Project completed...

...and handed in to Patrick tonight.

I have just returned from presenting Patrick with half a rain forest's worth of papers and notes.

My PDP 5 / PDP 6 "CV" is now finito!!!!

Have fun, Patrick!

Personal...

I am 40 years old at the time of writing this. Born on July 25th 1968 - this makes me a Leo (not that I am bothered with that stuff) and, rather more interestingly, means I was born in the Chinese year of the monkey.

I am male.

I have been married to Sarah since 1988.

I have one daughter, Bethany, and I have one dog, Maggie. It is sometimes hard to know which one is better behaved. I also have two cats.

I enjoy wearing a hat - trilby style.

I have one tattoo - a 40th birthday present from Sarah - which covers my back. (If you are wondering...YES! IT HURTS!)

I love cheesecake and donuts.

I have worn glasses for as long as I can remember - since, probably, 1980 (ish).

Curry is my favourite food. I also like cheese and pickle sandwiches. But never together.

I have one sister, Samantha.

I lived in Germany between 1976 and 1979.

I enjoy, but am mostly confused by, American politics and I am looking forward to the Presidency of Barack Obama.

I like watching Bollywood films.

My favourite soap is coal tar.

I make a mean "sausage 'n bean" fry up. Lovely with buttered bread and a cup of tea.

I would love to be able to play the guitar. In fact, I have one gathering dust upstairs which I intend, one day, to return to.

The most important thing to know about me, though, is that I love my wife and daughter and dog. They mean the world to me.

Hobbies/Interests...

Sport:

For far too many years than I care to remember, since 1981 actually, I have been a dedicated follower of Bradford City FC. I have followed them religiously through their downs and ups, and downs, and downs, ups, ups, downs, ups, downs, downs, downs and recent succession of even more downs. I have spent far too much time and money at Valley Parade over the years and, let's be honest, will do so well into my old age.

As well as following City, I love watching the national team play and look forward to England football matches. Regrettably, I have not yet attended a live match at full international level and have only seen the U-21's play live at Valley Parade.

I also follow,although not as ardently (I wouldn't have the energy or reserves of patience required to follow more than one team fanatically), the England cricket team. I, like much of the nation was overjoyed when we won The Ashes a few years back and hope we can repeat the feat this year. One of my great pleasures is listening to Test Match Special on the radio and I adore the commentary of Christopher Martin-Jenkins, Jonathan Agnew, Henry Blofeld and co. Another ambition is to see the national team play a Test match at Headingley.

Photography:

I enjoy taking photo's and tinkering with Photoshop. My favorite images to shoot are "quirky" angles of buildings and shapes; my wife laments the fact that I never photograph people especially family members. I sometimes take my camera to football with me and combine two of my loves.

My favourite city to photograph is New York. I adore the energy of the place and will happily wander around snapping away at yellow cabs and the steam rising from the subways.

My speciality is getting things out of focus; I seem to have made a special habit of that recently.

Travel:

As mentioned above, I love New York and am looking forward to being able to visit there again as soon as possible. My favourite holidays are "city breaks", as I find them to be very rich in cultural, architectural and historical interest.

I also enjoy the Lake District, especially in the autumn season, and am hoping to visit the Highlands of Scotland in the future.

Creative Writing:

I sometimes am able to find the time to scribble down some, hopefully, interesting and/or witty comments on my thoughts and musings.

A few years back, I wrote some articles for the Bradford City (we can't get away from them, can we?) fanzine, The City Gent. I also wrote short articles about Bradford City for ITV Teletext for the season 2000-2001 and a few pieces for the local newspaper.

I have also submitted short stories to a national competition run by the BBC.

I also keep making notes and jottings in my journal, which I have kept for a good few years now and which will never be published!

Music:

I enjoy listening to a hugely diverse range of music, from Anna Netrebko (Russian operatic soprano) to My Chemical Romance, from Bronski Beat to Andrew Lloyd Webber and the many variations and styles in between.

However, I really cannot see the point of the likes of Girls Aloud and other "manufactured", homogenised groups, over styled, sanitised "groups".

