The Ocean Spectre

Five Things: No. 9

1. I watched Pedro Almodóvar’s latest film Julieta (2016) this week and thought it was wonderful; really quietly moving at the very end, and beautiful and compelling.

2. I’m reading SPQR by Mary Beard at the moment, which I only started a couple of days ago but am already well into it due to its fluidity and interest and intelligence; a really brilliant, engaging interrogation into the ancient world.

3. I’ve been listening to Prefab Sprout quite a bit lately; I’m not really sure why, but “When Love Breaks Down” keeps getting played and played and played on my Spotify.

4. “The same slogans cropped up time and time again throughout the year of Occupy, and everywhere young people in this low, dishonest decade have found themselves struggling to reconcile the messy morality of modern politics with simpler—and perhaps quite radical—ideas of good and evil. As the police started to crack down on the demonstrations, I heard young activists yelling “Expelliarmus!” at rows of riot cops. The disarming spell, perhaps the definition of non-violent protest, twee as hell and oddly heartbreaking, with a very simple question at its heart: Why are adults so much crueller than we were promised before we became them? Why is human evil so much more banal and harder to beat?” — Laurie Penny wrote a very good article all about Harry Potter and liberalism at The Baffler.

He pretty much began immediately, as soon as the bus had left the terminus; he realised it had just pulled out and didn’t bother to try and bang on the door at the next zebra crossing, like any other brave potential bus passenger might have done, but to just begin running; and to begin running like some sort of long distance champion. (He also didn’t bother to wait for the next bus, which according to the bus-tracker was arriving in ‘3 min’.) I watched him, entranced, confused; he was wearing a bright red cagoule and a bright yellow satchel and so it was easy to see him; in fact, it was hard not to see him. At various points during this four or five minute spectacle — slowed down by crossings and lights and turnings — I didn’t actually believe he could be running for the bus I was sat on: it was almost too ludicrous; too much of a feat, too much energy expended for so little reward. At one point, when the bus had come to rest momentarily at a set of traffic lights, he ran right in front of us and so hard down the opposite side of the street that I could see the bus driver watching him; the bus driver was so engrossed he didn’t clock on that the lights had turned to green and sat there for about five seconds — a dangerously long time at traffic lights — until he got the bus going again.

Artist: The Velvet Underground (I feel that perhaps this may not be the best choice, but I’m going with it.)

What’s your gender: “Femme Fatale” Describe yourself: “Oh! Sweet Nuthin’” How do you feel: “I Can’t Stand It” If you could go anywhere, where would you go?: “All Tomorrow’s Parties” Favourite mode of transportation: “Run Run Run” Your best friend: “She’s My Best Friend” Favourite time of day: “After Hours” If your life was a TV show, what would it be called: “That’s the Story of My Life” (... Or “Oh Gin”, if I was being less cute and more honest.) Relationship status: “I'm Not Too Sorry (Now That You're Gone)”