Back Online

Yeah, my broadband got installed today. It's fibre optic so it goes like shite off a shovel.

One thing that keeps me going during work is the flat, and the thought of coming home to it and being nice and cosy. I never need to have the heating on for long.

I don't have a lot else to say tonight. Oh yeah, I'm participating in NaNoWriMo. Kill me now.

Four walls, a room, a door, some windows, just a place to run when my working day is through...

I don't think I've actually properly updated about anything that's happened of late, so I will now.

Basically yes, the move went well. I ended up blurting about it a little in the previous entry, which I had been trying to avoid doing while pending credit check. But it's all been sorted now, so I can tell you: I am now a tenant (together with my friend Netti) in an incredibly sexy new flat in a sexy new build in Partick. Seriously. The letting agents even supplied us with crockery, towels, bedding and stuff. Oh, and a telly. With a video and DVD player. I am more excited about the video player meself, I haven't watched my video of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' 'Pack Up the Plantation: Live!' concert in years. Mam is going to send it down to me, I await it eagerly and impatiently.

I still work that same job, so still the usual malarky with that. I'm sadly less handy for getting the staff bus to work early shifts at certain stations in the morning, which makes it a bit inconvenient. Pungs. I also imagine I'll need to stop turning down shifts and having a social life so I can afford this pad at this rate. Then again, stuff with Cargo - you know, my other job? - is picking up. The Year of Open Doors is now back in stock following a second print run. We also recently curated the spoken word event held at the List magazine's 25th birthday party, which was a great success. We have a new release coming up for Christmas, which I will keep you posted about as much as possible. Plus, my job has been made a little easier. How? Trade secret you nosy so and so.

November is also going to be 2010's Gig Month (which was October last year. Think I'll need to have a Gig Month every year now). On the 7th, my friend Lauren and I are going to see the Goo Goo Dolls at the O2 Academy. On the 10th, my friend Martin and I are going to see the Drive-By Truckers at the ABC. Then on the 11th, I fly north - first time I've been back to Shetland since January - and I'm going to see Newton Faulkner at the Clickimin Centre. Then a few days at home, then back till hopefully Christmas. Again, need to sort that with work. Could potentially cause problems.

What else? Yeah...I finally get my internet this Friday. Which is good, because I'm currently online in one of the pubs in Glasgow and it's now timing out on me, so if none of you get to read this...sorry.

Quick Update

Hello.

You'll notice I've been quiet of late.

Well, for anyone who actually reads my grandiloquent, self indulgent rants, HELLO AGAIN I'M SORRY. I have no internet in the Hillhead pad. I have tried to keep this quiet but am preparing to move to a new one. More info on this as I receive it.

Meanwhile, 'The Year of Open Doors' will be back in stock soon, go buy.

Breaking News...

I don't want to jinx anything, but...there's been a turn up for the books.

More info as and when I receive it.

A Chill in the Air

It really is autumn now, isn't it?

The last few days or so, I've been extremely chilly when in bed. Part of this is probably down to my duvet. It's something like a 7.5 tog. My feet have been like ice blocks when I've woken up, I may actually have to start sleeping with my slippers on.

I still haven't found a new home yet. Went to view a gorgeous flat in Yorkhill about three hours ago, but it ended up being a no-goer. Which sucks, I'd have loved to live there.

Deja Vu

Summer 2008 - a whole two years ago now, would you believe! - was the last summer I spent back home in Shetland for the full three months. I remember very little of it because I was mostly bored shitless. I do remember, though, that to combat fuck out of this boredom, I read a hell of a lot of books.

See what I mean about deja vu?

Anyway...

In the first couple of weeks home, I was getting through a book every two days or so. Again, they were books I'd acquired as far back as 2005 but never quite got round to reading for various reasons, so I took it upon myself to finish as many of them as possible during that summer before 3rd year loomed. In the first two weeks of this regime I finished seven or eight books, but got no writing done.

The same has happened this year. On lunchbreaks at work I've been consuming the many, many books I've been forking out for from Fopp, but little writing has been done. Today, though, I left 'Les Mis' sitting in my handbag (the oh-so-spacious Radley my Auntie Iz bought me for my 21st) and instead took out a notebook containing a plan I'd conjured up earlier this year. Just lately I'd been thinking over more scenes from this particular story and was itching to try and get them down on paper so I didn't completely forget them. As always with me, it didn't work out entirely the way I planned, but rough ideas are better than nothing...

New Title

My new blog URL is now 'operationhedgehog' instead of 'bluedresspress'. Decided it was time for another change.

But typing 'bluedresspress' should still take you to me