Five-Hundred Word Challenge 182: Summer Ramble

Posted on March 2, 2017 by Stupidity Hole

Considering that yesterday’s bit of writing was not as good as I hoped it would be and that I don’t have the time I would like to work on a few other things right now, I’m going to write about whatever comes to mind in the following text, assuming that anything comes to mind.

Well, Summer has ended so I guess I’ll write about that.

Once upon a time there was a season referred to as summer. There still is, but that’s beside the point.

Its defining as a season meant that it was also the signal of the increasing of the heat on the parts of the world that were experiencing Summer as it happened, as opposed to the places that experienced the opposite known as Winter when they weren’t experiencing Summer.

Summer was usually a heated experience (in Australia it most certainly is at times). In fact, it still usually is.

There were some days that seemed to be hotter than usual this year. Some people will say that it’s not so bad in Sydney and usually I’d agree. The issue is that in Sydney the temperature can drop and rise really quickly.

Admittedly there are places that get it worse. However, for Sydney, seeing the temperature drop more than ten degrees over a few short hours only to have it rise almost as quickly the following day is really odd.

This year Summer ended with rain. A lot of rain. It’s still raining a fair bit, although most of it seems to be relegated to nighttime, so I’m not fussed about that and I’m sure there’s a lot of other people out there who don’t mind. With that being said, I’d much prefer it to be dry right now as it would mean that I don’t have to worry about the possibility of my clothes drying when I hang them outside.

A real big problem in the grand scheme of things.

With that being said, it’s interesting as now that Summer is over and we’re in Autumn, it doesn’t really feel like anything’s changed due to how much it has been raining.

I’m going to guess that that might be a bad thing, but as I’m not trained in this area, I don’t know and can only go off uninformed speculation for the time being.

Summer was once not as hot as it was this year. It probably actually wasn’t that hot as it was only a few days, but those few days were a bit hotter than usual which was worrying.

Summer didn’t like Australia very much this year, but that’s kind of okay as Australia didn’t like Summer very much either.

Summer is a season with temperatures…

Now I’m rambling, although that’s hardly different from usual.

I do hope that the rain eases into a less intense pattern. I can’t remember the last time we received this much as frequently.

Perhaps it’s nothing to worry about.

Perhaps it is.

Maybe I should buy a boat.

The time it took to write five-hundred words: 09:42:78

Better than yesterday’s, but not as good as it could be.

Written at home.

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Green Algae

Posted on March 1, 2017 by Stupidity Hole

Whilst in the Royal National Park I saw the algae in this shot and decided to take a few pictures.

I think that this was the best one.

I like how despite there not being many colours, it doesn’t feel devoid of colour due to how the light is cast over the area.

To me, the photo captures the calm atmosphere of this area.

I think that’s interesting this was really close to where waves were hitting the rock platform.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

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Five-Hundred Word Challenge 181: Now is the Time to Fight

Posted on March 1, 2017 by Stupidity Hole

Well I’m really giving myself a tight deadline with this one as I’m going to sleep very shortly, but anyway, here goes…

I’m sick and tired of the accusations that are being thrown about that are designed not to bring reason, truth or justice to some sort of issue that has been going on for too long, but instead are nothing more than a petulant smear campaign that only serves to be driven by selfish agenda.

There has been many great persecutions that have happened throughout history and whilst this is most certainly not the worst, it is still one that could become quite a problem if people continue to allow it to gain more steam and momentum than it already has.

If it does manage to get to a point where it can no longer easily be stopped, then I fear that the smear campaign will lead to unabated violence, destruction, sadness, loss, pain and quite possibly the loss of unity that some of us share as opinions and views would lead to division, along with more pain and sadness.

There has been no greater time to rise and try and stop this machine of hate and ignorance. This is a time where every reasonable person needs to stand up against what will end up an unstoppable wave of oppression, lest we see ourselves watch something change forever, never to be the same ever again.

