Barrie Spelling IDM Summerschool 2011 27/06/2011 - 01/07/2011 (Monday)

Monday - wow that went quickly

Despite the early starts for those that elected not to stay over on the Sunday night, upon arriving at the IDM on Monday the 27th June, everyone was spritely and excited for the week ahead.  Whilst at the assessment day there had been a fair amount of nerves and uncertainty, straight from the get-go all 27 of us were happily chatting away as if we were old chums during our morning coffees.

Firstly, programme co-ordinator Janice Pickard kicked off the morning with the obligatory (but surprisingly enjoyable) ice-breaker.  Unveiling some unusual facts about each of the delgates, we discovered that among us we had :  A break-dancer, a panto performer, a green peace activist and a cheese lover (and that's just a few). 

Janice perceiving us to all be well and truly exhausted from this, it was deemed time to have the first of our many, many coffee breaks. 

During said break, sitting invitingly in the corner of the newly refurbished and brilliantly rebranded IDM's lounge, sat a shiny new table football table.  Needless to say this became the very meaning of "coffee break" for many of us, pausing only for some of the kindly provided juice and soft drinks, and to substitute out disappointingly poor team mates *cough*Katherine *cough*.

Next up we had our first talk of the summer school from IDM founder and Managing Director Derek Holder.  In this he gave us a comprehensive introduction into the discipline of direct and digital marketing, and made sure we were all on the same page for the week ahead.  Having read his chapter in Thomas and Housden's Direct and Digital Marketing in Practice I had been looking forward to what he would have to say on the area, and he certainly didn't disappoint.  Providing us all with numerous tips as recent graduates and answering any questions we had on the industry he was the first of many to instil confidence and inspiration

After this followed a lunch that surprised us all.  Though the majority of the group had assumed we would be served a cricket tea-esque sandwiches and fruit buffet, we were pleasantly surprised with chicken, potatoes and something that I'm sure none of us were used to as students...salad. 

Tummies more than sated, it was time for what we'd all been wondering about since Janice's letter of acceptance; the brief.  Though the large brand logo on the power-point as we walked in ruined any drum-roll moment, we were all still excited to find out that our project for the week was to be for Bacardi Superior.

Though a brand with an enormously rich heritage, Bacardi have clearly become out of touch with consumers, and are falling behind competitors.  As such, our task is to provide a year plan on how to make the UK proud to drink Bacardi.  Whilst uncertainty on where we stand on client confidentiality prevents me from divulging much more information than this, watch this space for more info as the week progresses.

After spending a while in our groups discussing the brand, deciding on a plan of action, and deciding to leave reading the extensive bundle of papers provided till later, we were hauled back into the training suite once more to speak to some summer school alumni.  Getting a chance to grill Claire from DMS Jessica from EHS 4D Group and Jamie 1 and 2 from Dr Zeus' lesser known book Chaps from Rapp, we were given a brief insight into agency life from people who had been in our position just a year previously.

Getting a chance to further pester the grads, we headed next door to flex our networking muscles for the first time with drinks and dinner at The Park Lodge Hotel.  Joined by Jessica from EHS (other graduates) we all had a great time listening to stories, learning things we probably shouldn't know, learning about the industry, and drinking maybe just a tad too much.

All done we eventually headed back to our roomy student digs at St Marys, complete with hilarious aeroplane bathroom style en-suite.  Whilst I'd love to say that we partied on into the night, I guess that no longer being students we're all getting a bit too old for that now, so heads brimming with information and eyelids heavy, we all soon filtered off to our bedrooms.  After forcing ourselves to read some of our case study papers, we all swiftly fell asleep in our furnace temperature rooms, none quite believing that Monday was already over.

An Undergrad's InterDepartMental Adventure: What is SCRM and is it Worth it?

Apologies for the tardiness of this somewhat less ranty blog, but the pulls of dissertation, coursework and cricket tour could not be resisted until now.  Anyway, to the originally intended topic of this now 2-part entry:  What exactly is SCRM and is it worth it?

Also known as CRM 2.0, this relatively new area is created through the effective merging of Social and CRM areas.  Whilst organisations have typically been satisfied with the mutually exclusive existence of the two departments, the rapidly increasing importance of Social mean it's becoming a vital component for any effective campaign.  That said, only 14% of organisations currently believe Social to be adequately integrated into their marketing strategies.  Therefore,  in order to properly learn and act on the data and meaningful interactions with consumers that Social allows, greater credence must be given to Social, and a proactivity must be undertaken in merging the two disciplines.

