Margins: Transmission Blue

Posted on September 15, 2022 by Stupidity Hole

Two listens for this one as I wasn’t able to keep up and I think it paid off. I was able to get a fair bit more written and although what I wrote is a bit of a mess, I think I got a few things across that represent the song reasonably well.

I was hoping to get across imagery more than vague description of mood but I tried not to force anything as that’s when I stumble the most. That said, there were some times when I got stuck as I was thinking too much about what words would best be used to describe what I was hearing.

Margins’ “Transmission Blue” is from Divide.

I hope you enjoy.

—

A low strum as percussion rolls and flicks. Thick is the atmosphere and heavy is the sound. Guitar plays out a pattern that presents a tension whilst a second one occasionally breaks a silence it finds itself within. Something is stirring and it is difficult to tell what form it will take, or if it will take on a form at all.

Soon a light pattern leads to all instruments finding themselves all aligned as they look for a solution, or perhaps an acceptance before space returns once more. The presented tension returns before percussion comes in with greater detail. Around them rhythmic strikes play out, soft and unfurling into themselves whilst retaining a hardness. Another presents a low pressing that cuts and buzzes along with the main rhythm.

That alignment returns once more, fuller and with greater push and and lift before once more pulling away. A return to heavy atmosphere as sounds move in and out and seem to keep a deep night pressing upon urgency, or perhaps inevitability. Sounds come as whips as they seemingly twist and contort. The mood presses further and keeps on pressing; the tension remains high.

Before it can overwhelm one last time the sounds align; they swing and look to reach farther in their fuller state, but once more it is brief and this time it seems as though things dissipate. Slowly sounds play and it’s not sure if this is an ending or just a moment of breaking, but there is resilience. Space rains through as a sense of fragility crawls on in. Weight remains but there is a sense of knowing that it was all worth it but it does not stop until it is ready to and it keeps on going. Maybe it is lying there; maybe it is walking away, but the weight is bearable and it is not so felt anymore, and the scene lingers on those final notes as the song ends.

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Rock Upon Rock

Posted on September 14, 2022 by Stupidity Hole

When I took this photo I initially was trying to make the most elevated part of the rock seem like it was detached from context and in the sky. It didn’t quite work out that way and instead I took this which I feel works fine enough.

Maybe I left too much space in the sky but I feel that in some way this is overall a scene that feels calm in part due to that space. At the very least it feels more minimal than it would had there been more stuff.

As a side note, this bit of rock is also in this photo.

This is my submission into Leanne Cole‘s “Monochrome Madness” for this week.
I suggest checking out Leanne’s photography, as well as checking out what other people submit.

A lot of what people are submitting will likely end up here.

I hope you enjoy.

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Five-Hundred Word Challenge 1155: Of Course, Maybe

Posted on September 14, 2022 by Stupidity Hole

So I started this bit of writing off with some wording that was kind of fun but I didn’t have the ability to pull it off and so it descended into silliness quite quickly. I think it was by the eighth word. Anyway, I was writing this thing and it seemed that I was unable to help myself and so I did what I usually do and that was not a good thing so I have to wonder as to how I get around this in the future.

Now sure, there is the possibility of walking around but that requires effort and I am lazy. I need to think of a way so as to indulge my laziness whilst also solving the problem. The problem is solvable and so I need to think of that, but I also wonder if there is any way to solve it whilst being lazy.

Is this possible? Do I dare dream? The answer is, of course, maybe. Maybe I don’t dare to dream and instead I dare to delude. That is something that I need to consider, but I also don’t as what I’m doing right now is trying to throw things at a wall and it’s so covered at this point in time that it will soon collapse under the weight of pointlessness. I will then stand there for a while, thinking about how this happened. After thinking I will then proceed to throw things at the remains of the wall in order to see what sticks.

Sometimes you’ve got to remain dedicated.

So anyway I need to work out as to how I get around this silliness but nothing comes to mind. That should be fine but it’s not, but I’m going to pretend that it is as I like pretending and then when I pretend I can do things that I would not normally do, like pretend.

