Status:

Big CFS crash came last night, finding me fitfully sleeping and then missing my meetup with the neighbour. I probably should have cancelled anyway but wasn’t really in a state to figure that out. Early warning was the fuzziness and brain fog yesterday evening. If I can’t think straight then that’s a clear sign I’m fatigued and will need to recover. Unfortunately I can’t think straight so acting on that required undoing a paradox. Still, I’m feeling better this afternoon. The fog has cleared, though I still have to be careful. Briefly chatted to a neighbour over the fence and I felt like I’d done five rounds.

It’s worth doing an autopsy on these ventures beyond my comfort zone. I probably could have done a bit more prep, resting more beforehand, but I think the biggest issue was the anxiety beforehand. This should fade with repeated exposure, so I should probably at least try to go out weekly when possible, then I can get a proper measure of the physical toll it takes. I’m also thinking that sitting on my own would be good to begin with. Talking is another cognitive load and combining the two meant I was much more drained. Baby steps.

Due to my exhaustion last night I found myself watching a fair amount of el fútbol where a couple of central African nations very nearly beat the colonisers but were thwarted at the last. Senegal in particular wuz well robbed and Belgium have nothing to be proud of. All fun and games but I realised listening to the commentary that African teams do not usually do this well on the international stage, presumably due to the after-effects of said colonisation, so it’s nice to see a couple of them pushing back. They and their fans are also a lot more fun to watch.

The next heatwave seems to be being a bit of a tease. Every time I check the 10 day forecast the hot temps are 8 or 9 days away, just hovering beyond the imminent, lulling us into a false sense of security. Once I take my eye off they’ll race to tomorrow and I won’t have anything ready.

Came across a nice Robert Anton Wilson quote I’d not seen before. Because the internet loves to propagate quotes without sources I can’t be sure where it’s from (or even if it’s actually by him) but it rings true for RAW and that’ll do for now.

Under the present brutal and primitive conditions on this planet, every person you meet should be regarded as one of the walking wounded. We have never seen a man or woman not slightly deranged by either anxiety or grief. We have never seen a totally sane human being.

A good starting point for radical empathy, especially for those we disagree with.

Advertising:

Fi has an exhibition of her work (last seen at the Luna group show) at Stirchley Library, inaugurating a piece of wall they’re dedicating to showing art. I helped get the signage ready and in doing so knocked up a mock magazine cover for a joke, and since the work is all based on women’s magazines we decided to turn it into a flyer. It’s wouldn’t claim it to be a professional piece of work — I just moved stuff around in Pages and adjusted the colours until it looked OK — but I’m pretty pleased with it.

Reading:

• Labour failed to prepare for power, admits Morgan McSweeney — Insanely softball interview with the one of the people whose twisted convictions have decimated the progressive cause and paved the road for a far-right revival.
• Trump is avoiding the World Cup because it’s packed with good things he doesn’t like — Interesting comparison with Putin’s behaviour when the World Cup was in Russia. It’s a curious thing that international sport bends towards the siblinghood of humankind (to update the term) but in order to happen it needs to be platformed by autocracy and untethered capitalism.
• Rebecca Solnit: What is the United States of America now? — Essentially a big list of the good and the bad. Reminds me of something Alan Moore wrote ages ago listing all the people and reasons he still loved America despite everything it did. As a weirdo who found solace in comic books and movies, and then the counterculture and internet, the USA has always lurked large, often more than these septic isles I call home. It is a terrible place. It is a glorious place. I wonder if it actually needs to be both…

Listening:

• Ze Frank: Get Uncomfortable — Long-term fan and followers of Ze’s antics on the internet, to the point where we have his Invocation poster framed in our hallway. One of those internet people who really understands the medium but is also totally grounded. Was great to hear how True Facts started and evolved in this interview with the Internet’s fanboy Hank Green