h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hello Wile E!

Thanks for the email New Year's greetings!
Awwwww...the singing birdies were cute!
Hmmmmm. I'll just guess that you might have had a part of your anatomy photocopied during your wild and crazy student days?*hopes and prays that was it...shudders to think of the other alternative possibilities*

Good to see you more or less unscathed from last night's descent into the fire trap club. I had this fleeting mental image of what the oxygen deprived / diminished candlelit club might have looked like in full swing if suddenly flash illumined...

http://gallery.euroweb.hu/html/b/bosch/painting/triptyc1/delightd.html

Darkness can be a good thing, sometimes!
I'll spare you the puns. Sorry I couldn't spare you the nightmarish mental image, though. I've sung in places like that from time to time, so it's not an unfamiliar image to me.

I'm sure it was nice to catch up with friends.
I must curb my tendencies to come up with art masterpiece mental images! I just had one of you dancing round like a prat! It was a rustic 18th century Flemish scene...Art can be so dangerous!

FIVE hours to get home? That's pretty extreme! Does the trip normally take quite so long? Or was it longer because of the holidays- or affected by strikes?
I hope you're getting enough rest before getting back into daily w*rk mode. It's going to be interesting to see if that newfound camaraderie with your colleagues will continue after the holiday break. How nice if it did take hold...

I was surprised how much I liked Leonardo Di Caprio in 'The Aviator', too! I thought the casting of him as Howard Hughes was more than a bit of a stretch when I heard in-production news, but he admirably proved himself up to the task in the final result. L o n g movie, but worth seeing, I thought.

No, I've not seen 'American Spendour'! Probably will, eventually. The films that I am viewing right now have been not terribly exceptional. When I see something worthwhile, I'll let you know for sure. I'm supposed to be viewing around 3 a day if I was really deadly diligent about doing all I can to nominate the right films for original and adapted screenwriting. I'll have to confess, some films and scripts are chucked into the trash basket after 15 minutes of viewing.*shrugs*

LA has a section of neighbourhood called Korea Town. There is enough of a Korean population in Southern California to support two television stations, newspapers and radio stations, many commerce and culture centres, schools, churches and museums!
Korean TV's trippy stuff! They have a penchant for poking fun at their own high regard for kitschiness.
Japanese samurai dramas on TV are great too. Very high production values and interesting historical data liberally flaunted for preciseness of detail.


My New Year's eve was spent with friends and cousins who unexpectedly dropped by with Spanish sparkling wine and guitars. It was a flamenco themed evening. My cousins and I took flamenco dance lessons together when we were kids and whenever we get together now, it turns into a flamenco competition. Thank goodness we only do this a couple times a year! It's exhausting. I had my neighbours in for a while because they were ogling at the scene from the window. The guest count rose to 29 at one point. I had to clean up lots of broken glass, rose petals and confetti this morning...I guess it must have been a successful although impromptu party! So much for quiet recuperation in this house...

Sorry about the length of time taken to post this message to you. Some of my cousins are still here and are baking a ham in the kitchen. They think I need rest and are helping to make supper with me. Unfortunately, this involves water and food fights and them physically wrenching me away from my keyboard! I've got the bruises to prove this.*sigh*

Sleep well tonight, Wile E. Hope to see you again tomorrow.
Buenos noches and sweet sweet dreams!

I dread to think of what it would have looked like if briefly illuminated! Come to think of it, I have seen some fearsome photos of old nights out - flash photography can be a very bad thing.

Between the art masterpiece mental images and unwelcome incidental music, your view of the world must be very interesting!

*ushers in mariachis*

*ushers in painter with Francis Bacon fixation*


I’m afraid it wasn’t the photocopier. I went out on a date with a girl who lived next door to me. I was completely broke at the time so she bought all my drinks for me. The problem was, despite my protestations, she kept buying me vodka, and for reasons that will become apparent I don’t do vodka. After too many vodkas, she led me on to the dancefloor. Dancing isn’t a very good idea when you’re feeling queasy... Needless to say, she wasn’t very impressed when I spewed up on her and we never went out again.

