Neglect

It appears to me that I have become more and more insular as time has gone on.  I don't know what I do any more and I don't know who I do it with.  Have I forsaken my friends, or have they forsaken me?  For what it's worth, I accept part of the blame, for not being proactive, for not nourishing and sustaining friendships that have withered and I hope not died.  Blame is a strong word though, for I do not seek explanation, only a return to simpler times when involvement in activities was assured rather than cautiously asked for.

I am sorry for all the friendships I have let lapse.  I started to think that I was an inconvenience to others, and that it wasn't cool to invite myself round to your houses, that you all had busy lives that I didn't want to unbalance.  I hope this was a silly, groundless thought.

Next year, things are going to change.  I am going to make a pest of myself, and if you do mind then I'm sure you'll let me know, as you are my friends and I would like to think you would tell me straight.

Have a good Hogmanay, and I will be annoying you in the near future.

Help Jayne continue her operatic journey!

My wife Jayne has been accepted onto an opera production down in London and while it's an amazing opportunity, travelling back and forth to London isn't going to be much fun.  She is looking for sponsors to help her along her way.  She can explain it way better than me, but if you'd like to see what she's up to then go here:

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/JayneJayneCarmichaelNorrie

Aren't you getting a bit old for this, Aberdeen?

Where have all the bees gone?  Don't blame the miserable summer, they're all buzzing around in various people's bonnets in the aftermath of a serious uppercut landed in the continuing bout between supporters of retaining UTG and proponents of the CGP (and I don't believe for one minute that this bruising, attritional, weary war of words and dubious deeds is over yet).

I always said that I was against CGP.  I always said that the sums didn't add up for me.  However, once the referendum went through and my side lost, I shut the hell up about it.  So now things have swung back to my way of thinking, am I happy?  Not really.  I always had a suspicion that everyone in Aberdeen basically despises anyone they don't know. The only result we're left with post referendum is an already divided populous which has been carved almost right down the middle thanks to a merely mathematical (and as it turns out, pointless) majority.  You might as well start making up sandbags.  This isn't over.  This is just beginning.  Civil war in Aberdeen, except conducted by a bunch of Internet hard nuts and keyboard warriors.  Battle has already resumed and they didn't even have the courtesy to wait until I get some popcorn!  Now that's just rude.

Do I think that democracy has been damaged?  Hardly - it's broken by design.

Do I think that all the Internet based "debate" is damaging to Aberdeen?  Most definitely.  When I read some of the "debate" that is ongoing on Facebook or Twitter, all it boils down to for me is this:

crowd arguing

This is a pretty good approximation of what I imagine you would all sound like if we put you all in the Beach Ballroom and asked you to have a "debate".  Come on, some of you can't even spell your insults correctly.  Quantity of Facebook "likes" being used as an analogy for testicle size and the moral right to... tell people how it should be?  Reports of dissenting views being deleted because they don't tally up with the prevailing way of thinking on a particular page?  Pathetic.

To all those who engage in this tiresome charade - you all disgust me with your petty, childish, bitter behaviour.  We're going nowhere, fast, and you aren't helping one iota.

Sound engineers - will you please listen?

I've just had the dubious pleasure of listening back to our performance at Belladrum.  It's... fast.  I don't know if we were keyed up because of the event itself, or the technical difficulties that delayed our start by 10 mins (which is a lot when you've only got a 45min slot), but we're playing like we're on speed or something, and this is unusual because we're not Motörhead.

But the one thing that is annoying me is the fact that the singer has asked for more vocals in the monitors on at least 4 occasions (gave up counting after that, no wait, I think I heard a fifth).  It is clear that nothing's been done - Andy's more shouting than singing and that's because he can't hear himself.  Daryl's harmonica is a bit wayward at times because he can't hear what he's doing.  That's a big problem when you're responsible for the tuning/intonation of your instrument (that includes voice).  It's not so much of a problem for me, playing fretted electric bass.  I have a tuner on the floor and I keep my basses set up properly (intonation compensation at the bridge etc.) so as long as my open strings are in tune then when I stop the string at the correct place, I get the correct note.  I can play the fretted bass visually/by feel and it'll sound OK, but it won't be as tight as it could be as instead of "being one with the rest of the band" (which comprises a combination of muscle memory through practice and being able to hear everyone else) you're either anticipating (which can make you early if you get it wrong) or reacting (which by definition makes you late).  And I don't have to bloody well like it - in fact I hate the feeling of playing in a bubble, where you're playing the bass and have no idea if you're even contributing to the proceedings (hoping to hell that the front of house sound is better than this).

Sound engineers, can you please explain to me (like I'm a four year old - as I have no comprehension of what you do and no right to tell you what to do) why it is that some of you are seemingly unwilling (or unable) to give us decent sound on stage?  We are not moaning for the sake of it, not giving us decent sound on stage is like asking us to gut fish with a butter knife.  You'll have your fish, but it won't be pretty.  All we're asking for is to have a decent monitoring on stage so that we can do our jobs properly.  We are not professionals, but we take our hobby seriously and want to perform at our best for the good people who come out to see us, dance and generate money for the venues that employ you in order that they continue to do this.  If you hamper our performance because we can't hear what we're doing, punters will stay away, and it's as much in your interests as ours to keep bums on seats and feet on dancefloors.

Yay, it's 1997 again!

And that would make me ... 22.  Man, time flies.

Tonight is the night I decided to switch the criminally underused stereo on and put a CD on.  I'm not sure what the motivation was, I was watching the documentary "An Ox's Tale" about John Entwistle (bass player in The Who, in case you didn't know) and ended up feeling a bit sad (y'know, 'cos he's dead and all that).  Then I remembered a while back I was feeling all guilty about having hundreds of CDs that I never listen to so I decided to finally do something about it.

I didn't put much thought into choosing a CD, the first letter I looked at was S and I had an urge to put on Supergrass, "In It for the Money".  I fired up the amp, the CD player and the graphic equaliser and stuck it on.  I'd like to tell you that I was whisked away to a magical fantasy land, but the Android phone, the Intel i5 sticker on the laptop, the electricity monitor and the fact that I just tweeted the picture to the left kept me in the 21st century.

All the same, it felt like I had reclaimed or rediscovered something about me, something I had forgotten, something I used to like about myself and it felt good.

CD's nearly coming to an end ("Sometimes I Make You Sad") - one more for tonight, I wonder if I'll keep with the 1997 theme or put something classic on...

Video from the Depot

I've put up a few videos from Saturday's gig at the Last Bus Depot near New Pitsligo.  It's a little "band in a tin box" sounding, but hopefully it's good enough to tap your toes to and remember a good night - or wish you had been there and spur you on to join us at the next one!

Report from gig at Last Bus Depot

What a fantastic place, what a fantastic gig!  The Last Bus Depot is an amazing venue - a bit like a big boy's playroom.  Can't explain it in enough words, so have some panoramic photography courtesy of Jayne (thanks darling!)

The crowd were really up for it and I would say that it was one of the best gigs we've ever done.  I can't wait until we come back and do it again!

Gig tipoff: The Oxbow Lake Band, Omar Bin Mohamed Afif

When: Saturday 28th July 2012
Where: The Last Bus Depot, New Pitsligo
Doors: 7.30pm
Tax: £5

An unusual new venue for us - the Last Bus Depot just outside New Pitsligo.  I can't explain it any better than their own site, so have a link - http://www.lastbus.org

I'm really looking forward to this one, hope to see you there!

Gig tipoff: The Oxbow Lake Band, The Carousels

When: Thursday 26th July 2012
Where: Cafe Drummond, Belmont Street, Aberdeen
Doors: 8pm
Tax: none, free entry!

Oops, left it a little late to put this up but if you're at a loose end this Thursday (tomorrow as I type) then why not head down to Cafe Drummond and treat your ears to the psychedelic country tones of The Carousels followed by a heap of different tunes from us, our songs, other people's songs, all good time tunes.  Free entry, no excuses, hope to see you there!

The Oxbow Lake Band: At the Festival

I'm very excited to announce the first recorded output of The Oxbow Lake Band since my joining.  It's a song called "At the Festival" and it's been recorded to celebrate our upcoming appearance at Belladrum Festival in August.

You can have a listen here:



You can also download it for free from Bandcamp and Reverbnation.

