On Talking Over People

Posted on March 31, 2017 by Stupidity Hole

Conversation. It’s a powerful tool that allows us to communicate. It usually has an ebb and flow and you can gain a lot from talking with people, depending on what you talk about.

Whilst I don’t like talking too often, I do enjoy the art of conversation. There’s something about it, especially at times when it becomes verbal jousting, that makes it a really satisfying endeavor in which to engage.

With that being said, there’s something in conversation that really frustrates me.
I don’t like it when people talk over and interrupt you when you are conversing.
I think that it is a rather selfish and arrogant thing to do that shows a lack of respect to the other person in the conversation.

It can also indicate that you are trying to dominate a conversation instead of actually listen.

Recently whilst in one of my subjects where  in our tutorials we discuss Australian literature with each other, the conversation that I was having veered a little off track.

I should correct myself there; I was trying to have a conversation and the person that I was speaking to seemed to be trying to have an argument. After a few sentences of me talking I would be interrupted by them talking over me. They became more and more aggressive and angry in their tone as we “spoke”, sounding like they wanted to dominate the whole conversation and not want to hear what I wanted to say. They had an air of self-righteousness based on (I think) what they learned in another class which did nothing but reveal their own arrogance, stubbornness and naïveté.

Talking over people is something that, in very few circumstances, not something that I think can be justified. You can’t have a proper conversation with someone who does this.

Now, to be fair, I can’t say that I haven’t been guilty of doing this myself. That may be why I am critical of the act of doing so. I don’t know.

I know that I don’t like it when it’s done to me, I don’t like it when it’s done to others and I don’t like it when I do it myself.

I’d rather have a conversation with someone rather than have the conversation taken over because someone doesn’t want to give other people the time to talk.

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Two Swans

Posted on March 30, 2017 by Stupidity Hole

On the second morning of the field trip I took photos at the lakeside.
I was lucky enough to see these two swans off in the distance.
I tried to get really close, but unfortunately due to the amount of water that was around and my wearing boots, it was not quite possible so I had to settle for getting photos from a distance.

I think that the light in this photo works well with the form of the swans and I like how there’s a light reflection on the water.

This is my submission into Leanne Cole‘s Monochrome Madness for this week.
If you like monochrome photography then you should check out Monochrome Madness and consider participating. I also strongly recommend checking out Leanne Cole’s other work.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

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Small Events Involving Arms

Posted on March 30, 2017 by Stupidity Hole

Recently I’ve hopped back on my bike as I haven’t been doing much cycling over the past few months (no cycling whatsoever, save for once or twice) and whilst I’ve been tiring myself quite a fair bit, I’m enjoying it just as much as I always have.

However, there’s two things that have recently happened that have annoyed me immensely and they both have to do with pedestrians.

I was cycling across Anzac Bridge. In the distance there was some topless buff dude walking along. When he saw me, he stuck his hand out in front of me with his fingers spread out. I’m not sure if he was looking for a high five, but in my experience you don’t generally put your hand out so it’s in the direct path of a cyclist if you want them to high five you, especially if they’re moving at a rather accelerated pace.

The second time  involved going past a bus stop yesterday. As I was approaching, one of the people standing there stuck their hand out right in front of my path, which was quite possibly the smartest thing they could have done in that given moment. Luckily they realised that they should raise it once they noticed that I was approaching and people were moving over to let me through, but had they not, there would have been a small accident.

Normally I wouldn’t complain about something like this, but I don’t understand why people feel the compulsion to do something like either of these when there is a real risk of getting injured. Don’t shove your damn hand directly in front of someone when they’re moving along, especially if they’re going fast over a bridge. To the side is much more efficient.

If you’re at a bus stop, perhaps wait for someone to pass by before you decide that shoving a limb in their view very suddenly is a good idea.

On Tuesday morning I caught a bus to go to my favourite café. The bus was packed when it arrived at my stop. Having to tap off the bus due to our smart card system, I justly decided to do that. There was a person in the doorway and instead of stepping to the side or stepping off the bus to let me through, they decided that the best course of action was to try and walk through my arm.