I could also just think of better ways to write. That’s probably the best thing as it might lead to some genuine improvement, but I don’t want to do that. That requires effort and I am one without any effort in me right now. Sure, that could have a lot to do with being tired, but I still am going to pretend that it doesn’t as that is something that I can do.

I can also feel myself slowing down quite a lot at the moment.

The thing with writing is that, like any form of art and expression, it is a journey of learning and improvement and refinement and all those other things. Much like any form of art and expression, sometimes it is easy to get stuck and not move forward, but you still try. Maybe you need a break; maybe you need to keep pushing on, but you do what you can and all those other things that make me sound smart.

Anyway, I think I should get on with the getting on, for there’s a bit of on to get.

The time it took to write five-hundred words: 06:34:93

I wrote this earlier today. Had I written just now I think I would’ve had an easier time as my hands are a bit warmer now. That aside, this almost is alright. I think that, had I written solely about working on writing as a form of expression, then this may have been good.

Written at home.

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Bark Psychosis: Rose

Posted on September 13, 2022 by Stupidity Hole

This one was a bit of a challenge as I found myself overcome with emotion which led to me thinking more as I was trying to not let that affect the writing too much which wasn’t necessarily the best approach.
Anyway, some of that seeped through and I think that’s a good thing. I think I also did a good job of covering the song, though I missed out on a fair bit.

Bark Psychosis’ “Rose” is from Codename: Dustsucker.

I hope you enjoy.

—

Silence. Soon a vagueness. Is it a train running along a track? Is it something skipping and looping? It is a bare percussive rhythm and it sits in the distance. Soon and close by a stringed instrument takes care to place its sounds. It moves carefully and with space. Some other strings play for a moment and disappear and the main finds itself stuck in a sense.

A moody synth starts to draw out and stretch in a continuous form. The stringed instrument gradually gets quieter as the synth gets louder and a seeming sadness comes forward. A vocal appears briefly, almost as though it is flashing by and it occasionally repeats whilst more sounds find themselves attracted to the main body and something is revealing itself.

Keys briefly strike and the other sounds continue. Something else brief appears, like a fading memory and something percussive comes forward once more but it is distant. There almost is a farewell here and it is heavy and almost unbearable, but something seems to reach out, as though to help carry and lift. It doesn’t need to be alone.

Slowly the main body fades out and the vocals repeat. Without sound around them they are clearer, but they remain brief and all becomes silence once more, leaving lingering emotion as the song ends.

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Five-Hundred Word Challenge 1154: Spectre of Rambling

Posted on September 13, 2022 by Stupidity Hole

And so the spectre of illness rears its ugly head once more. Going to take advantage of this, however, and try to power through things as I don’t want to have another slow and dragging week full of postponement and procrastination. Therefore I will start this bit of writing with some rambling and then it will end with some more rambling. From there I will do some other things and there will be more posting than necessary.

It’s time for the churning, as they say.

Now I’m not churning butter but rather churning crap out as there is a lot of crap that I need to put out before I can say that there has been some success. I should work more on this worldbuilding thing that I’m working on but I’m going to do other things instead. That will come a bit later. Maybe there will be some more rough drafting related to it coming soon. Maybe. Who knows?

Well, I guess I do and my saying that probably implies something but I don’t want to imply when I can deny, or something.

So anyway I sit here and not there and there are clouds outside and I am inside and the world outside my window is more developed than it is natural and so I think about things and I especially think about how much my fingers hurt as I’ve been practising bass quite a fair bit over the last two days. I need to so I can get back to playing gigs and making music and all that stuff and so I’ve been practising a great deal more than I usually would.

Also need to so as to keep the flexibility and strength in my wrists so as to overcome their being damaged so I keep playing on and on. However, for now I have stopped as the fingers need to rest. They need time to harden and I don’t want to be bleeding all over the place.

I think about that and I think about how I need to do a lot more practise and so that is what I am doing, but what I should be doing is resting due to the whole being ill, but sometimes stubbornness wins out and so I keep on doing the things I should not be doing.

