In the absence of senses

After the Valentine's blog, well let's say, crashed and burned, I can't even hope to predict what may come of this one but still.

This is my favourite poem of all the poems that I've read from all the books and subway stations and bits of paper that I've come across.

11011

a break of the skin; a faltering, a falling in. love is no disease. a disjointed appointment, emotion/commotion. each thought of her rushes to be next in line. this is my contentment, my confinement, the cell i made for myself. to bleed, divine; i forget that i fell. going nowhere first. among equals, this/i will/am last. i cannot fail to hope to please. in this cage i am unsurpassed. this ersatz jail. the me she sees.

The site from which it comes has a number of nuggets of brilliance. I love it, though I dare say it could be updated more frequently ;)

So pretty

Thought you might like this...

Dont eat them!

I recently put a pretty shoddy entry in for a competition set up by Mars. The idea was 'you get 3 mars bars, and make them into something'. Although it appears that the majority of people ate them (thus essentially making them into heat and various molecular bonds) some people made them into AMAZING things...

You might not know

I recently found a few things out about the physical world that you might like to know:

1. Socks, when put under the grill slightly damp, can melt and become completely solid upon cooling.

2. You can grow fungus (i suspect Penicillium) on margarine.

3. You can change the colour of earplugs by putting them in the washing machine in an appropriately coloured sock (ones that you haven't melted.)

In summary, I'm runnng out of socks and margarine!

That is all.

On engagement

No not that sort of engagement mother, please take off that ridiculous hat!

I've recently been fencing quite a bit. Fencing is really quite a strange thing i suppose. Mostly, on account of having a sword but simultaneously wearing enough protective clothing that a duel results in only minor bruising (in my case, perhaps not others'). You have to 'want' to hurt the other person enough to attack them or at least make them believe you will, but simultaneously you are safe in the knowledge that you really can't.

One principle that I've learnt over recent weeks is that of engagement. This refers to the 'the point at which the fencers are close enough to join blades, and have met one another in an encouter of sufficient proximity that makes an effective attack possible'. At this point, with blades touching, each can feel the others movements, and their motives. One may feel a confident and certain pressure, aiming to push your weapon away, but equally they too may feel the gentle submission of your blade that will allow their force to push his advance wide.

To engage is to propose an attack, not to make one and not defend against one. They say nothing in particular and acheive nothing towards victory or defeat. The provide only possibility. Possibilities are a wonderful. Even the possibility of being attacked (with or without a sword). Perhaps this is why I wish to be endlessly engaged and hope for nothing more than to be engaging perhaps once or twice in this lifetime.

And now... for balloons! Beautiful balloons! (more on this later)