Valley’s Lone Crown

Posted on April 25, 2021 by Stupidity Hole

Here is a photo of Pantoneys Crown as seen in The Capertree Valley, the second-largest canyon in the world, or so I’ve read.

When I took this photo I was trying to capture a sense of space and perhaps atmosphere. I think I captured some of that, but I also ended up with a moody and quiet photo depicting old land.

I tried a few things with processing and this was the best result. I’m happy with how the photo turned out as I think I captured something that I’ve captured before, but in a better form.

This is my submission into the one hundred-and-forty-fifth Lens-Artists Photo Challenge.

The theme for this one is “Getting to Know You“.

This photo doesn’t necessarily say much about me, but it says a bit about certain things I like and am trying to capture, so I feel its inclusion is appropriate.

The challenge is hosted by four people and cycles weekly:

Week 1 – Patti

Week 2 – Ann-Christine aka Leya

Week 3 – Amy

Week 4 – Tina

This week’s challenge is guest-curated by Priscilla of Scilliagrace. Next week Patti is curating. The theme for next week has been pre-announced; It will be “Focusing on the Details”.

The challenges are pretty fun and there’s a lot of room for interpretation that doesn’t get in the way of enjoyment. If you’re into photography, then I suggest participating, or at the least checking out what other people are submitting.

I hope you enjoy.

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Midnight Oil: Antarctica

Posted on April 25, 2021 by Stupidity Hole

Midnight Oil are a band that I’m quite fond of. I’ve listened to them not anywhere near as much as I’d like, but perhaps more than I believe.

“Antarctica” is a song I listened to quite a lot whilst I was in Japan, though it was mostly whilst walking around the “wilderness” parts of Itsukushima. There was something about the scenery and the song that, in conjunction, I felt quite moving.

This was written over one listen of the song, though there were some pauses. I mostly tried to describe what was going on with the sounds rather than the mood and atmosphere, but I kind of did a bit of both.

Maybe not enough of either.

Midnight Oil’s “Antarctica” is from Blue Sky Mining.

I hope you enjoy.

—

A soft, steady drumbeat and soft sounds slowly coming in. What sounds like strings, but might be synth somewhere, hovering and creating a flat, yet also shaped landscape. An expanse. Light guitar finds itself helping to form image, shape and melody.

Harmonies come in, adding more shape among the few other sounds. There’s a determination; a firmness in there. The main vocals come in and join in with the chant, then bass, then the brief sound of piano. There’s a sense of small, desperate, yet certain hope in there, stating that there must be one place left in the world where nature (at the very least) feels untouched.

The bass continues to move among the music, helping to keep form and the song keeps on driving forward, looking, searching. A slight twinkle of piano, then it too takes place in the formation, building on the structure.

The song finds itself come to what could be considered a louder section, and perhaps it is. Suddenly the scope is louder, more dramatic and perhaps cathartic in a sense. The song becomes more expressive, everything seems to hit harder.

The harmonies continue, the main vocals reach out so much more, almost knowing that “There must be one place left in the world where we can be”. Shortly after the final word, a rumble and all drops out, leaving something akin to a crackle and a piano playing out into the silence, perhaps mournful for that which should be despite that which is.

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One Thousand Word Challenge 118: Long and Dull

Posted on April 25, 2021 by Stupidity Hole

Alright, so now I’m here. I’ve made it this far. This is good; I don’t have much longer to go.

This one is going to be long and dull, but that’s not that different from usual, so do what you wish with that bit of information. I care not what happens from here. I only want to go over there and do the thing that needs doing. Then I want to go elsewhere and lie down in bed.

I’m bemoaning my fate and cursing the heavens. I don’t want to accept that it was myself who put me in this situation. I want to think about other things and pass the proverbial buck. I want to look elsewhere and see what it is that I can see in the way that I see it, assuming that I see things in a completely different way to everyone else. For myself to think that with honesty might be folly, but perhaps one day I will think that and then… well, whatever comes next comes next, really.

So what do I do from here? I’m already part of the way into this doing sixty minutes of creation and up to the third bit and I feel as though I’m doing better for time than I originally thought I’d do, so that’s something. That’s better than very little, but perhaps not as good as a lot, or so one might think.

Anyway, I think I’ve covered the basics. This really is a struggle at this point, but perhaps it is a struggle only due to my feeling as though it is a struggle. Perhaps in truth this is not that bad and I’m only convincing myself that this is a struggle that I’m struggling with, and perhaps truthfully it’s not that bad at all.

