Five-Hundred Word Challenge 1075: A Cool Breeze

Posted on February 3, 2022 by Stupidity Hole

A cool breeze hangs in the air and all is well in the world, or at least this small pocket of the world. Lizards run about, birds fly and flap their wings and the breeze caresses all. It carries good tidings and in those good tidings a resting point is found, and that resting point carries relaxation straight to the body.

It is a time to relax. It is a time to take stock of the day and let it all float away whilst you sit there and just meld into whatever it is that you are sitting on. You become one with the object and a state of laziness washes over you as the calm music plays and the gentle breeze keeps the temperature feeling like it is lower than it actually is, and perhaps that is a nice thing.

Sitting here and doing nothing is great, but this also is a time to write at an accelerated pace and get all that needs to be done done. There are many things and there are only so many things that can be done, but the sky is soft and it’s a little muted and the colours that are coming forward are nice. They’re pleasing and pleasant, and perhaps they are as relaxed as this breeze that flows on through the area. Perhaps they are not and too are in a state of rest.

The sky appears in patches and blotches as clouds of varying shades drift on by. Light filters onto the street and into the trees and that too appears in patches. It is almost as though it is looking to highly specific parts out there, but it cannot decide as to which. Still, the contrast is nice and pleasing and all is relaxed and at ease, or at least that is how it feels, and it feeling that way is something that I find nice at the moment. It’s all easy and lazy and relaxed and that is the way that it should be for a little while longer.

Soon the evening will approach and then it will be dark. The breeze will remain felt and various objects will remain visible, but many will be more of a suggestion of themselves than they will an actual thing. The breeze will remain heard and so will various insects out there, calling out through the night and looking for something.

What it is that they are looking for, I am not sure of, though I imagine it has to do with the attraction of a mate of some sort. Their sounds call out through space and through time, and slowly, yet surely they cares the ears in the same way that the gentleness of the breeze does, or at least the perceived gentleness of the breeze does, for the breeze may seem gentle, though it is a strong and powerful wind that does more than provide a sense of relaxation that we are able to appreciate at various times.

The time it took to write five-hundred words: 06:13:23

This was kind of easy to write. There were some parts where I felt I struggled, but otherwise it was a pretty straightforward process.

I feel as though there’s a little too much repetition and the flow is rough, but it gets something across.

Written at home.

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Five-Hundred Word Challenge 1074: Speedy Driver

Posted on February 2, 2022 by Stupidity Hole

The brain hurts today and it’s a matter of waiting out the pain. Not going to talk  about that, however. Instead I’m going to talk about the joy of driving and the joy of seeing people do silly things whilst driving.

Speed limits; they are a thing. Sure, they aren’t always agreeable, but they exist for various reasons and so it is better to follow them rather than it is to treat them as suggestions like some people seem to do.

This morning I was taking my partner to work. Standard procedure as it’s about twenty, twenty-five minutes to drive or seventy to ninety minutes by public transport. I think we’d both prefer public transport, but it’s not exactly a risk we can take at the moment and also there needs to be better connections as there are quite a few ways in which that journey can drop to about thirty to forty minutes but I digress.

So we were driving this morning and the speed limit for the route we take had been lowered due to slow traffic ahead. I also think it may have had to do with the rain. The way we take goes through a tunnel and it’s one that a lot of trucks use. Vehicles ahead of us were obeying the reduced speed limit as was the truck next to us. Someone behind us wanted us to speed up.

So this person drove up behind us and flashed their high beam lights. I looked back and they were pretty close to us. However, I didn’t acquiesce and kept at the speed limit.

Eventually traffic spread out enough for them to be able to get around and so they sped up a fair bit and overtook… only to get stuck behind a truck that was going at the speed limit. It was a glorious thing to witness.

It’s probably silly of me to derive any pleasure from this kind of thing, but I do as I find it funny. I find it funny to see people go well above the speed limit only to get stuck. I also find it concerning and dangerous.

I think a lot of people like to get to where they need to sooner rather than later, but most don’t decide that their being somewhere is more important than not driving like an asshole. I think most don’t think that it’s safer to increase the chances of causing an accident than it is to not cause an accident, and I don’t understand why there are many people who drive in this way. I can make guesses, but I don’t understand.

