What I am doing and what I am not doing and what I wish was happening

I am supposed to be doing something else. I’ve got, let’s count, on the table, on the to-do list:

·         One PhD

·         One music article to write up

·         One travel article about hotels to research and write

·         One travel article about events to write

·         Some stuff for a book to consider and write

But instead, and I think he’d probably approve, I’m going to write about my friend.

My friend was in my dream last night, making a guest appearance. He didn’t do much, just came on in a cameo, waved to everyone, smiled, and went again. If it was Married With Children or suchlike, he’d have had a round of applause and some whoops from the studio audience.

I suppose there’s no real meaning in it, much as there was no real meaning in it when he visited my house in Tocky once, and when he left we saw him moonwalking past the window, looking in at us with a daft little kid’s grin on his face. He had a really quite cute little kid’s grin, when something tickled him.

Of course, much as I and all of us would love to have him back, I was glad that he came and made a cameo and did his little grin. I’m glad he’s not having to react to the country burning itself down. I’m glad he was just happy to wave and be happy and say hi. Christ on toast, we have to keep hold of these moments of joy. So many people want to take them away. They don’t even know they’re doing it. And the band played on.