Off to choose a Mag, a Nunc, and two anthems. Morning AND evening do's this Sunday

Sauce

Remember this fellow? @rolandbates.bsky.social

I will take a picture tomorrow: there's a car which I often see on my walk to work. Its reg plate causes me to do the following I take my hands out of my pockets I say out loud "Rifaea! Pale Queen!" And if that doesn't happen, my day will be bad.

SOLD. I don't know why, but it's reminding me of "The Wrestling" by Simon Garfield: a book recommended to me by @iammilliam.bsky.social and others as I expressed great fear while the first lockdown approached.

PEDESTAL CAMERAS MOFO

WhatsApp message from my sister about Katherine Mansfield and Gurdjieff. Text message from Swiss brother about sci-fi. I am the least interesting of my siblings.

What has Karl Barth ever done for me

Just finished a very satisfying book group. The Employees by Olga Ravn. Translated by Martin Aitken. Really focused readers. That was a lot of fun.

Book group tonite

Someone did make a formal interview request to interview me about it but it slipped my mind.

Come on, somebody just give us the tea on the Anne Carson workshop. It was in 2017. Mucha agua under the bridge. No judgement. Share with the group

You are not alone. I find the continuing silence very ominous indeed

Had I but world enough and time, This coyness, insane TBR pile, were no crime.

This film is so intense that I nearly didn't read the book, which is even better than the film

David Markson

Ten years ago on Shrove Tuesday, I had my head shaved. That was my idea of a haircut back then, two or three times a year. I have not had a haircut since that day .... sort of thinking I might do it this year.

Reading Ligotti, hearing Ligeti, eating spaghetti.

What a fucking WEIRD man. What is one to make of him. Who is he? What is he? Cripes. Lawks. Crivens. NURSE!

Years ago, this started playing in Django's car, outside Olley's Fish and Chips in Herne Hill. Within fifteen seconds, both of us were desperate for a piss.

I am listening to Sextant.

Finlay Currie in "Great Expectations" (with Anthony Wager) - BOTD

I am so on board for this. Goodie! As she might have said.

More fun with mapping. I honestly think it's poetry which creates mappers. I can't tell you how poetry works. But it creates so much beyond itself.

Me an an' Grise shooting the cheeze breeze

Iain Ballamy's reply to this question was "online poker?"

Nancy By Ernie Bushmiller January 20,1951

Paneerer, my God, to Thee

Someone I used to work with (and thought was a massive tit) has announced the (sad, obviously) death of her mother on LinkedIn (I know) with this sentence: "As a leader, an entrepreneur and human, I am having to grapple with a devastating rite of passage".

"Move along, Michael Welbeck. You've been royally superseded". Bevis Hillier (dead) in The Spectator (fun read for jolly Nazis)

Had another idea for a story today. Mapping* myself onto something somebody else did. In the end, I wrote this instead. *quelle flipping surprise

We had been waiting for Palk's second published novel. Early indications sent ripples of alarm through the bookosphere

Question.. According to ECM, Jan Garbarek's next performance is in April or so. I won't be there: it's abroad AND I am not really into his current band. But what does Jan Garbarek DO the rest of the time? I am curious to know.

Gradient is rise over tread

Let's have a Berryman

Actually I have had a perfect day. I sold some interesting books to cool people, I made two babies laugh, I nipped out to a cafe and had a lengthy unexpected hang there, I read some Hamsun, and I had a 🍞 If I died tonight, it would be without a qualm.

DECAPPUCCINO

I have had a lot of fun today, some unusually relaxed real social interactions which did me a lot of good. Then I watched a racist podcast... I knew it was going to be bad. Why did I do that? Anyway, I did. But even then, I just felt sad for the people involved. And the millions of fans.

The ratio here absolutely slaps.

Listening to an old ECM album I WhatsApped my brother: RETURN TO F OVER E

I really need this to go well! I could with a place that's a really good hang. The shop is a good hang but it's where me works.

I don't think my dad, the OG Hamsun fan, ever read this one. Incidentally, my dad voted Leave, in his own words "to fuck shit up". He was 84 at the time.

Today I walked into a cafe that's only been in its new location for a few days. And some of my favourite people were there

Cheer up m8 it might never... oh wait

There was loads more Salt Path gubbins in today's Observer. Straight into the bin with that shite. Keep on writing, writers.

Peace.

Rereading Enzensberger "The sinking of the Titanic" poem of the century (there are other candidates) wow it's great

How he zips about!! He's the Bashō of our time.