Growing The Family Tree

Last Monday after asking a fellow colleague what he got up to on the weekend, he beckoned me over to his computer to show me. It turned out that he had spent it putting together his family tree on ancestry.co.uk. He explained all the detective work he had been doing to get to the stage he was at, and it really intrigued me.

Then this Sunday, while feeling sorry for myself after spending an eventful Saturday night in London which involved a street magician called Dave, copious amounts of white wine and a kitchen utensil, I decided to try and be proactive. I figured that it wouldn’t hurt to give this family tree malarkey a go. Read the rest of this entry »

Tyne Cot Cemetery, Sanctuary Wood & Menin Gate

Tyne Cot Cemetery

The first day of the tour began early on a wet Tuesday morning at Tyne Cot Cemetery, which is the final resting place of 11,954 British and Commonwealth soldiers and contains the names of over 34,000 British and New Zealand soldiers missing in the Ypres Salient, making it the largest Commonwealth military cemetery in the world.

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All Quiet on the Western Front

Last week I boarded a Ferry to Calais to take part in a tour of the battlefields from the First World War (1914-1918). The area we were headed was the Western front, from the Ypres salient in Belgium right the way down to the Somme River and the surrounding area in France.

When I left on Monday my understanding of the Great War consisted of little more than the undeservedly basic element covered while I was in secondary school. My primary interest has always been around the events of the Second World War (1939-1945), I guess for the most part this is due to the fact that it is still within living memory and I myself have relatives still around now who lived through that era. Read the rest of this entry »

Can I Man Up for Movember?

On 1^st November each year men around the world take part in a fantastic cause aimed at raising essential funds for both prostate and testicular cancer research. This is done through the fine, gentlemanly art of moustache growing, hence the name Movember.

I myself first heard about Movember last year when some of my colleagues at Coast Digital were taking part. I was invited to join in the event, but alas the ability to grow facial hair of a sufficient standard was yet to emerge. To be totally honest the very idea of growing 5 O’clock shadow was no small feat. It would take a good couple of weeks of growing to achieve something substantial. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m Gonna Look Like Captain America

I watched Captain America recently and aside from discovering it was a great film, I couldn’t help but take an interest in how much the chap playing the lead had physically bulked up to play the part. In fact after reading a couple of articles on the man himself Chris Evans and how he managed to achieve his stacked appearance I was even more astounded when I found out that that in some scenes of the film the producers had to use CGI effects too actually shrink his body down because he was too toned. Wow! I mean c’mon it’s every respectable geek’s wet dream right, to actually be as buff as their favourite superhero?

Getting into shape myself is something I’ve been talking about doing for a while now, well for the past year if I’m honest, and I still haven’t quite managed to get off my posterior and get started yet. Actually that’s a lie, I have managed to sign up to the local gym but so far the only thing my membership card has successfully been used for is as leverage to aid in removing a key from my key ring. So now it’s time to change all that and actually use it. Read the rest of this entry »

Aquatic Antics

I popped into Seapets, my local pet shop, on the way home from work on Friday (pay day) with the sole intention to pick up a small tub of turtle food for the two terrapins I inherited not long ago. When I left, it was in a taxi with a Fluval Roma 125l tank, stand and a 20kg bag of gravel in tow.

How did that happen?! I work in marketing, yet I’m a total sucker for marketing… Read the rest of this entry »

Is the Future Still Orange?

When it comes to mobile phones I’ve never really been what one would class as “in the know”. My first ever mobile phone was a Nokia 5110, remember them? You know the ones that were so big you had to clip them onto your belt because there was never any chance of ever fitting them in your pocket. They even had changeable face plates too for that customised feel, I had the yellow one.

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Who the hell is Lewy?!

OK so I thought I’d attempt to re-launch my own website into something more than just a few throw away thoughts on the industry I work in and the odd rant here and there. What I’m now aiming for is wider coverage, blogging about my experiences in everyday life and what I’ve learned as a result. Kind of like every other blog on the internet really… I haven’t thought this through at all.

..Anyway, I figured a great place to start would be to explain the reason behind my pseudonym and where it originated. Read the rest of this entry »

What if We Just Ignore Customer Complaints Through Social Media Instead?

I’ve heard the same statement made on numerous occasions by companies whenever the brunt of a customer complaint is felt through social media: “But if we didn’t have a profile in the first place we wouldn’t have to deal with this.” I’ve always been quick to respond with the classic: “Regardless of whether you have a presence on these platforms or not it won’t stop people talking about your brand. Be it complaint, praise or otherwise.”

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Had a Fight with a Lawnmower and Lost

I decided that I needed a haircut before Christmas. As per usual I kept meaning to get round to it but due to other things (alcohol, computer games and general bone idleness) I haven’t gotten round to it. Until today that is.

My usual hairdressers, who I have been paying a visit to in times of need when I start to look like Cousin It from the Adams family for the past year or so, unfortunately close quite early in the afternoon. Which means it’s difficult for me to get to from where I work on the other side of town. The alternative was to visit one of the ‘cheap n cheerful’ barbers in the town centre which are usually open till late. I was recommended to one place in particular by a friend who I trusted (up until now that is!), 10 quid all in and a free cup of tea & biscuit. What could possibly go wrong? Read the rest of this entry »