Nobuo Uematsu: Opening Theme

One listen.

Wanted to write about this song for a few days and had concerns that I already had, but apparently I hadn’t, unless I did, in which case I can’t find what I wrote, so… yeah.

I think I did well here, though there are parts that I’d definitely tighten and expand upon here and there if I were to edit. I think I covered the song well enough. Part of that is that I had some ideas going in, though I didn’t quite use them as I figured I may have, and also due to the song sort of drifting. Maybe also due to having enough sleep or something. Don’t know.

Nobuo Uematsu’s (植松 伸夫) “Opening Theme” (“オープニング”) is from Final Fantasy V Original Sound Version, the soundtrack for Final Fantasy V.

A stirring dawn on what are meant to be strings and some sort of choral voice – I think, and soon woodwind, and there’s something lightly melancholic here. It’s a waking up, and it’s gentle, and perhaps pointing toward an optimism, but within it is that melancholy, and within that builds something more tangible.

Sadness and departures, and ill portent. Concern, and with the strike of keys it becomes overtly heavy. Menacing, dread, and it pushes on down. It presses on down, and it keeps the pressure on with ease. Something is changing and the sounds keep their space here, but they still engulf all.

Strings stir once more as the menace expands and presses down more to reveal some sort of disaster. But it soon stops, and the stirring of the dawn once more. Lower, more gentle than before, but also more optimistic. There is hope in a journey ahead, and there is change, but that melancholy remains. Still, it settles, and it is part of what will come, and even though the heaviness remains, it doesn’t take over, and the future remains open as the song ends.

Posted in Music | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Under a Guitar

Another toe photo, and I can’t remember if this one made it to the Culture Eater gallery. Sure, I could check, but I’m not going to. Might later.

Anyway, this, I feel, has a slight expressive feel. Could feel more expressive, but it’s fine as it is.

I hope you  enjoy.

Posted in Photography | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Wicker Pattern

This is a photo of Fiona Gavino’s The Meditation – Inhale Exhale which was featured at Sculpture by the Sea this year. I was interested in parts of it rather than the whole, but now I see why it was called what it was called.

I hope you enjoy.

Posted in Photography | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Close Waves

Closer than they appear, though also beneath enough to not be a worry… at least, not at the time of day that this was taken.

Anyway, this is sort of a peaceful image with a bit of danger to it too.

I hope you enjoy.

Posted in Photography | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Redundancy Hang Out

When I think of 2015 I feel as though it was a year crammed with far more than I did in the surrounding years, and also not much happened. As said in a previous post, it was a good year and a bad year in a few ways.

This, perhaps, is one of the better stories.

Anyway, as I mentioned a good long while ago, made redundant, blah blah blah. Started uni full-time a few days later. Things were good, but I was concerned about the redundancy not coming through. The company I worked for wasn’t great; such is life; such is the sway of the trees.

The afternoon I was expecting redundancy (somewhere around a week after the last day) I was at home. So was Ewe, and I think he was listening to music so I leaned over the fence and we decided to hang for a bit whilst I waited for redundancy to come through. I was stressed as I’d been living paycheck to paycheck, and needed to pay rent. Still am, but now that I’m earning more, I’m gradually moving away from that. But anyway.

It felt like a long wait, but we listened to music and we talked. We talked about stuff that mattered and stuff that didn’t matter, and I tried to stay calm and all that, and of course it was difficult but I persevered, and things were good. And eventually it came through at around the time I was usually paid, and that was the last bit of pay I got from that place too, and it was done.

Naturally I felt free before then but the pay made it feel like it was set in stone. It was nice for relief just take over, because that was it. That was the demarcation point.

So Ewe and I had… I think a celebratory joint. May have been a celebratory pipe cone, but I’m pretty sure it was a joint. Actually, maybe it was a pipe cone. Anyway, we had one, because I could relax, and things felt good. And around that point Ewe put on Dark Side of the Moon.

I’m not much of a fan of Pink Floyd. Never have been, and  might never be. I do enjoy “Wish you Were Here”, and some other bits and pieces; some of which are from Dark Side… but I’ve tried listening to other parts of that album since, and I’ve not found much in it that appeals to me. However, at that time, as the pot kicked in, so did Pink Floyd, and there was something amazing about “Us and Them” that I couldn’t quite put my finger on.

But of course it was not to last, and eventually Dark Side of the Moon ended and we may have listened to some more music, but I went back to the other side of the fence at some point, less stoned than earlier, and I felt comfortable as I had a bit of money and some time to find another job.

Perhaps this wasn’t worth talking about. It’s such a small thing, but at the time it was a big thing. Obviously the redundancy payment mattered, but hanging with Ewe mattered more so than the money. Besides which, of all the things to come out of that place, Ewe’s friendship was by far the best.

Anyway, I remember thinking at some time around then that I would never see that kind of money again, and also being worried about how long it would last. But it was a good time. Spent a good few weeks going to the beach most days. Looked after myself more than usual too.

Posted in Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Hanging Sound

One of the better photos from a night where I didn’t do as well as I should have.

Just an expressive moment of music from one of toe’s members, and that’s all there is to say, really.

