Thus I descended from the first and came Into the second ring, of lesser space And greater pain

[Tuesday 27th November to Friday 30th November 2018]


 After Monday's positive/negative (HTFSIK?), I descended into hell. Work has been in tents. Sorry, no that should be intense. Culminating in a marathon writing session on Friday that went well beyond a normal length working day (whatever one of those is).  Worse than that, I know I will have to make some changes to the document on Monday, which, in theory is a day's annual leave. The demands of work have kept other thoughts at bay, though I mustn't forget that that was how the descent began earlier this year. Short term. Temporary. Needs must and all that. In amongst all that I went and saw Dylan Moran at the Hexagon. The dark humour and misanthropic world view treading a fine line between comedy and my life. As-Is. As opposed to To-Be. {{{{{Architect Joke. Not}}}}
[Title is quote from Canto 5 of 'Hell' in 'The Divine Comedy' by Dante (trans. Peter Dale)]

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Love, Poetry and Revolution - Thursday 29th February 2024

Image
I could write a lot today, but I am not planning to.  Why am I bothering to write at all, you may ask?  Purely because of the date.  The twenty-ninth of February only comes every four years (yes, I know there are exceptions to that rule - I have written code to deal with that in the past), when it's a leap year.  I feel, for no apparent reason, I should mark this day with some words. It's starting to look a lot like E's decline has plateaued and we (the Sue Ryder nurse, maybe GP) may well decide to change the way medication is delivered.  We'll not stop giving her medication to reduce the likelihood of seizures, nor will we stop the pain-relief medication because I think everyone that knows agrees there is no turning back from that. Respite.  That's what I need, though as yet it's not easy to arrange. Maybe that will become a possibility next week. Within the family, we've been having lots of discussions about the end and how we want it to be, and where we ...
Read more

Dreadzone at SUB89 in Reading Friday 7th April 2017

Image
Back to SUB89 and also to Dreadzone after a semi-enforced break, on a Friday night and accompanied by my sons - "Dreadzone virgins" in the words of MC Spee: sounds like the setting for a great night out... ...and so it proved to be! There was no support act though Greg Dread (Greg Roberts, drummer) played a DJ set prior to Dreadzone taking to the stage - a gentle warm up for what was to follow.  The band took to the stage to cheers and applause and launched straight into 'Rootsman' from the new album, a great reggae-based opener that led neatly into MC Spee's intro for 'Return of the Dread' - and already the "bouncing crew" was in full sway. Dreadzone are a joyous band live - it's impossible not to dance - and I for one had a grin from ear to ear whilst dancing for the entire two hour set. There was a good mix of old and new songs though a definite bias towards their most "successful" album, Second Light. S...
Read more

Love, Poetry and Revolution - Thursday 17th October 2024

Image
The longer things stay the same, the more it seems that's the way they'll stay. No longer? Ever since returning from hospital some three years ago, and her brush with death whilst there, E's illness has followed a familiar and consistent pattern. Brief intense periods of illness (infections, seizures, that sort of thing) followed by longer periods of slow, continuous decline. Latterly she's been experiencing other symptoms, most especially bouts of pain of unknown origin.  When she's been in pain, it's often been associated with mild seizures which pass in a minute or two, with help. E is in an end-of-life care period during which comfort is the priority, which can throw up unexpected challenges. Her pain medication has been increased, but she still experiences pain at times. It's a bit of a challenge. On the one hand, we don't want her to be in pain, on the other it's hard to know how long the pain will last and we don't want to rush in and give...
Read more

Love, Poetry and Revolution - Thursday 31st July 2025

Image
A post before July ends! Amazing! July has been incredibly busy socially and has sown seeds for the remainder of my life, hopefully.  I have long harboured an ambition to become a writer.  Writing always comes second to living life, so I don't think I have what it takes. It's not an all-consuming passion.  It's never too late (?) Q and I spent ten days in Italy early in the month.  The original plan was a week's holiday split between Venice and Florence, returning to Bologna (where we started) for an NGO conference that Q had to attend for a week.  Sadly, Q's actual job needed her back at work earlier, so we left Bologna early on Wednesday morning of the second week. I had travelled to Italy intending to ask Q to marry me, to which end I had purchased a temporary ring to seal the deal.  Where and when to propose? I had Venice in mind as I love the city and think it's a romantic place to propose. On the assumption I would propose there, I had a few places in...
Read more

Strings and Things

Image
I love unexpected or random sounds which contrast or oppose a song’s melody line or riff; sometimes these are deliberate, sometimes perhaps accidental.  One sound I particularly enjoy is the noise made when a guitar player’s finger rubs along the string as they change notes or chords, and that’s why I prefer the Peel Sessions recording of ‘Moon’ by Microdisney.  It’s from their 1984 album, with the ironic if not downright sarcastic title, ‘Everybody is Fantastic’ and is a beguiling but simple song built upon a plodding drum machine pattern and a meandering riff.  The Peel Session version opens with the sound of fingers and strings and randomly smatters the sound throughout the song.  It’s what brings me back to this song time and again. Here's the Peel Session version of 'Moon' on YouTube:
Read more