JustPickOneUK

 Its a very curious thing having a website. You'd think one of the biggest issues would be updating it regularly or preventing the information from getting into the wrong hands. But when I got an email this morning I was shocked to see one of the reasons my website wasn't being seen or not doing as well as it could on Google Search.  I am being "Blocked by Robots". Now, I don't know what to do with this information. I am very much an end user. I know what is working when it works and clueless when it doesn't. I am the type to get frustrated with computers when they tell me to do something to fix a problem and it still doesn't work.  The following my or may not be inspired by recent events: "I've added paper to the printer, I have updated the drivers, I have connected it to the WiFi, I have checked the cartridges and checked for blockages, just print my one page form so I can sign it and send it off...................."cannot locate printer...

  Well its official the blog has had over 10000 views. I suspect most of them are bots given the locations of the supposed people reading the page but I don't care right now as 10000 is a big number.  I was wondering why does reaching round numbers mean so much. 9999 is a sizable amount of people and yet its not 10000 is it? Why does the human brain function better with finality? I don't have an answer and I expect there is a lovely rabbit hole I could dive down but I don't care enough about that right now as all I am choosing to concentrate on it that I have had 10000 views on the blog!  When I started this blog as a way of getting thoughts out of my brain rather than having them sit there stewing in a melting pot of other randomness I didn't really think it would get this far. The blog then morphed into a YouTube channel which took over most of my capacity. But I love that it is still here as there are times when just writing things out as I think them feels right in ...

 I had the pleasure of attending an event at Bournemouth University yesterday which was celebrating 100 years since John Logie Baird demonstrating his first television and considering what is in store for the next 100 years. The speakers were all very eloquent and gave different perspectives based on their experience with leading production companies, advertising and even the BBC.  Discussions varied from the introduction of the TV itself, how the position TV holds in society has risen and changed, how YouTube, TikTok and others have affected viewing styles and figures and that in the end TV is here to stay (at least for now). Here is the link to the full conversation  https://www.youtube.com/live/3Fbxy7gk-gs?si=GMLHxKmCEQMSEtfO   After the event we had the chance to speak to the speakers but I wanted to make sure the students got the chance first and so I took a look at the cameras they have at their disposal to train on. I was considering the expertise the students...

Rejection can come in many forms and from many places. I used to deal with rejection in a very internalised way. I failed. I am not good enough. What’s wrong with me? Why don’t they want me? Why wasn’t I chosen?  But not anymore. I am choosing to think differently about rejection.  I’m currently sitting in a coffee shop waiting for anyone to show up to the meet up I have arranged for local creatives. I had interest on Facebook and tickets were “purchased” (its a free event) from several people - but no-one is here. We are over an hour into a 2 hour meet up and every ticket is a no-show.  If this was a couple of years ago I would have gone into the downward spiral of feeling like a failure. But not any more. I am using this opportunity. I’ve brought my laptop and my headphones, listening to the K-POP Demon Hunters soundtrack and getting on with writing a blog post instead. I’m utilising the time I would have spent on meeting others by benefitting myself.  I am going t...

I disembarked MSC Poesia following an October half term cruise around northern European cities.  I booked this cruise with only a few weeks to go with my family staying in 2 balcony cabins and the cost for 7 days was £724 per person. Not bad at all!  We parked up with ABP parking outside the terminal (well worth the money as transport to the ship would have cost us about the same and far less convenient) and it was seamless. Checked in - again seamless, there was no-one else around at the time we checked in. So within 10 minutes of parking the car we were on board and our rooms were ready on arrival. Perfect for us to drop our hand luggage and get ready for the muster drill.  We had adjoining cabins and it was nice to see that the door between the cabins was locked on arrival as a lot of the time people who are not booked together will use these cabins. One call to reception and we had a cabin steward unlock it for us and it remained unlocked for the duration of our cruis...

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to sleep on a train? No I don't mean passing out in a carriage surrounded by other passengers when having a panic when you woke up with a dribble of drool coming out of your mouth as you try very quickly to discover if you are still in time for your stop or if you have to get off at the next available one and do a double back ride of shame..... I mean sleep in a small room all to yourself like in the Agatha Christie novel Murder on the Orient Express. Well I have.......minus the murdering.  I thought about it enough to make it my number 33 on my 40Before40 list. I was thinking about doing the London to Edinburgh journey because London is easy to get to from the South Coast of England where I live and I can fly back to a close enough airport to get home again, so it sounded like a win win.  But considering the cost of doing all of that, London and Edinburgh didn't quite seem exotic enough. So when the chance came to have some time to...