Today I has mostly been....

[eighthobstruction]

A thread to divulge what we have been doing to stave off boredom....

Myself I have a killer cold (extended by my own stupidity) given to me by a toddler Typhoid Mary grandson....so I have....

Had 90minutes looking vat Kurt Vonnegut stuff on Utube....


BUT THEN stumbled on trhis BBC gem about 60s/70s/80s film diectors....and very much what went on behind the scenes.....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xy54nQj8B8Q

[Serial_Apologist]

A thread to divulge what we have been doing to stave off boredom....

Myself I have a killer cold (extended by my own stupidity) given to me by a toddler Typhoid Mary grandson....so I have....

Had 90minutes looking vat Kurt Vonnegut stuff on Utube....


BUT THEN stumbled on trhis BBC gem about 60s/70s/80s film diectors....and very much what went on behind the scenes.....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xy54nQj8B8Q

Thanks for starting this thread, eighth. The more I think about American movies I saw in the 1960s and 70s - very few since then - the more nationalistically defensive I get about our own film culture and its traditions, piling up a shelf with recently acquired DVD re-issues and watching Talking Movies in place of Channel 4 News.

Being regularly-inclined, as the personality type dictates, Tuesday is always get next week's Radio Times from the local corner shop after elevenses and spend the rest of the morning marking it up for interesting broadcasts in red biro linking the ringed items with arrow-headed lines across the page, or indicating to programmes on other pages. Lunch must always be grilled Cheddar on toast topped with a slice of vegetarian bacon, followed by a banana and then coffee, not forgetting the statin I have to take daily. First part of the afternoon consists of visit to local St Sprees to obtain whatever I will not be getting on my other visit, either on Friday afternoon or first thing on Saturday.

After this catch-up on The Forum I shall probably go to the living room area and doze off listening to the final two works on my Berio listening itinerary. Then wake up in time to start cooking my supper. An interesting evening of watching follows: GPs Behind Closed Doors at 7pm on 5 (suitable only for hypochondriacs), Portrait Artist of the Year 2019 on Sky Arts at 8pm (Courtney Pine is the celebrity sitter, I hope they don't make his eyes too big!), finishing with BBC1's Why Is Covid Killing People of Colour? at 9. Then probably a re-visit here to see if anyone's responded to my world-shaking earlier contributions to the sum total of human wisdom, and to see if anyone still loves me on Facebook or by email.

[vinteuil]

... get next week's Radio Times from the local corner shop after elevenses and spend the rest of the morning marking it up for interesting broadcasts in red biro linking the ringed items with arrow-headed lines across the page, or indicating to programmes on other pages.

... slightly different system here : I go thro' the tv pages marking with a fluorescent highlighter anything innarestin', and then write in biro at the top margin of the radio 3 pages details of those tv programmes thus marked ; then go thro' the radio pages with highlighter. The radio 3 page remains the default page, with anything on the tv easily noticeable on the top margin.

(years of refinement and practice that took, I can tell you... )

.

[Serial_Apologist]

... slightly different system here : I go thro' the tv pages marking with a fluorescent highlighter anything innarestin', and then write in biro at the top margin of the radio 3 pages details of those tv programmes thus marked ; then go thro' the radio pages with highlighter. The radio 3 page remains the default page, with anything on the tv easily noticeable on the top margin.

(years of refinement and practice that took, I can tell you... )

.

In my fastidiousness I omitted to mention the large paper clip I use to clip together the TV and Radio pages, to save flipping time!

[french frank]

I have about 20 small 'reporters' notebooks of Interrail holidays taken in Europe and I've been transcribing those and reliving the nostalgia of the awful hotels stayed in, the delightful people I've conversed with and the mounds of things I've learnt.

"Please, what is capuns?"

"Capuns ist … <shrugs> capuns." (Turns to people at next table - "Was ist capuns auf Englisch?")

