Gig, Workshops, Slams... Birthday!

Saturday 17th January 2015

Off to Gateshead to see TV Smith at The Three Tuns pub. Apparently starts at nine o’clock. I’ve got my ear plugs, my cash for a cd, my stollen cake for supper at Jenni’s…

   Saw a Hubert Selby Jnr documentary this afternoon. Never read him for decades. I have most of the books up to ‘…Silent Snow’. But not the two after that. Might read Last Exit to Brooklyn again this year.

   Blood pressure test at Queens Road surgery this morning. Apparently mine is normal. Wouldn’t have been this evening when I was cursing the fucking bus driver who drove away three minutes early when I was running up the street towards him. Well, I’m on the bus to Gateshead now. Fingers crossed I don’t have any more hassles this evening. 7.54 pm.

Sunday 18th January 2015

Thanks to TV Smith for brilliant gig last night. Slept late to compensate for the previous early starts. Woke with leg pains. Freezing cold in bed. Had chicken tikka and rice with Jenni then Scott Tyrrell took us to his workshops. Unfortunately I wasn’t feeling up for participation when I got there. A bit of workshop overkill for me already. Emails and updates this evening. Played TV Smith cd. Read some of his interviews. 11.32 pm.

Monday 19th January 2015

Bit lethargic today. Heating on full blast just to do anything at all. Posted a wedding anniversary card to Mam and Ernie. Read some flash fiction stuff. A bit of prep for the Waddy workshop. Watched Zeitgeist again tonight. Some days I struggle to keep going. Today is one of them. Distracted by Facebook and food. Just too tired to wade through prep. Need to pace myself a bit more. 10.36 pm.

Tuesday 20th January 2015

So much better than yesterday. Up at seven. Got sorted for work by nine and then an hour reading some flash by David Gaffney. Session at Waddy this afternoon highly enjoyable. Strong responses to exercises. I got a new piece out of the workshop. Fell asleep on the bus home. Quite a bit of snow about in Consett. Good to finally get some time on the Wednesday anthology. I took on a lot of work last year and it’s taking a long time to get through it all. 10.28 pm.

Wednesday 21st January 2015

Heating on four and a half hours this evening. Within half an hour of switching it off the place is freezing again. Listening to Joy Division. Just finished the Poetry Jam publicity. Headliners booked up to May now. Good to get things sorted. The anthology I’m doing with my Wednesday evening group is slowly inching towards completion. Had great sessions today at Waddy and Cambian Appletree. Have a bit of a headache coming on. Expected the admin to be done by mid evening. It’s almost bedtime. 10.33 pm.

Thursday 22nd January 2015

Morning pages gave me ideas for this week’s Mind workshop. The session went well. Discussion on book-making, senses warm-ups, writing on the body, ending with metaphor generators. Delighted to be offered a thirty-minute gig slot for August at Never Mind the Ramones 2 when I got home. Typed up some of the stuff I wrote this morning. Got the bag packed for tonight. Staying at Jen’s after SLAMalgamate. I am scorekeeper. Annie Moir is doing door duty. I’m on the 46 to Newcastle. Think I need a bit of sleep before the slam. Pleased I’m not competing. 5.41 pm.

Friday 23rd January 2015

Never seen a queue of people at the Cumberland going all the way down the stairs before. Last night's SLAMalgamate!! was bloody brilliant. Congratulations to the winner Rose Condo. Thanks to everyone involved. Cheers for a superb night.

Just ate a double burger and chips. Jenni had fish. It’s almost seven and we’ve been in Wetherspoons since half five. I have a third of a pint of blackcurrant still to drink. Jenni has nipped out for a cigarette. In half an hour we’ll be at York’s City Screen cinema basement for Say Owt Slam.

Earlier we went to Amnesty bookshop. Saw a few titles I’d like including Paul Auster’s Travels in the Scriptorium. And some great postcards. And a Jubilee – Toyah and Adam Ant – mounted print. But I don’t want to buy any more stuff. Talked to Asa and Sky in the Golden Ball before Sophia Walker’s workshop. It was good to see Sophia. Will be good to see more slammers tonight. 6.57pm

Great night at the slam. Nice to see Sky Hawkins get in the final. Well done to Jack Dean for the win. Shame about the bloke who walked out from the front row during early slammer performance and Sophia’s awesome set.

Thanks to Henry Raby and Stu Freestone for putting on a great event. Thanks to Sky for making me laugh on the train back. 11.23 pm.

Saturday 24th January 2015

Slept late. Went for a look round Newcastle, browsing in Beatdown Records – lots of punk and metal. I like proper record sleeves much better than cds. Got food at Eat4Less and looked for a black jumper before checking out music mags. Tonight I watched vids of SLAMalgamate. Bigly thanks to Jenni, Jessica Johnson and Kirsten Luckins for that. Jenni will be here at eleven for supper. Sweet chilli chicken pizza. Yes! 10.18 pm.

Sunday 25th January 2014

Thanks to everyone for the birthday greetings. Thanks to Mam and Ernie for the card and gift money. Had a great day, starting with a pre-breakfast treasure hunt organised by the lovely Jenni Pascoe - with tags on doors and presents behind them - including a new goth-black toaster, ginger beer, minature model longboard, signed OPPOSITE THE TOURBUS Sophia Walker book, deluxe limited edition Wayne Hussey hardback lyric book and numerous other things. We had a delicious roast chicken dinner and carrot cake and I got to watch the Nick Cave film on DVD this afternoon then an hilarious George Carlin stand-up show this evening. Thanks to people who checked out the Spot the Steve pix Jenni put up last night. I genuinely thought the one of Neil Tennant was me but couldn't account for the hat. Cheers! 11.15 pm.