jayen aitch and some musical musings
Today was an odd one indeed.
I rushed myself through the shower this morning and threw on my work-a-day clothes at a pace. And as I pulled my tie into a knot (to hold me tight through the day) my colleague Matt called to let me know he was outside the house.
He gave me a lift to Hull, where the two of us went for a presentation on the new direction of the paper.
It’s basically a plan to turn all the young readers (15-34 is young, if you were wondering) from the sorts of people who might pick up a paper if there’s something relevant to them, or if they need a new job or place to live, into the sort of people who want to buy the paper on a daily basis.
It seems like a good idea to me, and I hope it works… but it took two and a half hours to explain it to us. I think they could maybe have done it in thirty minutes (the last half hour had all we needed to know).
Still, it’s nice that they took the time to explain the thinking to us.
Unfortunately, with the talk, and the travelling time to get to Hull, and back to Brid, there wasn’t any work done by me or Matt until 12.30.
Almost all the district staff had to wend their way Hull-wards for one of these presentations today… which meant there was no-one around to write stories. So when I got back to my desk it all went a bit nuts, and they wanted more copy from each of us than we could possibly deliver before deadline.
My last piece in was *only* an hour and twenty minutes late…which is pretty gutting when I usually always make my deadlines (if only by a breath).
Still, at least everyone else was suitably tardy. I even seemed to impress one of my colleagues with my speed, and he’s someone I actually respect quite a bit (but shhhh don’t tell him, it’d ruin our banter and I’d hate for him to know).
So today was a bit on the hellish side… but…
...then I came home.
AND the GREAT news is…. *Drumroll* …
I now have a phoneline, the number is available to those who want it (let me know).
This means… *Bigger drumroll* I now have the internet in my room. Yey.
At present I just have dialup, but after months of checking it in libraries, that is one huge improvement and I’m uberhappy. Plus… *could I get a god-damn timpany roll to start the god-damn song?* …I shall soon have broadband.
BUT I shall not let this get in the way of my writing. With what took a scary amount of self discipline I managed to tear myself from chatting and get some writing done. It’s actually quite worrying how hard I found it. I hope I can keep it up.
Actually, y’all can help.
If you happen to see me online on an evening, ask me if I’ve done any writing that night.
If I’m still meant to be doing some that night, gently goad me into it before it gets too late.
I’ve been talking about music with people quite a lot of late, and there’s nothing new in that.
What I find interesting is that more than one of my close friends has said that they plan to diversify out into other things… they’re planning to make the effort to grow their tastes a little and see what they’re missing out there.
Well, it may surprise some of you to read this… but I actually think that to be a fantastic idea. And I’ve been making some efforts in that direction myself of late.
Now… okay… in my case it’s not taken me that far from indie.. but you can’t expect a boy to change overnight. And I do love my indie.
But I’m doing something else too. Following no small amount of thought, and a conversation earlier today with a very interesting person, I have decided that I’ve been investing in new things at such a rate that I’m ignoring some real gems in my collection. I’m thinking about Albums I have at one time been utterly in love with, but haven’t given a spin for years.
With that in mind, before I sat down to do a chunk of writing this evening, I stuck three of the first albums I remember utterly adoring into my HiFi.
It’s like an evening with old friends.
It’s utterly lovely.
I don’t know if I can tempt any of you to try it… but I’d heartily suggest an evening with your old favourites. I might make it a weekly thing. I might pick a day where I make the effort to spin things I’ve not heard in ages… to make sure I get something other than dust from the albums I did love, still do love, and could love anew if I only gave them the time of day.
There’s plenty of time for that in my life alongside new music I think.
I rushed myself through the shower this morning and threw on my work-a-day clothes at a pace. And as I pulled my tie into a knot (to hold me tight through the day) my colleague Matt called to let me know he was outside the house.
He gave me a lift to Hull, where the two of us went for a presentation on the new direction of the paper.
It’s basically a plan to turn all the young readers (15-34 is young, if you were wondering) from the sorts of people who might pick up a paper if there’s something relevant to them, or if they need a new job or place to live, into the sort of people who want to buy the paper on a daily basis.
It seems like a good idea to me, and I hope it works… but it took two and a half hours to explain it to us. I think they could maybe have done it in thirty minutes (the last half hour had all we needed to know).
Still, it’s nice that they took the time to explain the thinking to us.
Unfortunately, with the talk, and the travelling time to get to Hull, and back to Brid, there wasn’t any work done by me or Matt until 12.30.
Almost all the district staff had to wend their way Hull-wards for one of these presentations today… which meant there was no-one around to write stories. So when I got back to my desk it all went a bit nuts, and they wanted more copy from each of us than we could possibly deliver before deadline.
My last piece in was *only* an hour and twenty minutes late…which is pretty gutting when I usually always make my deadlines (if only by a breath).
Still, at least everyone else was suitably tardy. I even seemed to impress one of my colleagues with my speed, and he’s someone I actually respect quite a bit (but shhhh don’t tell him, it’d ruin our banter and I’d hate for him to know).
So today was a bit on the hellish side… but…
...then I came home.
AND the GREAT news is…. *Drumroll* …
I now have a phoneline, the number is available to those who want it (let me know).
This means… *Bigger drumroll* I now have the internet in my room. Yey.
At present I just have dialup, but after months of checking it in libraries, that is one huge improvement and I’m uberhappy. Plus… *could I get a god-damn timpany roll to start the god-damn song?* …I shall soon have broadband.
BUT I shall not let this get in the way of my writing. With what took a scary amount of self discipline I managed to tear myself from chatting and get some writing done. It’s actually quite worrying how hard I found it. I hope I can keep it up.
Actually, y’all can help.
If you happen to see me online on an evening, ask me if I’ve done any writing that night.
If I’m still meant to be doing some that night, gently goad me into it before it gets too late.
I’ve been talking about music with people quite a lot of late, and there’s nothing new in that.
What I find interesting is that more than one of my close friends has said that they plan to diversify out into other things… they’re planning to make the effort to grow their tastes a little and see what they’re missing out there.
Well, it may surprise some of you to read this… but I actually think that to be a fantastic idea. And I’ve been making some efforts in that direction myself of late.
Now… okay… in my case it’s not taken me that far from indie.. but you can’t expect a boy to change overnight. And I do love my indie.
But I’m doing something else too. Following no small amount of thought, and a conversation earlier today with a very interesting person, I have decided that I’ve been investing in new things at such a rate that I’m ignoring some real gems in my collection. I’m thinking about Albums I have at one time been utterly in love with, but haven’t given a spin for years.
With that in mind, before I sat down to do a chunk of writing this evening, I stuck three of the first albums I remember utterly adoring into my HiFi.
It’s like an evening with old friends.
It’s utterly lovely.
I don’t know if I can tempt any of you to try it… but I’d heartily suggest an evening with your old favourites. I might make it a weekly thing. I might pick a day where I make the effort to spin things I’ve not heard in ages… to make sure I get something other than dust from the albums I did love, still do love, and could love anew if I only gave them the time of day.
There’s plenty of time for that in my life alongside new music I think.