Cracked it!

I mean the ending. Of the novel.
I let it ooze gently out of the festering overflow pool of ideas and hang there awaiting completion. A couple of lines tagged onto the previous ending did it. Cauterised the previous ending. So there we go.

Some good modular loop ideas captured into Octatrack.

You'll laugh. I agreed to one more review. Not even for the most interesting thing (to me) at the moment. But what the heck, for old times and for the boogie. I did say I'd help out so there I go doing it. And I thought I'd use the cash wisely, which translates to me ordering a Behringer Model D. Well, I have an input spare on the Analog Four and a CV channel to run it on. 

I think with 'Serene Dippetity' I have completed the 'Box of Frogs' album, which has sometimes been called Bag of Smoke, and the Magical Smoke Bag. It's more drum-oriented than usual but despite that quite ambient and in no rush. I had thought I'd finish the 'minimal electronica' one first but just goes to show. Not that it matters. Might do a painting for the cover and release on the WilyEPeyote bandcamp page where nobody goes. Cunning eh?

And now Friday afternoon beckons. Can't decide whether to play or write so will do both. 

Played. New track in F which might finish the minimal album, with some tweaks.

More modular mayhem

https://www.instagram.com/p/BgRI5m3j9cf/

Funnily enough, got asked to do a festival today. Wonder if all the good requests will start coming now I'm retired? Anyway, I was slightly tempted but as it was abroad I just couldn't bring myself to contemplate the effort involved. If I'd done the whole laptop thing years ago this would all have been easy. So that's good, when you think about it.

I weakened and ordered a Plaits. I knew I was going to eventually so plunged right in without waiting. Could write a review to fund it.

Yeah, I moved some spawn. Oddly enough the frogs only laid it in one pond this year, might be time to totally clear the other.

Plaits is awesome! OK, that's a review spoiler ;)

https://www.instagram.com/p/BgTkMzZjUYj/

Got another gig invite, the one I turned down (and pointed Ian at) this time. Should I be more dynamic and agree to stuff or just fade away into the shadows? Tough one, haven't said no yet, contemplating how I might do it with the minimum of pain and disruption. Also may be going to Superbooth after all. This retiring business is harder than you think!

Today I will try and record the thing I worked on yesterday. I sent the in-progress track as a complete Logic song to Don - but it doesn't sound so good to me this morning, sober, unstoned. A few awkward transpositions need to be removed - very much like in Quantum Gate.

Most of a week mostly free

Pat went south doing her 'good samaritan baby looking-after' thing, leaving me to my own devices until Saturday. It's day one and I'm missing her already, so I can see I'm going to have to be brave.

Tried to swap one of the new mattresses for  a smaller one today but Bensons were a bit difficult about it. Fortunately it seems important that we never actually saw the items concerned in the store and therefore it's 'distance selling' or something. They were meant to ring back this afternoon but didn't. I will chase tomorrow with patient determination.

I didn't get into the studio after all today. Instead, I felt a bit shit and took a paracetamol and lay on the settee. I also wrote some novel stuff, filling in cracks rather than progressing, but a job worth doing if this thing is actually going to hang together. Now I appear to be binge-watching Californication. So far I have deliberately not stocked up on beer or chocolate.
Evening: had some of the exotic tea and felt woozy and sick. Agreed to swap my Elements for a pair of Pressure Points & Brains. I may get a Plaits as I had previously considered swapping Elements for a Braids.

Day 2 of being Just Me. Bensons totally twatted out on us so it's time for the Furniture Ombusman. Seriously, don't buy from any store, ever. Let those fuckers all go extinct. Take it from me: buy mail order and you have rights. Buy from twats and they write their own rules. Anyway, didn't do a lot today apart from hang around and have a few small ideas. I think I fixed the Digisound (found 2 loose wires) and I put up another small shelf for Ross's case on the only remaining space on the wall. Sent Elements off and contemplated the way I'll move stuff around (again). I've gone from no sequencers in my case to 3, no 4 if I bring in the Stepper Acid living in the Ross case.

Got chilled today (Thursday). Haven't fixed VCDO after all. Will get Tony to take it sometime. Wrote to Furniture Ombudsman despite his stupid 'wait 3 months' thing on website. No wonder the cunts were so cunty.
Recorded this and other stuff, dunno if too weird for Don. Drank beer.

Well, Friday was fun I think. Novel progressed, I did another mix of the Don thing but still not convinced yet. I seem to have watched a lot of Netflix and lay around getting shit-faced. Probably why the novel has moved on nicely and the music has no focus. Pat home later today, which will be nice. I should tidy up...

Probably the last of the snow pix for this year (we'll see)
Oh, there was a new Hitch Hikers on Radio 4. I lasted about 5 mins. In comparison, my writing seems sharp and witty. And that doesn't happen very often.

Some snow

Some heavy snow across parts of the country. Not here though, we just got a bit. Judging by the panic in the media, this bulldog nation, this sceptered isle, this seat of empire desperate to start ruling the waves once again, is on its knees. Hey ho.

That was as good as I got before the nasty east wind started telling me to go home.

An interview with Florian Fricke
http://www.eurock.com/features/florian.aspx

I've been continuing with the afterlife portion of my novel. Helped me think a bit going to the funeral yesterday, good to see people and glad I went. I have enough momentum to write a bit next week when I have lots of time. Also started preparing a few musical ideas and making short instagram vids.

Like this    and this    and this

What else? Can't think of anything worth noting. Pat's been working hard decorating, I've been, well, mooching around mostly. I have discovered that there is a way to make the most boring thing in the world (sport) even more boring. The answer: get an American sportist with the most boring voice and no personality and let him ramble on during sporty event type things. Anyway, nobody tunes in here for sporting news.

The photo doesn't really do those stalactites justice. Anyway.