*slaps head* I’m so smooth!


Sounds like you had a great New Years Eve! Yeah, five hours is an awful long time. My DJ friend lives in Lincoln, and I could drive there in 2 and a half hours. I have to get three trains between there and here but the first was late and the second was cancelled, so I ended up on a coach between Sheffield and Manchester.

It’s good to see that your cousins are keeping an eye on you. That should stop any visits from for the time being.


Goodnight Cynth

Hola Wile E!

How are you doing? Are you back to w*rk tomorrow?
If so, then maybe I should be asking...
What are you doing up so late

Please check your mail before you go to sleep!

Good golly, mariachi music AND Francis Bacon?
That is a truly evil combination that I hope never to experience, ever.

Speaking of things never ever to be experienced... I'm so sorry I guessed wrong. I think it was mostly wishful thinking since it did seem the least horrendous of the choices at hand. I guess it wasn't meant to be*sigh* if she never went out with you again. Your style of establishing intimacy *was* a bit questionable. I'm sure in other cultures somewhere that might have been acceptable, maybe even sacred ritual. I'm sure that you do occupy a secure place in her memories, though. I can't say that I've ever had that happen to me. Can you imagine what kind of incidental art masterpieces and music that would have given me as flashbacks for the rest of my life?

Please for the sake of all humanity, do not touch vodka, ever.

My cousins are of the opinion that the internet is an unlikely place for me to be. They believe that it will only exacerbate my shyness, causing me to recede into an unhealthy reclusive existence. In response to that I started a marshmallow fight and won. It's amazing how those things can become lodged up assailant's nostrils....
As you can see, my cousins are into rough horseplay. I won't be entirely safe until they leave in three hours time. While typing this I have had 6 nerf balls, a soccer ball and 5 teddy bears stuffed down the back of my shirt and have been sprayed with whipped cream on my nose.

This is what you call my cousins "keeping an eye on you"?

I think is easier to take than this!!!

See you if I survive the next three hours.

Goodnight and sweet singing kitty dreams!

Hey, Cynth!

I’m not w*rking tomorrow, but I’m going to bed very soon - zombie

>>In response to that I started a marshmallow fight and won<<
Remember, the best form of defence is attak! Of course, your cousins will love that, but I don’t think you have any choice. Have fun!

I’ve spent the last hour asleep infront of the TV, so I’m going to bed now. I’ll do a proper reply to your post tomorrow.

More Singing kittens! When will it end?

Night Cynth!

Hi Wile E!

Yes, more singing kitties! Life is ever so much better when it's full of singing kitties! I'll bet you even slept sounder and more peacefully as a result of their serenade before you went off to bed.

It's nearly 4:30am here and I'm wide awake. The cousins just phoned me to say they arrived home safely and wanted to know what I was doing.I *was* asleep. They thought that was not an adequate answer and then regaled me with tales of various scenic roadkill and tawdry truckstop dives that they encountered on their journey home.
Now I'm sitting here trying to banish those freakshow images from my head before I return to bed...

All of a sudden I've ceased to cough and can breathe normally!
So, now I can tell you that I will be performing in a concert backing that folk/rock artist on the 7th! I wasn't so sure I'd be well enough from this nasty flu that has had me feeling rough for nearly 2 weeks. All that flamenco stuff going on over the weekend must have forced it out of my system! I'm thrilled to be able to go off to San Francisco and sing with some really great musicians, some that I've admired for years.
There will be three acts performing and I've been asked to do back up for 2 plus the finale with all three. Gosh, I'd better look over the sheet music, commit it to memory and convince myself I can sing. Typical preparation for me...

When *do* you go back to w*rk?
What's the weather up to over there? We've had heavy rainfall and I had to put sandbags on the edge of my backyard where the hillside threatens to come tumbling down into the pool. Luckily the cousins helped with that bit of gruntwork before they left.

