Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Snowman

Just loved this picture I took.
Took it in wales.


Sunday, January 29, 2006

Done and Dusted

Well the curtain came down on Oklahoma on Saturday night (and also did it for 2.30pm show as well). Its been a fantastic thing to do and something I will certainly being doing more of now (subject to approval by emma). Met some great people and hopefully made some new friends that will keep in contact with. Its been great performing in front of a total audience of around 9,000 for the week (approx 1300 per night)

I have ordered a CD with tonnes of photgraphs from the show. I am hoping to get that soon.

The next show kicks off rehearsing in September and is 42nd Street. Songs you're bound to have heard from that are "Im in the money", "Lullaby of broadway" and others.

I am also singing with the group at the Norwich POPS concert at St Andrews Hall, 19th February. I will post more details about that later.

Big thanks to all those that came and supported me it was very much appreciated.

Thursday, January 26, 2006

Appreciation

Sorry - its going to be Oklahoma focused - and if you're bored with that, then tough :-)

Tonight (wed) is midweek and there was some great reviews in the EDP and the Evening News should people read them. Each night I am feeling more confident with the people around me, making new friends and generally feeling accepted.

My mother in laws comments tonight was that i was a dark horse in terms of my acting ability. Yes, I can sing and yes, I am musical, but few people have seen me act since I have been down south - so that was incredibly encouraging. Oklahoma is not a dramatic piece but it affords me opportunities at times to do some acting.

That aside I am so grateful and pleased with the people I have met. There is a bunch of people, specifically one or two, that make it such a pleasure to be working with them. Its a warming feeling thinking that you have found some new friends - its great.

Saturday, January 21, 2006

Oklahoma Update!

Well into the final leg of a home run as you might say.

Friday night saw a full dress rehearsal (no really, it was to check costumes). The difference really though was that since September we have been rehearsing with Piano music. On the Friday night saw a rehearsal with a 25 piece Orchestra (26 including Geoff Davidson conducting). http://www.norwichpops.co.uk/ (Select about).

(PS - as an aside - I will be singing with Norwich POPs on Feb 19th at St Andrews hall, details are on this website. We are singing my fav musical, West Side Story. For those who are not aware, West Side Story is a modern day romeo and Juliet).

Friday was the first start of butterfly's in the stomach of months of rehearsing coming together. Tommorow (Sunday) we rehearse twice, once for technical reasons so the crew can have a go, and then in the evening so we can rehearse in the theatre itself for the full show.

On another note - (pun pun) I was told I was going to be giving a proper stage microphone. I have never had one of them before and again is another ambition I am completing. I have always wanted to wear one.

Sorry - this post is me getting excited - I struggled to sleep last night. Howay the lads (n lasses)

Friday, January 20, 2006

Autopsy

I wondered if anybody had been watching the Life and Death programmes on Channel 4. Synopsis is that they are discussing all aspects of death, how it occurs and what it really looks like.

No - really - what it really looks like.

Here is a link - there is nothing bad appearing on the link but you can watch the programmes online should you wish. WARNING - its graphic.

http://www.channel4.com/science/microsites/A/autopsy/index.html

The guy in question, a Dr Gunther, and his mates use live (or dead) corpses to demonstrate how death occurs in bodies.

Firstly let me say up front I think its great. The people all are volunteers before they died and new what would be happening to them. I think its great because its an education lesson that you never get to see anywhere. For example - they showed how coronary heart failure occurs by demonstration using the dead persons heart.

But I guess the reason for the post is I wondered if people had any issues with it. Emma seems to think its immoral and disrespectful. I completley disagree with her but since I am a nice hubby I refuse to watch it in her presence. I simply see it as hard core education.

Mind you - I can't eat watching it.

Photo Website

Found this website as a link of Chromasia

http://www.johnwashington.co.uk/index.php?x=browse

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Weight Watchers - Week 1

This week after all my efforts:

Loss of 4lb at Weight watchers.

I am also doing a fat boys club (along with Andy who posted earlier).
This involves paying ten pounds each. The winner has to then take everyone out for a meal at lunch time and keeps the dosh.

On that I lost 4 Kilo.

Wahoo.........

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

Oklahoma ! Update

Well time is drawing nigh and the show will soon be here.
In reality things started to ramp up tonight as I am rehearsing tonight, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

I get a break on Saturday night as we are out at the "Drop in the Ocean II" event in Norwich.

