or trunk and identify what was missing, but since I moved to Knaresborough 8 and a half years ago, i've hardly been anywhere. I have, it seems, inverted the habits of my nomadic and 'pack the kids off to boarding school' parents and the restlessness of my own youth. I need more practice at going away, clearly.

Tueday morning Microblog of mildly self pitying diatribe.

2008-07-29T11:15:00.001+02:00

MarkNicholson says "I feel like I'm on the cusp of something important but then I've been feeling that way since 1992." about 14 hours ago

far-be-it for me to copy another's microblogging, but; i too constantly feel like i'm on the cusp of something... 9 minutes ago

...A mildly expectant adrenilin rush just under my rib cage.
However, i also often feel like i am being tumbled underwater in the rolling surf... 8 minutes ago

...but mostly i feel like a solitary yatchsman trapped in the windless doldrums without food or water, reliant on the current to drift me... 5 minutes ago

To go the full hog and completely mix my metaphors; i feel like i missed my boat.

Somewhere, in another timeline, there's a me that did really well. 2 minutes ago

that is all.

2 minutes ago

big red elastic band ball, keyboard and paper skull. these items are not necessarily related.

2008-07-25T15:50:00.001+02:00

14.10hrs friday.
it looks quite warm outside. i'm sitting underneath the AirCon which takes the muggy, humid edge of the office air.

the big red rubber band ball has consumed a much smaller red elastic band ball. it is now just a fraction bigger than it was the other day

the keyboard has, so far today, only been used for flickr comments, twitter updates and blogging.

the paper skull is a thing i did download, cut out and fold as per some instructions, yesterday, when i also had nothing to do.

i guess i shouldn't be so surprised that this particular assignment is (apparently again) coming to an end.

i await new instructions and/or new mission profile.

standing-by.

the bigger picture

2008-07-24T12:01:00.001+02:00

...

moving right along with some blogged micro-blogging

2008-07-22T13:32:00.001+02:00

paint_monkey's log: just had an interesting txt from JR Kyle 'Gonzo' Clarke. apparently he has a surprise for/to show me this evening. ooh now, thats exciting. about 20 hours ago

paint_monkey's log: m'on A59 a few klicks east of gargrave. its a gonzo-monkey safari. heading toward The Forest of Bowland... standby for updates. about 18 hours ago

paint_monkey's log: i love the A59. it snakes through some stunning and sometimes epic vistas. and sheep, loads of sheep. about 17 hours ago

paint_monkey's log: refuelling. checking charts. i make a mental note that a woman's shoes don't match her outfit. about 17 hours ago

paint_monkey's log: we've landed just over the border, behind enemy lines. it's a place called High Ben Tham in a strange place known as LanCasSHire. Francis Dunnery
is the man we're off to see. about 17 hours ago

[ed] gonzo was wide eyed and star struck at seeing this guy - he is a big fan, has all his albums etc etc. I had never heard of Francis Dunnery, but had vaguely heard of the band he used to front in the eighties;
"It Bites".

Francis Dunnery doesn't do the usual gig, no pubs, bars, clubs or stadiums for him, oh no. he performs in people's houses (he's been all around the world performing tis way for the last four years), bans the audience from drinking alcohol (he's a long term recovering type) and keeps it all intimate and friendly, (there were no more than 25 people watching him). It was an interesting experience for me, Francis spent as long explaining his motivations and the circumstances behind the songs he sings as he did singing. He is a thoughtful, occasionally witty and ponderous man, who reflects/projects his experiences in life directly back at the audience, commenting on relationships, failure, hope and faith with an abrupt frankness that is admirable. even if i did think he was talking shite, it was refreshing to be in an intimate one way dialogue with someone so painfully self aware.