Are you about finished with 'A Hundred Years of Solitude'?

See you later on!

I was surprised to see the time of your post – did you manage to get back to sleep ok? It sounds like you’ve had a fun (if a bit annoying) few days, but I bet you’ll be glad to have things quiet down a bit. I hope you managed to win a few more fights before they left!

So, are you a shy person in RL then? You don’t come across that way here – but this is an easy and risk-free place to get to know someone. I know your life isn’t as active as it once was – but it still sounds pretty active to me so I doubt being here could be holding you back. Obviously I would say that though – I’d be upset if you left!


Talking of art masterpieces, it was a painting rather than Mozart’s music that gave me the name for this thread.

http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/tanning/tanning.nachtmusik.jpg

While I can’t say I’m plagued by art mental images, that one has stayed with me ever since I first laid eyes on it. It looks sweet, but definitely a bit weird too – kind of like you.


As for the vodka incident, I think one of Bacon’s popes will cover it: http://www.francis-bacon.cx/popes/velazquezi_50.html

Trust me, I make sure I stay away from vodka these days. I indulge in the occasional White Russian, but I don’t take any risks! When I’m drunk, I seem to be able to retain more self-control than most people, but with v*dka, bad things happen. It was *so* embarrassing. What can you do or say after that?

You don’t have a great deal of time to prepare! Performing in San Francisco is - that’s one of the American cities I’d like to visit one day. Do you have anything lined up after the concert?

The weather is milder than it was, but very grey and dull. We didn’t end up with much snow on this side of the country but I did get to play Starman. Wow, you’ve got a lot to contend with in California – fire, mudslides and you must get earth tremors from time to time as well. Putting up sandbags in the garden sounds and exciting to me, but obviously it’s no good if the hill comes down on you!

I’m not far off finishing AHYOS. It’s such an overwhelming book, I don’t think I’ve taken it all in! I’ll definitely be revisiting it before the year is out. It took me a while to get used to the same names being used for all those characters, but it’s not so bad if you concentrate on what generation your reading about. Are you reading anything interesting at the moment?

Hi Wile E.!

Yes, indeed I did get back to sleep shortly after posting to you this morning...only to be woken 2 hours later by my mum who stated that she was ravenous for pancakes, that she had invited my brother over for breakfast and was expecting a few of her friends to come by for a light lunch.

So much for peace and quiet in this household. The cousins managed to engage in food, mud, digital camera attacks and psychological warfare while they were here. They photographically caught me in fiery flamenco dance poses and cowering under a flotilla of rubber duckies in the bathtub. I,in turn, caught them foaming at the mouth with toothpaste, shovelling absurd amounts of holiday foods into their gaping mouths and passed out and drooling in graphic close up shots. Pretty pictures all around!!!
Before they left, I placed whoopee cushions under their car seat covers.
Just to let them know how much I appreciated their visit.

I'm ridiculously shy in RL! My natural visceral first reaction upon seeing someone/anyone approaching me is to but I've learned over the years to affect a composed look. If you look closer you'll see me hesitate between running and composing myself before addressing you and while I'm doing this, it'll look like I'm at a loss for words because I'm just overwhelmingly touched and happy to see you...it's the shyness. Also, I physically do not look shy. The shyness is not too noticeable at first impression because my body language tends to suggest confidence from all those dance, yoga, meditiation and performance influences. I also don't wear my contact lenses during performances and social gatherings because the softened impressionistic blurry images of faces are easier for me to take. I'm near sighted but most of my work is visually close on paper and computer. There are a lot of things that I do to cope and make my inherent shyness work for me, but the best thing I've done is accept it and bunglingly get on with my life.

