Five-Hundred Word Challenge 1437: A Summer Day Spent

Posted on December 22, 2024 by Stupidity Hole

Hearing issues. Fun.

This is… the second day of being on break? The second day. Not much done. Rest. Relaxation. Those sorts of things. You know, not enough sleep to function, but also enough to operate, if that makes sense.

A day with very little music, and perhaps it was needed. Now I’m listening to something that’s rather low and non-invasive. Simple stuff and I’m just trying to get to a point where going to sleep will make sense then rather than now, but it’s not far off. That’s all okay.

The day has slipped away, and it’s cloudy outside. Sitting here, just listening to the sounds. The sounds of a lot of people making a racket have ended, and now it’s the sound of a plane. Not something you hear much of in this area, and that’s nice.

The cicadas chirp and I sit, and a car roars in the distance and still I sit. Trying to spend time, and maybe today time was well spent, but I don’t know. I just feel it was a day where I had to accept being unable to do much of anything. Didn’t have the energy to push against it, and the hearing issues also have not helped.

A lot of today has been spent kind of quiet due to said hearing issues. A blockage that suddenly appeared and refused to leave, and a lot of sounds triggering a ringing. It’s incredibly unpleasant.

But, you know, worse things out there. this could be so much worse. I could have permanently lost my hearing, and that’s not something I want to go through. Need to take care. Need to be careful. Need to rest today so tomorrow can be tackled with some sort of efficiency, and I really have to as I’ve got a bunch of replanting to do.

But today has been lost to history and will be forgotten in a few weeks. I’ll have moved on, as is the way. I’ll have recovered by then… hopefully.

You know, it’s not a great start to the break, however, and so now it’s time that I whinge, but I don’t want to. Not too much, anyway.

Cicadas still going and it’s the best sound. It’s either a wall or a blanket, and I’d rather more instead of less of it, as it means that things are still functioning. It means that we still have insects coming out and doing their thing, and it means that things continue. It means that life goes on.

It’s also distant enough to not be setting off my current hearing issue, which is great. However, I do wish it were louder and closer. But only right now. Or, I’d rather it be louder and closer and my not having this hearing issue so I could better appreciate it. But you know.

Summer is firmly here, and it’s already been a rough one, and it’s increasingly worrisome with each passing year, and today one day of it was spent.

The time it took to write five-hundred words: 07:58:16

Struggled hard with this. Need sleep.

I think this could’ve been good. Too much thinking and not enough letting go and typing. I need to do more of the latter.

Written at home.

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Five-Hundred Word Challenge 1436: The Obvious Choice is to Rest

Posted on December 21, 2024 by Stupidity Hole

So now I’m on break, but it is yet to feel like one. Takes time, all those things, blah blah blah but it’s still the weekend. What if we’re all called back to work on Monday? Then what?

I’m looking forward to getting a good sleep on one of these days, but I also know that there’s a good chance that it won’t happen. I know that I’ve concerns about wasting the time. This is different to annual leave as this one is mandatory as no one is working until some point in the new year.

Anyway, what I have to wonder is what I do with the time that I have.

So the obvious choice is to rest and rest well. Take it easy, do very little. Do almost nothing. I could probably argue that that is something I’ve earned, but I don’t really want to. The sleep, yes, but the rest, no. I’ve spent far too much annual leave over far too many years doing a lot less than I planned and that is not something I want to be doing this time. This time I want to take advantage of the time that I have. Only have so much of it; need not let it waste away.

But the thing is, I don’t know if I will actually make good use of it. This weekend I’m doing the usual weekend things. I’m getting weekend stuff out of the way, but then I need to hit the ground running on Monday. I don’t do that and then that’s it. What else is there to do?

So I need to work hard and I need to work smart, and I need to actually use my time to get things done and get things out of the way. Or, I don’t, but I should. Or something. All that razzamajazz. But I do need to do something with my time, because relaxing will only get me so far and I will get restless. My restlessness is, unfortunately, inevitable. Not something I like too much, but that’s the way it goes sometimes.

Of course I could also probably tune out and do a lot of nothing, and then go “Oh, I have all these things to do and only one day in which to do them”, and that wouldn’t be too good, I don’t think. Bad way to go about things when you’ve stuff to do.

