Dust To Dust

“Heaven knows we need never be ashamed of our tears, for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth, overlying our hard hearts. I was better after I had cried, than before–more sorry, more aware of my own ingratitude, more gentle.”

― Charles Dickens, Great Expectations (Source: Goodreads)

https://twansphotos.tumblr.com/post/661597490573869056/roses

Dug up

Stuff I found.

• If you weren’t already afraid of heights (and I’ll hereby Iet you know I am and I was), maybe you’ll become it now.
• The point is, Vermeer did not himself paint over the painting in the painting (they knew because there was a thin layer of dust between the paint layers), so in my book it is, in fact, a restoration.
• On the other hand, it can be interesting to know what hides in the layers underneath, even though you didn’t actually scrape off the paint on top of it.

Living Once Is Enough

“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.”

― Robert Frost (Source: Goodreads)

https://twansphotos.tumblr.com/post/661332428800114688/silver-wings

Randomness

I found some stuff.

• Your body sometimes just needs deep rest.
• Amazing what you can find out from one photo online.
• I really like the articles at Web Development History. The latest one takes me back to the days when I was messing around with Netscape and Apache servers myself and using the Mosaic browser.
• Tardi’s walking.

Good Intentions

Life has it’s problems.

• Eliza Shaddad – Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood
• Patrick Blancos – Back to Black
• Amanda Marshall – Birmingham
• How To Destroy Angels – A Drowning
• JINJER – Wallflower
• Beck – Everybody’s Gotta Learn Sometimes
• The Strokes – Why Are Sundays So Depressing
• FOALS – Neptune
• HEALTH x NINE INCH NAILS :: ISN’T EVERYONE
• Puscifer – Bedlamite
• Depeche Mode – It’s No Good
• The Lumineers – Sleep On The Floor
• Kodaline – High Hopes
• Seafret – Oceans
• Amber Run – I Found
• Dean Lewis – Waves
• Elbow – The Bones Of You
• Richard Ashcroft – They Don’t Own Me
• Stereophonics – Maybe Tomorrow
• Portishead – Roads

Gin and tonics, coming up.

A day in the life

“I find out a lot about myself by sleeping. Dreams, they are who I am when I’m too tired to be me.”

― Jarod Kintz, This Book is Not for Sale

Just stating a fact here: I am tired. No energy whatsoever. It probably has to do with… well, seriously? No idea, really. I mean, we go out and do stuff and I really enjoy that. But a day later, like today, staying in, trying to write some, read some, waiting for my wife to come back from work, thinking about my own work day tomorrow… just no energy, no focus.

Vacation will fix that. I hope. We have some awesome days ahead. Just being able to spend my days with my wife and the kids. On the road and at home. Okay, breathe in, breathe out. One step at a time, just staying active, staying positive.

Hey, you still there? Sorry about that, I just had to vent. Time for some energizing intermezzo before we return to our regular scheduled program then:

JINJER – Vortex

And now it is time to plant a tree. We’ve had this magnolia in a pot, but it looks like the snails got to it, in the corner of the garden where we planned to keep it. So, now I will plant it away from other trees and bushes and hope it will recover. Be right back.

…

Back. Tree is in, grass mowed and I am pooped. Just cooked dinner for the kids and myself and now my belly is full and I have been physically active I am actually feeling better.

Lawn in the back yard

Magnolia tree in the front yard

In here

Awesome WordPress.com blog posts I recently came across:

• Fairness Is Overrated
  Fairness isn’t the key to happiness.
• I Want a Wild Woman
  “… the man who is beaten so slowly / he won’t admit he was fighting.”
• Doors
  Only open doors if/when you are ready to deal with what lies behind.
• The Seeds of The New Earth
  No need to look any further.
• Death in a vase
  “… A flower head bends, droops, / As if looking down, / searching for the water.

Out there

Throwing a wider net:

• Jinjer au Hellfest 2021 – ARTE Concert
  Did you enjoy that JINJER video from before? Maybe you’ll like this set they did at Hellfest 2021 also.
• Shades of the Departed
  Dreaming of bombs falling over Miami. A short story by Fawzy Zablah.
• Insights From The Dark Side | Inge Bryan | TEDxUniversiteitVanAmsterdam
  Criminal customer service based on trust and reputation.
• Advice from Jordan Peterson
  Stop talking to people who are not listening.
• ZZ Top (Dusty Hill †) live | Rockpalast | 1980
  Rockpalast shares this concert ZZ Top did in Germany in 1980 as a tribute to Dusty Hill. Rest in peace man.

