Just a photo of an ibis cleaning itself.
I’m not sure as to why I didn’t share this sooner. It’s easy enough on the eyes and due to being a simple, pleasing shot.
I like how part of the ibis’ neck doesn’t quite appear distinct from its body, creating a slightly odd visual.
I hope you enjoy.
Sometimes it is easy enough to wonder as to what time it is, but of course all you need to do is check the time to know the time at the current point of time in which you are wanting to know the time. However, how do you know what the time is if you are unable to check what the time is for some reason, or another reason?
Well, you see, time is a thing that is considered to be an artificial construct, which in some cases is true. That said, it must be considered that time is also a way of helping us measure and understand observable phenomena. It is a form of measurement and, on top of that, it is a few other things. Generally for most situations time moves at a rate of one second of time per second of time. In understanding these things, it becomes a little clearer as to the understanding of what time is.
What time isn’t is a series of numbers with no relation, a series of bricks, a series of crocodiles, a series of houses, a series of sayings, temples, hats, flowers, shades, eggs, gloves, cars, motors, engineers, landscapes, winds, gases, solids, liquids, soils, plants, vacations, papers, drafts, businesses, loafs, organisations, pancakes, breakfasts, dinners, vegetables, products, placeholders, names, sayings, characters, stories, letters, pens, payments, divergences, convergences, litigations, breaths, beats, sounds, arms, misgivings, understandings, misunderstandings, rotations, turbines, panels, clouds, worms, birds, signs, expressions, paintings, sketches, impressions, notes, guitars, drums, keyboards, wagons, flutes, clarinets, ensembles, trios, duos, quartets, records, crowds, audiences, scenery, screens, pictures, motions, actions, movements, destinations, awards, celebrations, commiserations, consecrations, galas, horses, races, journeys, destinations, expanses, views, discoveries, realisations, creations, ascents, descents, acceptances, preventions, reviews, analyses, commodities, retaliations, reactions, plots, deceptions keys, ideas, successes, failures, oceans, waves, ripples, whales, fish, reptiles, tetrapods, mammals, angles, lines, curves, shapes, designs, imprints, endeavours, crises, flows, ebbs, rules, measures, expectations, problems, solutions, fingers, eyes, ears, hairs, organs, blinks, presents, openings, closings, rejections, opportunities, denials, fortifications, windows, doors, foundations, mountains, hills, rocks, tides, granules, materials, kilns, talks, conversations, breaks, rests, beds, floors, skies, flights, trains, hydroplanes, submarines, unicycles, erhus, hurdy-gurdies, drones, vamps, snapshots, photos, a series of lines, a series of words, a collection of stamps, a murder of crows, a congregation of ibes, a series of inexplicable feelings, transients, a pile of waste, a consecutive series of declarations, a consecutive series of proclamations, twists, turns, revelations, accusations, a moment of catharsis, rainfall, flooding, drying, deserts, plains, forests, jungles, waterfalls, rivers, estuaries, dunes, caves, caverns, glaciers, storms, strikes, yelling, debating, pyramids, slides, ladders, whistles, smiles, frowns, tears, heartbeats, notions, trips, falls, leaps, bounds, jumps, climbs, hikes, jaunts, pedals, computations, programs, stages, benches, pathways, tunnels, communities, confrontations, lights, shades, hazards, rows, touches, obligations, personifications, cuts, scars, postponements, restrictions, boulders, slumps, clumps, paragraphs, spaces, formations, experiments, data, spheres, graphs, slices, spices, transactions, costs, consequences, suits, clothes, sternums, beetles, corpuscles, macrofauna, phytoplankton, chordata, zooxanthellae, or ephemera.
However, time can involve all of these things at any given time.
The time it took to write five-hundred words: 26:05:44
This took longer than I thought it would.
I feel as though the effort was worth it, but not sure if the result is. That said, I’m happy with what I did here.
Written at home.
Whilst the last shot of Yoda had more space, this one has more motion. As such, it’s dramatic, though in a different way.
There’s a sense of passion and energy coming from Yoda. Despite his being seated, he still puts forward a strong sense of being in the moment and reacting accordingly.
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.
I want to write about the joy of cycling, but right now I don’t think I have enough time. Still have a few things left to do before the commencement of my shift. It doesn’t mean that I don’t want to; it means that I don’t quite have the time right now to do the thing that I want to do. What a to-do indeed.
