Jason's Update Du Jour

Hello Friends and Family,

Here's a lesson I learned this week about computing. It is best to avoid spilling coffee on your laptop if you want to keep it running. Luckily after drying out, my iBook is OK. Hopefully my computer will not start requesting lattes or cappuccinos when I start it up. I have a recommendation...back-up your data.

Anyway, how are you? I'm about to go on a trip and realized I haven't been in touch with some of you in ages. So here's the deal:

* Guyana: From August 12-27 I will be in Guyana, a nation in northern South America. If you don't know about Guyana, don't worry, neither did I a couple of months ago. It's near Venezuela, Brazil, Suriname and the Atlantic and considered part of the Caribbean. You may know it as the site of the Jonestown Massacre in the 70s ('gee, this kool aid tastes funny'). Me and two other consultants are going there at the request of the International Development wing of the United Reform Church to deliver management training to people affiliated with the church in order to set up their own community businesses. Have I become a missionary? No. Am I going because it will be a great experience and I get all my expenses paid? Yes.

* Moving: Louise and I have found a buyer for our flat. After a couple days of negotiations, we got close to our asking price. In mid-September I'll move from Catford to East Dulwich, about 4 miles away in South East London. I'll move in with my friend Karen Montgomery. Karen and I used to work together at CAN and have been friends ever since. It is a modern 2 bedroom flat with an office and good size living room. It's a hip area with several cool pubs and restaurants and a great park. Plus it has quick access to central London. The address is: 115B Crystal Palace Road, East Dulwich, London SE22 9ES, UK

* Work: I am continuing my consulting work. I recently completed projects for a group of large UK charities as well as the Home Office, an office of the UK government. This week I am employed by CAN, my former employer, to do a piece of research about the social enterprise sector.

* Music: My acoustic duo, Eye Candy, continues to rehearse and write music. We recently played with 4 other acts at my birthday party and rocked the house. I've been writing and recording rough demos on my computer and doing some collaboration with other musicians. I've also started practicing the guitar again for the first time in years which is fun.

* Concerts: I've experienced some great music this summer. I caught The Who which was amazing, Foo Fighters with Motorhead and Queens of the Stone Age and a surprise appearance by Brian May and Roger Taylor of Queen, Jeff Beck and Buddy Guy, an amazing blues guitarist, at the Tower of London, and jazz guitarist Mike Stern.

* Bits & Bobs: I recently joined my local Amnesty International chapter to do my part to support human rights; am continuing my volunteering with OK2B, a mental health charity, to help with event planning and measuring social impact; am creating a community project as part of the last in a series of courses I've taken with Landmark Education; am working out 3 days per week; and, finally, going out with friends most nights.

I'd love to find out what's new with you. Please drop me a line.

I hope you're having a fun summer and life is good. Take care, mates.

Love,
Jason