This is my submission into Leanne Cole‘s Monochrome Madness for this week. For this one Margaret of From Pyrenees to Pennines has chosen a theme, and the theme is “Music”.

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.

Posted in Photography | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Five-Hundred Word Challenge 1425: Toughest Decision of the Day

One of those mornings. Listening to a band I want to listen to, but I might have to stop their music to listen to a band I’m meant to. Don’t wanna stop. Wanna keep going. All those things.

This is the toughest decision of the day. Where do I go from here? Can I really make the choice? Can I get through this in one piece? Why can I not just listen to both at once? Expand my horizons, make use of both my ears. Discover new aural sensations. Find a way to get home in one piece. You know, the usual things.

Be that as it may, I’m sure that I can tolerate my enjoyment of this one band for now, and then move to the next one later. But do I want to do that? Do I really want to move on? The answer, surprisingly, is out there.

But of course I am merely wasting the time that I have and not taking advantage of it. I have to make a decision. Making a decision is a good thing. Not making a decision can be a good thing to, and even that is a decision, but of course the framing and context is what denotes it as not being a decision, or rather one that was not considered to be an option presented. You know.

So I have this conundrum, and these sounds are pleasant enough. Could be better, could be worse. It’s not right in the middle, and it is nice. It is easy, and that’s what I like. But at the same time, perhaps it is challenging and I’m just so inured at this point that I don’t recognise it as such. Then again, it’s quite possible that It’s less challenging than I imply, and really just somewhere in the middle and I’m trying to claim it is under an assumption that I don’t find it to be because of my experience with the band that is playing the notes that are coming to my ears.

The one I’m meant to be listening to is more challenging than this, or maybe they aren’t. I don’t know. It’s all different forms of music and I’m trying to find the right one at the right point, and I’ll get there, but one I have to listen to and I’ll listen to them eventually, but that eventuating might be sooner rather than later.

Have to pull the lever at some point if I want to get something done, so I guess I’ll prepare myself soon enough for that… or I won’t. I don’t know. I think I’ll find an answer somewhere along the way, but it won’t be much of one if I don’t choose to act and all that stuff.

These decisions are what makes life so very difficult, let me tell you. I know it could be worse, but this remains torturous! And I don’t like it, but I’m gonna have to make my sole decision eventually.

The time it took to write five-hundred words: 06:34:01

A bit of silly complaining, or at least trying to do some silly complaining.

Written at work.

Posted in Life | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Five-Hundred Word Challenge 1424: That’s all for later

Another day, and a warm one, and low money… until some point tomorrow, when it all starts flowing in as though I never had low money to begin with.

Nothing changes, and everything changes, and drifting through and continuing on, and it all seems okay, sometimes. But I wonder. Sometimes I really wonder and I have to wonder if things really are okay, or if I’m just pretending they are… on a small and incredibly personal scale, of course.

I don’t want to write misery. I don’t want to write sadness. I want to write something enjoyable and good, and well-meaning and all that stuff. However, I feel I am prevented from doing so, sometimes. I want to go back to writing silly little fiction that goes nowhere and serves little else other than to maybe, maybe get something across, if there is indeed anything to get across at all, but it’s not happening and I’m tired and I need to finish off this review that I started so I can get about thirty other things done, and I’m tired and really over it all, and need some rest but rest isn’t going to happen today. It won’t happen tomorrow either. Just need to keep on charging on and try to get as much done as I can, and keep going from there. Hopefully, just hopefully.

But today is hard. Today is operating on a lack of sleep and an embarrassment of stress, and I keep going as it’s nearly over and maybe I can overcome it all and get to the end in one piece.

I hope I can get to the end in one piece.

But I need a bit more money in my pocket and a bit less stress, and neither is happen and so I just need to keep going and all that stuff. Just need to see the end of the day and find my way to tomorrow, and maybe I’ll feel a little lighter then. I don;t kn9ow, to be honest, but sometimes not knowing is part of the journey and all that. Sometimes not knowing is fun, but it’s not fun here. It’s just unnecessary stress.

It’s unnecessary in part as I don’t know what will happen this evening and I’m thinking about something that, ultimately, isn’t going to matter much anyhow. I just need to find my rest and go from there. Need to get on with the getting on and punch through the day. Need to resolve all that lies before me and find the answers and then finally, finally lie down and hope that that’s the end of it. Hope that I get some sleep, because I am tired and I am tired of being tired. I need to get some downtime and I need to look after myself better, for sure.

Well anyway, that’s all for later. I need to get back to it and find the best way forward through the rest of the day. I’ll get there.

The time it took to write five-hundred words: 05:57:34

This was far more serious than I’d hoped. All there is to say, really.

Written at work.

Posted in Life | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Piece of Infinity

Here’s a photo of part of Lucy Curd’s Infinity, as seen at this year’s Sculpture by the Sea.

I hope you enjoy.

Posted in Photography | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Curling Leaf

Taken a few weeks ago, before the leaves started dying as the prunus x blireana moves toward its barren stage for a good while.

This is my submission into the three hundred-and-twenty-sixth Lens-Artists Photo Challenge. The theme for this one is “This Made Me Smile“.

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

Leya is curating this one. The next one is curated by Sofia.

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.

Posted in Photography | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments