New paintings and regular art updates.
The front door remained closed
The curtains the same.
No reason to go out,
No wish to speak
Warm enough to sleep
Quiet enough to rest
My heart misses a beat
When a figure passes the door.
Watching TV a while
Reading a book to make me smile
Why bother to move
Just have a coffee, a sandwich
And snooze.
Contemplation or hiding?
You choose.
What a day! After a busy morning trying to sort a few things out, I had some lunch, then found myself falling asleep in front of the TV. Later a friend rang up so I helped her work out how to fit a firestick to her TV. I looked it up on Google and got her to find the HDMI cable, we then spent an hour trying to sort out how it worked. I joked I would never be able to talk down a plane in distress! Ten minutes later another friend rang about a burst pipe, asking if I could help in some way. She doesn’t have a computer so I gave her some numbers of local plumbers. We spoke for so long that my phone went flat.
Then, I don’t know if I was mentally exhausted but I just fell asleep, then slept on and off till now. I must have missed half of the programmes on TV. I never saw the end of Oliver! the movie. I need to wake up to cook something for tea, I might just have some noodles.
What would you change about modern society?
Something needs to change. As the world gets more complicated, resources diminishing, people may be becoming more selfish?
But is that because we see so much more of the bad things going on in the world? It is only since film and TV and then the Internet that we have been able to see wars and conflicts in real time. We are not always sheltered by time or censorship of terrible events. Computers give us access to horrendous content that could change the way we think. But statistics show that in some countries crime has decreased considerably over the years.
As countries seem to be heading towards populist, right wing agendas, perhaps we should look at the ethics of news, bring in compassion and empathy. We could go back to religious rules, like turning the other cheek, enacting laws so that the weapons of war are not easily available, or working against theft and violence. But it doesn’t have to be a religious interpretation. Not all of those rules make sense. Why not work with humanitarian or humanist ethics? Listen to world courts and follow their precepts.
If compassion and empathy were taught in school we might not change the current situation but we could change our futures or our children’s futures.
Photo of a drinking glass, it has a ridged blue surface spiralling round the outside. I took this photo looking through it at the TV screen in a darkened room. The curves on the right hand side are my fingers and fingernails. There are pieces of ice at the bottom of the glass. I might put it through apps to see how it comes out.
What are you good at?
I often write here about Art and other activities I’m good at, but one of my favourite things is solving TV crime mysteries. I’m relatively good at it, I often know who the guilty party is well before the end. I have to stop myself saying who it is though, as its an irritating thing to do if I’m watching with someone else.
I would imagine that the makers of films and TV shows want people to guess so they include clues, but unless it’s a programme like Columbo where they show you the guilty party straight away it can be more of a challenge.
It’s a bit of a niche skill though, reality is not the same as a story. Life isn’t a tale we tell ourselves. I don’t think I would ever want to be a real detective, it would be too messy and upsetting. I just enjoy the fantasy of being good at guessing the criminal !
What Olympic sports do you enjoy watching the most?
Watching gymnastics over the years reminds me of Olga Korbut and Nadia Comaneci with their virtually perfect performances at the Olympics. Oh how I wished I could twist and turn my body like them! My abilities were more along the lines of running and cycling. But I always to watched them on TV and I have continued to follow the gymnastics ever since.
It’s not just the female gymnasts, the men are brilliant too. The competitions are different, with apparatus based on the physiques of the male and female body. Balance, poise, strength and flexibility all are important to these athletes.
Looking forward to Paris 2024.
The Peak Wildlife Park posted a prank on Facebook today. It reported that some of their Humbolt Penguins had taken flight today and if anyone saw one or found them in their garden they should report it to the park (to check their migratory habits?).
Of course Penguins don’t fly, (and they don’t migrate either as far as I know, but I added that bit), so it was obviously an April Fools joke, but it’s nice and gentle, not rude or unkind. I remember an old one on TV when they reported that the spaghetti trees were being harvested and another one on a children’s TV programme about dehydrated water!
I haven’t seen many jokes today but I liked one about flat pack Easter eggs from IKEA, (chocolate bars), may your April Fools day be fun!
Peak Wildlife Park is at Winkhill, Leek ST13 7QR, UK. Details can be found on Google.
I’ve just watched this film for the first time in about 20 years. In turn comedic, poignant, rude, surprising and life affirming
There is a poem by W H Auden in it “stop all the clocks”, so sad and yet to the point. I felt myself starting to cry again. But it helped.
It’s a film from the early 1990’s and has a strong cast of actors including Hugh Grant as the main star. It follows him through the marriages of his friends and perhaps himself. And the death of a close friend.
If you’ve never watched it I think you will probably enjoy it.
They are everywhere, TV, Internet, radio, cinema, in print.
I ignore them, but get fed up with them. Can’t some algorithm get that I never open them on the Internet, I don’t do click bait, I mainly watch public broadcasting TV services so that I can avoid them.
Recently I’ve been bombarded in my emails. There is a certain credit card that wants me to apply for it. I’ve responded to it by sending submissions back telling them I’m not interested, that I feel like I’m being ignored when I’ve said no. But it keeps happening. It’s so irritating.
Is it only me, are people OK with adverts?
Your life without a computer: what does it look like?
I do try not to be online all the time, I don’t use a pc or laptop, but who needs them when you’ve got a phone? I think sometimes my brain is permanently plugged in…..
It’s those little hits of seratonin? They give you a brief hit of pleasure, and if I am not blogging or drawing digitally I feel empty.
But I know it’s not good for me, I find myself following vlogs and different pages and sites. I’ve got worse since I hurt my leg, and I know as I recuperate I need to do more physical things. I have to take the phone though, to measure my steps!
Things I would do without a computer.
Not get lost, I can read maps,
Not miss my favourite TV shows
Get more exercise
Go to my studio
Actually paint and draw with real, physical art supplies!
Meet with friends more.
Mallaband-Brown