Gig tipoff: The Oxbow Lake Band, Q-nim, Jamie Rodden

When: Friday 29th June 2012
Where: Slains Castle, Belmont Street, Aberdeen
Doors: 8pm
Tax: none, free entry!

Once again we grace the "orchestra pit" of Slains Castle for another night of totally groovin' tunes.  Six musicians to squeeze into the pit this time (and seven if we have MC along with us for a couple of tunes), so I'll have to make sure I don't lop anyone's head off with me bass.

If you missed us last time (or can't remember, it was 3 months ago), here's a little reminder of how we roll:

Support from Jamie Rodden and Q-nim.  Things get going (hopefully) at 8pm, it's free entry so head on down, let your hair down and dance!

Health kick

Recently, we've made a couple changes to see if we can be a bit more healthy.

1) I'm joining Jayne at Zumba once a week.  At present I am the only bloke attending this particular session.  I had a brief flashback to school when the male membership of the recorder group dwindled away to just me (I left as soon as that happened - oh, if I knew then what I know now), but I just had an attack of  "what the hell" and got stuck in.  I lack co-ordination and tend to throw myself about like an idiot, but it gets the heart going and sweat running so I must be doing something.

2) We're doing Meat Free Mondays (http://www.meatfreemondays.com/) - it's been three weeks now and it's no bother - while I enjoy eating meat, I'm not completely closed minded to meals without meat.  Quorn, as you can imagine has figured quite heavily in things so far but I will branch out and try some recipes as the weeks go on.  Not my turn next week though, so I've got a bit of time to prepare :)

Hopefully these small changes will make a difference to health and energy levels.  Not that I have been feeling unhealthy or lethargic, but I have thought over the past few years that I could do better.  Time will tell.

Sitting on a bankrupt throne made of ... CDs

Gig tipoff: The Oxbow Lake Band and Martin Stephenson

When: Saturday 26th May 2012
Where: Macduff Arts Centre, Duff Street, Macduff
Doors: 8pm
Tax: £8 (£6 concession)

This should be a great gig, I'm really looking forward to it.  To quote the COAST Festival programme:

"Two of the most articulate musical and good time music acts in the UK on the same bill!  Martin is an 80s legend, who toured with Prefab Sprout, Aztec Camera and Janis Ian - "builds bridges between love and hate, between cradle and grave, between folk and pop, between the past and the present" - NME.  Witty, eclectic, insightful, Martin is an intuitive and highly entertaining artist.  The Oxbow Lake Band is a lively 5-piece rock/folk/jazz/funk/poetry crossover band.  A must for every celebration of creativity, the Oxbows are likely to turn up with plug-in guest musicians and poets.  Impossible not to dance to!"

Aye, so we're nae bad then.  If you're up this way then why not drop by?  Bring your dancing shoes!

This event is part of the COAST Festival which runs from 25th - 27th May in Banff and Macduff.  Full programme of events here: http://www.coastfestival.org.uk/programme.html

The Oxbow Lake Band: Banff Castle 06/05/2012

We played recently at Banff Castle as part of their Beltane Bash.  Have some video from it:

Freedom of speech?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-17858257

This news item made me think, along with the other stuff, like people being pulled up for clearly jokey threats to blow up airports about how our freedom of speech is being eroded.  Now it's not nice to wish harm on people, and advocating that someone be shot is a bit harsh.  But surely all it requires is a time out, a calm down, and an apology?  Who is actually going to shoot someone on the vague urgings of a tweet?  Would a bomber say "I'm going to blow up an airport" before they go and do it?  Preposterous.

Perhaps I should be arrested too.  I have a confession to make.  

The year was 1994, it was summer and the World Cup was in full swing.  Beer was consumed and football was watched.  The USA were playing the fancied Columbia in the first round.  I vaguely remember it being an exciting match and I can still remember the feeling of utter disbelief when the unfortunate Andrés Escobar scored an own goal a striker would have been proud of in his attempt to cut out a USA cross.

I remember this moment like it was yesterday.  A friend and I stood up simultaneously, pointed at the telly and in unison proclaimed "THAT BLOKE SHOULD BE SHOT!"

