Blogging
Blogging gets a section to itself this week as I’ve finally done a reasonable amount of it.
Early in the week I wrote three posts about Cardinal Keith O’Brien and how his article in last Sunday’s Telegraph was complete nonsense. Later in the week, I combined those posts into a report for the Pod Delusion.
Yesterday I wrote a post introducing Wasted Inches – where I’m looking back as what I was blogging about ten years ago.
Also yesterday, I wrote a post over at my more technical blog, Perl Hacks.
Health
I haven’t used the crutch for over a week. I still limp a bit as I’m walking and I’m probably not quite as quick as I would like to be. But my ankle seems to be improving in leaps and bounds (not literally!)
On the other hand, as I’m now back doing everything that I was doing before the accident, all the weight I lost while I was sitting around at home is creeping back on. I had a slight embarrassment during the week. I went to buy some trousers. I grabbed some pairs in the size that I like to think I am and went to try them on. Only to find that I couldn’t do them up as my waist seems to have grown by about an inch.
Looks like I need a couple of weeks of Wii Fir hula-hooping before buying those trousers.
Speaking and Training
Nothing new to add here. But I’ve confirmed all my travel and accommodation for the week in Edinburgh at the start of May. I’ll be staying at Ten Hill Place from April 29th to May 5th.
Films
I don’t seem to have seen any films this week. I am, however, booked to see John Carter this afternoon.
Gigs
My improving ankle meant that I could finally get to see a couple of gigs this week. It’s been far too long.
On Wednesday I went to the Hammersmith Odeon to see Laura Marling. It was quite a difference from seeing her at the Conway Hall in 2010. I really like her and the set was really good. It was just all a bit too short. She played for an hour and a quarter and then left. No encore (that’s a policy of hers) and the house lights came up straight away.
Last night I saw Sinéad O’Connor at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. I haven’t seen her play since a Finsbury Park Fleadh in the early 1990s. To be honest I was worried that she might not still have it, but I needn’t have worried at all. Her voice is still as wonderful as it ever was. I’ve only played her new album a couple of times, but the news songs already seemed familiar and fitted right in alongside the old favourites. Highlights for me were “I Am Stretched On Your Grave” and “Last Day of Our Acquaintance”.
An interesting thought struck me. What difference does it make to the gig-going experience when you can be sitting there with your smartphone displaying the set-list from a recent gig so that you’re pretty sure what is coming next?