Personally, I think that if you drive this way on a regular basis, then you don’t deserve the right to drive. There are very few legitimate reasons as to why and I sincerely doubt that, with the amount of people I see who drive dangerously, most have said reasons.

It’s pretty easy to not drive dangerously. It’s hard to undo an accident.

The time it took to write five-hundred words: 10:22:90

I wasn’t expecting this to take as long as it did, but sometimes that’s the way things go.

Written at home.

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Grün: Angry Bees

Posted on February 1, 2022 by Stupidity Hole

One listen for this one.

I was hoping to get imagery more than anything else, but I didn’t quite get it and described the song a little too much I think. It’s an instrumental song which I feel is always good for imagery as there are less things that stick out as things we immediately recognise as spoken language. However, that’s not what came forward when I started writing.

Oh well.

When Grün was known as Greenland they released an EP by the name of The Prisons of Language. I’m not sure as to exaclty how long after, but after the release of said EP they put out a song called “Angry Bees”. I think it was still in demo form at the time.

Eventually Greenland changed their name to Grün and released an album by the name of Greenland. “Angry Bees” is the opening song of the album.

I hope you enjoy.

—

Bass plays a little playfully and imitates ringing. Soon guitar comes in and gently rings on over the bass. It’s not long before percussion rolls in and plays a steady, slinky yet tight beat and additional guitar slightly rises over the ringing, whilst cleaner guitar plays within the sounds.

Soon the sounds shift to something a little more driven, but space remains. There’s a push toward something grand and wide, but it remains relaxed and before there is any true letting loose the original groove returns. The guitars and percussion shift a little, become more ornate and perhaps decorative whist remaining functional, and the bass stays steady, holding all together.

Then a return to the grandness and wideness, and it’s almost as though there’s a bit of danger in the sounds, but space of course remains. Texture and tone carry forward and a bit of aggression takes a slight lead, but melody rules supreme and an expanse emerges in a pretty melody.

The original groove returns and guitar assaults the sounds. Percussion carries a light intensity and all drive forward, but the bass remains steady and holds all together. It is a climactic moment that remains focused and driving, and it cuts with a strong energy.

At the right moment it hits a final note and the guitars fade out as the song ends.

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Five-Hundred Word Challenge 1073: Lurk Underneath

Posted on February 1, 2022 by Stupidity Hole

Curling around itself and seemingly spiraling downward whilst not going anywhere at all. There is a large crash and it repeats. It loops upon itself and all remains grim and centered around a joyous movement, but all around said movement is not joyous.

The crashing continues onward and forever toward its own source from which it had long ago abandoned, and all continues onward and the squeals of those not seen and detached from their bodies rises somewhere in a background that is as present as the foreground.

Something draws out and cascades over a heavy grit and slow procession, and it finds its way crawling along in an unnerving manner. Slowly something builds up and looks to rise from a froth, and perhaps it might, but at the same time it seems unable to break through the thin film the froth produces and so it continues to lurk underneath, moving forward, appearing to lack hesitation in its motion.

Slowly and yet surely the sounds of others stretch out above a high plane before a thundering thrashing commences. A harshness and hardness becomes apparent and finds itself borne from the proceedings. Eventually it halts and that which was prior returns in a lowered, almost sluggish position. However, nothing has changed. All is as it was and so it continues until the next thrashing which comes off as more violent.

A contrast in imagery and tones comes forward and soon after, finally that which was lurking underneath breaks free and rapidly heaves forward. It looks and it searches for something, anything, but it cannot find that which it hopes to see. There is nothing to see and all is a void and so it walks off into the void that it is presented with.

It is not willing to accept this. It could hear things prior to its emergence, but that which it came from is now also gone, and so it has no choice but to search onward.

A sensation of something descending and moving about can be felt, but when looking there is nothing there.

Slowly, yet surely something fades into view and fills out with detail. However, it still remains vague and unfamiliar. It has the images of something that is recognisable, but it is not. It remains distant and difficult to discern, and soon it is entered as it needs to be navigated.

