Love, Poetry and Revolution - Wednesday 1st February 2023

Another working day, with the added excitement of the first meeting of the 'Ulysses For All 2023' reading group online tonight.

During the day, in moments between working sprints, I have to organise a few things for E (deliveries etc), but otherwise it's all work and no play. How dull am I?

The appointed hour arrives and I join 'UFA 2023' a little ahead of 6 p.m. and there are already people strapped in for 2 hours of fun.

As today is the first meeting, the focus is primarily upon introductions and providing an overview of the upcoming weeks.  One good bit of news is that the format of subsequent sessions will be built around breakout sessions discussing what we've read, our thoughts on it, challenges and difficulties and soon.  Each breakout group presents their findings back to the main group and so it goes.  In addition, each week an external presenter (an expert on one aspect or another) will provide their thoughts on what we've just read before we breakout (in spots).

There were just over 60 attendees on the course, with 50 or so online (all over the world, including Canada, USA, and Europe), and 10 in the James Joyce Cultural Centre in Dublin. The main presenter, Dr. Caroline Elbay, did a great job of welcoming everyone and whetting our appetites.  The age range was wide from 20's to old persons like me, maybe there were more women than men (though in Dublin the majority were male), though I could well be wrong. I wasn't counting!

Our homework is to read episode 1 ('Telemachus') and episode 4 ('Calypso') by next week.  Luckily both are short-ish, and relatively easy reads. I can't wait.

Dinner was made by son #2 whilst I was enjoying 'UFA 2023', and I sat and ate it with son #1 and his gf, while they finished an episode of a Star Wars and then we watched another episode of 'Everyone Else Burns'.

Bins done, time to head for bed.  As I said goodnight to E, I noticed she felt a bit hot to the touch and her cheeks were quite red.  Seems OK, otherwise, just have to check in the morning.

The Orb / 'living in recycled times (feat. Rachel D'Arcy)' / (Single)


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