Drifting

Oh blimey, I just love this song. It reminds me of a specific point in my life (as so many songs do) and if I close my eyes, i'm right back there.
It's 1980, and i'm coming to the end of a number of things - my childhood, life in Wiltshire, my school days...it was a transitional time. On top of that, my dad had just taken a new job, and had moved up to Hatch End. Mum, me and my sister were left behind, for about 9 months. This was primarily so I could do my O levels. My parents were convinced I wouldn't be able to handle the upheaval of moving schools, at such a crucial juncture, so that was that. We moved out of our house, into a cottage about a quarter of a mile away. It was cold, draughty, damp. The building seemed lost to the past, and time dragged when I was there. I would sit in my little bedroom, looking out of the window, listening to this, over, and over.
That sense of drift, and transition - of things stopping, and of what might be starting, haunts this song for me.

I know I've been a bit lax, re: updates

But it's odd to think that, during my *ahem* fallow period, about a dozen social media startups have started, been, and gone.
Mind you, i'm still getting emails from ello. what the hell happened with that? Anyone got any ideas?

Guitar, Guitar.

Today has all been about the late, great Robert Quine.
Without doubt, he's my favourite guitarist of all time. The man was an absolute genius - a virtuoso - but what he did never ventured into self-indulgence, or noodling. Instead, every note has a purpose, and a heartbeat. There's so much dynamism, and energy, in his playing, that sometimes, it leaves me quite breathless. He's more punk than anyone else I know, yet he was a consummate professional, and on top of that, hardly fitted the "punk" stereotype.
I could write a million words - and still never make you believe. The only way is to watch him in action.

Monday, Monday.

It was actually a rather good day. Got lots done (always helps), and the Landscape team came over to fix the base for the new shed, so the garden is starting to take shape.
Things are afoot with the band as well, I've sent out the bat signal for the crew, for the upcoming shows, and i'm trying to get a nice project going, which could see Mike collaborate with someone very eager indeed. It's all a bit hush-hush, but it's looking....interesting.
In other news, the scab on my hip is finally fading away, and the ligaments in my hand seem to be getting better. However, it's a very, very slow process.
I'm also thinking about skating again. When I've not done it for so long, it's an itch that really needs scratching. plus, I get to play with some toys. I've got a nice OG Skaterbuilt 12" pig, which would make a wonderful carving machine. Needs some swiss in the BDS dubcons, and the risers need swapping out. Might have to sort the bushings, too.
Told you it was about playing with toys, didn't I?

Something odd...

...has happened to me this year.
I've changed my relationship with alcohol. I've cut down, dramatically, over the last couple of months. Since the start of February, I've drunk alcohol on just five days. It works out about once a week. And now, when I drink, I don't seem to want to cane it, quite as hard as I used to. I'm liking the weight I've lost, the extra energy I have as a result, the deeper sleep, the calmer moods.
But - am I about to become teetotal? No, I don't think I am. I still like the taste (and, if I'm totally honest, the effect). But some sort of sea change feels like its under way.
Hey, I've had a lot of fun - more than thirty years of fun. Maybe it's time to slow down.
Let's see.

Now I got a reason

I'm listening to Never Mind The Bollocks.
There are very few records that can evoke so many waves of memories. It's 1978, and I'm in a Physics class at Lavington School, and I can't do any work, because this record is playing in my head, as it has since I first heard it. It was an album that distracted me, yet focused my mind at the same time. I fell in love with that Virgin label, spinning round and round. I loved the danger, and the frisson of fear, the absolute knowledge that every single adult in my life would disapprove. All of that 1977 rage crystallised for me in 78, I had albums to flesh out the singles I'd bought the year before. I love records that curl the fist, and put the teeth on edge. It's a snotty schoolboy sneer, and it's fucking amazing.
Once a punk kid, always a punk kid.

Almost 1984?

So, I did listen to the Red Noise album again, and was just overwhelmed by how good it was. Listening to "Revolt Into Style", I remembered hearing the line "...and though I know the time is almost 1984, it feels like 1965" for the very first time. I was born in 1965, and heard the single back in 1979. At that point, 1984 seemed like a lifetime away, and here was a record which was laying waste to the past - and my own past, at that - whilst presaging the future. It was a revelation for me back then, and it still sounds as breathlessly exciting as it did. Oddly, it hasn't dated either - despite those explicit references to actual years. It still sounds like it was beamed in from a future which hasn't quite happened yet. 

But, the one thing that really did it for me? The ending. Just listen to the last fifteen seconds. Just incredible.

Oh, and my apologies

..for farting around, constantly, with the template for this little blog, over the last few days. It's been a while since I blogged regularly, and firing it up, and seeing it in front of me, didn't feel as welcoming as perhaps it could have. So, I keep tweaking the design, to see if that helps. I guess what I really need is for the sense of familiarity to creep back. It'll take time, but it'll happen.

Another day

Sitting in the kitchen, breakfast finished. Kids getting dressed upstairs, so I'm grabbing a couple of minutes to update the blog. Thursdays are always busy - Milo is not in nursery, so we're off to the creche, after we've dropped Philippa at the station, and Marnie at school. Then there's Rainbows in the afternoon, and on top of everything else, it's world book day, so costumes are being worn.
I'm hoping it's a slightly better day than yesterday, weather-wise. We somehow managed to get caught in an insane hailstorm yesterday, and my trusty Spiewak Parka had to be deployed, as it was so bitterly cold.
And there was me, thinking that spring was on the way.

A little relief

Well, the ligaments in my hand seem to be sprained, and not torn. That's pretty good news, and spares me the hassle of surgery (always a nuclear option, but one I was keen to avoid).
The downside is that, as the swelling subsides, the actual twinges of pain in my hand are slightly more intense. Time to grin and bear it, I guess.
Today? Need to tie up some loose ends around the JJ tour in November, and do some general life-laundry. I've been using Priority Matrix of late, but i'm still undecided as to whether it's helping me become more productive. That just might be a battle that software alone, can never win.
Music-wise, i'm determined to listen to Red Noise today. What an album. Can I just go on record here and say: it's all about the endings.

In the wars.

I'm off to the hospital this morning - hurrah.
Due to a bike crash a week ago, I've got ligament damage in my hand, between the thumb and forefinger. I'm left-handed, and it's amazing how much movement, and ability you lose, as a result of even a minor injury. Apparently surgery is an option, though I'm clinging to the hope that some physiotherapy will suffice. I'll keep you posted.

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?