My favourites are artists and musicians who can actually play an instrument and sing (sometimes at the same time!) and who write songs with passion, conviction and meaning in the lyrics. Among my favourites are artists such as:

Billy Bragg, RHCP, Otis Gibbs, John Frusciante, Bruce Springsteen, Journey, Tom Waites, Tom Petty, Steve Perry, Stevie Wonder, Texas, The Proclaimers, The Foo Fighters, Hooty & The Blowfish, Counting Crows, U2, Take That, Paul Weller, Christina Aguilera, Charlotte Church, Rod Stewart, REM, Pink Floyd, The Beautiful South, Paul Heaton, Magnum, Morrissey, The Smiths, Led Zep, Malcolm Middleton, Leo Sayer, Kings Of Leon, Hendrix, Graham Coxon......and so many more.

I love having them all squirelled away on my iPod and being able to listen to them when evr I want, wherever I am.

Maggie:

I also love Maggie, our Miniature Schnauzer dog. She is lovely and cute, but barks at the postman.

TV:

I enjoy watching TV, as a means of relaxation, escapism and to learn new things.

My favourite shows are:

Steptoe & Son, Hancock, BlackAdder, Yes Minister, Dad's Army, The West Wing, Lipstick Jungle, Hustle, ER, The Mighty Boosh, BlackBooks, Have I Got News For You, News Night, News Night Review, Jools Holland and quite a few more....

Radio:

One of my favourite ways to relax, or to pass the time whilst working, is listening to the radio. Despite my love of music, I am not keen on music radio.I much prefer to listen to Radio 4 for its' incredible range of factual and news programmes and, also, for the quality dramas and comedy that it broadcasts. It also has The Archers and Woman's Hour - both of which I enjoy hugely.

Clients...

Among many smaller sized businesses and sole traders, some of our larger clients include:

Artisan Fireplaces, Brighouse
Northern Commercials, Brighouse
Polar Ford, Huddersfield
Pennine Housing 2000 Ltd., Halifax
TM Newburn Group, Bradford
Hammonds, Leeds
Hammonds, Manchester
Megson Construction Ltd., Halifax
Score (Europe) Ltd., Brighouse
North Dean Fabrications Ltd, Brighouse
Halifax Tile Centre, Halifax
Dale Stephenson (Plumbers), Elland
VW, Bradford

Mercedes-Benz, Hull

D. Underwood & Sons Ltd., Halifax

Employment...

July 2008 - present date

Dissolved KramersDesigns and set up Kramers Designs & Signs Limited.

July 2005 - July 2008

• KramersDesigns

2003 - 2005

• Delta Signs & Graphics Ltd, Bradford
• Studio Manager of vehicle livery, signage and exhibition graphics company

2001 - 2002

• First Direct Bank, Leeds
• Customer Relations

1999 - 2001

• First Direct Bank, Leeds
• Fraud Representative

1996 - 1999

• First Direct Bank, Leeds
• Banking Representative

1984 - 1996

• Delta Signs & Graphics, Bradford
• Studio Manager/Graphics Technician

Further Education...

2007 - present

• Calderdale College, Halifax
• BA (Hons) Graphic Design

2004 - 2005

• Calderdale College, Halifax
  
• HNC Graphic Design
• Computer Applications in Art and Design Merit
• Historical and Contextual Referencing Merit
• Professional Studies Merit
• Ideas Generation Merit
• Critical Study Distinction
• Ideas in Context Merit
• Drawing Techniques and Approaches Pass
• Business Practice Distinction
• Editorial Design Merit
• Corporate Identity Distinction
  

2002 - 2003

• Leeds College of Technology
  
• Adobe Photoshop Pass

2002 - 2003

• Calderdale College, Halifax
  
• City & Guilds Photography
• Starting Photography Distinction
• Images Without Lenses Distinction
• Introduction To Black & White Credit

1996 - 1997

• St. Martin's College, Lancaster
  
• Russian Language Level 1 Pass
  

1984 - 1985

• Bradford & Ilkley Community College
  
• Craft & Design Pass