To be honest, his music wasn't my cup of tea, a wee bit non-descript-acoustic-folk- that may just have been the album he was singing (Tall Blonde Helicopter)and i thought his voice was weak (but very distinctive) without any mic or a PA system to add some wellie...but it wasn't an unpleasant thing at all, i had a thoroughly enjoyable & brilliant time, but i did(using my film rating system) notice i had a numb bum about half way through the gig and at no point did the songs he sang make any hairs stand up on the back of my neck - ooh... except for his cover of Cat Stevens' Father & Son which he sang with delicacy and respect at the end - but i do have a notoriously naff taste in music and i was truly glazed over with free beer and ,ahem, special cigerettes... so that is no relection on him, his fans clearly think he is a genius. i'd probably go to see him again, if just for the unusual locations for the gigs...

i did consider taking some photos of the gig, but he himself made a philosophical point of how that particular gig would never be repeated, it wasn't filmed, photographed or recorded. The interpretations and versions of the songs he was singing were unique to that moment (Gonzo nodded), they were just for us and we appreciated them more for that i think.
I got the feeling that that is how Francis Dunnery likes it, and i'm not about to mess with another man's mojo. :)

paint_monkey's log: Francis Dunnery is the man we came to see. really special gig. might blog it, loads to ponder. now on drag home, warp 6, ETA Chmbrs 90mins about 13 hours ago

paint_monkey's log: was good to see JR Gonzo, sbeen ages. he's reliably remained the same all these years, only now he's married and looks like Salmon Rushdie. about 11 hours ago

paint_monkey's log: i slept soundly after the safari. i've got a headache behind my right eye though. about 3 hours ago

that is all. moving right along...

Durge Purge v2.3

2008-07-21T14:39:00.001+02:00

...with little else to do at work today, i have activated Stealth Blogging Mode - my web based hotmail is open in a window, which in turn is 'cloaked' within a complicated Excell document. Now the directors can walk in and out of their offices behind behind all they like. As long as they see me typing and i'm not ignoring my work email and the phone, it should all be okay.

i woke up at 5:30 this morning, wide awake, but with an odd dizziness, the kind of dizzy one would feel when having drunk too much, so not an unusual feeling, odd however as i hadn't been drinkng. Didn't even smoke that much yesterday. Its almost certainly nothing, probably something to do with the toothache i've had for the last few weeks, just a thing to start this week off.

I'm about to cautiously skate over the events for last week for now, i'm not about to use my little piece of internet to intentionally explain or perpetuate the vicious circles of someone who will take themselves hostage in the name of fundamental emotionalism and needless drama. They have done that themselves with an open frankness on their own blog.

This is, however, my blog and for my part, i am in the middle of wildly contradictory feelings and it is a funny sensation. I didn't know what to think or feel and spent a few days pro-actively shutting down the parts of my head that do the feeling and thinking, battoning down hatches and putting up shields. But now... but now i feel like i have been made a fool of... that i was being played from the start... set up to be the catalyst for a dramatic event. I have spent the last few days thinking it was my fault (as implied at the time), that maybe i saw it coming and did nothing to prevent it...that this is my fate, blah blah blah...
no, i'm sure her feelings were sincere and genuine as where mine but experience tells me, i have to say, if it wasn't me in the role it would've been someone else and the events of the last month and specifically last week would have unfolded just as they did.

Right now, my temptation is to dive back into the mess, fix that which is broken and make right what was wrong. Laughable, innit? eh? The bugger is i thought i had found someone that read from the same book as i do, that i was ready and wanted to trust someone again. that i'd found a soul mate. i guess not.

I am genuinely glad and relieved that she is okay, on the mend and that she is lucky enough to have friends who will care for her. My feelings were real and sincere, but i said from the start i wouldn't pander to that self destructive behaviour, i have seen first hand what (actual) suicide does to those it leaves behind and i have too much at stake myself and enough to deal with in my own headspace to potentially be one of those 'left behind'...Life is a once in an eternity opportunity to exist and it is over soon enough. So that's that.

