The Hit Factory is alive and well

And so, with a swish and a shake, he's back.

It's been a while people, but hopefully the end of the self-imposed hell is now in sight. 

As I think I might have mentioned a couple of hundred times in my life, the problem with being self-employed is the craziness of it all. I left my job in the government because, well, quite frankly, I hated the people I worked for. Never satisfied, always taking credit for other people's work for themselves, seeing everyone and everything as a threat. 

So I decided to go it alone, and I haven't regretted it for a second. But when you are trying to establish yourself - and unless you are the most self-confident person in the world or, perhaps, the most brilliant, that is always - you accede to relentlessly insane requests and do it with a smile on your face.

And, most of the time, I enjoy it. But for the past 6 weeks, I have had four major contracts, none of which could be sub-contracted, all at the same time. A big writing gig, a huge editing contract with new Middle East clients, two massive English to French translations... and then I have also volunteered my services to edit a book.

Well, let's face it, there's no way I am writing my own, so I may as well...

Today was a sort of watershed. I sent off the last of the contracts, have almost finished the pro bono work, and John Spillane was giving a concert at De Barras pub in Clonakilty.

The bastard. As if it isn't hard enough living life without knowing it is going on wonderfully for other people elsewhere... He did a live performance of his Wells of the World album, one of the first he put out. And it was, of course, brilliant. And it took me back to December, and the Cork trip I did with my friend raheny_eye and Mark & Sarah, and I sort of got the maudlin (or is that magdalen?) mood on, which wasn't helped by the fact that Mrs. Ottawacker and Ottawacker Jr. have decamped to places north to see father/grandfather for a couple of days.

So I sat, and ended up watching Song of Granite, and wondering whether the sean-nós style would work in English, and if it did, might I not be the perfect proponent to do it?

Anyway, so many thoughts, so little time. I'll try and catch up a little on the myriad missed days, and promise I'll be back tomorrow. 

It's been emotional.