Favouring behavioural and social data over that of transactional, SCRM uses consumer "conversations" to formulate better engagement with consumers, in recognising the value of influences and HVCs.
Whilst normally a social presence is placed somewhat cumbersomely via Twitter, Youtube and Facebook pages, SCRM utilises the data gained from social interactions to better place these as part of a wider, full consumer engagement strategy.

This "listening" approach enables marketers to better create individual relationships with consumers.  Whilst any campaign will inevitably miss some targets, properly reactive consumer "listening" can acknowledge the 80 - 20 rule and be used to engage the right consumers .  This has for example been excellently enacted by Gatorade, in transforming their call centre into a live interactive social hub.  Being able to monitor social sites live, and feed back to those that can act, they are able to not only make any campaign more fluid and personal, but are able to have a constantly "switched on" approach.  Whilst an effort and cost, this move from periodic campaigns to a constant 365 day approach has the ability to build better brand reputation through building personal relationships with consumers, better generate buzz from valuable social site "influencers" - those that not only like a page but actively generate to the conversation, and keep the brand front of mind of the brand's target audience.

All this said, it must be borne in mind that results need to be achieved.  Whilst it has been suggested (and maintained) that success of SCRM relies upon a proper interdepartmental integration, with the future of the discipline near certain to become an integral department of any organisation SCRM must still be examined on a business level.

Whilst setting the right metrics on which to measure the success of SCRM are naturally key to it's success, through such measures as:  Analytics, Engagement metrics, Branding metrics and ultimately Business metrics.  Through this, SCRM's effectiveness can be calculated, assessed for improvement, and simply and clearly presented to clients.

Overall, though still in it's infancy, in the rapidly progressing Social environment SCRM is a dramatic improvement from CRM 1.0.  The focus it has on the "conversation" allows businesses to better understand what consumers desire from the brand, and more quickly and accurately deliver those expectations on an individual level. Though an entirely "switched on" approach may possibly be more suitable for clients with fewer budgetary constraints, SCRM can to a reasonable extent be employed by most if not all who wish to take advantage of it.  With Social here to stay, the clear benefits of effective SCRM mean that if your business doesn't look to take advantage of it of soon, your clients will definitely be asking why?

N.B.  The information presented above is predominantly as interpreted from the first lecture of the IDM Seminar "2 + 2 = 5:  The Role Of Social and CRM", presented by Nick Broomfield and Julian Measey of The Customer Framework.  To view the seminar click here.

An Undergrad's InterDepartMental Adventure: The Future of "Standing Out" (Part 1)

Feeling a recent lack of media in my life, upon stumbling upon this IDM's "2+2=5:  Social and CRM" event clearly not aimed at people in my career position, I thought "what the hell, why not?"  Though tickets being £24 with a train ticket of £13 was slightly unfriendly to my student budget, it was an absolute synch when compared to the gross that similar media events often cost, and a deemed worthwhile investment for my future career in marketing.

Upon booking my ticket I was sent a request asking for a picture, 25 words on what my business was and my website for their directory.  Of these requested items I had only one to offer, and being a Law undergraduate I'm sure you can guess which one. 

As the train gathered speed out of Brighton station, dressed in my as per request "business attire" I started to wonder if my intended career-proactivity was in fact a foolish venture destined to leave me floundering out of my depth?  Whilst I had known that this seminar wasn't intended for media novices such as myself, I don't think I really realised the high likelihood that the content of the seminar would sail far too high over my head for me to even vaguely grasp at it's content.  That said, having read up a bit on the topic, there was nothing more I could do, so as my dad would say (and perhaps act upon a little too often) "the worst that can happen is you'll make a complete **** out of your self in front of strangers you don't care about and are likely to never see again".

Reaching the check-in desk at the Holiday Inn, I picked up my name badge and directory from the standard super-friendly  receptionist, chuckling at the fact that I was in the small minority of people that didn't have the title of "Director" next to their name. 

Taking my seat, complete with fancy clipboard and complementary note paper, I took note of the marketing bigwigs that surrounded me.  In spite of my bambi-esque presence at the IDM event attracting a few sideways glances, actually being in the room I found myself pleasantly unfazed by the situation, and realised that that all my worrying was for nothing. 