Insanity

Time for my medication:

• Anthrax – Madhouse
• Judas Priest – Painkiller
• Nirvana – Breed
• Pantera – I’m Broken
• Slipknot – Duality
• Linkin Park – Bleed It Out
• Rammstein – Keine Lust
• Alice In Chains – Them Bones
• Audioslave – Show Me How to Live
• Foo Fighters – The Pretender
• Spiritbox – Metal Detector
• Capstan – Blurred Around The Edges [Feat. Saxl Rose]
• PALAYE ROYALE – Punching Bag
• Bad Wolves – Zombie
• DEXCORE – Self-Hatred
• Hatebreed – I Will Be Heard

All that jazz

Music is like a dream. One that I cannot hear.

― Ludwig van Beethoven

This post is all over the place. Like my mind is these days. But it is Friday and on Fridays, after a week of long hours, my love and I like to stay up late and make them count. Netflix and gin-and-tonics and salted peanuts. Filling up the room with evaporated electric liquid. And then, when the movie is done and the light comes up, we lay down our heads, knowing this weekend will be too short, too nice, too delicious and the coming week will be dreadful. Again.

“Well, it’s nice to die of alcoholism, it’s very glorious. But if you write dull shit, it doesn’t do any good what you die from… You see?“

In here

Blog posts that jumped up at me in my WordPress.com Reader:

• Spring To Summer
  An ode to spring (and summer) by Stephen Allen (AKA Stoic)
• beetleypete- Random Blogger Interviews
  Krish Mayani Dadlani interviewed Pete about his blog and blogging experiences.
• Past Imperfect – #366
  Brian Lageose again showing where a photograph can take him.
• Doh!
  Steve having a ‘doh!’ moment while he was looking into Heathcock Court in London.
• If I was a TV
  I love Michael Aiken’s way of looking at the world.

Out there

Stuff I caught floating around on the interwebs:

• What Does Gen Z Have Against Question Marks
  It might be the Gen-Xer in me, but I think she forgot a question mark at the end of that title? (Oh, and now I know to be on alert when my wife texts me: ‘k’…)
• The one where no one will read your book (and other truths about publishing)
  Damn, that’s depressing.
• The Literally Edition
  Language-ing about ‘literally’.

Soundtrack

Ivory ticklings:

• Erik Satie – Gnossienne No.1
• Chopin – Nocturne op.9 No.2
• Struggle for pleasure – Wim Mertens
• Beethoven – Moonlight Sonata
• Mischa Maisky plays Bach Cello Suite No.1 in G (full)
• Michael Nyman – Chasing Sheep is Best Left to Shepherds
• In The Mood For Love – Yumeji’s Theme
• F. Liszt – “Ständchen” Piano Transcriptions After Schubert – Khatia Buniatishvili
  Wait for the coin to drop…
• Arthur Jussen – Schubert Impromptus Opus 90 No.2+3
• The Cinematic Orchestra – ‘To Build A Home’
• Ryuichi Sakamoto – Forbidden Colours (Original)

Serendipity

Man is the artificer of his own happiness.

Henry David Thoreau

Just some random music I ran into, courtesy of my brain and various algorithms:

• BRATS – 自虐性Loop (Jigyakusei Loop)
• The Black Crowes – Charming Mess
• Hall and Oates – I Can’t Go For That – Cover by Nicki Bluhm and The Gramblers – Van Session 17
• Steve Miller Band – Jet Airliner
• The Seekers – I’ll Never Find Another You (HQ Stereo, 1964/’68)
• ‘Footloose’ – Dancing In The Movies
• PODEROSA AAINJALA – 150 TAMBORES
• Stromae – Alors On Danse (Clip Officiel)
• Bring Me The Horizon – MANTRA (Official Video)
• IMAGINE. (Ultimate Mix, 2020) – John Lennon & The Plastic Ono Band (with the Flux Fiddlers) HD
• The Beatles – I Feel Fine
• Intwine – Cruel Man (with Lyrics)
• ASTERISM – YUNAGI (BATTLE SESSION / Studio Live)
• SKYND – ‘Michelle Carter’ (Official Video)
• David Bowie – Modern Love (Official Video)
• BABYMETAL-Catch me if you can-Live HD

Randomness

• A little pick-me-up: Give It Up Or Turn It a Loose
• Remember MySpace Tom?
• I think I’ll check out other blog sites.
• Mee-cro-wah-vay
• It’s called robloxcore and I’m fascinated.