The once-a-week bulletin you've come to ... expect.

Carnaval: four days dedicated to celebrate partying itself; the most self-referential holiday ever. I'm not a carnaval person by any measure. Like many, I usually take the opportunity to make trips, or just rest, as a "four day vacation" in the middle of February.

One year, though, (2000 or 2001, can't remember precisely) I decided to spend those four days recording music like crazy, to make up for the time I haven't been able to dedicate to that hobby -- to get that feeling of "I have all this stuff written that would be nice to have recorded if only I had the time" behind me. Since that feeling is kicking back, I decided to try to do the same this year. It did not work, but two music-related events made for a positive outcome.

• Making amends with the guitar
• The long missing chorus