Bloody hell, JU's wonkiness saw the first part of this posted before I was finished. Here is the rest of the intended post...
Pumpkin is doing much better because of the meds. She is looking well and appears to have more energy, which is great. The vet said one of the medications will increase her appetitie, which has happened. She is not the sort of cat to get in your face, but she knows how to let us know shes hungry. We're not feeding her any extra as she could stand to lose a little bit. It is great having our wonderful pet back in health, let me tell you. I want to thank all of you so much for your kind words of support. I'm sure they helped.
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Because I haven't been writing so much, I've been doing a lot more reading instead. I'm currently going through a Peter Straub binge. I've just finished 'Lost Boy, Lost Girl' and I've started reading 'Koko'. Mr. Straub is my favourite thriller/horror writer by far. He has a way with words no other author I've read does and I very much admire his ability. I have a lot of his books and I've read them all numerous times. He has the ability to take something seemingly mundane and ordinary and turn into something eerie and extraordinary. I only wish I could write like this.
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Toni and I went out for dinner with a couple we haven't seen for some time on Friday night. P. and I used to be in a couple of bands together. Like a lot of musicians I know, he sort of grew out of the dream of wanting to make music and into that of wanting to be a husband, father and provider. He is about 6'4" and used to be quite overweight. But in the last few years, he has been watching what he eats and exercising regularly. He has lost so much weight I barely recognised him. He was always a good looking man but this change has really brought something out in him. He seems a lot more confident and sure of himself and very much in love.
He met R. online a number of years ago. They emailed each other for a while, then swapped phone numbers. Eventually, she moved from her hometown in South Australia to Sydney to be with him. They're both so happy together and now have a beautiful 2 year old son. Their wedding will be in R.'s hometown. Unfortunately, Toni and I will unable to go. Timing and distance has made it impossible to attend. Still, I'm sure they'll have a good time without us.
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I've been wondering why I'm finding it difficult to motivate myself to exercise. I'm not overweight or anything, but I know if I were doing some regular activity, it would be really good for me. But I am finding it hard to do it. Toni, on the other hand, is really good. She does at least an hour of Pilates just about every day and walks a lot. I walk a lot too, for my job but I know I should be doing some resistence training and some stretching exercises. I think part of it might be because I do work hard and rehearse with the band 3 times a week as well. Rehearsals are always pretty active and usually at least 3 hours long. Maybe I'm being hard on myself. How do you all motivate yourselves?
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I've been listening to some great new music lately. Damon Albarn, of Blur and Gorillaz, has formed a 'super' group with Paul Simonon, former bass player for The Clash, former Verve guitarist Simon Tong, and Tony Allen, drummer and Afrobeat pioneer. The album is another great testament to Damon Albarn's songwriting abilities and has become a big favourite of mine already.
I've also been listening to some new tracks by an Australian hip hop band called True Live. This is unlike any hip hop act out at the moment. It features a live string section (violin, cello and double bass), a drummer, a keyboard player and an MC/vocalist. It is something very different, very cool and doesn't sound anything like the current wave of Aussie hip hop acts. My band has been coping a little bit of flack because our MC doesn't sound 'Aussie' enough but neither does this band's MC. The problem with a lot of the local music scene is their parochial view instead of thinking globally. Like this band, we're staying true to ourselves and making music we love playing.
I've also been listening to a band called Gotan Project. They're a multi-national band based in Paris who write what is essentially modern tango but with breaks and beats and amazing guest vocalists. It really is something different and I am liking the tango beats a lot, even though I'm not much of a dancer. I'm just amazed, I guess, with how much good new music there still is out there. But moreso, as a musician and writer, it is incredibly inspiring and encouraging because it means there is still room for innovation and invention in music. Being as I'm in a hip hop band that is currently sitting on the outside of what hip hop bands should be, writing music hip hop bands wouldn't generally write, it is a very good thing indeed.
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There are some great newbies on JU. I'm really impressed with the quality of some of the writing, the compassion and strength of conviction and am looking forward to reading more of these folk. Of course, my old friends are still every bit as wonderful, passionate, irreverant and funny as ever. You guys all rock, you know. I can hardly wait for the day when we can all sit down together over a nice meal and far too much to drink.
Wow, I've realised I've gone on far more than I intended. I hope I haven't bored everyone stupid with this ramble. Hope everyone has a great Sunday. I'm off to rehearsals."