My Bank Holiday Week-end, by Flavio, age -(no, not that, please forget about it)

Saturday brought the first Hampstead Alternative Picnic of the year. The weather was not promising, it looked like it was going to rain but it never did, so that's a win. Good company in the grounds of Kenwood House also was. Later that evening I went to Aces & Eights for Nathan's 'Dancing & Laughing' night. Couldn't dance much (foot still painful) but I enjoyed the band (Staatseinde) and catching up with peeps. Sunday -I can't even remember what I did, apart from going to Elephant & Castle to the Colombian shops to get some Venezuelan foodstuffs. On Monday I went to far away Peckham for the last day of Jane's showing at the Now Arts Fair -her work is amazing and I'm glad I went. Later I went to Walthamstow for Raven's celebration of birthday and graduation. All written like this it doesn't sound like much but bearing in mind how quickly I get tired these days and I still had (have) a painful foot, it was quite a bit.
Waking up with the vivid sensation of a dream that was if anything more 'real' than anything in the waking world -and in seconds it is gone; the sensation still is there but you have no memory of the dream itself, of what was happening in it or the world in it but are still kind of overwhelmed by it -not necessarily badly, not like waking up from a nightmare, but the intensity of it, the numinosity of it.

In the real world, waiting to have a couple of medical appointments at UCLH. I have many questions for them. Also worried about the summer and how much work I will have then -it normally does go quiet and I get no income from the schools for August, etc The school in Highb. still remains a source of stress but also a source of nearly half my income, so.... I'll put up with it. Trying to help my street artist homeless friend but this sometimes gets a bit tricky or prickly. Life marches on.
Way too hot.

I know, I know -I grew up and lived half a very long life in the tropics. Talking to my sister we established that we never have seen 36º in Caracas. Maracaibo is way hotter than that but I would never willingly go there. I've spent a day there and hated every second of it.

On Saturday went to Hyde Park to see a friend who is briefly in the country. She wanted to meet at the Diana memorial. I still feel that was a mistake, although I liked seeing the swans and the geese on the Serpentine. It was packed full of people, no masks -no, I lie; there were a tiny few people wearing masks but these at half-mast, as chin ornaments. This was the furthest I've been since the beginning of March. In the evening it also was my first Tube ride. It started ok, with carriages a third full if that. But then this large group -probably a family since there were different ages- sat next to me. No masks. A woman from that group sat right next to me and I stood up. Then they started talking amongst themselves, giggling and a couple of them pointed at me at some point. Not sure I want to do the Tube again.

I did enjoy seeing my friends. And the swans and geese in the lake.


black swan

flaviomatani: (santa)
( Dec. 25th, 2017 10:38 am)
Merry Christmas, all!

Currently with fellow Venezuelan friends of many years, having done Christmas dinner late on the eve as is our custom. I expect we'll have a second Christmas dinner at lunch-time today....part of our traditional Xmas dinner includes Hallaca (pictured), ensalada de gallina (or, in modern times, veggie equivalent), pan de jamón, various kinds of sweets and cakes and, often, quite a bit of alcohol....

!Hallacas
flaviomatani: (flav has  left the chat)
( Aug. 28th, 2017 02:10 pm)
That was a good party. That was a really good party. Tinged with a bit of melancholy, missing the people who weren't there and the one in particular who never will be there again but never left.
That was a good week-end, but increasingly I notice that I cannot do all-nighters and go to several clubs on the same night as I ... oh, ok, it always took me several days to recover from that sort of thing, but it doesn't get better as you get older. Still, it was all good.

On Friday I went to an exhibition of art of a Venezuelan friend -'Clay. Wallpaper. Venezuelan Scenarios' by Andrea Moreno at Craving Coffee in Tottenham Hale. The pieces had a lot of subtext related to the current Venezuelan political situation and to V'zlan popular culture. I enjoyed that. It was strange to be in a place where about 30% of the people present spoke in Spanish with Venezuelan accents -and addressed me in sort of cautious English. Surely I look and sound Venezuelan? My ex-girlfriend used to say I wrote with a Venezuelan accent....



