The beautiful game

I had feedback from a melvtopia follower recently that she had stopped reading my posts because I had started talking about sport and football too much.

Well soz Suzanne but I can't look back at this week without mentioning one of the highlights - watching the best team performance I've EVER seen as Barcelona destroyed Real Madrid 5-0 in 'El Classico'.

This video nails it.

Highlight two: an incredible show by Arcade Fire at The O2 on Wednesday night.  Brilliant from start to finish, and the best sound I've heard at a gig for a very long time.

It would be nice if I'd saved the best till last: today I had an interview for a very exciting role at a major record label.  It felt like it went really well but I'll have to wait and see - fingers crossed...

Back in the game

The understandably dwindling number of regular readers of melvtopia will be aware that I've been pretty crap at posting updates.  My excuse?  Under pressure and too busy at work, leaving little time for writing, let alone writing anything interesting.

Well. all that's about to change.  The busy at work bit at least, and hopefully the posting bit too.  After almost two years at Ministry of Sound I've decided to move on.  It's been a tough shift -  some fantastic highs but too many lows, and too much relentless pressure, for me to feel that I want to continue here.

So a couple of weeks ago I put a proposition to the business: I'd work 3 days a week until Christmas then they could make me redundant.  For Ministry, it was a convenient way of cutting costs for 2011, against a background of difficult trading conditions.  For me, it works perfectly as it gives me the chance to have meetings, talk to headhunters and work on my next move, but with a bit of a financial buffer.

And since I agreed the deal a weight has lifted off my shoulders.  The pressure is off, I'm enjoying going into the office and I'm determined to finish on a high by delivering what I've agreed to deliver before I leave.  Oh, and I need to find a new job, but more on that another time.

And the timing is perfect.  My last week coincides with the Ministry of Sound Christmas party.  I'm really looking forward to that, especially as the next day isn't one of my working days...

Last of the Summer Wine

This weekend was what melvtopia should be all about: finding positive from negative.  At noon on Thursday, I was preparing to leave work and head to Luton airport for a weekend of footie, tapas and sun in Lisbon.  Then, thanks to the cheese eating, surrender monkey French air traffic controllers, our flight was cancelled.  The transfer option next morning was full, so very quickly the weekend unravelled and we had no option but to cancel.

And then, out of the jaws of defeat, Soapy retrieved a victory, with the offer of a weekend at his holiday home in the Isle of Wight.  A round of phone calls later and it was game on - so on Friday afternoon Soapy, Simon, Nigel, Ian and I boarded the ferry to Yarmouth and a weekend of outdoors, fresh air and - as it turned out - plenty of sunshine.

After a few beers in Yarmouth we headed to the house in Freshwater, which is stunning, with plenty of room for all of us.  On Friday night we ate at a local pub where we enjoyed conversation which veered between raucous and melancholy.

Saturday saw full English breakfasts all round followed by a drive to Ryde where we played bowls (Chiswick Casuals official records will show that I won both games) and then pitch and putt (played in glorious sunshine) that Nigel won with style.

Dinner was at the Blue Crab, a pleasant hour's walk from the house, but the highlight of the night - maybe the weekend - was the bus drive home. The bus driver may have looked like a mild mannered, bespectacled woman but must have really been Damon Hill in disguise - she drove like a demon with little regard for anything or anyone else on the road.  It was like a scene from Harry Potter, and either exhilarating or sick-making depending on your point of view.  A nightcap at The Vine and that was our Saturday.

This morning we rose relatively early so decided to go for an earlier ferry than originally planned, and shared a ferry with none other than the ginger spice girl herself, Geri Halliwell.  Which is fitting because what we wanted was a trip to Lisbon, but in the end what we really really wanted was a weekend away with good mates, and we got that.  I hope you see what I did there.

The key to pedantry

Since I wrote off my Saab last Christmas we've been a one car family - one Ka as it happens.

The Ka is a fine car - compact, reliable and a decent drive. But there's one thing that has always disturbed me about it (OK, disturbed is a bit too strong - let's say 'exercised my mind').

In my job usability is a big thing. We're always thinking about customer journeys, and making sure that things we deliver intuitive, consistent user experiences on our websites.

So you'll understand why I've always found it strange that to unlock the driver's door you turn the key anti-clockwise, but to unlock the boot you turn it clockwise. Why would they do that? What usability expert would have thought that made sense?

And then, this morning, the answer smacked me in the face. I was loading a few things into the car in preparation for a trip to Leek for the Bank Holiday weekend. The car was parked just outside the house and as I put the key into the passenger's door to unlock it - kapow! I turned it clockwise and it opened! That's right - just like you do to open the boot. My mind now in overdrive, I suddenly realised that in any other country this would be the driver's door, and everything finally made sense.

Now I can get on with my life.

Bowlska

I hold a team meeting every month, where we review the previous month and look forward to the next one.
Today we did it differently. I booked a couple of tables at local pub The Libertine and did a six-month review, followed by a 'Lizard's Den'. The format was that everyone had two minutes to pitch an idea, which we all voted on. Amongst some very good ideas the winner was the notion of offering a free download with every CD purchase, which earned Ben a signed Basshunter poster and two moleskine notebooks.
Afterwards we went bowling at Elephant & Castle, followed by some hearty food at a Polish restaurant.
Good times.

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Brief non-encounter

I've been here before. Well not exactly here - the last time I missed my stop and got to New Southgate, whereas this time they changed the train so it didn't actually stop at Ally Pally. So here I am at Bowes Park ( I don't even know where it is) waiting for a train back into London.

And not a drop of alcohol has passed my lips.

I could murder a drink though...


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Marketing and England

It's been a while - an age really - since I last posted, which means I'm probably writing for an audience of one.

But I feel compelled to write because I've just attended the Marketing Society's summer cocktail evening on the rooftop of JWT's offices in Knightsbridge. And it's been an interesting evening.

Arriving without knowing a soul, I chatted with someone in Business Development at JWT. We had an interesting discussion about branding and suchlike, and were joined by someone from another agency. She was there as a prospective new member, so when the President of the Society made a speech which included an incentive offer for members who recruit new members, it didn't take long for a quick scam/strategy to emerge. The splendidly named Emmaclare signed up, as recommended by me, and I earned £60 worth of John Lewis vouchers. Money for old rope.

Later, I met the usual bunch of bores and snake-oil salesmen, but as I was leaving I bumped into Carmen, the Business Development person at JWT, again.

Reprising our conversation, she told me that she didn't think we should pay agencies for anything. Rather, she suggested a strategy where we give agencies the chance to work with Ministry of Sound for nothing, but on something innovative, something that's never been done before, that they can pick up the awards and kudos for. An interesting and quite attractive approach, I thought, but then a Business Development person might say that. She then gave me her card and it turns out that she's only the Managing Partner...

The cocktails, provided by Courvoisier, were excellent, and the setting - a lush lawn 5 stories up, across the road from Harrods - stunning. And I didn't even have to miss the World Cup as there were no games tonight.

Talking of the World Cup, I'm loving the rumours emerging from the England camp. Apparently there are 4 big stories ready to break; one of which involves shenanigans by a senior player with a certain authority (let's call him Player SG), which angered another player who previously held that authority (Player JT) and whose authority was stripped for similar but arguably less serious conduct. The story goes that JT approached the manager (FC) to complain, and the England camp split into two factions - those for SG and those for JT. If true - and that's a big if - it explains a lot about that last couple of weeks.

Then there's the story about Rooney and another prostitute...





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Hello hello, I'm back again

OK, I know that Gary Glitter has defiled what used to be quite a good expression of resurrection.

Nevertheless, I'm back, again. I haven't blogged on melvtopia for a while, mainly because I've been so caught up with work that I've left any semblance of creative expression in the office.

Frankly, I've had nothing left to give. And I'd rather write nothing than go through the motions of churning out blog posts.

But tonight I met up with my old friend, colleague and erstwhile boss Steve K. Over a decent although not brilliant tapas at Navarro's in Charlotte Street, we talked of many things, from business to politics to football to personal matters - amongst which was his sense of betrayal at the recent demise of melvtopia (at least that's how I heard it).

So in recognition, and appreciation of, Steve's wise counsel tonight, I'm inspired to pick up my pen/iPhone and write. Quite what to write is still up for grabs, but progress is progress...

I know. How about the interview I did with my old University magazine?

Ah, I could talk about that, but what would I have to write about next time?

(See what I did there?)

Until next time...


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The new melvtopia - more twitter than facebook

As you may have surmised, I've been finding it difficult to keep melvtopia up to date.  In the early days I had a purpose (fueled by the demise of zavvi) which developed into an interest in trying to write stuff that readers - albeit a very small number of then - might find interesting.
Lately, I haven't found the time or the creativity, but I'm not ready to give up so what I'll try is shorter, twitter-style updates, with the occasional proper post when I can.  Let's see if that keeps melvtopia alive until my next epiphany...

Time - that most precious commodity...

...unless you're living in squalor in the Brazillian favellas and have got all the time in the world but little in the way of food, water or shelter of course...

If you'll forgive my uncharacteristic minimising of the suffering of the world's disadvantaged, you'll notice that it's been some time since I last blogged. I CAN'T FIND THE TIME! I'd love to be posting more regularly, even if no-one reads my ramblings, but work/life balance seems a long way away at the moment.

So I'll give you a very quick recap of the last few weeks. A great weekend skiing in Les Carroz with the Casuals; Rangers destroying Celtic and the league, won the League Cup with 9 men but out of the Scottish Cup; work relentless but beating targets and delivering most of what we're supposed to be delivering.

This weekend James is home and tonight I'll be doing my March barbecue. Next weekend is Easter so a very welcome break coming up - it'll also give me a chance to rest my assorted football injuries for a couple of weeks. Have a good one.


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Limited Addition

The much-vaunted fall in educational standards isn't all bad, I discovered on Saturday.

In my local cheese shop I ordered some (very ripe) Brie de Meaux and some mature Manchego, costing around £7.40 and £4.30 respectively.
The girl at the till entered the two amounts, but must have left the previous transaction open because the bill added up to around £29. To her credit, she did notice that it was wrong so tried again, this time adding up to £40.

Giving up on technology, she decided to just add the two amounts in her head. A sensible plan I thought, except that in her method of adding up she started from the left and not the right: "7 and 4 makes 11, 4 and ...".

Needless to say, and I hope you'll forgive the mixed metaphor, she got into a bit of a pickle, which she impressively resolved with a flourish. "This is too difficult - can we just call it a tenner?".

Everyone's a winner.


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Tales of customer service

Wenge and I went to Frederick's on Friday night.  Hidden down Camden Passage in Islington, it's a conservatory-like room, and features the kind of service that makes you feel special but not suffocated.

After a tartiflette starter I went for a cote de boeuf, a ribeye on the bone that should have been bursting with flavour.  It was OK but not as good as I'd have expected, so I ended up leaving quite a lot of it on the plate.  When the waiter came to take our plates away he asked if there was anything wrong, and I explained that I was disappointed in it.

No sooner had he taken the plate away than one of the management came to send the chef's apologies and to tell me that they wouldn't change me for it.  The desserts, when they arrived, were exceptional as was the gigondas that the sommelier had recommended to go with our meal.  So we'll definitely go back.

Contrast this with Ministry of Sound's favourite caff, Terry's.  I took Brian there on Thursday as he'd never been but had heard all about it.  As we walked in, licking our lips in expectation of eggs, bacon, cumberland sausages, chips, beans, mushrooms and the rest, we were met by the boss who casually informed us that he wouldn't be serving fryups today.  I thought that maybe there was a problem in the kitchen but no, the reason Terry's weren't serving fryups was that they had too many dinners and wanted to use them up.

A restaurant that won't serve what's on its menu?  Ridiculous.  But we'll also be going back to Terry's, no question...

Good times

I haven't written a great deal about my days in the corporate communications and live events industry - probably because to make sense of many of the stories you kind of had to be there...

Paraphrasing 5 years, I ended up forming a production company that produced conferences and various live events for clients such as Dixons Group, Virgin, Universal and others. My partners in this crime were Simon and Helzo, and during this time we became about as close as any working colleagues could be.

Being a small company, in the high pressure environment of live events was tough. It was exciting, sometimes it was scary, very often it was fun. A lot of fun.

In the end, it was us against the world to produce results that clients would appreciate and we could be proud of. I'm pleased to say that more often than not we achieved that.

So last night, meeting with Helzo and Simesy, dusted down some great memories. Some of the stuff that we went through is for us only, but maybe I'll share some of the classic moments in another post.

Good times, and a great night.

Still good...


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A painful walk home

City of London from Alexandra Palace

To get home from work, I take the tube and then the train to Alexandra Park station. It's then a 15 minute walk up the hill and round the Palace to my house.

I've remarked before how stunning the view can be - the whole of London spread out before me in all its splendour.

My walk home on Tuesday night was unremarkable. A cold, clear night meant that the vista was at its most impressive, but unfortunately for me it wasn't the city view that was taking my attention.

Sadly my colleague Claire had lost her grandmother the previous day, and had been off work. I texted her to find out how she was, and as I was walking along with my eyes on the phone - BAM!  My first thought was that I'd been mugged, but I realised very soon that I'd just created a comedy moment by walking straight into a tree.  A big bugger at that.

