"Waking this morning out of my sleep on a sudden..."
Samuel Pepys, 1st January 1662
Waking this morning out of my sleep on a sudden, I did with my elbow hit my wife a great blow over her face and nose, which waked her with pain, at which I was sorry, and to sleep again.
Up and went forth with Sir W. Pen by coach towards Westminster, and in my way seeing that the “Spanish Curate” was acted today, I light and let him go alone, and I home again and sent to young Mr. Pen and his sister to go anon with my wife and I to the Theatre.
That done, Mr. W. Pen came to me and he and I walked out, and to the Stacioner’s, and looked over some pictures and maps for my house, and so home again to dinner, and by and by came the two young Pens, and after we had eat a barrel of oysters we went by coach to the play, and there saw it well acted, and a good play it is, only Diego the Sexton did overdo his part too much.
From thence home, and they sat with us till late at night at cards very merry, but the jest was Mr. W. Pen had left his sword in the coach, and so my boy and he run out after the coach, and by very great chance did at the Exchange meet with the coach and got his sword again.
So to bed.
My late grandfather kept similar journals, full of factoids and critique. He was a music critic, violin teacher and seemed devoid of emotion. He could detect every nuance and appreciated skill and technique. My mother has done the same. She has literally thousands of pages of journals and wants to write an autobiography. I said to her, why don't you pick events from your journals and share how situations and events made you feel.