Five-Hundred Word Challenge 1555: The Break is Over

Posted on January 6, 2026 by Stupidity Hole

The holiday now comes to an end and so there’s a need to get back to work… and a need for me to get back to working, I suppose. Was the break long enough? Never is. Do I feel refreshed? No. But also, yes? I feel okay. I feel alright. Could be better. Could be worse. That said, my feeling the way I’m currently feeling is more to do with lack of sleep. As is the way it always seems to go, or something. Nonsense stuff and all that. Nonsense stuff and nonsense writing.

But the break is over and, for some reason, I feel more motivated to write now. Perhaps it was due to having much more time on my hands, or just really needing rest. Needing that decompression. Of course I want more, because I’m not just decompressing from a year of work, but from years of pressure and relentlessness. But you don’t get it all and this could be far worse. I’m still alive and functional, or at least passing for functional. I have my coffee. I have a roof. I have comfort. I still need a longer rest, however.

Anyway, the work year starts today for me. Today I return to the “mines”, and today I get through however much work there is for me to get through. I’m tempted to start early, but that wouldn’t be good. Need to maximise what time I do have and I need to take advantage of what time I don’t have. Need to prepare and be ready and look good and all of those things. Whatever those other things are, those too. Get on top of it all, get on top of everything. climb the pile, collapse, fall apart, and so on and so forth and you get the idea.

Today might also be the day where I finally, FINALLY get something done that I’ve been aiming to do for a while. I wonder if I can (and I can), and I wonder if I will. There are so many things to consider and get done, and getting them done is what I’ll be doing. Maybe. But this one particular thing is one thing that I want to get done and I’ll keep on trying, even if that means I have to force myself into action. I hope I can force myself into action. I hope I can get motivated enough. I don’t know if I can, but I will keep trying. I need to keep trying. Well, I don’t, but I will.

I’m talking in a vague manner and it’s not helpful at all, but I don’t want to reveal the thing in case I say it and then don’t do it. I feel it’s better not to say the thing if I want to do it, as there’s less pressure on me to get it done if I don’t. I’m trying to keep pressure down and so, so long as I do, I might just do it.

The time it took to write five-hundred words: 06:17:30

I was a little stuck on few thoughts, and that isn’t good. Thinking more about trying to cover a thing rather than just writing.

Written at home.

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MS Paint Self-portrait, January 2026

Posted on January 5, 2026 by Stupidity Hole

I started this nearly four months ago. Had been meaning to complete it, but life and whatnot. Anyway, when I came back to this today I tried to focus more on the shadow… once I cleaned up the lines a bit.

When I do photography, I find myself thinking more about what will work in monochrome more than colour, and whilst the photo this is based off doesn’t come from that thinking, it looks the way it does due to how the shadows in it fall on me. As such, I wanted to try and capture that more in this work, and try to use shading to give the end result more of a sense of shape, so I hope that came through.

I hope you enjoy.

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Sign of Activity

Posted on January 4, 2026 by Stupidity Hole

Whilst recently on sand dunes with the person I’m seeing, we walked over to a small grouping of vegetation that looked almost like an island. They saw a few cicada shells around and pointed one out to that they were taking photos of so I got in real close to get my own, as seen below.

I wanted to frame the shell and the bit of wood it was on without the ground or any other vegetation. I felt it would make the photo stronger, and I’m not sure if doing so did, but it has a feel to it that I am having trouble specifically naming. At the very least, there’s a harmonisation between the wood and shell, I think.

This is my submission into the three hundred-and-seventy-ninth Lens-Artists Photo Challenge. The theme for this one is “Favourite Images of 2025“.

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

Tina

Patti

Ann-Christine aka Leya

John Steiner

Sofia Alves

Anne Sandler

Egídio

Ritva

Beth

This one is curated by everyone. The next one is curated by Anne.

I recommend joining the community and participating in the challenges. They’re pretty straightforward, allow room for interpretation, and provide a good way to think about photography in general. If not, however, then at the very least you should check out what others submit to the challenges.

I hope you enjoy.

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In Front of the Rise

Posted on January 3, 2026 by Stupidity Hole

With this photo I was trying to make the hill behind the vegetation look massive. It didn’t quite work, but there’s a nice framing it provides, I think.

I hope you enjoy.

 

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Colour in the Clear

Posted on January 2, 2026 by Stupidity Hole

Another sunset photo at dunes, but a little different.

I named this due to the way the sunset seems to run horizontal. Of course it doesn’t – that’s patently visible – but the main concentration of colour looks like it’s moving horizontally.

I’ve just noticed that there’s a person in this photo, and they’re not as far away as they appear. They are at a distance, but it’s not a long walk. It annoys me that they’re in the photo, but they appear so small and insignificant, and we all are upon the body of nature.

I hope you enjoy.

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Five-Hundred Word Challenge 1554: The First One

Posted on January 2, 2026 by Stupidity Hole

The first one of these in a new year, and today things kick into high gear. Got a lot of churning and burning to do, and I’m gonna see if I can pull it off. Roughly four months left. gotta make it all count for something. This is how it all starts. Going to be a lot. Wait. This is how the end properly starts, or something. This is a paragraph and I don’t know why I’m keeping it going on.

This will likely be a long few months. I’m feeling the years more and more, and they seem to stretch beyond reason, and there’s little I can do about it. I can embrace the time I’m given and keep working with it, or at least trying to. I can keep on trying and I will keep on trying. Today is going to be rough. Yesterday was rough in a different way, but today is going to be rough. I’m going to be cramming in a lot of things. Going to see if I can pull off something I’ve been meaning to try doing for a good long while. We’ll see how it pans out.