The first thing I remembered, is that all these big scary media bosses are just people.  Whilst a seemingly obvious statement and one that's often repeated, it's something that's so easy to forget when stood next to someone with that much more power and influence than you.  Just remember, (most) people aren't rude, and wont bite your head off when you talk to them.  More than that, these people have an enormous wealth of knowledge to share and learn from, else they wouldn't have gained that "Director" title in the first place.

Secondly,  I realised that even if I didn't grasp some of the presentation, so what?  At least I'm giving it a go.  I was trying to learn something new, which can't do anything but help in my aim to be a great marketer, and not just any old Job Bloggs. 

Further to this, considering that any agency employee/career advisor etc now all harp on about "making yourself stand out", anyone serious about acquiring any sort of marketing career is taking that advice and going that extra mile.  Whilst the industry will undoubtedly benefit from an even higher callibre of grads to chose from, it's meaning that you now have to be ever more inventive and creative to show your commitment to the cause, and prove your worth to potential employers. 

As such, it is suggested that seminars and events such as these could well be the next common venture for the undergrad.  Nowadays, unless you've scaled a mountain with three broken legs or built an entire African town from love, Gap years are becoming increasingly unimpressive, and are nothing more than a stock paragraph on the CV.  Indeed barring a committee position, extra-curricular activities too seem standard, and volunteer work is not the coop that it once was.  If anything, the majority of people that this writer has spoken to now undertake voluntary work not out of kindness per se, but in an effort to present themselves as the well rounded individuals employers seek.  

So how do you now make yourself stand out?  Well it looks to this writer as though the answer lies in commitment.  People now likely to change career 4 or 5 times in their life, companies don't want those that are merely trying a job out, they want great people that are in it for the long haul.  They want the ones that don't just see themselves climbing to the top, but the ones that already know the mountain before even starting the journey.  The key to this?  Knowledge.  Most people that attend an interview will have looked at a company, their work and it's clients, but the ones that will get that all elusive job are those that can show they understand it, that they know they "why" and the "how".  That's why it's believed that lectures and seminars such those that I've attended are the future of the undergrad.  This further learning holds the key to being able to show a commitment to the industry, a lust for personal improvement and a drive for success. 

The conclusion of this unplanned rant?  Well it would appear that if you want a career in marketing (or indeed any area), it's no longer about going the extra mile, but going the extra marathon - and not necessarily by the marked route.    

Furthermore, don't be afraid of doing it.  Go to the lectures, ask questions, go for that social drink with the manager, and most importantly; never say "no".  Though perhaps tedious at times, the knowledge and networking skills that comes from these is what will get you that job in today's tough climate.  Whilst this marathon effort may mean that when the race is over you'll be exhausted, but at least you'll have made it over the finish line.

(part 2 to include the content and analysis of the seminar)

Miles Jupp: Fibber in the Heat

                         

Whilst a Uni Cricket Team social was prevented by a stereotypically late effort to get tickets, Jeff, MBK, Mo and I happily crowded round a tiny table in an intimate little room never before explored in the bowels of Brighton's Komedia.  Why?  To witness Miles Jupp's most recent solo show, Fibber in the Heat.

Gently embarking upon his whimsical tale, the pompous yet endearing actor/comedian tells of his amusing journey from Balamory's Archie to fraudulent Cricket reporter.  Cashing in on some tenuous contacts, he manages to blag his way onto the England's 2006 tour of India.  Whilst more story than stand-up, Jupp eloquently captures the audience as he smoothly dictates the comical throws involved in his position amidst England's journalistic squad.

Eventually managing to gain the all elusive "press pass", he speaks of both his longing for acceptance amongst the hostile journalistic clique that surround him, and of his constant fear of discovery.  Whilst befriending his childhood heroes-come-commentators leads to a dramatic elevation of social status that ensures his place amongst the pride, he finds that his long sought acceptance isn't as sweet tasting as hoped. Finding the journalistic lifestyle somewhat clinical and solitary, he concludes that his place is amongst the throngs of caterwauling fans, and not in the quite confines of the passion sapping, overly sunny press box.

Overall, Miles Jupp's novel tale is a transfixing affair, and whilst told in a vastly different fashion to his more renowned stand-up, the gentle comedy provides the audience with a fantastic feeling of contentedness that is certain to leave any person with a smile on their face.