Back to square one i guess.

edgelands again

2008-07-18T12:26:00.001+02:00

edgelands again_lo
Originally uploaded by paintMonkey

and again i come back to;
"the path remains the same, it is the scenery that changes as we walk along it.".
My brief, as it turned out to be, incursion into the InnrLands is over. I wont be going back there for a while, it's rubbish.

Twice a day. Again.

2008-07-17T20:16:00.001+02:00

Dear Diary,

The stopped clock on my bedroom wall says its 2.23 now.

The clock is, apparently, correct twice a day.

However, I have never looked at it at 2.23 for it to be correct, so I cannot be sure.

I'm sure the stopped time has changed though.
It's later than it used to be.

But still, earlier than it will be.

Cc. Depublishing

my ever growing Big Red Ball of Discarded Postal Elastic Bands

2008-07-17T17:06:00.001+02:00

as with all good hobbies, this one just keeps giving and giving. With a radius of 41.40 mm my ball is getting exciting. that is all.

half a pound of tuppenny rice
half a pound of treacle...

your milage may vary.

a silly fool watches the grey descend

2008-07-15T17:38:00.001+02:00

a silly fool watches the grey descend
Originally uploaded by paintMonkey

or "someone should tell.."

a microblogged moment, flickr'd and now blogged. its all in the detail.

move along, move along, there is nothing to see here.

we stood in the queue for the runaway train, the girls were excited_lo

2008-07-15T17:27:00.001+02:00

we stood in the queue for the runaway train, the girls were excited_lo
Originally uploaded by paintMonkey

snapshots of weekend activity. this was from the Party In The Park on Sunday. Moo and i took her friend Harley, met up with team DragonDrop and Camp Moonie and friends. lovely day, really lovely.

[lights bifta and exhales slowly and thoughtfully] ...so, a post 'potential match' analysis? No. Lets go with a Level 3 diagnostic on internal operational systems. Standby. Ready the scatter cushion approach.

2008-07-13T20:20:00.001+02:00

Narrative;

Having run aground on a sandbank and had our bubble burst by an over-reaction, I saw a forecast of little but troubled skies ahead, so I had a change of heart and I adjusted course and heading accordingly.
Clear.

Soundtrack;

10 ACCESS SOUNDTRACK METAPHOR
20 LOAD BORROWED LYRIC PLAYBACK
30 RUN

Me and my monkey
Drove in search of the sun
Me and my monkey
We don't wanna kill no Mexican
But we got ten itchy fingers
One thing to declare
When the monkey is high
You do not stare
You do not stare
You do not stare

(me & my monkey c/o mr r williams- it's a sorta Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas storysong)

Plot Device;

For my next trick I am (apparently) going to get into cricket. PianoMan says i'm in good hands.

That is all.
Your milage may vary, of course.

My Flickr Explored Pics

2008-07-08T14:26:00.001+02:00

My Explored Pics
Originally uploaded by paintMonkey

1. innrLands Bluescape_lo, 2. rev_dino-monkey safari - canal trek 1b_lo, 3. montpellier breakfast_lo, 4. InnrLands daydream_lo, 5. tankGirl's shoulders turned the same pink as the pink champagne we drank., 6. selected view from epac_island video in video, 7. scatter cushion approach_or_ the scene repeating itself_02_lo, 8. wave of life at 4am,

9. a monday in the life_home again_lo, 10. a monday in the life_half hour for lunch 1_lo, 11. variable views from never changing scenery_lo, 12. annoyed by my own compulsive and self destructive nature, 13. Railway station, 14. night lights, 15. my favourite flower, 16. pie, two pots of tea and a conversation about childish childhood friends,

17. zorki 4K and flash, 18. wt 0415 hrs, 19. 16 and 14 finkle st, 20. finkle st, 21. the synchronicity behind deciding to sit outside, some orange juice flavoured shortbread and the changing of plans..., 22. tired from learning to ride her bike, we stopped to eat a mars bar, check the tamogatchi and take a rest., 23. Bill, 24. mini miniture,