I really need to use the bathroom. This isn’t worth mentioning, but I felt compelled to do so and so now that it is mentioned, it is mentioned. Consider it… mentioned. You’re now informed of my need to go to the toilet.

So I think that this year will be somewhat celebratory. I’m feeling better than I did last year, but this is a progressive thing and a not a sudden switch. Plenty can still go wrong and I’m still on a bit of a roller-coaster; it’s just not severe anymore, or at the very least, not as severe as it was last year. Things are getting better and I’m sitting here and I’m not feeling crap. Just tired at the moment. Tired and worn out, but okay. Doing okay.

Well, that pretty much covers everything. I was hoping to stretch this out, but I’ve things to do. I’ve people to see. Coffee to drink. Need more coffee. Well, don’t, but do. Going to spend the day doing things and see how the thing-doing pans out. Maybe it won’t, but I need to try.

I guess, a forewarning: I will be doing a lot of posting today, as is the style at the moment, Going to just flood everything. It’s part of what I’m trying to achieve before the end of this space. Had life not derailed last year, I’d be much more on track, but it’s time for some serious bloat and churning and all of those things. Will see how it goes. Probably won’t, but it might. Will just have to see.

Enough repetition for one day, let alone year. There’s plenty more to come and plenty less to come, also.

Well… yeah. I really should go and use the bathroom. Not doing myself any favours by postponing, but that’s how it goes.

The time it took to write five-hundred words: 06:17:84

First bit of writing for the year and it’s crap. Pure crap. But that’s okay.

Written at home.

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Clouds Dance at Dusk

Posted on January 1, 2026 by Stupidity Hole

This was taken whilst waiting for what I hoped would be a strong sunset. It was, but it wasn’t too colourful which had to do with the amount of cloud cover and where that cover was in the sky.

It was just a pleasant sunset and dusk period, and I was able to get a few photos whilst relaxing and enjoying the surrounds. This one feels relaxing, so… yeah.

I hope you enjoy.

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The end of 2025

Posted on December 31, 2025 by Stupidity Hole

What a fucked year.

Whilst it hadn’t been going well at the time, I didn’t expect my long-term relationship to come to an end, and I didn’t expect being unable to navigate it properly at the time due to the sudden addition of needing to find somewhere else to live whilst looking for a new work contract. I didn’t expect to repeatedly console my ex about the break-up, including a few times on the day she moved out, and I didn’t expect my ex to then go really cold and a bit rude. I also didn’t expect her to ask if I was gaslighting her and claim she was accountable for her actions, then proceed to gaslight me and leave me with the majority of the cleaning work where we lived. Work that needed to be done or the bond that wouldn’t be returned.

I got through that, and in talking to people it has become apparent that I was in an abusive relationship. I could’ve been a much better partner and my ex didn’t do anything intentionally, but she was abusive and I’m glad I’m not with he anymore.

I got through that. I had a few times where I came close to committing suicide, and at the end of it all I came out okay. Slowly got back on track with my life. Started seeing someone else, too, which was unexpected and I’m pretty happy about. Early days, but I’m happy.

I’m also pretty ragged. I got through a bad year in one piece and I’m happy, but I’m drained. I’m tired. Been through better, but also I’ve been through worse.

Since the break-up earlier this year, my interest in creating has slowly crept back. Not yet completely back, but it’s getting there. Had some ideas for things that I want to work on, too. New things.

So I’m sitting here, feeling ragged. Haven’t written in a week and I almost didn’t come back. I didn’t miss this space, but I’m working toward wrapping it up, and that’s nice. What was also nice was losing a few friendships. Once the sadness passed, I found myself much less stressed without them in my life.

But yeah; this year has been one of slowly getting back to where I was before everything went out the window. Still going and nearly there, but need to put in a good deal of work from here, and I can do it and I want to do it, so I’m doing it. I’m going to get back into photography as much as I can. Going to work on the essays I’m working on, too. Just going to keep going. Work on music, do more drawing, write more of space and the sky and the ocean, and what paths lead where. I’ve a lot to cover and I’ve only so much life to live.

I’m sitting here, writing, missing the road. I’m going to sleep after this. Need it quite badly. Need rest. I want to be moving, and more on that tomorrow. Tomorrow, the new year, in where I’ll say the same old things but I’ll say them in the same old ways. I’ll get there eventually, and it’ll be tomorrow when I do. Tomorrow is a new day and it’s when I’ll be getting into high gear as I head on down to the end of this space.

It feels a bit odd to say what I’m about to say, as it’ll be the last time I say it. A bit sad, too, but I’m also excited. Ragged, but excited. Excited for tomorrow. Excited for the next few months. Empty, burned out, ragged, and sad. But also happy and excited.

2026? Bring it on.

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Another Quiet Road

Posted on December 31, 2025 by Stupidity Hole

On the way home from Bathurst I stopped in a few places to take photos. For this one, I wanted to capture the length of the road I was on. See what would come through.

I think this works well enough, though I can see how I could’ve done better. Still, the sense of emptiness comes through. Sure, there’s property in the scene, but the road seems long, even this this particular part isn’t, and it feels quiet, too. So does the space. Quiet and empty, and desolate and searching.

I hope you enjoy.

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Vivd Over Sand

Posted on December 31, 2025 by Stupidity Hole

Getting back into the swing of things, and here’s another photo.

Much like this photo, here’s a photo of the sunset as seen at sand dunes. However, taken this year and with a more vivid sky, I think. Also not taken today, but instead 11 days ago.

It works for closing off the year, but there’s another photo to come.

I hope you enjoy.

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