More voices are heard in the distance and more detail fills out, and slowly it becomes apparent as to where they are as they recognise it for what it is, but they do not recognise it as somewhere they have been, and so, guided by fear and uncertainty they try to make their way back to where they had started to try and see if they can return, but the way back has disappeared and it is almost as though it was never there. There is no return and so now they must wander, hoping to find something that will let them leave safely.

The time it took to write five-hundred words: 08:42:84

As I was writing this I was drawing from the music I was listening to which became a springboard of sorts for a less vague narrative.

The writing is pretty crappy, but I do like the imagery.

Written at home.

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Masashi Hamauzu: Final Fantasy XIII-2 Overture

Posted on January 31, 2022 by Stupidity Hole

One listen for this one.

I haven’t done much, if any writing today and wanted to capture something. This describes the song well enough, but also doesn’t give much of an idea as to how it sounds and progresses.

Masashi Hamauzu’s (浜渦 正志) “Final Fantasy XIII-2 Overture” (“FINAL FANTASY XIII-2 オーバーチュア”) is from Final Fantasy XIII-2 Original Soundtrack, which, rather surprisingly, is the soundtrack for Final Fantasy XIII-2.

I hope you enjoy.

—

Something otherworldly fades into view, shines, shimmers and contorts. More sounds come in, like the buzzing of a current in a machine. Vocals appear briefly and add to the drone and the sounds build in their intensity and mass. It expands and a sense of some sort of darkness creeps forward. Woodwind hums low and soon the drone halts.

Strings dominate and let loose more emotion. A sense of longing flows through into a single point before a pause. Suddenly a dramatic rush comes forth. However, it is brief and disappears, leaving the otherworldly sound on its own which quickly fades out as the song ends.

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Pat Metheny: America Undefined

Posted on January 30, 2022 by Stupidity Hole

This was written over one listen.

I was hoping for more imagery but that isn’t what came forward.
I think this gives a vague idea of how the song goes but there’s not much more to say.

Pat Metheny’s “America Undefined” is from From This Place. I wrote about the album in 2020. Alternatively, you can find the review on Culture Eater, which is a site I recommend checking out.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

—

Sounds stir, quiet, gentle, yet firm. Preparing. They rise, then gently fall. Piano moves around and flows alongside strings, strings flow, rise and fall. Soon bass, percussion and guitar come in, building on the gentleness, yet seemingly picking up speed. They build and further the melody and all moves in a sense of unison. There’s a slight business, but it’s not cluttered.

Soon the instruments push a little further, then settle a bit more. They continue to build on the main melody, bringing in more energy and more of a sense of speed. They move across an open plain and begin to lift into the air, riding a breeze and taking glimpse of what is underneath, behind and head.

The instruments pull back for a moment and piano slinks forward, initially seeming erratic, but remaining smooth and continuing onward. The percussion and bass play gentle, changing the groove a little whilst holding back. There seems to be a sense of build in what is happening and slowly it comes forward. Strings rise a little more as the keys come forward with more passion and energy. All builds as the keys rise up in a moment of beauty and then all dissipates.

The guitar comes forward and plays something a little sentimental and smooth as the rhythm slows down and eases. It’s almost a lull; they playing remains strong, but the music is easy and relaxed and simple, even if the playing is not.

It’s almost a sense of push and pull as all drift along and keep it all drifting. An expanse opens up around, but the instruments remain on the path they’re following and keep it all tight and close, and soon once more all is rising. Strings keep pushing forward and all compliment its movement, though once more it soon falls away.

A return to the opening moments as the melody is stripped back, though this does not last and soon a sense of building and motion and movement return. The music once more becomes full and growing and once more there is an excitement and it once more hits a point made clear and concise.

The instruments all pull back again, then bass starts gently thumping. Sounds murmur, looking to rise up, though not doing so. They build slowly and quietly rise and fall. Sounds akin to transport appear in the background and a sense of encompassing a wide experience comes forward. As the sounds gradually rise up from their murmuring so does the sense of width. The sounds grow and expand as does the imagery.

