Dave multitasking

Our hero was not one of those Dominican cats everybody's always going on about—he wasn't no home-runner hitter or fly bachetero, not a playboy with a million hots on his jock.

Much of the day is spent butchering the sheep that have been hanging since Sunday. Bagged, labelled, stacked in the freezer, it’s clear that we’ve got enough meat for a long, long time.

I'm back in town tonight for a gig. I meet Dave and Magda at Tuk Tuk for a great curry. I have a glass or two of red, but I’m driving home later, so that’s it. They live in town and have no such inhibitions.

Faust are playing at Summerhall, and the tickets say 8:00 on them. It turns out that it’s a traditional “Doors Open” time, with support before the main event at 9:30. We repair to the bar, where I bump into Tom and Gillian. “Here for Faust?” I ask. “No. We’ve been Lindyhopping upstairs.”

When it’s time to go to up to the gig we can’t find Magda. The wine, tequila and beer have settled in with the vermouth they were drinking earlier and she is feeling the effects. Dave calls her and guides her to the front door by phone. When the music starts, it takes control and she dances energetically, arms flailing. She only topples one drink, though, and makes friends throughout the audience.

The gig is much more enjoyable than I was expecting. Interesting, rhythmic electronics. The drummer has an arm in plaster, but one-armed he’s still formidable. The lead singer has a cold, but that just adds colour to his vocals. Among weird instruments that he uses is an electric drill (in hammer mode) and an angle grinder (spraying sparks high into the air). Oh, and his girlfriend/partner spends the whole of the gig sitting on the front of the stage, facing out into the audience, knitting - a woolly hat, which she finishes during the gig.

As the crowd clear out, I spot Gordy with the ubiquitous coterie. I’m not surprised to see him - in fact I was expecting to see more familiar faces. Anyhow, he’s off to collect Sarah from the station - which is only possible because he’s off the drink at the moment. And I’m off home.