Kylie Remixed: Buy The Locomotive

For those of you that didn't see it, during halftime of yesterday's Champions League tie between Marseille and Manchester United, Lexus' new poster girl - no, you probably didn't guess it... Kylie Minogue was unveiled on the small screen

CHI & Partners'"Drum Roll" ad seeks to promote the company's "first full hybrid luxury compact car" - the CT 200h, as part of their Quiet Revolution campaign.  It currently exists alongside over 20 viral backstage videos that Lexus' Facebook members can enjoy, with Kylie's Aphrodite-Les Foiles Tour tickets as a sign-up incentive.

The ad commences with a lengthy drum roll crescendo, featuring such first-rate stick men as Pauli Stanley McKenzie and Mike Joyce.  This is drawn to a close by Kylie, who softly asks the viewers to "Join the quiet revolution", before subsequently taking the CT for a leisurely drive, and finally introducing the luxurious compact car.

Personally I'm not a fan.  Granted that the two sections of the commercial are meant to contrast each other, but the level of disjointedness that exists between the two scenes almost seems as though the viewer is watching two different ads.

Additionally to this, as someone who's career is founded in noise, Kylie's presence seems wholly inappropriate for this Quiet Revolution.  Whilst it's refreshing to see a company not using the same dulcet Hondaesque tones to promote their vehicles, the ex-Neighbours star's voice just seems to spoil the moment, failing to adequately provide the calmness that might better promote the brand's message.

Whilst Kylie's presence will no doubt attract attention to the brand, it will have to be seen how well received the production will be.  Unfortunately for Lexus, if early online comments are anything to go on, the forecast isn't looking too good.

(Lexus Quiet Revolution microsite: http://www.lexus.co.uk/drum-roll/index.aspx?ac=C3704&mc=)

John O'Groats to Lands End: Training Diary

7th Aug
Sorry to not have updated in such a long period of time, exams, finding a job and sorting stuff out made me completely forget to be honest.  Well, in short, it's all fallen apart.  Whilst I'll update the full story when I'm back (ominous and confusing statement, see below for answers), Jeff's sister was no longer able to provide the support car which made it all a bit of a pickle.  Whilst Jeff's friend was able to help us out for about 3 days, it was too late to really sort anything out.  Because of all the kerfuffle, Ben ended up pulling out, having not really trained, and his dates to be able to do the ride diminishing anyway.  That said however, because of the money that people have very generously sent me for such a good cause, I've been determined to do something.  As such, when speaking to my friend Lucy, we decided to have a trip to Paris together.  What's more, is that I said that I'd cycle and meet her there (mystery solved!).
Unfortunately my knee is pretty screwed and I've been told by the doc not to do anything, so I'm going to have to take it fairly easy.  However the plan is tomorrow (Monday) to do London to Brighton, then over to Dieppe, then about half way to Paris, and finally on to meet Lucy on Friday.  Having a couple of days with her seeing the sights and recovering, I'm then going to see how my knee is, and whether I can make the trip up to Lille, across to Calais and ultimately back home.  Alternatively, if I'm not feeling great I may just cycle back the way I came, or if I can barely walk I'll just hop on the eurostar back home.
For all those who donated and supported me, I'm truly sorry that it's come to this.  I hate the fact that the big plan didn't come off, but hopefully this (should I manage to get there) will be some consolation.  At least the money is going to a fantastic cause, and I'm determined that I'll do it one day.
So that's kind of it.  Off up to Clapham Common tomorrow to start the trip.  Wish me luck : )


14th May
Took Jippy out on his first ride today, and boy was eventful.  Arriving at his house with him wearing his brand new cycling shoes, I noted a distinct lack of cleats, rendering them about as useful as a chocolate teapot.  But undeterred by Jeff's stupidity we headed back to Evans Cycles, got it sorted, and before long were off.

Cycling along the seafront towards Shoreham, Jeff not only got his first taste of pedestrians mindlessly walking across cycle paths, but had his first fall.  Not quite navigating round a family out on a bike ride (brings back memories) he failed to un-clip the right leg and tumbled over into a lady.  Pillock.  Sadly however this was not to be Jeff's last event of the day.

