Actually, the title doesn't work here. The gig tonight was at the Square Pig, there was no round hole. The "hell" wasn't that rounded either. It was a tricky gig, though. Following my on-bike conference call and a train journey where I was standing on my mobile outside of the quiet carriage out of some bizarre acceptance of the idea that a carriage full of screaming brats should, somehow, not have me chatting quietly on a mobile phone in it, I cycled to the gig in Holborn. I nearly didn't find it... but a little use of the map I printed out (and didn't lose to the wind like last time) helped me.

I had originally been booked as the opening act, but I had latterly agreed to MC the gig. Then I found out that I was doing the door. When I arrived, I realised that I was also moving the furniture and generally running the whole show. There nearly wasn't a show. Audience numbers were very slack to start with, and trying to encourage people from the upstair bar to come down was really a shot to nothing.

However, people did come. Not many, but enough to have a gig. I'm glad we had the gig.

My MCing was a bit hit and miss. Generally, I knew when to cut my losses on a routine, which was nice... it was just after the laugh and just before the bit where it could go either way. I worked the crowd mainly with banter and brought some acts on. I suspect that I didn't quite manage to get the room perfectly staged for the start of the show.

However, the night went along ok at first and then pretty well. The closing act had a good time. Though her every minute on stage after 11pm was committing me to a progressively later bedtime, I didn't resent it. At the end of the day, I'd set out to organise a gig (for someone else) and it was going well enough to run on past closing.

I didn't cycle the most effective route back from the gig to the railway station, but it didn't matter. I like cycling in London and I was getting some reasonable bicycular (is that a word?) exercise. That's how it should be.

I got to bed late, but happy. Admittedly, all these late nights are difficult for catching up on life - all I can manage to catch up on these days are one or two emails and my Facebook/Scrabulous moves. I would like to go back to reading all the blogs I used to read on a daily basis, but work is too busy for that and my home life is either non existent or entirely DIY based.

Times will change, no doubt. For now, I'll enjoy the ride.