Maybe I will just sleep the whole time. Wake up, go to bathroom, go back to bed, sleep. Wake up, eat something, back to bed, more sleep. Cycles of sleeping and waking, with more sleep than none, and that would be better than bad.

But overall it’s going to be a decent time, I hope. I will try and get some things out of the way, and so long as I get more than one, then I think I’ll be able to say I’ve done well. Just need to make sure that I actually do things.

The time it took to write five-hundred words: 06:27:90

Could be better, could be worse. Didn’t sleep well so I think this affected by lack of sleep more than I’d like.

Written at home.

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A Poem About Having a Break

Posted on December 20, 2024 by Stupidity Hole

So this isn’t good, which, considering I wrote this in about a minute, is to be expected.
It says quite a lot, however. Maybe I’ll explain tomorrow.

I hope you enjoy.

—

The days draw long
The nights recede
And so does sleep
So more can be done

An expected halt
Brings forth respite
Where little is done
And much is desired

 

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The Beak is Nearly There

Posted on December 19, 2024 by Stupidity Hole

One last photo of this pelican for the year. Looks like it’s getting close to finding the sweet spot.

This is my submission into the three hundred-and-twenty-ninth Lens-Artists Photo Challenge. The theme for this one is “Last Chance“.

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

This one is curated by everyone. The next one will be on January 4th.

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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Five-Hundred Word Challenge 1435: Chain of Rambling

Posted on December 19, 2024 by Stupidity Hole

So very tired at the moment, but near the end of the year. I can keep going. I can get to the end of it. I can churn out words in a series of words that form a chain of words. I will get there. I must get there.

Time advances in the forward direction, or at least that’s how I experience it, so I’ve no choice, really. But anyway.

The days are passing by and I need to be more energetic. I need to be more enthused and get the work done. Am nearly there. Will get there. Will get to the end of it all, and I will rest. I will have a nap. I will experience things I haven’t experienced in years.

Maybe I’ll also draw.

I have some plans for next year. Not resolutions, but plans, and I hope they come out al;l okay. But that’s for later, and I’m not going to say anything until they are ready and I’m ready. Going to stay quiet on those plans, as would rather not announce them now and not have them happen. If i don’t announce them, something something, You know how all these things go.

It’s a nice day, and a nice day requires a nice time but it is a busy time. There’s a lot to do and not enough time to do it all in, which to be fair, is not different to the norm. Such is life; such is the way of things. But I’ll get there.

I crave my rest and I desperately need it, but I’ll get there. Just need to keep on going and keep passing the time. But I need to keep passing the time by doing things. Otherwise it might go all too slow, and I need things to go at a steady pace, which they are and so I keep on going. I persist and I push on and I get through what I can. Keep working, keep on looking after myself, keep on trying to knock everything out of the park, though politely of course.

I can see through a little gap behind a display unit, and I see some people walking along. It is bright outside, and there is some traffic, and people are passing the time. They are moving toward the end of the year and they are finding their way through it. At the moment I can’t walk too much, but I’d also rather be inside than outside. It’s not a good day, safety-wise when it comes to the sun. However, perhaps they are making better use of their time and they’re inching toward the end of the week more efficiently than I am. Perhaps they are ahead of me already, and I need to catch up, but can I? Can I even be bothered? I don’t know and I don’t know if I care to know, but I do know that I’m getting there, and I know that I’ll soon have rest.

The time it took to write five-hundred words: 06:11:08

This was a heavy struggle. I was thinking too much about what I was writing and I didn’t think it worked out.

Written at work.

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Five-Hundred Word Challenge 1434: Thank you, spiders.

Posted on December 18, 2024 by Stupidity Hole

Wondering as to how much nonsense I can write in twelve minutes. Hopefully this will be less than that time, but we’ll see.

Trying to get the words out, and thinking about the ceiling and how it continually needs replacing in some places. It’s not a good way to be about things, but sometimes materials get cycled through more than materials don’t. Sometimes that’s just what happens and you get on with it. You deal. You move through life at a rate of some rate that you move through life. Such is life.

But you move through life and you replace the ceiling, and sometimes the walls too. Sometimes nothing gets replaced and sometimes everything gets replaced every few months. Supposedly. Maybe it doesn’t.

