Schemes

A constructive day by my usual sloth-like standards. Dad dropped Andrew and I in Easterby and I bought my ticket for my return journey to Easterby and then, as a last resort, went to the library to work.

I knew in my heart of hearts that I wouldn’t do a thing if I stayed at home. It took me a while to get going but by five I'd written about 1500 words. It’s not a very good essay and not very “conceptual and analytical” (which the question asked for), but at least it’s concrete evidence of work. I got home at about six knowing that I’d broken it's back.

A petty argument with Andrew at the tea-table over nothing really but it was enough to send us both into a bout of stony silence. Mostly we get on OK but his ‘older brother’ tone when I tell him tales of Watermouth gets on my nerves.

I was glad to escape the house for a while. I rang Lee and we went to see Dennis Hopper’s The Last Movie from 1971 at Easterby Film Theatre. It was filmed in an abrupt, semi-dislocated way and I found my attention wandering. The EFT preview called it “brilliant and chaotic”: it was “chaotic” maybe, but “brilliant”? Lee's boredom threshold is pretty low anyway and he was soon restlessly yawning and sighing. We both agreed it was too ‘arty,’ the characters hard and unlikeable and the Peruvian brothel scenes were squalid.

I got back at eleven. Just had sort of a flare-up with Mum and Dad after casually mentioning that it will be good if Lee gets into Watermouth Art College.“Tactfully” Dad said that he hoped Lee's presence in Watermouth wouldn’t “adversely” affect me.“You know how Lee is, how he's always coming up with these schemes.” I just can’t understand their argument. If I get to feel stifled and fed-up at Uni I’ll be able to go and see him—it’ll be great.