Homey home.

I came back to the North East for a few days respite (know how to spell that now - weird flashback). Sometimes this place sends me running and other times there's just no place like home. It's something of a love/hate relationship. Right now though, I really don't want to leave my little fishbowl. Click link for why.

Friday I sampled the delights of Hartlepool and laughed more than I have in forever with some real salt of the earth types who indulged in filthy humour. Spent the morning after recovering with my friend and her extremely well behaved son who fell asleep with me on the sofa. We watched The Dead Poets Society, which made me leak as I am pathetic like that/with hangovers.

Saturday, despite the alternatives being much more exciting we stayed in and ordered an Indian from the Raj. Being as I don't have a TV license back at the flat, crap TV is novelty.

Sunday my niece came round and later I met up with an old friend. We found a dark corner at our local and the pub band stretched beyond the usual Oasis, to cover Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder. We got nostalgic about her granddad's shortbread biscuits (the recipe for which he took to the grave), stealing parents punk rock clothes and drunken camping.

Tonight I went to the Bad Art function and played the random word illustration game, trying my best to visually describe a 'hazardous grapefruit minge'. This came out looking like an expression of what I suspect many of my ex's feel about me. As I now have bigger fish to fry, this bothers me very little.

People can say what they like about the North East but I defend it as the charming mongrel it is. Who wants a preened pedigree when you can have a unique blend of savvy street mut? - There's this inescapable irony in almost everything. We're vulgar and it's not all bad and I will be sad to leave.

But I must go back, try to sleep like a normal functioning human being, attend lectures, produce work, exhibit, network and produce some more. Even when it all seems kind of pointless and people insist on associating me with Ant and Dec. I made this bed, no point getting soppy about it!