Life can be pretty frustrating
I arrived slightly (well, rather) late at the Doctor's on Friday morning. Since then, things have been running under immense time-pressure. They were hardly easy-going prior to that. One thing I learned on Friday (more on that later) is that one's efficiency starts to reduce as one approaches 100% utilisation. In other words, the busier you are, the less return you get on your efforts. I'm too busy and I'm currently left unsatisfied and frustrated. I have managed to achieve a lot of the goals I had, but the transitions between tasks have been less that smooth.

So, Friday morning. I announce myself at the doctors. "Oh. Your appointment was earlier. I'm not sure the nurse will be able to fit you in." I was there for a flu jab. I'd had a tetanus the previous evening (which is now starting to itch and hurt - is that bad? pass). "Would you be able to check for me?" - I was being patient. I had announced myself alongside an apology for my lateness. The nurse, quite reasonably in my opinion, decided to see me. No sooner had the door swung shut than the jab was administered and I was putting my shirt back on to leave. It was about 90 seconds' work.

Arriving in the office on Friday, we had an all day seminar which I interpreted as "all the things we've been trying to say for years". It was interesting that the group who attended the seminar were as enthusiastic about it by 5pm on a Friday as they had been when it was in full swing. This is what seminars should be like. Anyone who wasn't present at that seminar is a filthy-idiotic-stick-in-the-mud-who-will-impede-progress... or had other commitments. Quite what happens after such a potentially life-altering event is anyone's guess. My faith is not present. We'll have to see. I'm open minded.

Bike: Episode 1
Friday night was a question of going to pick up my bike. I drove home. I walked to the bike shop. I picked up the bike. The rear wheel bearings had been dodgy. They'd been fixed. I was shown what to look for, a wobble in the rear wheel. I cycled maybe three quarters of a mile up a hill and felt the wobble. The bearings weren't fixed. Damn! I cycled back down the hill. I gave the bike back to the shop for them to replace the rear wheel. This is all warranty work, which is fair enoughski, so you'd think...

Friday night
I had a house guest on his way. I walked home from the bike shop. I sewed some buttons on the costume for the following day's photoshoot. I tidied around the place. I got changed. I managed to get things done in order of importance and was complete at the exact moment my guest arrived. We went into town and found Pizza Express to be devoid of the expected crowd of imbeciles. We had a good meal and came back. This was a good time. The sheer weight of what I'd been doing all week slowed my brain down, though.

Saturday morning
After a scant few hours' sleep, I arose, got a quick shower, headed to a wee cafe for breakfast - which was excellent - and then got back home. I had time to change into my costume and realised that I'd misplaced the map of where I was headed. I rang ahead and organised a different meeting place. Then I drove at top speed to Durham. Sadly some muppet impeded my progress, sitting in the overtaking lane at 65. Irritating. This impedance was nothing compared to the long line of standing traffic (relating, I later found out, to an accident). I called ahead and warned them of my potential for arriving very very late. Then I managed to get through the traffic and so had to call ahead and rearrange for the original meeting place. Well, not the original meeting place - I'd lost the map to that - I mean the replacement meeting place. Oh dear. This morning was barely a couple of hours old and things were getting silly.

Having said that, I arrived at the designated spot early, was picked up and spent a congenial 3 hours in the company of my Guys and Dolls production chums having photos taken and putting on silly voices. We also talked musicals. These people make my knowledge of musicals look less cavernous and more superficial.

Saturday afternoon (including Bike: Episode 2)
The most pressing thing for me to organise after the photo call was the replacement of the dressing on my wound. I found a chemist with something appropriate. I don't like the look of the thing. I hope it's recovering well. An infection would be totally unpleasant!

Home. Lunch. Then a walk to the bike shop to pick the bike up. The guy in the shop told me that if this set of bearings wears out, he might be looking at a full refund on the bike, rather than going on replacing wheel after wheel. I understand his point of view. I also consider it a threat. If that's the situation then it puts the bike at risk. If the bearings come loose, they'll soon go irrevocably wrong. He had tightened them up before releasing the bike.

I cycled home effectively. As far as I can tell, the bearings are not performing correctly. They may sort themselves out if tightened. I may simply wear them in more heavily that most. I don't want to lose the bike. I'm rather pleased with my progress on the thing. To be suddenly bikeless seems a real shame. I guess I'll have to work out a plan of action tomorrow. I'm too pissed off to think about it now.

Saturday evening and beyond
Tonight I'm off to see some sort of music performance at City Hall. I'm knackered. It should be entertaining and invigorating tonight. I was thinking of walking into town to see it. I'll see how I feel about that in 20 minutes when it's time to decide how I'm getting there.

Tomorrow I have a gig in Peebles. I shall be driving to Scotland for lunchtime and shall hopefully have a pleasant pre-gig relaxation session. That sounds like a euphemism for something. It's not. Doing a gig is a social experience. Being sociable prior to a gig in a relaxed way is a good warm up. I'm looking forward to tomorrow for that.

So. In summary. Very busy. A few frustrations. I'm very very tired and my wrist is not on top form yet. Anyone fancy a pint?