In the process of climbing to the top of Saltdean and back, Jip took a total of 3 more tumbles and just for good measure knocked into an unsuspecting pedestrian.  Though laughing (expect the last time when Jeff got angry and kicked his bike), I'm very aware that having not yet fallen off my time will come.

Apart from these events, overall the ride was fairly smooth.  In spite of a couple of knackering hill climbs chucked in we felt surprisingly fresh at the end of our 36km ride - http://soc.li/qR8C3LJ


8th May
Instead of cycling training, wicket kept (if that's a verb) in our second league cricket match, which we managed to win - hazaah!!  Knee not fantastic, but the 3 catches, 1 stumping and winning runs I hit sooth the pain.  Now, back to revision and assessment day prep.


5th May
After my "great day" my knee was agony on the next , but at least I didn't collapse during the cycle.  If I can do this bike ride, I've got the rest of my life to recover [nervous whimper].  Also, found out that Jippy has got accute tonsillitis/glandular fever.  Having had it myself a while back my prayers are with you ol' pal, get better soon!


3rd May
Great day!!  Not only did I found out that I got onto a marketing summer school that I'd applied for, but I also found out that I got through to the assessment day for a grad scheme at Starcom MediaVest!!  Even better than that however, I covered just under 20 miles on the bike without much being enormously out of breath!!


2rd May
With exams and 24,000 words to hand in in a few weeks I've unfortunately had to experience the nice weather from the inside of a library this week.  However, my sad looking bike is enticing me and I think I might have to go out tomorrow, lord knows I need to.


25th Apr
Back from cricket tour, having taken the plunge and wicket kept for 5 games, and no real problems for my knees.  Moderate twinges but considering that each match involves doing roughly 300 squats, am fairly pleased.


10 Apr
Right, well the bike is fixed (sort of - gear changes aren't all that smooth sometimes) and I've finally been out on a ride!  Was fairly nervous about not being able to de-clip my shoes and falling over foolishly, so was a bit tentative - and looking hilarious in all my bike gear.
This bike is QUICK!  Which is awesome, but I sooooo nearly lost control going quickly over some uneven ground on a hill just outside of Brighton, very scary.  Apart from that, sunny day, lovely ride, about 1.5 hours with some stops to look at the sea (and recover a bit).  The best bit, my knee wasn't even that bad afterwards!!  Fingers crossed...

5th Apr
Finally taken the plunge and bought a protein shake.  I know, I know, I'm becoming one of those overly testosterony "look-at-me-I-go-to-the-gym" sort of people, but at least it's only a "recovery" one, and not full on pretentious protein.  Having tasted the supposedly chocolaty flavour, I'd say it's a mixture of the milk you get when you put Coco Pops in, and cardboard; but it's vaguely palatable.  Also bought some pretty gloves .  Not much to say about them yet as I haven't actually ridden a bike so far.  Soon though.  Soon.

4th Apr
Did the acupuncture properly for the first time!  Asked to be shown by the physio, as I realised that I wasn't actually shown how to do it in the first place.  Very painful and the needle got a little stuck, but biting my lip I managed to eventually yank it out.

1st Apr
Right, well a mixture of news to speak of.  The bike news isn't as bad as it could be, the shifters don't need changing which is a positive, but the rear dérailleur does, meaning that (having managed to price match it with Evans) it's gong to cost £140.  Having had no response from my e-mails to the eBay seller I may have to open the dreaded "case" on PayPal to try and get some form of reimbursement, failing that pay for it myself.

Knees not so good, acupuncture still not going that well, but back on the bike and back up to doing hour rides without much trouble.  Did 20m in 1h12sec yesterday (but only on a gym bike) with house mate Tom "Ace" Whiting whose joining me in the London to Brighton this June.

Separate to that, I'm sitting here typing this in a shiny new pair of cycling shoes! Whilst technically I don't actually have a bike to clip them into yet, I still think I look pretty cool.  As Jeff noted however, I'm definitely on the path to being the guy with all the gear and no idea.
Also, the hair on my knees really isn't growing back quickly at all...


27th Mar
Bike Disaster!  Having sent the bike off to Halfords to get tuned up whilst I browse shoes, I get a bad, bad call.  Apparently the chain is set to snap, the cassette is heavily worn down and both need replacing.  Additionally, there's a potential that the shifters are shot too!  If that's the case it could be about £400 to sort it out...  Not happy one bit.  I've e-mailed my eBay chum to ask for a bit of help for my bike that was supposedly in "awesome condition", thoug hI have a feel as though i may need to flex my legalistic muscles to get him to budge at all.


