DEADLINES...

Seems like deadlines come thick and fast at present. I had one on the front of my website... I had forgotten to check it and saw yesterday I had 1 hour left to complete a project! Ha.... Well the project in question is not completed. There are three main areas still to address then a raft of detail. However - the good news for me is that it is nearly done and will be something to build upon in the future and that 27 other areas have been addressed already.

Completed iSkate 3 article. Had double the words for one page so hopefully they can give me two pages.

Dancing On ice photo shoot was last Monday - I was ready for that. New suit, tailored with new shirt, shoes the works. Plus interview for later use. All good - excepting that someone snaffled my iphone - in a secure environment too. Very disappointing - have to sort that today.

Love

N

MAN FLU

Had a wonderful holiday. Two weeks away, lovely. We went around the Med on a ship, I spent lots of mornings in the creche with Tiger and his chums. Great fun. I have always wanted to jump into one of those ball park things you see at Ikea and was able to fulfil that aspiration whilst posing as a help to the youngsters playing! :)

Back for a week and in action then... MAN FLU. Sunday - lousy cough and it's all over - to bed for the day. It's worse for us guys than the ladies I'm sure. Today I'm nearly back in action but still groggy. Christiane has been making me egg soldiers and buying Lucozade - to replenish her man/boy. I love her.

And Dancing On ice is staring to gear up. New judge, new celebs, a lot of the same team. It will be good to see friends again sat in the same seats doing the jobs they did last year - a little deja vu.

Back to the cough medicine.

Love

N

On a Glacier

First go at creating a film from my studio... Rough around the edges but still a bit of fun methinks...

www.youtube.com/nickyslater

Getting Fit

It's coming on winter here and I have decided to get fit. Now, like you perhaps, I have decided to do this before joined a gym and gone along to a couple of classes. Or I've been to some classes and that worked. But recently - the last few tears I haven't done much. But I was inspired by Andy's Peter's and Collin's and to get in the gym on the Dancing On Ice Tour this year.

So now Christiane has found me a gym where I've signed up to do every class I can. I'm doing one to one and a half hours six days a week! Boxercise was today - I was soaked through by the end of it. Christiane always says get a shower before I can have a hug when I come back from a workout.

It's been four weeks and I touched the floor with legs straight this morning for the first time in years - hamstrings lengthening.

So kettle bells and bags full of weights along with Hours of Power and cycling I'm doing it all. Going on a cruise in the med in a couple of weeks so need to look in better shape anyway.

This working out thing is good for the head too... everyone should do it. But not in an isolated pocket in a gym - gyms should be more class and interactive based - works for me.

Love N

FOCUS

This weekend we had time with my brother and his family, he has three boys - 2 1/2, 6 and 10 years old. Christiane did a film making course so I had Tiger for two days, he's 19 months old. My it was exhausting... There was one moment where I was distracted by watching cycles in Richmond park - a duathalon was in progress and I suddenly lost Tiger from my vision. A moment but my what a moment! He was beside me. I can understand how Christiane and all mum's get so tired by the constant demands of the little one, not so much in attention as in running all over the place, interested in everything, little apparent concept of fear.

I ended up facilitating the use of a toy phone amongst the three youngest boys. The phone was George's and it was 'mine' initially but shared later on... Good corporate managing training methinks - for me that is!

Yesterday a sound and lighting show... learnt a lot but not reached end of specing for lights studio. Some interesting innovations possible though. Wish I could fast track learning still.. Found some breakthrough sound products - APC 640 from Akai for Ableton is super aid to composition in live performance mode.

Last night I had a meeting with some business friends and come away a bit bruised. It's funny how you know you are climbing a mountain of a project and others can see a different perspective as they watch you. Need to take on board comments and reset some areas - it's all about focus...

Back to the mountain then...

Love

n

Grey wet September day. Winter comes soon

BACK ON DRY LAND

A week away on the high seas - a force 9 to 10 at one point! Great fun, new friends and seeing the engine room of a ship. Brilliant. I have been trekking across a glacier and speaking about my life and times. The venue was the Oriana and the journey was to Norway and back. A rich time.

There is a Gary Rhodes restaurant on the Oriana and we went twice. Had to be done. It was 12.45 am when we realised everybody else had left... food and service was superb. Oriana is a lovely ship.

I need a holiday now to recover from our week away:)

Love n

CAVEAT EMPTOR

Had a super weekend filled with friends, new places and faces and great food and drink, exhausting and wonderful. Now back to work...

I am still in STUCKSVILLE re technology. One of my suppliers has suggested I getting a Master Tech helper in for £550 a day to train me in how to do this stuff. Seems funny to be sold it and then have to pay to have someone to teach you to use it!? Hmmm...

But... I suppose I am trying to fast-track my learning?

I long for the day when I have this system working - all the bits enabling fast workflow and production... Until then. Frustration, helpline's, chat rooms and the worst kind of computer stress caused by brick walls of computer programes and codecs not working.

My advice for anyone thinking for buying final cut pro and final cut server pro with xdcam sxs media input and thinking it's not a great upgrade from imovie.... do not believe the marketing - it is a huge jump and it eats time.

There must be millions of people leaning new computer stuf everyday and not producing anything because of that.. crazy.

I need a new strategy here - how to breakthrough being STUCK... and I'm stubborn so I keep reading learning and I'll get it done/ Must be an easier way...

Any suggestions?

Love

N