I've actually seen that Dorothea Tanning painting at the Tate! It struck me as fascinating because most of my recurring dreams involve countless doors along endless hotel corridors. I'm perfectly calm and content with these images in my dreams and I'm not unsettled when I wake from them. Instead of dreading a surrealistic series of nightmares,I've always enjoyed the frisson of anticipation for potentialities about to happen behind those doors and adventure as I go farther down the corridors. A strange absence of fear. As if I know it's something *like* a Bunuel film and at the same time I know that it's just a dream I'm dreaming. I've been having these doors and corridors dreams at least 3 times a month for more years than I can remember!
Funny that you had that painting in mind when you named this thread!


That Bacon painting is definitely a nightmare inducing mental image.It's best left abandoned far away from all thoughts just like your vodka incident. Most of Bacon's works give me the queasies! Now the thought of vodka does, too!*shudders*

That singing gig is on Saturday night but I'm more excited about it than worried. The folk/rock artist I'm working with gave me very detailed harmony and cadenza examples that he sang for me and taped so that I knew every nuance that he wanted to give his lyrics. He's very generous with his time and patience. I've known him since I was an underaged folksinger in a ski resort nightclub. He heard me singing one of his own songs and introduced himself afterwards. He said I made him cry(...recurring theme of my life!)and to give him a call if I wanted to join one of his tours. So far, I've been able to sing with him nearly every year since we met and he's been to a few of my classical concerts too. He asked me to join his tour in Spain this March, but I regretfully had to decline the offer.*sigh* I'll do two more benefit concerts with him next month. The only other thing I have signed a contract to do is a Mozart concert in April, which begins its rehearsals the end of this month. My agent is lining up some Bach festival appearances for me in June, July and September.

I'm reading a beautifully bound and illustrated edition of William Blake's 'Songs of Innocence' given to me by my friend who passed away recently. A very large parcel containing all the books I loved most from his library arrived in time for Christmas as part of his to me. He also had a local garden nursery deliver a Japanese maple tree in an ornate pot that I put outside the French doors of my bedroom overlooking the pool. His tendency to spoil me continues...

This post was held up by visits by a chiropodist and a bishop. Odd combination, that. Anyway, one chiseled away at my mum's feet and the other stayed for dinner. I can't say that it's boring around here, but it certainly makes posting messages delayed by hours!

The Ninja kitties were cute! See? Singing kitties may make you reach the snapping point but I'll bet you're starting to wonder when the next serenade will come around to brighten your day...
Check your mail, please!

I now know you have a and a . Is that the full extent of your household menagerie?

Hope your day is cheery!

Hi Cynthesis!

Did you get a decent night’s sleep to make up for the last time? I hope that you cope better than I do on little sleep. I’m probably going to be in a zombie state tomorrow – I’ve got to get up early and go to w**k. Actually, I’m not too bothered. I needed a break from it and I feel well rested now.

Was it your camera? I’m sure those photos could be put to good use in future encounters with your cousins.

I can be a little shy too. It usually takes time for me to feel comfortable around new people, but once I’ve got to know them I’m like I am here - The no glasses/contacts is a useful trick! I’ve done the same thing on occasion. I’ve also found that the soft focus thing in conjunction with ’s can make people appear more attractive than they really are.

My dreams are the usual neurotic ones for the most part ( I’m back at uni and I’m about to fail!), but every so often I have very detailed dreams about imaginary places. The last one was a beautiful soldiers graveyard, where the gravestones intermingled haphazardly with trees forming a huge forest of trees and stones. In the middle was a huge monument full of tourists. In these dreams, I just wonder round taking it all in. I’ve often thought about keeping a journal of these places so they won’t slip out of my memory.

The only other Dorothea Tanning painting I’m familiar with is The Birthday. Have you seen that one? If I remember correctly, it features a long series of open doorways.

As for Bacon, I find him disturbing as well, but also fascinating in a don’t-want-to-look-but-can’t-stop-looking kind of way. Although very different in their own ways, his paintings conjure up similar feelings to those I get from reading William Burroughs.