25th Mar
Ow!  Conjured up the guts to try this acupuncture malarkey, but not 100% I did it right - or at least as well as Stuart.  Ah well, I'm sure I'll get better with practice.

23rd Mar
Saw my team, foolish people.  I tell them I've been really good and rested and not done any sport (only a very slight porky), to which I am then told that there was no reason why I shouldn't have been exercising.  WHAT?!  Talk about mixed messages eh?  However, apparently the immense pain I've been in is a good thing, it means that the ligament is revascularising - I think it means getting more blood to it so that it can heal itself.
On bonus side, they submitted and have given me some needles to stick into my knee.  Could be interesting...


17th Mar
Still been really good (apart from going to last ever Sports Centre cricket training - sob), but knee in agony.  Really hurts


10th Mar
Been really good, literally not done anything remotely sporty, but knee hurts more than did last week.


3rd Mar
Saw physios (I'm building a team).  As knee feeling a bit better, after more acupuncture I was told to rest for ANOTHER 2 WEEKS!  Refused to let me have needles to self acupuncture as well.  Ah well, one can but ask


28th Feb
DISASTER!!  At cricket training who should walk in.....Stuart!  Cue awkward conversation as I try to explain why I'm doing exercise : S  On the plus side, he did see me bowl Ferg middle stump.


27th Feb
Saw new physio (Stuart), did some acupuncture, taped up, and told me the worst thing to do right now....rest.  Uuurgh!  Ah well, doctors orders I guess.....After cricket training tomorrow


24th Feb
Been ill since coming back from cricket training on Saturday.  Rubbish.  Planing on trying to make it to the gym tomorrow....and maybe even make up this bike that's taking so much space in my little room.


19th Feb
Physio wants another physio to take a look, i.e. not sure what to do : S  However, my bike has arrived, and despite paying £470, its in better nick than I though it would be!  Now if I could just figure out how to put it together...

13th Feb
Mixed day, got knee (singular) taped up at physio.  Andy decided that the left one doesn't kneed it (get it), so I have one bald knee for a while (I guess I deserve it for that pun).  On a more positive note, bought a bike!  A bit old, but really good parts mean that it should be great.  Introducing.... the Specialized Allez Elite!

12th Feb
Waxed knees this eve, verdict:  Hurts less than I thought it would, but still fairly *cough* really *cough* painful.  Each individual strip doesn't hurt THAT much, but the amount you have to do gets in your head.  Ah well, I now have silky smooth knees : )

8th Feb
Still giong doing hour long rides, but is far far easier than it was.  Normally covering about 19 miles - though I'm aware that outside it'll be a lot harder.  Missed out on one or two eBay and gumtree bikes, for those bike buffs out there, I'm looking to get at least a Shimano Tiagro groupset or better if possible.

7th Feb
Jeff's got a bike!  Great one too, however it does mean that my bike has to at least be as good as his, or it'll drive me crazy cycling behind him knowing that he's got it easier lol.

Also, I wasn't going to put this in as it was a bit naughty of me, so I've only put it in on 1st April.
The other day, having been cycling a fair bit during the week I felt a bit thirsty at cricket training on Saturday, but forgot to have a drink.  In fact, all day I was thirsty but I just kept forgetting to have a drink.  In the evening I started to feel very fatigued.  I know it's a stupid sign, but I can always tell when I'm really ill because I become too lazy to move my mouth when I talk.  Having been sitting in Tutku's room it almost felt as though I was drunk, acting fairly silly but still extremely lethargic.  I went to go to bed, but didn't quite make it (to next door!), so just lay on the stairs for about 45 minutes, at which point Ben/tom found me and put me into my bed.  Now this is the silly bit.  My bed being on laminate flooring it's always a bit slippery.  As I rolled over towards the wall my bed slipped out a bit and I fell down the side.  Stupid I know.  Upon saying that I was fine, everyone in the house went out and left me where I was.  However, the position I'd somehow fallen in made it  too hard for me to roll over, and I was too tired to push the bed.  As a result of this, I ended up just laying there, lying uncomfortably on what turned out to be a pair of trainers (that gave me a huge bruise), head on some slippers staring at the wall for about 2 1/2 hours before Ben thankfully came back to my rescue.  Technically speaking it turns out that I was dangerously dehydrated to a point where I should have been taken to hospital and put on a drip.  Ah well, Lucozade is fine too.