The thumping stops for a brief period, then returns, stretched out. Sounds of train crossings become apparent, a percussive hit and the music explodes forward.

It is steady, massive and pushing forward, heaving and expanding and dramatic in expression. Scenery rapidly flashes on past as the sounds encapsulate more. The strings flow and breathe, and in the last moment of this they rise a little further, then it all pulls away. A percussive rattle and the sounds settle and caress as the song ends.

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One Thousand Word Challenge 173: Tackling Sunday

Posted on January 30, 2022 by Stupidity Hole

It’s just one of those days.

When I say this, I am referring to this day being Sunday, and it is one of those Sundays that happens to exist in a space that I can perceive, and by “space” I mean within a structure that I understand, so therefore it is one of those Sundays that exists, therefore making it a Sunday that I recognise.

Now I’m not sure as to where I’m going with this, although that is not different from the norm, and I’m not sure as to where I will go from here, but as I understand it I have a to to tackle from here and so therefore there will be a lot of tackling.

I will not tackle the day as there is no way for me to get my arms around its existence. The first issue is that I don’t have the ability to alter reality and existence nearly enough to be able to tackle a day, and secondly, it is far too big for me to get my relatively small arms around such a thing. With this being said, there will be tackling and it will be of the metaphorical type, as that is much easier to do than any other form of tackling that may or may not exist when it comes to attempts to tackle a thing that cannot be tackled.

So I think I’ve established what it is that I will be covering in this space on this particular morning. Bear in mind that there is more to come after this bit of writing. However, what I have not covered is how I will go about covering the thing.

You see, the way that I’m going to cover whatever it is that I am covering (yet to truly be determined) is with words. I’m going to use words – some of which I use far, far too much – in an order that might puzzle and perplex, but not due to any trickery, but rather due to my improper use of them. This is something that I’m rather good at doing on the odd occasion, so therefore it is going to happen again here and as it happens you will be able to bear witness to it happening after it has happened. I am experiencing it in active time and then it will be done, but then you will also experience it in active time, though not at the same time as I have, so therefore there will be more than one experience had, but both experienced in the same way, but at different times and in different places. Therefore something profound here.

I think of how warm it is going to get today and I’d much rather it did not, for I do not like it being too warm as it is uncomfortable and so on and so forth, but as I think about what it is that I want to write I also think about how I should go about writing whatever it is that I want to write using words in a way that betrays their intent, but I’ve got nothing at the moment.

Somtimes it is fine to having nothing, but you need to do something with it. You need to find a way to do something with the nothing that you have, because if you don’t, then who knows what will happen, unless you do know as to what it is that will happen, in which case, awesome. However, that is not what I’m trying to cover here. What I am trying to cover is how this day is Sunday, much like the other Sundays but it is better and worse at the same time.

So this day is Sunday and it is the day where I go on tangents, which makes it more like the other days than I’d normally care to admit. However, today I will admit that today is much like any other day, though it does certainly have a sense of being more relaxed than usual, and perhaps that is a good thing, but perhaps it is also a bad thing as it may mean that I am unaware of things and being unaware of things may not be a good thing; especially if you’re looking to be aware and alert so you can tackle things as they come. Rather tackle as they come than not, though maybe I would rather not as tackling can take a lot of time and energy and there is only so much energy one can muster for certain tasks, so therefore I’ve already overthought this and should move on toward whatever else it is that I can discuss about the day that is today that just so happens to be Sunday.

I think that a lot of people will be spending today relaxing. However, I myself will be working and in that working I will hear about customer service staff being treated like shit, so really, today is much like any other day of the week. It doesn’t mean it needs to be though. What really needs to happen is people need to treat the staff better as the staff are doing what they can to help and if you’re just going to yell at someone because you can’t be patient and wait for something, or wait for a solution, then maybe, just maybe, you should stop using the services that are offered to you. Customer service is not an easy job and staff don’t need people who think they are the most important thing int he world making things more difficult.

However, I digress. No one wants to talk about how often customer service staff take abuse (or staff in many other industries for that matter) as that would mean we have to consider other people. It’s also not good talk for a Sunday, or so I am told.

