Last night, Lord Arux asked me to sing for him. “You promised you’d sing the John Cusack song,” he said. He’d been saying this for weeks and I’d been shyly putting him off. He’s a professional chanteur and music arranger. I’d just shown him lyrics for my song “Don’t Cry Baby Mithras Cos Jesus Stole Your Birthday,” and now he was extra doubly curious with chocolate sprinkles on top.

So, he sat on my bed with me and his guitar, and I laid on my stomach, feet kicked in the air — pretty much the worst singing posture in the history of vocal whotsits — and I sang. And sang. And sang some more. He was completely thrilled with each song — I sang maybe only three — and kept saying things like, “Oh, god! This is really good!”

We worked out the music — mostly anyway — for “Bone Black,” the pirate chantey that I wrote almost 12 years ago. I’ve always sang it a capella. Lord Arux seems keen on sharing it with a friend of his who he claims is a “much better” guitarist. I think it sounds kind of keen as is.

I have to say, that was really, really fun.

Today I’m house hunting and writing. Tally ho!