Well, with that being said I think it is time that I branch out. Stretch my legs. Get ready. Do the thing. Calm down. Find myself in a position where I am prepared to tackle the world as hard as I need to and thus throw everything about and do the other thing, or something. There still remains some time for preparation and I need to captialise on that. the sooner the better, of course. However, maybe instead I’ll just take it easy. Push everything away. Do other things. See how much procrastination I can squeeze within a small time slot and thus see how much panic is released in proportion to the procrastination. Could be an interesting thing.
If I indeed did this, then perhaps I could write a paper. Perhaps that paper will lead to me becoming respected and sought-after as a budding expert in the field of procrastination. I think that might just be a thing that could happen. It may not, but it could.
If it did indeed happen, then how would I cope with the fame and respect? How would I handle the responsibility of the awesome power that I would very suddenly find myself wielding? I don’t know how I would cope with this, but I would of course have to find a way. I could just disappear from society as my expertise might just be needed. I can’t deprive the world and its populace of another great mind; especially one that just might have solved the issue of procrastination by exploring the amount of panic generated relative to the amount of time spent procrastinating within a small amount of time.
Clearly I have reached a problem and I am not equipped to deal with said problem. I do not know as to what it is that I am meant to do. I don’t know how to handle this. It would be quite difficult.
However, I also need to consider the possibility that perhaps this fame and fortune and success that will come my way may be gradual rather than sudden. If that is indeed the actual case, then perhaps I’ll be fine and I’ll be able to continue on with living my life on my terms. That of course would be much preferable over a sudden rise to something that I could not handle.
Then again, I could also end up handling it all just fine. That too is a possibility. That all said, I think I’d just rather get on my bike and go cycling somewhere and see where that somewhere takes me, if anywhere at all.
The time it took to write five-hundred words: 05:33:83
Wrote this a bit earlier today before the start of my shift.
Probably should have uploaded it then, but here we are.
Silly, meandering, but it’s okay. Not great or bad; just okay.
Written at home.
Alright, I have no way of knowing how I’m meant to start this, but that’s the start. That’s what you get. Not going to say “del with it” as that kind of wouldn’t be very nice, so I won’t say that. Gotta say other stuff.
So first of all, here I am and here you are. We are participating in whatever this is in an active manner. That is what I’m trying to convince myself anyway. Don’t know as to how true it is, but that is what it is, or something. I think.
I really should have thought about what I was going to say this morning. Oh well.
Secondly, I went for a walk this morning. Maybe you also did. If so, then we have a connection of some sort. Perhaps these sentences will appeal to that connection in some way. I don’t know; I just write the words. Whatever they provide is far beyond my scope of reasoning. Well, it actually is not, but I’m going to pretend it is as that way it makes things seem more ambiguous and mysterious. Perhaps even rather svelte.
Thirdly, I don’t know what I am up to at this point. There is meant to be a pint among this somewhere, but don’t go looking for it as I did not sneak one in. Perhaps that is a slight against me, but sometimes that is what happens. Can’t do anything about it by now. Perhaps the point will find its way in a little later. Don’t know. If it does, then watch out. It might poke you and the poking can hurt as a point is normally sharp rather than blunt. Hopefully it’s not the point of a needle, but I have no control here so… be careful. Or don’t. It is your choice. The world is yours. Well, your world is yours. Mine is mine. It just so happens that right now there may be some sort of crossover. Perhaps even a meeting. I don’t know if that is indeed the case or not, but if it is, well, then, awesome.
So whatever this part is meant to be. I think I’m up to the seventeenth. Don’t know yet. We’ll find out soon enough. Whatever this thing is meant to be, it is constructed of sentences. The sentences use characters known as “letters” to form things known as “words”. Sometimes there are spaces. Sometimes there are things known as “stops”. I’m clearly pulling out all of the “stops” to bring this to an end, but it is far beyond my control at this point. I can’t contain it anymore, so bear with me as I hold on for dear life and ride the things all the way to wherever it is trying to lead this thing. Hopefully it is not into a wall.
Sometimes I wonder as to what I am doing with these creations of text. I can pretend that is is all artistic, but most of the time it is not. However, we must remember that the intention is to create and even if it is banal, it still is creating.
So the eighth thing is to let you all know that that may have been either the fifth thing or the tenth thing. There was a spilling of the counting a while ago and now it is all messed up and I can’t do much about that, so hopefully everything is in the right order.
At this point I’m actually wondering if any of what I’m writing at this particular moment is connected, or if it is all disconnected. In some way it is connected by its being a complete mess of disjointed paragraphs, but in some way that makes it connected somehow. I’m sure there are other things that make the thing connected, but I don’t feel like reading over the whole thing right now. I’m just going to keep powering on and seeing where all of this leads. How different from my usual way of doing things, or something.
