HOME TOWN SLOG, Small Stones and Other Adventures

Sunday 19th January 2014

Thermal beanie clings to razor burn

Tinnitus apparent as midnight approaches

Stayed up till half three experimenting with water colours then slept six hours and was back up again to start prep for the week. Poetry Jam event page is up and I got more feedback on the handmade book photos – which was nice. Pleased to have my session structured for Wednesday but Tuesday isn’t quite finalised. Been listening to Sex Pistols, Nirvana and the Mission. Productive day but not much noteworthy. 11.20pm.

Monday 20th January 2014

Infant tips cup of water

     on library floor

Mother at computer says:

   “No wonder

people don’t have kids.”

In an attempt to reach greater levels of writing masochism I have come up with a new endurance test: take a 100 page unruled A5 notebook out with you in the morning and write in public places until you've filled it with freewrites. Obviously starting with the best of intentions, as time is ticking you might begin to panic and in my case it turned into one big metajournaling headmash. The only rule: don't go home till the book is full. I was out twelve hours but had some meal breaks. I've decided to call this exercise HOME TOWN SLOG.

Tuesday 21st January 2014

chicken and mushroom pasta

a pie and fizzy water

chocolate bars for Jenni

X21 to Gateshead

Really tired today. Thrilled by the interest in HTS. I’ll put my results away for a few months and focus on the other work. Session at Waddy challenging but ok. Finding it hard to focus on writing. Burnt out a bit after a heavy few days. Today I was prepping some Sharon Olds stuff. First read her in Slowdancer magazine back in 1991. Saw her read at Durham Lit Fest in 2006. And have shamefully not paid enough attention to her work since. Think she’ll be a key read for me this year. 5.34pm.

Wednesday 22nd January 2014

        two hours with Ian

           on flash fiction

workshop spills out onto the street

           café owner locks up

        and still we word wrestle

RANDOM WISH LIST NOT SERIOUS

Wish I could travel lighter instead of carrying my life on my back. Wish I could stay on top of my finances instead of having to wade through six months of bank statements. Wish someone would eradicate the coalition government. Wish I could still ride my trials bike. Wish my wrists didn’t go into an uproar every time I fold an entire pamphlet print run or give the house once over with the Hoover. Wish my calories didn’t result in podge, but I have a sweet tooth and like the taste of stodge. Wish rain didn’t bring the threat of floods. Wish I had more winter coats with hoods. Wish I could make time to type up all my manuscripts. Wish I wasn’t addicted to bacon sizzler crisps. Wish the buses would run on time. Wish that books came with the time required to read. Wish my wifi wouldn’t cut out when I watching YouTube. Wish I could do stand-up comedy. Wish I had a better short term memory. Wish I could spend more time on things recreational. Wish I wasn’t like a tired dog trying to chase its own tail.

                                                       Waddington Street Centre

Thursday 23rd January 2014

(i)

steel box rumbles over tarmac

sunlight slices a lined page

public illumination the reward

for all the energy you gave

(ii)

coughing up the hill, windows rattling

the x-box theorists remain oblivious

to acres of greenery and pale blue sky

bus stops outside Lanchester Road hospital

but today you heal yourself with sunlight

In the Goose with half a plate of food on the table: turkey breast, roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, stuffing, cabbage, carrots cauliflower, mash, roasties, cranberry sauce, mint sauce and gravy. Trying to pace myself. Don’t really intend to eat anything after this meal until tomorrow. Been in Waterstones. Read a story from Bukowski’s South of No North which curiously was in the poetry section. Also saw a beautiful book called Stanza Stones by Simon Armitage with Pip Hall and Tom Lonsdale. Photos, journal, poems; photos of poems cut into Pennine rocks. A limited edition hardback published by Enitharmon for £15.00. So tempted. But I don’t really want to buy more books. Was going to go hunting for a new coat but will wait until a full day off. Okay, more food. Urwin the dustbin Really hungry though. Tonight we have a slam. Yes, poetry and spoken word awesomeness. 6.00pm.

Friday 24th January 2014

(i)

Jenni says that old people if they lived long enough would eventually melt. They’d get really small. She says if Cameron caught on to this he’d use it to justify not paying heating allowance and could cause further evil-ry.

(ii)

Jenni pulls on a white fleece zip-up top over her tiger suit. Then a pair of khaki baggy trousers. “This is what tigers wear in the morning,” she says.

Me and Jenni went out to Newcastle for lunch. My second carvery in less than twenty-four hours. We had apple and blackberry pie with custard as well. Then walked round the shops for a while. Tried on a couple of coats. One I really liked the style of but it was navy blue not black. Checked out stationary and card shops and looked in Waterstones. Checked out music mags and bike bike mags Bus back to Consett was late so I missed my connection to Moorside. Went to Tesco and checked out more magazines – Mountain Biking UK and Writers Forum. Got my basket of food to the check-out with five minutes to spare but someone’s gammon without a barcode caused a big hold up and I had to sprint through the rain to catch the V8. Watched Born to be Wild: The Golden Age of American Rock on BBC4. Haven’t bothered with the computer tonight. Pleased it’s the weekend. 10.23pm.

Saturday 25th January 2014

Feezing fingers tap computer keys

Jarboe sings an old Kiss song

No-one is there when I pick up the phone

Wind throws rain against the pane

But I know you are on your way

Mam and Ernie have cold so didn’t stay long this morning. They gave me money for a new coat. Nice to have so many birthday messages on Facebook throughout the day. Been listening to Jarboe and watching some YouTube vids of performances that I missed whilst number-crunching at SLAMalmagate on Thursday night. Brilliant stuff. Bigly Thanks to Kirstin Luckins for filming the event and getting footage up in record time. The weather is rotten but Jenni is on her way. Think we’re watching films tonight. And the diet can wait till February. 5.00pm.