When that failed, they didn’t apologise. They stepped to the side.

I really don’t understand how people can be so stupid. I understand that sometimes you can be lost in thought and become clueless due to said being lost in thought. It happens to me on a regular basis. The problem is they saw that I was there and after looking around slightly, actually tried to walk through my arm.

I don’t really know what else to say about it, other than that I was surprised that it happened and am not surprised that I didn’t get an apology. My arm is a physical object with a physical presence. It’s not invisible.

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Just Before Sunrise

Posted on March 29, 2017 by Stupidity Hole

This shot was taken on the first morning of the field trip.

I heard about a spot where you could see the ocean near where we were staying so I headed out to try and find it, but I didn’t get the whole way as part of the track was submerged and it was too dark to make my way around.

I set up at this spot and took a few photos instead. Whilst first light was happening, everything around me was still quite dark.

I didn’t quite see the sunrise, but I’m happy with the result.

I think that this photo is quite calm and low-key, but at the same time it feels like there’s a fair bit happening without feeling cluttered.

I hope you enjoy.

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On Making Complaints

Posted on March 29, 2017 by Stupidity Hole

The Annandale Hotel was closed down a few years ago and subsequently reopened after a brief period of time, remodeled and gentrified. It still has live music but it’s a pale imitation of its former self, serving overpriced and underwhelming food, keeping the live act portion of the venue at what looks to be a minimum and seemingly focusing more on appearance and coolness rather than actual substance.

I can remember a time where I thought of The Annandale Hotel as a great venue. There were problems. However, I saw many good gigs there and I can’t think of a time where I didn’t enjoy being there.

Of course, residents near The Annandale Hotel decided to make noise complaints about the established venue, because fuck everyone who might actually like the place and enjoy being there and fuck a bunch of young people who might be going through their musical formative years, discovering a lot of new music whilst having a good time; they’ve got to do what is right.

The venue might have been established well before they moved there, but despite not doing the research before moving in and then accepting the fact that they made an error of judgement, the best thing to do is complain until they get what they want. After all, that’s clearly the best thing to do because it’s far better to have things going your way instead of maybe becoming part of the established area and community that seemed to be fine with the venue.

I don’t understand why people think that this is a good way to behave. It’s not so much about The Annandale Hotel as it is about the complete and utter selfishness and arrogance of people.

Many people will move to a new suburb and instead of actually bothering to accept that there are established venues, events of culture, will start working toward changing things around to suit them better.

Part of this has to do with gentrification, which is not necessarily a bad thing when it’s not in the hands of selfish idiots.
Gentrification can be a strong tool for progress, but it is seldom one with any form of balance.

The Annandale Hotel ended up being gentrified as, despite being a successful venue that gave people in Sydney (which has been starved for live venues for far too many years) another place to see bands, a bunch of reprobate residents made noise complaints. It was put in a position where it had to change. Supposedly Leichhardt Council wanted to keep it open when it had to close but they never seemed to be there when the owners were fighting to stay open. It reopened and became a sub par generic venue with no real substance.

I live near a pub. I didn’t know there was a pub when Je and I moved. There are nights where it gets loud and it can be a bit annoying, but I’m not going to complain as it’s a part of the community. No one is being an asshole and doing stupid things. It doesn’t deserve to be changed just because sometimes it annoys me, just like any other venue doesn’t deserve to be changed just because you’re sometimes inconvenienced and annoyed by people enjoying themselves.

Recently one of my friends told me about how in the nineties a couple that moved to Lucas Heights and discovered that there was a nuclear reactor near the property into which they had moved. Taking umbrage to this reactor that had been established many years prior and was quite possibly the only thing that most people know about Lucas Heights, they decided that the best course of action was to make a complaint.

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The Stars Above Smiths Lake

Posted on March 28, 2017 by Stupidity Hole

Here’s a few shots I took on the first night of the field trip.

