My life I've put some weight on. I have no idea how heavy I should be only that I'm far heavier than I once was. My view on this is skewed because I weigh myself so rarely. When I finished touring Googlewhack I was just under 11 and a half stones. But then I lost a lot of weight while touring that strangely physical show. After three years of pretty incessant touring my clothes were hanging off me and a lot of people were telling me I looked gaunt. Strangers as well as friends and family. I fainted twice which was another good clue that things weren't quite right.
By contrast writing is incredibly sedentary. It also involves biscuits. So I would have been hugely surprised if I wasn't heavier than I had been back then. But I wasn't expecting such a big increase. I weighed myself before taking part in the Premier League All Stars thing. I was nearly 14 stones. I don't know how much went on when but that's nearly 2 and a half stones in 2 and a half years. Oops.
I was horrified. And I've been trying to do something about it. I've been for a run each morning since. Sometimes just a kilometer, sometimes 2 and occasionally 3. I've cut out biscuits. Mostly. I've made sure my fruit bowl is more regularly replenished. I've had breakfast. In 2 weeks I've got down to 13 stones.
I know I never keep these things up and at some point the running will stop and a chocolate biscuit will look much more appealing than an apple so I will try not to obsess about it.
I have no idea if it's connected or not but I think my writing has improved too. I was getting worried about this book. It was feeling flabby and plodding in places and I couldn't see a way of picking up the pace while being true to the story.
But this last week I think I solved the problem. I've found a way of looking at the story through a different, less tortured, lens. It means I have to go back through a large part of what I've already written but because the idea excites me it's fun to do. Are my thoughts leaner because I am? I doubt it. I think I'd probably have arrived at the same place creatively regardless... but maybe not.
PS: I'm pretty good at updating my website myself... but I always need assistance with the big things. I think I need to do a bit of an overhaul on the site as it is so that it feels less focussed on old projects... but I don't seem to be able to get in touch with the chap who designed the current site to ask him about it. I just want to make a few changes to the layout of the front page so if anyone has the know-how, it would be good to hear from you.
PPS:Thanks for so many offers of help with the site. They've all been very gratefully received. I've got someone tinkering under the bonnet as I type.
20 comments:
Wow, well done for losing so much so quickly! I do believe exercise is good for the brain - I usually come up with some good stuff after I've been to the gym. If nothing else it really wakes you up. Looking forward to the book!
Dave,
Regarding your site - I've had murky.org (and other sites) for a while now.
It's a bit hectic at the moment, but I have a week free in a week's time. I might be able to have a look then, assuming it's not a complete overhaul you want (which is a bigger job). Web stuff is a hobby, not a full time job, so if you get the latter volunteering, take them up on it!
I've taught myself a bit of html, but I certainly don't claim to be an expert. However, I've had a little look at the code of your home page using trusty old notepad, and assuming I'm not being daft, it would appear that not all of the text is actually text. For example the Googlewhack, Are You DG, etc boxes are actually images that are laid out in a table.(Same thing applies to your links at the top).
So... depending on what you wanted to do, and assuming you want to keep the same sort of style, it might be a little tricky unless you are able to make more 'images' in the same sort of style. I know you're pretty nifty in Photoshop though, so that might not be a problem! :)
If you wanted to make more 'images' in a similar style, then it should be possible to swap the old for the new. Do you have any web-editing software like Dreamweaver or Frontpage?
Is that any help? Apologies if I'm telling you stuff you already know.
P.S. Did you know there seems to be a Latin (and old) version of your site??! http://www.gowebdesign.co.uk/dg/
P.P.S. If you don't get any other offers, I'd certainly have a try although I couldn't promise not to break anything important and it would depend on how radical a change you wanted! If you want an idea of my website capabilities I built this one using notepad. www.stagekids.btinternet.co.uk
Hey Dave,
I'd also be happy to help you with your website if I'm able, although as Nez pointed out, some of the stuff on the front page is images rather than text so you'd probably need the source files if you wanted to edit rather than re-do. Anyway, if you're interested, the last website I made was www.ekkeko.co.uk (done in Notepad).
Good luck!
Matt
the coding part is easy
it's the design that's the issue, have you got a design sorted?
becuase that's the place to start, and then you code
Another thing to consider is the way you edit the "live" version. Do you edit on your own computer and then upload to the internet? Or do you have direct editing rights to the internet?
If you edit the pages 'as they are' online, if someone was to send you a revised version of the page to upload, you'd need to know your FTP settings and have a means of uploading. (I think there is a basic FTP programme in Windows somewhere, but I use something called CuteFTP.)