Where was I?

So… replacement. Replacing things, and continuing with the replacing of things. Sometimes it’s the way that things go, and you get on with it. You make do with what you can and where you can, but sometimes you don’t want to, so you make do with the learning on how to maintain and repair, and life goes on, and maybe you get left behind with your stuff but you try anyway. Nothing else you can do, right? Well, you could give up, but we’re not going to go down that path right now.

I want some optimism and I don’t want to think about the great amount of work that needs doing before the end of the day, but I’ll get there. I always do, and I’ll always keep doing. Best way to be about it all, really. No other choice. Just need to keep going and why is there a spider web on my laptop?

This place is going to be overrun by spiders in the time I’ll not be here. Holidays soon. A short break, but a necessary one. But I’m going to come back and I’ll be dealing with spiders, and I can’t think of much of anything I’d rather be dealing with less. It’s a travesty, let me tell you. Horrible experience, but a necessary one, I guess.

Actually, is it necessary? Could it actually be unnecessary and I’m merely telling myself that it is something that I have to deal with? Yes, because it is something that I’ll have to deal with. But I don’t want to. But perhaps it is too difficult to deal with properly at this point in time. There are other things that need tackling and they need tackling sooner rather than later, so instead of trying to deal with spiders now I will deal with them later.

Realistically there aren’t much to deal with, probably, and it probably won’t turn into some big issue that will need excessive action toward after my return. However, there was web on my laptop and I don’t like that, and now I’m in a bad mood and all is bad and I don’t know where I can go from here. The day is ruined. Thank you, spiders.

The time it took to write five-hundred words: 06:06:37

I wanted to go on at length about nothing in particular, and that didn’t work, but I didn’t think too hard about this and I’m really happy about that.

Written at work.

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Southward Coastal Sprawl

Posted on December 18, 2024 by Stupidity Hole

I’ve been meaning to share this photo for a while as a comparative to this one, but never got around to doing so… until now.

I don’t know what to say about this one. I think there’s something interesting about this being pockets of urbanisation until far off in the distance as it suggests a willingness to preserve the bushland, but I wonder how this would appear if there was no urbanisation at all.

This is my submission into Leanne Cole‘s “Monochrome Madness” for this week.

Participating is pretty straightforward and something I recommend. If you do, then include the tag “monochrome-madness” in your post. If not participating, then at the least check out Leanne’s photography as well as what other people submit.

I hope you enjoy.

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Five-Hundred Word Challenge 1433: Too Hot. Too Fussy.

Posted on December 17, 2024 by Stupidity Hole

It’s one of those mornings. Too hot. Too fussy. All those things.

Getting existential, though it’s near the end of the year so that is to be expected. What year wouldn’t be complete with a bunch of reflection, introspection, and beating down oneself? But of course, the future always looks bright, blah blah blah. You know how it goes already and I don’t need to say more than that.

But, you know, this year was a big year. Still is a big year. I’ve got my corner space and I’m hidden, but I’m visible to all, and I’m sitting here and I’m doing nothing right now but the day starts soon, so I better get into it. Better get into the doing of things. Better get ready to do the job. Be steady. Get on with it. You know.

I’m where I can switch off after work, and that’s great. It’s what I want. It’s far less toxic. Also great. But, I think I’d rather be making my money doing my writing and photography, though I’m pretty close to taking photography out of my life at this point. Took my test shots when I got the camera serviced. Other than once ore twice, have not missed or felt much of anything related to using it, and that’s always a sign. Or maybe it’s not.

Burned out on all the carrot dangling and the networking, all that stuff. Much rather not keep dealing with that crap, you know?

But I reflect, and I think about what a year it has been, but that’s for another bit of writing. Right now I just want to talk about thinking about stuff without actually talking about the stuff that I’m thinking about. Maybe that’s not conducive to good writing or something, or maybe it is but it depends on how you go about it, but right now I don’t care. I just want to write and I want to see worlds flow from my fingers.

I want to se characters fall and fall, and maybe rise, and I want to see stories move along at a steady, unbroken pace. I want to see things end where they start and start where they end, and I want transformation to be more subtle, if there is indeed any transformation at all. I want to see the smell of the Australian coast rise up along cliff faces, and touch the nostrils of those walking along as they say goodbye to it without realising, and return to that moistened salty stone smell, and are reminded of home.

