Day 90: You pull back the curtains

It's a great day to be a Curlew. Today it is 90 days since I drank alcohol, today I graduated from rehab and, most importantly, today I finished reading Infinite Jest.

The beast, defeated.

So, today I finally got that T-shirt. As it was a special occasion, the circle of blue chairs was rearranged into a horseshoe facing me at the top and I read a Obama-style speech (well, a letter) I had written last night to the group and staff. I had thought I was going to cry but for once I didn't. I'm feeling strong and happy.

A new guy joined the programme, who has already been there once before and, to my joy, I found out that he is the artist that drew the picture of the dog with its tail on fire! Correcting me that it was in fact meant to be a wolf, he was happy to give me the drawing as a leaving gift and I plan to hang it on my wall as a reminder of these incredible 12 weeks. It speaks to me somehow.

On recent trips home I had spent the entire seven-hour ferry journey in the bar and had to be almost carried off the boat by kindly strangers. This time, I was able to stand out on deck as the ferry came into harbour after 11pm, feeling the wind and north sea spray on my skin and watching the sun set behind the islands. When Mum met me I could see the relief in her face.(Apologies for blurry photos.)

When I told a friend I was starting a blog he replied "how retro", but while I know it's a little bit 2003, I've loved typing all this spraff. But also, since I'm a ~blogger~ and therefore an egomaniac, and because I'm especially full of myself today, I am curious to know who's been reading. Leave a comment below!

This song is just perfect today. Here's a Spotify playlist of all the music on this blog.


INFINITE JEST: Pages 961 - THE END (Page 981 + 98 pages of endnotes)
- At times I had been reading this book for so long that I forgot what had happened earlier.
- In the very last passage we are given clues to the terrifying truth of what the fatal Entertainment truly is. Mirrors and surgical suture are involved.
- "A voice that sounded like his own brain-voice with an echo said to never try and pull a weight that exceeds you. Gately figured he might die. It wasn't calm and peaceful like alleged. It was more like trying to pull something heavier than you."