The Sober Life

  The noise of the self isolation sirens are dying away. The seriousness that greeted us at the start of the original lockdown has been replaced by a numb mundanity as we await the start of the endgame. We will disembark the Corona-coaster dazed and confused, the shutters will go up again on the high street, but what will the world be like and more importantly what will we be like? We have been through war style shortages and the good old blitz spirit on our doorsteps. We had false restarts, double standards, corruption, errors and good old human nature which is now bringing us back around nicely to get ready for… for a new age?....a new enlightenment?...a new awareness of the fragility of life?...Or just the pubs to reopen again so we can get slaughtered with our mates and pretend like this was all a bad dream? The government has given us a road map out of lockdown, a road map that reopens everything back to normal three days before Boris Johnson's birthday. As with all road maps...

THE JOY PARTICLE   NOT HAPPY WITH HAPPY I wrote a poem a few weeks ago which is on the blog post before this one. The poem was written when I was sad, like most poems. It was written during a period I refer to as a T.P.E.( Two Poem Episode) documented in another blog post called A Postcard From Brain Hell. The idea of the poem was to touch on the elusiveness Happiness. I originally started thinking of how radioactive particles decay, I know proper sexy stuff. They have a half-life that obeys a formula. It got me thinking about the idea that if you half the distance to a destination every time, you will move forwards but never really reach it. It brought to my mind that I don't really know what happiness looks like and as a concept it doesn't work for me. I know that happiness is not sadness and it is not boredom or drudgery or suffering. I could tell you if I was happier five minutes ago or maybe have a stab at thinking about it generally, but all levels of happiness seem defi...

Before I know it is gone from my sight Like a Willow the Wisp or a thief in the night It’s dipped down an alley just around the next corner I give chase as it is not much further I am closer now  than any time before I will be closer still when I get through this door I'm so close it feels in the same room   When I refocus I see it in contrazoom I feel I’m getting warmer and warmer I’m sure I have it trapped in the corner Please say still, please decide to stay But as I move half way nearer It remains half way further away It remains half way further away As I move half way nearer Please say still, please decide to stay I’m sure I have it trapped in the corner I feel I’m getting warmer and warmer    When I refocus I see it in contrazoom I'm so close it feels in the same room I will be closer still when I get through this door To follow it closer than any time before I give chase as it is not much further It’s dipped down an alley just around the next corner Like a ...

  Anyone who has watched Star Trek will know you can’t have your deflector shield on all the time as it will pull too much power from the main engine. Superheroes can’t keep force fields on for long as it weakens them. A castle’s ramparts will not withstand indefinite battering. The analogies go on and so it appears does urge to have a drink at Christmas. I had a drink on Christmas day. Dun dun dun der. I feel a little blasé about it now but at the time it was a defeat of sorts. I have no one to blame but myself and my overconfidence. If I had given up Alcohol because I was an Alcoholic it may be a different story. I may still be pissed right now but I gave up alcohol to seek and lead a better life for myself and those around me. I knew there would be pressures leading up to Christmas. This year there were less than normal. We were pretty much trapped in our houses and there was no Christmas party at work. However it is still the season of ethanol excuse engines, we even encou...

noun singular proper noun: Jib A little known alleyway or pathway that connects two existing routes. Limited commonality as it is only known and shared by a few.  To move in the most efficient manner through a busy city.              e.g. Let’s take the Jib behind Waterstones verb Verb: To jib,  e.g. “Hang fire I’m jibbing all the way” Origin Late 1980’s The Bradshaw Brothers       The bus heaved itself around the corner of Portland Street on its way to Piccadilly bus station in the cold late morning of Christmas Eve 1988.  It was laden with an elite squadron of lost souls primed to attack their town armed with the last paycheck before the big day. There was only one mission, to find something, buy it,  wrap it and stick it under the tree at home then allow some spurious bastard called Santa Claws to take all the credit. Looking through the poorly scribbled happy faces on an upstairs window of...