Friday 7th December 2007 (pp1433-41)

As it became harder and harder to finish the writing, I began going to Bystander Café after work for a small writing session and a coffee or hot chocolate. It was a cheap well-lit place that stayed open late. In the top corner, there was a television that blared out pop music videos. There was an old man with a Christmas hat in there most evenings and he tried to talk to everyone. His name was Philip. I still see him in there sometimes when I pass the café.

Thursday 6th December 2007 (pp1424-32)

And I would also listen to Aphex Twin albums as I worked at the Post Office. The frantic glitchy beats made sorting post tremendously exciting.

Wednesday 5th December 2007 (pp1413-23)

By this time I was kind of back with my girlfriend. She lived in the same room, and I generally would be quite abject in trying to win her back. Before work I would go and buy her Christmas presents, or sometimes we would meet and have a coffee in the End of the Lanes Café, sometimes we argued and I went to work stoned and upset and I would listen to the 'Spirit They're Gone, Spirit They Vanished' album by Animal Collective, which soon became tinged with hopeless melancholy.

Tuesday 4th December 2007 (pp1405-12)

Having a full time job was to make it difficult to get all the writing done, but I tried to do some on my breaks at the post office. Probably due to this lack of time, I spent most of this new notebook planning the book, thinking things through on paper, without really writing anything new.

Monday 3rd December 2007 (pp1394-404)

Today (in 2007) I started a new job at the post office sorting the Christmas post. It was a great job, repetitive yet satisfying and we could sit down and listen to music as we worked.