That’s odd, I was reading some of the poems from Songs of Innocence yesterday. I bought my brother a copy of the illuminated texts for his birthday last summer. The early poems are lovely but the later ones go above my head, so I was just enjoying the pictures! I hope your not feeling too bad about your friend, but I guess its hard not to.

>>This post was held up by visits by a chiropodist and a bishop. Odd combination, that.<<
What brought a Bishop to your house for dinner?


I thought you’d like the ninja kittens. I think my cat is in on the act too – he’s been jumping on me a lot today. Yeah, we just have a cat and a dog, although we’ve had other cats and dogs in the past. In the years I was living away from home I really missed having animals around. I lived on a farm for a year as a child and have always wanted animals around me since then.

Hi Wile E!

I just got in from a flight to the northern part of California. After I posted to you last night, I got a call from one of my cousins that my aunt had passed away a few hours earlier. She'd been in a nursing facility for many years, speechless and paralysed from a stroke suffered 5 years ago. I made the journey today to go over her medical and legal papers because I was her guardian, in that respect. I pored over lots of paperwork, signed releases, dealt with "arrangements", paid my respects to the family and hopped on a flight home.

I don't know what to do about breaking the news to my mum. I haven't told her yet.She doesn't know her sister is gone. She thinks I went on a typical business trip and she's still rather frail healthwise and recuperating little by little.



Have you ever been in a situation where you've had to decide upon withholding the truth for the sake of someone's immediate well being?
I'm not good at this. Truth is something I value quite highly. I know she'll need to know eventually but if I told her now, well...she's probably going to wind up in the hospital as a result. She's not in any condition to receive this kind of news right now.

I'm in a waiting and discerning mode. I know everything will work out all right soon enough but my intuition tells me to bide my time a while before informing her. Perhaps I'll call in the bishop (he's an old family friend)to assist in breaking the news to her tomorrow. That's the plan for now.

I hope you're sleeping now and preventing a full scale zombie incident at the w*rkplace tomorrow!
I might post something a bit later if anything comes up over here...

Until then, sleep well and dream sweet non-neurotic dreams!
Goodnight Wile E!

zombie alert

That’s sad news, and a tough situation for you to be in as well. I think it’s best to go with your instincts on this. Your mums health has to take priority so however hard it is to withhold that information, I think it’s right to wait until you feel it’s the best time. I think having your Bishop friend there is a good idea too. He’s most probably used to handling delicate matters like this and having extra support from someone else she trusts can only help. It must be hard for you though - I hope you’re doing ok.

Now I’ve been back, I’m not feeling so positive about work. I’m just a bit tired and I’ve gone back to lots of work. It’ll be better next week. There’s been more desk moves in my absence and I think the office is going to be a happier and calmer environment as a result, so that’s good. I was going to do some job-hunting but I’m too tired. I’m just going to relax and get an early night I think.

Have you decided if you’re going to tell your mum today then, or do you think you’ll leave it a bit longer. Let me know how things turn out.

*...is shocked to see that the zombie resembles the Crow!*

Good evening Wile E!

I hope you're relaxing enough tonight so that your positive w*rk attitude may be a shining example for all to marvel at tomorrow!
You're right, though. Things will probably be a whole lot better next week. A lot of my friends have commented upon the back-to-work-after -the- holidays-doldrums that they've encountered this week. Even the slap happiest of my friends have been experiencing zombiesque work moments...however, they're not at the Crow resemblence stage yet.

I'm doing alright under the circumstances. I called up the Bishop*Monty Python Inquisition incidental music* and he'll be helping me break the sad news to my mother this weekend. It's kind of weird... because I was the one who broke the news to him of his own mother's death 3 years ago. There's been plenty of bad news shared between us over the years. Fortunately, there have been lots of laughs, as well. Strangely enough, he is probably one of the most irreverent wits I've known. Plus his vast collection of purple socks cheer me to no end Once you get beyond the fact that he's a bishop, you'd see he's just an all right kind of guy!



