Five-Hundred Word Challenge 516: The Sun Seems Ready

Posted on December 24, 2018 by Stupidity Hole

I look out the window and watch as the sun seems ready to swallow the entirety of the landscape and engulf the sky in a bright, bright light that is far beyond blinding.

I prepare for the worst, but there still is time. There always still is time. This is not one of those situations where the best that can be done is wait and hope for the best. No, action must be taken.

My gear is ready. I head for the exit door and into the streets. The quiet streets, for everyone is locked away, protecting themselves in the hollow hope that something good will come from all of this.

The sun seems ready to engulf the earth in its brilliance and there is little that can be done, but I must act. I must continue forward and try and apply the solution that has been prepared for all of these years for this moment in time.

I don’t know as to how this is all going to work out, but I need to step forward. I need to step through the hard shades as finer details seem to be disappearing. They have been for a while and only now it is that they are becoming more of a lingering memory than they are something that truly exists, or even existed.

The heat is unbearable, and yet it seems as though it’s not even there. It has gotten so hot that the feeling is beyond heat. I still know that it is there, however. I know that in my mind and somehow based on my sensory cells that govern certain senses, the heat is still there and it is more of a sign that I need to act quickly.

Around a corner, more empty streets. At intersections, not a person, not an active car. No animals to be seen anywhere. I look up to windows and can see ideas of people cast onto thin sheets and other objects raised in the hopes that it will help keep all that is approaching us out.

I keep on moving forward and eventually I reach a location open enough to be able to head toward the sun and do what I need to do.

I prepare and, after enough time, launch myself upward and into the sky. The thrust engines are doing their job and I need to continue on with doing mine.

I move beyond the atmosphere and toward the direction of the sun. It seems far larger than it normally would seem and I am merely a blip on its radar, although that description could be considered generous at best.

I’m moving faster than any person has previously. I am moving faster than I thought I ever could. All of this seems so unreal, and yet it still needs to be done.

The heat tears and kisses at my protection, but I keep going. I prepare and I release the solution.

The light is beyond blinding, but I push forward.

The time it took to write five-hundred words: 08:30:43

Slow, but I think that is due to being hungry.

Originally I set out to write something more like a political drama.

Not sure how it became this.

Written in Redfern.

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Across the Pond

Posted on December 23, 2018 by Stupidity Hole

I’ve spent a good part of this weekend trying to finish off three reviews.
I may have managed to finish one.

That doesn’t really have anything to do with what will follow in this post, but I felt the need to mention my lack of getting much done.

Here’s a photo taken whilst in Sydney Park!

I’m not sure if this photo gives a good idea of the width of the pond, but it certainly does give a good idea of the length.

I do like the depth of the field of the photo, and I like how distant, yet obvious the chimneys appear.

I like how massive the clouds appear.

I also like that the “Reflections” seem somewhat-impressionistic.

This is my submission into the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge for this week.

This 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 is hosted by Patti and next week’s will be hosted by Leya.

I hope you enjoy.

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Along the Flooded Street

Posted on December 22, 2018 by Stupidity Hole

Two days ago in the afternoon there was a storm that passed on through Sydney.

A bit of hail fell. Some hailstones were larger than others.

Fe and I had left work for the day. It was raining when we stepped outside, but it was more of a sunshower than it was a storm. We headed for the closest pub as it had been a long work shift and we had some time to spare.

We had a drink, the rain stopped and we then made our way to Cleveland Street. I was heading home and Fe was heading to Broadway.

During our walk and after we began walking down Cleveland Street the rain resumed. We were near a bus shelter so we made our way to that in order to stay as dry as possible.

We watched the hail fall, we watched it create new shapes in cars and we watched Cleveland Street fill with water.

Here’s a photo from from shortly after the rain / hail had passed.

Most people drover through this flooded section carefully. Most.

I like that the rider’s apparel breaks the colour scheme of the scene and thus pulls attention toward them. Once looking at the rider, it seems that their entire presence is disturbing the scene.

Their vehicle breaks the water and causes it to spray outward. Their vehicle is the only one here with less than four wheels.

There is another vehicle in the distance also breaking the water’s surface, but comparatively it seems indistinct.

I hope you enjoy.

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Five-Hundred Word Challenge 515: Taking a Step Forward

Posted on December 22, 2018 by Stupidity Hole

Taking a step forward. Taking a step forward into another thing that will once more lead to a visual experience of most delectable dimensions. That is the belief anyway.

