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It's really good to be home. I feel so much happier and in control being back here and noticeably didn't have to stuff my face with snacks and rubbish to get through the day. I haven't got any non-podcast work in the diary at the moment and so for the first time in a while I am not having to hit a writing deadline and I am thinking of taking it easy until the end of the year. If doing five or more podcasts a week and promoting a book can be considered taking it easy. Which it can.
I can just read books for the book club and research my guests and practice making my dummies blink. And get out and do some running as I have two half marathons coming up in two months. What?
Something will come along to ruin it all and make me have to do some proper work. But it's quite something that I have made comedy into a cottage industry that I can do from home if I need to or if monkey pox becomes extra virulent.
I have been considering a return to stand up, but after this not even a month away from home, followed by the feeling of peace that has come from being home, I am not sure I want to get into something that will take me away from all this. I am sure this will pass. I am not quite ready to lay down and die yet. But maybe for the next four months I can prioritise happiness and family over stress.
The only fly in the tranquility ointment is trying to book the September RHLSTPs though I have got Pierre Novellie for the 5th September (and badgers if you look in your secret area you can see one of the guests for the 28th October - top level plussers will get the news in the next email). Pierre is pedantic and witty so I think this will be '` very good RHLSTP that you should see live if you can. I know it might feel a safer bet to go for the bigger names, but the less known acts are often the ones at the top of their game. So take a punt. Note that recent excellent guests Amy Gledhill and Seannnn Walsh have both been nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Award. I bring you the stars of the future.
Confirmed guests and ticket links here.
I had planned to hit the ground running - literally as I thought I'd try to get 6km or so under my belt in the morning, but in the end I decided to ease into things a bit more. I recorded some reads for the podcast and emailed people about the podcast and went to the supermarket and started reading Marina Hyde's book ahead of an upcoming book podcast. It's just her columns from the last six years, but as it opens with the assassination of Jo Cox and the Brexit vote, it's obvious that it's going to be a pretty incredible (and funny, though tragic) account of an extraordinary period in British history. If you want to relive it. It already feels unbelievable the amount of stuff that happened and I'm only just passed the Brexit vote,.
Relativity series 4 starts on Radio 4 at 11.30am on 2nd September, but you can of course listen to it on BBC Sounds at a more convenient time.
RHLSTP with Janeane Garofolo went up today. It's episode 400 (though including Edinburgh shows and specials I've done well over 500 of these fucking things). A real honour to talk to her for an hour (plus I got an extra 15 minutes after it was over, which was even more illuminating.
