Status:
Been a bit fragile these last couple of days. Had something in the ballpark of a wobble and a panic attack last night, which wasn’t fun. The mental health side of chronic fatigue continues to be my main stumbling block as once I’m in a fatigue state my brain kinda stops functioning properly, and I need my brain to know what to do to recover. But the good news is before yesterday this hadn’t happened for a while, and it passes, so I just need to do my breathing exercises and wait it out. Not great in the short term though.
I’ve had a couple of mentions that this daily thing I do here seems impressive. I want to put paid to that notion. Please bear in mind I’m bascially doing nothing “productive” during my day and spend a lot of time distracting my brain with internet stuff. I make little notes in a text document and by the evening there’s enough there to post. Some days are better than others but I know I can always send out a few links and a status sentence even on a shit day.
I’m pleased with how this little blog/zine is working for me. It’s a medium I’ve been mucking about in for 30+ years, so it’s a comfort zone, but it’s teaching me ways of working within my new limits. More importantly it gives me a sense of having actually done something with my day, however small, and of reaching out into the world.
Overnight listening:
Reading:
- Yes, It’s Fascism 🪜 - nice to see the hand-wringing centrists of the Atlantic have finally accepted the screamingly obvious.
- ‘Paranoid, Loathsome, Neurotic’: The Inimitable R. Crumb Looks Back 🪜 - David Mairowitz, who co-authored Kafka for Beginners with Crumb, visits his old friend in his twilight years.
- Garbage Day: Minneapolis isn’t backing down, will Trump?
Looking:
- Molly Crabapple’s portrait of Alex Pretti defending his city - a fantastically angry image, reminiscent of Ralph Steadman at his prime. Substack have age-blocked this in the UK for no good reason but she’s also posted it to Bsky.
Watching:
- Look at this parsnip! (1:20)
Telly:
- A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
- Steal - another show that didn’t quite know how to end but the ride there was fun and there were some nicely filmed sections in the opening eps. Four stars.
- Only Connect - I got an answer right in the final! (Yes, it was that one, of course)