An update
Right. Where to start?
Apart from my quick post the other day, I haven't posted since Christmas Eve and that feels like a lifetime ago. I'm not sure how long this update will be or whether it'll be anything more than just random ramblings and musings but here goes....
New Year was awesome. That also feels like a lifetime ago, not just over a month, but it was definitely worth the months of planning. Hopefully if Fletch decides to do another panto anytime soon he'll come a bit closer!
Since then I don't think there's been much of any great interest to be perfectly honest. My life consists of going down to the stables twice a day every day for up to about an hour each time, but apart from that I'm pretty much just bumming around the house on my own.
I did apply for a job in one of the local branches of my bank but didn't get further than the 54-question telephone questionnaire. It was one of those annoying multiple choice 'I strongly agree, I agree, I don't care, I disagree, I strongly disagree' ones so despite answering the questions honestly they probably weren't right for the job I was applying for.
One big positive though is that I had a brainwave about a career and 'why not?!' moment and have followed it through. This brainwave was to do with media production. I realised it made sense given that it allows me to be creative in a certain way, I'd be working as part of a team, I'd be responsible for organising and putting together programmes/shows/events and I've always been nosey when it comes to the 'behind the scenes' of anything. I sent a few emails to people, googled various things, followed internet links and found the School of Sound Recording in Manchester. This place does everything from weekend courses to full 3 year degrees in all aspects of sound. So stuff like, music technology, film and TV audio post-production, audio engineering techniques and technology, sound design...everything.
I read their online prospectus and liked what I saw. Unfortunately the open day was the following day which was a Saturday which meant I couldn't go because I had to be in synagogue in the morning, but I phoned them up and arranged to go and visit them for a private chat later in the week. I met with the Principal of the school and was then shown around all the studios by the Managing/Educational Director! Let's just say, seeing all those buttons and screens and slides on the mixing desks gave me very itchy fingers!
The result of that visit is that there is an 18 month/2 year course in Audio Engineering that would suit me perfectly. It starts right from the very basics of how sound works and the theory of sound, through to being able to work huge mixing desks in both studio and live environments. I can either choose to specialise in live sound or studio and post production sound which would make the course 18 months, or do both and study for 2 years. I don't have to choose now though because we get to try both during the early parts of the course so that we can make a decision later. The best bit is that it's only part time too - 6 hours of contact time a week - plus studio time. At first that'll only need to be a couple of hours or so a week because there won't be much we can do on the desks.
I asked about starting in March and the Principal said 'well we'd need you to enrol by about the 20th Feb'! Fine by me. The fact it's part time would also allow me to commute as and when necessary, either by car or train, and therefore stay at home to look after my horse/give me more time to find someone else to look after him for when I need to be in Manchester more often later in the course. Also if I started in March and found I couldn't cope with the commuting I could postpone until September and then re-start with no extra charges once I'd sorted myself out.
Besides how much the course costs (let's not go there) I can't think of any reason why I shouldn't go ahead with this. I can genuinely see myself working as a sound engineer in a theatre or freelance doing gigs and events so I want to see where it'll lead me. It'll give me plenty of job opportunities, a varied job, it's not 9-5 in an office, and I'll get to meet heaps of people and get a social life again! Something that is seriously lacking at the moment.
I'm excited about the possibilities even if my dad isn't convinced, and once I've sorted out re-claiming the tax I'm owed and cashed in some bonds that matured when I turned 21, I won't have to worry quite so much about the financial side of feeding myself, my horse and paying for the course.
In other news, my dad phones my every few days or so to see how I am but I haven't seen him since the beginning of December and probably won't see him until the end of this month at the earliest. It doesn't bother me, I guess this is what happens when you grow up, leave uni and leave home...except I'm the one living in the family home on my own.
I see my brother and his girlfriend every week though which is cool - I have to go over to Liverpool and ferry him back here to pick his car up from the garage now it's been fixed (the engine seized up last week) because his girlfriend's in work. There's lots of engagement and wedding talk too because she's dying for him to propose and he has a ring and everything but she guessed how he was going to propose so he's now trying to think of something different. I did suggest sticking to the original plan seeing as she now won't suspect it but ultimately it's up to him. All I know is that I get to give the best man's speech at the wedding *cackles evily*
Well, I'm not really sure what else I can update on at the moment. There may well be other things but they're not particularly big things and I think this update is long enough already.
If you got through all that...thank you!
I promise not to leave it so long before the next update.
