The little time that I have to write a blog post.

I believe that one of the many uses of writing is to reflect, to vent things that went well and vent things that didn't go well. I have written this piece honestly as a reflection of my time at university. Well it's almost the end of the year for my university and the end of an era (and not long before I have the essay in front of me finished). It is time for me to step out into the world and enjoy a good life, away from all of the formalities of education. It has been a long ride, a right old goodun.
But what about the questions?....

Have I improved as a writer?....

The answer is yes. I have a greater passion for writing than I had before starting. I have learnt the ins and outs of the business, of the simple joys of expressing yourself, of creating work that have hopefully benefitted people that have read it.

Have I become a better person?...
I have grown thicker skin. I have come to the understanding that not everyone will understand you.

Have I met good friends?...
Of course. I have met friends that I wish to stay friends with for the rest of my life. I have interacted with a lot of people and found amazing people who have enriched my life.

Would I do it all again?...
It was good and all but......nope.

Favourite moments?......
Well there are many. Too many to count.

Life is good. I love life.
Over and Out.
ED.

Hast thou a hat?

I have recently logged into my old youtube account and found this, a video that I made when I was messing around after getting a webcam during my first year of university. Here...is...that...video.




Over and Out.
ED

The Tarot and the Thief.

Most people that I ask have said that they play video games in their spare time or watch tv, which I do but I decided that I wanted to do something mystical, gain a skill or read more books than I do. I came to the decision that I would learn how to read the Tarot after buying a set from the Waterstones Store in Derby where I go to university. The cards were beautiful, the pictures were amazing. I could even recognise some of the symbols on the cards. I typed Tarot card reading into youtube and the first video I came across was one person who said that they had been learning about Tarot for about five years and they still considered themselves to be a beginner... frickin' icky thump mate.
I returned home for the weekend and my mum happened to have a book on Tarot cards that she had got from a friend which she gave to me to look at. Tarot card reading is incredibly complex. Not only do you have to learn the meanings of the cards but there is a whole universe of information that you have to know.
One thing that surprised me most is that the book said that if the person you are giving a reading to is forty then you have to change the reading slighty...so why are forty year olds different to the other ages. What's with the discrimination?
There are four suits in Tarot cards; cups, wands, pentacles and swords. There are also cards called higher arcana. If you draw four kings in one reading then you have to adapt the reading slightly...bla bla bla...there is loads to learn.
BUT
I WILL learn the Tarot because not many people nowadays know how to do it and it's pretty fun so far. It looks like you need quite some skills to do a reading but the day will come when I will be able to do it.
Oh yeah and the reason that I am posting the picture below is because it looks cool...slightly mystical

Ramble on.
Over and Out.
ED

P.S--- I do not necessarily hold a personal belief in Tarot but in the words of someone I recently interviewed for my dissertation,

'There are many forms of storytelling, there are very many varied ways to reflect on oneself, through identifying with characters in books or through using symbols. The mystical is looking into the complex, organic world of yourself.'

Proof of my Gypsy Ancestry (In Bullet Points)

• My Mum has curly black hair and has tanned skin even when it is winter. My Grandpa also had black hair and tanned easily...pretty Romani if you ask me.
• During the weekend I was given a charm by my mother who said the trick was to rub it in order to get luck...
• When my Mum and Dad were going out before they were married my Dad would stay at the Pick house for the weekend (Pick was my mothers maiden name). My Grandad made a traditional meal from the remnants of the Sunday meal, making all the left overs into a stew. Guess what the stew was called....yep.....it was called Jippo.
• My grandmother told me about gypsies that live near to the house where she lives.
• My Dad was working in his office one day when an actual gypsy came in and asked to read his fortune. I can't remember the whole story but she said that my Dad would live until he was ninety two.....coincidence...well yes but I just wanted to mention it.
• The Pick family attraction to the mystical. There are certain traits like putting 20 pences under Buddha statuettes to get good luck, having a general interest in the mystical type things.
• My uncle travelling around in a canal boat, going around the country.
• Uh...I like gypsies.

One day I am going to look at both sides of the family properly. I bet you I will find gypsy blood somewhere. The evidence is out there.


