Yesterday had been an odd day with work stress, an odd gig, and a general sense that life was hanging on the rails by a thread. As is often the case in these situations, the balance was about to be restored with something of a day of sorting things out.

Wool gathering
There was a certain degree of getting my thoughts together early in the day. I had to work out where I stood with the work I was doing. This voyage of discovery was fruitful and also showed me more clearly whether I was still in the crap. I don't think I was.

I also had a call from the bank about my mortage application. Basically the rate is about to go up by half a percent, if I went in this lunchtime to arrange the mortgage then I could do it at the previous rate. I didn't need too much encouragement - especially since there's a Subway near the bank!

So the day had a plan. Sadly the plan also involved staying late in the office, but that can be a good thing. I've proved countless times that I work better in an empty office - even distracting myself less than I do when I'm in a busy one. So I had the bit between my teeth.

Mortgage
The mortgage appointment was delicious. Well, that was the Subway, but the appointment continued the good work started by the reasonably healthy sandwich I allowed myself. I started to sign my life away - it didn't seem to be a big deal. Once everything was sorted, and my lunch-hour had gained 50%, I zoomed back to the office to get into the work.

Getting in the zone
I was indeed in the zone as can be proved by the several albums I listened to on headphones without really noticing them. I typed at breakneck pace and made lots of changes. I am changing far too much at the moment and should really be integrating my work with everyone else's, but I fear that is going to be delayed by other people's changes. Still, I'm getting through the work and enjoying myself again. The last couple of weeks have felt a bit slow. Today was a good day.

Arranging gigs
Somehow I also managed to arrange three gigs for myself over the course of the day. This tallies with an old school teacher's maxim I remember - "If you want something doing, give it to a busy man". It's true. A busy man, as opposed to a man who is too-busy-to-do-anymore, is someone who is working at a higher rate as a result of keeping the momentum up to avoid a backlog.

I also wrote some of this blog yesterday. I write the blog in the natural gaps in my work where I'm waiting for the computer to do something. I don't want to lose time to blogging, so I blog quickly. I think this keeps my brain running at full speed and stops me feeling like the day is a series of dull pauses.

Anyway, the gigs I arranged were not especially good for my pocket - they're all freebies, but I need to keep the pressure on the diary. For every gig I do, I need to book another, or the diary will wane and die. I had hope that my "agent", or "commissioned booker" as I like to call him, would be able to overface me with offers of gigs. Sadly this is not happening, despite best efforts, so I need to do some begging of my own. Still, booking three gigs a day after one was done and two fell through feels a bit like restoring some sort of balance.

Pressing the point
As I mentioned a few thousand words ago, I'm suddenly back into the role of producer, with this show in London to sort out. I can't see how we're going to get anyone to come and see it, but I would, at least, like to try. So, I'm trying to rally the troups around. This is having unanticipated results. One of the guys had offered to send a press release round, so I made a couple of suggestions. He quickly corrected me about my assumption. His plan is to send a press release only to certain local publications.

This makes a lot of sense, of course. Local publications are always on the lookout for news. Before I go further, though, I want to be clear about the motives for publicising the show. I want people to turn up to a small theatre above a pub in Camden, give us their money and watch us for an hour. Ok? Simple. So, where's this limited-edition press release going?

He plans to send the press release to some small papers around where he lives - outside of London and also to a few papers in Wales, where he grew up. The hook is good "local boy does good" that sort of thing... but... well, I don't know how best to put this to him. NOBODY WILL COME HUNDREDS OF MILES TO SEE OUR SHOW!

Late evening
Well, I worked late - until 8pm - then I grabbed some food in my rented accommodation in Farnborough. Apparently I have a new housemate - a French dude called Annaud - which won't affect me as I'm barely ever there.

Then I zoomed back to my girlfriend's place.

Mortage Parity
It seems that I wasn't the only one who was sorting out home stuff in the day. My girlfriend's family were sorting out somewhere for her older sister to live. I've often found some random coincidences between home and workday activities.

Arrival of a book
I'd bought a book recently on Amazon for about a quid and had it delivered to my girlfriend's house. I have to confess that I bought the book because I thought it might mention me. It was the story of a writer's attempts to become a stand-up comedian. I met him at a gig in May 2004 and I reckoned he might have written about the gig. So, I skipped through the book, found my name and felt somewhat odd. I think it was probably happiness to have been recognised for existing. Sad, isn't it. I guess that's why I do the gigs, after all - recognition for something. Even though that thing has no particular value.

More recognition
I suppose it's the recognition which caused me to syndicate a recording I'd make in Lowestoft of my newest song working pretty well. I sent it round to some friends. It makes me laugh, so I thought I'd share it. So I did. And I'm not going to be sorry about it.

Ents
More Stephen King reading went on as we went long into the night working. Dirty Dancing also played at some point.

That was Thursday!