Mind Cookie

Christmas round up

Loren Cook — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 14:43:35 +0000

My Christmas involved a bottle of gin, pigs in blankets, annoying family members, elvis onesies, over crowded pubs, strawberry cream quality street and a pug.

All in all it was wonderful.

Me and my flatmate now have two furry things in our lives, kittens, Lyla and Tuppy. On closer inspection they are weird jungle cats, as they have polydactyly paw, which means they look like the cravendale cats with thumbs. Very cute and Ernest Hemingway had a love for them, therefore I’m a high brow cat owner.

Happy New Year

The life of a 20p

Loren Cook — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 11:13:27 +0000

Nothing or no one is more well traveled than one of the rattling coins we find at the bottom of our bags. They can travel the nation in pockets, bags and tills, never mind the nation, they can see the world. They are more well traveled than myself, I find this very hard to deal with. I always wonder, what stories each coin has to tell, where it has been, what it has seen. Has the coin has the displeasure of being left in a vending machine for weeks or in a tesco till for longer than it would like, has it witnessed triumphs in a playground bet or been used in vital heads or tales games through out the years? Every coin tells a story. I intend to follow this story and document the journey of one coin as it travels the world. This personal project will interest me if no body else. Ill keep you posted on my findings…

FACEPAINTBOOK

Loren Cook — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 10:55:09 +0000

This beautiful piece of art was created by

http://lillibiffybee.tumblr.com/

FACEPAINTBOOK.

GET ON IT.

Etsi-no-no

Loren Cook — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 10:49:35 +0000

It’s cold outside, it’s the week before payday, I got rained on, all of this can only amount to one thing…RANT time. Last week a new business website was pointed out to me by the lovely @where_my_owl. I warn you, the following are my views, so deal with it. Basically this ‘genius’ ‘win win’ site has filled a space in the market place by offering interns an amazing opportunity. If you can’t sense my sarcasm, you obviously work at Etsio. The premise is that interns have to pay to work at a company. Pay for experience. Woah, my Special K just came back up.

The reasoning behind this utterly, amazingly, horrific idea is that as people we pay for training, companies are offering to take on interns if that intern pays to be there! This is an issue very close to my heart, I’ve been there, I’ve lived on beans and supernoodles, layout pad in hand, working for free, or in some instances ‘expenses’. The experience is soul-destroying enough, making tea and being a dogs body, but we all do it, we all go through the agony of being penniless and working late in to the night until the sign language lady comes on the bottom right of the TV and looks at you knowingly. We we all know ten years down the line we’ll be giving another lowly intern the opportunity to experience the wonder of beans and noodles.

What I don’t understand if why a company would think this was a good idea. Yeah, they get a bit of money from an intern but surely the bad image it creates outweighs a few quid? I should mention interns are expected to pay between £65-£200 PER DAY. I can’t contain how angry this makes me feel, so much so someone just asked my I am hitting my keyboard so hard. It begs to be asked how out of touch the creator of Etsio is to actually believe that this brainchild is a good idea, its ridiculous and sickening.

I just did a Google, the new Etsio term is ‘assistern’. To speak in abbreviations…FML. Kit Sadgrove was nice enough to tweet me back, confirming my views, see pic. A statement was released when questioned about Etsio’s motives

“While it’s a legal requirement to pay workers a minimum wage, our interns are not workers. They don’t have regular tasks, they aren’t under the control of the employer, and they can come and go as they please. The intern is paying to learn, just as students pay to attend university.”

The bold bits are rather important I feel.

I might just declare myself a business and get an intern to follow me about and notes down things for my blog and I’ll get paid for the privilege.

Etsio, do one yeah?

The London Property ladder.

Loren Cook — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 17:46:58 +0000

Is ridiculous. How am I meant to keep a roof over my head when new estate agents want everything from me, 1000 months bank statements, a crap load of deposits, a blood sample and my soul. It is rather tiresome talking to people that relay information like they have just discovered how to read. The estate agent told me he has spoken to me more times than he has spoken to his wife today. That’s because his wife is sick of talking to him, as am I. Anyway, I digress…I will watch this cute dog instead of hitting my head repeatedly off the keyboard…

Idea.

Loren Cook — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 16:08:38 +0000

KILLER CAKE.

Loren Cook — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 16:02:34 +0000

LATELY I have became obsessed with making cakes. Not to eat. I just like the satisfaction of making a cake and force feeding to people. Well, something went very wrong with Saturdays cake.

A golden syrup wonder of a cake. I left half of it at my mates for them to enjoy (it tasted like porn). A friend of a friend who was there has diabetes, he proceeded to eat every last crumb of the cake. His words were ‘I would rather have my legs cut off than not eat this cake’. Big compliment. Someone willing to lose their legs for your baking.

Anyway, he then went in to sugar shock and had to be stabbed in the stomach with insulin. Proving my cakes can be LETHAL.

Do one Delia.

The killer.

Weekend Round Up.

Loren Cook — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 20:40:13 +0000

I had no plans this weekend. It was refreshing, I thought a nice relaxing walk around some of London’s finest markets, read a book, generally have a civilised, grown up weekend. Then 6pm Friday arrived. The hazy, red wine induced, blur began. Plans to take over the world, sweaty dolphins, rude cake baking, old jazz men and an epic fry up later, I’m back ready to tackle Monday morning. I look forward to Mondays at the minute, I’d like it to stay that way.

I suggest everyone check out The Palm Tree in Mile End. Actually no I don’t, I don’t want you to check it out as then there will be a bigger queue at the bar. Humph. However I can’t keep the velvet curtains, cheap pints and wicked live music from anyone, it would be most unfair.

Quote of the weekend ‘It’s not graffiti if it’s in mustard’.

The Palm Tree

Idea 2.

Loren Cook — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 20:01:34 +0000

Idea 1.

Loren Cook — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 11:24:49 +0000