Five-Hundred Word Challenge 1508: Comfortable Banality

Posted on June 12, 2025 by Stupidity Hole

Is this cafe my new regular? I don’t know, but the atmosphere remains nice.

I’m thinking about how much work and effort goes into making a place inviting. It must take a lot of time, and other things. Well, that’s the end of that thought.

The sun shines and it’s a beautiful day. It’s also cold as, but it is beautiful, and that’s nice. It’s nice to see some clouds away. The trees aren’t looking the best, but it’s cold and it’s winter and that’s to be expected, really. What else is there to expect, other than many other things out there? Nothing; that’s what.

But on a more serious note, it’s a nice day. The clouds are gone, or at least minimal and things feel alright, and I’m tired and stressed and nothing changes, but the view does and that’s always something to look forward to.

My life is slipping into a comfortable banality right now, but I’m restless. Need to be less lazy, I guess, but that takes time. But I have been lazy and it’s starting to bite me. Therefore I need to ramp things up.

I need to launch myself across the mountains, and perhaps over them. I must travel far and wide, and hope for a chance and live on a prayer. I must see the rivers and rivulets and canals and streams and creaks and floodplains and deltas and all those other things that I care not to name right now. Much like some watery paths, I will meander and I will meander with purpose. The direction is forward and I won’t look back.

What I will find, I have no idea, but I know that on this fine day there will be the movement and the motion that I so desire. I will go ahead and go beyond what I know and see more. Once I see more, I will know more and in knowing more I can go more. I can go to where the unfamiliar leads me and I can finally find that effort that I need to put in in order to get to where I don’t need to be and then, after, to where I need to be.

It’ll be a merry old time and, at the end of it all, I will not know how to bring that back so instead of doing so, I will take a nap and call it a day. I will call it a day and rest, and I will think abut what I have learned. I will think about my gold and those that I care about, and after much time thinking, I will begin my trek home.

But it’s cold right now, so maybe not. Maybe I’ll put it off until tomorrow and I can hope for a warmer day. I can hope and hope and hope some more, and once I’m done with that, I can hope even more.

So I won’t travel today, but tomorrow it might just be.

The time it took to write five-hundred words: 06:22:77

Tried to get silly, didn’t quite.

Written at Dirty Red.

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Construction Wall

Posted on June 12, 2025 by Stupidity Hole

A few weeks ago, I took this photo as I was taking my camera in for servicing. I was trying to capture the details and texture. This wall has a sense of aging and decay to it, but I can only imagine it’s a few years old at most.

This is my submission into Leanne Cole‘s “Monochrome Madness” for this week. This one is hosted by Elke of Pictures Imperfect Blog, and she has chosen “Naturally Monochrome” as her theme.

This challenge is open to all, and I recommend joining in. If want to, check out more information about it here, and include the tag “monochrome-madness” when you share your photo. If you’d prefer not to join in, then at the least check out Leanne’s photography, and what other people submit.

I hope you enjoy.

 

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Home: Decay

Posted on June 11, 2025 by Stupidity Hole

One listen.

Just went into it, wrote, came out. It’s getting easier, writing. It’s coming back a bit. That’s good. I think that’s reflected here. Short sentences.

Anyway, I think this works for the song. Not sure if it represents the song well enough, but I think it works.

HOME’s “Decay” is from Odyssey.
I hope you enjoy.

—

Synth stabs fading out and into the next, and soon more cries out shining. A bassy line comes in, creating a rhythmic counterpoint, and it’s not long before the beat comes in, strident, striking.

It’s all steady and the new sounds come in, carry a sadness. They wring out emotion from themselves and from the moment; they travel onward along a long road, and they find a little quiet. Or rather, a diminishing.

It’s a pause for thought, a pause for change. There’s space and synth moves in alternating forms whilst the melody remains the same. The flow remains the same and sound moves rapidly, reaching out above, looking down below, and driving ever forward.

Sounds come back and the moment is widened. There’s turmoil, perhaps. Despair, sadness… plenty of things. But things continue on.

It’s lament. It’s a lamentation, and maybe a letting go. A letting go, despite not wanting to. Having to let go of something falling apart, even as the song ends.

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Leaving Croydon Park

Posted on June 10, 2025 by Stupidity Hole

Another place left behind. Moving always takes time, and this one took a lot of time, and much of that was compressed into a short period.

There was no final walk through Croydon Park. There was no exploration of what was around. It was just a slog, and by the time I was done, I wanted to be gone. Really just done with it all.

I lived in Croydon Park for a little over six years, and the second place was for two of them.

