Senses working overtime #281

  1 Celebrating Country Diary

Paul Evans writes a great column for the Guardian. Here he is: 

Country diary: the killer role of pollen in the hawkweed’s life cycle

2 The US election could break America
Let us not hedge about one thing. Donald Trump may win or lose, but he will never concede.

3 The wire that circles Manhattan

The Eruv explained. It's a fascinating explanation.
4 RIP Max Merritt

New Zealand's Billy Thorpe: Max Merritt had his first hit (the brilliant Get A Haircut) as a teenager in 1959 as Max Merritt and The Meteors and was a rock and roll powerhouse in the sixties along with Ray Columbus and the Invaders. In 1976 he had this massive hit in the southern hemisphere: Slipping Away. 

God bless Max.

5 Noah's Compass

I've moved onto my next Anne Tyler novel. It's excellent!

Overtime: Why I blog

For the same reasons as Austin Kleon articulates here. So there!

Senses working overtime #280

 1 Dorothea Lange's photos

2 Sonny Rollins interview

3 Get Austin Kleon's favorite 31 records here

4 Song Exploder is coming to Netflix

5 Rest in peace jazz critic Stanley Crouch and Ronald Bell (Kool and The Gang)

Thanks to Austin Kleon and his excellent newsletter for a lot of this week's choice cuts.

Overtime: A Fabulous Creation by David Hepworth

Loving his look at how the LP saved his, and my, life.

Senses working overtime #279

 1 The eight secrets to a fairly fulfilled life

Photo by Fabrizio Verrecchia on Unsplash

2 Poetry Corner

Haiku It is September, The month in which I was born; And I have no thoughts. Richard Wright (1960)

3 Optimism

Photo by Jude Beck on Unsplash

Seth Godin on optimism: 

Optimism is an attitude and a choice. It involves context and focus. We’re not deluding ourselves with the reassurance that everything is going to be okay (because that’s not productive). Instead, we’re committed to finding things we can contribute to, work on and improve. We’re devoted to seeking out useful lessons and to discovering where the benefit of the doubt might be helpful.

4 Punctuate!

5 Karen explained

My kids used this term recently and I drew a blank (which they thought was hilarious!!).

Overtime: WeChat

Interesting.

Our family uses WeChat to keep in touch with our eldest son in China. It's the only app that he could connect to when he moved there a few years ago. So his three siblings and my wife and I all joined up. 

We use it purely as a communication tool and I had no idea there were other aspects to it.

But, as I like to say, "Who knows what's good or bad?"

Senses working overtime #278

 1 Spring 

Photo by Jacky Purdy Sept 2020 Takapau

2 Why the NBA matters

3 John Boyega interview

4 Pursuits

It is not that you want to be the one to make prints in the untrampled snow It is that you want to be in the snow without having touched it to be of the snow not beginning Everywhere commerce dictates the shapes that move you along that seat you at the table far from the snow far from the act of not touching  It only gets worse A girl’s gotta eat And your hunger’s  not even your own Heather Christle (2013)

5 Breathe

Overtime: Bill Withers Live in 1973