Hi Dave
I posted a comment last night but it doesn't seem to have popped up so I'll try again.
I'd be happy to take a look at your site. I'm a web designer by profession, mostly working on Jaguar (yes, the cars) over the past 10 years as well as a number of other brands. I'd love to have a crack at redoing your site.
In my opinion, I think you should go for something built using Wordpress (www.wordpress.com) which will allow you to bring together your main site and blog and provide you with an easy to use content management system as well. Check out sites such as www.jasonsantamaria.com and www.simplebits.com for an idea of content structure and layout. These aren't built using Wordpress (although they do use something similar) but have nice simple style and structure, and they're very accessible. I think it could be a good route for you.
But hey! Thats just my opinion, if you have a very definite idea of what you're looking for then i'd be happy to have a crack.
Cheers
MattConn
P.S - If you want to discuss, please feel free to mail me at mattconn@gmail.com
Hi Dave,
If you're looking for a bit of a refresh of the site (or help editing the current design) then give me a bell, I do website and graphics design as a hobby and I'm studying Multimedia Computing at Uni. Im sure it wouldn't be too hard to get you what you want as you're fairly competent with the Web and you know your way around image manipulation software
If you want to get in contact, see www.simonwoodward.net
I would recommend Paul McKenna's book 'I can make you thin'. It's really revolutionary and you don't have to exclude any foods. Exercise is great for dissociation. Going off into that dreamlike world and looking back at yourself. Very helpful.
Thanks for all the offers of help with the site. I think things are in hand. I'm in no rush, mind. There's a book to write and that's a bit more important.
Hi Dave,
I left a message earlier (as an anonymous post - not sure why It did that!) regarding your website, and I've seen your reply up there about it all being in hand, which is cool.
However, if you are still looking for someone to help with this, I am actually looking a client and a project/product for my Multimedia degree Final Year Dissertation Project at University and wondered if you would be interested in anything like this? (as the client)
If you do infact have it *all* completely in hand then thats hunkydory, but I have extra hands here in case :-)
And again if this is something that interests you, you can find my e-mail address on my website www.simonwoodward.net
Thanks
Simon
Ullo. Sure you've now had 1001 emails along these lines by now, but if you still need anyone to take a quick look at things to tart them up, I'd be only too happy to have a look. All looks rather straightforward, and should be able to get it sorted with minimum of fuss and disruption.
Web design is the day job, along with the occasional bout of teaching the subject and writing about it on blogs and magazines. I really should get out more...
Anyway, the offer's there, if and when. Contact details should be available through the blogger profile link thingy if needed. Ta!
Funnily enough, I saw you on the repeated 'best stand ups ever' programme at the weekend (doing an excellent demolition job on Bernard Manning) and thought, 'My, he looks thin there!' Spooky!
Or did you see it too and that's what made you realise you'd become a porker?
Dave, you have inspired me. I am sitting at home tapping on the keyboard (have given myself six months to write a book, sort of in a 'it's now or never' type way - no pressure), and was starting to acquire a biscuit habit. But I have just gone out and bought a load of fruit in the hope that it will look appealing at around 3pm... And your website looks fine to me btw; maybe do a new design for the New Year?
What can I say? There I was tonight, wife and kids tucked up in bed, and I had the urge to watch Googlewhack Adventure... I got half way through, love it to bits, but it's 2:30am, I best get to bed. But I had the urge to find out "What's Dave Gorman up to now? Is he doing something else daft and profitable?" So I check the website for the first time in a year, and low and behold, here is this blog entry claiming he's writing a book again!! ;-) Which IS funny if you've just watched the first hour of Googlewhack Adventure... trust me.
If you think the events in Googlewhack Adventure were "daft and profitable" you can't have been paying very much attention.
Should you need a new (and non-biscuity) distraction from your current writing activities, in the interests of understanding more about how to update your website (thus still doing something useful in your distraction time) I can recommend "Sam's Teach Yourself html in 24 hrs" followed up by their "Teach yourself CSS in ten minutes". (Yes.. a whole ten minutes!!)
I'd say they were both daft and profitable, just the profitable came rather a long time after the daft...
Just catching up a bit here. Wanted to say: Well done on the weight loss Dave!
As a former "fatty" and ex-slimming consultant, I'm well familiar with the battle of the bulge, and you're off to a flying start. The key is to slow down, without giving up entirely. Going at the rate you are is not going to be sustainable longterm (you already know that) and would be unhealthy anyway. 2 lbs a week is a nice safe rate, and usually achievable for men without needing to run themselves to death.
Good luck!
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