"Brighton Rock..."

Or a trip to Brighton beach

Today I went to Brighton beach, on my own, for no other reason than I wanted to sit on the pebbles and look at the sea. When I got there I drew the burned out pier from three different perspectives. I am no illustrator, I do not draw often, nor practice regularly (can you tell?) So today when I put a pen to moleskine, expecting words to flow, I was quite surpised to find myself doodling away. For a good hour or so.
Here it is, the burned out pier from three different perspectives...


Here is what it looks like from a forth perspective, the one where I was walking away.

It's pretty accurate, would you agree?

One Man: There's nothing out there you know.
Another Man: I'm sorry. What?
One Man (Gestures towards the sea): Out there. There is no point in looking at it because ain't nothing to see
Another Man: Do I Know you?
One Man: Look, trust me. There is nothing out there.
Another man: What about the world?
One Man: I'm sorry?
Another Man Out there beyond that horizon. The rest of the world.
One Man: Oh yeah? Bin there 'av ya?
Another Man: Been where?
One Man: The rest of the world. Seen it 'av ya?
Another Man: Well yes, on tele...
One Man: No, no, television ain't seeing. Television don't make it so. Eastenders isn't a documentary you know.
Another Man: (Looking to the first man) Excuse me?
One Man: "You've heard the expression 'aven't you, Don't believe what you read in the papers? Well it applies to TV too you know. It's all the same thing you know. Media.
Another Man: Wait, are you suggesting the rest of the world isn't out there? Over the sea, Beyond the horizon. That it's all just some kind of media based conspiracy? That out there, there are no starving children, no HIV crisis, no poverty, no malaria, no injustice of human rights, no crime, no war zones, no melting polar ice caps, no hurricane seasons, no tidal waves, no landslides...
One Man: No Benidorm, no magaluf, no Brits abroad, no water sports, no deck cheers, no sun burn, no...
Another Man: Wait a minute. There must be my mate Dave...
One Man: Yeah maybe your mate Dave has, but have you?
Another Man: Well no. (pause, looks out towards the sea) So what IS out there then?
One Man: Nothing.
Another Man: It can't be.
One Man: Well can you see anything?
Another Man: No
One Man: Then your eyes do not deceive you.
Another Man: How?
One Man: It is just a steep drop into nothingness, beyond that line, the horizon, is nothing and nothingness. At least for you and me it is. This is our whole world right here, right now. The only way we change it s by leaving it. (pause both men look to the sea) Tell you what pal, me and you, we'll start saving up, all those pennies, we'll leave this world and enter a new one. We'll take the streets of New York, Paris and Berlin...
Another Man: Wait, I thought you said none of that exists.
One Man: It doesn't. Not yet anyway. But it will when we get there.
Another man (bringing a can of Super Tennants to his bearded lips) : Oh, oh right, I get it now. You were being philosophical (drinks) like Plato.
One Man (Smiling toothlessly, and pointing his Can of Super Tennants assuringly towards the other man): Precisely.
The two sit in an isolated corner of the pier stinking of piss and dreaming into the horizon induced by haze of strong larger.

I sat in that same corner.


I found this sort of exhibition in an abandoned building. It was full of graffiti, strange wooden sculptures and the odd canvas. It seemed impromptu, but was most definitely organised. The picture above was one very small room you could probably only fit three people in lying down. It was full of tags and other various bits of casual graffiti. I wrote a bit in there. It was great, it was like shouting a private internal anxiety from a large building knowing that the world below are too far away to ever hear you, but still it is off your chest. A Grandmother came in with her seven year old granddaughter and tried to direct her eyes from all the swears and drugs related graf such as "Fuk da Police" "Legalize Weed" and "Hallucinogenics are Awesome" and towards such overused wit as "If you notice this notice you will notice this notice is not worth noticing." If you did notice that notice you may also have noticed that the person that wrote it was an idiot trying to pass his/herself off as witty, intelligent and a bit of a wordsmith yet failed to notice that people would notice that that notice was not of his/her own invention.


As a waitress I am trying to master Latte Art. So far I have not got beyond making a white splodge in the center of the drink, so when a waitress handed me this Latte today only two words sprang to mind... Show off!


The book I am reading is called "The Lazarus Project". I am trying contemporary fiction these days. It is well written and has pages with nice photos on them.