Every morning, when I have my fruit-filled nut-rich luxury muesli (with dollops of greek yoghurt and plenty of honey), I shake the box rhythmically from side-to-side before pouring it into the bowl. As a result, I get the biggest, tastiest, juiciest bits, and avoid the dust. I’ve been using this technique ever since, as a child, I saw a television programme – maybe it was the great Johnny Ball – explaining granular convection, otherwise known as the Brazil nut effect. When you vibrate a granular material, the big bits rise to the top.
Ever since I learned about it I’ve made use of it in everyday life, increasingly without thinking about it; but it’s not something I would necessarily have picked … read on »
Archive for the ‘personal’ category…
Enlightenment Bullshit
I’m in the middle of a large Django project, my first one using the framework. It’s bloody wonderful, it really is. I don’t understand why Django developers aren’t going on about it more – about how lovely it is to work with. Developing web sites in Django is a beauty-full experience. I didn’t know it could be like this. I don’t know what it’s like to find Enlightenment in the way the Buddha talks about it, and I don’t even really know what it’s like to meditate, but this approaches what I imagine they mean.
Pony-Powered Enlightenment Bullshit
This sounds like bullshit, of course, and I confess I’m spinning this out more than is warranted, but there is an immense calm, neatness … read on »
Irritation in Waterstone’s
I have to say to begin with that despite initial appearances this is not a grumpy old man piece. At least, it’s not exactly my intention to voice petty gripes just for the sake of voicing them.
I was in the basement of Waterstone’s at the west end of Princes Street. Three young members of staff, one female and two male, were talking loudly. The males were teasing the woman in a deliberately petty, repetitive fashion. I was quite distracted by this incessant stupid chatter, and although I was in a public place and we can’t expect the silence of a library in a high street shop, I was irritated. I think I was justified:
1. Different standards and conventions – loose … read on »
How I Began Hillwalking
My brother and I have not been up many mountains in the past couple of years, so it feels like a good time to take stock of this aspect of my life, and who knows, it might help me make an effort to get things going again.
When I was a pale skinny ghost of a youth, still aimlessly haunting my hometown of Largs in Ayrshire, an Australian appeared amongst our group of friends for a short time. The town was a stop-off in his travelling, and I have forgotten his name, but something he said has stayed with me ever since. He was talking to me about all the places in Scotland he had been to, and asking me about … read on »
Squirrels Don't Like Me
Image created by Photoshop genius – Las Tonterias -
A couple of years ago I saw Bill Oddie on his TV show “How to Watch Wildlife,” explaining how to attract squirrels. I was inspired by Bill’s amazingly successful technique: he just noisily rustled a paper bag full of nuts, and squirrels came to him from all around – came right up to him – and ate the nuts right out of his hand.
At the time it was important to me to make the most of my weekends, working as I was in a very stressful IT manager role, and I thought that squirrel-feeding/watching/stroking would be a perfect leisure activity. So one lovely summer day I went down to Edinburgh Royal Botanic … read on »
Obsessional Equilibrium, Or How to Juggle a Saxophone and a Canoe While Suffering from Gas
Such has been my obsession with saxophone practise over the past few months that I’ve badly neglected my blog, so here I am with a new post…about my obsession with saxophone practise.
Obsession
I’ve been working in Edinburgh since March, and the main benefit has been that I’ve had time to practise the sax almost every day, for one or two hours. Some of you may remember my burning enthusiasm in March last year, which died because owing to awkward circumstances I couldn’t feed it. This time I’ve kept it well stoked. Soon after I took out my horn again I felt the familiar old obsessiveness begin to consume me, and part of me worried that it was just another example of … read on »
Hillwalking Crisis and a Walk up Ben Vorlich and Stuc a Chroin
A serious disagreement threatens to bring to an end the very successful hillwalking duo of the Robinson brothers (Stu and me). We’re both passionate, committed people, so it’s no surprise that it happened; and it’s more of a challenge to resolve it than it is to struggle up a steep slope of scree or navigate over boulder fields in thick cloud.
I won’t explore the ins and outs of the argument on this blog, but the whole thing is quite interesting. The crux of it is that Stu is an arrogant, selfish little – no, just kidding. The real crux of it is that my photography can slow us down sometimes, and on two recent walks (not our most recent walk, … read on »
Easter Egg-rolling
Laura and I rolled eggs last Sunday for Easter. Any available slope in Holyrood Park was littered with egg remains. I didn’t know it was still so popular. Anyway, I rose to the challenge set by Laura – who does this every year – and painted my egg with great application, but not with food colouring and crayons as suggested, but with acrylic paints. I’m very proud of one of my efforts (we had two eggs each), which can be seen above. It’s such an ephemeral thing, because soon afterwards you destroy your artwork and eat the contents. But I couldn’t help capturing it forever with my camera.
And in case anyone wants to pull me up on my lack of … read on »
Exclusive: Much-Awaited Purchase of Moleskine Sketchbook Awakens Long-Dormant Creative Fervour in Man, Aged 34
Drawn in pen, this elaborate doodle is interesting because while I was drawing it the black was the figure and the white was the ground. So the black was the thing to notice, and the white was just the space in between, the substrate. This was natural, as I was actually drawing the black on a white background. When I finished it (and I was satisfied to find that there was a moment when I realised, without any doubts, that I’d finished, because it was right) there was a figure-ground reversal and since then it’s the white shapes that I’ve noticed, lying on a black background, or in a black space. When I was drawing it I hadn’t realised that, … read on »
Sweaty Rectangle
1. Toe
We’ve all got things. You’ve probably got a thing. I know I’ve got several things. One is that I can move the little toe of my left foot so that it’s…well, just watch the footage below.
Can anyone else do this? I would be (mildly) interested to know.
2. Whelk
Whelks! What a great idea. Wow, we’re so adventurous. Aren’t we just the coolest goddam cool urbanite gourmet jelly beans in town? Well…
After a bit of sunbathing in the garden we hopped on a bus up to Stockbridge to mooch, josh, eat, drink, make hay, chat, and drink. First stop fishmonger and it’s always the same: what to get? Do I gotta know before I get in the shop? Apparently so, so:
Er, … read on »
©2010 Alistair Robinson