davidthedesigner

i'm hanging up my mouse for a while

2009-07-08T15:21:44+01:00

Well, here we are midway through 2009, and things are turning out to be not quite what I had anticipated (and certainly not what I had planned). And so it's necessary for me to take my leave of you so that I can go and concentrate on other things.

It's been fun, this past two and a half years. I've enjoyed your company and I've made some very good friends. And I'll miss you, for sure. But sometimes a man has to do what a man has to do. I'll say no more than that.

I hope I'll be back - but it may not be for some time. It depends how things pan out. We'll see.

Adieu.

20km = 1 blister

2009-07-06T14:10:58+01:00

Sorry if that's put you off your lunch. Just as well it's out of focus (it's pretty darn difficult photographing the bottom of your own foot - have you ever tried it?). Anyway, I survived - even getting up at 5.30am in order to get to Enfield in time for the start.

And what a grand day out it was: around 500 walkers of all shapes, sizes and ages; with another 100 volunteer marshals looking after our every need (well, apart from piggy backs). It will be 2-3 weeks before we have a final tally of the total sponsorship raised, but we hope it's going to be in the region of £30,000. And that will be tremendous. You see, every pound counts.

So if you sponsored me, thank you. And I really do mean that.

these boots are made for walking

2009-07-02T10:56:31+01:00

And that's just what they'll do (with apologies to Nancy Sinatra).

So, I'm ready, set, willing and raring to go for my 20km on Sunday. But you've not been doing your bit, have you?

Yes, it's you: the silent majority out there. Look, all you have to do is to pop over to my JustGiving page RIGHT NOW and pledge a little bit of money. That's not going to hurt you, is it? And if each one of you gave just £5, then we'd break my target several times over. And what else can you do with £5? A drink or two after work tomorrow, or a sandwich and a smoothie at lunchtime? That's not much to give up for a good cause, is it now? So go on, do it now (or, if you don't, why not leave a comment and let us all know what your excuse is?).

And in case you're wondering quite why I'm raising sponsorship for a Hindu charity, then the reply is simple. Because my very good friend Nitinbhai (bhai means 'brother', by the way) is president of Shishukunj London. And we need to raise funds to purchase a new Bhavan - that's a building to serve as a home to carry on the work of Shishukunj. Shishukunj aims to create an environment conducive for the holistic development of the child - an environment rich in positive values, such as loyalty, honesty, justice, love, faith and respect etc. That holistic development encompasses mental, physical, spiritual, social and emotional development. Week by week, Shishukunj activities focus on all these areas to provide an all-round developmental opportunities to children all across London.

And charity doesn't only begin at home, because Shishukunj has pledged that part of this sponsorship will be used to work together with the charity ROPE (that's Relief for Oppressed People Everywhere, in case you need it spelt out) to provide 280 children with a hot meal for a full year in Sudan.

You can't argue with that, can you?

Go on, please do it now.

grab yourself a few hockneys (but you'll have to be quick)

2009-07-01T11:37:12+01:00

Actually, not that many of you will have been reading this blog since its start. But if you had of been (or indeed, if you have) then you might have noticed that my first declared hero was David Hockney (and that post isn't quite complete because TypePad lost the picture). So I was looking forward to last night's 'Imagine' film on the BBC. In the event, though, I found it rather frustrating. It was a nice enough portrait of someone who still has a sense of mischief and a wonderful mastery of the craft of painting. But I found the lack of information or proper explanation let the whole thing down. As a small example, the film creates the impression that it's documenting the last three years of Hockney's working life. And it talks at length about his return to Yorkshire and cites the paintings he did of and for his friend Jonathan Silver. Yet Silver died in 1997, and the film fails to explain that Hockney's return to Yorkshire as a subject matter covers a much longer period than just the past three years.

But, anyway, that's enough of my gripe. And on a brighter note, Hockney is giving away three of his iPhone art images.

But you'll have to be quick because they're only available for download today and tomorrow.

neither one thing nor the other

2009-06-30T09:22:42+01:00

I've not really engaged with Wimbledon yet this year, but last night I watched the second half of the Murray/Wawrinka match. It should, for me, have been full of novelty: I'd never watched Andy Murray play before (nor Wawrinka); I'd never seen a Wimbledon match played under a roof, nor after dark. But somehow it didn't grab me. Andy Murray has been held up as a potential Wimbledon champion this year. Now, no disrespect, but he's not, is he? You can see it in the body language: he just doesn't have the killer instinct and mastery of the court that defines all great champions.

But it wasn't really Murray that was troubling me. So, was it the roof? It certainly changes the acoustic, so the match didn't really sound like Wimbledon. But I don't think so. Maybe it's because it takes away the drama of whether a match is going to be interrupted by rain or bad light. But there was certainly enough tension in this match, and the crowd were animated enough when points were won or lost.

But something was troubling me.

And then I realised it's the scoreboard. It's set in Optima. The font that's neither one thing nor the other. It's horrible.

davidthedelighted

2009-06-25T10:33:41+01:00

It seems that the technical glitches over at JustGiving have now been sorted out. So, no more excuses: pop over and DONATE NOW.

davidthedisappointed

2009-06-23T14:11:00+01:00

It seems that there are some technical problems over at JustGiving, so if you've been trying to log onto my JustGiving page to make a donation towards my walk then you'll most likely be getting an error page. If that's happening to you, give it a day or so to settle down - and please, please do try again.

UPDATE: If you look at the comments below you'll see that there's an explanation and apology from Jonathan at JustGiving (thanks Jonathan), and the latest situation is outlined just here .

pretty in pink

2009-06-23T09:43:25+01:00

My Pantone Past, which is being featured in the July issue of UPPERCASE, is looking good on the proofs.

i'm off for a walk

2009-06-18T07:51:16+01:00

Well, not quite just yet. But on Sunday 5th July I'll be walking 20km around Trent Park in Enfield, North London. And I need your help. Because it's not just a weekend stroll in the country, but a sponsored walk to raise funds for Shishukunj. Shishukunj is a charity dedicated to the cultural, educational, spiritual and physical development of children. It has been in existence in the UK for over 30 years and now has three core centres. All its activities are organised and run entirely by young volunteers. It draws its strength from a strong relationship between workers, children and parents. One of its projects, Life for Children (L4C), has been established to relieve distress and poverty amongst children in the developing countries, specifically focusing on food, health, education and shelter.

So I need you to pop over to my Just Giving page and make a small donation. It doesn't have to be much (although it would be jolly nice if it was), because every penny helps.

I don't do this often. In fact, it's only the third sponsored event that I've got involved in, roughly ten years apart. So I won't be tapping you for more cash for a long time yet.

And, remember, the tough bit for me is going to be getting up in the morning in time for an 8.45am start.

Go on, do it now before you forget.

Oh, and spread the word.

Thanks,

David

UPDATE: A huge, big thanks to Ace Jet 170's Richard for kicking off the donations. It's not that I'm trying to twist your arm or anything, but go on, now it's your turn.

don't dilly dally

2009-06-17T11:07:48+01:00

The first 100 tickets for Interesting 2009 have just gone on sale: get over and buy one now - you won't have a more interesting day out this year.

UPDATE: too late, they've gone already (and I've got one of them).