Just About Now: Recent Episodes
Chidi O
What does the world look like from another angle? What are the true semi-hidden mysteries of who and how and why we are? Why do the things happening around us even happen in the first place? Well here on the Just About Now podcast, storyteller Chidi-ebere Onwuka uses mildly adjusted facts and a little sprinkle of imagination to answer all of the above and so much much more…
Extras:
My Favourite Things - John Coltrane
My Favourite Things - Grant Green
And this is the ‘bridge’ I mentioned: It’s called the Westerkeersluisbrug, and someone filmed it opening back in October last year.
I begin with the sudden realisation, carrots are not loved. They are grown, peeled, sometimes cooked, grated and then eaten. In the history of modern society, the carrot has had but one public champion, a character willing to face scorn and mockery, in his defence of the carrots he loved… The episode is nowhere near as dramatic as that, but still worth a listen.
You know the one where there’s this thing you’ve always wanted to do? It’s possible your need to do it borders on the obsessive –though, it’s also fine if it doesn’t. What matters is the joy you feel when the thing you’ve always wanted to do gets done. That’s what this episode is about. Going forward, the About That Book ‘miniseries’ will share thoughts and observations on the journey from idea to story to published book.
A sudden increase in pedestrian and cycle traffic on the streets of Amsterdam led to a near miss between two cyclists –one of whom had obviously ignored a red traffic sign! Of course this led to a noisy and angry exchange between the cycling gentlemen, in which curses (themed around the hope that the other would be stricken down with some terrible illness) were thrown about quite freely. Meanwhile we, the viewing public, chuckled awkwardly and wondered why the two were so angry about so little? My ‘wonderings’ evolved into this quick trip into memories about unnecessary anger.
So there I am, watering the plants, it’s raining outside, and just like that… I realise how much of my life has been spent watching raindrops.
I mean, would you allow absolutely anyone to overtake you, especially when you believe you are moving as fast as you can?
Imagine a danger so great, so intense, goosebumps ripple across your skin and the hairs on your arms stand up and perform Mexican waves. Or what about the dangers of climbing into a volcano’s crater and pleading with it not to erupt. Or having to put one’s fears to the side and face down a deadly donkey called Duncan. Yep, there are dangers out there…
Beni, me, and a crew of other uncool first year undergraduates, found an outlet for the pain of rejection. We drove our mothers’ cars around Enugu, at night, like crazy bandits. Oh how we had the time of our lives; zooming and screeching; racing around. It was all such great fun, until it wasn’t…
The Credibility Gap appears when the distance between what we hear, see or involve ourselves in, and common sense (and logic) becomes impossible to bridge. I’m sure a good number of you have experienced the internal mayhem that occurs when the various factions of the mind are unable to come to agreement on what is and is not reality. This is fine, by the way: No more than evidence of one’s humanity. And with this in mind, I would like to share a few things that have happened along the way…
Episode extras:
Wrakkenmuseum, Terschelling (NL)
Blackadder: Johnson’s Dictionary
Feedspot
Episode extras:
Lance Link Secret Chimp
Road Runner - Acme Batman Suit
Snake In The Monkey’s Shadow
Feedspot podcast directory
Episode extras:
Quiet Amsterdam 3 | Quiet Amsterdam 4 | Quiet Amsterdam 5 | Quiet Amsterdam 6 | Quiet Amsterdam 7
On the surface, care seems like an easy word to handle. However, after thinking for a bit, I had no choice but to come up with a metaphor (shared in the episode) to explain my view on the word.
The rest of the episode contains a few thoughts on, and memories of care related matters…
We fill most of this episode with a great interview between the esteemed radio talkshow host Doggi Doggsen and Chidonicus (quite possibly the greatest clown operating in the 21st Century).
As written in the title, breakdown is the word driving this particular episode, tough we won’t be dealing with anything heavy. Along the way, we’ll look at mechanical breakdowns - think embarrassing presentation; instant nervous breakdowns - such as those brought on by an important exam and too little sleep; emotional breakdowns - as in I-really-need-you-to-fix-my-computer-now-because-my-whole-life-is-in-it; and the unfortunate case of Dr. Barnaby Boxhill-Bunker who really believed he could have a friendly chat with five magnificent Bénoué lions from Cameroon.
First of all, this episode comes with a warning: Excessive drinking is not healthy, and can so easily lead to acts of foolishness. As illustrated by the recollection of my first time drunk - an accidental affair. There’s also some university level foolishness, and an incident in which I allowed booze and a pair of very strong legs get the better of me.