Is it bad to be self-aware and self-deprecating? I don’t know and I don’t care. Actually, there should probably be a balance, but that’s something for another time. Won’t worry about that now. full steam ahead!
So anyway, I’ve lost count of what thing I’m meant to be up to, so I’m just going to pretend that now we’ve hit number twelve of whatever this may or may not be. Haven’t decided yet. I might decide later, or I might not. I don’t know. There remains plenty of time to get into all of that, but perhaps on another day at another time when I’m not feeling peckish. Need to consume something soon.
Anyway, at this point I guess what I want to say is that the thing number twelve is that there is a reflection staring back at me. It might be my reflection,. It might not be my reflection. Secretly it is but I’m trying to mislead and confuse. Realistically, if you’ve reached this point then you’re probably onto whatever it is that I am doing at the current moment and I should probably stop trying. However, I’ve come so far and I don’t think that I can stop. Well, maybe I can, but perhaps it really is that I don’t want to stop.
Of course this is something to ponder and ponder it I shall. Well, actually, it is not something to ponder. I’m just looking to take up a little bit more space. Truth be told, I ran out of steam a little bit ago and now I’m just rolling with this in the hopes that I get to the end of this sooner rather than later. Yes, this is all filler, but then again that could be argued about the whole writing. Whether you think that is indeed the case or not is all up to you. All I can do is keep on rambling and rambling followed by more rambling.
The time it took to write one thousand words: 12:05:77
I feel as though when I was writing this I forced myself on a little too much. I’m not sure as to why I did.
Well, it’s great if you’re into messy writing.
Semi-side note: Perhaps there is a point among the whole thing, but if there is, then I don’t know what it is.
Written at home.
Another photo of MONO’s drummer.
I like how, in comparison to the previous shot, Dahm appears contemplative. Whilst I’m fairly certain it’s mostly to do with at what point in playing he was when I took this photo, there is the possibility that this was a percussionless section of a song.
I hope you enjoy.
Sometimes you just want to climb and ascend a staircase of the tower of your own duck, and who really can say no to that? Who can stop you from doing so? Certainly not me.
So picture this: There is a tower and the tower has a staircase and this is the tower of your duck. You don’t know how or why you have possession of a duck and it does not matter. All you know is that you want to climb the staircase. You want to get to the top and see what is there. It’s probably the duck, to be honest. It’s not anything exciting, but don’t let that deter you from your quest of ascension.
This tower is of course somewhere in the wilderness. Perhaps it is in a forest and perhaps it is in a forest and next to a lake. It could be anywhere, really, so long as “anywhere” involves a body of water as ducks like water, or so I am told. You know it’s there and the tower is tall. If the tower was not tall then we would not be writing about it right now, now would we? Could be worse, I suppose. Could be a reverse tower and instead of ascending you’re descending. Could also be in an incredibly dry desert, such as Antarctica. But that of course would pose other problems, so it is not. The location is idyllic and the tower is tall, and you know that it is the tower of your duck. No anyone’s duck; yours and only yours.
So it’s nice and all woodland-like (unless it is not woodland-like, of course) and it all seems peaceful and that is due to it being peaceful and not actually a time of war. Needs to stick to the image. We’re not setting up the illusion of hypocrisy here; nor are we setting up the illusion of peace. It is actually peaceful. You’ve got everything that you need to get done done and so therefore there’s nothing else for you to do. You’ve time to relax at the moment. Could be for a good few hours. Might be days, even. You don’t know and it does not matter at the present moment. This is a good thing as now you’re mind is off of things. Do you relax? For some reason, the answer is no. For some reason the sense of curiosity within your very existence is sending you off to this tower to ascend the staircase. You want to get to the top and see what is there. Of course on other days you’ve wanted to, but not enough to drop everything that you’d normally be doing and so you’ve just gotten on with all the doing the living that you need to do on a daily basis, as well as the other recreational activities that keep you busy.
I guess you could say that the walk to the tower is a recreational activity that is keeping you busy. Also helps you stay fit and all that other stuff. Also, going upstairs is almost free exercise. It also allows you to appreciate the architecture of the structure in which you just so happen to be as you go up the stairs. However, you’re appreciating it from a practical and pragmatic perceptive. The building is sturdy and well-designed. It is not something ornate or artistic. It does look interesting from the outside, but that’s about it. Still, appreciating the fact that people built it well (assuming that it was people who built it and not some sort of magical creature) is a form of appreciation in and of itself… I think. However, I digress… or do I?
