Let’s Make It 2012 Again

Remember 2012? It was a good year.

For me, I had just finished school and got my first job, my sister had graduated and the terror of going into the big scary world was dulled for the time being.

Oh and we also had the Olympics in London, in case you forgot…

I don’t live in London but on the weeks leading up to the opening ceremony I went for a visit and even though I didn’t go to any events I felt like part of it. The same was felt outside London. From Norwich to Crew, Gretna to the Gorbals. It just so happened I got to watch the opening ceremony in a London suburb (Just outside Penge East) where the local community gathered in a park, set up a barbecue and sat on the grass to watch it unfold on a big screen. The sun was setting and the world watched us, just being us. (Kenneth Branagh in a top hat and the Spice Girls) 

That was a great feeling. We were proud of ourselves and pleased for each other. Athletes brought home medals to the nations. All-proud to be Northern Irish, Welsh, Scottish, English and British. We looked good… well G4S didn’t.

4 Years later.  Here we are and one half of the nation dislikes the other and vice versa .We look like we’d rather close our door than welcome in, not just people but culture, kindness and potential. I don’t mean ‘Brexit’ which now seems like the punch line to an un-funny joke, whatever way someone voted doesn’t matter. It’s the current mood and I didn't know how to fix it. 

Then Wimbledon started, it was on screens and in speakers everywhere and we all collectively said ‘Ohh yea, it's that time of year’. The penny dropped (About as far as it did on the morning of the 24th) We’re all gathering together, watching the best people in the world play tennis at a level the majority of us only reach when describing how good our game is to someone we’re trying to chat up and we love rooting for Andy or Gordon Reid or the underdog at their first grand slam.

We get that feeling back for a bit.

We’ve all been so bombarded with news we’ve forgotten to be nice. Remember what it was like watching Andy win gold or Tom being over the moon for a bronze. We welcomed the world, gave them a pat on the back and said; ‘Right, what are you drinking?’ Let’s get back to that … the last thing we need is America making fun of us… (Wink)

While you were away…

The very first thing I saw when I woke up today was someone getting shot, a video on twitter that showed the shooter in Dallas. A story that dominated headlines all day.

Horrific, from all viewpoints and a story we will no doubt learn more of in the coming days.

Twitter is great, social media (for the most part) is a good thing that can inform, amuse and entertain.

On days like today, Twitter hinders. It dilutes the pool of information with re-hashed headlines, ‘BREAKING NEWS’ and speculation. Rather than writing about the people, the reason or what those in power might be able to do, some journalist’s time was devoted to tracking down and sharing the picture of a man who was not involved and writing articles about a deleted tweet from a former politician who’s idiocy if measured by numbers would be tenfold his amount of followers.

As news becomes more international and local/ national tragedies are broadcast round the world faster than is healthy, we’ll need to find a better way of working/ reacting online, especially if something is on going. Even though we’re becoming numb, many still attach a lot of trust to the words ‘Breaking News’ and this leads to miss information and misconception. The last thing that this tragedy needs is for an important message to get lost. A message that if it was already held in the palaces that it's not, this might have been avoided. #BlackLivesMatter

Sunderland Air Show

My most recent escapade was a trip with the BBC Experience to Sunderland as part of the SunderlandAir Show  (Not 'Sutherland which i kept on accentually saying when people asked where it was. Nor was it Durham as my family insisted thats 'basically where I was going' )

"The Voice" Chair is a popular attraction at the experience. (Had to get a selfie) 

I had never worked with on this project before so I was quite excited and had a great time!
The day started just before ten and people never really stopped coming through the doors till we closed them.
The Sunderlandonians we very welcoming, with one local remarking "you're too close to the equator for a ginger" after they witnessed me wincing in the midday sun.

I was taken aback however by the resemblance one of my co-workers had to one of my good friends.. to the point were I was a little freaked out at just how spitting the image was.

Highlights:

• Seeing Spitfires and other military aircraft in action.
• Traveling and working with Sunana is always a hoot! (laugh a minute on the train) 
• Getting a hug from Elmo
• Getting offered free carrier-bags by a woman on the Newcastle metro (presumably because she knows we pay for them in Scotland.)

@chrisq_1 @Metro_Manners random yet thoughtful I suppose :D

— Costel's Emo Specs (@vitosauras) July 25, 2015

Lowlights:

• Getting lost from the hotel to site and having to awkwardly ask the Radio Newcastle team for directions. 
• Nearly having my hotdog blown out my hand by a mix of strong sea wind and jet engine blasts.
• Trying to get a taxi to the station was difficult in gridlock traffic.

It was a fun trip and a great day, if you get a chance give the BBC Experience a visit.