Decided a few days ago I would drive back up North to parents’ house this week as I needed my mini disc player, trumpet mutes, a desk chair and some of my mum’s cooking.
Set off around 1:30pm and arrived back around 6pm. It takes so god damn long to get out of London. Even though I went through Shorditch and North London this time it still took around and hour and a half.
The drive wasn’t too bad. I had my laptop plugged in for part of the journey and listened to the Russell Brand Show. The BBC website hadn’t made it available to download yet so I had to play the pre-recorded show through my laptop. I nearly had a crash at one point – going 70 down the middle lane while trying to click a tiny icon isn’t probably the best idea.
The rest of the journey I spent listening to some sacred choral music programme from the BBC on Palestrina and Bach. After listening to that I couldn’t stomach Sly & the Family Stone or any of the other funky stuff I’d downloaded lately to my MP3 player, so had to content myself with my Bach collection for the 150,000’s time. As much as I love the B Minor Mass and the Magnificat etc. at the moment I am dying for something new.
So arrived home at 6. Dad greeted me enthusiastically. Erm, excuse me, father, can you not remember that we don’t get along? You remember the last 28 years don’t you? You were a cunt and I had to put up with you remember? Silly man. I’m sure he half expected me to reciprocate his friendliness. Instead I just mumbled hello and looked at the floor as I entered the house and plonked down my bags. I never make eye contact with him.
We ate dinner together – my mum’s bland chinese food. She made white rice for some reason. She must be slipping from the healthy ways I instilled in her. Had a conversation about nothing interesting – finances and failed job searches in London, I think. They didn’t ask me about all the bands I’ve been playing in lately, the buggers.
The rest of the night I spent in front of my laptop hidden away upstairs in my old room (I slipped back into my former ways like a glove) and downstairs in the kitchen doing some trumpet practice. I was planning on doing some weights tonight too – that was also part of the reason for coming back (trying to get back in shape before going to join a gym down south) – but I was too tired… or lazy, I’m not sure which.
