A Picture, A Song, Some Words

Author: Author

  • I lose it all the time

    I lose it all the time

    Confidence Man / Control

    Back in early 2022, this band popped into my musical sphere with Holiday – which became my favourite and most-played track of the year. They featured at Glastonbury in 2023 and 24 – and it has been so wonderful to see them rise into the stratosphere of current global music consciousness, and to gain a legion of fans whilst doing so.

    Whilst definitely not being part of their Gen-X Target Market (unfortunately I knew the 90s the first time around), it is great to hear properly cooked insistent beats and pervading synth influences. Their newest album, 3AM LA LA LA features some excellent 90s tuneage with some “inspirations” falling very close to the songs they are trying to rip off. It is still a wonderful listen, though.

    Leaving on a jet plane

    Recently, life has changed once more, with opportunities to travel and explore now being more accessible. These trips are gifts – and being taken with both hands.

    In previous occupations, some local and national travel was involved, but not international – and every time I travelled away when younger, for fun, or to visit friends and family, exploring further was an itch that never got scratched.

    The itch became itchier during the pandemic, where there was such a desire to see more of the world, yet no means to do so, and no hope of worlds opening up to be seen.

    But gates opened again. Flights re-started. Hotels re-opened and restrictions lifted. Now I am a little older and can afford to travel more, there is more travel, and more opportunities to see the world.

    Seeing new places, different ways of life and different thoughts really opens the mind to what is possible. There is a world of opportunity out there for the taking. And there is always discovery to be had on the journey to get where you are going to, too.

  • Do My Dance

    Do My Dance

    We just want to live on our own terms and in our own time.

    Much time has elapsed since the last post here. Much is afoot, as ever, and no matter how life presents itself, we speed on.

    Colourful leaves once more

    One thing that is sure about life, is that all is ever-changing.

    The characters change, the story takes a tangent, and we find ourselves in new locations, whether sought or found by accident. New people arrive in life, and old friends move away. The only constant is the change.

    In the smallest way it starts with the seasons, but it continues with taking a small smidge of time for ourselves to process this change, and keep up with it.

    Don’t forget to remember – keep a track, write a word, take a photo. It helps remind you of memories of the past, the constantly changing current, and the possibility of the unwritten future.

  • Paralysed, down both sides

    Paralysed, down both sides

    Frightened Rabbit – Fast Blood

    We met on the internet in the comment section of a now-defunct blog.

    Life was odd back then. New to separation. New to travel. New to taking annual leave, and actually using it. New to texts, emails and making connections. New to suggestive comments.

    You pursued. You wanted to find mystery.

    Confused, I let you in.

    We pried open histories in music and film. You knew what you didn’t want, but didn’t know what you did want.

    Your opinion was only expressed through a supportive song – or a distrustful comment. There was something uncontainable about you, as if you were a person I had known for years, yet entirely alien. Life was art. Life was like a song. Art was like a dream.

    An opportunity came up to visit your city. I took it.

    We met on a rainy day, in the open square. It was a vision in fog, naming the statues, writing their stories. You mocked my idiocy and wished I knew more. I mocked your faux-knowledge.

    My five-day trip passed, with friend evenings, blankets, making do on very little, tea, date noodles, red wine and films blending into actuality.

    In all this, there was meaning, because meaning meant so much to you.

    This song fizzed around, a pure description of that short time.

    On my trip home, I looked so distraught that the attendant brought me free food and drink, to cheer up my coldness.

    Back in my home city, communication dwindled, and the candle blew itself out.

    A fortnight later, you’re passing through. With coffee and suitcases, you leave home for the trip of a lifetime, and within days, your new partner in your new country is paraded for all to see, with loving pride.

    Meaning meant nothing. A test-run for the future.

  • History / Ourstory

    History / Ourstory

    Hello.

    Well, this is all rather familiar. The click and clack of keystrokes, the lines, the aching over the correct design…

    Many years ago, personal sites and blogs were the way to read, express, share, for the lowly citizen of planet earth. Sometimes these sites would be absolute creations and fictions, sometimes sharing art, music, politics, history or personal views, or a chronical of what life was like. Since then, corporate social media took over our desire to share, with its desire to monetise.

    What began as personal in 1997 is now corporate in 2023.

    Changes come. Twitter is falling apart. People have left Facebook.
    Instagram, once to share photos, now only wants users to share videos. TikTok is rife. Your content, their ads.

    Life is based on an algorithm, and many people now place importance on the engagement of their content. How many views, shares and comments. This can then be linked to their self-esteem. Clicks, likes and shares, equates to

    Except, it wasn’t like that in the Blogging Days of Old.

    It was easy to set up your own site, and so millions did. A few clicks, and you are there. The big wide world awaits! And with it, you meet people. Some went on to be close friends, who I hold dear to this day, and would never have met if somehow sharing stuff on the internet wasn’t a thing. Some aquaintances, some went on to bigger and better things, making the internet or sharing information their career, with varying degrees of success. Many are employed in traditional media now too.

    I made my own self-coded primitive blog in 1997, then migrated to various platforms along the way – Xanga, Blogger, Livejournal, WordPress, then self-hosting. There were various side-projects too, whenever life took a turn for the different; Poetry, music, life updates, photography and crochet to name a few.

    But over time, I realised publishing yourself on the internet for anyone to see wasn’t really “for” me any more. Somehow along the way it had become convoluted. I had lost my sense of self, had no desire to publish my own thoughts, when so many others spoke their truths more eloquently. My activities were no longer exciting to anyone but myself. I had no desire to share.

    Perhaps using other social media took away the desire, too. Why make something yourself, when in a few taps and with a few words, you can briefly share a snippet?

    Snippets do not always tell the whole story.

    There are many of us old-schoolers who perished along the way, either in terms of actually losing their own life, or deciding to abandon their creative output or personal sites.

    This morning, reading Mastodon posts, I remembered Feedly. I opened the site, and caught up on some old posts, that friends had made, years ago. I felt inspired again, to open up a box, share some pictures, and type.

    This is here, it’s back for now, and it will be used as a general splurging site.

    It’s back to what it was before for me.

    pic, song, words – a picture, a song, and some words.

    Perhaps this is a welcome back, from a welcome break?

    Hello.