Anyone with a passing interest in international football probably knows what happened next.  For those of you who haven't figured out where I'm going with this see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9s_Escobar - basically he went home and a week later he was shot dead outside a nightclub.

What I did is exactly the same as what has been happening in all this draconian smacking down of off-the-cuff remarks on social networking on the Internet. You had better come down and arrest me, for I have been a very naughty boy.  Even worse, the "harm" that I wished on someone actually came true.  Clearly that makes me prime suspect.

Or maybe some sense could be seen.  It's very simple - either you arrest and charge all the 4000+ people who repeated Paul Chambers' chilling threat on Robin Hood Airport, or you let him off.  He made an off-the-cuff remark for which he has apologised.  Case closed.

Oh, and sorry Andrés, I never actually wanted you to be actually shot, like with a real gun.

End of the road

Hey folks, as you might have noticed, I can't stick at this photo a day malarkey - even with a camera in my pocket at almost all times.  I'm not sure what this says about me other than I'm either very forgetful or very lazy.  Either way, I was always worried about the artistic value of what I was doing.  I always want to have a point to the photos, something interesting to look at but it was getting to the point where I was resisting the urge to just point the camera in a random direction and fire it, just to have something to post. I didn't consider that to be a worthwhile use of my time, or yours come to think of it.  So I've decided to can it.

From now on, there'll only be something here if I feel it's worthy of inclusion, be it pictures, video or words.

Photo a day 2012 (86/366) - welcome home

Photo taken just off Abbey Road, Aberdeen.  Chico lying in wait for my return home.

Photo a day 2012 (85/366) - it's cream, ok?

Photo taken at my friend Rich's house.  Fed up with people saying that his home made speaker cabinet is white, I proved that it is cream by sticking a known white object on top of it :)

Photo a day 2012 (84/366) - where's the pond?

Photo taken in Wrights' and Coopers' Place, Aberdeen.  During the March heatwave, all the water dried up.

Photo a day 2012 (83/366) - band in a pit

Photo taken in Slains Castle, Aberdeen.  Went for a spy the week before we played here.  It's interesting having the audience all around you and slightly above you.  I think the band here were called Sort of Alive.

Photo a day 2012 (82/366) - campus in bloom

Photo taken in Wrights' and Coopers' Place, Aberdeen.  Lovely day, lovely place to work.  Here comes the catch up flood, sorry folks :)

Photo a day 2012 (81/366) - pint (sized) guardian

Photo taken in Campbell's Bar, Torry.  Strange figurines in the windows of the pub, minding pints while you're in the loo.

Photo a day 2012 (80/366) - extreme closeup, waaaa!

Photo taken with a cat in my face.  Ownership of my mobile phone is about to be asserted.

Photo a day 2012 (79/366) - where the noise comes from

Photo taken in the bedroom.  I'm a terrible one for having a poke about inside things, I've done it since I was a kid.  Not so much "user adjustable" stuff these days though.  That's one thing I like about bass guitars - apart from a few active instruments it's all deliciously "low-tech" - just wires, switches, pots and sockets.

Photo a day 2012 (78/366) - the spice of life

Photo taken in the dining room.  I've decided to carry on.  I'll catch up gradually.  I do like my chilli flakes :)

Bad Matt

Well, that's me 6 days behind in my "photo a day" thing including today.  Furthermore it isn't the first time I've fallen behind - the big burps of photos might have given that away, after all, when am I far from a computer?  I really have got a problem with attention span.  I'm the sort of person who makes lunch the night before (oh, how organised) and then forgets to grab it from the fridge before leaving for work.  Like today then :(

Lately I have been finding myself a little ill at ease with myself, a bit fed up, a bit demotivated and a bit lethargic.  Only a bit.  Not enough to lump it all under "stress" and take 3 months off work, but just a little gnawing feeling.  I think I just need to get back to a state of being comfortable in my own skin.  I'm a terrible one for editing what gets out into the world, in any interaction you can see me chewing words over in my head before I say them as I sift through the possible outcomes of what I'm about to say.  Now there's nothing wrong with being a bit measured in one's approach to life and using words sparingly and appropriately but it seems that I spend so long mulling it over that the real me is buried somewhere in the middle of a convoluted flow chart in my head.  I've got to realise that I can't control everything.  If you don't share something of yourself then can anyone truly know you as a person?  I can understand being like this with strangers, or people on the outskirts of your social circle - but with your friends, family and - most important of all - one's significant other?  That's out of order and it needs sorted.  It's been going on so long now that I'm losing sight of my understanding of "the real me".  The worst part is that I'm not so sure that I even like the stuff that does escape the inner vault.  I guess that makes me a crap editor as well as a dubious friend, an errant son and a rotten husband.

