Slowing the Process
Hello from the dark streets of Edinburgh.
I took a little time out this week to focus on myself. I’m not sure it worked. I want to shake things up regarding my career (if you can call it that) and home life. My wife and I are at an age where we know what is essential in life and what can be left to fall by the wayside. We also are aware of the frantic ticking of the clock and that, in the end, days spent at work will never be remembered fondly. We have so much to do and see before we’re gone.
I think taking time for yourself is essential. You must be able to stare out the window, rest and sigh. Sure, it's a luxury, but even ten minutes to yourself is a golden time. Go and still and listen to silence right now.
On Deck
I’m about halfway through the re-edits of project Mother & Son. Maybe another three / four weeks, and it’ll be done. It would be nice to start sending it out to potential agents in March.
Project Arthur’s Seat is slow-going, which is what I intended, and that's why I’m writing it by hand: to slow the process down. The first story has morphed from its original idea into something more precise, which is good.
Reading
The Second Cut by Louise Welsh - The return of Auctioneer Rilke and his acquaintances living on the edges of society. Or are they any more? Time has moved on, and LGBTQ+ ideas have, if not been accepted, at least seem part of the everyday in a tolerant, more liberal Scotland. But this is Glasgow, and there is still a trick to be turned and hard cash to be made through corruption and violence.
When a friend of Rilke's is found dead in the street, just after giving him a tip-off about an old house in the country that needs clearing, the vampiric-like auctioneer realises something is wrong and that the criminal underworld might encroach on his friends, business and self.
Film
I’ve been promising myself to invest more time in quality films. I find that Netflix and Amazon Prime spend too much money investing in low-quality movies that are poor cousins to other, more popular films. It would not surprise me to discover they are already using AI to mash ideas together based on a popularity algorithm rather than writing something new (and employing writers). Therefore, I’ve cancelled Netflix and instead took out a BFI subscription.
Stromboli (Terra di Dio) - I’m a sucker for Italian neorealism. A young woman (Ingrid Bergman in her first role for Roberto Rossellini and her marriage to him) marries hurriedly to get out of an internment camp. She moves with he new young husband to his homeland of Stromboli, a volcanic rock in the middle of the Mediterranean. Whilst she slowly unwinds and realises her mistake, the island takes centre stage. Brutal, bare, and violent, the island contains a hollow beauty. Ultimately, the film is thin in context, but the images of the land take over. The tuna fishing scene is worth the celluloid. It’s violent, and even in black and white, you can imagine the colour of the seas churning with blood and death.
A Complete Unknown - Bob Dylan’s early career is well documented, though what is true or fabricated is open for debate. This film leads up to his decision to go electric. This decision angered many who saw him as the saviour of the folk scene. Dylan was never going to be told what to do or feel restricted. Chalamet is excellent as an arrogant musician and is backed by the brilliant Edward Norton as Pete Seeger. This film will only add to the mystique of Dylan, who I was lucky enough to see in Paris at the Grand Rex in 2019.
That’s me done for this week. If you can, be like my cat, Don P. Take some time out and slow down.