‘Strum’ und Drang

Today was my first Monday off since beginning my new 4-day working week.

Of course, at the moment ‘working from home’ and ‘not working from home’ are not too dissimilar, but I made a conscious decision not to switch on any news or social media until at least lunchtime, and I think it made a big difference to my general anxiety levels. The sun helped a lot too.

Since I’ve had this unexpected time at home I’ve dusted my guitar off and started practicing a little bit every day. For some reason the song I’ve had stuck in my head over the last week has been ‘Opus 40’ by Mercury Rev, so that’s what I’ve been teaching myself. So far, I’m doing a pretty average job of it, but it’s been a fun way to pass some time! Puffin the cat is still on the fence about it...

Here’s what the song should actually sound like (great video too!)... https://youtube.com/watch?v=fusKcZjj7dg

It comes from the 1998 album ‘Deserter’s Songs’ - the NME declared it the ‘album of the year’ that year, and I believe they were correct in their assessment. It’s a great album which still stands up! Note for music nerds: The drums on this particular track were played by Levon Helm of The Band.