Over and Out.
ED

Why I love Leicester.

There are many people that talk about how terrible their home town or city is.
"It's too full of chavs" they say or pardon the language...
"It's a sh** hole...it's not like some other cities that I've seen."

I returned to Leicester after months of living in Derby. I took the skylink bus from Derby Bus Station right into my village Birstall (and yes I love public transport also, it's a great place to meditate on things, listen to music or read.)
I passed through Loughborough, with it's market, it's Rileys, it's McDonalds and Argos. I knew where everything was from the Comic Book Shop, where the old music shop was (it closed down), where the book shop is and the small Vue cinema which holds so many teenage memories for me. People may complain about Loughborough but I have an adoration for it and I love it even more because it has it's imperfections.
We travelled on to Leicester. I looked down the road to where my Nan lives in Syston (it was her birthday also yesterday, she was ninety years old, still as bright as a button. Happy Birthday Nannie). Leicester is one of the best places in the country. There are so many brilliant places to go to, to be, so many great scenes that you can be a part of.
I love you Leicester and whatever anyone says about you, you are always going to be very special to me.
My brother, Tom opened the door of he house, gave a 'hey bro' hug and spoke to each other. It was not long before my Mum got back from work. She gave me a hug and a tea to boot.
Leicester Pride...although Derby has a good music scene...and by good I mean that not only is the scene good but the music is also of good taste Leicester gave birth to so many brilliant people...and the clock tower is amazng........sooooooooo...
Happy life living.
Over and Out.
ED.

Why do some people try to make life harder?

I am in my third year at Derby University as many of my readers know. I have to write an Independent Studies Project about the psychological benefits of storytelling. This project needs interviews, questionnaires, email questions and book research.
Recently I was looking up a popular therapeutic practice called Narrative Therapy for this project. Narrative therapy uses stories to help people create meaning. For example narrative therapy may use storytelling on a troubled youngster in order to help them to change their ways. I was reading on the subject and I came across the 'Narrative Processes Coding System.' I was intrigued as this information will help me no end in my project. This is what the book said what the NPCS was...and I quote,

" a transtheorteical heuristic developed for empirical exploration of the narrative processing strategies engaged in by both the client and the therapist in the facilitation of client self- change in the therapy hour."

Really........I mean really. Can you please tone down on the academic language? I'm no idiot but when I first read that it went completely over my head. I need to buy one of those books, Narrative Therapies for Dummies or something...at least put a definition of what the hell an NPCS is please for non- expert blokes like myself.
Jeez Louise.

Over and Out.
ED

A Gig to Remember.

After a day of doing work at the library at Derby uni I set off to the accomodation of my friend and companion for the night, Kiran. Kiran had never been to the undeniable thrill of a metal gig before and I was very willing to show him what he was missing.
We entered the doorway of the Redemption Club just as the first band was doing sound checks. I looked out at the crowd and saw a mass of leather, denim jackets with bands patches sown on and band t- shirts...and long hair. This was going to be one loud night.
I was fans of two of the bands that were playing but wanted to check out the others also. All of these bands were known throughout the metal underground so it was really exciting to see them. We stood there with our drinks as the first band started. They were a band from Sweden and they rocked the kasbah. They were so good that I went to the band stall and bought their first released CD.
Four bands performed altogether. One of the bands were 'Mesopotamian Metal' and had come all the way from Jerusalem to play. I was pretty sure that the guitar and the lead vocalist pointed at me...it must have been because I was just amazing at doing random burst of headbanging... which I don' recommend doing for long periods of time.
I was talking to Kiran before the gig and he said that most of the time he listens to punk and other types of rock. He said he had never really been in to metal. Well Kiran I hope that I have converted you. Metal makes you feel excited and makes you want to jump about...and yes it is meant for both genders, there were plenty of metal chicks at the gig, a lot of them rocking about to the same degree as the males.
I recommend metal to everyone. It's gratifying, theatrical and it gives you the chance to mess about when you can't most of the time in normal life.\m/


\m/ Hail to the Metal! Raise your hands and make the sign of the horns with your two fingers! \m/
 
Over and Out.
ED