Defibrillation: Deaf, Febrile, Elation

Kirk Douglass as Doc Holiday in Gunfight at the OK Corral

This has got to be one of my all-time favourite  films. Kirk Douglass (even better than in Spartacus), slugs it out, basically against himself, TB alcoholism, "The Clantons" and fate. He plays the total anti-hero juxtaposed against a bland Burt Lancaster's ramrod-straight do-goody; his unlikely friend. "the only real friend I've ever had".

Dressed in black, self-destructive and always on the edge,  but morally anchored. You can't get more attractive than that!

Perhaps I should make some kind of BBC link to the title of this post. Here goes. Great. - "yes it does"

Deaf: Falling on deaf ears.

Six minutes to go before my last class of the week. Then, I have to wait an hour before picking up Jacob.
He´s not really 100% this week. In fact he seems to be developing some rather worrying tics. I don't wish to careen towards any dubious conclusions but I guess one of his parents is generating some destructive anti-matter.

Health and Wealth and Wise

We are very susceptible. There is a whole universe in those eyes, and a lot of love and insecurity. We can certainly remedy the last of these.

The court case for the provisional custody took place on the 28th of January. Predictably, Loreto has custody until December. Sometimes Spain is very frustrating. May be it's not Spain, it might just be people in general. Let me give you an example.

Conversation between me, the procurator and my lawyer:

                 Me: "So, effectively what that means is that Loreto has custody of Jacob for the next nine months at least!"

          Lawyer: "No, nothing like that long. The main hearing is in April."

                Me: "What happens in the main hearing?"

         Lawyer: "Documentary evidence is presented and there is an official request for a psychological evaluation of both parents and Jacob"

                Me: "How long is it before the psychological evaluation takes place?"

          Lawyer: "Between two and three months." (When somebody in Spain gives you an estimate of time, you really need to take it with a pinch of salt. They probably have no idea and just guess, they might reply by telling you how long they think it should take but express themselves by citing quasi-logistical figures. What they will never do is give you a realistic estimate.)

           
                 Me: "How long after the psychological evaluation will the judge pronounce his verdict?

           Lawyer: "Two or three months"

                Me: "So until December there will be no definitive sentence!!"

           Lawyer: "No, there will be a sentence long before that."

                 Me: "The next stage of this fiasco will be at the end of April. Then it will be three months until the psychological evaluation and a further three months until the judge makes a decision. Everything closes in August (there is no justice in August). According to my calculation that means there might be some kind of sentence by December."

         Lawyer: "Well it might be near to December".

There is of course absolute prejudice against men. A subject which is never even broached by anybody, not even men.

The Tower of Hercules

         I seem to remember that the sun refracting through the clouds is a good sign. God is certainly in heaven. I believe so. It's a tiny bit like Darwen Tower. Just a tad older.

I have just come out of the gym after a long day and lots of hard work. I feel old and ill. My joints are aching, I am clumsy and sleep-deprived. Where is the music?

The Last Wave. (A Film by Peter Weir)

Just round the coast from Coruña. I don't know why but it makes me feel optimistic. A destructive force that wipes the slate clean, that has no venal dimension.

I can't remember the actual quote (I've just looked it up): "If you want to be happy for a day, get drunk. If you want to be happy for a week, get married. If you want to be happy for the rest of your life, plant a garden."

This is a fine quote, and good advice. So, what I will endeavour to do is this:

                                        1. Get drunk every day
                              2. Get married once a week
                              3. Hire a gardener

There's not much that gets past me.

The Porch Now. In the Middle of Winter

I am endeavoring to sort the garden out. Logically, therefore,  I have bought a sledgehammer. It is yellow and black and has wonderful heft. It cost just under 12 euros from the Chinese megastore near my house.

I have tried knocking down large slabs of concrete with a lump hammer, but it's not the same. The potential energy is there but you can't generate the same kinetics. There must be something to learn from this. Can we extrapolate. Mass on the end of a large pendulum.

More pictures and then I'm off.

Looking Wrinkly, Feeling Crinkly

 Today's poom: