gazraa.com

Don’t worry, it’s just a post

// April 2nd, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Life

I’ve just noticed how little I update this site, which is quite frankly, embarrassing.

So why the lack of updates? Well, laziness has to be up there as one of the reasons, but I do have some other reasons which I’ll try and make you believe.

In August last year I joined the design team at TheHut.com who along with running their own online store, also run sites for companies such as Tesco, WHSmith, ASDA, Lovefilm, Argos and Sendit. We also bought the zavvi brand a little while ago too and have relaunched the zavvi site too. So that keeps me busy and although I gave up the freelance life to get my evenings and weekends back, I seem to be working a lot of hours. Saying that though, I am enjoying it, and the hours don’t seem to be as bad as similar hours of freelance.

So what else is going on? Well I am currently working on rebranding, redesigning and moving my photography forum to a new domain which is a much better one in my opinion. The forum itself is growing at a steady pace now with nearly 1700 members and fortunately I have a great team of moderators and admins who keep it going when I’m not about. I’m not sure of the launch date yet, there is a still a fair bit to do yet.

I bought an iPhone too! The beginning of my assimilation into the fruit collective has started. I have to say though that it puts any previous phone I’ve had to shame. It’s corny but true, it just works! Everything is nice and simple and so far there is nothing to complain about. I tried to get the wordpress app for the iPhone but it didn’t want to play ball, but if I get it working (ok, some things don’t “just work”) then I shall be able to update this site a bit more frequently.

I’ve been twittering a lot too. You can follow me at http://twitter.com/gazraa if you want to hear my random mutterings. Twitter, when used well, is a great marketing and social tool. 140 characters at a time may not seem enough but celebrities like Stephen Fry seem to do ok with it, and considering his vast volcabulary of long words, that can’t be bad.

I’ve been trying to do a bit more photography too. I run one or two photography basics courses a month which seem to be going down well. No complaints so far anyway! I enjoy doing the courses but I just wish I was luckier with the weather. I have only run one course so far where it hasn’t rained! Hopefully that will improve as we head into spring and summer.

So there you go, a brief update on my life and why I haven’t updated this site in a while. 4 updates in 2008! Shocking. I’ll try and do better this year.

The ignorance of people

// September 29th, 2008 // No Comments » // Life

OK, before I get into this, this is going to be a bit of a rant so I apologise in advance.

So here goes.

I was sitting in my car outside tescos in Oldham today and saw that there was a shopping trolley in the middle of the road and cars were having to drive around it. It was about 5ft from the edge of the road.

Now, I only sat in my car for 5 minutes, but in that time at least 6 people, of all ages, walked right past that trolley, within 6 inchs of it, and not one of them thought to move it out of the road. That pissed me off. Why are people so friggin up their own behinds (I’m trying not to be too rude hear) that they can’t just do something that will make someone elses life easier (the car drivers)? It wouldn’t even have taken any effort to move the bloody trolley!

So I got out my car to go into tescos and moved the trolley on the way in.

Then, on the way out, I noticed someone had just dumped a different trolley in the middle of the exit when the trolley park thingy was only 5ft away. Just bloody ignorant!

It’s just that mentality that really, really annoys me.

That is all.

Being a live kidney donor

// March 9th, 2007 // 61 Comments » // Life

On 21st February I donated one of my kidneys to my sister. Just over 2 weeks on and everything is going well for both of us.

It has been almost a year since we found out my sister would need a kidney donation and when we found out I knew I wanted to get checked to see if I was compatible. There was no hesitation, it’s what big brothers are there to do at the end of the day.

Fortunately all the tests proved I was a suitable match. I had numerous blood tests, a CT scan, pee tests, X-Rays, an ECG, a nuclear dye injection and scan (can’t remember the name of that one) and various examinations. I should probably be glowing due to the amount of radiation I’ve had directed at me.

So all tests proved positive and my kidney was an excellent match. Finally the day of going into hospital arrived after one previous delay and we ‘checked in’ to St Georges hospital in Wimbledon, London. I have to admit to not liking hospitals, but the staff on Bucklands Ward were excellent. Not an unhappy face in sight and all very bubbly and just a bit crazy. An X-Ray and ECG out the way and it was time to put the sexy stockings on that are meant to reduce the chance of DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis) and try and settle in.

The operation was due at 8.30am on Wednesday morning so we had a night in hospital before the op. All the way through the tests I had not felt nervous, scared or any anxiety towards the op. I don’t know why, maybe because I knew I was helping my sister. I referred to the op as being sliced and diced to anyone that it came up in conversation with and I was always optimistic about it.

After a restless nights sleep, because the hospital ward was too warm and the bed wasn’t long enough for my lanky 6′4″ frame, it was time to be sliced and diced. I was wheeled off to the operating room and into the room where they knock you out (not with a hammer). I don’t remember having to count down once I had the inital injection, I just remember the room going a bit blurry. Now some people say you have the best dreams while under a general anaesthetic, but I don’t remember a thing. I rarely remember my dreams anyway. I woke up after the op in the recovery room and spotted my sister asleep, the surgeons wandered round and said everything had gone really well. So I went back to sleep. (more…)