Irregular Programming

July 19, 2018Aneurysms, Dr. Who, Edinburgh, Healthcare, News, Pop Music, Science, Stroke, TelevisionBBC, BHF, British Heart Foundation, Doctor Who, heart disease, Lucy Dacus, STVricky

After chatting about shiftwork last week, I planned to spend this week talking about why we’re working longer and later hours. But then some stuff cropped up, and there’s going to have to be a change to our scheduled programming.

First, here’s LongSufferingReaderOfTheBlogPaul’s favourite track of 2018 [sic], regardless.

Rule of thumb: That guy ~~would never swimmie-swim~~ knows what he’s talking about

[Sleep patterns messed up? The Apoplexy Tiny Letter can help with that.] Continue reading Irregular Programming →

Share this:

Nightshift

July 12, 2018Healthcare, Mental Health, Mindfulness, Rehab, Scienceacademia, Edward Hopper, Larry David, sleep, The Simpsons, Why We Sleep, zombiesricky

Last week, I was chatting with someone who asked me to tell them about my stroke experience. It was an interesting conversation, for me at least.

Knicks suck! — “Fascinating stuff, Stroke Bloke.”

I love that I can’t tell whether that’s Curb Your Enthusiasm or an actual sportscast.

[For more unbearably exciting stroke-related whimsy and suchlike – the Apoplexy Tiny Letter] Continue reading Nightshift →

Share this:

Beautiful Losers

July 5, 2018EU Referendum, Football, Mindfulness, Television, TheatreCritical Legal Studies, Danny Dyer, Russia 2018, The Farnsworth Invention, World Cupricky

Week Three of the World Cup has come to an end. And what a [🚨 CLICHÉ KLAXON!!! 🚨] Feast Of Football it’s been. Notwithstanding that Brazil continue to elicit roughly the same amount of sympathy as their 1994 World Cup-winning edition of vicious bores, rather than 1982’s beautiful losers.

[Feeling bereft as the games begin to dry up? Pass the time with the Apoplexy Newsletter.] Continue reading Beautiful Losers →

Share this:

The Hexx

June 26, 2018Brexit, Design, EU Referendum, Interrobang, Nerd Bait, Pop MusicLe Corbusier, Nerd Bait, Pavement, Talking Headsricky

This week, Mrs Stroke Bloke and I are in Rhode Island, the home of legendary Scottish band Talking Heads.

Basically, they're The Skids — Talking Heads: Almost as Scottish as AC/DC

[When you go, will you send back/A Tiny Letter from America?]

Continue reading The Hexx →

Share this:

World Cup Fever

June 19, 2018Dr. Who, Football, Television, UncategorizedBBC, Clive James, Donald Trump, Jonathan Meades, World Cupricky

It’s day six of #WorldCup.

So if you’re worried that you might be exhibiting symptoms of World Cup Fever, it might be a good time to ask a friend to check you out.

The Lester Piggott of football — Unfortunately, this victim has no friends.

Are you worried about WCF? Read on for a guide to identifying the symptoms.
But first, get today’s soundtrack from the Apoplexy newsletter. Continue reading World Cup Fever →

Share this:

Lingo Frankly

June 12, 2018Books, Football, TelevisionAjax Penumbra, football, Jonathan Meades, linguistics, Pompey, World Cupricky

Hiya! Sorry to miss you last week – it’s been a pretty hectic few weeks. Here in Edinburgh, we’ve been marking Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief‘s Death Awareness Week, and the Hidden Door Festival has been taking place down the road in Leith.

Get yer sambas oot — Aye, there’s a pretty interesting story about this.

[For more about those sorts of things, check out the Apoplexy Newsletter.] Continue reading Lingo Frankly →

Share this:

Gold Strikes

May 22, 2018Art, Death, Design, MoviesBen Elton, Bill Gold, Cud, Hair, Jaws, Le Corbusier, Milton Glaser, PechaKucha, Rod Stewart, T-shirts, The Exorcist, Vetementsricky

I finished that bit on Le Corbusier, the godfather of Modernist architecture. When I said the bit would be more serious and more absurd than last week’s post, I was half-right.

Le Corbusier: Stealth Scot — “Absurd? I’ll take ma open haun off yer face, Sonny Jim.”

Sure, some nuggets of truth are hidden among the 6m 40s of A Story Is A Machine For Living In, but there are plenty of nuggets of sweet absurdity to keep folks engaged.

This got me to thinking about how, sometimes, the medium is the message.

[Talking about absurdity, check out the Apoplexy Tiny Letter] Continue reading Gold Strikes →

Share this:

Open Hand

May 15, 2018Design, Dr. Who, Fiction, Mindfulness, PoliticsAlbert Camus, chairs, Le Corbusier, The Young Onesricky

We’re thinking of going to pick up a new desk tomorrow. One of those ones that incorporates the wall into its structure, and folds flat into the wall when it’s not in use.