May 2003 Archives

A mister Howard sends word that a photo of mine from Morocco was published on the Beeb's "perspectives of water across the world ". Top right of page, "Your Pictures", picture number three.

So they can't crop photos skilfully, let alone edit a paragraph such that it continues to sound good once mauled, but I is well pleased [sic] just to see it there; I submitted it weeks ago and promptly forgot. Luckily I have spies everywhere.

It's interesting to note that I've recently faced, from three different directions, a number of discussions concerning the difficulties that people have when trying to fit in. I will readily admit that being part of something with other folk can be great, but when it is something that has no meaning to you in any way other than to make you feel less insular in the grander scheme, well, we part company.
There are times and places where blending in can save your skin, but day to day, why waste your precious time on the superficial when it doesn't make you happy? It's a curse of the short-term fix, a caffeine buzz in place of a good night's sleep; instant gratification toward a longer term loss. I don't do security blankets.

I hope these problems are resolved. In this regard, my personal experiences of the moment are far more trivial. I recently advertised for a middle-distance running partner on a couple of University email lists, including a far-reaching one to an LBG distribution address. I had two great responses, one of which is already a regular fixture for which I am very grateful, and a third, more supportive one, from a friend who is courageously starting out on his own path to masochism. I love you guys!

Go out the following Monday night, and an unnamed fairy queen flounces over, pulls a face and squeals "Running! What kind of freak are you?" I smile, laugh a response, and quietly cringe over every concealed inch of my pulsating viscera. The silence of the majority is reassuring; people, we have ourselves a mature audience. Yet there are still those - perfectly intelligent at that - who live life according to stereotypes, and who seem to have trouble regarding perfectly plausible variations in human nature as anything other than aberrant. Let us not lose sight of this tremendous irony; a poof who expects compassion, but has none to give? It explains plenty.

I'm sure he didn't mean it that way, to be fair, but why bother projecting such a pitiable side to your character in the first place? I've heard it said that nothing is often a good thing to do, and always a clever thing to say. Natch.

...but here the world is narrow.

I made a new acquaintance today, and what was merely a discussion about the things that happen to interest us both, mutually, delivered me, briefly, back to a singular moment in my life when I felt nothing but a liberating sense of clarity.

A quick dip into the cybercurrent that is digital art can almost guarantee you something new; this site, in particular, had me for at least five minutes. No tremendous conceptual breakthrough, but it meets a need; we're all curious about the variable nature of our own kind, to some degree or another.

It's easy enough, when the work piles on, to forget what the weekend even exists for. This Saturday, alas, was more of the usual (preparing for a presentation), but Sunday was pointedly set aside to free this factotum of lab and Ph.D. for a few hours. Barbecue; half rained-on; half dry; full enjoyment; fun crowd; tasty food; too much of it; ideal. And indoor gardening; new germinants; proud father; bit crazy; new seeds; rare Australians; three species; all planted; please grow. Which leaves just enough time for some work before dinner. Square.

Each and every morning, I get up, shower, eat breakfast. While I eat breakfast, I surf. While I surf, I invariably check the news. And with increasing frequency, every time I check the news, I see that, once again, we've been landed in the shit. Last night's bombing of Casablanca represents just another instance of what has been an inneffectual...

I've completed and posted my May Day assignment here. Not too unusual a day, but I did my best to enjoy it as there are other things on my mind; it felt right to make the most of being here.

Just what is the May Day Project all about? Find out at the source:

And yet today marks the first anniversary of the Potter's Bar train crash. There's nothing I can say that will change a thing, and nothing that I feel that isn't being felt by anyone else who was touched by the accident, in whatever capacity. I've already said what I wanted to say, and it will suffice. Peace of mind to you, and loved ones since departed. I'm so very sorry.

They may be pointless, but online tests can be amusing - judging from the nature of the questions, I was kind of predisposed to being cast as an inhabitant of the Hell dimensions anyway...

Yesterday. From somewhere in between a gasp for air and an expression that captures the combined pain of every tortured soul that has ever been, comes the question that has invariably, and always, brought a smile to my face; do you really enjoy this?

For anyone interested in art - doing it, not appreciating - the following is a nice guide to the important aspects of drawing in ink, a favourite area of mine. Time to resurrect some old pages of mine - the most popular part of my previous site was the guide to botanical illustrating in ink. Deleted. Accidentally. Bugger.

Somewhat impressed at the initial reception that the new iTunes store received, I am now officially amazed. It would seem that they have come up with a genuinely workable formula.
If only the service would come our way; in the UK, you can view and listen to store content - the exclusive tracks have blown me out of the water too - but not purchase. Yet. HELLO!

Yet another leap ahead in the music industry by Apple with the release of iTunes 4; the company seems to have played its cards right in looking toward the mp3 market with such a prescient eye. Not only is their hardware, iPod, the bestseller - and just re-released with even higher specs and sleeker looks - it integrates seamlessly through Firewire with their impressive music management software, iTunes, itself pretty popular and shortly to be released on the PC.

The loveliness above is a new feature of iTunes: Apple's very own online mp3 store; over 200 000 songs already available, contracts with the Big Five (EMI, Sony et al.), and tracks at just $0.99 each. Will it work? Well, according to Billboard, 275 000 tracks were sold within the first 18 hours of its launch. Gadget pimp that I am, I'm there in spirit, just need to save up for the hardware.

Stellar, oscar-winning performances, perhaps not - though the whole cast was uniformly solid, not least the great leads (Stewart, McKellen) - gripping excitement, fantasy and special effects, aplenty! X-men 2 was a success in this corner, ladies and gents, and I'd heartily recommend it to anyone who is into the genre, or who enjoyed the first incarnation at any rate. Heck, make that everyone.
Die-hard fans of the comics and animated series might wonder whether the finale has undermined the entire Phoenix Saga, but that said, there's room for a sequel, and I don't think it'll involve alien Empress Lilandra, a M'Kraan crystal or any such original plot lines. Frankly, they just wouldn't do it for me in a film, and this is a plus point, because the characters on the celluloid take have already begun to develop in different, more plausible directions, and I'm content with where they're headed. Bryan Singer, Dan Harris and Mike Dougherty can feel free to guide this franchise down its current path with my compliments.

On a less overly-fervent note, it's a beautiful evening tonight, and bar the chilly breeze, it's starting to feel pretty summery 'round about now. I can smell the barbecues and cut fens already.