Mondlicht was a blast, it is more or less the new incarnation of Invocation in a smaller, more central venue (the basement of the Albany in Gt Portland St). As I traditionally had a little birthday celebration at Reptile, I left at midnight and headed for Archway. Now, I like Reptile even though the choice of music is not always my cup; had a good bit of a dance, chatted with friends, but by 3:00 am I'd decided I'd had enough so headed home. Could have walked but didn't; the 134 takes me right to my doorstep from there. Had some good conversations but also discovered that somebody I quite like (beautiful, interesting woman in many respects and from every other interaction I'd had with her, intelligent and mature) turns out to be a climate change denier. As I backed off slowly, the other friend who was present was asking her about some other conspiracy theory trope 'sure you also believe then that...' and she replies 'actually, since you mention...' at which point I disappeared back into the dance floor. 

On Sunday I met with friends at the Abbey Tavern in Kentish Town for Sunday Roast -which was very good, as was the gathering. At the bar I ran into a former guitar pupil who was on his first shift as a bartender at the place. That was a little bit strange. 

* the links are to Facebook events. One or several of them may not be public.


flaviomatani: (analemma)
( Oct. 7th, 2016 12:30 pm)
Busy week-end ahead -apart from my lessons and various other things I have to do, there's a lot happening:

- Cats, rabbits and drinks at [livejournal.com profile] londonjon's
- Dead and Buried in Archway tonight
- Skeletal Family at Elegant Decadence (probably won't make this one)
- [livejournal.com profile] sashagoblin's wedding tomorrow! -but I won't be able to make it :(
- The Mission and Death in June are playing in various places in London -but I won't make either of these.
- Invocation! at the Minories in Tower Bridge.
- Slimelight's anniversary.
- Reptile -might have to give this month's Reptile a miss.
- Bibliogoth's October meeting on Sunday, discussing 'The King Must Die' by Mary Renault, her take on the Theseus myth.

My work prospects are improving but I'm still very skint, which is the main reason why I cannot make some (or many) of the events cited above, apart from the small detail that they're all happening at the same time in what seems to be the busiest week-end of the year. I expect I'll see one or two of you who still read this at one or other of them, but have to watch the pennies and -there is something else. I am beginning to feel that I cannot do everything, be everywhere at the same time. My energy levels are no longer what they never were in the first place -but I could ignore. I don't think I can do that anymore.
flaviomatani: (guitar)
»

Aww

( Mar. 11th, 2016 06:17 pm)
How's this for a sweet picture of [livejournal.com profile] suicideally and [livejournal.com profile] chris_damage

Photo 102

(from Queen Adreena's gig at Koko, 2006)
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.. or was. The decs on the tiny table-top tree in my tiny flat will probably stay there till February but otherwise it is all over, once more. Christmas itself I spent with Venezuelan friends in Kent, one more time. We had the Venezuelan Christmas dinner (late on xmas eve, although not at midnight), with turkey, hallacas, pan de jamón, and other Venezuelan and Portuguese (my friend's wife is V'zlan-Portuguese) foodstuffs, plus christmas pudding. The usual opening of presents by the xmas tree brought me a gin making kit. Not a still, mind. It was quiet and relaxed and I think I needed that.

On New Year's Eve I played at the [livejournal.com profile] londongothsluts's NYE party at North Nineteen organised by [livejournal.com profile] djpsyche, with encores with the help of [livejournal.com profile] sbp and Red; all this seemed to go down quite well. Took my guitars away and came back for the party, danced and caught up with people (and had a very good and illuminating conversation with Alicja, WOLJ) then got offered a lift to the Slimelight so I went ... leaving my bank card behind, at the bar. Luckily [livejournal.com profile] djpsyche brought it over to the Slime for me.. many thanks many times over, Psyche, for that and for the night and for thinking of me for the playing.

The ensuing tow days have been rather quiet, as they should be, but I have a maelstrom of things coming my way this January: two concerts (small and local but that makes no difference) to prepare, tax returns to get ready and a tax 'error' that HMRC claims there was in last year's return which means they want several hundred quid from me (and now I think they may be wrong or one of my schools may have deducted my tax but not passed it on -messy either way).

