So it rolled around for another year the gathering of friends and family at my mates Bens house.
These days its starting to turn into a mini festival with music, outdoor cinema, food stalls (bbq) and tents. I am sort of the designated sound man on these events and after some mad dashing around on that Saturday morning picking upo PA I finally arrived with demonkid to fill the field with demonkids music selection or unless he gets a little obscure a Ben and Leanne selection. The sun was blazing, the beer was cold. It was a true oasis of calm in my current turbulent work life. Over the afternoon people slowley drifted in ate food talked kicked the football and generally chilled.

As the sun set we lit the fire (with a blow torch skills Ben!!!!! ) and the live music kicked off with an acoustic set from my band 7 stories a number (a U2 cover i think) from Ben and Leanne some acapella folk songs and the Violin moment from Bens mom, which lets say had its own perculiar twist that added to the tappestry of the night.

Following that was the open air cinema with the classic comedy Mighty Booosh and Steven Spielburgs ET. Such a classic film that will always wisk me back to being 9 and crying at the desperate situation of Elliot and ET!!! It’s part of a set of films that I saw when I was young that retain that magical feeling like Flight of the Navigator, The Laberinth, Never Ending Story. Anyway the night tailed off leaving just a slightly enebriated Ben, Colin (The War) Demonkid one of Bens mates and Me.

Righting the world by the campfire. Its great, some absinth, a fire, woodstock on the outdoor cinema and anything is possible new companies, global conspiries, the finer details of metal work the answer to life whatever it all makes perfect sense at that ungodly hour filtered through the warm glow of the fire and an alcholic haze!!!

Before we knew it the sun was coming up and Ben suddenly got it into his head we should go to the campsite a mile away in the local woods, I was tired I really wanted to go to sleep but it somehow it made sense to go and as we continued the campfire coversation we trecked off like some scene out of the goonies in the morning halflight accross fields hung by morning mist and heavy dew. It was a great “standby me” moment and i’m sure we will all lock it tight in the memory banks.

Check out the photos here

So work has been a turbulent 4 months. Since I decided to move I must admit it has been a huge adjustment. My skills and drive that seemed to be an essential part of my last company seem wholey unessential at this massive company, they have an established culture and very definative hierarchy, and it seems the way I work brings me into conflict with the senior people in my team. Not that I’m lazy or unenthusiastic but more that I like to get as close to the source of information as possible, and if that means short circuiting some layers of managment to get the information I need then I’m foolhardey enough to do it. It has found me quickly put back in my place treated like a Junior and having to work behind 3 layers of management.

The amount of times I have heard the statement “you must learn to walk before you run” is laughable, I’m not big headed and dont claim to know everything about marketing but 10 years in the industry working on a variety of brands from Honda, Silicon Graphics to Wilkinson Sword should have given me some grounding.

Anyway I’m changing groups at work where they work on massive clients like BP, Fedral Moguel, Castrol and Intel.

This change thing!! it never gets any easier, but its something I feel I have got to embrace I have no idea what it is but I have a feeling in my bones theres lots of it on the way!!!