Kind of like you! Once I get beyond your obvious Crow/zombie-ness...

I've got a rehearsal tonight for the upcoming concert. It's nice to go into this knowing the music and lyrics so well. I've known his music by heart for most of my life! In fact, it's rather comforting in the midst of what I'm going through and I think the scheduling has been very timely. We're just going to work on the song line-up, cues and tempo changes tonight. I'm sure he'll throw in some surprises during the concert because he usually does whatever the spirit moves him to do at the time...and I like that just fine! He put out an acoustic album this year of some of his oldies. For the concert, we're going to amp it up a bit and tweak the arrangements into a fuller, richer, texturized sound.
It'll be fun to play around with the familiar songs and do some musical alchemy experiments with them!

Oh btw, I have seen Dorothea Tanning's 'The Birthday'. Another fascinating study of one of my recurring dream themes.
Your dream of trees and graveyard stones with the gathering of people in the center sound like an artists vision of a living war memorial or even a plan for a holocaust museum at one of the concentration camp sites. Verrrrry interesting dreams, indeed!

Well you'd better get some much needed sleep and tame the zombie within
Goodnight Wile E. and sweet(and maybe interesting) dreams!

Hi Cynthesis!


My Crow resemblance has lessened a bit today after having a good nights sleep, free of neurosis and dancing kittens. I feel a bit better about w**k now I’ve got an important piece of w**k finished on time. I should have gone back a few days earlier to get it done but I needed the time off.

How did your rehearsal go? Do you prefer disastrous rehearsals for non-classical music too? I’m curious to know who the artist is and I know you gave me a hint some time back. I might have a wade through that thread to see if I can spot him when I have the time.


Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition! Is your Bishop friend aware of the Monty Python sketch? If I knew a Bishop I’d find it hard not to think of that sketch whenever they abruptly entered the room.


Have you been up to much today? I haven’t been up to much since work – in fact, I can’t remember what I’ve been doing for the last few hours! I think the internet’s swallowed it all up.


In the absence of a social life, I’ve rented out Crash tonight. Have you seen it? A lot of reviews have compared it to Shortcuts and Magnolia, both of which I like, so I’ve got my hopes up. It’s good to see a Hollywood film asking difficult questions but I hope it doesn’t feel like it’s trying too hard to be serious - that can really kill a film. I would probably have hated Magnolia if it hadn’t balanced things out with humour.


I’m of to watch that now. I might be back later, depending on whether I liked it or if it sent me to sleep.

Hola Wile E.!

Yes, the Crow intensity has lessened. Thank goodness for that!
A bit of sleep makes quite a difference! Although I think you could do with a little bit more singing kittens influence...

Last night's rehearsal went fine! The importance of a disastrous dress rehearsal is less of a requisite in non-classical concert preparations. It's kind of an unsaid given, though. Everything about this upcoming performance is so laidback and so much like a coming together of mutual acquaintances respected for their proven artistic and professional histories and knowing the combined talents will produce some wonderful music. I find myself constantly wondering how I got to be included in all of this! Everyone's so easy going and they keep teasing me about my polite and sheltered classical background ...it's become somewhat of a running joke regarding me. Last night they offered me a rhinestone tiara to help make me feel more comfortable!

Anyway, most of them are in at the concert venue tonight. I don't need to do be there until tomorrow afternoon for my soundcheck. It's a big place and I need to get a sense of aural balance working with the mega amplification. The artist in question gave me two featured solos because he wanted to take advantage of an element of surprise during some of his old familiar songs. Where seasoned listeners expect a solo violin or soaring guitar featured- I'll be doing one of my tear inducing vocalisations.*giggles*It's always fun to see audiences straining to comprehend that the instumental sound they're hearing is coming from little old me.

