5.35pm (continued)
I like Philippe Lejeune on the tricky task of defining the diary: ‘a series of dated traces [série de traces datées] … Discontinuous. Full of gaps. Allusive . . . Redundant . . . repetitive . . . Non-narrative.’ Lejeune says the diary is ‘antifiction’ (his neologism), written with no knowledge of where and when it will end. It’s ‘a daunting face-off with time’. It’s a text ‘made up of more empty space than filled’. It’s a sculpture, given ‘form by removing nine-tenths of its material’, and ‘a silhouette in a sketchbook with three pencil strokes’.1
A while ago I posted about my 5.35pm project for January 2025: I made a super-brief note for each day, recording what I was doing when my phone alarm went off at 5.35pm. Life-writing as punctual accounting — or a pin inserted through time. Here is the thing continued up until Sunday 20th April. I can start to see patterns.
Saturday 1 February
Talking with Ben, Eliane and Jacob about hypnosis.
Sunday 2 February
Collecting car battery and jump leads from Sophie.
Monday 3 February
Making mashed potato.
Tuesday 4 February
Listening to talk by Professor Kevin Killeen on 17th-century poetry and uncertainty.
Wednesday 5 February
On Bakerloo line between Paddington and Edgware Road.
Thursday 6 February
Listening to lecture by Professor Leah Price on domestic reading.
Friday 7 February
Cycling home in rain.
Saturday 8 February
Proof reading Inscription volume 5.
Sunday 9 February
Returning from bowling with Anna and 9 friends for her 13th birthday party.
Monday 10 February
Making up quiz for Anna's birthday.
Tuesday 11 February
Drinking coke in kitchen.
Wednesday 12 February
Reading Miranda July on train approaching Marylebone.
Thursday 13 February
Talking to Anna's drama teacher at parents evening.
Friday 14 February
Drinking wine and reading menu at pub in Marylebone.
Saturday 15 February
Having cup of tea in bedroom in Imperial Hotel, Blackpool.
Sunday 16 February
Walking past North pier on Blackpool seafront.
Monday 17 February
Eating wraps at home.
Tuesday 18 February
Talking to Siobhan about teaching.
Wednesday 19 February
Emails in office.
Thursday 20 February
Making tea.
Friday 21 February
Reading PhD thesis on train.
Saturday 22 February
On beach at Whitstable.
Sunday 23 February
Driving Anna to Edie's.
Monday 24 February
Editing friend's research proposal.
Tuesday 25 February
Cooking pork noodles.
Wednesday 26 February
Reading PhD for viva on train.
Thursday 27 February
Waiting at Oxford station.
Friday 28 February
Walking along northern line platform at Kings Cross Station.
Saturday 1 March
Entering Tufnell Park underground station.
Sunday 2 March
Working out karaoke settings on Spotify.
Monday 3 March
Writing notes on index cards.
Tuesday 4 March
Listening to lecture by Professor Gill Woods on theatrical dumb-shows.
Wednesday 5 March
Marking essays on tragedy in train pulling in to Marylebone.
Thursday 6 March
Listening to lecture by Dr Melanie Bigold on 18th-century women book collectors.
Friday 7 March
On train from Oxford to Marylebone.
Saturday 8 March
Tidying house and putting out cheeseboard in preparation for Eliane’s party.
Sunday 9 March
Listening to Arsenal play Manchester United on radio.
Monday 10 March
On underground at St John's Wood.
Tuesday 11 March
Backstage before performance of You Me Bum Bum Train.
Wednesday 12 March
In meeting at school about Anna's football trip to Holland.
Thursday 13 March
Walking to meet Anna at Tufnell Park to take her to guides.
Friday 14 March
On train pulling into Marylebone station.
Saturday 15 March
Having a drink in Cork and Bottle wine bar.
Sunday 16 March
Reading about art history.
Monday 17 March
On train pulling into Marylebone.
Tuesday 18 March
On tube at Mornington Crescent.
Wednesday 19 March
Watching Anna play football in the school team.
Thursday 20 March
Visiting exhibition on Lewis Carol at Christ Church, Oxford.
Friday 21 March
On tube at Euston.
Saturday 22 March
Making beef wellington with Ezra and Anna.
Sunday 23 March
Reading Akenfield by Ronald Blythe.
Monday 24 March
Reading The Hole by NF Simpson.
Tuesday 25 March
Texting Eliane.
Wednesday 26 March
Having dinner with Anna.
Thursday 27 March
Walking to Ezra's school parents evening.
Friday 28 March
Having glass of wine in Nell Gwynn pub, Covent Garden.
Saturday 29 March
Playing cricket with Eliane, Anna and Ezra.
Sunday 30 March
Walking back from seeing off Kathy Acheson at Kentish Town tube.
Monday 31 March
Anna is saying ‘your alarm is going off! It’s 5.35!’
Tuesday 1 April
On Northern Line with Eliane heading to Tottenham Court Road.
Wednesday 2 April
Making chorizo and beans for dinner.
Thursday 3 April
Making a salad.
Friday 4 April
Having drinks outside with neighbours, chairs on pavement.
Saturday 5 April
Scraping peanuts into a pan for noodle sauce.
Sunday 6 April
Drinking tea and talking to mum.
Monday 7 April
Making wraps for Ezra and me.
Tuesday 8 April
Eating chicken pie with Ezra.
Wednesday 9 April
Eating chicken pie with Ezra and Eliane.
Thursday 10 April
Buying coffee beans on Monmouth Street.
Friday 11 April
Asleep.
Saturday 12 April
Writing a story on laptop.
Sunday 13 April
Making dinner of meat balls and rice.
Monday 14 April
Booking a haircut.
Tuesday 15 April
Making hot dogs for Anna and Ezra.
Wednesday 16 April
Talking at kitchen table with Katherine Hunt and Nick Gaskill.
Thursday 17 April
Editing The Hole by NF Simpson for amateur village production.
Friday 18 April
Walking up stairs to bedroom to have nap.
Saturday 19 April
Walking through Elsfield listening to Spotify playlist.
Sunday 20 April
Cooking sausages.
To be continued.
Philippe Lejeune, On Diary, ed. Jeremy D. Popkin and Julie Rak, trans. Katherine Durnin (Honolulu: The University of Hawai’i Press, 2009), pp. 170-202.
Sincerely sorry for (I think) having infringed upon late-february train rides!