I am, of course, talking about the movement that is trying to take down horses, talking about their evil looks and their menacing teeth and how they are trying to massacre us all, one at a time because they feel that they are the true rulers of this earth and we are merely beneath them in stature and presence, leading us to have to rise up against them and prevent them from doing such a thing.

All that horses are doing is being horses and crapping on the city streets. They’re innocent of these accusations that are founded on unsound logic and lies of injustice and yet people seem to be getting swept up into this complete and utter slander without thinking for themselves, joining in and strengthening a campaign  that has no right to exist because it denies the ideals of education and critical thinking. It doesn’t make any sense and yet people seem to be completely missing this somehow.

It could be a dark day for horses and we may be left in a position where the only ones that exist are in the memories and hearts of those who used to know them as they were.

So long as no one stands up to help fight this, that is the likely case and we will be left regretting our inaction against the attack on these beautiful, majestic mammals.

So long as we stand up, we can ensure that they will be able to continue to gallop freely, be horses and crap on the city streets.

Now is the time to fight.

The time it took to write five-hundred words: 09:50:93

Better.

I was hoping to get something else typed, but this is what will suffice for now.

Written at home.

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Cliff Face

Posted on February 28, 2017 by Stupidity Hole

It’s another shot taken whilst bushwalking!

I’m happy with how this one turned out.

I think that the colours of the rocks came through really well.
I also think that you get a good idea of how tall the cliff is. It’s not the tallest that one could come across, but it’s still pretty tall.

I think that the sky works well as a contrast against the cliff.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

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A Short Polemic on Additional Costs for Being at University

Posted on February 28, 2017 by Stupidity Hole

This week is the week that I begin my first semester f my second year of my undergraduate and I feel the need to talk about something which I’m not sure if I find insulting or not, but certainly don’t understand.

So… university. It’s a thing that happens.

Actually, it’s a place where one goes to study and learn.

Things happen at university, plenty of which provide me with enough annoyance and anger to probably write about them for a few months.

Probably.

Anyway, there’s a lot of things that I see at university that grind my gears as they don’t make sense to me.

One thing in particular is paying for field trips.

University in Australia isn’t free. It hasn’t been for a long time and that’s a shame because making the financial hurdle that can come with being at university non-existent is rather beneficial to any country.

When I’m in the position where I have to increase my study debt by more than one thousand dollars per course per semester I want to know why I’m paying over one hundred dollars in order to go on a two day field trip.

I don’t understand why this is the case.
What was the fucking course fee for?

So many people seem to accept this as the way that things are because it’s not normal to take umbrage at the fact that despite having to pay money in some form in order to do the subject, you have to pay more money to do something that’s considered mandatory as a different date.

Shouldn’t the course fee cover that?

Shouldn’t the student contribution fee, a separate charge for which I still have no idea as to what it covers other than some vague waving of the hands that hopefully will mean that I don’t ask more questions also be included in the course fees? It goes up the more subjects that I do in a semester, so maybe it should.

It would make a lot more sense than slogging people with it after an arbitrary date because they decided that the course was something they could do.

Probably the reason as the why I have an issue with this is that, being an independent who earns enough to get buy whilst studying full-time, I don’t want to be in a position where I’m spending more money on things that make no sense to spend money on.

Admittedly I could probably cut back on some of my own spending, but I’d like to believe that I don’t indulge that much, which is beside the point as I still have the money to pay for field trips.

I also have to take into consideration what I could be losing out on financially for not working the days which I’d be gone, although my job would hopefully allow me to work extra hours to compensate.

I’m sure there are people at university in a worse position than mine but either aren’t old enough to want to actually speak out or see that something doesn’t make sense.

Well, at least they’re getting taught how to think critically.

I’m sure that there’s plenty of people who are fine with paying more money to a university after paying money in some form for the “privilege” of being able to study one or more subjects. I’m not.

I think that being in a position where I couldn’t attend a field trip because I didn’t have enough money is odd. Some courses allow alternatives to be arranged, but to miss out on something that is considered important because of a lack of funds because something that should be included in the course fees by default isn’t for some reason doesn’t make sense.

