R ‘n’ R: Part 2

Rest & Relaxation

Recently I’ve been reading a lot, and I’ve found some inspirational ideas and quotes. Through my quest to find more inner peace and become a little more ‘Zen’ (spiritual beliefs notwithstanding), I’ve learned a lot about my personality, my goals, and the things that make me tick.

I personally find something there’s something magical about taking time out to enjoy your surroundings, and the arrival of a Kiwi friend-of-a-friend has given me the perfect excuse to become a tourist in my home county.

A couple of weeks ago I also had the pleasure of entertaining my mum for a few days in Newcastle, so we went on a whistle-stop tour of Northumberland, taking in the Tynemouth Longsands, Cragside, Alnwick castle and treehouse restaurant, and the ever-popular quayside market.

All these experiences have helped me to become more relaxed, focussed, and energised, and I recommend them all for anyone suffering from depression, or even mild winter blues. Just today I have been out in the garden, taming the wild lawn and preparing to make it into the sunny hangout is deserves to be.

R ‘n’ R: Part 1

Rock 'n' Roll!

I’ve had an excellent few weeks, and an interesting dichotomy has presented itself between two major areas of my life.

My day job is going rather well, and the part-time hours have allowed me to focus on some of the things that I really care about.

I’ve kept the promise I made to myself last month to be more mindful, and it has led me to take care of little details like the About Me and Services pages of this site.

I’ve also been taking care of drumming practice; something which I had previously lost the enthusiasm for. It helps having new projects to focus on: the bands with Tony Bengtsson and Ebby have both been busy rehearsing, and Tony’s album launch looks set to be a really great night with some excellent support from Liam Fender.

My promotion moniker Something Else got its second outing this week when I put on touring punk bands Fighting Fiction and Still Bust at Newcastle’s Hancock. Unfortunately this busy student bar is surrounded by posh flats, and the headline act got shut down by the police halfway through their set. But hey – how much more punk can you get?!

Aside from my own musical output, I’ve recently taken the time to check out the RGR acts that I used to play with. I am really impressed by the new Soviets tunes, and excited to hear the debut album when it’s done. Hattie Murdoch now has a full band on the go, and has recently been booked for the Evolution festival, which will be great exposure for them and I can’t wait to see how it progresses.

As for the aforementioned dichotomy, more in part 2.