My longest podcast episode ever: Episode 13 of Underwood and Flinch awaits you at the other end of the linked image below (in other words, click the pic to listen).

Hello all

Just a quick update concerning Episode 13, my Internet connection and things in general.

First the episode: the master recording is currently two hours in length and needs a lot of editing to get it down to the finished size, which I think will be about 45-50 minutes. I've already done a lot of editing and nearly got the first complete scene edited. What I may do in order to keep you good people happy is release the finished first scene on a BulletinCast that I'll then delete as soon as the full episode is completed and posted. Hey, I'll even open up my new fridge for inspection. Thoughts?

So how's the Internet connection? Well the line was connected last week, but it could only receive incoming calls - not make outgoing calls (good job Eircom). After a week of 'maybe it's your phone' nonsense, we've managed (after threatening action with the telecoms regulator) to coax British Telecom to come out and repair the line tomorrow morning. So, fingers crossed, we'll be ONLINE TOMORROW! Yaaaay

Thanks to all for the support, feedback and patience, and special thanks to Trillianne and Angel for their enjoyable banter and ongoing enthusiasm in the chatrooms. You're keeping the site's blood flowing just nicely

Just in case you're wondering, I'm still offline. Eircom, the Irish telecom company, didn't come last week to connect us. They haven't contacted us, and seemingly have no plans to either. We contacted the company whose phone / Internet services we want to use and they say Eircom do this all the time: they just don't turn up for the competitors. The only alternative seems to be to use Eircom, which is obviously what they want to happen. However, their charges are higher and they offer less in terms of 'free calls to... ' etc.  I intend to hang on for the competitors to win the day. Until then, I'll have to use other people's computers. It's a hassle, but I'm working out a system for my bandwidth scrounging. I'll keep you posted on developments.

Just a quick post as I'm writing on the run...

Episode 12 is now live:  Keith tells Michelle that he has been, sort of, 'involved' with Segei, while David and Ana share condolences, memories and serious doubts. Click to download / listen

More detailed post to follow on Monday (I'm away this weekend). Hope you enjoy the episode

Hello Listeners

I'm horribly sorry to report that I'm still offline and unable to podcast or update anything effectively. We had to wait over a week for the Irish telecom company (Eircom) to come out and connect us. They were supposed to come yesterday between 2 and 4.30 pm. They didn't, nor did they apologise or explain. This is because they are state  monopoly and have no competition (I'm talking about the company that do the connecting and line maintenance here, not the Internet service providers - needless to say, we aren't using them for this, which is maybe why they are treating us like we don't matter). Anyway - blah-blah-bitch-bitch - since we can't be in every day from 2 - 4.30pm to wait for them whenever they do feel like turning up, I don't know when we will be online again  Oh the torment.

Meanwhile, on the plus side, my new house is in order and I've been working on Episode 12 of U&F. I've written and recorded it, and at the moment I'm editing the sound file every evening with the hope of getting it online by the weekend. I'll most likely bring my laptop to work and use their wireless connection, though wireless signals in Ireland have a nasty habit of breaking and re-connecting without warning. If you're surfing, you may not notice this, but if you're uploading a podcast, trust me, you notice.

Anyway, one way or another, It'll be online by the weekend. Sorry for the wait and thanks as always for your patience.

Also, I've had some emails from people having trouble downloading One Among the Sleepless episode 1. This problem exists with Podiobooks only and I will fix it (wait for it....) as soon as I'm back online. Meanwhile, use the U&F itunes feed to access all my stuff, present and past all the way back to Sleepless #1. And if you don't use iTunes, just hit this link: http://media.libsyn.com/media/mikebennett/Sleepless-01.mp3 to get OAtS 1 until the Podiobooks file is repaired.

Cheers for now

Mike

Groan. The day I have been trying to ignore on the calendar has come: I'm moving house. Only a few miles down the road, but still, moving is moving. Last time I did this I managed to give  myself a hernia carrying boxes / TV etc down 7 flights of stairs when the lift was out of order in our old building. This morning we've just discovered we don't have enough boxes. Wonderful. The moving guy (a man-with-a-van) gets here at 6pm. That means I have to stop doing this immediately and go to the supermarket to get some more. After today I'll be offline until our new place gets an Internet connection, so if you post / email and I don't reply, forgive me, I'm probably lying on my back a few miles down the road nursing a fresh hernia calamity :-)

Episode 11: Chapter 8 concludes with both Jose Almonte and David learning what waits for them in the dark.  Click the image below for direct download of the MP3.

This is my old band, The Premonitions, filmed at Windsor Arts Centre (England) in January 1989.  I had to film this off my TV screen because I lack proper video capture technology. The original soundtrack didn't make it, so I synced it to an old demo tape of ours. What's the song about? A ghost, naturally.

The Premonitions: The Burning Man (1989)

Mike Bennett (vocals), Chris Hurst (guitar), Steve Chapman (bass), Luc Woods (drums)

Episode 10: Lydia meets with the Black Circle and David meets with his worst nightmare.

This episode is part two Chapter 8, which is the biggest chapter so far and represents the climax to the first quarter of the book as a whole... Or is it the first eighth? I can't tell; it's organic, it's like trying to determine the ultimate size of a young Virginia Creeper.

Click the image to connect direct to the MP3

http://media.libsyn.com/media/mikebennett/UF_Episode_10.mp3