Sometimes, it feels like the blog is being hounded by an abstract concept.
The land, maybe. Or mythical creatures. Or The Onion‘s conception of Joe Biden. Right now, though, it’s something else. Maybe you can guess what?
[Get more whimsy and free gin* at the Apoplexy Tiny Letter.]
A day after the result of the #EUref came in, Mrs Stroke Bloke and I hopped on a train to London. Like the narrator of this wee ditty:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gy8d1bQYvmM
“Smoke lingers ’round your fingers / Train, heave on to Euston…”
(Smiths sceptics might find the above performance surprisingly muscular)
It was, y’see, an opportunity to check out an exclave of the soon-to-be nation of #Scotlond. By this time, Scotland’s First Minister had already reached out to the Mayor of London to discuss how their remain-voting areas could ameliorate the impact of Brexit. Continue reading London
Urgh. What a horrible week or so it’s been. I survived a massive haemorrhagic stroke for this?!
At around 2am on the morning of Sunday 12 June, a man walked into the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. By the time two hours had passed, 49 people who had been in the club had been killed, and 43 injured. To highlight the disproportionate risk of violence people in the LGBT community face, it’s worth mentioning that Pulse is one of Orlando’s most popular gay clubs.
When even a Mail on Sunday commentator is saying this, it’s hard to imagine that America’s incredible rates of gun violence will ease any time soon:
In retrospect Sandy Hook marked the end of the US gun control debate. Once America decided killing children was bearable, it was over.
— (((Dan Hodges))) (@DPJHodges) June 19, 2015
Continue reading This Is My Truth, Tell Me Yours
Some years ago, Mrs Stroke Bloke and I noticed that – not much like J. Alfred Prufrock – our relationship could be measured out in international soccer tournaments.
Back in the summer of 2010, I was introducing my new American girlfriend to a Scottish pal in a Brooklyn bar as we watched (was it?) the USA v England in South Africa.
And as well as being beautiful and funny, she already understands the offside rule!
But as Scotland fail, yet again, to qualify for a major tournament at France 2016, how do I find a team to give me a rooting interest? Read on…
[Join the conversation at the Apoplexy Tiny Letter here.]
Continue reading Stroke Bloke at Euro 2016
I’ve been trying to tell myself that it’s too early for an #EURef post. But even now, still two-and-a-half weeks out, the media coverage is suffocating. It’s hard to focus on anything else. Europe touches so much that goes on in the blog.
Last week, Mrs Stroke Bloke and I had just returned from our trip to Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. One thing that really caught our eyes – other than the crazy number of Deloreans on the ferry from Cairnryan to Belfast – was the ease of crossing the border.
[Enjoy apoplectic.me? Get close and personal with the Apoplexy Tiny Letter here.]
Continue reading Vote Man Returns!
Well, if there’s one thing that this week’s news has encouraged me to do, it’s go off and listen to some good music. With a hat-tip to Longsufferingreaderoftheblogpaul for sharing it aaaaages ago, here’s Reggie Watts’ cover of Van Halen’s Panama:
https://youtu.be/xetZZLmmEw8?t=1m30s
Where the original is – I’m told – about a race car, Reggie’s version is about the country. What do you think about, when you think about Panama?
[For more absurdity, whimsy, and brain droppings, check out the Apoplexy Tiny Letter.] Continue reading Panama
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about whether a computer could write a successful musical.
I’m pleased to report that the conclusion of Ivan Hewett’s Telegraph article and Cat Gale’s Sky Arts documentary seems to be “Yes, a computer can write a successful musical.” And I’m even more happy to relate that the answer is also “No, a computer can’t write a successful musical.”
apoplectic.me is on vacation this week.
I’ll look forward to writing to you next week. But in the meantime, please do take the opportunity to catch up with these recent scribblings by a bloke three years removed from a catastrophic haemorrhagic stroke:
All from a uniquely stroke-y angle.
Till next week…
Last week, I posted my first blog post about the #EUreferendum. 22 February was just two days after MC Wee Davey C had held the first weekend cabinet meeting since the Falkands War, having returned from Brussels in triumph.
Since 22 February, seven months have passed, and the bloody vote won’t take place until 23 June.
[Pass the time with some whimsy over at the Apoplexy Tiny Letter.] Continue reading Will This Do, Too?
Yesterday evening, I still had no idea what this week’s blog would be about. Then, the hand of history reached out across the British Isles….
Crowds gather, waiting for Boris’s column to be posted. Make sure your children are with you. Memory to treasure pic.twitter.com/p9RVhMZTuw
— Robert Harris (@Robert___Harris) February 21, 2016
Hold on, isn’t this an episode of Threads? Continue reading Will This Do?