25. i regretted not going out in a jumper and i arranged to meet mum in cafe rouge, 26. my coffee addiction and her tamagotchi care trance syndrome, 27. cess only, 28. test sketch, 29. kyle played with his new blackberry whilst we drank the famous black stuff in a blues bar, 30. iron man, 31. VENICE KINDA, 32. a surprise text, an old hunched lady and a huge mug of earl grey, hot.,

33. i kept telling Geoff the Stormtrooper, but he wouldn't listen., 34. land[ing]scape, 35. as far east as i can be bothered to go today, 36. momentarily trapped and relocated against my will, 37. my nana and me, 38. ccess only, 39. I Sometimes Pretend to be The Captain of a Starship, 40. return too,

41. greenwoodlandscape, 42. 18b livingroom, 43. bend in road

the record stood at 6 for the duration...

2008-07-08T12:20:00.003+02:00

the record stood at 6 for the duration_lo
Originally uploaded by paintMonkey

bog blog.

...as is my thing, i took some photos of the porta-loo at Thornborough Festival this weekend. We had a game in play that Jamie introduced. The record stood at 6, that is all you need to know.
As good as it was to get away for a couple of days, the weekend was, well, damp in various ways, not quite the relaxing get-a-way i was hoping for, returned home without the residual glow of warm fluffy content that i came back with last year. It was good, as always to spend time with my nearest and dearest, but I felt out of sync, damp, scabby and dirty, and i'm not just talking about the rain that blighted Saturday and Sunday, i'm talking about getting uneccessarily irritated by arsey pettiness... pah. its not important, its just one of my turns i guess. i actually enjoyed it, just not as much as last year. i think i missed my Moo.
Next year will be brilliant.

mind the gap.
that is all.

Saturday morning micro blog. (micro-blogging? Did he say micro-blogging?)

2008-06-28T13:19:00.001+02:00

Whilst i'm waiting for the ginger bloke to have his "2 on the back and sides and short on top", I though i'd do this. He's finisshed now.

*Batteries not included

2008-06-28T10:44:00.001+02:00

Team Meeting notes

2008-06-27T20:15:00.001+02:00

parking fail

2008-06-27T11:28:00.001+02:00

not actually THAT exciting but it added a giggle to the few of us in the office today. the guy whose car it was, later came to the carpark and did indeed actually hold the bridge of his nose and shake his head....

Team Meeting notes

2008-06-27T09:23:00.001+02:00

after lunch

2008-06-26T15:15:00.001+02:00

Team Meeting notes

2008-06-26T14:02:00.001+02:00

Thursday train through St.Arbeck.

2008-06-26T09:35:00.001+02:00

Mind the gap.

Blumdi blengdi Blop. Ah, hands free too.

2008-06-25T22:38:00.001+02:00

fall&rizeoveSDK

2008-06-25T11:34:00.001+02:00

fall&rizeoveSDK_lo
Originally uploaded by paintMonkey

ah, yes, right then. The picture is a montage of a two piece, or diptich which i have just completed. i'm quite chuffed with it and so is, apparently Mr & Mrs VT who commissioned it/them.

i was sitting, staring at them this morning whilst i waited for the train (having overslept), there may be a couple of tweeks left to do, mute one or two of the colour blocks and add some detail to a couple of bits, but nothing major. I'm itching to start another now.

there are other bits n bobs i could blog about today [insert moan and whinge about insecurities and rubbish here], but i seem to have snagged my hull against another Misappropraition Error...and i should really do some work as i was late in this morning.

In the mean time, here is some music....

stan getz : "the girl from Ipanina"

Micro blogging

2008-06-19T09:28:00.001+02:00

rizeovSDK detail

2008-06-18T11:46:00.001+02:00

rizeovSDK detail01_lo
Originally uploaded by paintMonkey

fallovSDK detail

2008-06-17T10:54:00.001+02:00

fallovSDK detail
Originally uploaded by paintMonkey

a little detail from one of the new paintings i'm doing

My ex smirked and pointed out that I now seemed to be backPeddling. She was, of course, right.

