In an effort to balance my last doom and gloom post, here’s a list of things I’d like to spend my time on as baby and wife allow.

• The Railman, part two, is practically ready for arrival on Friday.  Got a little bit to tidy up with it but otherwise it’s good to go.  Not sure where the story is going.  It might only last three parts, or it might go on for ages.  I’ll just let it wander as it wants.  Probably for the best.  My last attempt to force a regular story was The Bandstand and that’s fallen into some kind of limbo.
• Catching up with the Writing Buddies.  These are a group of guys I met through the last two NaNoWriMo attempts.  A good bunch of guys with a range of skills and tastes.  Makes for an interesting group.  Always a joy to spend time with them.
• Get a new job.  You may have picked this up from my last post.  It’s becoming a matter of urgency now but I’m sure something pop up.  It usually does.
• Grey Knights.  I’ve almost finished painting them.  And in a colour I’m happy with.  I’m sure I can get them done by the end of the year.    There may even be photos of the great job I’ve done.
• Other general gaming.  I like gaming, it’s a passion but I spend very little time indulging in my hobby.  I’m going to try and rectify that.
• Other writing.  There are many unfinished stories and I have to do something with them.  If I can get one story published then I can get others.  I just have to persevere.
• Find a new church.  My faith is at a pretty low ebb and has been for a very… long… time.  It would be nice to find a place I can find some peace and where they can accept me for who I am.
• Summer’s End.  Providing that there is another Summer’s End prog festival this year, I’ll be there hopefully with Neil and Bruce.  Last year we had capes.  This year it might be full wizards robes…

That’s a list of things I have in my mind that’s not Ruth/Aurora centred.  I know it’ll change as time progresses and as free time deteriorates/becomes available.

- Alistair

Back from Summer’s End.  (the title may have given that away…)

The weekend was great.  Prog Neil and I drove down on Friday, listening to 7 hours of prog to get us suitably in the mood.  35 tracks in total I think.  Heh.

Met with Bruce and Sharla, enjoyed some fine beer and went to the venue to enjoy some Steve Hackett.  Wow, he was something.  As an opener for the festival he was hard to beat.  Many albums were bought. 

There were loads of great bands on the bill, and the stand outs were Godsticks, Pallas, Karnataka and Pendragon.  All the rest were good but these guys rocked the house.

But it was good to get back to the familiar comforts of home.

And the familiar disappointments…

The Spires Of Midnight has been put on hold for the time being.  Neither Ruth or myself are totally convinced that it’s a good enough concept for the Dundee Writing Comp.  That’s fair enough but it does leave me in a bind.  But where there’s imagination there’s hope…

There is something, just in concept stages, which is where the vampire story is, that i’ve been pottering about with.  It might have the spark I’m looking for that Spires doesn’t quite have.  And I’ve got 3 weeks still before the story is due.  It should be plenty of time.

And then there’s the Whiteinch thing.  I don’t even want to go there.  Not yet anyway.  I’m still too disappointed about that one.

(Not that I’m disappointed about not getting accepted, as far as I know I’m in the book although official confirmation hasn’t come through yet, but this is something else…)

- Alistair

‘This is the good shit’

- Daisy Steiner

Mastodon was recommended to me by Ruthy and, after constantly calling them Megalodon by accident, I found Crack The Skye in Fopp on Union Street for the sum of one crisp ten pound note.  After bringing it back to the Oasis Of Zin, or the study, I have to say that I’m particularly taken by it.

It’s progressive metal, have no doubt about that, but compared with other Prog Metal like Dream Theater (they being the only Prog Metal band I’ve really spent any time listening to) they have a definate 80’s metal leaning.

Certainly Crack The Skye is heavier than anything I’ve listened to in a while and it’s a welcome break to the easy world of symphonic prog that ususally gets played loud around these parts.

The album is concept album territory, enough to deter all but the hardiest of music lovers, but it’s not so obvious to the unlearned.  If you like your music loud AND inventive, you’d do a lot worse than give this a try.

DoZ Rating (your handy guide to anything and everything) : 10 out of 10

- Alistair

Incommunicado – Marillion

“I’m a rootin-tootin cowboy, the Peter Pan, the street credibility,

Always taking the point with the dawn patrol fraternity.”