Category Archives: Nerd Bait

Lies, Lies, Lies, Pt. 2

December 28, 2015Art, Birds Fate, Fiction, Mindfulness, Nerd Bait, Politics, RelationshipsBirds Fate, Christmas, Nerd Bait, The Philosopher's Armsricky

What a busy week it’s been, on and around apoplectic.me.

I’ve put Broken Mirror – The Collected Bird’s Fate Posts back up on the site. These posts have been absent from the site for a while, as they’ve been presented in other forums. But now the true story of how I met Susanne Whyte from Bird’s Fate, and found out heroes are just people like you and me, is back in one piece.
Doing that was inspired by the posting of The Prof’s liner notes to an awesome cover of Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas is You over at nerdbaitband.com.
Meanwhile, my short story Phoenix Park went live over at The Dublin Inquirer. It’s part of their Christmas special fiction issue, which collects stories about superheroes set in Dublin. Pop over and have a look. And if you like it, please do leave a comment.

A brickie from Wolverhampton – LIE!!! PROBABLY!!! — 4. Er… that’s it.

Of course, if you’re on the distribution list for the Apoplexy Newsletter, you’ll be aware of all of this.

So, how could anyone possibly remember where we were last Monday, at the end of Lies, Lies, Lies, Pt. 1…? Continue reading Lies, Lies, Lies, Pt. 2 →

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Broken Mirror – The Collected Bird’s Fate Posts

December 24, 2015Birds Fate, Edinburgh, Nerd Bait, Pop Music, TravelBirds Fate, Nerd Bait, The Wedding Presentricky

In which I reflect upon the true story of meeting a hero….

The signs tell me to descend deep into a mammoth stone bridge that supports the weight of a town, into a venue that shouldn’t exist. I do as I am told, make my way down the black steps of the black stairwell, and pass through a black door into a wide, black-walled space with a black floor and a low, black ceiling. So the grime won’t show, I guess.

The only contrast is provided by a handful of handbills dotted around, advertising a forthcoming show. A single, black mitt on a white background, tattooed with an inverted image of the radio waves from pulsar CP 1919 — the cover of Unknown Pleasures. I smile, partly because it’s funny; it’s the first time I’ve seen a representation of a Joy Division Oven Glove. And partly because I’m patting myself on the back for knowing that this means the authors of that song are coming to town.

Before PANKHURST were confirmed — A little like this

Continue reading Broken Mirror – The Collected Bird’s Fate Posts →

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The Band of Möbius

December 7, 2015Art, Composed Music, Edinburgh, Nerd Bait, Pop MusicBilly Bragg, Drake, Duke Special, Nerd Bait, Orbital, Steve Reichricky

Anyone who’s ever subscribed to the Apoplexy Newsletter, read this blog, or met me, will be unsurprised to read that The Fabulous Beth and I went to see Billy Bragg play Edinburgh’s Queen’s Hall last week. And those sorts of people will probably also find it predictable that Billy brought along a quirky support act, made an obscure and humorous reference to Craig Gannon in his stage banter, and was playing in the aftermath of the United Kingdom’s (sic) decision to open a new campaign of war.

Not Tim Minchin. I know, he probably gets that a lot. — Quirky support act

I was particularly taken by Duke Special – for it is he – because he has ridiculous/awesome hair, had covered half of the merch table with an eclectic range of different types of art, and he sang a song called Last Night I Nearly Died. (That’s enough rule of three – Ed.)

Hey! Last night about three years ago, I nearly died!

But that wasn’t all that went on last week…

Continue reading The Band of Möbius →

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The Graduate

November 30, 2015Edinburgh, Nerd Bait, Politics, Reviews, StrokeCathy Rentzenbrink, Edinburgh Reads, Investigative Powers Bill, James Rhodes, Scottish Book Weekricky

Last Wednesday, I attended my class’s graduation ceremony from the Masters of Science programme in Creative Writing (?!) at the University of Edinburgh. As I wrote at the time…

Yeah, you're laughing now.... ;o) — Edgy?! Yer ‘aving a laff!

We all had a lovely time. And I’m proud to be able to say that with the help of Beth and Paw Broon, I’m a post-stroke graduate! I have to say, though, that while it was nice to punctuate a wonderful year, it’s a bit concerning to be leaving the leafy groves of academe for a highly competitive world 18 years after I did it the first time.

Fortunately, Book Week Scotland was taking place out in the real world at the same time. And that helped ease the transition….

[In the Stroke Bloke privacy spectrum, get the good stuff and have a chat over here.]

Continue reading The Graduate →

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Thanksgiving

November 23, 2015Healthcare, Nerd Bait, Rehab, Science, Strokedolphins, Johns Hopkins, Science Happens, Thanksgivingricky

As Thanksgiving approaches, I guess I’ve got a lot to be thankful for. Not least, being 0.5% of an American abroad, I get to attend a number of Thanksgiving Dinners in excess of one.

Being thankful at least the soup was good — Veggie Tartlet didn’t show up, but Beth’s one is pictured bottom right

[For more personal news and occasional whimsy – and to join the conversation – check out the Apoplexy Newsletter.] Continue reading Thanksgiving →

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To a Tee

November 16, 2015Brooklyn, Composed Music, Design, Edinburgh, Fiction, Nerd Bait, Podcasts, StrokeFREAK Circus, Jude Law, Katherine Hamnett, Marlon Brando, T-shirts, The Wee Mermanniericky

Interested in Nerd Bait? Before digging into this week’s post, find out how The Wee Mermannie got the girl – deleted scenes from our Book Festival Gig are part of the bonus materials included in the first issue of the fabulous FREAK Circus!

