What Did You Do Today?

Got up, went home, had a shower and a bite to eat. Started reinstalling win2k on my music PC, checked email and started MP3ing loads of CDs I intend to sell second-hand. Cooked and ate dinner at about 4 o'clock and went to work at 5 p.m.

Now I'm at work with nothing to do, so I'm just reading the forums etc.

Pretty nothing day to be honest, but I'm going with my girlfriend to Alton Towers tommorow setting off a 7 in the morning (it is 4 hours away) and then spending the night in Nottingham. I don't finsih work till 1 a.m.

Bill

Got back to the office, farted around, went to a "business lunch" with the Boss, the Other Guy, and a member of the Connecticut Dept. of Labor. Bemoaned the fact that the organization I'm a part of (the Foundation for Fair Contracting) is going to shit the bed in a couple of months (most likely). Didn't say much. Left that, went back to work, then drove off to Manchester to lend some money to my mom for some crap she's looking to buy (which is totally unnecessary, by the way). Hung out with my sister & one of my nephews. Goofed around with him, making faces, playing silly games - mock pillow fights, playing catch with his juice container & stuff. Skipped out of my sister's house before my mom arrived there from work. Got home, put on my biking shorts. Now, typing this ultra-long missive, wondering if I really want to go biking. Later - who the hell cares?

Today hasn't started yet so it must be yesterday.

Got up around 9.30 and ate some Wheatabix. Got online. Posted like a fool and bombarded everyone I knew with email (occasionally snacking on raw veggies and hummus) until I got to about quarter to five, and realised that I was hideously late for rehearsal. Ran to catch the Northern Line and just made it.

Got to the studio to find that no one was there except our drummer and me, so we talked about his trip to Tunisia and gossipped with the Channel 6. Who informed me that they are breaking up, which broke my heart. Then the rest of the band showed up, and we went in to rehearse. After giving the C6 boys much grief for setting our room up all wrong. As usual. Ran through our set, groaning about how we'd forgotten how to play, and oh my god, we've got to play a gig next week and tour in a month, and what are we going to do? And then we stopped complaining about our aching out of practise muscles and actually started to sound good again.

Drank sodapop and ate chocolate and talked about Buffy with the C6. Asked them if we had any popstars in that evening, but there was no one else but us and these strange men in suits who played terrible Emma Bunton and Texas covers. And I mean, like, Lawyer type suits, not like, The Strokes type suits. Though they might as well have been The Strokes for how bad they were. Then Matt Hew gave us all Tunisian Mind Control Crystals. I let Dan play with mine and it sucks his brain out. Poor boy, he had to little to spare.

Finished rehearsal- oops, look at the time- and me and Matt Hew dashed off for the Northern Line again, leaving Jane and Rachel to pay and gossip with the C6, I mean, sort out equipment for our gig. So if they forget Jason Spaceamp this time, it's their fault not mine.

Got to the Bull and Gate just as Black Neilson were finishing. Ran into Ros from the ROCK and she let me stick my guitar and stuff backstage. Went to McDonalds for fries and McFlurries cause, well, Kentish Town Kebab places look like an even worse food option. Got back just as the ROCK went on. They were GRATE. Freaking amazing! My new favourite band, now that they C6 have broken up.

But then the evening was marred by going outside to leave, and running into the Lig Crew. Who, we discovered, bullied Paul from Truck Records into putting them on the guest list for the show, and then stood outside drinking beer for the entire night. You can't afford a £4 entry to the Bull and fucking Gate, but you can afford 12 pints of beer? Yeah, right. They tell us they've blagged our Pram show. We go home and make mental notes to go home and cross them off the guest list, unless the band themselves put them on. Spent the tube ride home gnashing my teeth about how much I hate the Lig Crew.

Got home and listened to Paul get in a huge strop at Spearmint's manager over the massive and ridiculous rider that Spearmint have demanded. Go to bed in a bad mood.

Then I went to Finsbury Park to look at tourbuses with Irene from SF for the upcoming Ladyfest tour, before going to the Bull & Gate. Saw Black Nielson, who were ace, offered Finlay another gig, postered, flyered, and bought Paul B a drink. Paul B complained about the liggers who had got onto his guest list but were refusing to come in and see any of the bands.

Kate arrives, so we get food, which was really unsavoury, and then it's back to the B&G for the Rock. They're great, and I convince Paul B to go and get the liggers and bring them in. Which he does. Gig ends, and I meet someone who once gave me lots of hassle when trying to book a band (can't name names...). Head home, and I advise lig crew that they should arrive at SF early because it will be busy. They respond that they've blagged it so they'll turn up whenever and get in anyway for free. I'm furious!

On way home, discover C6 may have split up. Make mental note to call their manager. Go home, start working on club, discover Spearmint have sent me a crazy rider including 8 freshly cooked meals and 20 litres of mineral water. Fret about this, talk to Matt Fruit, and then write to the SF Collective. Consider cancelling Spearmint and losing another £400. Write to Pram about Saturday, and tell them to ensure their guest list is in order. Then finally roll into bed and can't sleep because worried about upcoming Strange Fruits. By the way - the rider was a misunderstanding in the end...

