CDs I have never owned and correcting people.

Here is another entry from my Primary Five diary, when I would have been aged 10.

Tuseday 15th March
On Saturday I practising my french. I know up-to dix in french (that means ten.) And then I went to Motherwell and we got a Meatloaf CD called Hits out of Hell. and a new food procer [processor] and then we went to Burger King. I got a Kid Vid troll.
On Sunday I had to take my mum to a seat, she sat and did some sewing and Matthew, Dad and I did the tea.

Twenty-six year old David here. Well, what to make of that? To start with I don't own - or have ever owned - Hits Out Of Hell by Meat Loaf. There's the strong chance I wrote that there just to write the word 'Hell'. And why would I take my Mum to a seat? Was she incapable of going to a seat by herself for some reason? Confusing. I also wish it know that even though I spelled the word 'processor' incorrectly my teacher (in Primary Five that would have been Mrs. Bone) corrected it incorrectly. So I took this opportunity to correct her.

This has been a most welcome distraction from writing about the safeguards of implementing good quality care in a residential care setting, but I really must get back to that now.

Byegood!

February 28th, the first really nice day of the year.

… and I've been inside all day. It's been a good one though, my older brother moved out on Saturday and we have spent a lot of the day sorting through the stuff he left and putting stuff into boxes so Matthew can sort through it with ease on any return trips. On the plus side my lovely wee doggy (not a euphemism) has spent all day outside lapping up the sunshine and rolling around in glumps of sticky willy. I still don't know where she's finding it.

The downside of this tidying frenzy is that I got no work done. But as the house will be wonderfully silent for the day I will get loads done tomorrow. I also have a tutorial thingy tomorrow evening which should be fun. There might only be my tutor and I there, but a one on one tutorial may not be a bad thing.

What else has been happening? Oh, I was out on Friday at the O2 Academy (formally the Carling Academy) in Glasgow for a gig. Last time I was there was to see American singer/songwriter Ben Folds. This time I went to see American singer/songwriter Ben Folds. He was excellent and played an amazing set (including a solo version of Selfless, Cold And Compossed and a rocking' full band version of Army). His support act was very good also; a lady by the name of Kate Miller-Heidke. Here's a picture she took from the stage (you can see me, the bald dude near the front) and here's one of her videos (sadly, I can't embed it here).

Anyway. Must off. Got to pull a big bit of wood from a wall using nothing but my charm and my teeth. A like to set myself stupid goals.

Stranded in East Kilbride and other winter disasters.

Happy new year everyone! What with one thing and another I’ve been incredibly busy over the last few months. Since my birthday to be exact. So, where to start with what I’ve been up to?

Well, the big news I suppose is that I’m sort of back in education. I’m doing an Open University course and really enjoying it. It’s taxing the old brain, but I suppose that’s the plan. To date I’ve written three essays and got pretty good results for all of them, which makes me a happy panda. Tomorrow I’m off to Napier University for the first tutorial I can actually attend and hopefully a chinwag with other people on my course. All very fun.

Winter was hectic. We got the theatre back (less said about that the better) and I stage-managed the panto. This year we pulled off a cracking production of Sleeping Beauty. As with all theatre shows it was damn hectic but once I actually stepped back and thought about it, it was very enjoyable. It’s just the journey towards getting it on stage wasn’t very enjoyable. However, the panto sort of fed a common festive problem. Secret Santa.

I shall try and keep my tale of purchasing a Secret Santa gift brief.

Now, I am no longer hiding the fact that I colluded with the director of the show and rigged the Secret Santa. Nothing bad, but I just happened to pull my fellow backstage helper; props person extraordinaire - Jenny. Jen, among her other fine qualities, also happens to be my girlfriend. The downside of this cunning plan was that I had no idea what to buy her. Long story short, I went to Glasgow on the day that most of the west of Scotland got stuck in their cars. I ended up attempting a commute home with my father from East Kilbride. It took us five hours to do about a mile and a half. We ended up back at my Dad’s office where we spent the night.
I cannot complain about this. I had access to hot food and drinks, toilets and warmth. I was also relatively comfortable (sleeping on a floor does wonders for one’s back). This is far more than hundreds of others that night. I left Glasgow on Monday and 10.45am and managed to get home at 11.00am on Tuesday; the first night of the panto.

Fortunately I got a Secret Santa present. Thank you Lush.

I could go on. I could mention my Grandmother managing to break her hip. I could mention a pipe bursting bringing down the bathroom ceiling and flooding said bathroom. I could mention the director of the panto cracking a bone in her elbow the day after the show finished. I could mention the stressful and confusing Doctor Who Christmas special.
I could mention these things, but I won’t. I shall let everyone get on with their lives and I shall be back in touch really soon.

Promise!

The Classroom Diary of David Cochrane (Aged Nine).

It's my birthday today (I know; thank you. I am looking good for it, aren't I?) and I - like many other people on their birthday - found myself wondering what I was doing on this day seventeen years ago. Well, while up in the attic looking for something completed unrelated I happened upon my Classroom diary from Primary Five. So here is the entry from Monday the 6th of September 1993 complete with spelling mistakes. Enjoy!

Monday 6th of September 6/9/93
Today is my birthday. I got a pogo stick, Jurassic Park Jungle explorer, Alan Grant from Jurassic Park, a book on how to play the guitar and some lego. I've bulit the exploer allready and I had great fun doing it. The Jungle exploer has a D.N.A tester, dino-damage ponet and the sun-roof opens and the pumper comes off and so does the ponet.

Twenty-six year-old David back again. Well, I really loved Jurassic Park. When I was typing that out I felt a sudden surge of sympathy for my teacher having to read about thirty of those. Oh, 'ponet' is supposed to be 'bonnet' and 'the pumper' is a reference to the Jungle Explorer's bumper. You want to know two really tragic things? 1) I still have the pogo stick. I know exactly where it is and could be playing on it in less than a minute. But I can't because 2) I still can't do any more than four bounces on the damn thing.

I will be posting from this diary every so often because it's slightly stupid and funny.

Anyway, must off. I have stuff to do! Hope everyone has a good day. And I hope that my lovely lady-partner has a really good day as she starts college today. Go her!

**grunt**

Hello. How is everyone today? I have a cold, had next to no sleep (a whole hour and a half, go me!) and I’m currently a bit on the peckish side. Other than that I’m grand thanks. Where does the time go? Did you know it’s nearly my birthday? It’s crazy.

At the moment I’m involved in three (count ‘em; one, two, THREE) theatre shows. I entered into two of them by myself, i.e. I was asked to do them and I said yes and the other one I was drunkenly dragged into. And so it comes to pass. I’m stage managing the pantomime this year, the Juniors show next year and I’m singing on stage in a month and a half. Rather unsurprisingly the singing was the drunken decision.

I would be looking forward to it more if I knew the material and I could actually sing. My lady-partner assures me that not being able to sing is not a problem and - after one rehearsal - I’m beginning to believe her.

The panto (Sleeping Beauty) and the kids show (The Dracula Rock Show - vampires are SO in at the moment) are to take place in the newly refurbished Biggar Corn Exchange. And I can’t get excited about it. For anyone that’s been in the Corn Exchange pre-refurb you’ll know it had a great vibe. I don’t want to say it had a home-grown feel because that’s a little twee, but it kind of did. Now, having seen pictures of it, I can’t help but think it’s just going to be another hall. There doesn’t seem to be a ‘Wow’ Factor; it just looks a bit... clinical. But that’s just a personal gripe.

I’ll feel happier once the singing show’s over. Anyway must go and practice my sing in Italian.

I’m in way over my head.