2008-06-16T15:42:00.001+02:00

My monday, and therefore my week began with pastrami smelling little girl vomit on my bathroom floor just inches away from the toilet. None of the vomit made it to the toilet needless to say. Which was nice.
Today is a 'teacher training day', one of those days where the teachers at my daughter's school get paid for not actually teaching. As a result I have had to take the day off work, unpaid, to take care of my daughter and her 'little sister' friend Tü. I used to teach myself, and i'm pretty sure that I loved training days, but now that i'm on the other side of that particular fence, it absolutely annoys me. Its only two weeks since they had a weeks holiday for half-term. Couldn't they have done their training then? No. That would be unreasonable sillyness wouldn't it. Instead, they get a long w/e, both the friday and monday at mine and my ex's expense. Bloody teachers.
So now I sit on a bench in the gardens of Knaresborough House, watching Moo and Tü run up and down the terracing and exploring the bushes, and leaving presents for the faeries. Moo loves her new flip flops (pictured) so much she has taken them off to protect them from wear and tear.

Friday night I had a visit at Chambers from Eddie and Laynie, we jibbered the way we do as usual, they left at about 1am. I had 'one last bifta' and thought I would just do a bit to a painting that had been bugging me - only twenty minutes work at the most, I told myself...four hours later as the sun broke through the gap in my curtains, I have to say I was happier with the painting but I was really quite tired saturday. I had prepped an activity table and some breakfast for Moo before I collapsed in my nest so that I could sleep for a while. Fortunately, after taking the girls to tap on saturday morning, B came to the rescue and babysat for a couple of hours whilst I went for an afternoon power nap. Gawd bless B.

We all missed the bedrace in knaresborough. I wasn't bothered, but I think moo was disappointed.

Sunday was father's day, Moo painted me a picture and we decided we would 'deep clean' Chambers together. A wee bit ambitious in hindsight. We didn't any further than her bedroom. Rearranging and tidying...she has a million toys, most of which havn't seen the light of day for months, if not years. I finally found a use for the sony surround sound system i've held onto for about three years. Moo now has half a dozen speakers dotted around her room. The sound quality is surprisingly good. Wish I thought of that for my nest now...

And that brings us up to today... Tomorrow i'm back with the new job. Its busy and over time a potentially a heavy workload. Hope it sticks for a bit.

Please remain seated until the vehicle has come to a complete stop.

Those distant alarms bells are closer and louder now. The sounds I hadn't heard before which were distracting me are being drowned out now. Standby.

I'm not just a timelord...

Mind the gap.

Quantumplate V.t./I. Quantumplation .n.

2008-06-08T22:03:00.002+02:00

Dear Oxford English Dictionary.
Ahh. Here's a brilliant new word: quantumplate. Obviously quantumplated, quantumplating and quantumplative are the derivative verbs and adverbs. Use it wisely. Possibly whilst watching or thinking about doctor who or some other relevant and engaging sci-fi. And art, it could apply to that. I'll look into that. It could also apply to sports. But I don't know about that.

Yours sincerely
paintMonkey

Cc: DragonDrop, AlexKeys, eddie. Rev_dino, Collins Dictionary, Rogets Theasuarus, depublishing.

Cont...