I’m not sure which day I moved out right now. I think it was the 17th of May. Maybe the 18th. It doesn’t matter, really. It was a hard day of work among many days of hard work. All of it went by slow and fast at the same time, and I had time to reflect and think about leaving the area, but I didn’t have the time at all.

I thought I’d have more words about this but I don’t. Clearing stuff out of the house continued for a few days after, then I handed over the keys. After my ex was done, realistically getting the last of the house cleared out wasn’t my responsibility. It was mostly her rubbish she couldn’t or wouldn’t take, but I wanted to make sure she got the bond back and I didn’t want it to become my responsibility. So the last load was mainly rubbish. And then it was done.

As said, there was no final walk through Croydon Park. No reflection about the time in the house. I have some good memories and a lot of bad, and I was tired by the end of it all. But I want to go back. I want to do that final walk, and I hope I get around to doing it. But maybe the moment has passed. I don’t know.

As with many things, a property becomes more than its materials and design. It gains meaning over time, and eventually it becomes meaningless once people move on. In that house, my ex and I dealt with a housemate that wouldn’t carry their weight, and then our relationship fell apart. But there were good times. I felt there were more bad than good, and I think of that house and am kind of glad I’m out. At the same time, I miss it. It was home, but it no longer is. And that’s the way it goes sometimes.

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Assorted Fruit

Posted on June 9, 2025 by Stupidity Hole

A photo of assorted fruit. I took this one recently whilst photographing a small event. Didn’t send this one over as it didn’t fit.

I like how the container’s top gives a slightly blurred feel. I think it works to make the photo more about the colour than the detail.

I hope you enjoy.

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Cirrocumulus Sky

Posted on June 8, 2025 by Stupidity Hole

One of the last photos I took whilst at my previous place. Not much to say about this one. It’s just a pleasant scene.

This is my submission into the three hundred-and-fifty-second Lens-Artists Photo Challenge. The theme for this one is “Mellow“.

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 Sofia. The next one is curated by Beth.

At the moment Patti is sitting out the challenges whilst she recovers from wrist injuries. Go send her some love.

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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Finnegans Wake at a Cross

Posted on June 7, 2025 by Stupidity Hole

I took this photo for this challenge. I took it earlier on in the week, but it has been a bit of a week and so I’m only getting it up now.

I want to write about Finnegans Wake It’s one of my favourite books, and I’ve been meaning to do something about it for years. It’s not this post, but that thing should happen sometime this year… I hope.

Anyway, I should’ve used the tripod for this photo. Didn’t. Oh well. I still got something I’m happy with. Could be better, but I got what I wanted, framing-wise.

This is my submission into the three hundred-and-fifty-first Lens-Artists Photo Challenge. The theme for this one is “Books“.

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 Ritva. The next one is curated by Sofia.

At the moment Patti is sitting out the challenges whilst she recovers from wrist injuries. Go send her some love.

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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Nearly Oratorio: Voices

Posted on June 7, 2025 by Stupidity Hole

One listen.

It has been a long time since I last wrote about Nearly Oratorio. This isn’t from a new release, but it is one I finally acquired last week. Listened to it once, decided to cover this song in particular.

Not sure how well I captured the song. I think I did well in some parts and not so in others. Overall I think you’d et an idea from reading this, though perhaps not as strong an idea as one should get.

Nearly Oratorio’s “Voices” is from Showers.

I hope you enjoy.

—

Gentle, seemingly warped sound. Muffled. Peaceful, gentle, and a little sad too, maybe. Or maybe not.

Vocals come in, split and seemingly mumbled and clear at the same time. Slow and deliberate, and at the right pace. Always at the right pace. Percussion also gentle is now here, beeping along. Steady. More sound. Layering, moving along as though an innocent pulse frozen in time, or at least that moment in time is holding.

This sound is pretty and more comes in. More layers, filling with space without feeling cluttered. It all still feels small and cosy, and joyous. It’s blissful; it’s a right moment, and it stays still among motion and movement. It remains pretty. It stays pretty.

There’s a little bit of a pull back before everything and more comes in, and the space grows deeper, or wider. But it stays small. It seems very personal, and it’s a blip among a million others, but it’s this blip that matters.

Percussion increases, and so do other sounds. So do keys, and percussion takes over, drowns out everything, takes over, engulfs, and is suddenly diminished where another note comes in. Vocals distort and seem to lose structure whilst holding it. They echo out into a silence; into a void, where that moment remains and where the song ends.

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Under the Streetlight

Posted on June 6, 2025 by Stupidity Hole

This is the photo that was meant to be used here.

This is my submission into Leanne Cole‘s “Monochrome Madness” for this week. The next one is hosted by Elke of Pictures Imperfect Blog, and she has chosen “Naturally Monochrome” as her theme.

