Sunday 29 March 2015

#103 Lazy weekend

Morning, how was your weekend and what did you do?
Oh you spent it in Prague, that's so nice, good for you
Yes you went to a restaurant and tried some nice fish
What about mine you say? Oh you know, nothing swish

Well it near enough started at six forty three
printing Aliya's slides out, up near IMT
after which, I got packed up and walked to the door
looking out for the mice that live under the floor

I went straight to that chip shop that does kebabs too
The kebabs aren't as nice but there's never a queue
and the portions are massive, which suits me just right
I was happy as Larry for the rest of the night

The next day I got up at a quarter to one
cause a really big lie-in is awfully fun
then I wandered around to the caf for some grub
and then later I went for a beer in the pub

In the evening I walked to that hill with a view
You'll know which one I mean, if I ever took you
I looked out at the world and I saw it anew
Rested eyes work much better than eyes tired and blue




Friday 20 March 2015

#102 Lisbon

"Do you think that's art?" she asked me. I sat and stared for a moment at the cheap picture on the wall. It was a long moment. Maybe several moments. I agreed that either her or I could easily have painted it. A moment longer. My friend had probably begun to turn her thoughts elsewhere. 

The painting was a rough outline of a young girl, stood next to a large bird, a couple of times her size. I think it was an emu. A moment longer. There must be a point to it. I never really understood art properly. I didn't know if it was supposed to invoke a particular feeling. I thought that it probably was. Like perfume for the eyes.

Suddenly something clicked. The daunting feeling of alivemess that the young girl must have felt to have such a large bird just inches in front of her. It wouldn't have been fear or curiosity or friendship. This was a picture of what it felt like to encounter an animal. It might have been all of those feelings mixed together.

The girl stood openly with her shoulders down and slightly back, her palms by her sides but facing the giant bird, whose head was pointed towards her shoes. One small girl, fascinated by life for an instant. I thought it might be art. I hoped it was.

Saturday 7 March 2015

#101 Let's go!


Da da da da da da da da Boom! I'm laying on the sofa listening to the Lemmings 95 soundtrack. I love how they "remixed" all those classical tunes, churned them around in some kind of 90s midi and spat it out all over the game. You get the feeling that they really had fun making it and can listen to the results here.

Last year I didn't go for the 'run loads' or 'date more' (I know... shut up) resolutions and instead made one to myself just to be happier. Worst. Resolution. Ever. I mean what does that even mean? That you have to be grateful for everything the whole time? How laborious. Then you have to try and figure out what actually makes you happy... I dunno... more cake? Cause the only thing I have any energy or enthusiasm for is more cake... so that had pretty much better be the bloody answer.

So this year, instead of wanting to be happier, I decided to try to be myself more. Now this makes even less sense because being yourself is not something that any one of us can avoid no matter how hard we try. You can't be David Beckham. You just can't. That's not how it works. So... where was I? 

This week a couple of times I decided instead of spending every single waking minute looking at a screen, before I went to bed, I'd take like twenty or forty minutes or whatever and just do nothing for a while... at about 9pm. It was pretty cool. I just sat in my room and let only two thin blades of streetlight come in through each set of curtains. So I did nothing for a short while... and then checked my phone a couple of times of course and went to sleep, at a reasonable time for a change.

The results the next day were astonishing. It could have just been the springtime sunshine. I felt normal though. It was as if my mind was fixed. No more constant stream of unmanageable and exhausing thoughts. No more underlying uncertainty and fear. I could talk to people a bit more confidently too. So I might try this again.


Finito!











Sunday 1 March 2015

#100 Cool for cats

Ah the domestic cat. Not the highest of achievers, unless you count being cute as an achievement. I do. At times curious. At times cowardly. She can move when she wants to. Sleep when she wants to too. No sooner out than she wants to come home again. She is very fury. She has nice eyes. If she's loyal to you, it's probably because she wants something. Food. Cuddles. Your company. She can be a friend but likes to do her own thing at times.

The cat will not always listen to, or understand all of your points. In some ways, she is from a simpler time. Dogs are not her friend. Please don't startle her. She enjoys a good meal. She can eat when she wants to. She likes to keep things simple. To her, life is not about working all of the hours God sends. She is far too lazy for that. On sunny days, she likes to lie in the sun. The domestic cat is my blog subject this week.