There is every single chance that I am merely just building a wall and then crying out that there is a wall in the way. That is something that I cannot ignore and probably won’t ignore as there is a good chance that I do indeed like sabotage of the self.

If that is indeed the case, then maybe, just maybe, there is an explanation in there as to why I struggle so often with writing outside of a small box. However, it would only be a small part of the issue and there would be plenty more of it that I would need to consider.

Another thing that I would need to consider is the fact that I allow myself to get distracted; something of which just happened. I’m already losing track of what it is that I’ve set out to do and so I’m already losing more time than perhaps I should be losing. Now I’m into recovery mode, so I hope that I get there. I hope that I can pull back and start making good time on this writing, then the next. Maybe I can; maybe I cannot. This is all a bit of a fun little challenge that I’m doing for myself, and of course there are challenges within challenges here. If I can get to the end, then of course I am happy. If I don’t, then I will still accept that perhaps the challenge was just worth it. I need to keep on fighting my urges to stop, however. This is going to be the most difficult of things when it comes to this, but maybe I can do it. Maybe I can keep on punching on and get to the end and all of that other stuff.

I think it is a good idea to think about what it is that I allow to hold myself back, then try to work out whether those things that are holding me back are legitimate things or not. Technically they all would be legitimate to some degree, but when I talk about legitimacy here, I mean things that I am subconsciously setting up as barriers for no discernible reason verses things that actually are barriers that prevent me from doing the things that I want to do. There are differences and those are also things that I need to work out.

There are a lot of thigs that I need to work out.

When I set out to start this little challenge of mine I was hoping for writing of the less grounded variety, and yet, unsurprisingly, I’ve ended up writing about myself once more. This should come as no surprise at this stage, but I can’t help but feel as though once more I’ve sabotaged myself. Still, it is a form of creation and it is a form of creation which I can embrace and so I continue to do this in the hopes that it helps hone the craft known as writing; a craft that I readily engage in due to how enjoyable and satisfying it is to engage in, so yeah.

So, with all of that being said, I shall continue on and keep on hoping. I think I can do this and of course I hope I can do this. I keep on keeping on and punching away as that is what I do. There are other things that I do, but right now this is what I do and I will keep on doing it so that I can get it done. Then I will do the next thing and that is already implied, so I don’t know as to why I’m saying that.

There probably are better things that I could say, but they’re not coming forward and so I’m left with whatever it is that I’m trying to get across at the present moment. Maybe it is due to feeling the pressure of time, but I still think I can get there. Is till think that I can get to the end of this, so I’ll keep on going and keep on typing away and then we’ll see as to what comes from all of this mess creation.

The time it took to write one thousand words: 11:08:50

Fast and messy. Once more a bit too much repetition, I feel.

Written at home.

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A Poem About Back Pain

Posted on April 25, 2021 by Stupidity Hole

Not sure as to what it was that I was trying to capture with this bit of “poetry”.
I feel as though, considering the time constraint I’ve put on myself, this is messier than usual. That said, I think I get the point across.

Perhaps this is a little to pretentious. I think the message is easy enough to discern but the language I’ve used is not necessarily warranted.

I hope you enjoy.

—

A sudden remembrance of that which still is
It sits somewhere within and behind, glowing
Pulsing out, little by little in some sort of signal
Reminding me of that which needs to be addressed

It does not move, though it feels that it should
It stays firm and resolute in where it remains
Despite a compulsion to engage in curvature
The signal desires straights as a correction

I try to feed it so it will diminish
I return to curves and it returns
There is no removing it without continued satiation
And so I am powerless to entertain any other position

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Five-Hundred Word Challenge 935: Next Sixty Minutes

Posted on April 25, 2021 by Stupidity Hole

Alright, so now I set out to try and do six different posts within the next sixty minutes. Maybe one will be similar to something else; I’m not sure.

I don’t know as to why I have decided to do this and I don’t know as to how it will affect the writing and the photo that I share. I do know that it will have an effect, but I cannot say what that will be. It will be a situation  of needing to see, however.

I don’t know where to begin with this one, and in saying that I am creating the beginning and expressing that starting. This will be an interesting task at the very least. I’ve attempted similar stuff in the past, but perhaps not with this kind of compression and pressure on my shoulders, though it’s not so much my shoulders that are feeling it so my as my fingers that will be, for there is a lot of typing to do in a short period of time. Perhaps I will be able to pull it off; we’ll just have to see.

Not even through this yet and already I am struggling. This is going to be a long sixty minutes. Perhaps I can do it. It doesn’t have to be all writing, but it does have to have substance of some sort. I need to make sure that I am covering something. It would be easy enough to just churn out some really short stuff, but that’s not what I want to do. I want to try and create with the pressure on me. If I can do that, then perhaps I can pull this off. Perhaps I can get to the end of this and say “I’m glad I did this”, though I doubt I will say that. I feel that instead what I will be saying, or at least thinking, is “I probably won’t do that again”. I think probably will be the qualifier here as, to be honest, I don’t know if I would do this again, or never do it again. I don’t know at all and that’s fine; it’s fine to not know things. I feel as though I wouldn’t want to do this silly thing again, but you never know.

Well, with that being said, I guess that this counts enough as an introduction to what I am going to do and so I am going to keep on going and hope for the best. There still is quite a while to go at this stage and, even though I am already struggling, I still feel confident about my chances of getting at least a bit of writing done and then pushing through the struggle to break through to the other side. There likely will be little substance, if any, but that’s fine as I still will try to create something. I’ll try to create and craft something and then I will look back, then rest my tired fingers.

The time it took to write five-hundred words: 05:26:49

Not the worst thing I’ve written. Not the worst start.

Could be better. Lacks a decent flow and a little too repetitive in places, I think.

Written at home.

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Five-Hundred Word Challenge 934: Some Complaining

Posted on April 24, 2021 by Stupidity Hole

Once more I am writing in a state of not quite knowing as to how many words I am writing due to the word counter not operating as intended, and of course this issue vexes me more than anything else at the current moment.

I don’t want to claim that I feel as though as I am blind as that would be incredibly dramatic and also untrue, for I don’t feel as though I am blind. It’s a bit of an odd way to do things. I have to stop, save a draft, then see how many words I am up to, then go from there and that is a bit frustrating, but it’s nothing that I cannot overcome. There are worse things out there to worry about and so this isn’t so bad. Still, I am going to whinge and dig in my heels and all of that other stuff as that is what I want to do at the moment. I don’t want to be reasonable and just take this on and then go from there. I will sit here and start digging away with my heels and then complain and complain some more.

Once I am done with the complaining I will have a small breather. I will relax a little and catch my breath. Then, once I have done that I will return to complaining. It is complaining the whole way to wherever this will lead and therefore I will keep on doing it. There shall be no chance of abating. There shall be no respite other than the required respite that will allow for the continuation of delivering increasingly inane complaining about something that is a minor inconvenience. It is the only way forward and the only way forward is what I shall embrace, and how dare anyone tell me otherwise, for there is no other choice that I choose to entertain as I know completely that in my heart of hearts I don’t decide to go for another choice for various reasons and all that other stuff.

Well, now I’ve run out of that thing known as “steam” so I don’t know as to where to go from here, though I’m guessing that this is the break where I stop complaining for a moment, though truthfully I want the break to last as soon I will be running on empty again and I don’t want to have to try and stretch this out for longer than necessary. My complaint isn’t of something that is that bad and so I’m going to soon get ready to put my feet up and relax a little so that I can put my feet up and relax a little as I want to relax and some other stuff. I just want to take it easy.

Well, it looks like the break is over so now I have to get back to doing what I was doing before which was complaining about the word count not actively counting words.

The time it took to write five-hundred words: 05:35:86

Not actually much complaining.

Written at home.

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Five-Hundred Word Challenge 933: Plate is Wide Open

Posted on April 23, 2021 by Stupidity Hole

Alright, let us start this one off with a bit of positivity:

“It is cold in here and I want to be warmer.”

There. That works. It’s a good start. It is the best way to start, in fact, and here is the reason why:

Something something and therefore from here I have revealed nothing other than a bit of a setting, something something the plot expands from here.

So you see, now the plate is wide open and I can go to any point. However, the further from the centre I travel out, the more the plate seems to narrow in a direction and it can increase in difficulty when it comes to moving to elsewhere. It seems that the further in a direction I go, the more linear it becomes, or something. It’s as though what options are available disappear so that the focus can come into place. Of course this also means that I need to be really careful when it comes to staying o the path as it does become easier and easier to fall off and then have everything go awry, which is something I don’t want.

So anyway, I’ve written the intro and it was just bursting with joy and happiness, so now the problem is that I don’t know where to go from here.

Maybe instead of walking to the outer side of the plate I’ll just circle the centre for a bit. I’ll do it slowly so as to not get dizzy as I don’t want to be both dizzy and doing this; that would not be something I’d find particularly enjoyable and I’d rather avoid things I can avoid, so long as I can avoid them, of course.

It’s possible that perhaps what I should do in order to move the plot forward is slowly walk outward in a spiral formation so that I cover more ground and then get more depth going on in the progressing story. Actually, it would be length and not depth that I’d get as I’m not digging into the thing.

Maybe it would be depth at length instead and then I’d get more out of the thing that I’m writing which is what is being written here. Then from there I can go on from something else. I can join the dots and hop onto every point. It can be fantastic and it can continue the story that started with the happiest of opening sentences of all time and there will be intrigue and mystery and all those other things that people enjoy seeing in plots.

Then again, maybe the depth may not be real and it will all be implied, but then the rug will be pulled out from under everyone’s eyes. Lo and behold, the whole thing was a shallow diatribe the whole time. There was no depth and it was all meaningless, which still manages to provide some sort of meaning through the inertia of deception, or something else that sounds deep.

The time it took to write five-hundred words: 06:19:64

Just some lazy writing this morning.
Not anything special, though it was fun to write.

Written at home.

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Gradual Rejuvenation

Posted on April 22, 2021 by Stupidity Hole

Behold, the shifting landscape!

I think I left the clouds a little too bright here, but other than that I like the mix of vegetation in various stages. I probably could’ve framed the scene better, but anyway…

I hope you enjoy.

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Five-Hundred Word Challenge 932: A Long Day

Posted on April 22, 2021 by Stupidity Hole

Alright, so here I am. I am beginning this with announcing that I am here and I am not there, so yeah.

Today is going to be a long day and it only has just begun. There is a lot to do. There are sounds to explore. I have to stay awake as I am rather tired and need to do a lot of things before the day’s end.

I can see myself in a mirror and I can see as to how tired I am. I need rest, but I must persist in driving forward, for there is driving to be had and I need to tackle the art of driving and then keep on driving forward. I need to get a few things done before the end of the day.

In my appearing tired I can see that it represents my being tired. My hair is a mess. My bags are heavy. My “beard” unkempt. However, other than the bags, this doesn’t represent anything different from “the norm”. All of this is how I often have parts of my appearance. There is no time for grooming when there are things that need doing. Such is the way of things that I inhabit, or something.

I do know that the cold hands that are trying to race across this landscape of keyboard don’t necessarily enjoy the cold, but unfortunately that is something that I need to embrace.

A candle next to me continues to burn, and the flame flickers and dances around its anchored position, vying to get out and spread, yet unable to do so without serious external intervention. Its fate is to continue to burn and burn on it will, for there is no other option. Eventually the wax around it might prevent it from going further… for the time being, at least. Maybe it won’t and the wax will gradually evaporate and move on. I am not sure as to how that works as I don’t spend much time observing candles.

There is a very gentle and cool breeze coming through the window. I’m not sure as to how it is getting in, considering how much of the area outside of the window is not quite open, but I’m sure that there is an explanation that makes sense. It is one that is appreciated as, whilst it is cold, it’s nice and relaxing. It creates a sense of ease and helps everything feel that little bit better. However, it is not too relaxing which is something I rather appreciate as I am not looking to fall asleep at the moment. What I am looking for is a sense of continuation and flow; a sense of something moving to somewhere else, even if locomotion is not something visibly and readily shown. Perhaps that will occur. If it does, I will be happy. Even if it doesn’t, I’ll still be happy to some extent as there still is a foundation from which I can build and move from.

The time it took to write five-hundred words: 06:08:54

I wrote this a bit earlier, then went back to doing stuff.
On one hand, I need to write more. On the other, I need to write about different things.

Written at home.

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Burned Bare

Posted on April 21, 2021 by Stupidity Hole

I can’t confirm this, but I feel as though this bit of vegetation was burned in the recent major bushfires we had that ended early last year.

I feel as though they make for a stark contrast here. Behind them you can see some rejuvenation, but here these bare plants reside, right in the forefront, angled and sharp.

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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