July 26, 2016

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Today, the age of VCR (Video Cassette Recorders) came to an end. Manufacturing has ceased. On Thursday evening, at a Chinese restaurant in Manchester, a TV monitor flipped between a blue screen and a scene showing one of the business’ holding bays, out-back. The ‘footage’ appeared to be in either fast forward or reverse mode (which I deduced from the tell-tale lines across the screen), as though someone was frantically looking for something on the recording. Figures scurried past the CCTV camera; cars arrived and departed. A speculation on my part. For, for all I knew, this was a digital rather than a video image, no one was inspecting the ‘tape’, and the camera’s feed and the monitor were just glitching. My interpretation of the phenomenon was a fantasy. And I didn’t want to hear the true explanation. Some mysteries need to be preserved. (I enjoy not knowing, sometimes.)

9.15 am. Off to the surgery to continue research and development on Project Body:

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On this occasion, the waiting room screen either blanked out or ‘ghosted’, periodically. This was unusual, I was told. (Maybe, it’s me!) The surgery is clinical in the wrong sense of the word: arid and unconsoling; not a space you want to hang around in. The walls are void of visual interest. (Noticeboards and information posters don’t count.) The silence, however, was filled with the often aggressive and dance-orientated pap pumped out by Radio 1 over the speakers. This is not the backdrop you’d want to return to, having been told by GP that you’ve developed a serious illness.

10.30 am. Back on the booklet trail, with journey’s end visible on the far horizon. 12.30 pm. A surprise visit from two old family friends. They stayed for lunch.

Afternoon. At the School, I held the first of two MA Fine Art interviews.

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The first inquirer was professional, freelance graphic artist and illustrator. During their career, they’d designed album covers for the Rolling Stones, Black Sabbath, Status Quo, Uriah Heep, and … :

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(No relation.) The second inquirer wished to pursue an MA across fine art and music/sound. All in all, some interesting prospects ahead.

Audio-visual engineers have been upgrading the equipment in all the seminar room and the lecture theatre. At the close of the afternoon, I responded to further postgraduate applications.

Evening. Having completed the text insert, I began my first pass over The Aural Bible II section of the booklet. It’s remarkable that – for all the due care and attention that I’d lavished on text formatting, line by line, page by page – there’re so many inconsistencies and woeful errors to be found still:

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