Apart from my quick post the other day, I haven't posted since Christmas Eve and that feels like a lifetime ago. I'm not sure how long this update will be or whether it'll be anything more than just random ramblings and musings but here goes....
New Year was awesome. That also feels like a lifetime ago, not just over a month, but it was definitely worth the months of planning. Hopefully if Fletch decides to do another panto anytime soon he'll come a bit closer!
Since then I don't think there's been much of any great interest to be perfectly honest. My life consists of going down to the stables twice a day every day for up to about an hour each time, but apart from that I'm pretty much just bumming around the house on my own.
I did apply for a job in one of the local branches of my bank but didn't get further than the 54-question telephone questionnaire. It was one of those annoying multiple choice 'I strongly agree, I agree, I don't care, I disagree, I strongly disagree' ones so despite answering the questions honestly they probably weren't right for the job I was applying for.
One big positive though is that I had a brainwave about a career and 'why not?!' moment and have followed it through. This brainwave was to do with media production. I realised it made sense given that it allows me to be creative in a certain way, I'd be working as part of a team, I'd be responsible for organising and putting together programmes/shows/events and I've always been nosey when it comes to the 'behind the scenes' of anything. I sent a few emails to people, googled various things, followed internet links and found the School of Sound Recording in Manchester. This place does everything from weekend courses to full 3 year degrees in all aspects of sound. So stuff like, music technology, film and TV audio post-production, audio engineering techniques and technology, sound design...everything.
I read their online prospectus and liked what I saw. Unfortunately the open day was the following day which was a Saturday which meant I couldn't go because I had to be in synagogue in the morning, but I phoned them up and arranged to go and visit them for a private chat later in the week. I met with the Principal of the school and was then shown around all the studios by the Managing/Educational Director! Let's just say, seeing all those buttons and screens and slides on the mixing desks gave me very itchy fingers!
The result of that visit is that there is an 18 month/2 year course in Audio Engineering that would suit me perfectly. It starts right from the very basics of how sound works and the theory of sound, through to being able to work huge mixing desks in both studio and live environments. I can either choose to specialise in live sound or studio and post production sound which would make the course 18 months, or do both and study for 2 years. I don't have to choose now though because we get to try both during the early parts of the course so that we can make a decision later. The best bit is that it's only part time too - 6 hours of contact time a week - plus studio time. At first that'll only need to be a couple of hours or so a week because there won't be much we can do on the desks.
I asked about starting in March and the Principal said 'well we'd need you to enrol by about the 20th Feb'! Fine by me. The fact it's part time would also allow me to commute as and when necessary, either by car or train, and therefore stay at home to look after my horse/give me more time to find someone else to look after him for when I need to be in Manchester more often later in the course. Also if I started in March and found I couldn't cope with the commuting I could postpone until September and then re-start with no extra charges once I'd sorted myself out.
Besides how much the course costs (let's not go there) I can't think of any reason why I shouldn't go ahead with this. I can genuinely see myself working as a sound engineer in a theatre or freelance doing gigs and events so I want to see where it'll lead me. It'll give me plenty of job opportunities, a varied job, it's not 9-5 in an office, and I'll get to meet heaps of people and get a social life again! Something that is seriously lacking at the moment.
I'm excited about the possibilities even if my dad isn't convinced, and once I've sorted out re-claiming the tax I'm owed and cashed in some bonds that matured when I turned 21, I won't have to worry quite so much about the financial side of feeding myself, my horse and paying for the course.
In other news, my dad phones my every few days or so to see how I am but I haven't seen him since the beginning of December and probably won't see him until the end of this month at the earliest. It doesn't bother me, I guess this is what happens when you grow up, leave uni and leave home...except I'm the one living in the family home on my own.
I see my brother and his girlfriend every week though which is cool - I have to go over to Liverpool and ferry him back here to pick his car up from the garage now it's been fixed (the engine seized up last week) because his girlfriend's in work. There's lots of engagement and wedding talk too because she's dying for him to propose and he has a ring and everything but she guessed how he was going to propose so he's now trying to think of something different. I did suggest sticking to the original plan seeing as she now won't suspect it but ultimately it's up to him. All I know is that I get to give the best man's speech at the wedding *cackles evily*
Well, I'm not really sure what else I can update on at the moment. There may well be other things but they're not particularly big things and I think this update is long enough already.
If you got through all that...thank you!
I promise not to leave it so long before the next update.