2: Unrealistic Deadlines

As a freelancer it's easy to disregard every feeling that you might be working too hard because:a) You're doing a job other people tell you they'd much rather do,b) You chose to live like this.I'm taking a moment to complain. This week has been relentless and left me relatively unable to write creatively, thanks to a pod of submarines.The Submarine Client: A client who doesn't pay on time, asks for the moon in a tight pair of pants and disappears for months, but resurfaces during your busiest times with an offer too good to refuse.I'd say no, but flattery and praise is on the cards.WePresent by WeTransferIf you've ever used WeTransfer, you'll have noticed that the background of the site is usually papered with distracting photography, art and design. I bit this week and clicked the "read more" link, and realised I'd been missing out on a chunk of pristine alt culture writing and documentary #content for, potentially, years.Here are my faves from an impromptu deep dive:

• The new wave of exhilarating new Spanish musicians and artists. You might already know I'm a Spanish language music obsessive. This article is fizzing with energy and goes some way into explaining why.

• Marco Aguello's photo doc on the absurd, beautiful world of shokuhin sampuru -- Japanese plastic food art -- and the artisans who spend years perfecting their craft. The best part for me is how he's chosen to use harsh flash in his photos, otherwise how would we know the food wasn't real?

My Stuff

• I'm heading to Amsterdam for Carnivale Brettanomyces today. I hate flying. Read this from Original Gravity on how airport beer gets me on the plane. (pp22--23)

• I had a very drunken trip out on the East Lancs Steam Ale Rail Trail last weekend. My hot tips if you're planning the same thing will be ready in time for next week's newsletter.

Stuff I Liked This Week

• Alistair Humphrey's My Midsummer Morning got bumped to the top of my "to read" list."I appreciated the slowness of walking in a fast world. It is the ancient way of travel, and even technology cannot help. Only persistence and effort make an impact...You learn a lot about someone by hiking in the hills."

• In this by Ciaran Thapar, food is what connects us, and what individually defines us too.

• Cooking With Ntozake Shange: Valerie Stivers cooks recipes from Shange's work, as part of her "Eat Your Words" series.

• This "whole fruit experience" of a piece on citrus by Tim Anderson