The Ballads Of Mister Rhodes

“He who is infected with the fear of illness, is already infected with the disease of fear.” - Michel de Montaigne -  Ok. Well. Yes. This is an opinion piece. Not that the WiFi is working. Not that the WiFi will be working anywhere in the world, ever again, by the time I finish writing this. And, even if it was, everyone will have chained themselves and their families to the radiators of their stockpiled maisonettes.  It will be the same stupidity that ate it all up and got them there in the first place, that leaves all the electronic devices over on the couch, out of reach. Who would have thought that Dean fucking Koontz would end up being the next George Orwell? So, this Coronavirus epidemic is really happening. I mean, it’s not really happening. Not like they say it’s happening, but its definitely fucking happening. I even took a job as a freelance writer, hence the slightly new format. ‘Take what they teach you.’ Apparently, I can do things to actually ma...

“One thoughtmurder a day Keeps the psychiatrist away.” - SAUL BELLOW - When was the last time it came together like this? I’d have to turn back, through soiled pages of vellum notepads until the vigorous crossings out of wasted paragraphs came to an end. There would be something somewhere, I’m sure of it -hopeful of it- but my old friend the daiquiri won’t allow it. “Push forwards,” he says to the rhythm of a sturdy Viennese march. In Vietnam I can buy the ingredients to make two litres of the stuff for about $7. We were going to drink them together, but she got annoyed with me about something -probably somethings- and went to sleep upstairs. She likes how I drive the motorbike as much as I like having her sitting behind me telling me how much she likes how I drive the motorbike. Most of the time we just play fight it back in to neutral, but sometimes she just goes to sleep upstairs. I cooked a dinner of fried grouper steaks, sweet potato hash browns and a basic ...

"All the gods, all the heavens, all the hells, are within you." - Joseph Campbell - I stopped 'clapping' mosquitoes. It seemed strange to be stopping things from doing what they were designed to do. It seemed even stranger to decide I had the right to. Headphones in, one foot in front of the other, let the rain come down. The cats were waiting for me when I got back. Perhaps they'd seen her leave too. Sip a coffee, dream of the fire of a cigarette, smile when you start acknowledging the distractions. Keep adding on the easy fixes until you're almost somebody else. Sit with the many sides of yourself; try not to jump. Try not to look around at other things. A bikini clad blonde walks past the window in the direction of the pool. It's been fifteen hours since you last had sex. Sit still. There is time for everything, but all of it will either mean or amount to nothing until you have taken time for yourself.  Simply put, from my viewpoint,...