As such, let us all go out and enjoy our Sunday and pretend shitty behaviour doesn’t exist.

The time it took to write one thousand words: 11:48:04

I feel that I was getting toward something at the end and perhaps I should redo this whole it of writing, but instead I won’t as it’s in the spirit of this blog.

Written at home.

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Rail and Road

Posted on January 29, 2022 by Stupidity Hole

I came across this photo and I wondered as to why I hadn’t shared it.
Then I noticed the clouds. A bit blown out and I’m guessing I wasn’t able to fix the issue to an extent that didn’t make the photo feel “off”.

Anyway, here is a photo that I didn’t share but am now sharing.

It’s a bit moody and the framing is alright. I like the contrast between suggested density and space, and I also like how the rails and road intersect.

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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Masashi Hamauzu: Mysteries Abound

Posted on January 28, 2022 by Stupidity Hole

This was written over two listens.

I was aiming to talk more about imagery but that didn’t quite come through. I think I slipped into review mode once more. That said, I think I did an acceptable job in terms of giving a small idea of part of the song.

Masashi Hamauzu’s (浜渦 正志) “Mysteries Abound” (“神秘”) is from Final Fantasy XIII‘s soundtrack, Final Fantasy XIII Original Soundtrack.

I think I spend too much time writing about music from The Final Fantasy series.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

—

Keys gently step forward and follow a melodic drift as choral vocals stretch out and create a dreamlike atmosphere. It’s not long before woodwind joins and slowly, moves around the melody.

A deepness comes forward, adding weight, though not dragging the sounds down and more underscoring the flow before it disappears. After the woodwind lowers, then holds for a moment before it repeats with added instrumentation shining behind. The deepness comes forward once more and once more it disappears soon.

It’s not long before strings come forward, drawing out more of the melody as they carry the instruments toward something more ethereal in feel. Slowly it all proceeds, seeming mysterious and perhaps wondrous, and just after a the sound of a bell the song ends.

 

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Five-Hundred Word Challenge 1072: Mow Yourself

Posted on January 28, 2022 by Stupidity Hole

So I look at the lawn and go “Why can’t you just mow yourself?”

Why do I have to do this? Why do I have to be responsible for that which grows outside of this building in which I currently reside? Can’t the grass just mow itself?

That would certainly be a lot less work than my doing it, and that would mean that I’d have an easier time running through life, though any description of me running is a highly exaggerated one, really. But anyway…

So I sit here and I look outside the window and I look at how unruly the grass on the lawn of the front is getting, and I think to myself about how it needs to be cut and I wonder as to whether I want to cut it or not.

Now, there are positives to this whole getting out there with a lawnmower and mowing the lawn. For starters, it makes things look a little neater, and it probably reduces the encroachment of weeds or something. However, the thing is that I don’t want to do it and I will avoid doing it as much as I can.

I need to have time to sit here and write this out and I also need to have time to be lazy, and being lazy is what I do best, so therefore I will sit here and be lazy. However, the lawn needs to be mowed as it has grown quite a bit after a lot of rain preventing any mowing happening. Then again, it still needs to be able to mow it itself. I didn’t ask for it to be here; it was already here when I arrived. I shouldn’t have to be the one who takes care of it; it can look after itself. And so on and so forth.

So what am I saying here? Other than the statement that strongly indicates my lack of desire in doing something that needs to be done. I’m sure that there is a message in here somewhere. There is probably something about the dangers of indecision during times of duress, or something about how one should not fear failure, but rather fear failure through inaction or something. There must be something in here somewhere and the only way to find it is through cutting through all the gangly overgrowth of this writing and getting straight to the sources of it all. Once that is done, then surely whatever it is that I may or may not be trying to say will reveal itself and then we’ll all be happier for it as we’ll all know what the hidden meaning is, thus allowing us to all go about our lives and get on with everything in a manner that suggests the progression of the day and the progression of our day lining up with the day that is put in front of us.

Still think it should cut itself. Shouldn’t have to do the mowing myself.

The time it took to write five-hundred words: 05:49:22

I feel as though this one drags a fair bit. It gets a little smoother toward the end, but by then it is too late… or something.

Written at home.

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