Maybe I’ve been working for too many of the few years I’ve been alive and it’s left me with too much time to think.

Maybe coming to university as an adult was not good for leaving me with a good impression of university.

I think that education should be free and I don’t have a problem with a larger portion of my tax going toward keeping education free. If people were worried about more students trying to be freeloaders because of it, well the courses could be re-worked to be a bit more difficult. It wouldn’t matter as students would probably work harder to complete their courses because the financial investment on their part would be obsolete.

Educated citizens can lead to having a stronger country.

Giving debt to students and then giving them more costs to cover makes a bunch of them angry.

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Figure-Eight Pool

Posted on February 27, 2017 by Stupidity Hole

Here’s two photos of the Figure-Eight Pool in the Royal National Park.

The shape is interesting from a geological standpoint and I think that they make for a nice tourist attraction, but otherwise I don’t care about them.

There have been people who have been injured at this rock pool because they haven’t been paying attention, instead focusing on getting photos of themselves in and around the pool, which is unfortunate.

Whilst I’m aware that this is a cynical statement, I think that the reason as to why most people get photos of themselves at something like this is that they care about showing that they were somewhere rather than showing the location. I don’t think many people actually care about how interesting this looks because their interest lies within whether they can get a shot of themselves in it or not.

There’s a lot you can learn about these, as well as how the environment changes over time but who cares when you can get a cool photo of yourself at yet another location?

But I digress.

It’s an interesting shape and they look pretty deep.

I like how the colours came through in these two photos. I think that there’s a crispness to them.

I like how the moss and rock around the pools add more detail to the photos without becoming distracting.

I hope you enjoy.

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Five-Hundred Word Challenge 180: More Ranting About Drivers

Posted on February 27, 2017 by Stupidity Hole

This morning I was walking along through Newtown when I had the delightful joy of being an unwilling participant in almost getting by some wonderful person in an SUV due to their knowledge of how to drive because damn the rules that are there, they are above them and it’s unfortunate if anyone gets caught in the way.

It’s not the fault of the driver. The rules clearly do not apply to them. It’s the fault of the people following the rules and doing the right thing.

When I was walking, I was crossing on a zebra crossing. From the opposite side of the road running along the zebra crossing, a young person in an SUV came speeding along, crossed over a double line and then sped through the zebra crossing. They weren’t going at a speed that was significantly beyond the speed limit, but had they been going slightly faster, I would not be here writing about what had happened.

I’m not sure about the legalities of crossing a double line, but I do know that traffic has an obligation to stop when people are at a zebra crossing.

If this person had hit me, there’s a good chance that if they had been caught they would have done some serious damage to their lives. However, I’m sure that having some sort of consideration for their own damn future, as well as the person they could have hit is beneath them and we dirty pedestrians should just suck it up and deal with the fact that their stupidly over-sized car and their rampant idiocy is far more important than us.

If it seems like I’m angry, that would be because I am.

I don’t understand why people think they can break the law when they’re driving.  Yes, some laws can be seen as silly, but regardless of how cynical you are toward them, they should still be followed. They’re not there for you to obey whenever you feel like it. You’re in something that can easily take people out. That’s a privilege, not a right. Stop treating it like a damn right. There’s a reason as to why there’s license tests.

Remember what you had to learn to get your license? Pay some bloody attention and stop being a reckless idiot.

I don’t know why that person thought it would be a good idea to not pay attention to their surroundings and speed across. I don’t need to know. A single person in an SUV speeding around an area with narrow roads, a bit of traffic and around the time where most people are heading to work is unlikely to have a good reason. The same applies for many people who think it’s a good idea to do things just as stupid around same time, such as get pissed off when they have to suddenly stop because you’re legally crossing and they weren’t paying attention.

There are bad pedestrians, but that doesn’t mean that drivers can start being assholes.

