'Life'

I find myself dipping in to the Keith Richards volume 'Life' a lot. It sits not unlike a bible next to my chair, and when I'm pissed off or even if I'm just passing the time watching 'Hitler's Henchmen', I read it and it cheers me up. It got a lousy review in the LRB, but that said more about the reviewer than the book, and of course, survival the KR way, via various of the upper classes drowning in their own ennui, is not for reviewers at the LRB. They have their own social networks to worry about, probably involving Julian Barnes and Jeanette Winterson (which personally, disgust me more) I like in particular expressions like 'drinking is like breathing......it's just what you do'. That always raises a smile and encourages another refreshing visit to the kitchen, and on that point, 'Life' includes excellent nuances for the perfect Shepherds Pie and Sausage and Mash.

Today was a little tough, you see if you were teaching the KR way then you'd have to be pleased with my Theory One students who left the gigs high and smiley and in the mood to work (as demonstrated in their essays) but my later encounter with 3rd Year design studio left me feeling they have little road map, and feel themselves both useless and godlike at the same time - hardly an ideal combination - mostly because they think architecture can do more than architecture can, they instinctively want to make it into something else. You could endure this, but I have done that too long.