Anyway, you get to the tower and realise that the door of the front variety is locked. However, you have a key. That’s good as it means you can enter the tower of your duck, and so you do enter and then you’re in. You’re inside the tower. Amaaaaaaazing.
The tower is a lot cleaner than you imagined. As far as you’re aware, the tower has not been used for anything for a long time, if anything at all. Sometimes that is the way it goes. Then you remember that there is someone who is a tower cleaning specialist and so they probably have a key and keep the place clean so that on the off chance that someone goes in for whatever reason, they at least don’t have to contend with a largesse of dust and filth.
So anyway, you’re now in the tower and it is quite tower-like. You start going up the stairs as they’re there, available for the act of ascending and going up them. They are there to make traversal to certain locations easier and more convenient through by the act of making the traversal possible. You go up. You start ascending.
Whilst conducting the act of ascension, you take the time to appreciate the architectural work as now you can as it is the present of the current situation and thus in said situation you can do the thing that involves the appreciation. It’s something you’re doing and then it is done. Completed. You pick the pace back up.
There are some rooms along the way and you check them out. They’re just rooms; empty and nigh-pristine. Excellent work on display.
Eventually you reach the top of the tower. By the top I mean the final room. The door is closed. You think about opening it, if only for a moment, but in that moment you think many things. There was no hesitation before, so why now? Maybe it’s some sort of final frontier that you’re not entirely certain you want to cross. You don’t know as to what is on the other side. Maybe there’s nothing.
You think you hear a quack, firm and confident, though maybe you imagined it.
The thought passes, you firmly turn the doorknob and, with conviction, you open the door.
The time it took to write one thousand words: 13:49:41
I don’t know if I set out to write anything in particular. I’m not sure where this writing came from.
Probably should not have switched from using “staircase” to “stairs”, but it happened.
I think this mostly flows well, but is a little too silly. Maybe it’s the right amount of silliness. Not sure.
Written at home.
Here’s one I started last month and finished a few hours ago.
I feel as though I didn’t write enough. There are parts where I feel going deeper would’ve helped a lot. I also feel that the review is a little too lopsided toward the vocals without saying enough. Still, I think I got across an idea of some of the performative aspects, as well as the album’s content.
Most of my interview and review work now appears on Culture Eater.
My colleague and I set up a Patreon to further develop Culture Eater as a source of good quality arts coverage from both ourselves and our contributors.
We’re looking at what we can give to supporters as we don’t want to set up a one way relationship, so suggestions are welcome. Podcast Eater is one of the things we’ve got going.
Please consider supporting, or at least sharing the Patreon page with others. Please also check out what our wonderful contributors are contributing.
I hope you enjoy.
—
Do you like music? Yes? If so, then listen to this album. What is it that the kids say? This album is the… it’s the bomb diggity? It’s on fire? Look, I live under a proverbial rock so you’ll have to bear with me on this one, because Lianne La Havas’ Lianne La Havas (coincidentally by Lianne La Havas) is an excellent album but I can’t quite explain why.
So (probably) the starting thing to start talking about how is this is a “slow”, spaced album. What I mean by that is that Lianne La Havas (mostly) moves at a relaxed pace. Percussion often is slow and deliberate, and keys are loose, as is the guitar and bass. There’s a fair bit of space on most of the songs, or at least implied space. At the same time they’re quite full and thick-sounding.
Lyrics about romance – among other things – fill the vocals. Lianne La Havas is not afraid to draw her words out and let them hang low before rising them right up again, bringing them higher. More often than not there’s a kind of mid-range which she inhabits that gives her words a soft, yet firm clarity. Whilst usually holding a strong sense of seriousness, sometimes Lianne La Havas sounds a bit more playful which works quite well both for getting meaning across and as a counterpoint to the more serious-sounding deliveries.
The vocals often come forward a lot more on the quieter tracks than on the fuller-sounding stuff, likely due to the extra space afforded. However, I don’t think they would have worked as well if the other performers played in an increased or diminished capacity. There’s no denying that Lianne La Havas’ vocals are the centre of each song; they’re the main focus, so that she knocks the vocals out of the park is a big up. That a great group of musicians meet and bolster her performance is delightful; Her vocals get the support they need and the music overall is much stronger for it.
In terms of the album’s flow… well, it flows quite well. “Read My Mind” builds on “Bittersweet” nicely; “Green Papaya” relaxes a little whilst retaining some of “Read My Mind”‘s elements, and “Can’t Fight” then builds again whilst putting everything into a more poppy context. “Paper Thin” adds more space and carries a sense of slowing down; “Out Of Your Mind” closes the first half with a strong focus on vocal harmonies.
