That Was Thursday

Image: Florencia&Pe

It’s a dank, drizzly day over Edinburgh and the only thing putting a spring in my step is the fact that today is Friday. And yesterday wasn’t a great day either, leaving me nothing much to talk about in my blog.

I got invited to a ska/bollywood birthday party in a couple of weeks but I’m down in Newcastle that weekend so not sure if I can make it. It’s for an old chum some of us haven’t seen in a while and we’ve all been asked along as a surprise.

I’ve also been invited to an art exhibition opening from local artist Trevor Jones. The event is tonight so I won’t be able to go as I’m having a night in with Laura.

You may remember I wrote about Trevor’s work in The Scruffy Dog Review once upon a time, and as a result he invited me to a charity event/exhibition opening he was holding. Go to his site and click on ‘Exhibitions’ then the ‘ORIGINS’ @ PIZZA EXPRESS link – see if you can spot me in the gallery.

People are trying to talk me into applying to go onto Channel 4’s Come Dine With Me. Apparently I would make a good contestant.

I found a new way to cheer up my writing muse if she should start to feel low. When those strange folk over at Google were photographing the streets for Google Maps last summer, they happened to pass Charlotte Square a few days prior to the book festival opening. View the result here!!

I’m pissed off because I missed the deadline for the New Writing Scotland anthology. I spent too long trying to figure out an ending that I totally forgot the reason I was writing the damn piece in the first place. Highly annoying but hopefully I can find a home for it regardless.

The reason I wanted to submit to NWS wasn’t so much because it was NWS but because I want to make a move into getting published more at home and in print. I feel I should be getting myself noticed more by my immediate peers in Edinburgh and Scotland, and this is one way to do it. It certainly won’t do any harm when my next batch of novel queries hit the post boxes.

That’s it for today. Hopefully I’ll make it up to town tomorrow for a coffee and a gander, then on Sunday I’m going through to Glasgow with Gail to see Billy Connolly at the Armadillo. Now THAT is going to be a super night out!

Before I go, tonight is MADNESS NIGHT on BBC4 here in the UK. In their 30th year, and to celebrate the release of their latest extremely well received album, The Liberty of Norton Folgate, the entire evening is dedicated to the best band out of London.

Here’s the full schedule. Might be a god night to set your videos!

9.00 pm: Madness at Glastonbury – live performance from the band at the legendary festival.
10.00pm: Young Guns Go For It – documentary on the band featuring interviews and clips and performances
10.40pm: The Liberty Of Norton Folgate – Julien Temple’s film of Madness performing their album at the Hackney Empire, using a music-hall style to tell stories from London’s musical development through the years.
12.35am: Take It Or Leave It – Madness’s very own movie, filmed in 1980 charting the band’s rise to fame and starring the guys as themselves.

Also, if you have nothing better to do, tune in to the Paul O’Grady Show on Channel 4 this afternoon. The show, which was recorded on Wednesday, includes an appearance from the lads themselves.

And now for something completely different…