Not sure for whom I feel most sorry: this unfortunate pigeon, or the neighbours in whose TV aerial this bird became entangled. Just to be clear, the creature is very much dead.
πππ£π πΈππ₯π ππͺ ππ¨ππ
@markantonyowen.com
π£πΌπ²π: @subruria.com π£ππ―πΉπΆππ΅π²πΏ: @iamb.uk / @afterpoetry.com π£π²πΏπ³πΌπΏπΊπ²πΏ: Reading at the Cheltenham Poetry Festival | Oct 6th: bit.ly/3TvBbRa
There's no such thing as a long-sleeved T-shirt. If you think there is, then ALL shirts must be classified as either T-shirts or long-sleeved T-shirts.
Starting today, I have just over six weeks to finish readying wave twenty-seven of @iamb.uk for publication on September 15th. This is usually the point at which I start, everso slightly, to panic (even though I know I still have plenty of time). #poetry #poetrycommunity
Decided that a favourite new thing of mine on here is replying once to folk who think they know me (and who use that 'knowledge' to try to one-up me), then muting them. Not blocking them. Just muting. It's so deliciously passive-aggressive. If they reply, I neither know nor care. Life's too short.
Got a small reading spot this evening as part of Lime Square Poets' online open mic after the brilliant @minorroarr.bsky.social's headline set. Tickets will cost you nothing. See you there? bit.ly/4au7Vjm
Vasiliki Albedo & Open Mic | Lime Square Poets
Join us on Zoom for a poetry reading by Vasiliki Albedo followed by Open Mic!
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Thereβs understandable anger (and a fair amount of hysteria) right now over reports that an AI company βdestroyed millions of booksβ. Advocate of AI though I am, Iβm not interested in excusing Anthropic's wanton destruction. But I DO want to separate the evidence from what social media makes of it.
It's already so hot here at 10am that sitting in the garden feels like having one's skin shallow-fried off. #anotherukheatwaveseriously
The garage said it would take 45 minutes to get my brakes sorted. That was at 9am. I've been back twice since then β the second time, five minutes ago. Guess where my car is. Yep, you got it: STILL UP ON THE FUCKING RAMP!! Seriously, it's too muggy a day to be wandering around aimlessly like this. π₯΅
Worked out at least one reason why I love waterfowl so much. On land, they're often awkward creatures: limited, slow, even aggressive. But see them in their element and ... wow! This I get.
Not like Boy George to engage in rage bait. What next? A duet with Morrissey? bit.ly/4fC57Cd
βYou say genocide, I say warβ: Boy George releases pro-Israel song, We Will Dance Again
Culture Club singer sings βI stand with the Jews / I donβt feel brave, I just need to behave like a humanβ, in song defending Israelβs response to Hamas attack
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I have ChatGPT hooked into one of my Gmail accounts. A good job, too. This morning, I needed to trace an email I sent just five days ago. I looked in my Sent folder. Nada. I ran Gmail's search capability: blank faces all round. I asked my instance of AI to find the email, and it did β in 15 seconds.
I am sure that members of the #poetrycommunity who were at Paul Shortβs @paulwritespoems.bsky.social Book Bag Open Mic this evening will want to pay tribute to the grace and fortitude he showed in hosting the event. Well done Paul, youβre a complete star. And from all of us: get well soon π
Picked up one day's work last week β my first since March! Did a good job, if the client's glowing feedback was anything to go by. Got assured a week ago I'd hear what I'd be doing for two days this week. I've chased (politely) but heard absolutely nothing. It's both dispiriting and disappointing. π€·π»
Apparently, Coca-Cola has had a rebrand that's made it *checks notes* 'more iconic than ever'. Having a professional interest in such things, I took a peek. Now, I'm not sure which applies more to this obvious horse shit: 'snake oil' or 'the emperor's new clothes'. You decide ... bit.ly/3TfZLoO
Major Coca-Cola refresh marks new era of brand consistency
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Another day in the endless #ukheatwave, and humans are now more like wasps in late August: drowsy as fuck, moving around purposelessly, and really quite angry β though too exhausted and disoriented to actually vent their frustrations. The promise of autumn with its cooler weather feels like a myth.
ITV would get Ant and Dec to host the apocalypse. The BBC would have Fiona Bruce both-sides-ing Armageddon.
The replies to this are gold ...
fesshole π§»@fesshole.bsky.social Β· 3w agoMy wife and I are both teachers. She rates my performance in bed on the Ofsted grading scale. This month, I've had three 'requires improvement' and one 'inadequate'. Never had an 'outstanding' in seven years of marriage. Must try harder.
Calling those poets slated to appear in wave twenty-seven of @iamb.uk who've not yet sent in their submission. If you need a little more time β perhaps because of the #ukheatwave β let @markantonyowen.com know as soon as you can. β€οΈ
πππ£π πΈππ₯π ππͺ ππ¨ππ@markantonyowen.com Β· 4w agoBit concerned by the number of poets still to send in their completed submissions for wave twenty-seven of @iamb.uk yet from whom I've so far heard nothing. The deadline is three days away β and with eight subs currently outstanding, I can see myself reaching for the reserves list fairly soon. π
Bit concerned by the number of poets still to send in their completed submissions for wave twenty-seven of @iamb.uk yet from whom I've so far heard nothing. The deadline is three days away β and with eight subs currently outstanding, I can see myself reaching for the reserves list fairly soon. π
The interminable #ukheatwave continues. With bathrooms now hotter than Hades, Brits are resigned to tepid 4am showers β then 24 hours wearing a wetsuit of sweat. Supermarket Iceland has only weird, proprietary ice lollies left (flavours like nettle, flyspray or borax). Ice trades for more than gold.
Day ... meh of the #ukheatwave. No one in Britain recalls what rain is. Ice cream now counts as a balanced evening meal. Heat-stressed, sleep-deprived parents resent greasing their sweaty kids in SPF 50 EVERY DAMNED DAY before school. ASDA's frozen food aisles are more popular than Center Parcs.
I think barbecues are like beaches: people just pretend to like them.
Barbecues are like picnics, in that they're just cooking with wasps on.
Keep seeing this new theory of how our entire universe could be the interior of a black hole β and of how, in general, each black hole might contain a whole other universe. π³π€―
I fucking HATE summer! π€¬
Wonderful evening of poetry online from the @cheltpoetfest.bsky.social. So good to hear @helenivory.bsky.social read again (not heard her read since I edited her recordings for wave four of @iamb.uk). Big thanks and much love as always to organisers @zoebrooks.bsky.social and @annasaund.bsky.social.
Reading a poem tonight in the open mic section of @cheltpoetfest.bsky.social's online event where @helenivory.bsky.social and Doryn Herbst are headlining. No idea yet what I'll read β but you can be sure I'll be cheekily asking @zoebrooks.bsky.social and @annasaund.bsky.social if I can screen share!