Micro Diary

Thursday 24th October 2013

Session at Mind went well. Alan wrote an amazing A2Z chain story. Back home by one for an all-day breakfast and then three and a half hours on the book. Good night at JibbaJabba. Sold books for headliner Roger Robinson. Two girls came to snaffle a few chips at the bus stop afterwards. They said I was a nice man. Much better today. 11.34pm.

Friday 25th October 2013

Limited edition Swans cd arrived today. Very basic design, plastic wallet, sheet of parchment with info and tracklisting, hammer design lino print and two discs. Only played a little bit of it. Colossal version of eighties track Coward. Will play it more next week. Looking forward to John Hegley gig at Washington Arts Centre tonight. 6.28pm.

Saturday 26th October 2013

Long lie in this morning then read forty pages of John Hegley’s Selected Potatoes. Me and Jenni went to the Goose for tea then Free Thinking Festival  for the recording of the Verb. Kate Fox, Ian McMillan, Nadine Shah… Tescos for jelly babies. 10.38pm.

Sunday 27th October 2013

Slept for ten hours, Jenni for nearly fourteen. Didn’t got to any more Free Thinking – wild weather in Gateshead this afternoon. Amercian Rock legend Lou Reed passed away today. New York, Magic and Loss, and Songs for Drella three of my favourite albums from him. Back home and very cold. Throat sore. Pretty calm outside. Bed soon. 11.26pm.

Monday 28th October 2013

Throat still sore. Snotty beak. Feel a bit weak. Sitting in an unheated room for much of the day doesn’t help. Took me a while to get through the layout work today. Didn’t get to the print shop till after closing so could only put the essentials through the letterbox. Had a green Tai curry for tea. Tasted a bit like lemon fairy liquid. NE has been spared the hurricane so far. Wish I could shift this fucking cold. 10.52pm.

Tuesday 29th October 2013

Freezing cold again. Graphic Print to pick up Sunshine pages and get covers done. Could have copies on sale for Poetry Jam next Thursday. Thanks to Steve Hughes for playing Newcastle again. 7.30pm.

Wednesday 30th October 2013

Stayed at Jenni’s place last night. Slept well. Up early and back home to fold pages for Sunshine standard edition. In two minds whether to get them pro-guillotined. Cut three by hand this evening and they are okay. Think I’d prefer to do them that way actually. Blood Brothers aka The Mission are playing Stockton in December. 10.12pm.

Thursday 31st October 2013

Played Jill Tracy’s “Let’s Spend an Evil Night Together” this morning. My evil night: three jumpers, two pairs of socks, a woolly hat and Kate Bush’s “Fifty Words for Snow” on repeat whilst gluing up the last of the first batch of So Much for the Sunshine standard edition paperback. Going to watch a film or two for the remainder of the evening and stuff myself with pizza. Happy Halloween! 8.47pm.

Friday 1st November 2013

Wasted half a morning deliberating over hand trimming books or leaving them till Monday to get done at print shop. Flattening rippled paper stock is a slow process. Did all the promotion for the book on Facebook tonight. Not sure how this will translate into sales. Just pleased the book is available for anyone who wishes to buy a copy. Haven’t heard from Jenni today. Hope she’s alright. Didn’t get tea till twenty past ten this evening – distracted by online stuff. Tomorrow is a big work catch-up day. Waddy and College. Hope to keep it going. 11.00pm.

Saturday 2nd November 2013

When you’re cold it’s hard to work. Pins and needles. Left thumb says Fuck you, Stevie. I sold my first copy of Sunshine standard via PayPal this morning. The recently assembled copies are flattening well in the book press and under loads of hardbacks. When you’re cold it’s hard to work. Lesson plans were a pain. I put the heating on at five. Head smooth again. Those Wilkinson blades last ages. Off to Jen’s in an hour. She’s at John Cooper Clarke gig now. 8.57pm.

Sunday 3rd November 2013

Made notes for upcoming gigs then I sat in the cold checking Facebook updates. Me and Jenni watched The Boomtown Rats dvd and V for Vendetta. Home by 10.35pm.

Monday 4th November 2013

Always in the midst of a non-stop flight on Mondays. Got a batch of books trimmed today. Off to Kevin Cadwallender’s book launch at Newcastle Lit and Phil then The Boomtown Rats at the Academy. 5.29pm.

Tuesday 5th November 2013

Session at Waddy was great. Half marathon went well. Written loads of new stuff today. At least four or five new vignettes worth working on. This evening was a bit tougher. Tried to warm them up with (This is Not a) Prose Poem. Not a flicker, not a chuckle. Luckily they all enjoyed the Picture writing. People who read back did some cracking stuff. We finished bang on time too. Read a Lou Reed tribute in Asda when I got to Stanley. And some Tony Walsh – very inspiring. Looking forward to more. Sold a book. 11.12pm. 

Wednesday 6th November 2013

Woke at half four. Session on Building suspense and narrative structure at Waddy then home to crash out on the couch. Listening to Nadine Shah and Lou Reed. Put the heating on for two hours and it did nothing. Gonna go get a pizza then copy up my scrawl. 8.42pm.