Got rent money. Got groceries. "Worked". Thought of ideas for fun articles to write. Thought of potentially portentous song lyrics. Did a lot of thinking, actually - nothing substantial, of course. Now, about 15 minutes away from trying to (yet again) establish a consistent biking/exercise regiment. Day 1, Take 6.

The joys of being a library counter assistant

Sunday : lazed about, read papers, listened to music, did a bit of cooking and sewing, generally just chilled out. Forgot to change clocks before bed on Saturday night, so was an hour out all day (but it didn't really matter).

is this newant falconry centre? they have an african fish eagle with an 8 foot wingspan and having that swoop towards you is quite something. bourton's nice too, yes, 'quaint' is the word for it, all the fords across the river and all.

saturday i walked to notting hill to see the exhibition of aitchison's and berry's illustrations for ladybird books.

sunday i went to the early showing of zatoichi at shepherd's bush warner village. blood and gore at 11am.

andy

Sun : All day rehearsal with band at some impossible-to-find place in the Sussex countryside. PM - mooched about at home listening to records + reading.

Saturday. Slept very late. Monged out. Watched Cozzers. Drank white booze. Drank whisky. Shouted "gay" and "goth" and "peon" a lot.

Sunday. Slept very late again. Monged out again. Watched Stenders. Ate scrambled eyeren. Shouted "gay" and "goth" and "peon" a lot.

It has actually been one of the grebtest weekends ever, but I admit I am missing out a vital piece of the picture there. Also through the weekend I must have been getting a cold somewhere for today I feel like utter sheeeyete and am snodding everywhere. Marv.

Can't decide whether to watch Blackboards or No Man's Land, think I'll go for Blackboards.

(song title, dunno what it means, something about the sun probably)

My Spanish is still rubbish. I'll probably have doubled my vocabulary by this afternoon.

Sick of the sight of .wavs basically.

Woke up again at about 2, listened to the football for a bit, fell asleep again.

Woke up again at about 4, listened to the football a bit, got up, opened the shutters to see the beautiful sunny day, showered and went for a walk in the park with my iPod.

The day was still stunning. It shook me up a bit, as did walking around seeing all the friends playing and couples coupling. I kept thinking I was going to see a particular person with her arm round a particular other someone. That increased the edginess of my emotional state.

I got home to discover I had locked myself out. My flatmate's mother was in upstairs, but had no spare key. My flatmate would be back at ten.

I walked back into town, thinking I'd go and see a film, but they all started too late, so I came to work instead. That's where I am now. I rang my mum and she's having a hard time, and then one of my sisters, but she wasn't in.

hopefully shortly i'm going to go over to my guys and do some laundry. i'm hoping he'll mix some groceries together and feed me as all I have to eat is popcorn and that even gets old for me.

Later, season premiers of Six Feet Under and Viva La Bam

the fact that I was carrying a briefcase seemed to influence them!

Martin this would've gotten you arrested over here. ;)

My day was sickeningly lovely, so much so that I won't share it here.

Hmmm... my day yesterday. Well, I woke up at 5am, as usual then went back to sleep, then got up at 7.30 and got ready for work before running out of the flat without time for breakfast and getting on the tube. Hellish journey, followed by a hellish day at work where I didn't have time for lunch and drank too much caffeine.

Then I went to Finsbury Park to look at tourbuses with Irene from SF for the upcoming Ladyfest tour, before going to the Bull & Gate. Saw Black Nielson, who were ace, offered Finlay another gig, postered, flyered, and bought Paul B a drink. Paul B complained about the liggers who had got onto his guest list but were refusing to come in and see any of the bands.

Kate arrives, so we get food, which was really unsavoury, and then it's back to the B&G for the Rock. They're great, and I convince Paul B to go and get the liggers and bring them in. Which he does. Gig ends, and I meet someone who once gave me lots of hassle when trying to book a band (can't name names...). Head home, and I advise lig crew that they should arrive at SF early because it will be busy. They respond that they've blagged it so they'll turn up whenever and get in anyway for free. I'm furious!

On way home, discover C6 may have split up. Make mental note to call their manager. Go home, start working on club, discover Spearmint have sent me a crazy rider including 8 freshly cooked meals and 20 litres of mineral water. Fret about this, talk to Matt Fruit, and then write to the SF Collective. Consider cancelling Spearmint and losing another £400. Write to Pram about Saturday, and tell them to ensure their guest list is in order. Then finally roll into bed and can't sleep because worried about upcoming Strange Fruits. By the way - the rider was a misunderstanding in the end...

-- Paul Strange (pau...), July 13th, 2001

An Indie Grand Don't Come For Free or what?

I rose earliest, cspent time unproductively on here, went and sat outside on the lawn and pretended to study. Then went to the gym, running three miles in 22 minutes (alternatingly running .3 of a mile at 8mph and then .2 at 12mph). Next went to pick up some new music from the paper then met up with the new "special someone" in my life to take photos of girls playing lacrosse.

Am now going to eat Tibetan food with friends in town from Colorado. Life is good.

I slept from 9am to 3pm and then lifted weights and ate waffle dinner and watched SImpsons with wife

tell

This morning was difficult . In a haze and turpor of a night of little sleep