Last night, instead of going to AntiChrist (had perhaps one or two reasons not to want to be there), found me at German goth friends' near here, relaxed conversation and wine and playing with Luna the cat...

Today, meeting with friends for Sunday roast at a pub in Holloway, guitar practice and spreadsheets and a million little unreadable receipts to sort out....


xmas dinner at M's: hallaca, pan de jamón, turkey, 'taters and nips (not neeps)
Thursday I met with a young friend at Amorino in Covent Garden to eat fantastic ice-cream and sit at the tables outside under the leaky grey, grey skies exchanging life stories, mostly about our respective fathers.

In the evening I went to North-Nineteen for the [livejournal.com profile] londongothsluts meeting, this time celebrating [livejournal.com profile] boxcat and [livejournal.com profile] myz_lilith's return from their travels. After listening to very good stories of far away and having a so-so dinner (a first for the place; I won't be ordering fish and chips there again), left to go and see The Creeping Terrors at the Unicorn. Very good gig on their part, not that many people in the audience, though. Pictures of the gig, here. The band that followed was playing 'ironic' covers of hard rock and generic 'cock rock'. I'm getting tired of 'ironic' so I left with friends for a glass of wine at their place and to make the acquaintance of Luna, their visiting cat. A lot of wine and good conversation, although it is not the conversation that results in a pounding head the morning after.

Friday -I totally failed to make it to Nambucca to see Prof Elemental (I wasn't that taken with the idea of this, I must say) and the Memepunks (I was, but still didn't make it). Instead I stayed at Veronique's Goth Christmas Party and Jason's Birthday Commiserations (at Aces & Eights; no link as it was a 'private' event), which was a fantastic party. Again, pictures here. Really really lovely. More head pounding in the morning.

On Saturday, after lessons and meeting a friend for coffee and catch up at the Rustique Café, I went to the Slimelight to see DKAG and Alien Vampires' concert. Wasn't intending to stay long or drink much but people kept giving me conversation and buying me drinks and .. the morning after started lated and went rather slowly and heavily. Maybe there is a theme developing here.

Sunday didn't exist apart from some guitar practice and one lesson, this one online with my pupil in Kuala Lumpur.

Monday -ah, getting to meet [livejournal.com profile] lovelybug at St Pancras and spend some lovely time with her there, then joining Krisztina and [livejournal.com profile] yog_sthoth at the Tricycle Theatre to see _that_ movie. Which I liked. Quite a bit. May have to see it again in a larger screen, maybe in 3D.

I didn't mention the letter from the HMRC where they allude to a possible error in my tax return last year which will mean me having to magic a lot of money to pay more tax. No, one wouldn't mention that sort of thing, would one.
flaviomatani: (owl)
( Dec. 15th, 2015 10:34 pm)
As I sat to write this, it was a dark and stormy night. Now, it was only 4:20 pm. I could live in this island a hundred years and not get used to the short days of winter, it suddenly being pitch black night in the middle of the afternoon.

The week end was good. Some bits of it were rather very good, in fact.

On Friday some of my pupils met, as they do once a month, at the Café Rustique in Tufnell Park to play together. From there I rushed to The Forum to see New Model Army do their by now traditional Christmas concert at the forum. This was... excellent, Mr Sullivan still is full of anger in all the good ways.I'd lost my friend Lara in the crowd (which was full of familiar faces) but eventually found her and we withdrew after the concert to have a coffee and catch up.

Saturday was Reptile. This was very good -dance and catch up with lots of lovely folk. One of the highlights may have been a particular absurd conversation with friends on the outside terrace under the rain. Doesn't sound like a lot of fun but it was.

On Sunday, after my nightmare lesson, met with a few lovely people at the Landseeer for Sunday roast and conversation. This was just what I needed after a difficult, demanding lesson the morning after a very good night out.

On Monday there was the by now traditional Bleak Xmas dinner and carol sing-along at the Rochester Castle (the Roch, for the regulars) in Stoke Newington. This was a lovely meeting of peeps, some of whom I hadn't seen for years and some who I only see, these days, on that one occasion once a year. Thanks again [livejournal.com profile] chris_damage, [livejournal.com profile] andyknifton and [livejournal.com profile] suicideally for organising this.