But of course what is actually returning is something different, and something reflective, though perhaps not in the moment. But everything changes over time, and when we’re caught in it, we may not realise, especially if we ourselves remain resistant to it and fight it at every juncture.

Don’t get me wrong; some change is definitely worth fighting, such as the rise of conservatism. It’s positive change that we shouldn’t resist.

The time it took to write five-hundred words: 08:30:50

This kind of went somewhere. Kind of.

Written at work.

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Yasunori Nishiki: The Coastlands

Posted on December 16, 2024 by Stupidity Hole

One listen.

Started this yesterday, had to stop, was going to restart, didn’t, and now I’ve done it, so it’s more like one-and-a-bit listens, but you know.

This one I’m uncertain on. I think the writing is okay, but I’m not sure if I captured the song well enough. I feel as though I could’ve gone on a very different oath and done a great job, but this sits in an uncertain space for me.

Yasunori Nishiki’s (西木 康智) “The Coastlands” (“コーストランド地方”) is from Octopath Traveler‘s soundtrack, Octopath Traveler Original Soundtrack.

I hope you enjoy.

—

A bit of a lowering step in the strings and they soon find a breathing pace that works for them. Light and fun in them as woodwind drifts along with them. It’s all fancy and merry and playful, and the sounds move along in a sense of energised calm.

A little pause of sorts that references a little earlier, then the sounds continue on before they shift and the strings rise up. Percussive shimmers mark moments as the sounds continue on with their light journey, and all floats and glides until a few steps that lead to the start.

A breeze in the sounds hints at what’s close and what’s far, and the sounds spread with folds and layering as though breezy silk, and they mark the shape and contours of the land. The strings rise once more, sweeping and dramatic, and once more they float and glide into those few steps. Soon the sounds fade away and the song ends.

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Five-Hundred Word Challenge 1432: Catching up on a backlog

Posted on December 15, 2024 by Stupidity Hole

Soon I will be caught up on one thing that has taken me about a year to catch up on, though it may have been longer, now that I think about it. But anyway, soon I will be caught up on one thing, and then once I’m done with that I’ll be catching up on roughly three-and-a-half years of comments. Replying to them all, except for some form one person that I’m not going to go through the process of approving.

Comments are a great way of engaging with an audience, and fair. I get that. But I’ve got to be honest: there was a period here where there was this one person who was just commenting on absolutely everything in a way that made me really uncomfortable, and then I let things get away from me. But now I need to prepare to catch up on all of those words that people have written, and I’ll get there, but it will take some time. But I’ve some time off soon, so that will help.

I should spend the time relaxing, but I probably won’t. After the first couple of days I’ll get restless and then it will be back on. Will be back to powering through everything, and hopefully I will actually get some stuff done. Hopefully. It always depends.

Really, what is coming up will be an interesting exercise in business and work, and working on reducing business, and planning and all those things. Next year is going to be an interesting year, and this year has been also. It has been a time and it keeps on being a time, and I don’t foresee that stopping any time soon. What I hope, however, is that the life part of life calms down a bit, and things get a little more boring, and I can get on with the getting on, but I need to get this place up to date before that can happen.

Now sure, perhaps I should’ve just stayed on top of everything as it was happening. That would be a fair thing to suggest. However, see above about discomfort. You don’t know when that stuff is gonna stop, and it took a while to stop… or at least, that’s how I remember it.

So… yeah. I don’t really know if there’s meant to be anything in what I’m saying here. I just kind of wanted to give an update on two things without mentioning one of them for no real reason. Beyond that… yeah. Got nothing. Meant to be working on a review that gets longer and longer, and I need to cut it down but I’ll be doing that after I’m done here, and hopefully I’m done here within an hour. But everything takes time and time is continuing to be taken, but it’s all okay. It could be worse, but I’ll get there. Always do, except for when I don’t, but we’ll see this time.

And now I’ve nothing else to say.

The time it took to write five-hundred words: 06:30:29

Not great. One of those struggle writes, but I got there in the end.
I think this would’ve been better just as a general post.

Written at home.

 

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