How to be a miserable artist/person

Little makes much sense at the moment. That's the way it's supposed to be. None of us came to planet earth in order to reach a complete, satisfactory understanding of any subject or situation. We may all aspire to such an experience - and we may occasionally kid ourselves that we have attained it. Deep down inside, though, we are all confused about something! The eclipse won't help you reach a state of total clarity today, but it will at least shed some light on one important matter.

Jonathan Cainer on life for Virgos

RIP Ian Hamilton Finlay

He died yesterday. I've written before about visiting Little Sparta the living artwork he created at Stonypath outside Edinburgh.

In the 1990's I worked at Chapman - argueably Scotland's leading literary magazine. While I was there we produced a double issue on IHF. This one of the first times that he got recognition from within Scotland. I can remember being deluged by contributions from around the world and of course how we got caught in the cross fire between one of his famous ongoing battles with an adversary from France faxing us libel suit on the day of our Christmas lunch! However alongside the Women's Issue - the double Ian Hamilton Finlay issue is the one I'm most proud to have worked on.

red lines around London?

odd appearances

Great interview with Jeffrey Yamaguchi

about 54 Projects book

We all should have taken it as a warning

when Humphry got booted out of No 10 that the Blairs were a bad lot... the Chief Mouser to the Cabinet has died.

create your own holidays

scolidays

People being creative with their cats

.... stuff on your cat

Muse to Muse

has a great quote about friendship. I hope the link works.

I just spoke to a friend who I've not been able to speak to for a few weeks. A hurried conversation before her battery ran out as she went home late at night on London's underground. It was hurried but I had to speak to her and hear her voice and joke and connect and allude to 'the momobrow' an email or even a bit of mail is not the same as a proper conversation.

Did you know

that there was a British Big Cats Society... only in this country. And no these aren't cats destined to go on Celeb feline fit club... most disappointed to read that sightings in Scotland have declined. What are they doing? Joining book groups? Any self respecting Big Cat should be causing alarm on a wide scale.

The Saint of Bleeker Street

Its a huge achievement - my friend's amateur opera group Edinburgh Grand Opera is celebrating 50 years of existence this year. To mark the occasion they are putting on Carol Menotti's 'The Saint of Bleeker Street' at the Festival Theatre - it opens this week. Its great to see that their impressive achievement is being noted.

Almond Blossom

I searched on this after an email exchange with a friend about the south of France and found this blog.... Meanwhile, Here in France.

extraordinary photos

Al Magus via moleskine

fund your own revolution

An unsigned band has got its fans to invest their savings in their first album. A film company did something similar a few months ago preselling 10,000 DVD's to fans in order to fund their next feature film - but can't remember who they are. I really like examples of people thinking their way out of generally accepted ways of doing things.

Good Grief

unknown 6th Rolling Stone was from Fife and used as model for Ian Rankin's 'Rebus'. Anyone want to write a play about him?

Snow Snow Snow

Woke up to find it snowing this morning. Its still coming down. I had to rush out and get some cat food this morning as we had run out. Now I've got a cat sleeping on bed and snoring another with back turned towards me. Being on the computer is not popular with them.

I'm trying to work up the energy to do some serious housework which is over due. In the meanwhile read this account of visiting NY.

Hey there

Jonathan Ross on the radio, cats curled up in the intray. Piles of books, papers, clothes everywhere. Condensation on the window. Dampish Saturday. Waiting for a telephone consult with my herbalist. At one I'm going to pick up my photos from NY - I'm so excited! Called a friend this morning she's off on maternity leave and spent the whole week in bed with a cold, another friend was rushed to hospital for x-ray. Its been a long long winter and almost everyone I know has been ill. I get a cold, get over it and get another. I'm now on horsepills from the doctor, pray they work soon.

I had a job interview yesterday - which I got - now I have a one day a week job starting in April. The plan is to move towards a multiple job situation in the autumn.

Time for breakfast.

Freighter travel - was pleased to come across this article last night as I was discussing this with a friend. Another good alternative to flights site is Seat 61. I'd been thinking of offsetting my flight to NY and had found a company that does it. But does kind of smack of 'buying your way out of the problem'.

The Cloud Appreciation Society - I was most puzzled to get a membership yesterday and badge! Then I got an email from a friend saying she'd given me membership. It looks great, fun and eccentric. I love looking at skies.

Happy International Women's Day!

I've been off line with a cold/cough. I'm back at work but obviously still tired managed to spill a cup of water over my keyboard this morning. Lots of sopping tissues chucked in the bin.

How to process film using kitchen staples.

Hopefully will have my NY photos processed this weekend.

"There are no wrong notes on the piano, just better choices."
Thelonius Monk

"In Western culture, artists aren't encouraged to be integral to the social, environmental, or spiritual life of the community. They do not train to engage with real-life problems. Instead they learn to be competitive with their products in the marketplace. All our institutions are defined by this market ideology-none have escaped. "Professional recognition" in the form of brisk sales and positive reviews still remains the primary pattern of thought that structures the internal rhythms of art-making. For a long time now, I have been questioning these premises; anyone who has ever read anything I have written will know that my books are meant as a challenge to our reigning paradigms of economic control and domination. They seek to expose the coercive propaganda of capitalism as a form of spiritual and ecological suicide-and they look at the Big Picture, always with a view to recovering from the estrangements of Western civilization. Instead of art-as-commodity, deprived of any useful social role, I believe that art can help us to participate in what geologian Thomas Berry deems the "great work" of our time: moving from a devastating presence on the planet to a more benign presence".

Suzi Gablik

Linda Smith RIP Comic

"I do sympathise with Bush and Blair trying to find WMDs. I'm like that with my scissors. I put them down, then I search all over the house, and I never find them. Of course, I do know that my scissors exist."

10 different things to give up for Lent. I promise to make more effor with the plastic bag thing.

Still jetlagged and tired despite sleeping most of yesterday. Will bore about holiday later. What a threat. Its hailing here in Scotland.