2008-06-07T20:02:00.001+02:00

I have found a quiet corner at dd centraal to charge the pda thingymajig, the fleet of children (moo not included,it's a P weekend) are happy and loud, their piercing screams of joy are slicing through my fogg'd headspace... The bottle of SuperBock by my side will help...
So, the Blm bng song;
A few years ago I realised, to my embarrassment, that I was PeeShy. It's an affliction and curse of man. The inability to pee, no matter how full the bladder, when stood at a public urinal. Most uncomfortable when, having queued for twenty minutes in some student dive of a pub to squeeze into the space between two lagered up lads, to find a blockage in the relevant area...spending tense minutes looking anywhere except at either lad either side or one's own man bits.
My mad father once told me, when I was about ten, that the answer to the (at the time unidentified problem) was to whistle. A very old school attitude from back in the days when men whistled and wore hats. Needless to say it never worked for me. The obvious answer is, of course, to only use the cubicle, something I have hinted at before in this blog and my default when confronted with the 'need a wee' situation. But that is not always an option.
I was once a student. As a student our default drinking hole was The Blessington Carriage in Derby. It was on one of these student binges in said pub that I chanced upon the answer. Well, an answer. Words that begin with 'B'. As I told myself where I was and what I was doing; "I'm in The Blessington Carriage and drinking beer", the force did flow at the sound of the 'B'. Brilliant, I thought. Since then it has become my ritual, even if perhaps it is not entirely necessary, when out at a pub, at a friend's (like today) or even at home on my own. It's a fun bit of alliteration to play with. My particular favOUrite is " Brian Blessed buys beer from birmingham to bring to bouncers at a bar on Buellah St" ( I need a wee just typing it), there are other variations, but i'll leave those to your imagination.
Anyway. The point is, that after what must be ten or twelve years of this little internal game of mine, I realised last night that when too drunk to bother with stringing 'B' words together coherently, I can just mumbleSing the Blm Bng song instead. It achieves the same result. The words are just that; ' blm dee bng dee boo baa dii bumm".

That is all for now. Mind the gap between urinals, aim for the drain and/or blue smelly things. Good luck.
May the force be with you.

Steady away, headspace, the blm bng song and the finer things in life.

2008-06-07T15:07:00.001+02:00

Sitting on the step outside the Blues, the rest of the world bustling by on their way to here, there and nowhere. I'm a bit wobbly after last night's gathering at FirstLife HQ, where, i'd like to add, the MonkeyWeasel Partnership reigned supreme in the games played and Eirene wrote a lovely poem for eddie and laynie...
Its been a busy off-week really. I started a couple of new paintings which fired me up and helped to internally justify my existence, took a trip to The Shed with a Bernie and possibly laid some tracks for future involvement with Anima Mundi. Thursday, the rev_dino and I took an away mission to the barge, fantastic. I've decided that I want one. Last night was the afore mentioned and tonight it's a fire bin bbq at DragonDrop Centraal. All good stuff.

Monday I start back at the PCT, for a week at least.

tankGirl and I are off to buy a scrabble board now. Will continue this later.... Mind the gap.

Microblog addendum.

2008-06-04T14:13:00.001+02:00

1309 hrs. I bought myself a funky retro digital watch from t'market.

FW: A saturday/sunday club at Camp Moonie

2008-06-03T01:20:00.001+02:00

Ah. There you are. I was looking for you...

I 've been doing stuff and things, seeing various people at points in spaceTime and spending some downTime with my unread book pile. Went to see Indiana Jones 4 on saturday. That was expensive. But the film was excellent, we then went to Camp Moonie for dinner and sleep over, which was fun.

That's it really.

Billy, my big fish is currently confused by the perspex shelf I have installed in the fish tank, if I was stoned and feeling poetic, i'd probably make a comparison to the metaphorical perspex shelf that has appeared in my existential tank...but i'm not feeling poetic and i'm not stoned. Maybe i'll dribble on about that another time. I am however feeling irritable, tired and hoping my daughter has finally gone to sleep (its almost midnight now), she is having problems getting to sleep at the moment and that has various knock on effects and consequences...

I'm keen to get on with stuff, a bit frustrated by having had four months of non-creative job roles (not to mention being all loved-up for the last 9 weeks, that has been a wonderful distraction but to be honest, a creative killer). Need to paint to justify my own existence and earn some pocket money. Hopefully i'll find time this week, it is sketchbook season afterall...

TankGirl saw the gap and minded it. Clever tankGirl.

That's all for now. Move along...move along... Nothing to see here.