happy anniversary to my blog

... is what I will be saying very soon. That's right, only 33 days to go until this blog is a year old. What a great year it's almost been. I'd take you through some of the highlights but I don't need to as they are all here for you to browse at your whim.
However seeing Joe Dolce on Where Are They Now has made me nostalgiac for things one is nostalgic about. Before there were blogs there were diaries. I never been very good at keeping diaries of past events except at times of great stress when for some reason I feel the need to memorialise my angst. I do however always have an appointments diary and I have kept them (future biographers take note) all the way back to 1994. Of course when I open my diary for March 12 1994 it is blank. For March 12 1995 it is just strange. It says 'Bass player - P'matta Rd. Smithy's.' These are music shops but why would I want to go to either of them? I can't play bass or anything like that. I am pretty sure that in fact I never have been in either of those establishments. I do see that only a few days prior (but I am sure unconnectedly) The Cannanes played at a club in Woollongong called Tsunami, supporting the Earthmen. My main memory of this was that the Earthmen, who were pretty popular at the time, specifically asked if they could play before The Cannanes because they said they were big fans and they wanted to relax and enjoy our show. Then after they played they left. There weren't many other people around. There were a lot of people outside the venue in the street.
On the 13 March 1995 I returned two books on the history of New Zealand to the library and I have the note to self 'Pesto'.
12 March 1996 is totally blank, as is that whole week. I was in the US touring with The Cannanes.
One thing that seems odd when going through old diaries is the number of people that I seemed to regard as close enough friends that they're coming over to do things with me, or they're having exhibitions I'm going to see, or whatever and now I can't remember for the life of me who they are, with any certainty. For instance in March 1994 someone called Barry is coming over to watch some of my It's Garry Shandling's Show videos. A few Barrys spring to mind but I didn't know I was ever close enough to any Barry to share in that way.
Anyway, that's my diaries from the early to mid-90s. Thanks for caring. If three people comment that they would prefer not to read anything more from my old diaries here, I will put them in a plastic box under the house for the silverfish OK.