Slightly Better

The planetary misalignment has been extremely strong the past few weeks, but I sense that it is very slowly shifting back to normality. Finally received the piano funds from Indiegogo, over a month after the campaign ended. Wouldn't recommend for the future. They take a large cut of what you raise in exchange for extremely slow service and no assistance promoting the project. Don't see the point of them when a PayPal donate button's free.

Still, that means we're good to go. Chillington are working on the string frame, the hammers have arrived in Nairobi awaiting collection, and I'm coming to the end of an online African entrepreneurship course which teaches you to write a business plan to pitch to their investors. An interesting exercise, but it's kind of left me wondering whether we need any investment. It's a pretty self-funding product, hopefully. 

Above is our logo. Hoping to get it embossed on every frame we forge.

Definitely know pianos are the way forward. I took a quick development job that a friend put me onto. It was with one of the world's largest international development agencies, funded by one of the world's riches economies...

• Three days having a cyclical argument about an unnecessary withholding tax (which would have cut my pay by 15%), for half a day's training delivery
• Contract delivered for signing twenty minutes after the training began
• Refuse to accept invoices via e-mail, have to print them out, take them to an office (no directions given), to be told it's the wrong office, to be sent to the right office, to discover everybody's gone to lunch and not a single member of staff is authorised to sign for the invoice

To say I lost my shit is putting it mildly. I may not have discharged myself with grace.

Knew there was a reason I left development, now I remember there were about 150. The older I get, the more relaxed I am about a lot of things, but getting dicked about over payment isn't one of those things. I think any international development agency that can't figure out how to accept an invoice by e-mail in the 21st century should be banned from using the word 'development' in anything they do.

The annoying thing is, there was the suggestion of further work. I've been rewatching Neil Gaiman's speech about 'closer to the mountain,' and it resonates. As he put it, the things he did only for the money didn't leave him feeling fulfilled, and half the time he didn't get the money either. 

After the tax hit I recently took, my accountant felt so sorry for me, he's offered me pity work. We had lunch the other day and ended up chatting about politics, religion and travel for almost four hours. I like my accountant. Happy to work for him.

Finally back on the right financial course, and just found out I'm owed about £450 of my own money. Thought I was burning through cash a bit fast, but turns out, when I went to buy cat food last week, the lady accidentally added an extra zero. We bulk buy pet food when it's available, because most of the year it isn't. Instead of charging me £54, she debited £540!

Glad I caught that one. Refund's on its way.

But that's why I think the run of ickyness is coming to an end. The bad luck happened, but it's undone. Things are starting to arrive where they're supposed to, projects are back on track. 

Had a slightly sad encounter. Rescued this little cutie from my kittens.

 

It's coelonia fulvinotata, a type of Hawkmoth. Tried feeding it every kind of plant I could find in my garden and CasaKeza, but couldn't work out what it ate, so I've just released it in the buses beyond the cats. I really hope it finds its favourite plant and makes it to mothood.

Been spending a lot of time at CasaKeza whilst Maia's away. Paymaster General in her absence. Cleared out her house so she can Airbnb it. The whole two-bedroom place cost around £3,000. I could easily live in something like that. Little plot of land on Lake Muhazi. Writer's cabin. Very nice idea.