This challenge is open to all, and I recommend joining in. If want to, check out more information about it here, and include the tag “monochrome-madness” when you share your photo. If you’d prefer not to join in, then at the least check out Leanne’s photography, and what other people submit.

I hope you enjoy.

 

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One Thousand Word Challenge 219: I can Appreciate

Posted on June 5, 2025 by Stupidity Hole

A chill music day? No, not at all. Too much being extreme to extremely be. Weather’s clearing though, and that’s nice.

What am I going to write about this morning? I feel things are getting okay. Things are improving. I don’t want to tie my writing to pain and pressure, but I feel like I am and that’s not necessarily a good thing for me at this present moment, because I’m feeling better. Still a little lonely, but no more or less than I was whilst in the relationship, really.

I think that right now I might try and churn out a lot of words. I’ll do that. That is always a productive use of my time. If I can do that, I can do anything. Need to kill about ten minutes, maybe a few more, anyway. We’ll see how far I get.

So now that I’ve thrown down the gauntlet it is time for me to listen to all the vibrating being caused by my typing. Bottles are shaking, and so are glasses. My coffee is shaking. I can see the ripples move across its surface. There’s the low noise of bliss around me, and it’s a peaceful space. It’s a fun space. It’s a joyous space. This is all nice. This is pleasant. This is ideal, and I enjoy its being ideal. I’m enjoying this.

There’s a dog having a sniff, being happy, looking happy. This is all nice, and I feel relaxed. I feel tired, but I did sleep an uninterrupted sleep for the first time since some time last year. That was good; that was great. I’m still tired, but this is all something I can appreciate, and it IS appreciable. I feel a little detached though, like I don’t belong. But I like this. I’m taking it easy before I head off to work and I get to enjoy a moment in time. I get to be in this pocket of space and I don’t have to be something, or be switched on and powering on through everything. This is ideal.

The music is slow and not quite my thing, but I enjoy it regardless. It’s just easy. Duoly Rob knows how to draw people in. The staff are friendly, and in a genuine way, I feel.

So now I’ve said all of that and it’s time for me to spiral off and sink everything in the best way possible. Or perhaps it would be the worst way possible. The original path has ended and the new path lies ahead, and it’s all downhill whilst uphill, and let me tell you, I’d rather turn back. I don’t want to sink everything, but this is what lies ahead and so if this is what lies ahead then this is what I must do. This is where I must walk forward, and I need to do it in the best way possible in the worst way possible.

So it’s time to go down rolling uphill whilst downhill and take everyone out along the way. I can do this; I can succeed. I can burn bridges and paths and bonds and I can make myself a reprehensible human being. Don’t want to, but it’s time that I do. It’s time that I must. I can succeed, and then move on and disappear from Glebe forever. People will wonder why, and I know it’ll be due to the self-doubt and anxiety. I know it will be because I need to ensure failure and not success, and I need to do it the only way that I know how.

Actually I don’t know how, but some people think I’m a shitty person and who am I to say that they are wrong? Can’t say they’re right either, however.

I’m sitting here and I’m thinking about the friends I’ve lost over the past couple of months, and my ex, and I don’t want to be. Grief comes when it comes, but these are things I feel better about, in a way. One of those friends I am kind of sad, kind of not caring around. Helped them a fair bit where I could, they gave a vague, non-explanatory message about why they felt the friendship should end. It upsets me that I may have hurt them in some way, but if they’re not going to speak to me and try to work toward resolving the issues, then I feel it’s someone not worth having in my life. I especially feel that way if they were willing to take my help on a number of things, especially a couple of weeks prior.

I’ve said it before and strongly implied it too, but I value honesty. I value the people in my life. I am an intense person so I get that I get a bit much, but I still want people to be honest with me because I don’t want to hurt anyone. If someone I’ve known for years knows this, and then won’t be honest with me whilst still accepting my help, I don’t know if I have the energy to care enough.

But even though they and two others are on my thoughts, I’m still enjoying myself right now. I’m still happy in a way. I’ve gone through some shit and I’m not out of the woods, but I’m doing okay. I’m surviving. I’m in a position where I can work hard and improve and get into a better position in life, and so I need to maximise that. I’ve been feeling better and better since getting dumped, and I wonder if I’ll crash. I’m not wondering too much, but I am wondering. But I need to keep on working on myself. I need to keep doing what I want to do, so long as it does benefit me and doesn’t hurt people along the way, unless that hurt is unavoidable. And I can do that.

But for now I’m going to sit here and enjoy the space I’m in.

The time it took to write one thousand words: 15:46:99

Decent speed. Not sure if it matches the writing enough, but it was a decent speed.

Written at Dirty Red

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