Extending the gig budget

After the summer madness it was looking like autumn was going to be quiet on the old gig front. A good thing realy, a chance to get the funds back to normal level. Then bahm!! all of a sudden tours by The Rogers, Gossip, Erase Errata and Joan. Plus new band I'm checking The Victorian English Gentlemans club. I now have seven gigs boked in the next 6 weeks.

Final Show Poster.

I finaly plucked up the courage to take my "final show" poster and signed tickets to be framed last week. I use the word courage because I didn't want to hand them over to a stranger and let them out of my sight for a week. The poor girl who discussed the framing with me must have got fed up of me emphasizeing how valuable and precious they were to me. I just have this fear that a cup of coffee or whatever is going to get spilt on them. The place Ive taken them too looks very professional though, so I think I worried needlessly. I got a call in work today to say it will be ready for collection tomorow. I hope it looks as good as I anticipate.
UPDATE
It's fricken gorgeous!
UPDATE #2
It's absolutely perfect!

A cross where "a cross" should not be.

Last night I finished the book I was reading Dont Ever Tell by Kathy O'Beirne. If the truth be known not the sort of thing I would normally read. An account of a young girl in Ireland who suffered terrible abuse at the hands of the mainly "religious institutions", throughout her childhood. I picked up the book at the airport on my way to Portland the day the s**t hit the fan in Airport world.

I don't think I have ever openly wept as much while reading, not even books on the Holocaust have moved me as much. The physical, mental torture and sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of so called religious people was appalling (it is a true story by the way).

Now people who know me know that I am fiercely anti-religious, though being brought up in a srictly catholic household. Now the reason for mentioning this is, some people may have noticed I have been wearing a cross arround my neck for the several months. My point being that I refuse to see this "symbol" as religious, as I don't believe in such c**p. So though the world sees it as a "religious cross" I view it as just a piece of metal moulded into a certain shape.

My point being that having read "Dont Ever Tell" I feel it impossible to break the mould of these so called "good institutions". I feel as Kathy did in her book, it is a battle you will never win. I feel in my own mind as though I have made my point (though no one will ever have "got" it).

So it is time to remove the cross where a cross should not be.

Serbia. Sept 06

Belgrade.
Arrived in Belgrade about 12:30 pm. Ignored the taxi drivers willing to rip me off and sussed the bus into town. My hotel was central just off the main sq of the city. It has to said it was a realy nice hotel the room was super just the right size everything you req and everything worked. Belgrade as a city is not a Paris, St Petersburg or Rome it's strength is the lively cafe's and bars along the pedestrianised area. The leafy bohemic quarter a grid of streets NE of the main sq, is also nice to wander around. So I just spent a few days wandering said streets and relaxing. Beer, wine and food were very cheap too. It was costing about £20 - £30 for a full two course meal with a bottle of wine and a coffee in a good quality white cover restaurant.

View of the Fortress area at Novi Sad.

On Monday I got the train to Novi Sad, it cost £1.50 for a two and a half hour journey. When I get to Novi Sad I make the most basic of "schoolboy errors" cuz I hadn't checked the location of my hotel I just get in a taxi outside the station show him the address of my hotel and off we go. It only cost £2.50 so not bad. I book into the hotel, again pretty good for the money. I decide to take map in hand and get my bearings. I walk out the hotel only to have the bloody railway station right in front of me, Doh!!

My main impression of the place a plaesant clean lively city. A city you will not die of thirst in. I think there are more bars, cafe's and places selling alcohol than any other city I can remember (and I've been to my fair share). On the minus side there are a lack of "good quality" restaurants, unless you like pizza, but that's not gourmet food. Luckily my instinct came into play and 2 out of the 3 nights I found I think the best in the city. Still very reasonably priced too. On the Wed night they had set up a stage in the town hall sq. Later there was a band playing mainly standard stuff, U2, Chillis, your bog standard rock classics. Then for some reason they played "I will survive" it was then I buggered off to the nearest bar. Parliament building in Belgrade.

Made my way back to Belgrade on the Thurs. Stayed in the same hotel so I was familliar with where I was.

In all a good trip, I achieved the required which was to rest from the manic last month. That said I think I wore an S-K shirt most days. While the band was on in Novi Sad I'msure some girl noticed my S-K shirt and was close to saying something. We'll never know.

Main town hall sq Novi Sad.

The week ahead.

Four days left in work, it's gonna be tireing week. I'm working late tomorrow which will give me a 8am - 7 pm day. My mate Tim has asked if I'll go round and have a look at his mums bathroom carpet, with a view to buying a new one. I'll have to do that Tues night. Wed is the only night I have to catch up with Tim and Bev. Thurs is my last day in work so I'll have to tie up any loose ends, plus I could do with getting away early (4:30ish). There are things I need to do in town. I could do with buying a new pair of shoes, the recent bout of gigs has finally seen 'em off. They wouldn't last doing 7 - 10 miles a day in Serbia.
Damn it! too, looks like I'll have to get a taxi to the airport Fri morning. I fly at 7am and no train gets there between 1am - 7am.