I will be doing absolutely nothing tonight for reasons partly outlined in the previous entry but, to be frank, I don’t really care. I’m just looking forward to being with my Brother and S-I-L tomoz.
I will just take this opportunity to wish my reader (?) i.e. myself (probably) a very happy festive season and a satisfactory New Year. Sorry about the “Ohm for Christmas” it’s a very bad pun, which should become evident in a moment to those with a hint of electrical knowledge at least. If not however, just assume that it is one of my inimitable dyslexic typos and carry on regardless.
I have finally decided that my first objective for 2006 is to get myself qualified as an Electrical Contractor, more as a means of providing a steady “back up” income and some degree of autonomy. I can’t understand why I have never considered this lucrative and opportunity rich transfer (transposition even) of innate technical aptitudes; it would have saved a lot of bother. It’s a fairly straightforward business and appears to be rather undemanding in terms of technical and theoretical aspects though that is relative I suppose. It’s really all part of a general effort to establish a multitude of more fulfilling and lucrative options for these “rainy days” I do need to muster something resembling a sort of coherent “life plan” for 2006 though, and now I do feel very strongly inclined to practical, technical, and artisan, forms of work. It seems to be a good quasi alternative to creative activity. And, it has to be said, that it is all so much more rewarding (for me) than trying to support myself with an endless round of dull clerical jobs. I need to actually do something and to be engaged with a responsible knowledge-based skill again.
Despite current prevailing circumstances, I continue to feel rather happier than of late, full of energy, and I do feel a lot more positive; quixotic delusion is a possibility here mind. What a relief to have recovered from the inertia of recent weeks though! Laurence Armstrong-Hughes’ “musings” inspire a yearning for more enchanted and semi itinerant bohemian lifestyles, there is very little to convey in these “Diary” entries as my own lifestyle tends to be rather fixed in more ways than one. It certainly doesn’t help when this writing activity is undertaken as a means to ameliorate ‘cabin fever’ (sorry no pun intended) and the lack of other activities, which is often the case unfortunately.
Again I must digress. The album (CD) than one simply must obtain by any means necessary and ASAP has got to be the much heralded ‘Summer in Abaddon’ follow up to ‘Blue Screen Life’ by the boys from San Diego, other wise known as ‘Pinback’. In some ways, a fascination for this semi ‘low key’ indie-rock outfit represents something of a sea change or diversion in taste for me. A transient drift from the jaunty bounce of Stereolab. The thing about Pinback is that they really do sound unique (mostly) where as the Lab tend to be ‘unique’ in terms of an off beat structure and sentiment set within a context of fairly traditional arrangements and modalities. It has a hint of something we have heard before albeit in the late 60s, and The High Llamas appear to follow suit of course. Pinback on the other hand do something very odd with ‘downtuning’, vocals doubling baritone guitars, and frenetic crossing counterpoint effects, and they are predominantly acoustic to boot! I will just give due credit to Mark here as he was responsible for introducing me to Pinback as well as encouraging an interest in Zero 7 and I think I could have ignored the latter on the grounds of a handful of chartistic tracks.
Seasons greetings once again!