traction
another busy weekend survived. first ‘official’ show with linda went very well. having percussion and harmonica really suited the songs well. looking forward to the next one. the two band gigs were at polar opposites of the quality scale, but seemed to go down okay with the punters, all that matters in the end.
been working with the new zoom video recorder and shot all three gigs. the only one that produced any usable results was the jazz fest on sunday, there’s one clip on youtube now. the other two captured too much crowd chatter and people walking into frame. next time will try a different cam location. it’s all new.
speaking of, I’d love to hear from anyone who fancies themselves adept with editing quicktime files. I’m trying to crop in-frame and resample to different outputs. quicktime pro is good for basic top & tail, but I need something more advanced (and can’t seem to find my copy of adobe premiere).
the other task that consumed my weekend was getting thrown back into the deep end in a commercial kitchen. with an unfamiliar menu that was more than a little light on the detail mixed with a kitchen I’d only been in once, it was somewhat daunting to do a four-course dinner. but everything went off without a hitch. plates coming back empty is always a good sign.
overall, it was a good boost for my pro-culinary attitude which admittedly took a big hit with having closed the last cafe. I’ve been offered a few chef-type gigs but have been a little reluctant to step back into the ring. of course, it’s much easier when it’s not your name hanging over the door and one can leave at the end of the shift without stressing over whether the bills will be paid etc. there’s an offer of some shifts at the local pub’s brasserie over the christmas period and a short-term cafe situation dangling which I’m still considering. but for now, I’m enjoying dabbling on the weekends. there’s a buffet luncheon on saturday I’m actually looking forward to.
the band’s usual monthly gig comes up this friday. guest this week is pam allen from the mountains jazz band, she’d guested a few months back & had a great time. I’m hoping that rens and megan aren’t planning on the usual irish session, as I have an early start with the aforementioned luncheon.