AndyBlog

I'm so sorry...

I have to admit that this simple parody made me fall about laughing.
If you haven't seen the Apple TV ads, it's OK if it's not funny for you.
PC users with no sense of humour, you, too, are exempt.

I hereby bow to the pressure...

Remember that gig at the Copthorne Hotel?

Well, I decided to go ahead and show you /those/ pictures. :)

Click HERE to see the gallery.

Portrait photographer...in training.

I guess, these sort of opportunities should be capitalised upon when in a band and whilst aspiring to take pictures of people. I shall try again in due course, making the most of the long waits between setting up and actually playing.

As for the gig - it was a strange one. I do believe the crowd enjoyed our playing, but few were in the mood to dance, or so it seemed. That said, if I were in the crowd at a gig like ours, I certainly would not be dancing, so I guess I should keep very quiet indeed. Let him who is without broth throw the first glasshouse - as the old saying goes.

Off out now, with the intention of spending a pleasant, although unexpected, evening in the company of Jason and Antonia - the lovely people who just live up the way, like.

That is all I will permit myself time to say now. Not one word about my foot. Oh no.

Sunday Sunday

It's been an interesting day so far. For that matter, it's been an interesting week. That said, this relies quite heavily on a modified meaning of 'interesting' - along the lines of: Scary frustrating time with lots of pressure from various sources.

As far as the week is concerned, my strategy of having a number of different careerlets running alonside each other exposed its downside. All the various branches of my endeavour, apart from massage, happened to need my fullest attention at the same time. Juggling time is all very well - but the rather strict limitation of just 24 hours a day and some of it needed for sleeping made the feat all bar impossible. At times like this it's a question off deciding whether to annoy everyone a little or one client a lot.

Well, I made my decision, and tried hard to keep to it, but ended up by annoying everyone a lot. Nevertheless, I think I can learn from this. I can look at what went wrong and take steps to more accurately and realistically plan my work committments. I do not juggle well, sadly.

As for today - I left the power supply for my keyboard at the gig venue for last night - Slayley Hall. So at church this morning it was strangely silent...

Despite a rush home for a multi-voltage one and a guitar for Liz to play it was all to no avail. She played a guitar that was there and I played bass as planned. Maybe there is a lesson there too - give up sooner. :-)

Like I say... Interesting day.

Gig #56328

Arrived at gig. Did usual set-up. Waited for quite a long while. Will shortly play same songs as usual. Some people will dance. At the end I will get paid. I will then pack up and go home.

The wonderful irony is that the people here tonight will probably have had a unique and enjoyable time.

Smashing.

What a gray day

Britain's real autumn weather is here.

If, like me, you enjoy the relief from the heat of summer - then, like me, you will appreciate the irony of days like today.

Whilst it is so pleasant to feel the crispness in the air each morning and even the crunch underfoot of crispy leaves, this kind of dismal grayness represents the less attractive end of the spectrum. You sun worshippers out there also have a slight embarrassment for those days when it is too humid to even think clearly - I guess this is just proof that nothing is ever completely clear cut.

For me, the grayness fails to damp my spirits today. It brings with it a sense of 'cosyness' and an enjoyment of being indoors. There is, it has to be said, little worse than seeing wonderful weather outside and yet having to stay indoors and work.

I suppose now that I have said all that, I might actually be able to say what I really wanted to say all along.

It's been an exceptional week. I need to say sorry to all the people I should have rung back, installed things for, met with, talked to, explained things to and mended things for. I have let you down, and I apologise. If it is any comfort, I haven't had time to do much stuff for myself either.

The week has been taken up with the frenzied finishing off of a DVD project for the Wansbeck Business forum. I have been working with PH most of the time, so even taking your calls has been difficult. I'm not used to sharing my office with people for any extended period of time - particularly with both of us working at the same workstation, so it has created a new circumstance for me to adjust to.

When I work alone, I can apportion my time as I see fit - breaking off to make calls, or do anything else, whenever it suits me. With someone else is there the whole time it is much different. Work just goes on solidly with few interruptions. As the job has neared completion, the pressure has risen, which has not made me the best person to get along with. Again, I apologise to one and all if you have been on the receiving end of this.

It has become clear that I need to think through this issue, and the sub-issues that it raises, so that work can be done on a similar basis in the future, but without the accompanying stress rising to unacceptable levels. The great side-effect of it now being complete is that I feel fantastic - a real sense of euphoria that the work is done and the disc is ready for the outside world.

Now, the weekend is here - and all I have to do is catch up with all the work I have not done because of the DVD project, play a gig on both Saturday and Sunday night, play piano at church sunday morning and also go to a gig at the Sage on Sunday night. Easy, right?

In case you're wondering: We set up for our band's gig at 6pm on Sunday night. Then we cross the river to the Sage and see Pink Martini at 7pm, returning to the Copthorn Hotel in time to play around 9.30-10pm. I'll leave my phone on silent in order receive any desperate text messages indicating we are to play earlier. As Jason will be with me, I doubt they will attempt to play without a drummer or keyboard player. Will they?

Liz is away this weekend. Maybe that is just as well, bearing everything in mind.

Thanks for reading. I hope your weekend is great - and that I see you at some point.

Gig Reviews to follow:

Gilbert O'Sullivan

&

Pink Martini

standby...standby...standby...standby...standby