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"Don't Panic" and other tales...
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Blog
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In the news quite literally nothing of interest, despite the pundits predicting the war in Iran and the inevitable outcomes of this. Just more Israel behaving badly, more nonsense from the US, nothing ever new, just more of it.
Oh, wait - the Hantavirus outbreak on the Cruise Ship. That was interesting, although it's already had it's run in the news - for a bit the human-to-human transmission was looking like we could be on to another Covid, then it disappeared; we'll see if it comes into play again. I can't help but think:
Don't dismiss
The Hantavirus
- it's foreshadowing a plague bubonic
Given the last pandemic was filled with similar misinformation and given as well the fact the current administration has proven even more incompetent/indifferent than it was last round I'm not yet convinced this is a dead story...
***
Meanwhile, when not fretting the state of the world; some efforts at painting - abstract, I've been enjoying Chris Loud's YouTube Channel, although I have to say my results vary a great deal from his (how is this possible that I can fuck up even abstract art??!!), some other YouTube prospectors including Everything is Spirit; and Barry's Economics although I find myself too much in agreement; and really would like once in a while to be exposed to a different point of view (one differing from mine own). Not the standard imbeciles that ornament the right side of the political spectrum, just something different.
Social Media, Facebook and it's buckets of AI generated slop; formerly comics of Gary Larson with the captions that made sense of the cartoon cut off, now it's AI drivel “after the style of" Gary Larson with nonsensical images and punch lines. Low effort engagement - but - hey -"made you look!!".
Digging out the art supplies again, inspired by Chris Loud, trying again the fluid acrylics only this time it's not working, not at all, and this - as I discover later in an "aha" moment is because the Floetrol has separated, try again after shaking and it works, after a fashion, although I'm going to have to tweak the recipe...
Outside, have a cigarette, feed the crows, the pigeon has proven fearless, landing beside me, trying to get on my lap or land on my head, a passer-by notices and congratulates me on my pet; the pigeon, meanwhile, is making love to my shoe, which I suppose makes sense as it's the hand that drops the peanut but the shoe that crushes it so the pigeon can eat it...
The crows, they'll play fetch for a bit and then get bored and carry on about their day, this pigeon, it's non-stop, and I'm half curious to go out with a full bag of peanuts and see how much it can eat, really, I mean it's pretty fat as is, I don't think it would stop...
And I am broke, not of my own bad money management but I've let a few paydays slide and I really must get a little more insistent, out of vodka, cigarettes, an empty fridge and a neighbour that constantly needs to borrow money and forgets to repay it; when I announce I'm out of cash she's over raiding my fridge, despite my having an empty fridge and hers being full she's taking the last of my tomatoes, sauce, she means well but it's getting a bit maddening...
Which catches us up to today...now to text work and see if I can claim on an old payday, get back to the flat and try painting again; see if I can't get a proper "acrylic flow recipe" going; find the next book to read; tonight, at work, a wedding, it's going to be loud, long and late and I need to find some way to psychologically prepare...
Project Hail Mary
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Film
- Hits: 65
Despite the glowing reviews this was really just a slack-jawed sci-fi bummer.
I mean, disappointing in the extreme. 2 1/2 hours of my life I'm never getting back.
I should have been suspicious of the unanimous praise. I'll know better next time...
Operation Epic Furious
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Blog
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A rather amusing nintendo-styled browser game in which you get to play the Donald in Operation Epic Furious.
If all the news was this amusing...
Pigeon & Patio
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Blog
- Hits: 97
My feeding of the Crows has had the unexpected side effect of making me a saint amongst the pigeons. The crows, they crack the peanuts, leave a lot of crumbs for the pigeons to eat. The pigeons have figured out that when I appear, so do the crumbs.
There's one, I'll call him/her stupid, he/she will swoop down, land, then rush me with as much focus and determination any pigeon has ever had. Once under my feet he/she'll tramp about, look at me, look for crumbs, land on my foot, try and land on my lap, land beside me, I give up and crush a peanut under foot...
This merely encourages him/her.
I must say, I prefer the reticence of the crows, their ultra-cautious approach, always keeping a good 5 feet or more away, although, having watched me not murder said little pesky pigeon they've grown a bit more bold. By the end of summer I'll have one on my shoulder...
***
And the patio has been set up and provides yet another obstacle to making a living. Called in to work for Sunday, a certain waitress, all the personality of a garbage truck, has quit, or, but none of my business. She would complain of the slowest of days (fair enough) but you'd come in to a shift after her and find nothing was done. No prep, nada, zilch, she sat on the phone the whole day. So while I'm glad she's gone I'm not thrilled to be working.
***
It's the Sunday Mother's Day Market, a very-real possibility it will be busy. Before work I've committed to helping the old Chef buy a car, we go and look at it, a Nissan Infinity, good condition, well looked after, turns out the seller is a customer, he recognizes me; this favours the sale and former Chef makes the purchase. The car, runs good, looks good, probably good, but at the moment I'm a little skeptical, the world at the moment, petrol, Iran, you get it. Maybe this isn't the year to buy a car. But we all go on as normal, fire? what fire? oh....the world. Nobody that I've spoken to has in any way understood the gravity of our situation. Maybe it's me. I'm a bit of a nay-sayer, I mean, I spent NYEve 2000 under my desk, but...well, wait and see....
***
The patio, a table, inside the restaurant, a bit busy, maybe a little too much for one person, with the to-go orders and deliveries definitely too much, but the evening passes and I bail at 7:30. This was to be a day off, squandered, and I'm a little nervous as to tonight, tomorrow, the patio, it might be the straw that breaks the camel's back. Already I'm busy enough, tables inside, even on a slow night it's busier than it appears with the phone, to-go orders, deliveries, now - well; we'll see if I can juggle it all, although it might be time to change my schedule to a 10:30-7:30 so that I help the closer with the cross-over duties.
***
Painting, little postcards, experiments, trying to get a grasp on the mixed media still within my possession, I need to go to the museum and commit to making some postcards; hand-made one of a kind, one at a time, small profits multiplied with a factory styled approach...
***
And having cleaned the apartment for the inspection/heater check up that didn't occur, loathe to make a mess again, reminded of what needs to go, what can stay, and everything that I would use once again mislaid or misfiled and I'm at a loss...
***
The weather is fine. Mighty fine, last night thunder and electrical storms, violent lights fragmenting the sky, a fine spring-time show. I do so love a good thunder-shower.
***
The Hantavirus
...and this, the trending news, and everyone on Reddit says "don't worry be happy" and while I'm sure they're all right, all qualified disease specialists, all know what they're talking about, I can't help but remember the Coronavirus, the early warning signals from China, the videos, posts, we all knew - if we paid attention and believed it - it was coming - but the handling of it (Canada, fine, USA, not-so-much), and the fact that patients have been transported to the zone of non-competence...
Well...
2020 2.0
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