Sunday then see's us officially rehearse at the Theatre Royal. For some of the people in the cast this will be just another show I am sure - for me its a return to my roots. I haven't done any sort of performing like this since I was 15 / 16 so I am going to really treasure Sunday and the following week.

More information can be found here on the show (which has started to sell out on some nights) - http://www.theatre-royal-norwich.co.uk/site.php?action=display_show&showID=196

If your going, the show I reckon will finish around 9.45/9.50 and once I have cleaned up and changed I will be going for a beer at the bar afterwards. Do hang around for a beer and say hi.

Monday, January 16, 2006

Cold Mountain

Watched Cold Mountain tonight, great film and is worth getting out on DVD ( alternatively its also on Sky Movies at the moment).

One line that stuck out for me was this:

"If you fighting, come home, if your marching, come home. This is MY request, come home".

In our Christian walk, irrespective of weather we are fighting against the Lord, or Marching with the Lord - the request, never a demand, is to come home.

Saturday, January 14, 2006

Trains

Trains…..

Two things have surprised me today (Friday) about trains. The first was that I had to catch a train to Bedford which is not too far away as the crow fly’s. I always have the option of train or hire car whenever I am going somewhere on business, I could have even caught a train the night before and stayed in a hotel. In the end I thought I would do a long day to accrue the hours and catch the train.

The first thing that surprised me was the cost. I know you can get cheaper tickets earlier, but £100 for a day return to Bedford is stunning. I went via London but there appeared little other choice apart from the car or some long convoluted journey around East Anglia. Price just shocked me really.

The second thing that surprised me was Kings Cross St Pancras. I had always assumed that Kings Cross and St Pancras were one in the same. I learned to my surprise it isn’t. St Pancras serves the Midland Mainline services to the likes of Derby, Nottingham, where are I know Kings Cross server the Great Eastern route up to Edinburgh and beyond.

An interesting day all round then – knackered – but interesting.

Diet Progress

Well the diet started on Thursday and has been fine since. Although on Wednesday when I had my blow out I suffered terrible indigestion through the evening and got very little sleep. The problem is gastric reflux I believe which in itself is not pleasant, but is the source of bad asthma attacks that render me exhausted. I can usually self control it via indigestion items like Gaviscon, but the real treatment is the amount I eat and when I eat. Still, doing something about that right now.

So Thursday I ended up calling in sick for the morning, getting up late and dashing to a meeting to Ipswich, which meant I had to have a very quick breaky in the morning. Nonetheless at the end of the day I was under my points allowance for the day and have even managed to save a couple just in case. Today, Friday is a lot better although I had to be up at 5am to catch a train to Bedford. I managed to have some weetabix but I don’t know what the cost in terms of points allowance was as I didn’t weigh them. I am sure I will be fine though.

So – good start, onwards and thinwards…….

PS - something I tried tonight. Onken low fat standard yoghurt (48 calories / 0.1g saturated fat per 100ml, 500 ml tub). Empty it in a bowl, get a couple of limes and squeeze the juice out of them. Add some sweetner - lovely. And on weight watchers only 2.5 points.

Thursday, January 12, 2006

Weight Watchers DDAY (Diet Day)

Well here we are.
I have been and registered with Weight Watchers and have the card to prove it.

I was painfully aware from about two weeks before Christmas that I was gaining weight rather quickly. However when Emma found out she was pregnant I said to her that after Christmas I would start going and now I am. So I was expecting my weight to be high anyway.

The result was - 20 Stone on the dot.

Absolutley no surprise there mind. I was expecting it. So I am not depressed, not happy about the weight but happy in heart. Tommorow morning see's the beginning.

I will try and comment each day on what I am eating and if things have been positive or negative.

As an aside tonight I decided I would have my own little end of non-diet feast as tommorow is the big push (heavy push) over the top. I had:

Pepperoni Pizza and Chiabatta Garlic Bread.
Ben & Jerry's Caramel Chew Chew Ice Cream (lovely)
Green And Blacks Butterscotch Milk Chocolate (not for the faint hearted).
Haribo Starmix (shared with Emma).
Two bottles of Peroni (best lager in the world)
Bottle of Sauvignon Blanc.

Hey how...... of we go.............

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

NCAP Crash Ratings

A piece of tv footage that has stood with me as an image for a long time was on TV this afternoon and it reminded me of it, and I thought I would mention it here.

It was a piece of footage on Fifth Gear. On here they had two Renault Espaces, one was brand new, the other was 9 years old. At an NCAP testing center they connected the two together to simulate a head on crash at 35mph. The purpose was to demonstrate how much safety standards in cars have improved over the years.