The second half kicks off with a cover “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi” titled “Arpeggi”. It starts rather relaxed and kicks things up a bit toward the end. The performance is an emotionally gripping take on the song, completely justifying its inclusion.
“Please Don’t Make Me Cry” returns to something close to the first five songs, being a little more relaxed and spacious, though no less certain of itself. “Seven Times” keeps that familiarity, though with more of a sense of sway and energy. “Courage” completely relaxes and stays gentle, sticking mostly to light guitar and vocals.
So the album ends with “Sour Flower” which at first follows on from “Courage” with the same kind of gentleness. It slowly builds whilst keeping space, then Lianne La Havas really starts belting it out to stunning effect. Eventually the band just kind of jam for a bit until the song becomes just light percussion and clapping. The song closes with a few voices, some slight laughter, and Lianne La Havas saying “That’s it! Done!” It sounds quite merry and feels quite appropriate to capping off the album.
A shortened version of “Bittersweet” follows. On one hand it’s more of the same song; It’s just a truncated version of the opener. There’s little (if any) variation and it takes away from what was a great closing moment. On the other, it gives a chance to revisit the opener with the experience of the rest of the album. It also creates a more circular feel to the album that putting the album on repeat doesn’t provide.
The album’s cover art shows Lianne La Havas with a big smile on her face. It’s much like the music it accompanies: candid and joyful. There’s a lot of serious stuff here, but the approach lifts everything up instead of bogging everything down. It’s easy to absorb, effective in its expression and enjoyable the whole way through.
Lianne La Havas is available here.
The same Porphyrio melanotus as this one.
This shot was taken shortly before the prior one. I’m not sure as to why I felt the need to mention that.
I was trying to get a shot of the bird mid-step. Took quite a few shots and this is the one that turned out the best.
Even though the waterhen would move quickly, this shot almost seems like it is considering its step before completion. Motion seems to have been taken away in the photo, but it’s still very much a part of the scene.
This is my submission into the one hundred-and-fifteenth Lens-Artists Photo Challenge.
The theme for this one is “Inspiration“.
I find birds are inspiring for a few reasons.
I like them. They’re good for practise.
I think they’re powerful, majestic and graceful creatures.
That said, I’m more inspired by form and shape than I am any specific thing… I think.
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
Tina is hosting this challenge. Patti is hosting next week’s.
I recommend checking out how people are interpreting the challenges. I also recommend joining in. It’s a growing, fun community.
I hope you enjoy.
COFFEE number two is doing what it needs to do and that is make me feel more awake than I am. Slowly sipping it is the way to go. If I go too fast I might overload. Slow and steady wins the caffeine race this morning. Still is morning. Not much left of it, but it still is. There are things that need to get done. I need to get this done. Then I need to write other things. Such is the way of things.
So today us Sunday. It is a day I’ve written about before (I think) and I have plans for being productive. Want to be productive, want to finish things so I can move my way toward other things. Kind of like a board with a bunch of stops. Can’t meander too much at any one stop. Doing so will slow down the process of proceeding. Don’t want to do that. Want to get things done. Want to finish things off. Want to not write about something I’ve written about probably far too many times right now.
It’s raining at the moment. Actually, it is not raining at the moment but it was raining earlier. Might rain again. Keeps me inside and keeps me anchored to my desk at little more. There’s something about rainfall and writing that seems to go hand-in-hand. I like that. Of course I am making the assumption that I will get things done as often when it rains I still don’t do much of anything, if anything at all.
Anyway, with that being said it is time to get the hat on. The hat I am talking about is the one that is the “getting things done” hat. Going to wear it and get things done. Going to write, going to process photos, going to record sounds and arrange them in a way that hopefully means that they form something that creates a suggestion of music. Don’t necessarily want to create music; just a suggestion. It is a busy day and I really should have gotten a start on things much earlier, but sometimes that is the way things go. I’m getting things done now and I guess that is important, or something. Still have plenty of hours in the day to finish everything off, but this is of course assuming that I even get a small amount of stuff done. I might just; I might just not. I might instead forsake everything for the sake of reading and relaxing in bed… I wish.
If I could do that without any worries, then I’d be someone who could do that with no worries. However, I cannot and that is fine. I think that this year has seen me move a little more from being lazy and a little more toward being busy. That is a good thing and a bad thing, but I like being productive so I’m just going to consider it a thing. I’ll deal with the consequences later.
The time it took to write five-hundred words: 04:58:30
I think I’ve had too much caffeine for one day.
Written at home.
Stupidity Hole 