"... nein, cannot translate"

"Well, I would like capuns, please" - and, my! was it delicious! In the Franziskaner, Chur, 2006

[vinteuil]

,

"Please, what is capuns?"
"Capuns ist … <shrugs> capuns." (Turns to people at next table - "Was ist capuns auf Englisch?")"... nein, cannot translate"
"Well, I would like capuns, please" - and, my! was it delicious! In the Franziskaner, Chur, 2006

... hier sind "Capuns"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capuns

.

[french frank]

... hier sind "Capuns"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capuns

Exactly, here be capuns - a sort of Bündner answer to stuffed vine leaves, in a soupy cheese sauce.

[Petrushka]

Fortunately for me, I don't do boredom and the days simply whizz by. When I retired in December 2019 I had no more inkling than anyone else of what was to be in store but I did have the experience of two patches of unemployment in the early 1970s to draw on so was well aware that boredom could well be a serious danger.

Over the past few years I deliberately put aside a good number of heavyweight books (too large to take on the train or in the office) and began to amass a sizeable number of CDs, boxed sets, opera etc with a view to saving them for the long winter days and nights ahead. Once the Spring and Summer came in 2020 I naturally anticipated to be going to the Proms, visiting places etc, etc. Of course, it never happened but I'm incredibly glad that I saved those books and bought all those CDs because they have been my lifeline these previous 12 months.

Keeping in touch with friends, twice weekly shopping trips, this Forum (another lifeline) and the internet generally have more than kept me fully occupied. The key to staving off boredom is to always have something to look forward to, so I recommend treating yourself to something simple, like a book or a CD, every now and then, to give your spirits a lift.

[teamsaint]

Work. Regular hours ( more or less) for the first time in over 30 years, and the nature of the work has changed somewhat . Lots of Zoom meetings, which can have their own charm, and somehow we are staying afloat and thriving. We have had a fantastic start to the year with four or five of our books really flying.
Music, exercise( 5k PB last week) , football wallpaper on sky, visiting my mum in her bubble .Still not got round to quite a few opera CDs that I seem to have acquired.there really is a lot of Verdi, isn’t there?

Still sick of the whole thing though. Hoping very much to see grandson for his second birthday shortly.

( I agree with Pet about little treats. And it helps keep the money circulating , which is so important. Recent purchases...Complete Berlioz, Rattle Soloists, Chandos 40, and a double CD from The Loft on order.)

[eighthobstruction]

...last evening while waiting on food in the oven I chanced upon this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_SQI9kgqIc Sex Pistol Live Come Back 2007....well I will spare you adjectives - it will not take you long to supply your own....but let it be said "Goodness Me"....I was mesmerised by it, just witnessing via web ....very quick coincert [sic], about 50 minutes of music, and the same song/riff seemingly again and again....with the 3 really famous ones....At the end of it I found it really easy to consider myself forgiven all my sins....

[kernelbogey]

We have a branch locally of a wonderful bakery in Southampton, all of whose bread is sourdough - of various kinds. It's more expensive than supermarket bread, or that from the longstanding other local bakery; but that's my regular treat (and occasionaly a croissant or very sweet 'morning roll').

[Serial_Apologist]

...last evening while waiting on food in the oven I chanced upon this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_SQI9kgqIc Sex Pistol Live Come Back 2007....well I will spare you adjectives - it will not take you long to supply your own....but let it be said "Goodness Me"....I was mesmerised by it, just witnessing via web ....very quick coincert [sic], about 50 minutes of music, and the same song/riff seemingly again and again....with the 3 really famous ones....At the end of it I found it really easy to consider myself forgiven all my sins....

I was too old for the Sex Pistols...

[vinteuil]

.

most days :

05:20 wake up, go downstairs, read the English and French papers on-line
06:30 make cuppa tea wch take up to Mme v
07:00 breakfast (orange juice; toast with marmalade/jams/honey; coffee)
07:45 ablutions
08:00 - 12:30 read, listen to music, local walk, necessary shopping
12:30 - 14:00 lunch
14:00 siesta
14:30 - 16:45 out and about - walk. Read, listen to music
16:45 tea
17:00 - 18:00 free time
18:00 - 19:00 watch bbc / itv news / local news
19:00 channel 4 news
20:00 possible snack. any good telly?
22:00 bed

I satisfy my OCD tendencies wivva bit of ritual...

