UP EARLY to get my sourdough in the oven and let it cool while I run a session with one of my online guitar students.
After breakfast Margaret gets on with some gig booking then goes outside to tackle the build of the new grill – I’m busy in the studio gathering some tracks for upcoming radio shows and doing an inventory check on my guitar string stock. Wanna try some slightly heavier strings on the new Klos carbon fiber guitar.
I also mess with a new song idea 🙂
Margaret's away to Doune to pick up the grandkids from school so I pick up on the grill build. As is often he way with these things, every bit that could be seperate is, meaning a zillion pieces to put together. Assembly nightmare!
It takes me about three hours to get the thing finished albeit with breaks to make some dough for burger buns and ball up some mince for tonight’s smash burgers. They won’t be done on the new grill tho’, ‘cos it needs seasoned…the electric grill with a griddle plate will have to suffice.
It’s 7pm by the time I get out for a walk up the lochside.The midges are out in force but it’s a lovely evening….
MAIN job today is to check the stereo mix for the vocal links on my radio show. On Sunday my voice only came out of the left channel….the techies got on the case and messaged me a fix. I try it…and it works 🙂
I also need to pull more tracks into the play out system for future shows.
Once done I go back to the house and decide to go and get some shopping in Glasgow. First stop is Costco where I spot a charcoal grill we’ve had our eye on.
Our current grill is over 15 years old and seen better days. It wasn’t particularly great to start with.
After a bit of research we found a Masterbuilt charcoal grill we liked – but at £450 it was way out our budget. I noticed Costco had it for £349 so we thought we’d save up and get one. Today, though, I see it in-store at Costco for under £300. Fuck it, credit card to the rescue. We’re not gonna find a better deal.
After getting the rest of the shopping I spend inordinately amounts of time in three traffic jams as I head home…ooooft.
A FEW admin things to get out the way before a Zoom session with one of my online guitar students.
I also sort my playlist for my debut show on Rock.Scot radio last night and post it on the show Facebook page and around my socials. I also need to fix a typo in some of my ‘how to listen’ graphics.
There’s an invoice in form the hospital in Helsinki. Six-hundred-and-fifty euros. Fuck. Margaret looks out our UK Global Health Insurance Cards and I send a scan of mine in the hope that it will cover – or at least reduce – the bill.
After lunch I go through all the grant applications submitted to the community hydro society and add my scores and comments before our board meeting later in the week.
I decide to use a 2020 video session with Charlie Parr in my Wildcats’ livestream later – my next live show is with Charlie at Cottier’s in Glasgow (Wednesday 27 May). The original video is way too long at over an hour so I try and edit out as much as possible and split it into two sections. Still a bit long,but hey ho.
There’s time for a wander up the lochside where I do a ‘promo’ livestream for the main event later on. Weirdly Facebook lets me livestream from my page onto the Wildcats’ group…but said livestream isn’t visbile in the group! Had this problem last week, then a test the other day was OK…and now the problem’s back. I go live into the group form my personal profile and all works fine. I make a note to remember to do same later!
NO LONG lie today – we’re up early to get over to Kilmaronock Old Kirk for the annual plant sale – we have a space at the market for West Highland Way Gifts. And Love-Balmaha and even my music stuff.
The sun’s shining as we put up the gazebo and set the table with stuff. It’s a wee bit windy, though, which is a wee bit challenging, We’re good to go when gates open and have a nice few hours chatting to folks and catching up with some pals.
As with all these kind of events sales are minimal, but it’s more about the social side for me.
Once we’re done we stop off at the But & Ben in Croftamie for a late lunch then get home and unpack everything.
I do a but of promo on my socials for my debut Dave Arcari’s Deep Blues show on Rock.scot and also send a message to my email list. All goes well with the show – although there are a couple of techie things to be ironed out – like my mic/voice only comign through on one – the left – channel. Not an issue for most folks – but for those listening on headphones/earbuds it’s not ideal Hopefully sorted for next week’s show.
A bit windier than I expect when I get out for a paddle
I’M ONLY just finished breakfast when my six and eight year old brother and sister guitar students arrive for their double-header lesson.
The six year old is really too young – although interested, he is very easily distracted and is kinda holding his very able big sister back a bit. I think I’m gonna have to suggest separate lessons.
I’m frazzled by the end of the lesson but need to get into the studio and finish stuff for tonight’s debut Dave Arcari’s Deep Blues radio show on rock.scot.
Once I’ve everything sorted I go out for a paddle. A bit windier than forecast but it’s still fun.
Back home I have a nap then get stuff ready for tomorrow’s (Sunday) plant sale at Kilmaronock Old Kirk
Suddenly the day is done and we wander along to Betty’s for dinner with her and some of her pals.