And for something truly terrifying, the rendition (I use the word advisedly) that night of 'Silent Night': https://youtu.be/6f_yUg99z9o
flaviomatani: (book of g-quan)
( Oct. 26th, 2015 10:31 am)
... and a good week-end it was.

On Thursday there was Tufguitar: (some of) my pupils met to play at the Rustique café, as they do once a month. A very good one, had five pupils present which is good going for something like this, including a new face.

On Friday there was A New Dusk at Aces and Eights; this was a lovely night of dancing to post-punk music and catching up with friends and making a few new ones. A small basement in a bar in Tufnell Park, a lovely atmosphere, a very good night.

Saturday promised to be a bit hectic: I had lessons to do and other things, then there was the Renaissance Festival at Electrowerkz and the Gothic Valley WI's Hallowe'en party. I managed to attend both, or at least the first four or five bands at the festival, a few hours at the party and then the last couple of bands at the festival again and, again, a little bit of dancing and, again again, catching up with people. Both good, in very different ways. I still missed a couple of things that were going on, mainly Shenanigans which -oops, I forgot it was that evening. Sorry Sal and Zeke... I don't think they missed me, though; all reports were of a very good night there.

This is half term week so no school. Today, a couple of lessons and meeting a friend for coffee (me, she doesn't do coffee much) and book exchange. On which topic, just finished Charlie Stross's 'Merchant Princes' trilogy -very very good, gripping story that I read almost in one sitting but with a rather rushed ending with some loose ends left. He must have had a lot of fun writing this -it takes place (and was written) in the mid 2000's in the aftermath of 9/11 and he gets to have G W Bush die in a nuclear attack, replaced by Dick Cheney who, in the story, is in league with a cartel of drug smugglers from a parallel Earth. Ok, that's kind of a spoiler but you weren't going to read it anyway, were you. And the story is much more complex than that. I don't think he can write a follow up book to the series, given all the things in it that have become anachronic. More's the pity.
Theremins! Hypnotique performing 'Vocalise' by Rachmaninoff at Susi's Atomic Powered House Warming Birthday Bash on 26-09-15

flaviomatani: (flav has  left the chat)
( Sep. 7th, 2015 07:44 pm)
Week end was fantastic fun ending, as it sometimes does, with a a strange come-down which is only the product of my own mind. Friday I went to [livejournal.com profile] caveynik's Dead & Buried upstairs of the Archway Tavern -had a lot of fun, danced and talked with a lot of people. Didn't take a camera but still took a few pictures with the phone, which are somewhere on Facebook. Saturday brought the Hampstead Alternative Picnic -photos here. In the evening I went with Jennie to Luton to Club After-Life/September Forever; which was reasonably good. A little dance and, in my case, only drink as I was driving and before 1:30 we headed back to London.

Sunday was the Alternative Bring & Buy and lunch with Jennie Ikin at Lalibela, the Ethiopian restaurant in Tufnell Park. Later, return there to Aces & Eights for the after-party of the AB&B and final bit of [livejournal.com profile] londonjon's birthday, which was a lot of fun and reminded me of a good Sunday evening at the old Dev.

Monday has been generally horrible, as Mondays are wont to.
A week end of many parts, most of them good.

Friday was a strange day. I was feeling down and lonely, for various reasons but especially one which will not go in this story. Had nothing planned for that evening and wandered around for hours, walking seemingly having some sort of calming or restoring effect when I feel like that -walked past the Unicorn on Camden Road where there was a punk gig but didn't much like the environment so walked on to Big Red, which was empty -it was too early. Walked yet further down to check out the new location of the 12 Bar Club but didn't go in. Back at the Big Red, a friend turned up and chatted with her about entropy and the pointlessness of existence (maybe I'm hanging out with goths a bit too much) until at some point some other friends and people I know turned up -and it turned out an excellent evening. Made it back around 2:30 or so.

