Gah.

Can't believe I got that blog post title wrong, what was I thinking? Told you it was all about immediacy, didn't I?
Well, that, and brainfarts.
Unto the breach. Apologies to the bard.

And - to take relaxation to a logical extreme...

This particular piece of....music? Ambient experimentation? Well, this piece of....whatever, has been a constant companion for many years. There are times when I'll just fire it up, and let it wash over me.
Back in the days when we were touring the world, things always got a little...hectic, from time to time. So, this was my antidote. I had a CD of "rain forest" noises, but that was just cheesy, rainfall ended up like so much white noise, so eventually, my meditative experience was defined by this. It's an hour of de-tuned bells, an hour of blissful, droning wonder.I had a CD of it (still have it, somewhere), and whenever I felt the need, I could put it on the discman, and drift off. For the proper effect, you need to focus on the sound - and allow yourself to let go. Trust me, it does work, but now I sound like a dreadful old hippy, don't I?
Oh well.

Dear diary..

So, if I'm to genuinely keep this blog up to date, and relevant, it would seem that I've got to keep the updates coming. I've got to try and keep the content flowing. Also, one of the things that really motivated me  to blog, and which doesn't apply to my other social media sites is immediacy. With Westway, I always just tried - desperately - to write exactly what I wanted, at that particular time. no re-writes, no drafts, as little tinkering as possible.
With my facebook page (and a lot of other people's as well) I've noticed that there's a "house style", a particular way of presenting things. I've come to believe it affects your ability to speak clearly, and honestly. So many people's views to respect, so many thinks to contend with.
If you like, facebook - perhaps the ultimate "personal" site, has become an exercise in public speaking. It's measured, and considered.
I like the fact that here, I can just type, and talk.
So, what's going on today? Well, not much. I'm sub-editing posts on the CDNX website (my new job - I'll post more about that soon), and I'm heading off to pick up Marnie from her after-school club soon. I've dined on egg-fried rice, I've tidied the house. I've moved some furniture, I've organised, and sat peacefully in the kitchen, looking out into the garden.
The house is silent, but not for long, so I'm wallowing in that peace, for just a little bit.

Once more, into the breach...

It's another one of those posts. Yet another one which says, dejectedly: "oh, it's been far too long".
But it has.

So, what to do? I toyed with the idea of winding this blog up. So many of the people who inspired my first attempts at blogging have themselves, given up. It can feel a little lonely, that's for sure. But, this blog has documented so much of my life, that i'm reluctant to drop it. But, to counter that, facebook has stripped it of some much which feels important - the sharing of images, photos, funny news, music i'm loving at that precise moment. The immediacy, the rush of creativity I used to be able to grasp by blogging - all of that has migrated elsewhere. So - what's the answer?
Well, Westway was always a haven for me, somewhere I could always be confessional, candid, and a little more measured.
My other web presence has ended up up being quite splintered: I have linkedin for professional stuff (yeah right, just like everyone says) my facebook for daily life, twitter for random things. I still have a valuable group of friends who came via friendfeed, and that's another part of who I am, on line.
But this little page? Well, I can strip away so much, and end up with....?
Well, a diary, I guess.
As I entered 2016, I felt myself changing slightly. I drink less, I organise more. I own fewer things, I want for even less. And I need to document, again.
So - could my little blog give me the chance to do that? Well, it would be nice if it could. Let's see, shall we?