Loads of work to get done, but first...
Categories: uncategorized, and-another-thing, general-stuff
Tags: WYAC, one more thing, and another thing
Date: 01 March 2009 20:23:43
Reflective mood ahoy. This weekends been both good and bad, mostly good it has to be said: two birthday parties split across various parts of the family and the couple with 93 years combined on the planet both seemed to enjoy themselves very much.
The problems, such as they were, came from another angle and it's set me thinking... Although the questions asked have no real answer really. But they have reminded me that there's something I need to be doing and it may as well be now.
WYAC readers of the blog will have been aware that I said there was some news centre wise on the horizon. I've told a couple of people so far but hey ho, time to blog it because some things need to be sorted out now for the next six weeks and that means that the whole stuff needs to be known.
For the past four years I've been the manager of an arts centre. It's been fantastic fun, loads of paperwork, excellent times and teeth grindingly frustrating. Depends on the day really. I've loved it and the kids I worked with though.
And then it stops for me in April. Mostly. The WYAC will still go on of course - it's too ace a place to stop :) - but my involvement will be massively curtailed. I'll still be in one night a week to do an animation course we've been aiming to do for the longest time, well, four years bar a couple of taster sessions :) but that'll be it. I'll probably be in over hours a little for the summer school but apart from that I'll be muchos quiet on the event.
TBH it's a bittersweet thing. I'm cutting back because between the teaching, the writing, the teacher training and the looking after two kids, one with special needs, is draining to say the least. Add to that a centre with staff that are ace but all require attention and thought, 100 kids a week at times, 200 overall, equipment provision and all the rest it's just a little too much to juggle any more. There's still loads of projects I wish I could have worked on, loads more I wish I could have done, and the leaving is a temporary thing, in as much as in December I'll have another meeting to decide whether I go back up to the full hours a week or stay back at a night or leave. It's strange to feel that I'm both leaving and staying. Doing things and letting things go. Odd mood.
Anyhow that starts on April, both art course and reduced hours. A temporary replacement has been found to keep things ticking over until the full hours left over are allocated and I'll be on the sidelines cheering whoever on to take the place to a level I couldn't manage. We did do a lot though, just not always the things I'd hoped for. I have worked with some AWESOME bands though, from the much missed This Years Dropouts, Downside Orchard, Forget The World, Kamichi, The Blooms and others and the still with us and still awesome Ollie Grant, Severy Dawn, Return of Thanks, Sons of Aquarius, Killing Mercury, Innovia, Traces (yeah, you'll always be TOTD to me :) ) and many others and I've learnt a lot from them as I hope they've learnt from me. In fact, bearing in mind I'm an artist and they are the talent, musically, I've defo learnt more from them :) (Actually I've probably forgotten loads of band names in there so sorry if you're not mentioned). I've also had the chance to work alongside Open The Skies and Midgar and expect much of them... They'll be making the big noise soon I'm sure.
So, yeah, if you're reading from the WYAC side it's been an honour and a pleasure. I'll be around that's for sure but see way fewer people than I'd like. That don't mean I think any less of anyone there, just that, for a while, I need to get some family space more defined and especially the family needs to regroup a little as autism has been rearing it's head and roaring more of late and we all need to take stock of the way that things have moved around in our house.
Hmm can't remember where I'm going on this score. Anyhow, I'm in the process of sorting out the April stuff and then, wow, it's on to getting a couple of good nights sleep for a while...! Not tonight though, got loads of emails that need to get sent out :) So, on to work, again, and, WYAC wise see you tomorrow night and tuesday.