I've been looking over my music, practicing and packing what I need for tomorrow. Earlier, I went to have my hair trimmed and life evaluated by my hairstylist. Today he said that I mustn't ever hide from the spotlights because I must make the most of the natural glossy sheen of my tresses. That I must shake and fluff for liveliness and volume. That I must make it a mission to let the light within me manifest itself even through the glory that is my greatest adornment...my hair.
I took all this in with a straight face and had to cough to hide the guffaws welling up within me. He looked at me disapprovingly and said that respiratory weaknesses could only threaten to dull and strip the shine of my glorious hair...

My friend the bishop, LOVES Monty Python and can quote all the Spanish Inquisition sketch lines. He's quite a character. He alarms people by stating things like, "There *must* be a God!"in mock awe and astonishment when I arrive on time to meet him or when someone hands him a .... He listens to reggae and mariachi music in his SUV. Pays the toll for ten cars behind him on roads and bridges and pulls outrageously funny faces at people who pay him respect just for being a bishop. He's just disarmingly silly!

So? How was 'Crash'?
Was that snow in Los Angeles that I remember at the closing credits? Or did I imagine that?

I'll be taking my laptop with me tomorrow. So I'll probably be in touch with you from there in between waiting for inevitable pre-show checks and cues.

Are you planning to do anything interesting with your weekend?

I'd better say goodnight now!
Sleep well and dream sweetly, Wile E.!

I think the ham(p)ster and my computer are in cahoots. Sometimes at this time of night my computer will crash and then hootoo won’t let me in again for a good half hour. Usually happens when I’m writing a post to you.


Yes, it did snow at the end of Crash. Actually, I liked that bit but the rest of it didn’t do it for me. My fears about it taking itself too serious were confirmed. I don’t mind a film being serious, but I’d like it to be done with subtlety and I’d like it to ring true. The characterisation felt like an afterthought to me – it seemed like the writer was only interested in his characters performing a function that illustrated his point of view, and that stopped me from connecting with it. Having said that, there were some very good performances and many of the scenes were undeniably powerful, but it could have been so much better. Rant over.

It’s a shame because I was hoping that would be one of the best films from last year. I’m currently waiting for A Brief History of Violence to come out on DVD and Good Night and Good Luck hasn’t even had a theatrical release here. Hopefully, those will live up to expectations. Have you seen them?


>>My friend the bishop, LOVES Monty Python and can quote all the Spanish Inquisition sketch lines<<
I haven’t met your Bishop friend but I like him already!

>>That I must make it a mission to let the light within me manifest itself even through the glory that is my greatest adornment...my hair<<

Well, if you make a mess of the singing, at least you can take comfort in the fact that your hair looks great.

I’m glad you’ll have your laptop with you – I wasn’t expecting to be in touch with you tomorrow. You could always call their bluff and turn up in a tiara. Although, they’d probably call your bluff and let you go on stage with it.


I’m meeting a friend for lunch tomorrow. I’ve told you about her before – if she’s asked me out it means she’s temporarily split up with her boyfriend. That means I’ll be hearing about that all afternoon but that’s ok, it’ll be nice to see her. Other than that, I’ll be taking it easy this weekend. I’m going to fit in some more online Spanish lessons and finish One Hundred Years of Solitude – for some stupid reason I’ve hardly read anything for the last few days.


Right, I’m off to bed and hopefully free dreams.

Goodnight.

Hello Wile E.!!!

Greetings from San Francisco!

I'm waiting to go onstage for a sound check in half an hour. Right now there is an ex-Grateful Dead percussionist wrapping up his own arcane technical equipment check while a bunch of roadies are moving my group's equipment into their rightful places. I'm glad to have to contend with just my voice, microphone/stand, and light.

The concert doesn't start until 8PM but there are three groups sharing the stage tonight and we're all doing our quick run-throughs this afternoon.
I found out that I'm the only female onstage tonight and the roadies are already self consciously minding their language for some reason.I'm not even wearing my tiara for heavens sake!
I think some of my band members have been talking...again!