Listen to how it all coasts along. There is no roller coaster here, but there is a coast that glides and swivels its way around and careens its way into a quaking land.

The land is shaking. It splits and opens and tears up into a million little pieces before reforming and allowing a nice, pleasant view of a vast, dry landscape that stretches for more eons than we can ever hope to perceive.

But then it all shifts again and parts rise and fall as the whole thing needs to contort and become something else and all that we can do is all that we’ve ever been able to do: bear witness to the spectacle and wait it all out whilst hoping that we are unaffected and able to continue on on our journey after the fact.

Of course, there is no telling, there is no hope as we watch all of this happen, but it all seems to cascade down and up and onto and into itself as it becomes a new thing entirely far removed from what we ever knew, but that’s the way the dice tumble sometimes and the path that opens up is the one that you may need to follow.

Of course there is always a virtue in turning away from the spectacle and then waiting it all out in the hopes that it will all pass and you’ll never need to worry about it all again and that is something that should not necessarily be criticized… so long as it is not something that you always stick to and refuse to remove yourself from… based on certain situations, of course, but there are many different ways of approaching things and no one approach is inherently more correct than another, but it all depends on the way the light is perceived and the reaction to the action is handled.

But then again, when your world is reshaping itself in front of your very eyes, who is to say that there is one that could be more appropriate? Wouldn’t all options be exactly equal to each other and perhaps the only way to find one more equal than the other is to step outside the box and find something that is so unorthodox that no one considered it as a legitimate approach to anything at all, ever?

Perhaps, but then again, the trees are yawning the great words and the animals that inhabit the space are merely propagating the event in question, but the event is only in question due to it questioning itself, really.

After all, there is no one around who would dare question the spectacle, and thus the animals need to do all of the heavy lifting in order for  the usual processes and procedures to carry out to their natural expected conclusion.

The time it took to write five-hundred words: 06:09:91

What fantastic… something.

Well, it certainly is something.

Written in Redfern.

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Five-Hundred Word Challenge 514: Around the Coastline

Posted on December 20, 2018 by Stupidity Hole

Around the coastline and headlong off to another direction. Away from the city, but off onto another city. There’s not a care in the world, there is a breeze, or at least it feels like a breeze. I know that there is something around the corner.

Vast views stretching outward into infinity, or at least infinity as far as my vision is concerned. It’s an easy drive, but it curves around the cliffs. It curves along a bridge that follows the cliffs.

The salt is in the air, and yet it cannot  be noticed. Too fast am I moving for the scent of slat to be able to reach my nostrils.

The four wheels in contact with the road, carrying me along to wherever it is that I care to go to.

Soon there will be new horizons. Or, at least they will feel new. It will be the same horizon that I see, the same horizon that I always wake up to on each and every morning, but it will be a different view. There will be something new about it. It will feel new, despite it not being new. A new location, a new thing to see. A new way to see the same thing.

Of course, the perception never is that it is the same thing, but something entirely different, just like the view on this coastal drive northward toward the big stack, or at least a bigger stack than the steel city of which I am seeking to escape.

I can forever carry it in my heart and mind and the love for the smaller landscape will never fade, but it was time to move elsewhere. It was time to move to a land of so-called opportunity. It was time for the scenery to change. It was time to embrace something that I could see as being new and appealing, for I had outgrown my surroundings. That’s what I liked to believe.

An artificial breeze running through my hair as the windows all lie down and I go as fast as I’m allowed to go, and sometimes a little bit more when I’m feeling a little bit more adventurous about the whole thing.

I knew that there was potential, but was I really going to be able to maximise my talents, or was I just a big fish that was going into a pond far too massive?

There was always the chance that I was aiming for the new body of water but was going to end up stuck on the bit of earth between.

I had to tell myself that this was something that needed to be done, regardless. Sometimes you need to know when not to proceed, but this was a time that was uncertain. It could have gone either way, but I wasn’t willing to sit down and wait. It was better to extricate myself from my surroundings and take the opportunity to go for something new.

The coastal views stretched into infinity.

The time it took to write five-hundred words: 06:08:70

I think I was trying to invoke imagery and kind off went onto something else.

Written at work.

 

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Anthrax: For All Kings Review

Posted on December 19, 2018 by Stupidity Hole

Here’s another old review.

This one definitely could have been improved in a number of areas, but you learn as you go.

I hope you enjoy.

