Hello, Hope you had a good Christmas and New Year and managed to survive the worlds most depressing month January. I think the 21st Jan is the biggest day for suicides I dunno where I read that maybe its rubbish. (It’s the 22nd, I just googled it.”Blue Monday” they call it, officially designated by a psychologist too….)
It’s funny when the New Year comes around and everybody decides “I`m gonna change my ways”, stop smoking, stop drinking, lose weight the list goes on…endlessly. I have noticed this most at my local gym, the sudden influx of red sweaty faces all huffing and puffing away, or straining like Elvis on the toilet seat trying to lift some ridiculously heavy weight. I would just like to say to you all now…..STAY AT HOME. You guys are messing up my schedule in the gym. I can’t get on any of the machines and I was doing this long before you even thought about it. Thank you.
As we’re on the subject of exercise, my manager phoned me up the other day and asked me if I wanted to play 5-a-side football with him, I think he’d had a few vino`s. After 10 minutes or so of his famous Jedi mind tricks I had agreed. I hadn’t played football seriously in a decade or so and the idea was filling me somewhat with slight unease. With none of the apparel I visited a friend who gave me some shin pads and footy socks. My old man used to play professionally but I wasn’t really the protégé he had hoped for I think. Music is more my game.
Everyone that turned up on the night apart from me and one other was kicking forty and there was no “keepy-uppies” going on…..my confidence grew slightly. It was a 6-6 draw in the end and I had a good time running about like a headless chicken “making play” if you can call it that. My attempts at goal verged on the ridiculous, like a ricocheted bullet going in unexpected directions or when you see those angry golfers slice their ball into the rough. I spent most of the second half in goals like when that machine fires tennis balls at you. It’s taken me the best part of a week to recover and I have bruises all over me from diving onto wooden gymnasium floor but it was a good laugh. Will I be going next Wednesday hmmmm….. Jury’s out on that one.
I’ve been enjoying quite a musically creative streak recently, its great when that happens; it allays the fear that you will never write a song again. I’m using a computer out of the ark to record stuff on but it’s pleasantly limiting as there aren’t so many choices to make. I’m three songs in so far and showing no signs of letting up. What I’m going to do with them is another matter completely.
I hope you are all well and in good spirits. If you’re not, I just read that “Blue Monday” article I googled. A psychologist at the University of Warwick recommends spending 15 minutes trying to write down three reasons why you should be grateful. Great idea!!!!! Instead of going to my gym try some “gratitude exercises”, failing that the pub is always just round the corner.
All the best
Stuart
