Some groups that I play with are quite politely described as LOADED! No expense is spared for their musicians, 5 star hotels, travel, and generous food allowances... in addition to our every minor need taken care of, as well as the salary and all of tat...

... but other groups are a little less loaded. And that means that they are trying to scrape by with every little thing that they can. No problem, I'm not really that fussy at all... I know that some other colleagues can be a bit precious about their perks. But as long as there is a bed, bathroom, and electricity.... I'm generally pretty happy.

I've been in some pretty run down Airbnbs and motels during my career... and this time, it isn't the worst... on a busy street opposite a police station, and with thin single pane windows... I'm pretty sure that this place is a converted office block, and there are holes in the walls... most of the renovations are pretty interesting, probably the same as if I were to try my hand at it... and a few exposed wires and all of that.

But at least it is central and close to the rehearsal space... and then also near lots of a restaurants and cafes as well.

The walls are pretty thin... I'm pretty sure that it would be a bad idea to practice in this room as it would likely be annoying for the other people all around, but that is okay, I've got lots of admin and logistics stuff to do for our ensemble and also some music transcription to do as well.

At least this place doesn't have mice or rats, or cockroaches... I've been in places that have been a little dodgy on the pest side of things... but on the other hand, there was a pest eradication notice in the lift. So, I'm not sure if there will a little bit of a surprise in the middle of the night!

... but all this aside, I would rather that I stay at a cheap motel or airbnb instead of being billeted with an ensemble or group family/benefactor. After a long day of rehearsal and a really early morning travel (about 4 in the morning...)... the last thing that I want to do is to talk to anyone.

Just a nice drink, an early dinner, a couple of episodes of Scrubs.. and I'm due for a very very early sleep!

Not always glamourous, but still... I wouldn't have it any other way!

Handy Crypto Tools

Ledger Nano S/X: Keep your crypto safe and offline with the leading hardware wallet provider. Not your keys, not your crypto!
Coinbase Wallet: Multi chain wallet with lots of opportunities to Learn and Earn!
Binance: My first choice of centralised exchange, featuring a wide variety of crypto and savings products.
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GMX.io: Decentralised perpetual futures trading on Arbitrum!
Coinbase: If you need a regulated and safe environment to trade, this is the first exchange for most newcomers!
Crypto.com: Mixed feelings, but they have the BEST looking VISA debit card in existence! Seriously, it is beautiful!
CoinList: Access to early investor and crowdsale of vetted and reserached projects.
Cointracking: Automated or manual tracking of crypto for accounting and taxation reports.
KuCoin: I still use this exchange to take part in the Spotlight and Burning Drop launches.
MEXC: Accepts HIVE, and trades in most poopcoins! Join the casino!
ByBit: Leverage and spot trading, next Binance?
OkX: Again, another Binance contender?