Klez

One Street: Market Square, Shipley #46

Well that was a tough week!

It's been another intense day but I've been better about staying focussed on the job in hand. I think that's the big trouble when you're overwhelmed with tasks, each important and demanding of your attention, that you end up never being completely present to the moment because of the constant buffeting from distraction. It's like all those tasks are shouting to be heard, trying to hijack what you're currently doing. That's certainly how it feels. I find it quite debilitating.

I'm not really cut out for this kind of thing but I'm boxed into a corner at the moment. When my last business attracted some serious venture capital money I was subjected to a day of psychometric testing - to prove, in the first instance, that I was good value, but also for the investors to find out how best to utilise my skills. I was rather pleased to end up with the best score in mathematical reasoning that they'd ever seen, but actually even more delighted to hear that I should never be put in charge of anybody. They were quite unequivocal. I should never be allowed to manage! The advice was to stick me in a quiet corner by myself and just let me come up with ideas.

Did they heed that advice? No, of course not. The suits really don't understand that kind of thing. The ironic thing is that I did have some great ideas but they weren't interested in them. When I was ousted from that business I took those ideas with me and they represent the seeds from which this current business has grown. That was over ten years ago now. I've made such a huge investment in time and energy in this software that I have to see it through. I'm in too deep. With too much responsibility. It's been a research and development program for most of that time but now we have to try and make some money. The business kind of owes me. It's not something I can really walk away from.

So that's a bit of context to my current problems. Although I've had little time to get out with the camera I've still managed to get in a position of being spoiled for choice today. In fact, this has been the hardest decision to make for quite a while. Once again, after getting back home the sky started to do interesting things and I took a run up to Rocky Valley to watch events unfold. I was able to be fully present to the moment for the first time all day. I've got some dramatic shots but they've lost out to this street photo I took at lunchtime - which I rather love.

I really am far more drawn to street photography than the landscape photography right now. These are two members of Klez, a Klezmer band, who were busking together today (Jazz and Sian). You may remember that I blipped another of the band in Serenade last week. They have a great sound. They've adopted me as their biggest fan. A lot of my loose change lately has ended up in that clarinet case!