Friday 23 January 2009

I've had so much to read and do this week, and spent so much time on the phone about various possible future projects, that I haven't had any words left in my brain to write here. I've also been getting ahead with some research, and trying out libraries for a suitable place to park myself for a few hours during the day away from the endless distractions at home. Glasgow University's shelves are stocked with diverting and relevant material, and the view is great, but the air-conditioning is ruthless; the Mitchell Library is less thoroughly stocked, but it offers comfortable surroundings, peace and quiet, and free internet access. It's fun to be working in the same room where I got a lot of my musical education aged about 14, when it was the music lending section. And the photocopying is cheap. I spent over three hours today painstakingly annotating my HMT edition of Mackintosh's 3rd fiddle book from the original, before I realised that I could just have put the entire thing on the self-service photocopier for four quid. Academic libraries don't tend to let you do that with their 18th-century stock.

Alison came over this morning to record the cello part I wrote last Saturday, which was also a handy excuse to try out her Accusound mic before tomorrow's Dub Arkestra rehearsal: it's very good.

Cameron Malcolm took this picture from his and Calum's end of the room at Ardkinglas last week: James is sitting under the lights keeping an eye on the monitor and on me ...