Mixed

There was mayhem at Hove Station this morning, with last-minute changes of platform being announced, and people running all over the place looking slightly confused. But for my money, the most irritating thing about Hove Station is its ticket machines. They're "touch sensitive," which means you have to stand there for hours, stabbing at an unresponsive screen, whilst the people behind you tut and sigh. Unfortunately West Worthing isn't on the machine's list of most regularly visited stations, neither is it on the first page of the other train stations which start with the word "West," so a traveller is forced to type in letters to spell the station name one by one, waiting an age whilst the machine responds. The tickets get spewed out into a little compartment at the bottom of the machine with a vicious flap designed to instantly flay the back of one's hand. There's also a special little crack on the left hand side of the compartment, just big enough for your ticket to get stuck in. It's hideous!

The studio was slightly slower and more complicated than I thought it would be today. We spotted that one or two of the singers hidden in the mix had made one or two dreadful noises one or two occasions! Listening back to one particularly awful shrieking sound, I said to PK, "gosh it's like white noise." He nodded, wincing, and then said, "oh, I don't know... You can shape white noise! This singer shapes you!"

How wonderful to receive a text message from my mate Iain at 3.50pm today to tell me that gay marriage is now legal in all U.S. States. It's San Fransisco Pride this weekend: what a wonderful present for all those people. That'll be the party to end all parties. Things really are changing for the LGBT community. I could weep when I think about how long I was forced to lie and hide in my younger years. To have gone from that to hearing news like today's is remarkable and a true antidote to the misery being caused by religious extremists in the rest of the world today. The gays might be going to hell, but we're going to make life on Earth a damn sight better than those who believe in heaven.

As if there weren't already enough to celebrate, at 6pm, PK and I finished mixing the Pepys Motet. We're going to take the weekend to potter and ponder. He'll maybe cast a bit of extra sonic sparkle over the piece by tweaking a few levels and things, but it's essentially done and I think (just think) it might be just a little bit extraordinary! It's certainly not one for the faint-hearted, or for anyone who likes their music strictly on the "background music" spectrum. This piece demands to be listened to. It's conceptual, so many of the movements flow on from one another, but if you go to the effort of sitting down to listen with a cup of tea and a pair of headphones, then I'm quite sure rich rewards will be on offer.

I obviously chose the wrong time to return to London, judging by the sheer number of people who got on the train at Gatwick airport. There were suitcases and people everywhere, stuffed into all the aisles, spattered against windows and hand rails. A lot of people must arrive in London in the early evening of a Friday night, which I suppose makes sense. Doesn't make traveling much fun though...