Moral of the story?  DRINK WATER!!

2nd Feb
Back to Physio, had another assessment, wants me to shave my knees so he can tape them up lol.  Shave?  Bah, I shall wax and see if all this fuss about pain is true.

29th Jan
Changed mind, very fickle I know, but eBay and gumtree are looking much more promising for a bargain.  The bikes around, whilst second hand, are a much higher spec than I can afford brand new.

28th Jan
Ready to buy a bike, GT Series 4, £400, a lot brighter green thant the picture shows, but with some shoes thrown in so can't complain.  Going in tomorrow, very excited : )

25th Jan
Still struggling along, no change in knees, a bit disappointed to be honest.

19th Jan
Insoles still feel weird, got 7 weeks till permanent ones are made, so got a bit of time to get used to them.  After some great help at Evans Cycles I'malmost ready to buy a bike, possibly a Trek 1.1, or GT Series 4

25th Jan
Met with the podiatrist.  Aparently I have unbelieveably over pronated feet (basically I'm flat footed).  This explains why I run la bit like a duck - but at least I don't have to go to war lol.  Adapted my insoles, feel really weird at the moment but I'm sure I'll get used to them.

22nd Jan
First 1.5 hour cycle, nearly colapsed afterwards though, think I'll stick to the 1 hours atm.  Starting to research bikes : )

20th Jan
First appointment with physio Andy, nice guy, hoping for big things.

19th Jan
Done a couple of hour longs, seems to be getting easier, knees really hurt though.

14th Jan
My current physio being stumped, I've finally managed to book an appointment with an NHS physio and a podiatrist.

13th Jan
First hour long ride, knackered.  Knees hurt a lot.

4th Jan
Two rides done, gone from 30-40 minutes.  I guess its a start...

1st Jan 2011
Training starts today!  Only at the gym though, still saving up for the actual bike.

An Ordained Male in a Komedic Car - John Bishop, Jason Manford and the Komedia

With a bank holiday style weekend comedy line-up of Jason Manford on Friday, the Komedia on Sunday, and John Bishop on Monday, I thought a review only appropriate. However, instead of extensively going through each one and boring the pants off of everyone, I thought it better to condense them into one synoptic blog. First up to the plate, Manford...

As Ben and I found our seats, just six rows back from where our Mancunian maestro would be performing, a big smile crossed my face. Having booked the seats way back in October 2009, I couldn't believe the day had finally arrived, but boy was I glad it had.

Jason arriving soon later on stage to a rapturous applause, as a self professed tight-arse he did his own warm up on the recent firing of Sky's Andy Grey. Everyone in a jovial mood, he moved on to some fantastic material, including jokes about babies, Christmas, hecklers, people's names (in which he said our pal Jeff's name was akin to Barry, and shouldn't be allowed on anyone under 50 - poor Jeff...but true), poo and Brighton, that had all watching in stitches.

The performance was fantastic, Jason's inoffensive and almost conversational style making him seem friendly and relatable. Whilst his material was on some moderately standard comedic topics, the jokes and anecdotes were fresh and clever, with punchlines being unexpected and perfectly timed. He was definitely worth the wait, and I'd recommend him to anyone for when he returns to Brighton later this year on the same tour. Though I'll resist the temptation to go again, I may take his advice this December and look past Michael McIntyre, and reach for his DVD instead.

My laughing muscles having recovered, off I headed to the Komedia with the Kayaking Club for one of their Krater Comedy Club nights. After navigating my way through the labyrinthine North Laines, I eventually located the neon emblazoned club, not really sure what to expect of the evening.
Settling in with a rather pricey drink, I watched with glee as pro-compare Stephen Grant expertly warmed up the crowd with some great improvisation and observational comedy, including a destruction of my foolish friends who'd broken the first rule of being a comedy club audience member - don't sit at the front. Everyone being suitably jovial in spirits, it wasn't long before Stephen brought on the first act; Malawian comedian Daliso Chaponda.

