Status:

Had my monthly session with the NHS occupational therapist for my chronic fatigue today. This was the sixth session and we’re definitely over the hump of what I need to be doing and into the fields of how I’m getting on with doing it. Short report is things are going well. While there have been crashes and slumps I’ve anticipated them and managed them, and I’ve had extended periods of paced pottering which have not resulted in bad crashes, which is good. The next stage, which will take a while to get right, is to get out in the world and apply these learnings to less controllable environments. I noted that I haven’t been out on my mobility scooter for over a month because I haven’t wanted/needed to go anywhere, and this is not great as it’s shutting me off from the world. So my next goal is to go for a coffee with someone who isn’t Fi and survive the experience. I reckon somewhere with a garden could work to begin with. In time I’d like to be able to safely hang out somewhere where I might bump into friends.

In other news, Lav had an eating pause this morning but got over it before needing to be force fed, so that’s a relief. I’m going to pretend my massaging her stomach is what did it, but to be honest who knows. Main thing is she’s fine.

When I posted last night about the bilge pump I hadn’t had a chance to test it emptying the bath, so I’m delighted to say it worked wonders. Almost too well, in fact, so I think I need to put the power supply on a lower setting lest it burn out. This summer the rabbits will have fresh grass on their lawn!

Reading:

• RIP David Hockney — I owe him so much on a personal level for his work on camera obscuras and photo joiners which totally changed how I saw art and photography.
• AI Economics for Dummies — You know that saying that parody is just the truth sharpened to a point?
• Why Olivia Rodrigo’s love of The Cure is pop’s greatest medicine — And also Robert Smith’s love of Rodrigo, as he doesn’t suffer fools. This reminded me that I do like one of her songs - Bad Idea Right is what I believe the kids call a banger. (They probably don’t.)
• Swirling into chaos: No.10’s inertia threatens national security — Ian Dunt on internal and external threats to the UK. I admit to being a bit dismissive of Al Carns resigning over defence spending, but only because I was a bit focussed on the racist rioting in Belfast. But of course the collapse of NATO does mean we need a proper overhaul of defence because the bad is both coming from inside and outside, often from the same people. A war on two fronts. Yay. Fun. (Al Carns is still behaving like a dick, mind you.)

Watching:

• Primitive Technology: Building walls with fired bricks and mud mortar ‌(12:45) — It occurred to me that beyond watching one guy try to recreate stone-age methods of construction, which I find endlessly fascinating (and also a good example of how humans are communal creatures — it takes him ages on his own), this might also appeal to people who want to watch someone who looks like a hench Michael Socha walk around with his shirt off.

Listening:

• The Online Marketplace of Ideas — When I linked to this under Reading the other day I didn’t clock that there’s also a separate podcast discussion about the exhibition between the Joshua Citarella and his collaborators. LOTS of academic art/theory speak — I often wonder what it would be like to be someone who has the confidence to converse like this so easily — but not so much as to overwhelm. Though I did zone out a couple of times and imagine their voices as coming from muppets, which was fun.
  • Further exploration of Do Not Research and New Models feels warranted.

Music:

• Another One Bites the Bee Gees — I’m a sucker for an old-school mashup.