Finally, a night that felt suitably weird. That's weird as is normal. What do I mean by this? Well, my life has various counterbalancing tensions in it. Life after Edinburgh involves creating new routines and getting into old ones. It involves gigging, but with a load more experience and ideas. It involves getting back into the swing of things.

Tonight I did a gig. I did it my way. I had a good time. I managed to get back into the sort of mood I need to be in to gig in the real world, or at least the version of the real world I inhabit while acting as oddly as I seem to.

I shall talk through the order of events. I left work at a normal time and drove home. At home, I collected my backpack guitar, replaced the brake pads on my bike, got changed into cycling gear and cycled to the station where I took a train while reading a book. The train arrived in London, where I used Google maps on my phone to provide me with step by step instructions for getting to the venue with the gig at it. The gig was 2 miles or so away. I did the gig and then got back on the bike. Google maps provided different instructions for home and I ignored some of them, creating a 1 mile or so detour. I had a coffee and muffin at the statio and got a stopping train back to Reading. When the train arrived at Twyford, mindful that my instincts were tending towards a chip shop for something to eat, I jumped off the train so I would have to cycle a few extra miles home, past an M&S simply food.

I bought some simply food and came home to eat it.

This is not normal. It's not normal to eat at 1.30am after a late night bike ride. It's not normal to be a gigging comedian.

I wouldn't want to be normal. Normal isn't always fun. Conversely, doing my version of weird is quite inspiring, making occasional normality seem like fun. I find toast racks to be deeply decadent things to enjoy these days. I haven't got one... but they're normal.

As for the gig, well, I won't wax lyrical about what I did, or how well it went as far as the audience were concerned. People laughed and I was happy that they did. I think I may also pick up other gigs on the back of it. However, from my own point of view, I was finally doing a gig where I felt like I was free of my own stiffness. I have been quite over-scripted and stiff at the last couple of gigs, feeling out of step with the performance, like I was DOING it, rather than BEING it. Tonight I used a lot more instinct and felt much more in touch with the audience. It was fun.

So, with my new MP3 player (why I need yet another MP3 data store to sync with the other 4 I don't know), I had cycling and laughter to fill my evening. Not a bad distraction from the stresses and strains of the real world.

It's late, though, and I should be finding myself some sleep.