[23] Farewell to kings (that’s a Rush song) July 31st, 2005 – 4:34pm Posted in Events, Memories No comments

It’s 4pm, Sunday 31st July 2005, and the time at the house is up. I’ve purposefully had a drink to ease the occasion, as the thought of time leaving me behind is always quite sad (but as my gaylord singer friend said, the passing of time leaves empty minds waiting to be filled). I’ll write about it in depth when I’m sober – not just writing as some lame diary, but writing that reflects something you feel too – but at the moment it’s just hitting me that I’m not going to be coming home up that hill to see Dan any longer, and I won’t be able to stop off on the way home to see Lark and Eiren, and… etc. etc. I’m quite disgusted with myself at the moment for leaving them – I’m going to see Lark in ten years time and not be able to talk …read more.

[24] The past month July 26th, 2005 – 6:47pm Posted in Memories No comments

I’ve been back from Spain for a week now and there hasn’t been a single moment where I’ve been able to sit and elaborate on the ten trillion little things that have happened recently. Given all that’s going on at the moment and all the people I have in my life, I suppose surprise isn’t really in order.

Where to start? I’d like to flick back a month or so and mention a few more things about Glasto. Having reflected on it for a while now, I have begun to miss it quite a lot. I was there with five of my favourite people for six days doing whatever I wanted and seeing some top bands. It’s only been since I’ve come back to work that I realised how good a time it was.

New Order playing Transmission to mark the 25th anniversary of Ian Curtis’ death was probably my favourite moment. …read more.

[101] 30 things I like July 10th, 2005 – 7:42pm Posted in Good Things No comments

Scallies riding around on bikes way too small for them, peddling away furiously with their legs out at right angles.
The cool air and smell of trodden down grass and earth hitting you as you walk into a beer tent at a festival.
The thrill of the chase. Or: better than the moment of fulfilment – the moment of anticipation.
Vividly green beer gardens with ivy draping the walls and an oak table propping you up.
Cheers. Comedy + poignancy = mighty. Also, the greatest theme of all time.
Getting older. For me, I’ve been finding things easier every year.
A pint with friends. The pub is my natural environment, where my mind clicks and says “you’re comfortable – be sociable and have a good time”.
Lark and Eiren. Unconditional love. And myself and Lark share the same sense of humour so she makes me laugh like no-one else.
Waking up next to a woman you find beautiful; …read more.

[25] The actual events at Glasto July 5th, 2005 – 2:36pm Posted in Events No comments

That there below was your little thought bomb sparked by an event, as my writing pans out these days. Glasto itself, well, was pretty damn good. I remember having a good time. Often, when you type, “I had a good time”, it’s just an instinctive thing because you’re scared of saying that something was indifferent and you wasted moments of your life. Yet when I think back to those six days, they’re littered with more than the odd fond memory.

Good company helps. In some ways, the company presented a problem as I was in that uncomfortable position of the link man between two groups; in this case, as often is, my friends and my family. As you know, I find life a doddle when I know my role; when the role is ambiguous and ill-defined, when there is confusion over who I have to be to be acceptable, it all …read more.

[26] Glasto July 3rd, 2005 – 9:39pm Posted in Events No comments

I think I’m still balancing on one of the fulcrums that litter life, this one between my care-free student days and the beginning of the rest of my working life. This situation is encapsulated by my recent trip down to Glastonbury; it was another of the holidays that it seems I must accept will be my brief escapes from work for the next forty years.

I wasn’t really expecting Glastonbury to be a magical life-changing experience, and it wasn’t. It just made me think about how my life is panning out and whether I’m happy with the way things are, because it was the first respite for quite a while from all the job- and house-hunting I’ve been doing recently.

Things like that are quite mundane. No soul or passion goes into them, and when I think about it the reason they’re like that is because I’m spending my time preparing the …read more.