Jim Granter

0620 Monday 5 June 2000      Raleigh    Some notes

Ed’s second exam almost over if it’s this morning – I know he has one today. They’re easier to remember than Beth’s as there’s only six. Poor Beth’s are higgledy-piggedly spread out over more time.

Have opened the window and a song bird starts up. Is it the State bird, the cardinal?

Reading LD’s [Leon Davidovitch Trotsky] childhood section of his biography, until hungry enough for breakfast. Not for a while yet. Still cloudy this morning. Three men crossing car park. First one casual dress, working clothes, white, following him and together two hispanics, white T-shirts, jeans big light brown boots and white construction helmets. Very processional, ritualistic arrangement. No way would those two be leading, though they all appear to know where they’re going. NPR – public radio – good item about tobacco industry court case with Judge Weinstein not being too sympathetic to industry.

0730 Car park beginning to fill up as workers arrive to the blocks over the way. I like watching workers arrive at work. There’s a purposefulness, a disregard for anything else except first heading off into the building, no reluctance, not exactly resignation either, more a readindess to get on with it, because that’s what there is to do, they know what it is and ‘here we come to do it’. No rushing but no messing either.

Great contrast, of course with the demeanour of workers workers leaving work.  [Jimmy Harkin has been at work half an hour already, he finishes at 3.00]

On the radio – Nissan is pronounced Knee – Sonn.

No sun since I bought these shades!