The following day brought about, apart from a couple of lessons, a visit to the Bart's Bazaar Macabre Market at St Bart's Hospital. Didn't buy anything and didn't take pictures but it was a very good outing. I do have to say that seeing all those pathology exhibits just makes me think of how much suffering they brought to their bearers, but it was very interesting -the market itself was small but interesting, full of lovely trinkets although none that really really caught me enough to buy. In the evening, it was Dylan's birthday at Garlic & Shots. There'll be pictures of that but for now, just a very short video of him extolling the virtues of a German Curry Energy Drink..

From there they went on to Decadence but I went to see the Terminal Gods at the Slimelight. Wasn't taken by the two opening bands I saw but the T Gods were very good. I heard some people criticising their music as derivative and.. well, I suppose it is, a little bit, and their influences are very very clear, but there is nothing really wrong with that when they do their stuff so well and I enjoyed it a lot. Took many pictures, I may put up some somewhere.

On Sunday met with Jennie at the Satanic Flea Market, had a browse and generally a good time (good to see [livejournal.com profile] mister_ed and Natasha) but again I felt that although there were lovely and interesting things none caught me enough to actually buy. We went next door to Raizes, the Brazilian restaurant next door. Had a good feijoada and arroz carreteiro and we shared a Caipirinha -it was a bit early for that sort of thing but it was nice. Later, we went for a walk down the South Bank. I always enjoy just that feeling of soaking London in, walking past the Globe or the Royal Festival Hall. We stopped at the Real Food Market for a cider and then each went home. Turned out to be a rather good week-end in the end.
flaviomatani: (guinness3)
( Jul. 23rd, 2015 02:31 pm)
Ah, I seem to have a problemette this coming Saturday. It is the summer BBQ (without the barbeque) at [livejournal.com profile] lovelybug and [livejournal.com profile] ciphergoth's, down in Saff London, which I'd said I would attend. It is also [livejournal.com profile] eline and [livejournal.com profile] pir's birthday BBQ (with BBQ) at the other end, in farthest Walthamstow. I would like to go to both but it looks pretty much impossible....
flaviomatani: (guitar)
( Mar. 23rd, 2015 07:28 am)
Another week-end whizzed past, this one a rather quiet one as I was trying to prepare and get ready for this little gig later this week. Apart from lessons and shopping, my only outing was to the Big Red on Saturday for [livejournal.com profile] robot_mel's birthday drinks (Happy Birthday, Mel!), which was a lovely occasion and of which there are pictures in this FB album.

In the week, I booked train tickets for the rather complicated (and expensive, but I knew that) trip to Italy with my sister later in April when she comes over from Venezuela. I'll be worrying now about the mad dash through Paris from one train station to another and whether we'll make it on time for the connecting train in the time we have. So it goes, I s'pose -I've found something to be worried about for a while, apart from my concert.

Also, although we didn't see any snow in London this year (but there's always April, when it snows here it seems to be quite late so people can go 'oooh, look, snow falling in April...'), in one of my ancestral homes, my mother's home town of La Grita in the Venezuelan Andes and just a couple of degrees above the Equator, it was snowing for the first time in recorded history two days ago...
flaviomatani: (guitar)
( Feb. 17th, 2015 10:36 am)
Good sunny morning!

That lovely feeling of being able to get up four hours after the time I normally have to get up on a Tuesday and my first lesson only takes place late into the afternoon. And it is sunny and bright. Not warm enough to take a guitar to the Heath and practise there but doesn't look too bad for the time of year.

Long nice catch-up with [livejournal.com profile] maragotika on skype/phone last night. Inevitably, night full of dreams of Venezuela followed. It's been eight years since I last went! That's a bit too much. I will never live there but it would be good to have a more frequent contact than that.

Other things: Reptile last Saturday was very good, some dancing and catching up with lovely people. Other than that, not a lot to report: have been deciding on what changes I'll make to the programme I'll be playing in March. I really should try and get a couple more gigs...

Right. Next, very late breakfast, a little guitar practice, maybe gym (must we, really).

Good day all!
flaviomatani: (guitar)
( Dec. 16th, 2014 04:52 pm)
Acknowledging receipt of beautiful Christmas card by the very talented Mr [livejournal.com profile] jackdiablo, better known these days as PushingNormal

card inside )
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