Suddenly buckets of rain coming in from the sea. It really feels like we are doing seasons this year properly. I’m in Brighton.
Sent my pitch in for a potential big clearance job and then came down, to thoroughly unwind over a weekend at Lou’s. That quote has been preoccupying me lately. There are two consecutive parties in London tonight and tomorrow and they’ll both be full of friends of mine. That was every weekend in my thirties, but the quantity has dropped right off and I’m kind of … sad not to be at either. My friends are my family and I haven’t had much occasion to be social. But… the booze free version of myself that has emerged from this latest bout of disappointment and bodily frailty, it would find it very hard to be in the drinky rooms right now. Give me a couple more weeks sober and it’ll be easier.
That said I’m starting to see the point of this self denial now… Back pain has faded into the background, and the ability to wake up fresh is the payback to the inability to switch my brain off at night. All the minerals and vitamins are starting to kick in and make me feel more vital in the day. I’m not choking in my sleep anymore, and it’s interesting to be mixing my diet towards less interesting food for a while, with greater regularity. There’s something to be found in everything, perhaps. I’m still not at the stage where I make porridge with Manuka honey in it every morning. But I’m not washing down the hottest curry in the shop with a bottle of Chateaneuf at midnight. It’s a good decision for bodily health, and it’ll definitely help the bank balance too, and invigilating occasional resits is barely gonna cover an occasional margarita pizza and some porridge, it can’t stretch to Dishoom and a crate of Primitivo. Can’t be running up the credit cards. Gotta tighten the strings. Even if this pitch comes in. Last time with these guys I massively underquoted and ended up having to ask for a bit more as it was much bigger than I thought. Thankfully they agreed, but even then I paid everyone else plus the costs but came away with nothing but a shiver for a lot of work. Lesson learnt though and learning is expensive. I’ve been more thorough in my thinking this time and it’s a much bigger job. Hopefully this’ll make up the shortfall somewhat if if if I can find an elegant solution for the wood the wood the wood.
Meanwhile the wind is whistling on the windows hewe in Bwighton. It’s great to be with Lou. And somehow I can switch my brain off better by the sea.
AlBarclay 