zotz | Damned et al.

Last weekend was fairly quiet. I got the things done I really needed to - hacked hell out of front and back gardens and dug out the NTL cable where it reaches the house so their engineer can't claim not to be able to find it. After that it was back to work.

The week started fairly calmly, but on Tuesday the boss said she wanted everyone to go through their medium-to-old projects (and anything at all human) with her during the week so she knew how everything was going. This turned out not to be a major chore - she's very mellow, after all - but I spent a fair while digging through them taking notes. It was worthwhile, though. A couple turned out to be basically done once I'd consulted with her over them,a nd the discussion on how to hammer the remaining problems was helpful. As my meeting with her was today, I'm a bit ahead of myself. I had quiet nights in with flatmate Raven on Monday and Tuesday, and on Wednesday went from work over to Northampton to see The Damned with my boss and her sister. Very excellent it was, too. They were on excellent form, and thankfully the Captain kept his clothes on. I've heard very unpleasant descriptions of what he looks like with a big bellyful of curry, and I don't particularly want to see it for myself. He didn't make any attempt to sing Happy Talk either, although he did accept a fiver from a bloke in the front row to sing a strange song about a turkey. It was a lot fo fun. I got my dinner bought for me (from a chinese restaurant roughly between the venue and the market square and decent conversation there and back - mainly with Adrienne, Sarah being in the back. Oddly, it seems that they used to know a comedian called Mitch Benn, who was a friend of a friend of mine back in Edinburgh. The world's too incestuous. Anyway,I must go to more concerts. Queen Adreena are playing next week, I notice . . . although I did pick up tickets to see Puressence today, so I suppose things are quite in hand for that.

Thursday was into London for a drink with

swisstone,

jinty,

andypop et a couple of al, which was also fun. Apparently Jenni had been wondering what would happen when I met Andy, and I don't think we disappointed. It turns out I've heard of his flatmate, and I think I may even have seen her band. John Miller came up in conversation, which was unusual. I've never really believed the people who told me about him having a following outside Edinburgh, until now. In the station on the way back I bumped into

grahamb and one of the Sanger sysads milling about, which was entertaining.

This weekend I am mainly . . . dunno, really. I have to pick up a rack for my audio gubbins, and probably assemble it if there's time. I believe there's some water-related thing happening tomorrow, maybe involving those long poles that people normally won't touch me with, and maybe a couple of people coming round in the evening. Sunday seems unsullied as yet, but I'm sure I'll find some activity to ruin it with. Maybe I'll go for a drink with some black-clad weirdos in the evening.

Next week - I have to wriggle out of the first cou[le of hours of the Calling if possible to go and see Bob Mould and the Flaming Lips. And then I have to go to the Calling. Wednesday or Friday may be Queen Adreena. Fun. Expense. Late nights followed by work. Joy.