Remember, the ELECTRONIC VERSION for The Wee Mermannie — FREAK Circus: Issue 1 Available Now!

The beautiful paperback artefact is here. The electronic version that includes the unexpurgated prose version of The Tail of The Wee Mermannie is here.

Right. Now. Back to the blog.

Last Monday, I noted neuroscientist David Eagleman’s remark that the idea that we are unitary people over time is merely an illusion of continuity.

The people each of us individually are at 10, 30, 40, “share the same name and some of the same memories, but we are quite different as a person.”

During the intervening week, I wrote a short story about a man who may – or may not – have lived a succession of quite different lives. Yet there are common themes in those lives. For example, in each case, the character’s father disappears from the scene in his early years.

And it didn't come up until You Only Live Twice?! — Really? My dad died when I was 11! And mine! And mine! And mine! And mine! And mine!

It wasn’t until I was reading a passage in Robert Penn Warren’s Pulitzer-prize winning novel All the King’s Men last night that I realised that my fiction had been taking a sideways look at Eagleman’s theme…. Continue reading To a Tee →

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Never As Tired As When I’m Waking Up

October 26, 2015Economics, Home Care, Mental Health, Mindfulness, Nerd Bait, Science, Uncategorizedfatigue, health, sleepricky

This weekend, Longsufferinggirlfriendoftheblogbeth and I staged a wee karaoke party to celebrate, among other things, the first anniversary of my fortieth birthday.

An old man tries counting — “Carry the one, simplify for x…. Carrot! Is it carrot?!”

Hat tip to @Pab_Roberts for drawing my attention to the lovely fact that the word karaoke is a bimoraic clipped compound of the Japanese kara 空 “empty” and ōkesutora オーケストラ “orchestra”. We had great fun, and were glad that, that night, the clocks went back in Edinburgh (and the rest of Scotland and the other countries that comprise the islands known as Britain, and Ireland, too – Ed.).

This brought my attention to the issue of sleep and fatigue, which I’m surprised to find has rarely been discussed on the blog…. Continue reading Never As Tired As When I’m Waking Up →

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Nerd Bait GHV6 – Update

September 9, 2015Birds Fate, Composed Music, Nerd Bait, Pop Music, StrokeBandcamp, GHV6, Nerd Baitricky

Nerd Bait’s Wurdz Boi writes:

Nerd Bait’s appointed-against-his-will marketing svengali and master of low-light photography @chrisdonia suggested that the band get hip to the kids and put Greatest Hits, Vol.6 – featuring stroke-themed mini-musical The Treacherous Brain – up on Bandcamp.

<a href="http://nerdbait.bandcamp.com/album/greatest-hits-volume-6">Greatest Hits, Volume 6 by Nerd Bait</a>

So just like Radiohead, we posted our album with a “name your price” option starting at £0.00. You get high-quality downloads in MP3, FLAC, and more, as well as unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app. We get to be rich. Like Radiohead. Rich, I tells ya!

"All the peanut butter, bacon, and jelly sandwiches you can eat, son." — Nerd Bait’s Wurdz Boi signs the band’s publishing deal.

Well, we get to share our stuff with you in a convenient and free fashion, and we’re very happy about that.

We hope you’ll take advantage of us it.

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Monofinism

September 7, 2015Books, Composed Music, Nerd Bait, Pop MusicEdinburgh International Book Festival, Free downloads, Illicit Ink, Jura Unbound, Nerd Baitricky

This post is being simulposted at nerdbaitband.com. If you’ve not been there before – and even if you have – I’d ask you to read it there. There’s stacks of stuff to explore that isn’t here at apoplectic.me.

As intimated last week, the Festival really is over. So this week, rather than sitting shiva in Edinburgh, Beth and I are paying a quick visit to the U.S. This means that for the first time in some time I’m blogging at 35,000 feet, while I continue to reminisce about all fun I had during August.

Sian sez "LIVE FOR THE NOIZE!!!" — Stroke Bloke having fun. During August. (Photo credits: Chris Scott, @chrisdonia)

Continue reading Monofinism →

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Festival Judgement Day: Genisys

August 31, 2015Books, Dr. Who, Edinburgh, Nerd BaitCaroline Criado-Perez, EIBF, Rob Shearmanricky

As I noted last week, you can measure out an Edinburgh life in festivals if you’re so inclined. And the 2015 Festival, and Fringe, and Book Festival all come to a close today, in a blaze of sunshine (as of 10:13 am BST).

Wait. This is stamped 2013?! — Edinburgh after the Skynet Judgment Day

[As apoplectic.me returns to its usual programming, please sign up for the Apoplexy Tiny Letter.] Continue reading Festival Judgement Day: Genisys →

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Apoplectic Me

the scribblings of a bloke who had a stroke…

Category Archives: Nerd Bait

Lies, Lies, Lies, Pt. 2

Broken Mirror – The Collected Bird’s Fate Posts

The Band of Möbius

The Graduate

Thanksgiving

To a Tee

Never As Tired As When I’m Waking Up

Nerd Bait GHV6 – Update

Monofinism

Festival Judgement Day: Genisys