Gigs galore 2013

It's been a quiet sort of a Friday. I have spent most of it staring at my computer attempting to get three documents finished by the weekend. I feel I might have been a little ambitious. Not too far away, but far enough away to know that I'll be attached to the screen tomorrow as well. It's all good fun though. And yesterday I found a wonderful 1993 article that I seem to have overlooked until now.

We are slowing down for Christmas gradually. All the preparations are done - the tree is up, the presents are bought, the cards are (almost all) sent. Thanks to the rising mail prices, the stamps actually cost me four times the amount the cards did! Crazy, huh! Anyways, I feel very organised this year which is a very unusual feeling.

Yesterday D booked tickets for Bruce Springsteen who is returning to Wembley next year. Last year's gig at Wembley was brought to a crashing halt by the police who turned the lights off as it was getting so late. I expect great things again this year! During the last tour we saw him at the Etihad in Manchester and got absolutely soaked to the skin. I am hoping for some sunshine this time round. Actually 2013 has turned into a gig year. As I might have mentioned before, D and I tend to go and see our favourite guys whenever they tour as they are all getting on a bit and you don't know when they are going to hang up their mics. So, we have two Asia gigs before Christmas. And then, next year, we have Rush, Roger Waters, Mark Knopfler, Bruce, and Peter Gabriel. I am excited about all of them, but particularly Gabriel. A few years ago I decided there were a few guys I wanted to see live before they stopped touring. Gabriel is the last on that list. It is going to be quite a year! I am utterly amazed that I haven't double-booked with conferences. So much for my insistence that I would do less conferences next year - I already have four, two confirmed! Fortunately most of the big conferences are in the UK next year.

Not sure there is anything else exciting to report. D continues to work hard. I continue to enjoy my horseriding. I completed a 10K run for the first time on Monday. I am not really a runner, preferring other forms of exercise to actually keep me fit while using my runs as a bit of a stretch out. But I challenged myself on Monday while listening to a Driscoll podcast. Took me 1hr 10 mins which has to be the slowest 10K ever. But I was pretty proud.

Next week the Christmas celebrations pick up: work festive do on Monday, the press night for The Wizard of Oz at the LPAC (very excited about this and might wear red shoes), a friend's Christmas concert on Tuesday (this is the time of year when I miss performing with Rudsambee) and our first Asia gig. We have backstage tickets and I'm not sure I can possibly explain quite how excited I am about that. And then the week after I am taking my Mum to the Crucible to see My Fair Lady with the delectable Dominic West. Bestill beating heart!

Hope your Christmas preparations are going well and that you are knowing the peace of the season rather than being overwhelmed by tinsel, chocolate and Argos commercials.

CSW