Here Come The Resolutions...

04:04 PM

Well, only one, actually.

Resolution.

Singular.

Along with Lucifer knows how many other Resolution Makers, I intend to write a novel in 2010.

I know the chances of getting it published are awful.

I know that, even if I get the thing published, it will probably sell less than 1,000 copies.

I know that the world needs another novel like Christ on the Cross needs a few more nails to keep him comfy.

But sod it. If not now, when?

Don't Know What You've Got Til It's Gone...

Very strange day yesterday.

I was working on a song when I suddenly realized I could no longer read. Then I realized I could no longer write. Then I realized I could no longer speak properly!

Long story short - apparently I've had something called a TIA (Transient Ischaemic Attack) which is a small blood clot in the brain. A mini stroke, basically.

More or less back to normal now - although I'm utterly knackered - but for a few hours it was a tad scary.

Made me think of Flowers For Algernon. The guy gradually losing all of the knowledge he'd gained. Except this loss wasn't gradual - it was very sudden.

Also gave me an insight into how frustrating dyslexia must be. Looking at text and seeing nothing but meaningless marks sucks big time.

I think I'd rather lose a leg than lose the ability to read.

Digital Wonders

02:41 PM

My sister is in Texas, visiting her daughter. I'm in the UK.

Just had a Facebook message from her asking me to call her husband (also in the UK). She wanted me to tell him to fire up her computer so she can Facebook chat to him, too.

I guess anyone under 30 finds this kind of thing pretty ho-hum, but for a 55 year old like me it never stops being amazing.

I still find the telephone astounding!

Busy, Busy, Busy...

10:59 AM

Been a busy week or so. My brother came to stay and we've been doing DIY stuff like crazy. Wired in a new shower, a new water-heater, built cupboards, bought (but not yet fitted) guttering, tiled the living room fireplace in preparation for a wood-burning stove, painted, drunk wine and beer, played guitar...

I'm knackered!

Dave's gone home now, so I'm gradually settling back into my normal routine - one aspect of which is writing this blog.

We stuck a few vids on YouTube while he was here. Anyone interested can see them here.

I'm Not A Number - I'm A Free Man With Internet Access!

06:21 AM

When I was a kid back in the late 1960s I fell in love with a UK TV series called The Prisoner. It was filmed in a unique Welsh village called Portmeirion, which was designed and constructed by a guy called Williams-Ellis between 1925 and 1975.

It's a wonderful place, incorporating fragments of demolished buildings, including works by a number of other architects. Portmeirion has been noted as an influence on the development of Postmodern architecture in the late twentieth century.

I spent much of yesterday wandering through the place with my sister and brother-in-law, and all kinds of vague memories from the TV series kept trying to surface. Through the wonders of You Tube I was able to refresh my memory when we got back to the converted chapel in which we're staying (many thanks to Alex Keegan for that).

YouTube Video of The Prisoner

Pics Taken Yesterday

I love the fact that the technology now exists to make these exotic trips down memory lane so much easier.

Fill Me Up With The Energy of Chi & Prana...

11:54 AM

My thoughts about Pleasant Shivering led to a long chat elsewhere on the net about various aspects of New Age and Eastern philosophies.

Someone said they get these shivers, too - but they get them when doing Kundalini Yoga.

This morphed into a long discussion about 'energy' - and I said I'm sceptical about the various misuses of the term 'energy' I find scattered throughout the literature relating to meditation.

Someone said it was just a word, and words evolve. They used the example of 'blue' and noted its various meanings.

Now, I have no problem with using a word like 'blue' to describe colour, mood, or a style of music. Nobody can manipulate others by expanding the meaning of 'blue'.

But the concept denoted by the word 'energy' - when used correctly - is in a different class.

People are frequently manipulated by the sellers of New Age (and Old Age) 'energy fields' because they have no real understanding of what energy is.

An understanding of 'energy' - as used in physics - opens doors that lead to a deep understanding of how the physical universe functions. I think anything that muddies that potential understanding by reducing the explanatory power of the word is a Bad Thing.

01:46 PM

Recorded and YouTubed a new song: Thanksgiving Eve

Pleasant Shivers Down the Spine

11:18 AM

I think most people will know what I mean when I talk about the sensation of a pleasant shiver running down the spine. Nothing to do with being cold - everything to do with a welcome release of tension.

In my own case, these were always very rare - as in once a year if I was lucky. But since I started meditating (and especially since I started calming the Thought Monkeys) I'm getting these shivers several time a day.

I wondered about the physical cause of such shivers, and I assumed there'd be lots of info on the Net, but all I can find is an article on something called Post-Micturation Convulsion Syndrome!

Post-micturition convulsion syndrome, also colloquially known as piss shivers or pee shivers, is a phenomenon in which one feels a shiver running down the spine following urination. The shiver can produce a brief twitch, which is a form of myoclonus. It should not be confused with post-micturition syncope, a feeling of faintness following passing urine.

To date, despite years of discussion and theorizing, there is no agreed-on explanation of the phenomenon and no medical research into it. However, it has been mentioned occasionally in columns, and in one Internet poll, where about 83% of males and 58% of females reported experiencing it. By 6 Jul 2007, more than 24,000 males and more than 1,200 females had responded to the poll on the syndrome.

Not what I'm talking about at all. I don't think I've ever experienced that one - although I live in hope.

Anyone got info on the physiological casuses of Pleasant Shivering?