Seven Days

Monday 11th April 2016

Doesn’t seem like I’ve been off for a week. Just a few hours into college prep and I’m spitting brass tacks. Mercifully, found the mislaid paperwork and got things going again. Was great to get ‘Quitter: Good Luck Not Dying’ plus other individual zines by Trace Ramsey from Pioneers Press today. Have read the first few sections. The essay on starvation is great. Also Fish Sticks, Urine Crystals and Smoke Bomb. Some of the content reads to me like science or medical journal stuff. Good to hear Denis Skinner call out Dodgy Dave today. Listened to Queen Forever and prepped some lesson stuff this evening. 10.57 pm.

Tuesday 12th April 2016

First day back at Waddy went well except for new paperwork that took up quite a chunk of time. Had to cut some of my content. Wrote quite a lot of notes. Pulled off Risk poem pretty clean to end evening session. Think I have enough daytime enrolments to secure another term and the private Wednesday evening class looks set to go ahead. Got some chips in Moorside, last of the batch. They were hard and pale and even with Bisto gravy tasted bad. Fucking stotting headache coming on. Pleased I don’t have to be in a session till two o’clock tomorrow. Can’t wait to get to sleep. 11.10 pm.

Wednesday 13th April 2016

Awake much of the night, firstly with migraine then mulling over certain work issues. Felt dehydrated and sickly this morning. Slept a bit on the bus to Durham. Had a bowl of soup at Waddington Street Centre then went to Cambian Appletree in Meadowfield for a workshop. Went pretty well. Pity the bus driver of the 49A chose to totally fucking ignore me at the bus stop afterwards… Keyed in morning pages, listened to Twisted Sister and read the remaining zines in Trace Ramsey’s compilation volume Good Luck Not Dying this evening. Checked out a Gaurdian article online about Universal Basic Income – everyone gets a hundred quid a week no matter what, in work or not. Don’t know how that would pan out but seems as the world becomes more automated full employment will be impossible – so what’s the alternative? 11.03 pm.

Thursday 14th April 2016

Better night’s sleep. Up at quarter past eight to do morning pages then put a little set of poems together for the King Ink open mic at Pop Recs tonight. Had to be on the quarter to twelve bus to Consett for the bank and food from Barry’s Bargain Store then Durham to accompany Jenni to a meeting. Pub meal afterwards then bus to Sunderland. Someone spilt liquid down the aisle and wet my new bag. Better not have been piss. Now at Pop Recs. Poets arriving. Looking forward to an evening of spoken word. 6.21 pm.

Canny time at King Ink. Patrick Shannon, Aaron Wright, Mark Potts me, Jenni, Sylvia Forest and a bunch of Sunderland writers whose names I’ve yet to learn. Great little gig. Poets were good, some engaging prose stuff too. Got the Metro with Jenni back to Gateshead then Tesco for food. 10.40 pm.

Friday 15th April 2016

Electricity off all day in Moorside till 7.20 pm. No Electricity means no thermostat control means no central heating. And it was snowing in Consett, albeit very sleety. Lucky for me the gas hob and grill were working – fried eggs and cheese on toast. Hot lemon squash with water from a saucepan. Had my slanket on this afternoon and did some short story research. Was tempted to take my android tablet into Consett and tap away in Wetherspoons on the free Wi-Fi but I’ve already overspent on travel and didn’t want to fork out on another ticket plus drinks... Finally got emails checked this evening and some 30-day writing challenge stuff up to date. Going to have to stay at home this weekend to catch up on college paperwork and put new activities together for next week. Can’t believe how shit the weather has been. Bed soon. 11.16 pm.

Saturday 16th April 2016

Spent whole day selecting, timing, rehearsing and sequencing poems for two feature sets. One fifteen minutes, one around forty minutes. Also been logging my movements throughout the day for a writing challenge. Bullet Your Entire Day. Still seventeen minutes to go. Although doubt I’ll be done by midnight. 11.43 pm.

Sunday 17th April 2016

Awoken at six-twenty by someone shouting at their offspring this morning. Only in bed since one and certainly not ready to rise. Worked on Bullet edit. Reworked some poems in sequence for summer events. Video recorded rehearsal. Still not satisfied with running time or final selection. Worked on college papers, did some research reading. No time to go out on the bike. Best keep chugging away. 10.36 pm.