His soft voice alongside a very measured delivery meant that each punchline almost surprised you at how funny it was. Once acclimatised to his method of delivery, each anticipatory wait was rewarded with exuberant laughter from the audience. Whist comedians such as Shappi Khorsandi and Stephen K. Amos (though undoubtedly great) tend to hover their jokes around their ethnicity, Chaponda drew away from this with some top material on his ambitions, and experiences in Brighton. Whilst perhaps some layering to his anecdotes may help him reach greater heights of comedy, at the moment he suits mid-sized venues like the Komedia down to the ground, and is definitely worth a watch.

Next up was Rosie Wilby. Being brand new to the scene she had a tall order to follow up, but faired fairly well, showing few signs of nerves for someone so inexperienced. Whilst many of her jokes lacked the nuance that differentiates between the funny and hilarious, she undoubtedly has potential. Managing to produce the odd gem within her short slot, she adequately showed that with some polishing and improved timing, she has the skills to do do well, though I'd probably wait until she had some more experience before rushing to see her again.

Third out of the four was fresh faced "cross between a bi-curious 14 year-old girl and the moon"; Marc Burrows. Whilst having shared stages with the likes of Dara O'Brian and Rufus Houns, on the night it didn't really shine through. Whilst undoubtedly talented, his phenomenally rapid pace of speech prevented much comedic timing, and meant the audience barely had time to register a joke before it was whisked away to the next one. Alongside this, some iffy linking between topics made his set feel slightly disjointed, occasionally causing him to return back to has stock of jokes on his physical appearance in order to maintain the crowd. Expecting a bit more from the orchestrator of '09 and '10 5* Edinburgh Fringe Festival show "The Big Comedy Breakfast", this writer was left disappointingly underwhelmed.

Fortunately however, the headline act certainly didn't disappoint. Having been on the circuit for a number of years, with some solo shows and the odd award to his name, upon entering, a few spectators could be heard murmuring vague recollections of seeing the performer. After his performance however, just about everyone who attended will be actively seeking him out, as on Sunday the 6th February, Carey Marx brough the Komedia to tears.
With a wide range of well intellectual and meticulously crafted material that somewhat belies his appearance included: Disproving God whilst simultaneously proving a Jahovah's Witness to be a bed wetter, how punching clowns and sexually abusing cows will save the planet, and an exploration of how insensitive paraplegics can be.
Whilst pushing the boundaries of offensiveness with every joke, Carey's honed timing, wry smile and doe-eyed expressions of innocence, forced you into fits of laughter against every politically correct bone in your body.
A fantastic end to the evening, and a comedian that I'd pay a fair amount to go and see. Whilst you'll be likely to come out severely questioning your morals, you certainly wont be disappointed.

Overall, a great evening, with the venue itself carrying a great atmosphere; and considering the student price of £3.50, an unbelievable bargain. If you haven't been to a Krater night, get down there asap, you're really missing out.

To round off my laughter-filled weekend, Monday evening brought along a visit to see 2011 British Comedy Award Winner John Bishop on his second solo tour - Sunshine. Having been in the game for just over 11 years, his career has recently taken off. However, despite appearances on such shows as Mock the Week, Live at the Apollo, and Michael McIntyres Comedy Roadshow, the 44 year old Liverpudlian is still remaining on the peripherals of becoming a household name.

Walking in a couple of minutes late, my friend Tom and I were bricking it, as our fantastic seats (2nd row back, centre stage) meant that as late comers, we were ripe for a ribbing. Fortunately for us, we managed to sneak to our seats underneath the Bishop radar, and settled in for what turned out to be a brilliant evening.

The Scouser drew upon a lengthy history of work and familial relationships to present the audience with a wide variety of observational comedy, whilst providing a great insight as to how the Ex-Pharmaceuticals Manager came to be where he is today.
His measured and friendly approach meant that each anecdote not only made you laugh, but kept you interested throughout. Additionally, meandering off on unrehearsed tangents whilst maintaining perfect comedic timing, not only showed the depth of his talent, but displayed his clear enjoyment for his profession, further enhancing his likeability factor.
What made his act stand out more than most, were a few recorded ads for TV job applications (e.g. Bazooka and Admiral), coupled with a dazzling dancing finish, with Bishop suited up like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever.

If you haven't seen or even heard of John Bishop, he's definitely worth at least a Google. His material reaching a wide range of audiences make him a great night out regardless of whether you're out with your mate or Auntie Margaret. Though I'd reckon that ticket prices may be slightly more dear for his next tour, you certainly wouldn't be wasting your money.