I successfully managed to get through my most tiring non-Fringe week in years without getting ill.
Then just as I was about to taunt the illness gods, they struck me down on the following Monday. Although I’m not sure they would be so powerful if it wasn’t for the drop in temperature.
My busy week consisted of three comedy gigs, one very sweaty Darkness gig, working full-time office hours and my gran’s 90th birthday gathering. Rock n roll.
There was a definite lack of energy in almost everything I did and I didn’t do particularly well at any of my gigs; but this was also partly due to difficult circumstances and audiences with little invested in being there.
At The Darkness gig, I don’t know if it was due to being in my advanced 20s or tiredness from other sources, but 30 seconds after I entered the mosh pit I was really struggling for breath. I don’t remember it being this difficult when I was 19, but this is when I was a student and often had very little else to do during the day.
At the end of the gig, I found one of the band’s plectrums on the floor. The 19-year-old me would have been delighted with this, so I will send a message back through time that this is what awaits him in the future. I’ll avoid revealing too much else about his future, because I don’t want to spoil things/leave him disappointed.
I still have a drawer full of Darkness memorabilia, including magazines, tickets and every CD released. In 2003-2004 at the height of the band’s fame, I thought this collection would be worth a lot in the future. As things stand, this is looking unlikely. Still, it has been a while since I have been able to add anything to it and there is always an outside chance that stock will rise again. Pessimism is bad for market confidence.