The time it took to write five-hundred words: 10:22:34

I’m glad that I haven’t been turned into roadkill, but I’m wondering as to how far away that is considering how many drivers I get to see that think increasing risk to everyone else is something that’s a good idea.

Written at home.

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Uphill

Posted on February 26, 2017 by Stupidity Hole

There’s a part of the bushwalk that Ewe and I went on where you go through a section that’s referred to as a jungle. I’m not sure as to why it’s called a jungle and I don’t feel like ruminating about it, so I won’t digress.

For a brief moment during the jungle area you get a few metres outside which provides a brief amount of sunlight and a nice view of the ocean before going back in for a little while longer.

Once you completely exit, you enter a wide, grassy field-like area. The view is very open and rather beautiful.

Despite the amount of times that Ewe and I have done this track, it still feels amazing to step into the sunlight and be able to see the landscape and the ocean in this part of Australia.

I still find it to be awe-inspiring.

Anyway, the path leads around the hill in this shot.

I decided to upload this as I really like the shape and slope of the hill.

I think that the top of the hill works well with the sky pattern-wise.

I like the change in vegetation and greens, as well as how there’s a small scattering of the rock features of the hill.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

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Five-Hundred Word Challenge 179: About Writing Once more, Although this Time it’s much more Thoughtful

Posted on February 26, 2017 by Stupidity Hole

Sunday, oh Sunday….

There was nothing more than that to that sentence, so instead I’ll continue on in some usual fashion, although I’m not sure as to what is fashionable these days. I guess that’s part of the cons of living under a rock for most of my time, but then again I like my rock and don’t care about what is and isn’t a fashionable way to start a sentence, paragraph, story, review, critique, etc. etc.

I imagine that if I did care, I’d probably be a much better writer but a significantly less inventive write.

Note: I am not actually claiming that I am inventive by any measure as I’m pretty sure that I’m mediocre at best as I usually have absolutely no idea as to what I’m doing and fly blindly into the storm of writing that I like to pretend I’m trying to get through.

In a way, I’m glad that I’m pretty crap because I can revel in my own ineptitude far more than if I knew what I was doing at any given moment when it came to putting words down.

At the same time, I sort of wish I knew what I was doing more often than not. It’s only a minor thing that is gradually going away as I work out what it is that I am indeed doing when it comes to writing (assuming I am actually and not currently talking out of my ass), but it would probably help get more things across with a lot less poorly-written drivel to wade through to find something that would be worth reading.

However, I don’t think I could properly sit down and learn how to write in whatever manner is correct. There’s nothing wrong with the discipline and in many ways it’s quite respectable. I think that I work better with having a lack of knowledge as I think less about what I need to follow and what I need to avoid. For me, thinking about those things leaves me with something representing a duality alongside my desire to write however I want and write about whatever I want to write about. I’d probably stop writing as much, if at all.

It would probably be much better for a lot of people, but for myself I wouldn’t enjoy it as much.

This could, of course, be some sort of excuse that I’m using to refuse gaining more knowledge about how I’m writing. I do genuinely believe that I’m better off not knowing what I’m doing as I do have a tendency to find myself at odds with things creative when it comes to the theory against the practical because I have a tendency to think too much (I think).

Oh well. These are all things that I can ponder at some other time as right now I want to write about something and need to get around to doing that.

But what to write about?

Damn. I’ve just run out of words.

The time it took to write five-hundred words: 08:48:96

Could have been faster, but otherwise I’m happy with the speed.
I should probably write less about writing, but either way it’s writing, so I guess that’s a good thing.

Written at home.

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Rocks Beside the Ocean

Posted on February 25, 2017 by Stupidity Hole

This shot was taken whilst Ewe and I were bushwalking during the week.

I like the difference between the light levels in this photo. I also like how it shows so many rocks that could have been brought up from the ocean to form the small amount of land that can be seen.

I think that the shot has some good, slightly muted colours that don’t leave the photo feeling flat.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

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