I wonder how many people out there push through illness and don’t take the time to look after themselves. Surely I am not alone here as there are quite a few people out there, and I wonder how many of us are being stubborn and foolish. I know I am so I know there is at least one, but even in knowing this I still refuse to rest for there are things that I need to do and doing those things keeps me going. Still, if I rest I could keep going later so maybe I should rest.

Well, with that being said I think I will rest, albeit a bit later.

The time it took to write five-hundred words: 05:58:65

This almost veered into completely talking about making music and perhaps it should have, but alas, it did not.

Written at home.

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Structure Among the Clouds

Posted on September 12, 2022 by Stupidity Hole

Another photo of one of the buildings in yesterday’s photo. Maybe it’s overly dramatic; I don’t know, but there’s something about the way the building appears against the sky that appeals to me.

I hope you enjoy.

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Bark Psychosis: Pendulum Man

Posted on September 11, 2022 by Stupidity Hole

I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into when I wrote this and I probably could’ve written so much more but I spent too much time listening as much as I could to what was going on and too much time trying to think about what to write.

At the same time I feel I would’ve gone too far into nonsense had I not. Need to strike that balance.

Bark Psychosis’ “Pendulum Man” is from Hex.

I hope you enjoy.

—

A guitar plays into a space, seemingly with an accompanying hum. Maybe it is a dull pulse that fades in and out that is joining the guitar as it continues with its steady motion. Regardless, it plays into silence until something synth-like starts moving in and around, almost cradling and comforting with a melancholy.

Another guitar, or at least what could be one starts plucking away and it’s almost like water dripping. Both of these form rhythm and between them the synth moves through. Soon something starts rising, if only in brief moments and more dripping comes through.

Space, beauty and grace, and a calm. Maybe an acceptance. A distance. A sense of distance spreads itself out and it is almost as though being there, but not being present. Bass follows the guitars and pulses until it pulses no more. The guitars also pull away and the synth seems to free itself. It spreads out and expands and expresses a joy.

Underneath a low sound of what came before lightly touch and it’s refreshing. There is something that seems to reach out and move in great moves, dancing through the space and maintaining a continuous form and it keeps on going. It lifts heaviness and it releases and the calm remains.

Soon sounds shift and sharpen slightly, but it is only for a moment. It is a moment that repeats and the sound of what came before respond in kind, just like it had beforehand. Eventually it lets out a slight flourish and that which was moving now compresses into a continuous moment. The guitar continues to sound out and keys reveal themselves in the cleared space. They move carefully and delicately, but also with confidence. They step through and along with the guitar, providing comfort and certainty. It walks into a space of nothingness and slowly presence seems to return in this moment of beauty, and all is still and in motion, but there is no rush and so the sounds continue on until their final moments at the song’s end.

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Sydney CBD on a Roof

Posted on September 11, 2022 by Stupidity Hole

It has been a good few years since I last took a photo of this particular building.
When I took this one I was trying to frame Sydney CBD against the building in part to capture a sense of size difference and… actually I think that was the whole reason. There are a few photos after this one where I was trying to treat the building as a barrier of sorts. Those didn’t quiet work out but this one turned out okay.

I think overall this photo is alright. I like the sense of space as well as how the perspective works as Sydney CBD looks like it’s sitting on a roof. I also like the slightly soft colouring which I feel works with the time I took this which was somewhere around late afternoon.

This is my submission into the two hundred-and-sixteenth Lens-Artists Photo Challenge.
The theme for this one is “Urban Environments“.

The host of the Lens-Artists challenges cycles weekly between the following people:

Week 1 – Tina

Week 2 – Patti

Week 3 – Ann-Christine aka Leya

Week 4 – Amy

Week 5 – John Steiner

Week 6 – Sofia Alves

Week 7 – Anne Sandler

Week 8 – Guest host

This one is hosted by Sofia. Tina hosts the next one.

I recommend participating in the challenges. They’re open enough to allow for a fair bit of thinking about approach and closed enough to keep focus on meeting the theme of each one. If you don’t participate, you should still check out what others of the Lens-Artists community are submitting.