I'm hoping that typing that out is a springboard from which to start diving into conversations and letting the important people back into my life - properly.

Getting back to the original point (before I hijacked it) there's no excuse other than laziness with a side order of lack of motivation for this lapse in photographic service.  It's not as if I've been rushed off my feet from when I get up in the morning to when I go to bed at night.  I guess I've got some catching up to do, but to be honest I don't know if I'm going to bother.  I'll know by the end of today.

Photo a day 2012 (77/366) - Chico the car mechanic

Photo taken in my living room.  This is what happens when your cat has a sniff around underneath cars, I think.

Photo a day 2012 (76/366) - diy giggin'

Photo taken at 26 Collective, Exchange Lane, Aberdeen.  Our friend Stewart getting ready to play some tunes at his art exhibition.

Photo a day 2012 (75/366) - glowing peri-peri

Photo taken at Nando's, Union Square, Aberdeen.  I like these lights.  The chicken was OK.

Photo a day 2012 (74/366) - pleasant working environment

Photo taken in Wrights' and Coopers' Place, Aberdeen.  One of the most pleasing thing about my work is where it is.  Old Aberdeen is beautiful and sometimes when I'm having a stressful day it's good to have a walk about and be greeted with gardens, old buildings and picturesque lanes.

Photo a day 2012 (73/366) - the wedding present

Photo taken in my living room.  One of the more unusual and amusing gifts that we received on our wedding day.  The note reads "Thought I would give you something special to contribute towards your new home" :)

Photo a day 2012 (72/366) - fine weather generator

Photo taken in my garden.  This is why the weather was so good this weekend - I installed a water butt on Saturday.  Yes, it's still empty ;)

Photo a day 2012 (71/366) - sunny in Torry

Photo taken on the North East coast.  Lovely day today, we went for a walk along the coastal trail to Cove.

Photo a day 2012 (70/366) - Leppard and the Big Cats

Photo taken at the Rusty Nail, Aberdeen.  Our friends Leppard and the Big Cats in full swing.

Photo a day 2012 (69/366) - living room without walls

Photo taken on the North East coast.  Another orphaned sofa, another chuckle escapes.  Fly tipping's bad though, OK?

Photo a day 2012 (68/366) - campaign trail

Photo taken on the Old Aberdeen campus, Aberdeen University.  The least popular Family Guy character  goes on a charm offensive.  Maybe ;)

Photo a day 2012 (67/366) - living room with a view

Photo taken on the North Sea coast.  Normally I would just call this litter, but the positioning of it made me chuckle.

Photo a day 2012 (66/366) - new toy

Photo taken in my bedroom.  I got a new amp recently, and so far it has performed excellently.  It totally surprised me by keeping up with the band at band rehearsal.

Photo a day 2012 (65/366) - mmm, this is a tasty burger!

Photo taken at the Handmade Burger Company, Union Square, Aberdeen.  Blue cheese and bacon burger.  Mmmm.

Photo a day 2012 (64/366) - cat cupboard

Photo taken in the dining room.  You can't leave a cupboard door open with a cat around :)

Photo a day 2012 (63/366) - the bane of my life

Photo taken at Cafe Drummond, Aberdeen.  This is a CCTV DVR.  Whenever the shit hits the fan and the Police want footage of some drunken shenanigans it's me who often has to extract it from this infernal machine.  On this day it failed twice - right at the point when it had done the hard part and begin burning the DVD.  A half hour job turned into several hours.  It hates me.  But I persist, because I love getting the evidence that helps get violent people who can't handle their booze their comeuppance.

