Captain's Blog

Another week.

2010-03-19T16:33:00.001Z

Well, another week almost over.

It's been a strange one for sure. Feel like a lot of things could have gone better and yet I am still feeing optimistic. It's frustrating when students don't go as fast as you would like and seem not to understand the time left and how much they have to do.

Archery tonight. Quite looking forwards to it as my shoulder is feeling much better. It's odd because I should be feeling tired, everyone else is. My colleagues have gone to the pub for a quick pint which they haven;t done in well... years if ever. I would have gone but I have to pick up the Mrs and get to Archery early tonight.

Easter rushes towards us and all I can hope is that I can get my students thorugh everything they need to do. I'll drag em kicking and screaming if I have to.

I love teaching.

Six months!

2010-03-04T12:00:00.004Z

Well the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. One post in September 09, and now here’s another in March 10. So what’s been happening? I have been doing a lot of artwork. My London Art college course is almost over and I feel like I’ve learned a lot. To put it in perspective, last year my art was like this:

The last piece I did was this:

I hope it’s not just me who can see a big improvement.
It’s been a great time learning more about the craft of drawing. I am definitely going to keep things going.
In other life is generally pretty good though it’s interesting to note the gradual deterioration of my bodily systems. Every year seems to bring a new ache in a new joint. Arthritis is definitely going to figure prominently in my future, though with my family history that’s not a big surprise.
I have been doing more writing. One of the big events of last year was completing NanoWrimo (http://www.nanowrimo.org) I managed to bash out over 50,000 words in 30 days and was really chuffed. It’s a fun novella I have written and I like it a lot, though it’s now going to need a heavy duty going over to make it into something readable to anyone other than me. Watch this space.
Well, it’s nearly lunchtime and Thursdays are incredibly busy days so I must gran the chance to get some real food.
I’ll try and come back in something less than 6 months time.
Ciao.

A beginning

2009-09-22T10:17:00.001+01:00

Picture if you will the dawn of the world. Mists roll across the primordial ooze as the infant sun’s radiation energises the simple chains of protein with the stirrings of something new, something magical. The first true life form. A simple unicellular entity devoid of intelligence or emotion (A bit like Zac).
Time passes, cells divide and divide again, the process repeating in an endless cycle of renewal and evolutionary development. Some cells are better at absorbing the sun’s energy, these prosper more quickly outstripping the old guard and dominating the gene pool.
More time passes and now the antediluvian waters are a seething morass of life. microbes, nemotodal worms and the first small fish forms develop, some prey on smaller vegetative strands, some prey on each other.
Still more time and the world is awash with life. The smartest and highest life forms have crawled their way sluggishly to land, abandoning gills and fins for lungs and legs.
And then came the dinosaurs… striding across the land for several hundred millions of years. Their rule seemingly immortal. But all things must end, and their reign over the earth ends in heat and pain and searing death.

The mammals take over, small, furtive scurrying things. They quickly ascend to dominance and, in just a few short eons they step out with two legs, tools and language and man takes his place as pre-eminent life-form on the planet.
And now, there is me!