—–

It’s been a small number of years since Worship Music graced our ears.
It was received well and considered a strong album in their discography.
Now that For All Kings has been released, it’s fair to say that they’ve added another solid album to their name.

After a fairly dramatic introduction, “You Gotta Believe” kicks into a higher gear. It powers along, slowing down at one point for a groovier section (showcasing the shredding skills of Jon Donais for the second of many more times) before picking up pace again.
It gives a good idea of how the album flows.

Tracks alternate between being fast, slower and groovier, and grandiose frequently enough to prevent the album from dragging for the most part. When going through the last few tracks, it can feel a bit tiresome at times after “Blood Eagle Wings”, but this doesn’t last very long.

Whilst there are plenty of melodic sections that, combined with the lyrics, provide hopeful and encouraging moments, the heavier section help enhance their intensity.
Being mostly about social ills and injustice, it is easy enough to go overboard with being melodic or heavy to the point where the listener can become apathetic.
Anthrax struck a good balance here, moving in and out of each when it should happen. The listener doesn’t end up feeling overwhelmed as a result.

The lyrics themselves vary between cheesy and tasteful, but considering the strength of the performance that Joey Belladonna gives, they don’t drag the album down.
Whilst he sounds very much at ease in his delivery, he also sounds as though he’s not giving anything less than 100%, providing the punch the lyrics require.

This is not to say the rest of the band don’t give it their all. Charlie Bennante’s drumming is never in excess (even when it’s fast and relentless) and Frank Bello’s bass provides a solid bottom end, never leaving the songs feeling empty. Scott Ian riffs away with strong conviction whilst Jon Donais adds in highly technical-sounding solos that are long enough to be impressive without overstaying their welcome. This works well in the album’s favour as everyone’s working for the good of the song rather than the good of themselves.

Anthrax have never been the thrashiest band, but that’s not a problem.
They do what they do well and it pays off on For All Kings.
Worship Music was a good album in many ways and it helped to renew interest in Antrhax. They could have ridden on its success for a long time.
They probably could have churned out something pretty quickly after it, but they don’t sound like a band that are content with doing so.
They worked hard at furthering what they knew instead of phoning it in.

For All Kings is an album that sounds very much like a band wanting to work together and succeeding.
It’s an album that can be celebrated as one of their strongest.

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Bathing Rock

Posted on December 18, 2018 by Stupidity Hole

Wave energy passes water over a rock, creating different and interesting textures and patterns.

I think that the rock works really well with the wave. Water cascades down it and crashes around it, spreading out for a brief moment before coming back to something closer to a rest.

I hope you enjoy.

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Five-Hundred Word Challenge 513: Step into the Mist

Posted on December 18, 2018 by Stupidity Hole

The second day of the week. It is here. I am looking out and about along the lines that lead to somewhere. Leading lines they are, but they do not lead. They only follow the trails that have been set out before my eyes.

I take a step and walk into the mist. There needs to be a little more than something beyond this thick miasmatic wall of fire and delusion.

I walk through this smoke and ash and look for a form of rebirth, but there is no quarter. There is no reprieve. There is no sign of life. There is only desolation and the burning of the flesh and the gnashing of the teeth and the wailing of the horrors.

There are many other ways around,. but usually the best way out is through. I need to step further into what it is that I am trying to navigate in order to get to the other side. This advancing wall of mystery cannot sustain itself forever, but so long as it keeps on going, then it shall grow in width and the thickness of its produce shall surely become impenetrable at some point.

Eventually it may become impermeable, but so long as I can pass through now and get to the other side and try and find something, despite how improbable it may seem, then I know that there is hope, there is something to work and strive toward.

A great wall of smoke and ash and fog and fire reaches around and grabs at things that it should not be able to grab. Far too much success it has in this endeavour, and it must be gotten through to see what it has done to the other side.

There is hope that it will stop sooner, but only time will tell. Only time will tell.

There is still no time for inaction. There is curiosity, there is desire, there is a need to find out what its going on. There is no way to see on the other side, as it all reaches far too high, but there  is still a need to get through. The only way is through. That is the only way that anyone is going to be able to find out if there is anything else that can be done in this instance. But there is no knowing without action in this case, and all that deliberation has done is waste time. There is still a strong need to proceed forward and get on with things.

There is need and the time of talking has reached an end. I have stepped through. I walk among the flames and smell things that I wish I had never experienced. I can only see heat and ash and smoke and the charring. There must be something in here still, but all seems hopeless in a way that I cannot possible describe.

