Money - that's what I want!

Funny, that given my first comment on the financial aspect of my business that I get a few comments?

Well, given that a VAT return is required at approx 60k at turnover, this would require sales of £1k a week or just over!

As I am a retail genius (a quote from a famously retail w*nker who made me redundant a few years ago,) I am happy to say that my sales are better than that!

Retail is detail, its 80% perspiration and 20% inspiration etc etc!

I can`t help it if people like me robbing them can I?

Suffice to say I am still broke, in debt, and working 7 days a week.

Sales for vanity, profit for sanity and "the family" are another line on the "Expense" heading!

I am so happy though without a boss, head office, emails from t*ssers trying to justify their existence, even though its cold, wet and dark sometimes on the market!

As McD`s would say "I`m lovin` it!"

All Mod Cons!

For those still tuned in, the band has launched its web site: The Reaction

Work is still in progress but having just seen the latest version myself, I have to say I think it looks pretty cool!

Life is returning to normal, (if there is such a thing!) and the celebrations of the last two weeks were completed last night with the wife and I celebrating our 24th wedding anniversary. As a special treat I went to practise with the boys and she retired early to bed!

Before there is an outcry from the female reader we did have a nice lunch out on Sunday, and we bought each other some choccies!

Unfortunately a new boiler, a holiday and someone`s 18th birthday party have somewhat depleted the funds, and to cap it all I had to file my first VAT return today. Apparently the taxman owes me some money - woohooooo! (methinks he will find some devious way of getting it back though!)

The Kids Are Alright!.

Friday saw my youngest celebrate her 18th birthday and it was a very special occasion.

Not only did most of the family turn up, but for the first time since they parted very acrimoniously 20 years ago my mum and dad managed to be in the same room for the first time and they remained there without too much of an issue!

Result.

We had a great evening and the band played an hour set which went down well.
We even managed a pretty hot rendition of "Eloise" by The Damned in honour of said child.

I am pleased to say it reduced her to tears! - a very special moment, and we hugged each other like she was a little `un again.

Bruv, Mr.D was there with his side of the family, as was my wife`s brother with his kids, and it was at the end of the night when we were sat in the bar of the hotel that it occurred to me how special the event was to see the next generation nearly all grown up, but more importantly relaxing easily with each other and joshing about this and that! - a very, very special moment.

We have tried to remain partially sober all weekend and I am happy to say that, on our return from the pub this afternoon we now plan to have Sunday lunch and play Monopoly!

You don`t get better weekends than that!

I am so glad that blood is thicker than water, I am also glad that water is less alcoholic than lager!

The Kids are alright!!!!!!!

It`s only Rock `n` Roll....

Well we did it!

The Reaction finally played their debut gig and I am happy, (as in Jack!) to say that things went as well as could be expected, if not better.

I have to say the guys all played their socks off and went up several gears in front of a live audience, so thats it we are no longer gig virgins, and now we have to expand the set and arrange more gigs for the world tour!

Reality kicked in with a bang,or thud in my case, so having got to bed at 1.30am Saturday morning, it was a particular treat to hear the alarm going off a 5.45am to call me to work!

I lasted until about 10am when the adrenalin finally seeped out of my body, and I then retired to the tranny to get a few minutes kip. Duly refreshed one hour later it was back to selling rugs!

My Daughter, our youngest will be 18 this Friday and as such Sunday was spent making arrangements for her party, which also included me having to purchase and fit a carpet in the bathroom, so that was another day of my new Rock and Roll lifestyle enjoyed to the full!

Back to the market on Monday and then practising again last night with the band, including learning a new song just for the girls big night on friday!

I am now off to orgaise the replacement of our boiler which, with impeccable timing blew up last week, (so we are freezing our nuts off here!) and then more purchasing of party banners, balloons etc!

So in answer to your question BW, sadly no, I am not too important to blog, but until the Millennium Stadium gigs start to pay off, domestic duties still have priority!

To be someone would be a bl**dy marvellous thing!

Oh!.. Big thanks to Bruv for your support and excellent photos on your site! - cheers matey, see you on Friday!

Into Tomorrow.

Well tomorrow beckons and with it the exciting prospect of playing a live gig in front of people for the first time in over 25 years!

Mildly excited, slightly nervous, I still keep reminding myself that this is a privilege.

Several airings of the demo CD to people outside the band have brought very favourable comments and this is great news for my/our confidence.

Tomorrow I am taking a sort of day off and will give the kit a good clean, and with the help of the erotically named cymbal cleaner "groove juice!" I hope to be sparklingly shiny for the gig!

3 months agp we didn`t even know eachother, tomorrow we will find out the results of our hard work.

Ladies and Gentlemen I give you "The Reaction."

To be someone must be a wonderful thing....

Having recorded a dozen tracks on Sunday we listened to the CD yesterday and are all agreed the promo CD is pretty tight!

So having practised for the last time before the gig on Friday we are now just itching to get the gig over with, and are looking forward, if a little nervously, to performing live for the first time.

The last 2 days have been really hard work, and although I am really tired, it made me think that a career of performing music, and sitting around a recording studio would have been a lot more pleasurable than 27 years in retail management!

Oh well, should have been more confident in my teenage years, still, at 45 I am still excited at the prospect of performing live again and fortunate to have the opportunity with a great bunch of lads who are very talented and hardworking.

Reality is such a come down though, today both the boiler and the TV broke so thats my first £2k in royalties spent!

To be someone?.....yes I think I would like that!

Right side of the tracks.

So, back from hols I find my newly puschased broadband doesn`t work and it has taken me several days to sort it!

Now that its working I am happily back in the land of Blog!

Today the band spent several hours in the recording studio cutting some tracks for a promotional CD.

This is a first for me, and it was a really great experience!

As a fortysomething I will, God willing, this week play my first live gig in over 25 years on Friday and together with todays experience this promises to be a very exciting week.

Tomorrow is our last practise before the gig, and we are really loking forward to it.

I did not think this would happen again and now it all seems a bit of a dream, so I can only thank my lucky stars that this is now a reality.

Hope my nerve holds!