No End In Sight

Monday 17th March 2014

Monday is always a busy day for me. Up early to do morning pages and then crack on with the lesson plans. Done by lunchtime. Slowed down this afternoon. Took ages to get a set of booklet covers printed for the writing marathon. And the internet is down today. Thought it was just my computer but Jen has been on the net via her phone and lots of people are complaining about Talk Talk. It just came back on tonight at ten past ten. All work and no play today. I fancy a burger. 10.28 pm.

Tuesday 18th March 2014

Home early from the evening class at Clayport. Session wasn’t as fast-paced as usual. We looked at prose poems and Gaffney flash. Last lines exercise. Half marathon at Waddy a bit disjointed, only a couple of people managed to write all the way through. Had to have a little sleep in the library. Looked at a men’s health mag, hoping to lose weight, but the article that jumped out at me was about how acting like a sociopath gets you where you want to be. Quite disturbing really. Tried to read a bit of Roald Dahl but too tired. Me and Jenni had cheeseburgers for supper. Good to get a signed copy of More Sawn Off Tales – with free curley wurley – from David Gaffney. 11.03 pm.

Wednesday 19th March 2014

This morning’s session was a bit of a mixed bag – doing one to ones, triolets, free verse, new forms. Knew I’d be tired this afternoon, slept on the bus home. Jenni returned to Gateshead today. Will see her at the Chillingham tomorrow night for HOT WORDS. Got no marathon stuff sorted. Will try to do some prompts tomorrow and have a read through gig set on the bus. It’s a pretty easy one really. Book to hand, I reckon. Read more Gaffney today. Nearly done. 10.22 pm.

Thursday 20th March 2014

In The Goose. Bit disappointed that I had to wait till I’d eaten most of my carvery before the mashed potato arrived. Today has been a bit easier. No one at Waddy to work with this afternoon so I just prepped my HOT WORDS set a bit more. Read over a few things on the bus as well. Added an extra poem to the set. Strange rehearsing Chelsea Hotel today. Good to talk to Ali afterwards – I have the Waddy key for Saturday’s marathon. I have my set, I have a full tank of fuel, but I also have a headache and feel a cold coming on. Bugger! Been feeling run down for about a week now. Hope I last till after Poetry Jam. Looking forward to the gig tonight, though. Hope voice holds out. 6.23 pm.

Friday 21st March 2014

FACEBOOK: Great night at March of the HOT WORDS. Loved the blend of spoken word and song and cracking choice of musical covers from Rowan McCabe. Valerie Laws was thought provoking and entertaining. Some excellent open mic – particularly Jane Burn, AJ McKenna and Julie Egdell. Hosts Annie and Aidan are always lovely. Great to get mini sets from them. I screwed up a 70's classic by getting the verses mixed up, but in retrospect having checked the footage am otherwise chuffed with my set. HOT WORDS at the Chilli. Get yourself along there next month for some sizzling spoken word. Oh yes!

Pleased to wake without headache. Throat sore but eased by midday. Took it easy. Besides Facebook stuff, all I’ve done work-wise is get everything sorted for tomorrow. Internet still being a pain during the day, okay tonight. Watched my set back today. Totally fucked up Chelsea Hotel. But the rest was pretty good. Took ages to get marathon prompts sorted this evening. Hope it all goes well tomorrow. 10.25 pm.

Saturday 22nd March 2014

Long day but a good one. At Waddy by quarter to nine, set up by twenty-five past ten. We rocked the prompts  for the full four hours. Some great writing, a cool set of photos and good feedback. Took it easy tonight. Annie and Jenni want me to upload my cover of Chelsea Hotel but… a) I made a pigs ear of the intro lines and… b) I don’t fancy infringing Leonard Cohen’s copyright. Oh well…

11.03 pm.

Sunday 23rd March 2014

Slow day. Marathon and all prep of last week catching up with me. Done bits and pieces of admin. Uploading vids I promised people, got some lesson plans sorted. Re-jigged a gig set for tomorrow. Watched Davina McColl do a 500-mile sport relief challenge on iPlayer and was pretty blown away by her. I can barely walk into town without my knees creaking. And I’m younger than her. Oh well… 10.38 pm.

Monday 24th March 2014

Black and silver sun mirror on an olive green wall above a rosewood coffee table. Beer mats for Tuborg, Wylam Brewery and Newcastle’s 38th Beer and Cider Festival. Two stainless steel-framed comfy leather couches out her in the lobby of The Centurian. Meanwhile a guy with an acoustic and a baseball cap is freefalling a la Tom Petty in the main room. It’s a little loud for me. I only stepped in the place to chill and put in a fresh pair of eyes before the gig up the road at the Dog and Parrot. My first time performing there. It’s a much darker set, the only respite from existential gloom being Oliver Dearest and, ironically, Goth. I’ll stay here till seven just in case Jenni changes her mind about ‘not coming out to play’ tonight. Hoping the gig finishes around ten so that I can be home by midnight.