On the matter of biting… aside from the usual bits and pieces, I manage to find the courage and strength to retell a traumatic tale involving a free ride to City X, the need to make a good impression on the driver, and what can happen when a stomach gets hungry, angry, and encourages the owner of said stomach to start biting things and chewing them…
Episode Extras
You Tell Me YouTube channel
The Beekeeper’s Bees
Thinking Allowed (podcast) - The Bed
Beefeaters (What Is A Beefeater?)
Well, the first theme in the B-Section is an easy one: Baggage. Baggage piled up on donkeys, baggage in the airport, baggage weighing down the spirit... See where we’re going here?
Co-starring alongside Anger is a fictional fellow called Angry Adam. As the name implies, Angry Adam has more than his fair share of anger issues, a number of which we get to briefly examine during the episode…
Episode Extras:
De Voortuinen - building with boxes for trees.
The Great Dictator - scene with chairs
Our word for the episode is amazing, which provides an opportunity to explore a trio of amazing experiences. Imagine a 1960 Mercedes-Benz 220 SE floating along Marnixstraat, driven by a semi-herd of goats. Or what about the education I received from a basic dog In Westerpark? Finally, there was the talking potato on my chopping board: It convinced me to travel with it to Amsterdamse Bos on the final phase of a potato adventure. Just a few of the amazing things that can happen to a human being.
Following some quick banter on the choice to use words plucked from the dictionary as the foundation for this season, admit takes on a trip through illegal childhood activity, a ‘found’ widescreen television, attempted admittance to an X-rated film, and the case of poor Reginald who dreamed of joining an exclusive club.
Here you can find the two sets of photographs mentioned in this episode: Wibauthuis and Post CS Gebouw.
Well it all began in a hotel, the name of which I am not at liberty to mention due to ongoing legal proceedings. It was a very large hotel, seventy-seven floors of quality accommodation and the capacity to host two internationally recognised conventions at the same time. There was my convention: The International Postcard Collectors Convention (held only once every seven years), and then there was the International Art Critics Something Something Convention (with special guest). In hindsight, my life would have been so much easier had these two conventions not been held in the same place, at the same time.
So here we are… an episode filled with a collection of memories from a Nigeria that is no longer there. Halfway through the recording, I realised there’s enough Naija material for another hundred episodes. Don’t worry, I do not plan to punish your ears in that way…
The external pressure of which I speak was introduced into my podcasting life by an individual who knows exactly who they are, and for reasons that defy all modern ethical values…
Because I had earlier done an episode on manly men and did not want to repeat the theme, I came up with an instant Plan B. How about an episode on pretending to be or do or know…
Episode extra
Here’s a link to the Storytime 360 clip (Chat-A-Leaf-Oh*) I made of the leaves that inspired this episode...😊
*Storytime 360 is where I play around with random ideas.
It was a perfectly tailored topic as I’ve been good friends with performance anxiety for a long long while. The freedom of the podcast format provided an opportunity to share an extended version of my story. Here it is...
The first segment of this episode is dedicated to the eternal battle against boredom 😁. My podcasting frequency has been pretty low for a while. True, there’s been lots to do. But… it often signifies the onset of boredom with a particular project, in this case podcasting. That said, podcasting gives me plenty of expressive freedom. I like it. And so, it’s time to move to another plan. Nothing dramatic, just a change in direction, and we’ll see where we end up. And then we have a simple sharing three examples of finely-crafted attitude. The kind of attitude that kidnaps your ego and uses it as a skipping rope. As I’m sure you can understand, we’re talking about the very best attitude there is.
Quick question: Have you ever had one of those experiences that forces you to start believing in things that, under normal circumstances, you never ever believe in? Well, during the peak of the COVID-19 shutdown, I had one such experience that was so fantastic, I believe it is only that I share it with you. The simple fact of the matter is this: There is much much much more to this world than any of us could ever imagine and, as a storyteller, it is my sworn duty to shed light as much of that stuff as possible…
The first half of this double session begins the brief worry that my podcasting momentum is gone - a false alarm, thank goodness. Then I share an ingenious idea on how best to transmit aromas through sound waves. True, there could be, and probably is, a very good reason why this has not already been done. But… why oh why should anything like that ever get in the way of one’s imagination? And then, after that… some general roundabout thoughts.