I hope you enjoy.

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Five-Hundred Word Challenge 1153: A Heavy Storm

Posted on September 10, 2022 by Stupidity Hole

A heavy rainfall had reached the shore and it had reached beyond the top of the hill.
An inn nestled somewhere between, but closer to the shore was bearing the brunt of the heaviness, but all who were inside were fine. Some travelers were still making their way toward the inn – it was a popular resting place on a long journey and it was conveniently located – and those who refused to give up and set up camp in some crevice or against a rock face made it soaking wet on this particular day.

Thankfully the inn was dry and it offered plenty of space to warm up and rest, and it offered a space that was friendly and inviting, as was expected.

When the rainfall came in it was light – as rain often initially is – but only for a few moments before it became heavy. Those going about their business didn’t have much time to get into their houses before they were caught in the deluge, but all were able to make it in some state of saturation. As such, there were fewer residents at the inn on this particular evening than there normally would on this particular weekday, but the atmosphere still held fast.

The rain beat down mercilessly and the winds whipped at what they could but the inn held fast and it was not enough to stop merriment from coming through. Food and drink were plenty and perhaps it was due to how it seemed like this was an oasis of sorts, though perhaps it really was. It certainly was a safe haven from the elements, and even though the region was fairly safe, from any dangerous wildlife moving through.

In comfort and safety all the visitors that were there were willing to let their hair down a little more than usual. They didn’t have to worry about all the regular dangers they faced; they were safe. However, the ocean seemed to churn and heave in a way that it had not in a long time, and the storm was not letting up. Had anyone been looking out some of the windows and they would have seen this, but they did not. They didn’t see the odd form the ocean seemed to take and they didn’t see its awfulness.

Gradually lightning and thunder increased in frequency, and as it increased people at the inn began to notice. Cracks and tears across the sky would appear for brief moments, leaving marks that were never there, and they kept on happening. Slowly, yet surely silence fell over the inn as they bore witness to the spectacle. Through all the rain’s heaviness and the ocean’s violence the lighting remained clear, and its overwhelming sight cast its spell.

The storm was not willing to be silent, but silence hung in the air. It took the words from everyone as they remained in that space, fixated on what they were witnessing. The storm was heavy and loud, and the silence was unrelenting.

The time it took to write five-hundred words: 14:42:65

Slow and rough and once more that’s fine. Probably could’ve written faster but I’m still feeling out some ideas for this thing that I’m doing and hopefully it develops into something further.

Anyway, rough but I think I got an idea, albeit a really vague one, about a minor portion of setting and that’s fine. I think.

Written at home.

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Solaris: The Black Mariah

Posted on September 10, 2022 by Stupidity Hole

I was hoping to pull more imagery or at least some sort of writing more influenced by what I was hearing. Instead describing the song reigned supreme and I think I did alright in places. Could be better; could be worse.

I did a bit of looking into the term ‘Black Mariah’ and it turns out it’s slang for a police van.
There also appears uncertainty around the term’s origin, though I imagine how it came to be is likely due to disagreeable actions.

Solaris’ “The Black Mariah” is from Solaris.

I hope you enjoy.

—

A beat loops and quickly moves into the background. Synth and bass move along with it and there seems to be a sense of sneakiness. The bass keeps along with the rhythm whilst the synth seems to look and search around before stretching and compressing.

A brief pause before the bass, percussion and guitar lock into each other with a sense of tension and urgency. The rhythm holds steady whilst the  guitar becomes noise in the background. Some noise also finds itself in the foreground and soon there is pressure.

Suddenly the sounds move into a galloping thrust and the pressure remains. Danger is there and the synth returns, almost guiding and controlling the direction of movement.

Another shift and that opening synth and beat returns. The bass remains and connects its parts together rather than holds space. However, the beat and bass pull away before long and the synth begins to seemingly unravel. Rather than find conclusion, however, a thread continues on, sailing through a space and finds a sudden stop as the song ends.

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