Total admin machine today. Consolidating lesson plan info, firing off responses to student poems. I brought my April speech notes with me, but haven’t had time to type them up yet. The 45-minute ‘talk’ is a week tomorrow at Consett golf club. I could wing it but might overrun horribly. 6.57 pm

Tuesday 25th March 2014

Thought I was going to throw up on the bus this morning. Feel a lot better now that the course at Clayport has been met with group approval. All are keen to do another ten weeks with me. Wrote a new piece in Writing for All that might work, have redrafted by hand, will type it up in due course. Good to have a lift home tonight – thanks to Tim O’Keefe for that. Jenni has enlisted me as official scorekeeper for the Newcastle Anti Slam on 8th April. She says I have to be some caricatured official type. I’ve actually had people think I’m a policeman or store detective in shopping centres before. Have booked the next marathon but the date isn’t released until the weekend. Ah, the weekend. Think I’m going to be very busy next term. 10.52 pm.

Cousin Frank’s Final Confession

I’ve done dreadful things

     Broken promises

Stolen dreams

Those parties we frequented

       I never really enjoyed them

       All just marking time

Being seen rubbing the right shoulders

I once took the hand of a gypsy

       Promised her the moon on a stick

And promised it yesterday

But I was a pauper’s son

       And never earned money

Without the aid of a gun

I’ve broken the arms of schoolchildren

       Swiped marbles and spent dinner money

On luxury chocolate and scoffed the lot

I’ve tried to read the good book

        But it all seemed so far fetched to me

An eye for an eye, and we’d all be blind

I’ve built castles with gold bars

       Shat on the doorsteps

       Of charity shops

Eaten the heart and soul out of the family home

Weary and lacking wisdom

       Closer to damnation

Than eternal salvation

Wednesday 26th March 2014

Casual end to term. We did an hour on blogging and publishing. A bit of college paperwork and some short fiction from key word stepping stones.  Gave the key back to Waddy. Ali says I should charge more for the marathon. Bought a Mother’s Day card in Consett then home to work on booklets for a MIND gig tomorrow in Stanley Civic Hall. Been listening to Black Sabbath much of the evening. Spoke to Mam and Ernie on the phone for awhile. Emailing back and forth to Jenni, whilst going over preliminary speech notes. Posted a few things in the NaPoWriMo group that Jenni set up. Just chuffed to be at the end of term now. Going to start biking next week, I reckon. And abdominal exercises. Fruit, tuna salads, all that malarkey. Was meant to have an early night. 11.26 pm.

Thursday 27th March 2014

Somewhat knackered, I sat on the comfy leather seat in Eldon Square outside the doughnut place and could hardly keep my eyes open. Felt like the floor was a river rippling past me, and all the people looked happy because it’s nearly the end of the week. All those faces, all those lives. Felt like a comfortable observer and a wrecked vagrant at the same time.

The Consett Writers did really well in Stanley Civic Hall Derwent Suite for the Anti Stigma Mental Health event. And they were pleased with the booklet.

Checked out stationary in Paperchase and Rymans. Thumbed Kingpin and Sidewalk skateboard magazines in WH Smiths, drifted up to Percy Street and am now in The Goose. My carvery is paid for but I’m waiting to see if Jenni comes in.

Bin Truck hasn’t eaten much today – porridge, egg on toast, packet of fruitella chews, a plain biscuit and a chicken sandwich. Bin Truck is ravenous. 5.28 pm.

Friday 28th March 2014

Great JibbaJabba last night. Storming set by Asa J Maddison, The Improv Guys were great, so was Chris Foley. And some top notch open mic: Jane Burn, AJ McKenna, Sky Hawkins, lots of others. Rachel McCrum, despite a cold, put in a stellar headline set. Bought her pamphlet afterwards. Was good to have a lazy lie in this morning. Left Jen’s at lunchtime and got the food in at Consett. Lots of chips, pies, cakes, burgers, etc – so much for the healthy options for the new month. Grotty weather is back, still need the comfort stodge. Worked on my set for Tuesday. Unfortunately still too long. 45 minutes scripted, 55 minutes adlibbed – bugger! 

11.17 pm.

Saturday 29th March 2014

Up early and more rehearsals this morning. Then some typesetting. Got a new poem worked up. Very cold. Got the gig set down to 43 minutes. Only 17 minutes of poems rest being intros and anecdotes. Think I’ll whittle a bit more tomorrow. We Need to Talk About Kevin is on tv tonight. Hope I can stay awake. The book was very good. 10.05 pm.

Sunday 30th March 2014

Enjoying latest musical interest Johnny Hollow this weekend. I love Spotify. Today is cold and I’m constantly hungry. Jenni is doing admin downstairs. Mam was pleased with her card and gift voucher. I am trying to pace myself for the upcoming NaPoWriMo challenge. Poems to order, aren’t my forte. Will be good to have three weeks with few public engagements this month. Think a roast chicken dinner would do wonders this afternoon. Must start biking soon. 3. 26 pm.