Next!

June 28, 2017Dr. Who, Holidays, Rehab, Stroke, UncategorizedFamily Guy, Thailand, The Proclaimers, The Sensational Alex Harvey Bandricky

After last week’s Tangents, let’s get back on topic this week, shall we? Facebook has been reminding me this week of the vacation Mrs Stroke Bloke and I took in Thailand this time five years ago.

Er, yeah? — Does that look like a bloke / Who’s about to have a stroke?

That was kind of the last hurrah for Ricky 1.0, before returning once again to the stresses – and fun – of my NYC life, and shortly thereafter, a massive haemorrhage stroke. I still picture the Maikhao Dream Resort when a guided meditation leads me to my happy place.

[Make your happy place the Apoplexy Tiny Litter. Or summat.] Continue reading Next! →

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Tangents

June 20, 2017Art, Current Affairs, Design, EU Referendum, Mindfulness, PoliticsBrexit, Finsbury Park, Grenfell Tower, xkcdricky

Man, what a week.

In chronological order

the Grenfell Tower fire started on the morning of 14 June killing 6 12 17 30 54 79;
early on 19 June, a clean-shaven white man attacked people near the Muslim Welfare House in Finsbury Park; and
later that day, Brexit talks between Britain and the EU began.

How many *s in "charmer"? — I always thought David Davis sounded quite charming on the Danny Baker show

[Check out the apoplexy newsletter for more knockabout fun.] Continue reading Tangents →

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Waiting For Gadot

June 14, 2017Comics, GE2017, Movies, ReviewsAdam West, Batman, War, Wonder Womanricky

Adam West – the TV Batman – died this week. As a wee boy, I loved Batman, and Adam West’s Batman and his awesome Batmobile and his colourful cast of supporting characters was a huge part of that.

Still annoyed the BBC interrupted the showing of that movie to announce the end of the Falklands War — I mean, how cool is that?!

Pretty cool. But my love for the Batman character has waned in recent years.

There’s more cool stuff in the Apoplexy Tiny Letter.
And thoughts on the new Wonder Woman movie below…

Continue reading Waiting For Gadot →

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Outward Bound

June 6, 2017Books, Death, EU Referendum, GE2017, Scottish Independence, TheatreCitizens Theatre, In Failure & In Ruins, Kneehigh Theatre, Tristan and Isolde, Tristan and Yseultricky

Phew! That was quite a weekend! On Friday evening, I had the great pleasure of co-hosting the launch of the chapbook In Failure & In Ruins by my friend, former Into the Void Poetry Competition winner Mark Bolsover.

BOO! Go back to the shaved head, Stroke Bloke! — “Pure sex for a particular niche market”

The next day, Mrs Stroke Bloke and I headed through to Glasgow to see the latest production from Kneehigh Theatre, whose Mayday Mayday had such an effect on us in the months after my stroke.

[For more whimsy and reflections, check out the Apoplexy Tiny Letter.] Continue reading Outward Bound →

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Saints and Sinners

May 30, 2017Brooklyn, Current Affairs, Movies, Politics, Reviews, Sci-fiChina, James Bond, Roger Moore, The Saintricky

In the aftermath of my viewing of Argo on the way back from the US, the spy news just kept coming…

But let’s leave Jared Kushner and his back channels out of it for now. (Oo-er, missus!) I briefly mentioned the recent shenanigans in China in last week’s Apoplexy Tiny Letter… Continue reading Saints and Sinners →

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Argo

May 23, 2017Design, Movies, Reviews, US ElectionsAirports, Argo, Ben Affleck, Donald and John, Eero Saarinen, Iran Hostage Crisis, Tom The Dancing Bugricky

Long-suffering readers of the blog may recall that I’m a sucker for a good airport.

Monet adore le William Gibson, innit? — Ceci n’est pas la Gare Saint-Lazare

Yes, Copenhagen is a good example. But this past weekend, as President Trump stuffed sachets of ketchup into his hand luggage before heading off on his whistle-stop tour of some of the world’s top religious sites, we were at Washington’s Dulles International Airport.

[Did you catch last week’s Apoplexy Tiny Letter? It’s a nice warm-up for this post.]
Continue reading Argo →

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Prouder, Stronger, Better

May 16, 2017Books, EU Referendum, Politics, Referendum, Scottish IndependenceBrexit, George Orwell Prize, gun control, Hillsboroughricky

Before we get started, I’d like to direct you to Marcelo’s comment to recent post Into The Trees. and the associated Wired article.

🎶You’re gonna die, you’re gonna die, you’re gonna die alone🎶 — I’m pretty sure you’ve got that the wrong way round, dude.

[For more cheery, knockabout humour, check out the Apoplexy Tiny Letter] Continue reading Prouder, Stronger, Better →

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Below The Neck

May 9, 2017GE2017, Mindfulness, Movies, Sci-fi, Science, StrokeGhost in the Shell, Neuropolis, Robert Newman, Under the Skinricky

So – two weeks later – I’ve finally reconciled myself to the ending of the live-action version of Ghost In The Shell.

Best chip shop name ever: A Salt and Battery — Final Assault: I promise, no more GitS after today

My question about the Hollywood movie of Ghost In The Shell was:

If the fictional Hanka Robotics has developed a mechanical body, or “shell”, that can integrate a human brain; and
“We cling to memories as if they define us, but they don’t. What we do is what defines us”; then
Why would an anarchist who is rounded up to be a test specimen in a shell choose to define herself by the actions she is ordered to take by the government?

Read on for the “exciting” answer…

[But first, check out the exciting Apoplexy Tiny Letter.]

Continue reading Below The Neck →

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Into The Trees

May 2, 2017Current Affairs, EU Referendum, Politics, ScienceBrexit, Ghost in the Shellricky

I guess a couple of the questions that Ghost in the Shell – the subject of last week’s post – raises are What does it mean to be human? What does it mean to be alive? And inadvertently, What does it take to turn a squat-dwelling anarchist into a willing super-weapon for a government that used her as a disposable lab experiment?

Quick! Unplug the Channel 4 election fraud wire! — What? Oh, it’s just the quickest way to absorb BBC News.

Long-suffering readers of the blog may recall that I’m interested in what it means to be alive….

[Find more enjoyably prosaic thoughts in the Apoplexy Tiny Letter]

Continue reading Into The Trees →

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Ghost in the Shell

April 25, 2017Comics, Dr. Who, Mindfulness, Movies, Reviews, Sci-fiClint Mansell, Ghost in the Shell, Scarlett Johanssonricky

OK. Two weeks ago was #stroke news. Last week was music. That must mean that this week, it’s… SCI-FI!!!

But let’s not be too predictable. I’m not going to bang on too much about last weekend’s Doctor Who. Although Smile was a good little episode. Thought-provoking. In fact, as I think about it again, I reckon that it might have been more satisfying that this week’s bigger, sexier, sci-fi outing.

I'm wearing a hoodie right now, Sexy — “But middle-aged Scottish men are sexier than Scarlett Johansson!” (FACT)

[For even more satisfaction, check out the Apoplexy Tiny Letter.] Continue reading Ghost in the Shell →

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Apoplectic Me

the scribblings of a bloke who had a stroke…

Next!

Tangents

Waiting For Gadot

Outward Bound

Saints and Sinners

Argo

Prouder, Stronger, Better

Below The Neck

Into The Trees

Ghost in the Shell