Off they went with crash test dummies inside, both going 35mph towards each other and the two ploughed in together (It wasn't dead head on but half and half). The result was clear that the new car was wrecked but everyone was ok, the older car was ruined with the crash test dummy driver being rated with no chance of survival.

Clearly this is not surprising, older car, less safe, newer car, more safe. But here is what struck me. It was not because the older car was less safe that the driver was killed, but because the newer car was stronger and firmer and just ripped apart the older car. For example, two bricks, one made of sandstone, the other made of redbrick. Smash the two together and the brick that is the brittler will break up - not because its week, but because the other is stronger.

Just a thought really - probably haven't explained it that well.

Monday, January 09, 2006

This week

This week sees me start in earnest to try and diet. I have never been thin, well, maybe when I was born, but I always struggle to keep weight off. As well as this my size is also testament to my love of food and my love of beer of all varieties. Both will need to be diminished greatly.

I guess my whole problem is self control and moderation. For some reason I always like being larger than life - so if I can drink 6 pints or eat 4 big macs, and funds and occasion allow, then I will. Not because I want to gorge on food but typically I cannot moderate my in take very well.

So, tommorow (Tuesday) is my last day before dieting. I am planning on joining Weight Watchers like Emma has done (and the same class) and attempting to follow it strictly by ensuring I measure, weigh and list down points. Where needs be I will also try and allow points for something special at a weekend.

I have been given two things as incentives to drive me on. The first is that I have started a camera fund from Christmas. I want to buy a good digital SLR but obviously they cost. So Emma is going to allow me £30 to add to my pot for every 7 pounds in weight I loose (plus adding any from my bonus which I might get in June). The second is that my mum has said that if I do well they will pay for a flight to New York for me this year, which is great.

So here goes - on Wednesday night I will share with you my weight (I am guessing about 19stone 13) but maybe more.


Champion

Wednesday, January 04, 2006

Dreams.........

For some reason I ended up watching Johnathon Ross Film 2006 tonight. On there was Woody Allen discussing his latest film called Match Point with Scarlett Johansson in (http://imdb.com/gallery/ss/0416320/MP35.jpg)

Anyway, Scarlett aside, something Woody (maybe if I have a boy I could call him Woody.... mmm.), sorry, taking ages to get to a serious point. Setting that all aside something he said reminded me of two points to discuss. The first was about dreams and the other was about luck (apparently the film hinges its direction on it).

In this posting I wanted to talk about dreams. Dreams that is in the sense of ambition, desire to do something, a fantasy etc etc. It struck me that I can list down loads of things I would like to do, like to achieve or accomplish year in year out, but never achieve them. It may not be even selfish, but be a dream that my mother and father are converted to Christ etc etc. There are other dreams that I believe are probably impossible (I would love to go and be an astronaut. However without my parents or myself winning enough money on the lottery that aint going to happen - but I guess, in reflection could be possible). In this post I am really thinking about dreams that could be more towards reality if we only prayed in earnest.

As the thought developed it struck me that I rarely share my dreams with God in prayer (albeit I need to pray more anyway). I rarely like a little child pester God in love and go on and on until at some point the Father says, "ok child here you are". I understand and appreciate that the caviat in praying for our dreams is the motive behind them. I know I could ask the Lord for a ferrari, why not, God is there and God is listening. I could probably even try and pray every day for it. I do however feel in my heart of hearts God would answer - "How does that benefit my kingdom?". At that point I don't have a valid answer. I do believe though we have things on our heart that we can make a reasonable judgement on weather its leading down a selfish path or not.

Lord, hear our prayer
Lord, dream our dreams into fullfilment
Lord, burn selfish ambition to dust and shine bright ideas of purpose.

Lord, hear our prayer
Lord, make us dreamers for your kingdom
Lord, clean our minds and hearts to make room for your things and your visions.

Lord, hear our prayer
Lord, when our bodies give in to tiredness
Lord, when our minds give in to selfish sin and wicked beliefs.

Lord, hear our prayer
Lord, weave your dreams into our conciousness
Lord, blend them into a single golden thread hanging from the gates of heaven.

In Your Mercy Lord, Hear Our Prayer.

Monday, January 02, 2006

Wales photo part 1

Here are some photos from my recent Wales Christmas trip.
There should be more but I sent a blank film to Boots - doh.....