A FEW fairly big tasks in diary for today…but the main thing is to prep and set up my debut Dave Arcari’s Deep Blues radio show for rock.scot. It’ll go out Sunday at 7pm UK time.
Pulling together the music I wanna feature is more time-consuming than I expect – and planning the show and timings is quite involved as I have to get my head round the tech and systems.
I take a break for lunch and a courier rocks up with the new guitar – a Klos full-carbon travel guitar. The box is tiny. And lightweight. The guitar builds up quickly and easily and sounds amazing for such a small instrument.I’m keen to plug on and see how it sounds amplified but I need to get some more work out the way first.
Back in the studio I gather some info I need to assess grant applications for the community hydro scheme then I get back to the radio stuff. I set up a Facebook page for the show then post about it – and my upcoming debut – round my existing socials. Be good to have a decent audience to kick things off.
Eventually I get a chance to plug the new guitar in. Sounds great…first impressions are that I’m really pleased with it 🙂
UP EARLY to get my sourdough in the proven…my routine shifted from Monday to Wednesday (overnight oats for breakfast on a Monday and Tuesday now!) but I was too busy to get he dough ready on Tuesday this week.
There’s some prep to do for a couple of guitar students coming later on and I need to order some raw brass for a run of golf ball markers I prototyped yesterday.
In the studio there’s some kinda connection problems between bots of gear which turns into a nightmare to sort out then it’s time for lunch before a doctor’s appointment and voting.
I’m hope in time for the first of my back-to-back guitar students and once they’re all done I go back to the house. The phone rings and it’s the guy from Klos Guitars in Utah…they’re trying to sort out the duty/tax issue but don’t; want me to have to wait any longer for the guitar. They’re suggesting I pay the fees and they will refund me. That sounds good to me.
I call DHL and update them, pay the duty/tax and they say, hopefully, the guitar will be out for delivery tomorrow (Friday).
QUITE a nice day so after breakfast I sit outside and get some work done.
First up, the background image on my website landing page has mysteriously disappeared. I replaced it then set about fixing the menu links for the merch store which have got messed up at some point over the last month or two.
While I’m doing that I run a few batches of ‘Dave Arcari’ bottle opener keyrings. Since I 3D printed a jig to do ten at a time it’s made the process much faster (and easier!).
Next job is to design a prototype brass golf ball marker for a charity event. Takes me a while to create a suitable depth map based on the event’s logo then I get the brass prototype underway.
A message comes in from my pal Diana – she’s in the area with her grandson and wonders if we’re around for a quick visit. We sit in the garden and have a blether over coffee then she and wee Charlie head off.
I go for a walk up the lochside and find the midges are out. In force. Looking like this might be a crazy midge season!
VICKY’S already left on the next stage of the West Highland Way when I get up and out the shower.
John’s up by the time I’ve opened up the studio and office and we chat for a while before he heads off.
I decide to tackle he info point sign I’m making for Betty nd get everything set up outside. Disaster strikes, though – the guide I’m using for the router works itself loose as I’m cutting the circle and the result is a mess.
I haven’t gone right through the wood as I was planning on two or three passes to complete the cut so I turn the wood over and try again. Same thing happens. Game’s a bogey and I’ve ruined the nice piece of wood I sourced for the project 🙁
After my afternoon guitar student leaves we jump in the car and go to see Catriona and the kids – it’s Freya’s eighth birthday today. We hang out a while then head back home.
There’s an order for a ‘blues comes in many colours’ mug so I get it sublimated, packed and ready to go while Margaret sorts dinner. I also manage to get the big hydroponics all set up for some basil and coriander 🙂
MAIN task today is to sort out the taxes on the guitar coming from Klos in the USA. I got a message from DHL on Saturday saying I had to pay. Various duties etc and as far as I’m aware they were all paid up front.
There’s no answer form DHL in Glasgow and I can;t work out if it’s because they’re shut for the bank holiday or just can’t be arsed answering.
After a mid-morning session with one of my online guitar students I get the pork belly on the smoker then get back on the DHL thing. There’s no messages saying they’re shut today and the website suggests the place is open so I some lunch then drive into Cambuslang….only to find it’s fucking shut. Ah well.
When I get back our pals Vicky and John have arrived. Vicky’s walking the West Highland Way and John is driving her ‘support vehicle’. I say hello then hit the studio to edit up some video and prep for tonight’s Wildcats’ livestream on Facebook.
There’s something odd happening with the Wildcats’ group tho’ – the ‘I’ll be live later’ livestream I do doesn’t appear on the group page…and when in go live for the main livestream at 8pm it’s not appearing anywhere either – the only way to see it is to click on my account avatar. Weird.
Back at the house the pork has turned out good and we have a grand evening of food, drink and chat.
