Brad Spurgeon's Blog

I was starting to feel ill about four days without a post on this blog! I cannot remember the last time I went four days without a post. And really, it’s NOT my fault. It’s the fault of the Paris-in-the-month-of-August-syndrome. Well, all right, that combined with the fact that I am here in Paris during that month of August.

That does not mean that I have been doing nothing creative, no writing, no music, or any such nothings. I have been hugely active working on my book manuscripts, sending them out, editing my film, planning future projects, buying a new dish washer, shoes, clothes, a life….

But most of the open mics in Paris closed down for the August lull, so I had so much more time to tend to these other projects. Last night, finally, the four-day drought ended and I was able to go to…three open mics. I was late doing it, though, so I did not have time to stay longer than 30 seconds at the Tennessee Bar before I decided to go to the Coolin open mic, and I then followed that one – after my performance, and several other people’s – with the Galway pub open mic.

Despite the August lull – a time lots of people profess to like, but I now hate more than ever – there were lots of musicians at all the open mics. There were even spectators. So I played two songs at Coolin and four at the Galway, even trying out new songs I have learned – a Dylan and a Stones.

It was a nice evening that made me forget I was in August in Paris. Today was a “cold shower” of a wake up, though, when I ended up running into one August-related crappy situation after another as I sought to pick up those shoes at the cobbler’s and found them not ready; went to five stores in my neighborhood to find ink for my printer and the stores were either closed or did not want to serve me because it was August, and none had the ink; received my new dish washer only to find that all the cleaning of the floors I had done was now reduced to a muddy swamp with the exit of the old one leaking its dirty water and then finding that the delivery men had left their tools at the previous client’s place and had to leave and return to install the dish washer; going to Casino and finding there was only a half a box of dish washer salt and I need a full one; oh, I think there were other aggravations, but I’d better keep them to myself lest I have readers regretting that I have returned after a four-day lull!!!!