The Grindstone Grinds

Image: chestofbooks.com

Long day back at the grindstone yesterday. I went in for 8am planning to take a long lunch and get away early, but neither happened. I suppose, looking back, it was as good a way as any to take my mind off things and try and adjust back into the working way. Last week was a write off, so I had a lot to catch up on.

Homely
I finally got away for 8.30pm but when I got home, to my utter amazement and delight, my wife had cooked a lamb shank dinner for us both. Utter bliss – I’m not used to coming home to a prepared meal, but on the occasions it happens, Gail really pulls out the stops.

Ranfurly Review
My first priority of the week is to get the Ranfurly Review issue 14 out. It’s late due to the death of my Father-in-Law, but a lot of it was already in place so it proved not too hard to finalise everything and get it prepared.

I also had a bunch of approvals and rejections to get out, which means I am now almost back on top of things where editing the magazine is concerned.

Issue 14 will be ready to roll on Wednesday.

Writing Music
I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I’d posted a new live music review on my music site (Mogwai’s gig at the HMV Picture House in Edinburgh at Man in the East). I’m mentioning it again because I’m thinking of expanding the site to more than just gig reviews.

When I set it up it was designed to act as a platform to promote and support reviews I was writing for the News of the World’s music supplement, A-Listed. That’s gone quiet lately (in-house editorial policy changes) but I’ve continued to write reviews.

Music, though, plays as big a part in my life as literature does; I couldn’t live without either. And it’s in this vein that I’ve been contemplating the idea of expanding the Man in the East to include a load of other features. Recent brainstorming has included ideas such as:

– live gig reviews (obviously)
– new album reviews
– flash back articles
– local spotlight
– classic album reviews
– band/artist interviews
– gig photography
– gig video
– band/artist spotlights
– lyric analysis

It’s an idea I’m toying with, but unlike previous years where I take on a new idea without any thought to the GDRs I already committed to, I’m going to push it to the back of the line and see if and how I could make it fit in to my workload.

Until the morra!

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