happy

I'm a bit de-mob happy today, as I've done my last radio interview promoting the Quercus paperback. I never tell friends when I'm on and i never listen to myself. I imagine i have a warm, friendly, neutral kind of voice, say like Louis Theroux or an older Simon Amstell, so if I accidentally hear myself I'm appalled by the affected mewling that sounds like Brian Sewell.

Then there's the problem of having to try to tune into the mood of shows you've never listened to, switching from drive-time DJ sound-bites to, say, an interview by a slightly skeptical but genuinely intellectually engaged, serious journalist on BBC World Service. (Actually, i was quite pleased by that one, the last.)

You know, I only started this blog on the publisher's recommendation. These days it's almost a contractual obligation imposed on writers by publishers. I think it may actually be a contractual obligation at venerable old-time publishers, John Murray. Never having read a blog, I found it hard to get the idiom, and maybe i still haven't, but I find I'm actually beginning to enjoy it and look forward to reading it too. I'm going away to Ireland for a few days soon - partly to see if Lorna can tell me anything about the bad things that have been happening - and you know, i think I may miss it. That would be an odd thing, wouldn't it? 

Comments

[Al]

No, missing your blog would be odd, you've already entered enough posts so you've adapted to it. Have a safe trip and a safe time in Ireland and may Lorna provide you with the answers you seek. I still look forward to meeting her one day.

[Stef]

I'm sorry things haven't been going too good for you lately JB - that seems to be a recent theme, as a number of people I know have had "bad patches" in the past couple of weeks or so.

I am trying to view them all as a learning experience, but that's much easier said than done. However, I am making the effort and (when I can get it to work) I find that I'm handling the rough bits better than I used to. Although I still succumb to the urge to crawl into the corner with a big bar of chocolate every so often!

[Philip Carr-Gomm]

A pattern I've started to notice is that around the time of the summer solstice (21/22 June) and for some time afterwards things seem to intensify which can lead to conflict between people or just a sort of frenetic unbalanced feeling. I'm going to try to watch out for this in future and see if this really is the case. It's easy to think one sees patterns in randomness, nevertheless the solstice is traditionally a time of great influxes of energy and these could reverberate on into July.

[jonathanblack]

I think you may be right Philip! And if the Egyptians were right, the material world will begin to die soon, as we move into winter, and the power of the spirit worlds will increase!

I live on the Kent/Sussex border, by the way. Tunbridge Wells.