*gathers up her girly composure and takes some calming breaths...*

The weather's mild and the sky's a washed out blue with scudding fluffy clouds. I always love to see the outlines of the skyscrapers, jumble of buildings and hills of this city when I cross over the bay bridge to approach it. The scent of the ocean is so much a part of the experience
when visiting. My friends who live here don't notice it at all and are amused by my taking great appreciative lungfuls of the air.
I'm sure you'd love this appealing place and I hope you do visit it sometime soon.

How was your lunch out with your friend today?
I know how these things can be. I'm already hearing about the band's spouses and partners and acting suitably sympathetic.
I think my face may lock into this expresion very soon if I don't shake myself out of it...

I'm spending the night at a friend's house in the North Beach area of the city and will return home on an early morning flight tomorrow.

Oooooh they're calling me! Off to look like I know what I'm doing...
Hope your evening has been nice and relaxing.
Thanks for the 'break a leg' wishes!I needed that!

Sleep tight and have pleasant dreams when you get around to it!
Nighty night Wile E.

Hi Cynthesis

This is the third time I’ve tried writing this My computer and I are not seeing eye to eye tonight. I’m writing in Word and even though I’m saving, after it crashes (which is frequently), I load the document up and it’s full of gibberish. If it does it again, then I’ll take John Cleese’s lead and tear a branch of a tree and give it a damn good thrashing!

Now hootoo won’t let me back in so I don’t know if I’ll be able to post before I get to bed.
I’m back in!(30min later.)


San Francisco sounds lovely the way you describe it. Hopefully, I’ll get to see it myself one day.

>>I'm not even wearing my tiara for heavens sake!<<
You didn’t take my advice! I’ve got some more advice for you; bearing in mind our recent conversation about the relationship between swearing and singing, you could slip a few ’s into the soundcheck. Just try not to do it during the actual performance.


Thanks for saving me from all that b’log. Given the problems you’ve had in the past, I can understand your reluctance to go into specifics here. I’ve got an album by that artist and I managed to dig it out today. I can’t believe I haven’t listened to it in so long!


- Tell me about it! I got a blow-by-blow account of the breakup over lunch. Like I said, I didn’t mind – it was just nice to see her. It’s a shame I can’t see her more often, but he gets ridiculously jealous and she tends to do whatever he tells her to.

I’m feeling a bit wobbly tonight. I’ve been playing lots of Brazilian rhythms on my guitar and then I decided to experiment with polyrhythms on my computer until it gave me a headache. I should probably listen to some Bach to put me back in balance.


Anyway, have a great time and break a leg Let me know how it went when you get a chance.

Goodnight.

Good Evening Wile E!

How was your Sunday? You're probably going to toddle off to bed soon since tomorrow is a w*rk day. So I'm just dropping in to let you know I got back safely from San Francisco(It was hard to leave this morning...) and that the concert was wonderful.

*giggles*At one point during the night, I actually ended up wearing the tiara!

I'll expound on that and some other details in another post overnight. It's getting late for you and I wouldn't want you to suffer the consequences of not getting to bed at a decent hour!

So off you go!

Save the from another onslaught of thezombie by sleeping well and dreaming sweet sweet dreams!
Goodnight Wile E.

*begs for mercy* Please, just another half hour!

One of my problems on Sundays is that my favourite radio show is on radio one. It goes on till one and I have to catch at least the first half and listen back to the rest later.

Tonight is a Brownswood basement special. A few times each year, they go to Brownswood Basement which is where the BBC store all their vinyl. It’s a great chance to hear long deleted records that you wouldn’t here otherwise.Loads of jazz, soul and even some very early hip hop.

So, can I have until 12?


I’m glad the concert went well. And you *did* wear a tiara! Did you manage any foul language to put those roadies at ease?

I’ll look forward to hearing more about the concert, tomorrow. Night!

Ok, guess it's that time.




*mutters something about nurses and w**k*