Amsterdam airport have a new toy. It’s a funky 3D body scanner. So now you not only have to take off your shoes, take off your belt, take out your computer, leave behind your deodorant, leave behind your bottles of water so you’re smelly and de-hydrated on the flight, but now they also search your wallet. I asked what they were searching for and they said “Can’t tell you ,security”. I guess credit cards can be used as weapons now. I wouldn’t mind so much if it wasn’t for the fact I’m paying for the privilege. With airfares double what they were last year it’s not just fuel the “surcharges” are paying for. Plus it isn’t any more secure at all, just buy a first class ticket there are no body scans there. It makes you feel like the terrorists have already won.

The flight was cool, I always like intercontinental flights as it’s about the only time I feel I don’t have to be working all the time. I was reading Alex James’ “bit of a Blur”. It’s a good book and I thought it was pretty cool. Then I realised I’m being paid by a Japanese university to do a gig in Tokyo. Which is also kinda cool.

Touch down, a bit of a rest, a trip to the music stores to see what new keyboards there are, then a dinner meeting with my mastering engineer. With the CDs I write and produce all the music but before they are pressed at the factory they have to be “mastered”. Which basically means they get a sprinkling of magic dust, that takes them from sounding “pretty good” to being “blimey, did I do that?”. I’ve been working with the same guy over the internet for eight years but we’d never actually met. So it was great today to finally meet up, have a beer and realise he and his wife are really cool people. Cool. Then an early night before the jet lag kicked in.