Getting There

Monday 17th April 2017

Tomato soup at Jen’s then home to bitter cold. Cheese and tomato sandwich, lots of cake and chocolate. Checked out some carpal tunnel syndrome remedies. Listened to Alison Moyet and Rollins then a radio programme on women of punk – including Gaye Black, Toyah Willcox and Gina Birch (The Raincoats). So cold I’m wearing the slanket. The fucking slanket in mid April. Watched some stuff on crucifixion that kind of turned my stomach. Still having trouble with my hands. Hope they’re back to normal soon. 10.57 pm.

Tuesday 18th April 2017

Session plans sorted by mid afternoon then out to Babble Gum. Music from Katie Wedgwood. Comedy from Ken Brady. Lots of laughs. Jenni did a mint set. Kirsten Luckins was cracking as well with all new stuff. Plenty good open mic. I did a new piece but I don’t like it. Contrived rhyme isn’t my style. Fingers crossed I enjoy my next performance. Chatted with some of the Babble gang in The Head of Stream for a while then solo back to Jen’s place. 11.23 pm.

Wednesday 19th April 2017

Two good sessions today. Dialogue at St Cuthbert’s this morning. Exquisite Corpse and self-editing at Cambian Appletree. Slept on the bus to Newcastle for an hour. Me and Jenni are keen to see Queen and Adam Lambert at the Arena in December. Left wrist playing up today. Holding a newspaper open was enough to set it off tingling again. But I’m finding it easier to write at present. Right hand ok. 11.07 pm.

Thursday 20th April 2017

Chuffed to pull off a pretty decent set at The Stanza tonight. The guests were all mint. Powerful stuff from Penny Lamport about train suicide. Engaging prose from artist Barrie West. Stephanie Butland read from her novel about a performance poet and did one of her own poems. Harry Gallagher’s sister Judith Baker read from her psychological crime thriller. With writers of such high standard I was surprised to go on last but felt good, despite difficulty in seeing my page. Pleased to sell some set-list pamphlets. Great song from Alix Alixandra on open mic, enjoyed Ken Brady’s story and poem about The Clash, Ian Waugh’s nasty love poem and great to hear Kirsten Luckin’s Father and Son again. Also good to chat to Rob Walton and hear a bit of spoken word from him plus his funny Koala poem. Nice metro ride with Olya, Amber, David and Alix. Chuffed to make the last bus home. 11.34 pm.

Friday 21st April 2017

Doctor this morning reckoned I don’t have carpal tunnel syndrome. More likely some milder form of RSI. Saw TV Smith play The Soundroom tonight. Cracking set. Supports acts were pretty good too – Anord, Foreign Tides, Smoking Coconuts. Best six quid I’ve spent in a long while. Was tempted to buy TV’s lyric book but have splashed out on tickets for quite a few music events lately, will be on economy drive for the next couple of months. Haven’t eaten as much as usual. Banana, peanuts and chocolate bar for tea. Back at Jen’s place now. 11.42 pm.

Saturday 22nd April 2017

Chatted to Jenni for a while this morning then bus to Consett. Went to bank to pay in money, but some of the pound coins must had fallen out my trouser pocket onto the bus seat. I ran back to the station to see the bus pulling away… Gathered together all the copper I could find at home to make up the shortfall then back to bank. Tidied my room a bit tonight, filed papers, keyed in notes, listened to TV Smith and some Rollins spoken word. 11.27 pm.

Sunday 23rd April 2017

Made up an order of set-list pamphlets for despatch. Did preliminary session plans for Waddington Street Centre’s Fun with Words course. Found a great Einsturzende Neubauten concert on YouTube. Can’t wait for their show at Boiler Shop next month. Cut grass again. Only took forty minutes. Last time was two hours. Good to get out on the bike tonight. All the trails are dry hardpack. Edited some 2016 morning pages, looked at some Bukowksi first editions online, then random page print-outs of my Anomalies 1989-2014 manuscript. 11.22 pm.