There's a terrible theme that I’ve noticed reoccurring in my blogs. One in which I start with an apology for the lack of my online presence, and then attempt to justify it one way or another. But this time I’m not going to apologise. I haven’t been online that much because I’m a bit sick of technology.

If you don’t answer your mobile phone, the person on the other end gets angry and repeatedly calls back.. We carry phones so that we can be contacted and can contact others at our convenience! If it’s not a good time to speak, why should you feel obliged to pick up? I dunno, this is gonna sound like a rant, but I just get so overwhelmed with all this stuff. And everyday someone is telling me that I need to sign up to some other music site.. “Oh??” they’ll say. “You haven’t joined [Insert website with name ending in ‘…ster,’ ‘…blaster,’ ‘…bot’]?? That’s the future of music mate!!”

And that’s just the thing. Not it isn’t. The future of music is committed and talented people writing great songs that connect with people. That’s it. And that’s what it always has been. The means in which that music reaches people has drastically changed and is still changing. It always will. But if I’m sitting on a computer for 3 hours a day, attending to 10 different sites with my music on it, that’s just time I should be spending on writing music. Maybe that’s why so much new music is lacking in any real substance..The creators spend more time self-promoting than working on their songs! I’m sorry. I know it’s all about balance, but I haven’t found it yet. And truthfully, if you knew me on a personal level, you’d know I should probably be looking for balance in other areas first anyway.

I don’t want this to come across as me sounding cagey, because it’s not like that. I’m so flattered that people take the time to write me online, and I genuinely enjoy talking to people. I really value it. I don’t know. I just feel that for one day a year, we should shut down our computers and switch off our phones, open up the front door and just walk outside. Meet the neighbours. Maybe drink some beer and eat some food. I’d like that a lot.

In other news, I’ve just moved into a new flat in ..West Hampstead.. which is really fun. I’m living with an old friend of mine called Mazzy, and a friend of his from uni called Camilla. She’s really cool and bakes the best cupcakes. Our landlord called Roger is also great. He lives next door, and we talk over the fence when he’s gardening. I’ve just finished moving all my records across, and I got really sick the other night. Very strange. I was just hanging out, and I started to feel cold. About 3 hours later, I had a full-blown fever. I’m feeling a little better today, but my throat is still really swollen. I hope I feel better by this evening, as I’m meant to be catching a friend’s performance at a gallery event in Old St tonight. That should be fun.

Also, I know this might sound odd, but it made me really happy. I was going through some of my boxes that were shipped back from New York from when I moved back a year ago, (I’d been avoiding opening them for ages), and I found my bagel mug. The last surviving mug from a set I bought in ..Boston.. when I moved to America in ’03. It’s a big ceramic black white and purple thing with a rather abstract picture of a bagel on the side. It’s got all kinds of cracks on it, but it doesn’t leak. Kind of like a modern day miracle. You don’t have to share in my excitement, it’s ok. Just thought I’d let you know.

I don’t really feel like talking about my music right now. Just know that I have around 10 gigs coming up, which I’ll get listed later, and I’ve written some new songs. Maybe I’ll post a couple up. Right now I’m gonna eat some of the cereal formerly known as Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and make a cup of tea. But not in bagel mug, because it’s in the dishwasher. Adios.

Yours (Rantingly and slightly drugged up on the legal stuff),

Saul