Work (or: 'gj gj')

So after a proper rollercoaster of a weekend (and every 'proper' weekend is a proper rollercoaster don't you think?) it's time to get to work.
That's what usually happens after the weekend anyway.

I woke sporadically during the night, sweating out the excesses of previous nights. It wasn't a terrible sleep by any means, although as morning approached I did have a bit of a 'detox' dream. I was trying to close the door by the bed (which I had previously opened to allow air movement and had actually closed since) because of 'bad spirits' in the hallway. I managed it with great effort in the dream and then woke with a shock. It was about 5.30am, and dawn was creeping upon the world, so I opened the curtains a little to banish the darkness (I used to be terrified of the dark as a kid).

I woke again at about 8.00, kind of excited about going to work for once.
Breakfast was oj, 'shreddies' cereal (with brown sugar and cinnamon) and coffee.
Not at all bad.

I got in early even, at ten to nine and did a little browsing about before the day started proper.

Lately I've been thinking about 'rules' and 'guidelines' - really examining life and how it's structured. There are hard set rules to avoid being locked away for instance. Don't cause damage to yourself or others or to property which does not belong to you etc.
There are other 'soft' rules depending on situation or context. It might be frowned upon to take a shower during work hours (assuming the facility is available where you work). But! If you arrived unshowered, yet early and, say, had a meeting at 11.30, surely it's acceptable enough you could take a quick shower to be presentable for the meeting?

I contemplated this as I undertook the first task of the day, not yet showered. Ew.

Creating a business card for myself was an absurd idea. I've never been in the position of requiring one, nor would I probably any time soon. Besides I have a low estimation of them and the types that do value them to be frank. (My father's name is 'Frank', and that phrase always irks me to use - had a weird dream about him too last night, but I'll leave that for Freud to analyse later).
So my task took a slight sideways route. The information I would put on the card (my name, title ("Multi-media Instrumentalist"), email and the website address) can be represented in one of those 'QR' codes that are so fashionable in advertising these days.
I could have stickers printed and do with them what I will - anything from giving one to someone to stick in their diary and contact me later, to sticking them in a hidden corner of a public toilet for the heck of it.
I designed the code and requested information via a webform from a local printer.

Job done.

Next job was to finally sort out my workspace. No cleaner(s) here unfortunately, so dust and other undesirable shtuff had collected in behind everything, and on top of this, I needed to rig a camera up to the computer for my current project.
So I shut down the machine, pulled all the cables and placed the bits and bobs aside.
Cleaned up everything (including using a tweezers to remove dust from the pc tower), postponed the meeting for 20 minutes... hooked it all back up and had a very quick shower before getting prepped (coffee and pastries are ideal for meetings, but this time biscuits would have to do).

I booted up the computer and opened the conference calling software. Typically the other party wasn't even looking to use camera or even voice for the meeting, but at least I was fresh for it, and 'on time' in the end.
As is usual in such business meetings, we filled each other in on progress and intended work. I ran the 'QR' idea, and it was received in a rather luke-warm way (I felt) and with no 'green light' as such. Perhaps a follow-up email will confirm either way.

With the meeting and technical stuff out of the way it was time to get to the part of my 'job' which is the reason why I work at all... the creative stuff!

Project title is something along the lines of:
'Multi-media Presentation of a variety of recorded music'

I aligned the camera correctly over the mixer and record players.
I then began testing the audio connection. I played a record and it seemed to be connected fine. I began recording. The 'multi-media' presentation had begun before I even realised.
I had to keep playing records, as one does indeed, while 'dj-ing', which I guess is the focus of the presentation in the first place.
Hardly part of the project 'specs', but something I felt would add to it, creatively speaking, I had quite the trouble hooking up a microphone to record the room and me in it as part of the 'set', but eventually simply plugged it directly into the mixer with the record 'decks' which the computer was recording.
Finally, I initiated the video capture and got in to the thick of 'dj-ing'.

The set progressed towards 1980's dance tracks (but not very stereotypically cheesy ones) and I allowed the songs to flightily express my current feelings towards a certain person, eventually deciding to title it 'candi land', in reference to her name.
In the meantime I used the visual aspect to show the records/sleeves as information about the tracks I was playing and sang along or played rhythms when and where I felt like it.
At one point a song hit a certain frequency at a certain volume so that the mic began to feedback, quite harshly. I dealt with that, but then began to try and incorporate the effect into what I was playing. (I wonder would such action be considered 'creative liberties'?)

I finished with some more modern (still dancefloor-worthy) tracks.
It had followed that the final song was playing out on the less desirable turntable, so I took an appropriate moment to fade it and move it over to the other side before finally showing most of the record sleeves again and 'dancing' my flip-flops in the frame, over the equipment. I thanked 'the audience' for listening and set about editing.

Editing required some explanatory text and pictures of record sleeves to replace the lack of visual until almost 20 minutes in. I also had to find a 'synch' point so that the music and visual was matched as best as could be.

I'd already decided on a late lunch (the afternoon goes far quicker doing that) but I was even later than my scheduled 2 o'clock. I decided I could still take the full hour lunch-break - there's no set rule that I know of which states "latest return from lunch must be 3 pm" or whatever.

For lunch, I strolled through the sunshine to the local deli and got myself a few sausage rolls and a can of cola.
I had them outside, reading my book. The book had excerpts of the author's diary. I wondered to myself why I haven't had a 'diary' in well over two years and realised it's because I don't particularly like them.
I've used the 'blog' medium for various things, but never an actual weblog (because I despised that idea even more so than a diary to be honest, but also though, "eh... why not?")... so here we are... why not?

Now it could be debated that writing in a 'weblog' is more personal than professional and you may well be disapproving of me, supposing I'm 'wasting company time' at this very moment, but!
Am I not a "Multi-media Instrumentalist"?
Is this not a 'form' of media?
Is this very typewriting keyboard not an instrument?!

Indeed. Besides, I'm about to justify making my own dinner in my own kitchen, two feet away from me, to my right, under the very same definitions and rule-base!
In fact - it's almost 5 o'clock, so I'll count it as 'Over Time'!

I can't commit as such, but I would like to keep up this 'work ethic' and structure I've enjoyed today, and allow the weblogging here be part of it.
I've had some extremely interesting, exciting, intense, and delightful things happen in my life lately. It would have been a great thing to have documented them more fully, as I have done so here, for today.

Thanks for reading!