I like how they turned out and that they’re not as grandiose as most people seem to want astral shots to be, but at the same time they’re a reminder that I need a stronger lens if I want to do this type of photography, which I do.

A fair bit more noise than I had hoped came through, but I still think the pictures work well.

The noise also allows me to work on improving my noise reduction ability.

I think I might have made the exposures too long.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

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Five-Hundred Word Challenge 189: Back From the Field Trip

Posted on March 28, 2017 by Stupidity Hole

On Sunday afternoon I returned from the field trip that, as it turns out, I didn’t enjoy that much.
There were moments. There were very good moments and parts that were fun, but overall I have a few beefs about how it seemed to be poorly organised (telling us about things that should have been advised of at least a week before the field trip commenced due to the possible dangers of said things, among other issues) as well as what could be deemed as irresponsible behaviour from a senior authority, but that’s not something I’m going to get into because I want to discuss what I did enjoy about the field trip.

I enjoyed the scientific aspect of it. I enjoyed getting off any paths to log data as well as what the region looked like. I enjoyed going into a lake and walking about one hundred metres from the shoreline, then walking back because it was not deep enough to be floating in the water.

I enjoyed taking a lot of photos and being away from the city. I found parts of it quite relaxing.

I enjoyed coming back without any form of illness of bad injury.

I think that sums it up pretty nicely.

There was a fire at the site the class was staying at at one point and, whilst everyone was away from it, I enjoyed taking photos of the fire.

I enjoyed talking with some of my fellow students (as I still can’t relate to most of them) and I enjoyed the food that was provided for us to eat as it was rather simple and straightforward but covered most of what was required in a balanced diet.

I really can’t think of much else.

I liked the air. The air was nice.

I enjoyed seeing a whole bunch of different insects, as well as the end of a goanna.

I really enjoyed the trip back home as it was significantly faster than the trip there due to when the bus left uni, as well as being able to leave the bus back well before reaching uni, therefore allowing me a much more direct route back home.

I managed to learn very little while in the bush, but I managed to do a fair bit of physical activity (which was mostly the parts that included walking off the tracks that were around) and I came back from it mostly feeling tired rather than sore, which I’m quite happy about as something I don’t always feel like feeling is pain, despite the charming allure that it has when it warms my cold and darkened soul.

I made the mistake in not reading the outline of the field trip properly and was left without sleeping gear, but that didn’t bother me much as I still was able to sleep somewhat decently.

So, that pretty much sums up everything. I’m back and aside from a bunch of scratches and a slight bit of pain, I’m completely fine.

The time it took to write five-hundred words: 09:08:28

So I wanted to do a bit of writing to schedule for whilst I was gone.
Obviously it never came to be, but I wonder what I would have come up with.

Anyway, this was slower than I had hoped, but it’s a decent summary if you think not saying much counts as decent when you read a summary.

Written at home.

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Docked at White Bay Cruise Terminal

Posted on March 26, 2017 by Stupidity Hole

A few weeks ago I was walking during the night when I saw this ship docked at this terminal.

In processing I tried to make it darker because I felt it made for a better photo, I think.

I was probably subconsciously trying to emphasize the night and reduce detail without eliminating it entirely. I’m not sure.

Anyway, I like the atmosphere of this photo, as well as the lights of the city being more of a pattern that are still giving an idea of the shape of the buildings.

I like that the ship is there, sitting and waiting.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

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Floor Reflection

Posted on March 25, 2017 by Stupidity Hole

I was at a friend’s place last week (I think) when I took this photo.

I like how clear the reflection has come through, as well as how it looks with the floor pattern laid over.

To me, the light makes the image feel warmer.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

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More Green Algae

Posted on March 24, 2017 by Stupidity Hole

“It IS Easy Being Green!” Especially when you’re green algae.

Another shot taken in the Royal National Park. This was taken a few moments before this one, if I am remembering correctly.

I like the texture and detail of this, as well as the pattern that the lighter algae forms (it’s similar to this).

This is my submission into The Daily Post‘s photo challenge for this week.

I hope you enjoy.

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