after all

I can't believe how busy life has been recently. It seems ages since I sat and wrote anything.

After the month of exam marking, I was forced into moving to a new form room ready for next year - a much smaller one with no proper blinds which is obviously perfect for the teaching of Film Studies.   Actually trying to teach English in there is difficult too as it's impossible to see/read (delete as applicable for which set being taught) the IWB.  Oh, and one of the speakers was blown too.  Evidently it will all be sorted out by the time we get back in September. I won't hold my breath.

Anyway, after that I was in Swaledale on a Duke of Edinburgh expedition for a week which had to take place over a weekend as Mrs Dave and I had to rush down to Southampton for second born's graduation ceremony on Thursday. A day at school last Friday - a half day of teaching and the other half saying farewell to those lucky enough to escape to pastures new.  That night I was in Ipswich for a fond farewell curry to one of the aforesaid lucky blighters.  The weekend whizzed by - a lot of sleeping took place.  This week is what is known as "Arts Week" - the school I work at is a "Performing Arts" School evidently.  But you can call it "Activities Week" as that is what it is really. Instead of the usual "Art of Songwriting" a couple of us offer, this year we are on an "Art of The Music Industry" week.  As though I know much about the machinations of it!* We went to an amazing studio in Ipswich which was unbelievable. The amount of vintage gear and history there is incredible.  Evidently it was built by some BBC bods back in the 1960s and is one of the best sounding mid-price studios in the country.  Then today we went to the O2 Arena - formerly The Millennium Dome. This is well worth going to if you have a passing interest in the popular music of the last 50 or so years. Lots of Bowie stuff, hence the title of this posting (from The Man Who Sold The World).

So, this is just a little posting to prove that I'm still around.  Two days left to go and the Summer Holidays begin.  It's amazing that that single fact seems to be keeping everyone going.  Off to Snape Maltings tomorrow. Perhaps next time I'll have something interesting to say.

*Andy Gill's essay in today's Independent is about the "terminal decline" of said industry - the one thing that the internet has done (other than allow many of us access to things we didn't know where to buy them from) is to keep hundreds of talented musicians going with second careers (+) through the fragmentation of the "music industry". This is a good thing.