Ho hum. Awake again, naturally

Look, I know that there are some freakazoids who would actually get up this early (peers at watch), at 07.30 on a Saturday morning even if they didn’t have to. But I’m not one of them, oh no.

I’d love to still be in bed, snuggled up to a hot woman, dreaming little dreams of whatever the hell it is that I dream about but I don’t know because I am unable to recall my dreams when I lose the state of unconsciousness that we call sleep.

I feel cheated.

I feel cheated twice over.

Cheated the first because something in my psyche has woken me when I have no need to be awake.

Cheated the second because I do not remember my dreams.

So instead of slumbering onwards I sit here with a mug of tea, a quarter pound of grapes and the interwebs.

Would you like a grape? I’ve got a couple left. No? Are you sure?

Do you like the music?

I bought this album last night. It’s a singer/songwriter called James Casto. I think I spent USD 7.99 at CDBaby and for that meagre amount I got two albums!

Nineteen tracks? Unlimited listening time? For USD 7.99? How can that be bad?

I played one of his tracks – Perfect Day – on last week’s podcast. So he wrote me a nice email to say ‘thanks’. So I bought his albums because he was so nice. There’s a kind of karmic cycle there, deep in the niceness.

Speaking of niceness and music, I wrote a review of a guy’s work of art this week. To be honest I wasn’t flattering. I almost slaughtered it. But I was faithful and respectful and wasn’t mean out of spite. I just pointed out where, in my eyes, ears and brain, it fell down.

I need to say that I have, once or twice, killed albums to death in some reviews. But overall that’s not my style. Tell it like it is but try to be helpful – that’s my usual style. And it’s what I tried to achieve earlier this week.

So how surprised was I to get an email from the composer/artist to thank me and to ask if I’d review his draft work and help him shape his future tracks?

So surprised that I haven’t quite been able to respond to the guy. Yet. But how nice was he to ask? And he’s offered to pay the standard journo rate which, naturally, I’ll decline. I mean I’ll do the job but I’ll decline the fee because what he’s proposing isn’t writing a subjective review, what he’s after is some help to make his sound available to a wider audience. And I’d love to help with that.

It’s like helping people with their writing; of course one does that, one just… does it.

I’ve just released today’s podcast – Episode 51 50 – which I recorded yesterday. Recorded yesterday because today we’re going to meet Amy – if the weather doesn’t get in the way.

I’ll be honest about this, I’m looking forward to it and apprehensive in equal quantities.

Amy is a very shy person. Perhaps shy is the wrong word. Introverted in the company of new people is probably a better description. And Soph and I aren’t. I’m anxious that we might swamp her, that she’ll sit there and be overwhelmed by the ‘usness’ of us. But it will be nice to meet her. I hope it works out and that the disappointment of meeting us won’t be too much. Well, when I say ‘us’ I guess I mean me. Meeting people in RL can sometimes be such a let down.

Ho hum.

Vin and I are supposed to be going showjumping tomorrow at Allenshill. I wonder if that’s going ahead after the snow we’ve had this week? I’ll give them a call today while we’re out.

I wonder where my motivation is for going showjumping tomorrow? Vin and I had a lesson with JP last Sunday. Vin was a twat. He got himself so wound up, told himself that simple things were beyond his reach. Vin and I have taken a real step backwards this winter.

Sad about that.