Now

At work, schools returned, so things have been a bit chaotic. Had an interesting conversation with a colleague who asked if schools were getting better at using the application. I explained that the processes and expectations keep on morphing, meaning that it is not a simple matter of ‘getting better’. With this said, I do think schools are getting better and appreciating the why to it all. The challenge, from a support point of view, are the processes that are in the hand, whether it be effectively triaging problems or trying to bypass the usual steps by ‘just asking a quick question’. Question, is there really ever a quick question?

On a side note, I called a school I had not spoken with for quite a while (probably over five years). I said it was ‘Aaron calling’ and the admin actually remembered me. It really helps having social capital sometimes.

On the personal front, a few things reminded me that I had got out of the loop with my plogging. I subsequently bounced back clocking up more than 50km this month. As we are in the office more now, I have also been doing more lunchtime wellbeing sessions with my colleague, which involves two flâneurs wondering the city.

I also bought a new phone, a Samsung S24, which was on sale, after the screen of my S20+ decided to sporadically start flickering like a strobe light. With it I got a ‘military’ proof case, lets see how that goes? I stuck with Android as Moon Reader has become an integral part of my reading workflow.

Here is a list of books that I read this month:

• These Foolish Things – A Memoir by Dylan Jones: Jones’ personal memoir reflecting on his life in and out of publishing.
• After the First Death by Robert Cormier: A novel exploring terrorism and hostage situations from different points of view.
• Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig: A philosophical exploration of the balance between technology and spirituality, interwoven with a cross-country motorcycle trip.
• Lord of the Flies by William Golding: A novel depicting a group of British boys stranded on a deserted island without any adults who descend into savagery and tribalism.
• Zen and Now by Mark Richardson: A book exploring Robert M. Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, it serves multiple purposes, in part a travelogue, in part a reflection on Robert Pirsig the person, however it is also a reflection on Richardson’s own therapeutic effort to make sense of the world, including fatherhood.
• Music and the Mind by Anthony Storr: An examination of the relationship between music and human psychology, exploring how music affects emotions and cognition.
• The Porpoise by Mark Haddon: A story told through another story, the myth of Pericles, Prince of Tyre, as a means of exploring power, lose and connection.
• The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank: Beyond serving as a document of life in hiding during the war, the Anne Frank’s diary provides the reader an insight into the mind of the author and explore various topics, such as adolescence and sexuality.
• Night by Elie Wiesel: A memoir on the experience of being taken to and surviving Auschwitz and challenges to faith that this raised.
• Rememberings by Sinéad O’Connor: A memoir offering a glimpse behind the curtain, reclaiming the narrative of O’Connor’s life in the process.
• The Ways of Being by James Bridle: An exploration of technology, artificial intelligence, and the interconnectedness of all living things, challenging conventional understandings of intelligence and existence.

In relation to music, I have been spinning Twinkle Digitz’s record which was finally released. While listening, I have been thinking about Liz Pelly’s point in her book on Spotify:

If we keep giving too much power to corporations to shape our lives, and we don’t protect working musicians’ abilities to survive. We are foreclosing that possibility for music to evoke those ephemeral unknowns. We are losing a lot of music that will never be made. We are letting new expressions, emotional articulations, and points of connection slip away.

Source: Mood Machine by Liz Pelly

With regards to my long form writing, I punched out the following:

• REVIEW: Rememberings (Sinéad O’Connor)
• REVIEW: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Robert Pirsig)
• What We Talk About When We Talk About Lifelong Learning