I sense something similarly historical about Coetzee’s achievement, a power of pre-internet concentration and application that has now been eroded in Version 2.0 people.
A Different Place
Kandahar & London
That’s what a novelist is: someone who does the same thing every day while things decay around them. In their pyjamas.
(Source: , via explore-blog)
Want.
When I’m in writing mode for a novel, I get up at 4:00 am and work for five to six hours. In the afternoon, I run for 10km or swim for 1500m (or do both), then I read a bit and listen to some music. I go to bed at 9:00 pm. I keep to this routine every day without variation. The repetition itself becomes the important thing; it’s a form of mesmerism. I mesmerize myself to reach a deeper state of mind. But to hold to such repetition for so long — six months to a year — requires a good amount of mental and physical strength. In that sense, writing a long novel is like survival training. Physical strength is as necessary as artistic sensitivity.
Discipline. He has my respect (though I don’t enjoy his novels).
(Source: , via explore-blog)
The pleasure of simple things, absolutely lovely – most beautifully cinematic homage to the ordinary since Temujin Doran’s Vowels.
Organic vegetable box. I rest my case.
![It’s amazing what a small thing can do to how well one sleeps. I bought one of these Tempurpedic sleep masks the other day on ebay — for some reason the UK site doesn’t sell them, so you have to resort to a little subterfuge to get hold of one.
It does everything it claims: it’s cool, completely blocks out light, and isn’t disruptive to sleep with.
My sleep tracking on Fitbit, moreover, shows that I’m sleeping with a significant number of fewer disruptions each night since I bought one, and sleeping longer.
$25 well spent.
[if you’re in the USA, get them here]](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m9e0jfAkdX1qacrnfo1_500.png)
It’s amazing what a small thing can do to how well one sleeps. I bought one of these Tempurpedic sleep masks the other day on ebay — for some reason the UK site doesn’t sell them, so you have to resort to a little subterfuge to get hold of one.
It does everything it claims: it’s cool, completely blocks out light, and isn’t disruptive to sleep with.
My sleep tracking on Fitbit, moreover, shows that I’m sleeping with a significant number of fewer disruptions each night since I bought one, and sleeping longer.
$25 well spent.
[if you’re in the USA, get them here]
The rain really brought out the smells and colours this afternoon.
Different Languages: Pimsleur Urdu -- a review
I finished with my Pimsleur Urdu course a few days ago. Overall, I can say I’m glad I did it early on, and I think it did something for my confidence in Urdu.
The pronunciation is a bit strange sometimes (friends in Pakistan have attested to this) but I picked up a few hundred phrases and words,…
My new favourite thing.