The tree (pictured) stood right in the middle of the pavement, but to be fair to it, it's been in exactly the same place ever since I've been in London so I can't really say it was malicious.

Anyway, the result was that I walked into my house with blood flowing from my cut nose, and I've now been called Mikhail Gorbachev on more than one occasion.

Don't try this at home...

I write this on my way home from a night out with the team - so already that's a warning for you. We've done that before and come unstuck, haven't we?

Somehow the subject of melvtopia came up during the evening - some of the team had read it, others hadn't.

It got me thinking about the balance between writing for yourself and writing for an audience. To be honest, I've always been somewhere in between - I blog stuff that I enjoy writing, but also in the hope that others will get something from it too.

I've had varying degrees of success, and it's often been driven by circumstance. While things were all going wrong at zavvi, I found a ready source of blogging topics and an audience that could relate to what I was writing. Bad times but good raw material.

When my good friend Stewart, a proper writer, told me it was time to get over the zavvi stuff and move on, I looked for new inspiration and found it in friends, sport, work and good fortune. There was some good stuff there, though I say so myself. But I assumed that the only people reading were those that had followed me from the early days.

How wrong I was.

Over a number of months the balance shifted too much in the direction of personal - to the point that I was sharing my innermost fears and problems not just with a few old friends but with new followers including some of my colleagues from work - who probably didn't particularly enjoy reading about how difficult I was finding it to settle at Ministry.

Thankfully, being the brilliant colleagues that they are, a quiet word alerted me to the situation and no harm was done. One day I might publish the posts that were rapidly removed from melvtopia...

But it's harder to write without a target. Dan, another friend who really does know how to write, sent me a quote from Samuel Pepys, along the lines of "a happy man does not keep a diary".

On balance though, I think it's better to be happy than miserable, even if the blogging might suffer as a result. If I want anyone to read melvtopia it's up to me to find sources of inspiration.

So to readers old and new, I'll give it my best shot, and if all else fails I can just keep writing about writing...

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Class will out

Forget all the talk about Ronaldo, Rooney, Kaka, Messi and the like. Does any of them have a Player of the Decade award?
I thought not.


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It's been a good week...

Andy Murray reached the final of the Australian open - he's Scottish, you know...

We beat our January target with 3 days to spare...

Rangers beat St Mirren...
Celtic lost to Hibs...

... and some other stuff.

All in all, a stonking week.

Now we need Andy Murray to take that final step and beat Roger Federer on Sunday. And then there's the small matter of the Chiswick Casuals Annual Awards on Saturday. I can only hope that the hard hours on the training grounds will pay off...


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Kids

Parenthood is, as every parent knows, a unique, wonderful and enriching experience. For all of the unconditional love etc. etc. it can, however be a bit one-way especially as children get older.

So it's with great pleasure that I report on two significant firsts over the last few days:

1. Out for a meal at La Bota with Soapy and Fran on Saturday night, instead of having to wait for the bus home we were driven to our door by their daughter. That's real progress and probably fair after the taxi service that all four of us have ran for so many years.

2. Whilst on the subject of daughters, Laura started her first permanent job on Monday. It's probably premature to start thinking about payback, but again it's progress and no doubt she'll want to pay her way and more now that she's earning...

I just need James to get a job as a banker and we're sorted.


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Wedding bliss

I shared a few drinks tonight to celebrate Suzanne's engagement to Mark (not before time, I hear someone say).

The slightly weird part is that as she - and a friend of hers - were describing their forthcoming weddings this year I was reminded that this year is Wenge and my 25th wedding anniversary.

Anyway, I wish SJ and Mark all the best - and I must remember to book something special on April 20...


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Back to work

Having had such a relaxing Christmas and New Year, it was always going to be 50:50 whether going back to work was going to burst the bubble and bring it all back to reality. I'm very pleased to say that the first week back was remarkably good. The positivity has continued into week two although the workload is increasing fast.

It's been all about the snow, mind you. I won't repeat the usual complaints about Britain not being able to deal with any extremes of weather but I did like the quote from the mayor of some Siberian town who pointed out that they'd observed that winter came at around the same time every year and therefore put plans in place for just that eventuality. Personally, I love extremes of weather

Sports wise, last week wasn't so good. Rangers drew 3-3 at Hamilton in the Scottish Cup, but have a replay to retrieve the situation (losing goal machine Kris Boyd for up to 6 weeks is a big blow though). The Eagles, on the other hand, don't get a second chance after losing with a whimper to bitter enemies Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs. Next year? Again?


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