The Wedding Photographer

Now I am no expert on the whole wedding thing.  I have had my own, I've been to a few, and now I have even been the photographer for a couple.  And each of these 3 perspectives has a completely different feel to them.  Oh some things are the same, people are generally happy at weddings, the bride and groom are always in a bit of a daze and grinning a lot, there's usually a gorgeously dressed baby who everyone coos over and the really old person that everyone is a bit nervous around. But having been the bride, the guest and the official photographer I think I am safe to say the latter is my favourite. Don't get me wrong I loved my wedding, but only because of who I was marrying, the party and the photos were additional.  The only important bit for me was the ceremony and the signing, after that it was more a party for everyone else, I'd done my bit. And its always nice when you get invited to a wedding, though I find the whole thing slightly stressful, trying to decide what to buy and how much to spend, then there's the whole dressing the part, shall we co-ordinate as a family or shall I just let the boys go in jeans and a t-shirt as they beg me not to have to wear a suit. Then there is the whole, are the children allowed to be there at all thing..In fact it always shocks me when I see an invite that expressly forbids you to bring your child.  Its at times like that I wonder why they invite people that have little ones if they are so anti them, or is this going to be some sort of X rated do that children shouldn't really be exposed too, who are these people ???? Then of course when you get there and you have to smile politely at people you don't really know, listen to tales of when you were little and you shat you're pants round Auntie Ethel's or worse still have random people who you met when you where in college who you really don't remember as you spent most of the time either pissed or stoned, greet you like you are BFF's and then they begin to tell you how amazing and wonderful it would be if you could get together for a drink to catch up, while all the time you are desperately trying to remember their name..Anyway my point is this being the "official" photographer allows you to still be at the wedding and get to see it and enjoy it, but nobody expects you to actually take part in any of it.  You can watch on the sidelines snapping away, catching treasured moments and secret whispers. People walk past you with an air of slight admiration and awe "so you are the one taking the all important photos, you must be good then" and they always eye the equipment sceptically like its going to jump up and bite them or somehow catch them doing something they shouldn't, but at the same time, panicking not to "hurt" any of it. So now at weddings I have authority, for a short time I get to boss the entire event around, people have to do as I say even the bride and groom and its all great. But my most favourite part of it all is capturing the other couples looking in to each others eyes reminiscing about their own wedding days. The little girls looking wondrously at the bride in her beautiful sparkling dress, the moment of the first kiss as a married couple and groom standing nervously waiting for the women of his dreams to be his forever. It is without doubt a magical event in our lives, and I am so happy I am getting to share it with so many good people, but kinda glad I'm not actually part of it bit like the Vicar really lol :-)

I'm so old, the politest reject letter ever and sheep...

Way to go at embarrassing myself this morning in our lovely local co-op.  Over filled the basket as usual which was fine but takes a bit of unpacking on to the conveyor belt.  So there I am singing away to the song that's just come on the co-op radio, I get asked if I want a carrier bag and I continue to sing away on auto pilot unpacking and then packing up again. Eventually there is nothing more left to pack, this lifts me out of my trance and I suddenly become aware of my surroundings and when I look up. I see the "nice" young man by the till smiling politely looking at me with a slightly bewildered look on his face.  "Its an old song" I mumble "it must have been re-released, that's why I know all the words". His smile brightens and he promptly asks me for the £36.35. Bless him in his effort to rescue the somewhat uncomfortable position we are in while the pin machine does it thing he says "Can't believe how high the guy sings in this". Oh god that's just given me the opening I needed, I then proceed to spend the next 5 minutes lecturing him on how the old one was a massive hit and that it was so much better and that the lead singer sang much higher and louder than this pretender. I even told him to "youtube" the old version if he didn't believe me ! How stupid must I have seemed, me pushing 40 telling a 17 year old how to look up an old song.  Anyway he smiled that polite smile at me again and I beat a hasty retreat pretty confident that the "god some old woman" story was going to feature on his social network at some point today. Hohum here is the song in question hope you enjoy

http://youtu.be/x34icYC8zA0

I want to work for Balfour Beaty, admittedly they don't want me to work for them at this given moment, but they are still a company that I would want to work for.  Never have I received such a nice rejection email/letter as the one they sent me this morning. I knew as soon as I had finished applying for the job that i wasn't going to get it, 40,000+ a year experience required, it was always going to be a bloody long shot. Anyway here is a bit of the email, I think you will agree it is very nicely worded.

      Many thanks for your application for the post of Divisional Finance Manager (Northampton). After careful consideration I am sorry to advise you that we will not be progressing with your application. (they just need to see the front cover of my CV to decide that really lol)

We would like to retain your details for approximately 12 months, in case any suitable positions arise during that time. If you would prefer us not to, please contact our Human Resources department. (i really hope something does come up and they do consider me)

If you have not done so already, we recommend that you take advantage of our email job alert service so that you can receive the latest vacancies as they arise. You can register at our website once you have carried out a search. (yes I will be signing up asap)

Many thanks once again for taking the time to apply and for your interest.
Humf made me go look at the sheep this morning......I know this is a market town but really do we have to have the livestock market slap bang next to the schools....All you can hear 3 times a week is the poor sorry bleating of the little Timmys.  It makes me want to go veggie and I think if humf really understood what they actually were IE his Sheppard's pie, I think he'd be appalled too. The farmers enjoyed playing up for the little boy who sat gawping at them as they herded the sheep in to their little pens and I suppose each sheep for them represents, bills paid and a roof over their heads so they don't get attached.  I just find the whole thing difficult you know and its even worse when its the cows turn.  Well I think I am going to leave it a good while until I explain why they come to town each week its hard enough as it is now to get him to eat any meat, let alone if I try to explain that most of Timmy and his friends ends up on the dinning room table.