And yet, somewhere in there, there is still something that is worth trying to save.

The time it took to write five-hundred words: 05:02:20

What am I saying here?

A bit inconsistent.

Written at work.

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Dry and Wilted Plant

Posted on December 17, 2018 by Stupidity Hole

I know not what plant this is.

I do know that it is dry and wilted.

I took this whilst traipsing through Sydney Park a number of weeks ago.

We’ve entered what feels like a dry season and there’s a number of reasons as to why it feels that way.

This is my submission into the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge for this week.

This week’s theme is “Seasonal“.

This 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 is hosted by Tina and next week’s will be hosted by Patti.

I hope you enjoy.

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Christmas Customer Service Rant

Posted on December 17, 2018 by Stupidity Hole

You know, Christmas is supposedly meant to be a time of cheer and joy and all it seems to remind me of is, as I prepare myself for the onslaught that I always forget about, just how shitty people can be.

Now I’m not going to get into hypocrisy, or the fact that there are still people out there who don’t seem to realise that Christmas is not the only celebration near or around the same time because, quite frankly, I’m nowhere near as educated on that as I would like to be.

Slight correction: There may be some hypocrisy explored. I can’t tell yet as I am writing this on the fly in real time.

I’ve complained a lot about how customers behave to people who work on the phones. I’ve complained a little about how people on the phones behave to customers. I’ve complained about people not doing their job. I”ll probably complain about people doing their job at some point in the future. However, what I really like about Christmas is just how much it brings out the Christmas cheer in our customers.

So apparently Christmas is a time of year where many people simultaneously get really pissed off and stroppy. Rather than deciding to exercise some patience, they all seem to increase their sense of entitlement at least tenfold and decide to get angry at us for their stupid decisions, like putting orders in and not checking when they’ll arrive and then getting angry because we can’t do a thing about it because they agreed to what was offered and the orders are still within the time frame for delivery.

Or they’ll get pissed off because someone else bought the stuff they wanted before them.
Or, you know, they’ll get pissed off because they need to sign for their delivery, which is something they may be advised of and can’t be home to sign for it because “People have to work, you know”. I did not know that, but I’m glad you told me.

Then there are the customers who, when they don’t get what they want, start aggressively mashing the keypad on their phone before hanging up. In all honesty, what do you think this achieves? That you’re “showing” someone for something because you think that expressing your exceptional childishness because you can’t deal with not getting your way?

Recently I’ve been called the following:

Dickhead
Arrogant prick
So dry and rude, and a prick for trying to do my job and asking a customer not to interrupt.

I’ve been told that I’m being short despite a customer being really rude and continually interrupting. This customer also decided to call my something along the lines of unpleasant, or grouchy. I’m fairly certain that this customer was another one of those who wanted to know where I was originally from, because my name must mean that my first answer must not be where I’m originally from. Never mind the fact that my understanding and speaking of the English language is better than most of these people who then decide to try and defend themselves when I express my discomfort with the questioning, saying at length how they aren’t racist. Never mind the fact that I didn’t mention racism once on the call.

If it seems that I’m angry, then yes I am.

Supposedly having to place an order can be too much of a hassle for some customers.

So many people in the retail sector have to put with this and worse around this time of year. We aren’t here to take crap from you. Problem is that most people don’t think that mutual respect is a two-way street. They want to use you as their punching bag and will do so as much as they can.

And probably the shittiest, though not unsurprising part of this is that most of these people won’t apologise. They won’t own up to their crap when called out on it because how dare we challenge them and refuse to put up with them thinking they can treat anyone how they want?

Everyone has a bad day. I get that. That doesn’t justify shitty behaviour. A lot of us end up carrying that stuff home, regardless of the “Leave it at the office” mantra.

The customers that are good, that are respectful and really fun; they really help make the job bearable. Sadly as the end of the year draws closer, they become fewer and fewer.

Christmas generally reminds me of just how horrible people can be. Yes, there’s plenty of greatness around the holiday, but there’s also a lot of selective shitty behaviour. Just because you’re nice to someone around this time, does not mean that that automatically allows to you be an asshole to others.

Treat retail workers a bit better. They put up with so much. They don’t need more piled onto them.

If you’re going to be nice to one, or a small group of people, instead be nice to everyone.

Stop being a jerk.

And nice customers, thank you for being nice and understanding that we are also people.

End rant.

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