January 23rd  2003: Alright already. It’s the kind of day that makes up for the rest of January and February. Sunshine over Sheffield and just enough nip in the air to keep you moving. Today Sandman is gloriously, stupidly happy for no other reason than the weather’s nice and we love doing this.

The long way into the office today: Up Eccy Road into Broomhill and a brief nose around Record Collector (sounds like that Camper Van Beethoven box set was a limited edition release. Bugger) then down into the city centre to pick up some photographs. Keep bumping into Sandman contributors and various friends. Everyone seems more energetic than usual.

[This Sandman] used to live abroad and moved around a lot. There was always something exciting about arriving somewhere new late at night and having to wait while morning to explore. Today’s a bit like that, even though we’ve been here for years; the first day for ages where we can wander around looking up and around rather than down (although the loose change we’ve found since winter drew in has kept us in tabs to an extent). It’s not beautiful, Sheffield, but it’s solid and under the ultraviolet even looks gracious. Mind you, cover the Roxy in glitter and it would still look like a giant, crap box.

Then we go via the Leadmill to pick up the advert then off past St Mary’s and off to work, if you can call it that. It’s a funny world we inhabit at the moment. Music seems to leak out of every pore of every old stone wall of every Little Mester. Everywhere we go there’s something on in the background. We’ve kind of boxed ourselves into a situation where everyone we meet is something to do with music. Everywhere we go we seem the same faces but the multiplicity of ideas and execution is what makes it interesting. Right now there are interesting people doing interesting things. Some are hoping to secure their pensions, others are glazed with the intensity of the hobbyist and maybe there are a few who are doing it because, like breathing, they can’t stop it.

Today’s a day where the shit is manageable. The cynicism, the greed and the sheer grind of being skint seems a fair trade for the music and the people, the passion, the intelligence and the art. A bagful of CDs, a kettle, lots of distracting people and a magazine to put together, Nice. Ask us another day and we’ll be whinging, but today? Alles gut, alles klar.

Gut things: Today. Stuff we’ve heard this month from Hawley, Hiem, Atlantic Sounds and lots of others. Benno asking, “What was the fat one in Little & Large called?” Planning the Sandman night at the Casbah on the 26th February. Our lovely new office. Nice people too.

Bad things: Today? Nothing.