In 1939, a 25-year-old university student found himself running 20 minutes late for a statistics class. On arrival, he entered as quietly as possible, making himself as small as possible, and slipping into a seat incognito at the back of the class. While the class was going on, as he looked around to orientate himself,…
Read moreComparison
Last week I spent a brilliant couple of days away from home on a sort of holiday (time off from work) plus recharge (visiting friends and family) plus creative exploration (working on my next record in the studio). I had a series of brilliant conversations with my friend and studio partner cum record producer. From…
Read moreProgress
I’ve spent the last few days in a music studio. (More on this later. Also, new music coming soon). It was intense and productive, fun and creative, fulfilling and energising, all at the same time. During one of our recording sessions, after I played the guitar parts to a song, my friend (and producer for…
Read moreHumanity
This week I’ve been reading Humankind by Rutger Bregman. I’ve followed his work for a few years ever since I came across a TED talk he gave, titled poverty isn’t a lack of character, it’s a lack of cash. The gist of the talk is that we need to rethink the whole idea of poverty….
Read moreFocus
I’ve had a slow week, one where I’ve spent the bulk of my time still recovering from the virus. I’ve been unable to get back to my usual schedule. Screens hurt my eyes so I’ve not done much writing, my energy has been limited so for much of the week I didn’t get out much,…
Read moreRest
We all need it, we all know that we need it, we’d quite frankly cease to exist without it, but we fail to acknowledge to ourselves that we need it, that we need rest. I caught the ‘rona this week and it put me on my back. I’ve spent a couple of days in bed…
Read moreArt and Politics
This post is laden with questions and not nearly enough answers. Please send in your answers if any of them resonate with you. The last few weeks have been eventful politically; this statement probably applies wherever you are in the world. Japan witnessed the assassination of a former prime minister in an uncharacteristically violent attack,…
Read moreThe Present
This is an expanded version of a (private) journal entry. You may find it relevant, you may not. Make of it what you will 🙂 A few days ago, while practising for my support slot gig for Dave Hemingway’s Sunbirds, I expressed to my fiancée, a certain frustration I was experiencing. I explained that these…
Read moreGift or Curse?
This is a note to self, a journal of sorts. You might find it relevant too… This week I started writing an article, but as I got into it, I realised that it didn’t feel right. Something was missing, but I wasn’t sure what. I decided to think on it, sleep on it, and ‘walk’…
Read moreSerendipity
At lunchtime a few days ago, my fiancée and I relaxed and stared out over the balcony as we shared a VLT sandwich. As she went to take her next bite, I saw something sticking out of the sandwich, something I didn’t recognise. It looked whitish but had a light green hue, so in my…
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