Sorry, mouse

 The latest mouse was a real tiny one (no wonder they're not setting off the traps). Unfortunately it was also a bleeder, meaning it wasn't a quick kill, leaving me feeling guilty. So much so that I tried moving the washing machine as that's where they hang out. It snagged on the vinyl floor and I ended up hurting my left hand trying to wrench it free. This morning (Monday), it seems I've done something to my back too. Jeez, what an old crock!

Yesterday I didn't go in studio, just watched a load of the things I'd recorded off Sky Arts (my new favourite TV channel). Tim came Saturday and we sketched a few amorphous noodles of the mellow variety, just because. I realise I've become adrift and directionless. Would love to get novel out but still awaiting Ben's artwork. Makes me think I should start painting again as it's the talent I've not fed over the decades. I fear it's as lifeless as that poor, surprised mouse. 

I've only reached Bruckner's 4th symphony. Nothing wrong with any of it so far but I think I should probably have tried to absorb Dvorak's symphonies first - at least I know a couple of them and they are far richer. Oh well. Maybe I wore myself out on Shostakovich and those Beethoven string quartets. I can't help but notice it takes me a lot longer to assimilate even a single symphony now - even ones with immediate appeal, like the Sibelius. Maybe I'm full!

I was going to paste in a thing I wrote for Splitradix about how I love the P3 but it starts to sound more like a focus on where I think Cirklon is lacking than anything else. I think I ended up by the wise summary that P3 is for live, fast, spontaneous sequence creation and Cirklon is for composition, structure and arrangement (OK, even though it still lacks a timeline arranger type thing). You see? Stephen's videos are awesome - everything I should have done but just never got my shit together enough. Judging by our drunken 'live ANT' thing on Saturday, videos are something I'm now officially worse at. 

Hmmm, seems I'm in a funny mood this morning. Not even going to start with my modular thoughts, which have been bubbling in the vat for a while. I must sell all that shit while it's still worth something.

Not a productive day. Back sore, hand too. Moved a few things around - put Pro2 where I can play it and record into BB. Shuffled a few modules around but don't like the result yet. For some reason that Livatera MIDI interface doesn't produce clock that the Steppy likes. Put the 101 back where it can be sequenced from Cirklon, in theory. Had no ideas except the one I had early on and squandered by faffing. 

Pat went to bed early. I'm watching some horror film and drinking single malt to celebrate being on Radio 6 again. Pat rubbed my back and the Tamnavulin is helping a little. Hope my back's better so I can walk this week. 

Wednesday and I didn't walk. In the end, the pain was still there, although eased, but I can't risk putting it back given William's gonna be spending a day here Saturday. Need all my strength to  keep up ;)
Pottered in studio but achieved nothing. OK, I think I'm getting a for sale list together. Going to take that ER-1 out of my ambient/drone end and probably the 0-Coast too. Overkill is not helping, plus I'm missing the Lyra. John won a granular FX pedal in a competition. Have agreed to buy it, hopefully will find a use for it but if not will add to the sell list and split any profits with John. He needs cash for some Spirfire library, which is fine by me. 

Hmm, it's Sunday morning and I have ten minutes before I ring my mum and head her way. A few things have happened, none of consequence (you'd guessed that, right?). Firstly, there was an Ocatrack update addressing two of the big omissions - tempo per pattern and full bank select. So far it's been fairly good - a few oddities but very happy at the functionality. I have a remix of the next single to attempt and may do it in the OT. Later today I'll load up the stems and choose the bits I want to chop into pieces small enough for the OT to easily manage. Oh, and I discovered a load of music and fragments I put together for that 5.5 hour Glad thing of many moons ago, the time where I couldn't play very loud cos the Noise Police kept coming round. Usual farce - there had been no permission for live performance, just 'ambience'. Hey ho. Some of it sounded OK when I was playing it so must remember to go back and find out.

Yesterday we had a day of the wee man. Must admit I could look forward to visits if they were a day rather than four. This afternoon I'll fire up the Mac and attempt some work. This is becoming quite a long entry so I'll end now. Oh, I discovered the review part of the Audion thing - unsurprisingly they weren't keen. I guess that's consistent and part of the reason I lost contact with them as my stuff never impressed. As a review writer I could review the reviewing but I won't. Instead, here's a poem I once wrote with Audion in mind.

Nurse With Wound
Dog With Vomit
I'm going to the Moon
With Wallace and Gromit

Yeah, that's telling 'em! Actually I don't mind indifferent reviews. I should perhaps have suggested more than one listen but I know it would be futile. 

Well, mum doesn't want me to visit given our lax security yesterday. So let the remix begin!