Tuesday November 18th

Tuesday. So much like other days. It began, as expected, with History in C9, after a short talk given to us by Ingham in the common room. It was for all 6A people and, basically, all he told us about was the range of opportunities available to us. He advised us to look through the prospecti (!) (prospectuses?) in the library and gradually formulate a vague idea of what we intend doing.

He also told Jeremy and I (me and Jeremy? – I never know which) about a lecture at Arkley Villas in Lockley about Oswald Mosley, which will take place on Nov. 28th. He said it’d be educational if we attended. In his room, just before the lesson, he gave me two books to “help” me on my essay concerning Marxism. They were “To the Finland Station” (“The classic study of the origins of communism”) by Edmund Wilson and Sabine’s “History of Political Theory” which looks so heavy. I began reading the former when I got home – quite good.

In History we continued charting the activities of the Provisional Government between March and November 1917 and discussed some of the reasons for failure (dualism, fear of “stikhia”). In Biology we did nothing (well, we had a test on movement in and out of cells).

For most of the rest of the day, we (Jeremy, Duncan and Tommy Whelan and Richard Houlding) talked about this idea for a school magazine. Beaumont has seen Hirst about it – she seems to feel it’ll be OK – and if things come off it will be glossy (with pictures); half A-4 size; and will include quizzes, sports coverage, record reviews etc. I was given record reviews to write, provisionally. A provisional title is “Inside Out,” which I suggested, and which, amazingly, people liked.

Over the magazine thing, the first edition of which will appear in March 1981, I feel a little anxious. How to write the articles will be the problem, what approach? How will the thing be worded? Will people like what I write? I need to gain confidence.

My evening was boring again – got home from Art at about six-thirty after talking with Bateson on the way back – and I came to bed at ten after reading “To the Finland Station” for most of the time.

The weather today was absolutely crap!, and the rain was so heavy during Biology I’m surprised it didn’t rain in anywhere.