Last week’s post, The Man Don’t Give a ****, kicked off with a visit to the new James Bond movie, SPECTRE, before running off on a Brosnan-in-a-tank rampage through British foreign policy. But really, what I wanted to post was more in the vein of a classic, Moore-era romp.
So, let’s try this again, shall we…?
[More bite-sized whimsy and absurdité from Stroke Bloke here.]
Continue reading YOU are the next James Bond
This week, I’ve been in LA with Longsufferinggirlfriendoftheblogbeth for the Gallifrey One Doctor Who convention. It’s been a bunch of fun.
The thing is, there’s a ten-hour outward bound flight to take, old friends to catch up with, panels to attend, and a return flight that surrounds the scheduled time for this week’s blog. Makes pulling together a stroke blog post a little tricky.
One of the panels we attended was called Faith and Fantasy, and examined “where Doctor Who has embraced – and where it’s conflicted with – matters of faith.”
[Sign up for bonus apoplexy here.] Continue reading The Expedition
Last week, one of the amalgam of Andys who make my Facebook page such a pleasure to visit (see last week’s post) put up a post “listing 15 movies that will always stay with me, and tagging the shit out of 15 people to do the same.”
[Are you the sort of saddo who makes top five lists? Are you the type of cool guy who doesn’t make top five lists? Sign up for more personal apoplectic.me tiny letter distributions here.] Continue reading Why Fidelity?
Long-time readers of the blog may remember the meditative trilogy of posts (1, 2, 3) from this past summer, sparked by Alan Spence’s imagining of the life of the Zen Master Hakuin in his novel Night Boat. Others of you may recall my more recent discussion of empathetic imagination. This week, those threads resurfaced and wove themselves into this post.
Mrs Stroke Bloke just walked in and asked what I was up to. It probably looked like I was idly eying a Joan Didion essay on self-respect. But I was hard at work. Honest. I’d already read articles on A Formula For Happiness, Why Some People Dislike Everything and Seven Thoughts That Are Bad For You.
— I gotta tell you: I’m going for something big here, but I think my reach is going to exceed my grasp on this one.
— Why not just do something goofy?
Continue reading Search Engine Optimization
In the aftermath of my stroke (remember that?), I’ve found myself increasingly wedded to a positive outlook on the world. I suppose that’s a natural result of a near-death experience. By that, of course, I mean the experience of nearly dying rather than an umbrella term under which Ian Wiki groups “detachment from the body, feelings of levitation, total serenity, security, warmth, the experience of absolute dissolution, and the presence of a light.”
Continue reading Minor Arcana, or EnlighteNmenT
[Another music-based post today. I’d suggest you soundtrack it by listening to Time Is Falling, the EP by friend of the blog Josh and his bandmates in Attics. Even though it’s fab, you can stream it and download it for free!]
Welcome, friends, to part two of Stroke Bloke’s reflections on some personally meaningful songs. (Part one is here.) This time, I’m going to lift the restriction limiting our choons to Scottish numbers, for reasons that will become evident. (Although, I’d love to include these folks: http://www.edinburghartfestival.com/commissions/complaintschoir.)
Continue reading i hate ballboy (part two of an occasional series)
Hi.
Regular readers may be aware that I often refer to my stroke and its aftermath as “StrokeFest 2012”. Now, notwithstanding the title above, let me assure you that I have no intention of repeating this as an annual event. In fact, my doctors have advised me that this would be a terrible idea. But “StrokeFest” does seem an appropriate descriptor. There were tears, laughter, love, and death-defying feats.
Continue reading StrokeFest 2013
I was going to tell you today about some interesting and surprising links between Scotland and America. But since I’ve been back in The Olde Country, I’ve been thinking about Scottish music.
Continue reading i hate ballboy (part one of an occasional series)
They say catastrophes come in threes. Today, the cistern went berserk and flooded the bathroom, the printer refused to print text (although images were fine), and the portable heater that was meant to dry out the bathroom took a stroke. Also, The Care Bears Movie, Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation and The Care Bears Adventure in Wonderland.
Continue reading The Power Of Three