Work and Play

Tuesday 17th June 2014

Writing for All group went over to Wharton Park, wrote pages of notes. Dog-tired after staying up late to do a booklet. Evening class went okay. Hitting that mid-course point where people want more story. So we’ll focus on location, dialogue and conflict next time. Home by ten. Good to get message from Jenni: the bank have refunded half money they took in charges. Should have been all, but better than the nothing Jen thought it would be. Haven’t read any Viv Albertine. Waiting list for it apparently, reckon my loan time will be up before I can get through it. Cheese on crust and a peanut butter sandwich for supper. Pleased to be through today. Tomorrow not so hard. 10.29 pm.

Wednesday 18th June 2014

Awake at four. Did the morning pages and some lesson plan stuff before breakfast. Wrote about the all-day breakfasts that I rarely eat these days. Thought I’d be wrecked this afternoon but the sessions went well. Great day. Really warm. Enjoyed working with the evening group. Dilation of a moment in time, Between the Lines and Golden Shovel poems…

Tomorrow is my last MIND session for a couple of weeks. Hopefully I’ll be able to ride a bike or longboard in the afternoon or evening. Porridge with strawberries for supper, doubt I’ll get Viv Albertine read before deadline. I’m beat, word-wise, all played out. But in a good mood. 10.38 pm.

Thursday 19th June 2014

Great session at MIND as usual. The Consett writers are probably the most enthusiastic group I’ve had the pleasure of working with. Some mint Dilation of moment in time pieces. Had a contact lens test at lunchtime. No change in prescription. Ten minutes: twenty-five quid. Still, better than blindness. Made a return trip into town for extra food supplies then had a rest.

Loving the longboard. Blackhill Park again this evening. Since I was nine I’ve pushed with my front foot, which apparently is odd. In order to footbrake you need to use your back foot. So switching styles is like trying to write neatly with your non-dominant hand. Getting more confident with tight heelside carving at higher speed. Leaning out into a sharp toeside turn I feel like I’m going to face-plant. Getting better though. 11.06 pm.

Friday 20th June 2014

Bit achy this morning but joints are okay. Most of my work time has been number-crunching. Like to get my tax return done as soon as possible. I’ll post it tomorrow. Not going to Jen’s coz she’s gigging and workshopping Saturday and Sunday and I have lots of work here. Will try to get an hour on my board in the morning though coz it’s International Go Skateboarding Day. Watched some high-speed sliding online. It’s going to be a while before I have the guts to rip fast enough to try. Listened to some Black Flag songs whilst typing earlier. Think I’ll be in bed soon. Might get to read something. Bit tired of the workload though. Only two weeks of term left and still so much to do. Want to make a good little chapbook this summer. Turn it round in a week. Chapbook size. OK. 10.19 pm.

Saturday 21st June 2014

“Happy Go Skateboarding Day!” - I’m way behind on my workload but didn’t want the day to pass uncelebrated. Chuffed to cruise and carve from the top of the park near Consett to the bottom at Blackhill without taking a foot off the board. Done by 10.30 am. Can’t remember much since then save required reading and layout for Poetry Jam. Big stay in and work tomorrow. Early to bed… 10.25 pm.

Sunday 22nd June 2014

Up at seven to put in a full day of work prep for penultimate week of term. Did lesson plans and feedback online. Listened to Toyah whilst working. Washed some stuff in the sink. Watched the final episode of Fargo tonight. Okay but the series was a bit long-winded. Was hoping to get to Jen’s but still a lot to plan. Burnt on work. 10.22 pm.

Monday 23rd June 2014

A day of mixed ideas and energy flying all over. Student papers one minute, garden the next. Layout for book cover. This evening out on the bike for an hour. The mud of last week has dried up. Rode the river trail then Shotley Bridge to Ebchester and back along the Derwent Walk. Listened to Warrior Rock by Toyah Wilcox when I got back. Internet connect slow tonight. Online stopwatch wouldn’t work. I have a couple of set choices for Edinburgh next week. Variations on the 10 minutes I did at Head of Steam last November then there’s the first half of my MATERIAL set from February. I still have a few loose ends for Waddy work. Pleased to get the booklet done for Chris Hill. Will run one off tomorrow and see what he thinks. Will try to get to Waddy early. Lots to prep. Ok. 11.05 pm.

Tuesday 24th June 2014

Okay, so I got in 75 minutes ago and should really be in bed now. Long day, seems about six or seven hours of planning went into my sessions. Listened to classics from Armitage and Duffy this afternoon. Good to revisit Book of Matches and Meantime. Had a nice korma from a can with microwave rice before evening class. I talked a bit about the drive to write, quoted Tony Wilson on Joy Division: “They were onstage because they had no fucking choice!” We looked at some Natalie Goldberg stuff, some Lavinia Greenlaw, Janice Galloway and Nev Clay. A good session but didn’t get through all I’d planned. Only one full-on week left. Two sessions tomorrow. Hoping to longboard on Thursday before going to Jen’s then on to JibbaJabba. So hot in the house tonight. Ok. 11.16 pm.

Wednesday 25th June 2014

Bit of a headmash of a day, to be honest. Started well and with good intentions, but some very frustrating moments regarding paperwork. Square pegs, round holes, the usual. Had a pretty good evening session. Going over Armitage and Duffy again. Guy on the bus home calling someone a two-faced bastard. I looked round. He appeared to be having an argument with himself… I still have a ton of paperwork. Hoping to put a big dent in that over the weekend. Hope Jen is okay. Haven’t seen her for ten days. Will be at JibbaJabba tomorrow though. Think I’ll buy Paper Aeroplane by Simon Armitage in September, a new and selected spanning 25 years. Nice one. 11.08 pm.

Thursday 26th June 2014

After the mega-stress of yesterday I took the decision to do a bit of longboarding this morning. Took me a little while to warm up. Trucks seemed loose today, but the kingpins were tight. I’m starting to get the back wheels to slide a fraction when I ride fast. And my footbraking is getting better. Had a couple of near-spills due to speeding down the park’s central path instead of carving off round the side routes. All this technical mumbo jumbo will mean nothing to most, but I’m pleased I decided to pursue my interest. Reckon I’ll learn stuff a lot quicker during my summer break. Made up a 100-page signature block for tomorrow’s Home Town Slog. Will attach the hard cover after it is filled. Looking forward to Jibba tonight. PolarBear, Jess Holly Bates, Keith Jarrett, Helen Burke and Awkward George. Meeting Jenni at the venue. Hope it’s a good turn out. 5.58 pm.

Friday 27th June 2014

Home Town Slog sheer hell today. Knew I was too tired for it the moment I work up. Me and Jen got back late after a superb JibbaJabba, so I only had about five and a half hours sleep. Nearly tore the book up about page 48 but kept going regardless. Blown away by ex-biketrials rider Martyn Ashton’s determination to ride a motorcycle despite being paralyzed from the waist down. Last month he went out in a canoe. He also rides a hand-bike. I met him at a trials demo at Team Valley Halfords in 2004/5. He chatted for about five minutes and was keen to see my Zoo Pitbull bike – which I didn’t have with me – as the frame was a similar design to his. Totally top bloke. 11.15 pm.