Photo a day 2012 (62/366) - pointing the way

Photo taken in my bedroom.  Sorry folks, nothing exciting today, just some gratuitous mother-of-pearl on black ;)

Photo a day 2012 (61/366) - Kitchen Cynics Orchestra

Photo taken at The Tunnels, Aberdeen.  Went to see local legend Alan Davidson perform alongside Jan and Claire from Seas, Starry.  Guitars, bowed bass, loop pedals, effects, a theremin and a finale of strange things with a horn and a string which the player bows.

Photo a day 2012 (60/366) - post-practice tidy-up

Photo taken at Musical Vision, Aberdeen.  First band practice in a few weeks tonight, it was a good session, trying some stripped back, acoustic versions of songs and it went very well.

Photo a day 2012 (59/366) - plaza ornamentation

Photo taken near the New Library, University of Aberdeen.  These strange stones appeared recently.  Not sure what it's meaning is, but I suppose it breaks up the cube-ness of the nearby architecture ;)

Photo a day 2012 (58/366) - The end of history

Photo taken in the Brewdog Pub, Aberdeen.  We went to a beer and cheese tasting session and had a great time, nice cheese, tasty and challenging beers with a friendly guide taking us on our gastronomic journey.  Here I am holding a bottle of "The End Of History" - the (second) last word in strong beer - a 55% freeze distilled beer.  I tried the "Sink the Bismarck" - 41% freeze distilled IPA, not too bad, better than the "Tactical Nuclear Penguin".

Why I am turning my back on Formula One

I've taken the decision to completely boycott Formula One this season (and all the subsequent seasons that the entire season is not available free to air in its entirety) and considering that F1 is a sport I have followed since I was a kid it's not one I've taken lightly.  I am so angry that the BBC sold out - years ahead of the end of the current contract.

The coverage was getting good again, after the ITV nonsense (ad breaks in Formula One?  Gadzooks!) and having had a couple of seasons of a changing of the guard at the top of the pecking order the racing was quite compelling at times.  The BBC team were getting into their stride (the occasionally cringeworthy exchanges between David Coulthard and Eddie Jordan notwithstanding) and things were coming together nicely.  The on screen info was good.  The driver tracker was a revelation (albeit a few seconds behind what was actually happening).  All these things I will miss.

However, I object most strenuously to my TV license being devalued.  I already pay to watch television in this country.  I refuse to pay more to another company in order to watch the stuff I used to be able to watch in the monthly amount I already allocate to watching television.  I am incensed by this cheapening of the quality of the BBC's output.

Half a season of total weekend coverage is worse than none at all.  I'd rather the BBC had just sold out completely rather than present me with their half baked, half arsed, completely ineffectual half-way house offering, for which no doubt they expect me to be grateful.  Well, I'm not.  I am baffled, disappointed, confused and a little upset, in case you hadn't already noticed.

I've been mulling this over ever since the fateful announcement.  Despite the BBC being a public service it seems that our opinions as licence payers have been completely ignored, nay not even asked for.  There was no vote, there was no seeking of points of view on the matter.  This is what we're doing whether you like it or not, so suck it up, peasants.

I don't suppose that my statistically irrelevant teeny tiny blip on the viewing figures will make much difference, but the various F1 powers-that-be have seriously overestimated my desire to pay extra money to receive the same thing.

In summary: up yours, BBC.  Up yours, Sky.  Up yours, Bernie.  Up yours, F1.

Photo a day 2012 (57/366) - I have the power!

Photo taken directly above my laptop's power button.  The camera's not great at focusing, but it's produced this neon effect as a consequence of its frailties which I think looks quite cool :)

Photo a day 2012 (56/366) - leaving the harbour

Photo taken on Greyhope Road, Aberdeen.  The Grampian Don leaving the harbour.  Please excuse the awful photo, it's times like these when you wish you had a real camera instead of the phone, but when you're out and about on an unplanned walk it's better than nothing.

I'll also say sorry for the infrequent updates and resultant big splurges of pictures.  Will try to keep on top of it in the future.

