Hello, how are you? I’m fine, thanks for asking. If you come here often, looking for some insight, pointers on recruitment, or my usual snarky comments about politics, the media and religion, then I’m sorry to disappoint you today. I have a hundred and one topics to write about, but haven’t properly collected my thoughts on them yet.
Instead, let me give you a short update. The past few months have been quite hectic for me. No2 son was 18, my eldest son turned 21 and my youngest had his First Communion (no I’m not a Catholic, but he is). My wife, Luciana had a big birthday too (I daren’t say which). This has meant a whirlwind round of celebrations and parties, and of course wondering where the years went. At the same time, we have been fundraising for No2’s planned charity trip to Malawi. However, in the midst of all this he has been struck by a serious illness, which has caused him to lose over 30 pounds in weight, and narrowly avoided life-changing surgery. He was very weak when we held a charity fundraiser for 200 school kids, where his band played, and is now unfortunately not able to make the Malawi trip in June. Thankfully he is home now, after almost a month in hospital (which was a really depressing place to visit every day). I’m not entirely sure how I feel about all of this, but it’s been very trying to say the least.
As I mentioned in a previous post, I am now spending some of my time outside work by managing the most successful show band in Scotland. It really is an eye-opener, and amazing to see the response to our performances from enthusiastic audiences. Over the years Big Vern’n’the Shootahs have played over 1,500 gigs, and helped to raise over £1.5m for charity. We have some spectacular gigs coming up, including Gleneagles shortly, and Kuala Lumpur later this year.
Something else I will almost certainly blog about soon is my new Ipad. I know there are plenty people with opposing opinions about this uber-gadget, but I love seeing these people change their minds within moments of getting their hands on mine. As everyone says, it’s not the device itself that is most impressive, but the multitude of uses it can be put to with so many outstanding third-party apps.
I should point out that obviously, just as with anyone else, not all of these elements of my humdrum life merit equal importance. So there you go. Not a normal blog, and not a whiff of a punchline, moral, or provocative assertion at the end either. Just a wee bit of insight. So if you ask how I am, anytime soon, the answer might be a little longer than you were expecting.