I like the descriptions of Immanuel Kant's daily life -

"His life was as exactly ruled as music manuscript paper. He was awoken each morning at five o’clock, never later. He breakfasted on a couple of bowls of tea, then smoked a pipe, the only one of the day. On teaching days, he would go out in the morning to give his lecture, then resume his dressing-gown and slippers to work and write until precisely a quarter to one. At that point he would dress again to receive, with enjoyment, a small group of friends to discuss science, philosophy and the weather.
There were invariably three dishes and some cheese, placed on the table – sometimes with a few desserts – along with a small carafe of wine for each guest. Conversation lasted until five o’clock.
Then it was time for his walk. Rain or shine, it had to be taken. He went alone, for he wanted to breathe through his nose all the way, with his mouth closed, which he believed to be excellent for the body. The company of friends would have obliged him to open his mouth to speak.
He always took the same route, so consistently that his itinerary through the park later came to be called ‘The Philosopher’s Walk’. According to rumour he only ever altered the route of this daily constitutional twice in his life: to obtain an early copy of Rousseau’s Émile, and to join the scramble for hot news after the announcement of the French Revolution. On returning from his walk, he read until ten o’clock, then went to bed (he only ate one meal a day), falling asleep immediately. "

.

[eighthobstruction]

I was too old for the Sex Pistols...

....i was 23 in 1976 (and listened via John Peels gradually advocasy of new/handmade music) -[while my own album collection was based around jazz fusion]....liked the power of 'the famous songs' and was involved with punks in my early 30's as a mentor during youth unemployment of 80's....but really i just want forumites to watch the crowd in this utube....it is an extraorinary sight....my feeling was "here are those who voted for brexit"...."here is mixed up twisted mire of half-truths"...."here is a visceral febrile environment....of energetic dissolution/fervent despair".....as I say it is the crowd I want you to look at....it is filmed during end of Blair years....[watch it with sound off]

[Serial_Apologist]

....i was 23 in 1976 (and listened via John Peels gradually advocasy of new/handmade music) -[while my own album collection was based around jazz fusion]....liked the power of 'the famous songs' and was involved with punks in my early 30's as a mentor during youth unemployment of 80's....but really i just want forumites to watch the crowd in this utube....it is an extraorinary sight....my feeling was "here are those who voted for brexit"...."here is mixed up twisted mire of half-truths"...."here is a visceral febrile environment....of energetic dissolution/fervent despair".....as I say it is the crowd I want you to look at....it is filmed during end of Blair years....[watch it with sound off]

Emotions are obviously important, it should go without saying really, since without them nothing would ever get done, for good or bad. Emotions triggered by my responses to inequality, injustice and double standards are what got me involved in political activism in the first place. The trouble with emotions as ends in themselves - a point I was trying to raise the other day (week?) here to a silent forum, is that they get caught up in the collective maelstrom, forgetting that catalyst to be a response that is mediated rather than to unmediated threats or positive stimuli, as in instantaneously responding to gestures and stimuli emanating from sources deep in the nervous system, even in the wider Mind eastern philosophies speak of. Anything mediated has to take on board the benefits of language and concepts but also needs a framework or theory to situate language in the cosmic (if you like) scheme of things, explained how it can be manipulated for manipulative ends by people with self-ascribed power; how that plays out and how we are an inextricable part of that before... conception. Nietzsche sort of got it, but then picked up the wrong end of the stick. Once that theory is in place feelings and the capacity to hell-raise, for example, are seen as intelligible in terms of it, rather than the other way around, so that mediation finds its relative perspective in said scheme of things, and thus one finds oneself, sort of, above it all. Not in any snobby sense, one should add.