Photo a day 2012 (55/366) - guts

Photo taken at work.  The innards of a Dell Precision M6300 "laptop" (for suitably sturdy laps - it's a massive mobile workstation).  Dodgy video card, and unfortunately out of warranty.  I might try to bring it back to life if I can score a suitable replacement part cheap on eBay ;)

Photo a day 2012 (54/366) - bye bye

Photo taken near Meston Walk, Aberdeen.  Remember the tree that got damaged in a storm?  Well, only in pictures now as it's been chopped down.  Not sure why, the rest of it looked sturdy enough.

Photo a day 2012 (53/366) - spring has sprung?

Picture taken in my garden.  There have been a few mild days, and the crocuses are responding in kind.

Photo a day 2012 (52/366) - confidence inspiring

Picture taken on the way to work.  A street light wedged in with some bits of wood.  A temporary measure, one hopes :)

Photo a day 2012 (51/366) - lunchtime practice

Picture taken in my office at work.  I am extremely fortunate that I am allowed to indulge in my hobby in my lunch hour at work.

Photo a day 2012 (50/366) - semi successful sushi sojourn

Photo taken at Yo Sushi, Union Square, Aberdeen.  Food was good as always, but we were quite disappointed to find that the Sumo Sunday deal has been reduced from a 2 hour time limit to 1 hour.  I felt rushed.  The price remains the same.  It feels a bit greedy.  I have registered my displeasure, for all the good it'll do.

Photo a day 2012 (49/366) - you're not from round here, are you?

Photo taken on Palmerston Road, Aberdeen.  A hat missing its hombre resting in the shade.

Photo a day 2012 (48/366) - anti-hunger

Photo taken at Darcy's, Princes Square, Glasgow.  A generously proportioned antipasti.

Photo a day 2012 (47/366) - the last thing you see before a fatal cat attack

Photo taken in my kitchen.  The boy must be hungry - attempting to use rock climbing techniques to scale the kitchen worktops.

Photo a day 2012 (46/366) - 1981 Gibson Victory Artist

Photo taken in my bedroom.  I know I've featured this bass before on these pages, but just look at it!  It's probably the prettiest bass I own.  I'm so glad I was able to rescue it.

Photo a day 2012 (45/366) - Shedio, Mk II

Photo taken from the top of the outside stairs.  Following on from my picture showing the water damage in the shedio, here is the first attempt to make it watertight - a layer of felt along the ridge.

Photo a day 2012 (44/366) - colourful tea

Photo taken in Union Square.  I just liked the look of this tea and the swirly patterns of the mesh bag.

Photo a day 2012 (43/366) - mmm, pie

Photo taken in my living room.  Mmm, pie.  No, I didn't make it - pie provided by M&S ;)

Photo a day 2012 (42/366) - a taste of capitalism

Photo taken at Starbucks, Union Square, Aberdeen.  A cup of coffee that I didn't have to make myself.  That is its raison d'être.

Moffat bass bash, videos emerge

I had a great time at the Moffat bass bash last weekend.  This was the fifth one I have attended and they keep getting better and better.

This year was probably the best one yet - a structured, organised "bassyokey" where we pick songs in advance then go up and take our turns with the house band.  A nerve-wracking experience, considering the audience was made up almost exclusively of bass players - most of whom have been playing for many more years than me.  It would be like a driving examiner conducting a driving test in a people carrier full of driving examiners.

Anyway, I chose to play the theme from the TV series "True Blood" - if you don't know it it's a song called "Bad Things" originally by Jace Everett.  I did OK, a couple of bloops but I held it together.  Due to nervousness I lapsed back into bad left hand habits (excessive movement, "any finger will do as long as you get there on time" sort of mentality) which irritated me because I've been trying to get that out of my system.

Anyway, have a video:

There was a vast collection of basses on show as ever.  I took a sweep of the room where most of them were:

I had a great time, already looking forward to the next one!

Photo a day 2012 (41/366) - ignoramus

Photo taken on Abbey Road, Aberdeen.  This is pig-ignorant parking at its best.  To the immediate left of the shot the road narrows significantly, so it's a stupid place to park anyway but blocking two people's doorways? It shouldn't really need to be spelled out but I've enlarged the relevant information that this motorist ignored.  Of course, if the owner of the car is also the owner of both these doorways then I retract the second point.

It was there all of yesterday and it's still here this morning.  Out of  interest, how long should you leave it before reporting it abandoned to the police?