Echoes of Flavio's Ghost Dreaming

A quieter week, with fewer lessons than normal, only the memory of the summer (although I'm sure we'll get at least two days' summer yet before winter sets in again :D . Some guitar practice, a fair bit of reading -at the moment I'm reading The Honest Look by Jennifer Rohn, which starts gently and builds up as it grows in you, a young female scientist's story. Also Hitch-22 by Christopher Hitchens, poignant and full of pathos as you would expect. And a couple of trashy Dragonriders of Pern books.

Guitar-wise, beginning to study again Leo Brouwer's 'Decamerón Negro'. Beautiful music to which I don't think I did justice the first time I played it, years and years ago.

And now that I'm not having to get up at 5:30 in the morning I seem to be sleeping 9 hours every night. Enjoying it while it briefly lasts....

• Got up at 6:30 to go to my lawyer pupil's lesson; he can only do the lesson in his place at 8 am; normally on Thursdays but had to do Wednesday this week. Have another lesson away in a short while and... nothing more, two cancellations today.

• The old macbook is playing up; the backlighting cuts out at certain angles and it is getting worse by the hour. I might be able to fix it with patience and... patience, and the right spare parts, but I don't feel I want to do that and risk killing the machine. Will have to investigate how much the repair would be, and the turnaround. I need it for my lessons. Could conceivably use the iPad for that but it would be awkward and convoluted.

• Not practising enough guitar, don't seem to find the time and energy. Had had a good run for a few weeks.. will have to find both the time and the energy, though, have a little private recital coming soon. They will pay to hear me play the guitar, not moan about not being able to practise, so...

Got up at 10:00 am, had a long leisurely breakfast (not big, just took my time eating it), watched the news and a whole episode of Babylon 5, had a chat with my friend in Vz and went to the gym -although the latter not for long as my knee started hurting again as soon as I got on the bike but,  curiously, not on the cross-trainer.  Anyway, I never took that up because I either a) loved gyms (everybody here knows by now...) or, b) with the expectation that I'd become Mr Universe and the girls would chase after me. There is no chance of any of those things. I have more modest goals  with the gym thing.

Pending today: just two private lessons and check out progress report on repair of one of my guitars which I'd bought from the London Guitar Studio and developed a fault. Probably watch another ep of B5 while I practise scales or something. Not a lot more unless something interesting is happening. There is  beric 's  Tuesdays dinner club thing but I'm skint so I'll have to pass on that one.

Isn't it a lovely, sunny warm day? No? No, I didn't think so either.

... crookedmonkey and vixmonsta!! Have a lovely, lovely one!

ION, only now finished lesson. Heading South of the River...

... after only a couple of lessons, a simple dinner of arepas and some cheese that I remembered I had in the fridge, long conversation with friend who just left, boring her with slices of flavhistory and tormenting her with my music doodles,, hearing her own, perhaps more interesting stories.. About to make an important (well, for me) transatlantic phone call, hoping that the whole flat story may be sorted out (if not dealt with) in the next few days -although it may yet drag on and on. But that’s tomorrow. For now, good night peeps...

Just back in time for lesson at home, having spent a couple of hours with friend who runs the Cross Kings in, well, Kings' Cross, sitting outside on the wicker sofa, watching the sun go down and the clentele arrive for the night's gig, the band's sound check not sounding too bad.... lovely summer evening, the first for a while. 

Another Thursday, another early lesson in Tufnell Park, followed by pain au chocolat and milky coffee at the Literary Café. Another lesson a little later (possibly), then nothing, then one lesson in the evening and then the Sluts' Meet. Anyone wants to meet for lunch?

.. than I anticipated. A few lessons, the Bring and Buy Sale, where I brought friends but ending up not buying anything, mostly by sort of accident but was a good gathering and felt a little guilty -one should support things that one likes or approves of. Going to Central London to puck up a used Powerbook for Heidi; the machine may or may not have a couple of issues, so carrying out further examinations, as it were. I even put in a little guitar practice at some point and waded through the pictures I’d taken at the Cybercide/System FX gig at the Turtle on Friday.

Last night I went to pir’s birthday, then to Dead and Buried which was a blast for me although I hardly set foot on the main floor and I’m not into Deathrock. I normally drive so don’t drink. But last night I wasn’t driving...

Tomorrow should bring five lessons in the daytime, if it all happens ok. And I may have a free week-day evening for the first time in ages.

The last of the French invasion seem to be gone now. I have notified the letting agents that I will not be renewing my lease. That might have been a bit premature, have to wait and see, but need to find my own space. In the meantime...

New flatmate seems to be ok. Moving in a week from now. At that point James' French sub-letter (yes, I'm aware) should be moving out. Come October.. we'll see, depends on what happens but I should be out of here in any case. The vendors of the flat I'm trying to buy phoned yesterday; I suspect they're getting impatient. Wouldn't blame them, this has gone so long and involved. It is absurd that I have nearly a 50% deposit and cannot get a mortgage for £36K for a place where I would spend far less in mortgage/maintenance/rent than I do in this rat-hole but there you go.

Flavbirthdaydinner was good, I remember most of it. We had to abandon the garden at some point and take refuge in the basement at Bin Tang. Then we moved to Quinn's, which again was good, although there were a few faces that I thought I would see but were not there. Mind you, by then everybody seemed to have duplicated faces, I can only hope I didn't do anything embarrassing or offended anybody. I don't get drunk often, so perhaps I'm not au fait with the protocols required:D

Didn't make it to Black Plastic last night, shame. Tonight, either Invocation or, wait, the Slimelight. I might go there, some friends I seldom see these days will be there. But then again..

In the meantime, some guitar practice and finishing the book I'm reading -and some doodling in Logic.

... as I have had a couple of rather rough days.

anyway, Happy slightly belated Birthday to strangepixel, opandorao, misterfallen, lola_tate and transylviania! Hope it was all good and there was much cake and mirth.

Apart from that, still got that tummy pain (no, it is not a tummy 'ache', there is a difference) but the temperature seems to be gone, had much better sleep last night. If I still have that pain by tomorrow I'll have to go to a doctor, but today needs an awful lot of stuff done.

Good morning, all!