Episode extra:
C is for Contrafibularity | Blackadder The Third | BBC Comedy Greats
Charlie Chaplin | Pudding with Coin | ‘The Great Dictator’
They say Nature abhors a vacuum, and my sudden departure from the profession I loved so dearly, created a large space into which malicious and foolish gossip could thrive. Well, as I’m sure you have guessed, this episode is all about setting the record straight and clearing up the nonsense once and for all. I’ll also introduce you to a group of mice who loved Nigerian cheese and reading lengthy reports…
A few of the subjects of irritation that we’ll look into today are, getting on trains, unnecessary standing ovations, super ‘cute’ kids who think everyone’s their own personal plaything, politicians’ inability to give straight answers, people who answer your questions by quoting others, salespeople who always seem to have one or more of whatever it is they’re trying to sell you, and queue-jumpers…
Today, we look again at the city’s slow return to a new normal, the ease at which we become used to new circumstances, and how two architects may or may not have been affected by two unrelated incidents involving two different grizzly bears in the Canadian forests.
You know the one… you’re walking between points and you hear your name. Only it isn’t your name. On closer inspection, via the ears and the brain, you realise it is simply a combination of city sounds that appear to call out your name.
Sometimes the name-being-called-out situation is made even stranger by… 1. you recognise the ‘voice’ of the person calling; 2. you know the ‘person’ in question is, at that moment, in a very different part of the country; 3. the person calling out is no longer living, or… 4. the person calling out is using a quite unique method of communication… telepathy, perhaps.
This time around, rather than read out a list of words from the dictionary, the words have been carefully selected from the category English Language Arts. Listen, and be cool 😊
Photographs of the library at night. Remember, these were taken before the recent renovations.
Nine or so months ago, during one of our frequent conversations, my brother told me about this guy who lives in the neighbourhood. The man asked my brother why he was always happy and easy with life. My brother explained that the act of waking up every morning was enough to fill him with joy at being alive. Well, that snippet of conversation remained in my head; brewing, expanding, rolling round and around… until it finally grew into this little poem: 'Family'. Enjoy.
It doesn’t take long to notice the changes. Yes, people are drinking on terraces, but they’re all positioned as if placed there by a child playing with their dolls. Also, not all of the cafés are open. Some, might open later, others will not. We probably won’t notice most of the changes until next year, or the year after that.
Little Red Riding Hood, a simple tale about one girl’s adventures involving a forest, a wolf, a grandmother, and some hunters (who just ‘happened’ to be in the neighbourhood). When you look at this story with an analytical eye, does any of it make sense? Of course not! And so, with alarm bells ringing in reference to certain segments of the plot, I took to the interwebs in search of the truth… What I found, left me with no other option but to mutter out a loud: “I knew it!”
This afternoon we said our last goodbye to A.K.A. Arinze Kalu Amafor, the engine of our team, the beating heart of our collective friendship. Technically speaking, we said goodbye three days ago when the chapter of our lives that included A.K.A. as an active member came to an end. And so, today at the graveside, we said goodbye once again.
Maggie’s Moments is a fly-on-the-wall+ take of a few selected moments in the day of an overworked member of a hospital’s nursing staff. The setting is Amsterdam during a severe (though never specified) pandemic. The choice of subject arose from of a conversation with Chris de Ploeg @ Studio / K.
Right at the beginning of the Covid-19 situation, as the city began to slow down… while taking an evening stroll through Amsterdam I overheard part of a conversation that included something about someone (or someone’s) not wishing to address the elephant in the room. My mind grabbed hold of that phrase and refused to let go until I promised to research the origin of the phrase…
Episode notes:
It’s also possible to listen to this episode while watching the accompanying YouTube video.
My local supermarket seemed busier than usual. This may have had something to do with it being Christmas season (though I have yet to conduct scientific research into this matter). The point is it was very busy because only three of the five checkout counters were in use. The long lines had begun to interfere with the free flow of shoppers through the supermarket: Something had to be done… A new checkout counter was about to open, and when that happened I wanted to be first in line…
For reasons only Fate can explain, throughout life my relationship with cats has been a complex one, filled with numerous moments of anguish and misunderstanding. At times (even assisted by the United Nation’s Department of Unusual Requests) the cats and I have found a way to… not necessarily like one another, but at least accept (without prejudice) the other’s existence. And then, as is always the case, something goes wrong…
A very necessary need for a break from my computer led me to one of my standard favourite spots. Unfortunately, on a arrival, the sun was elsewhere; in what we can call spot B. That being the case, I naturally left spot A and travelled the half kilometre or so to the sunnier spot B. Unfortunately, again, on reaching spot B, I found the sun had gone off to spot A. Why?
Round about seven years ago misfortune chose to attach itself to Fizzy as he journeyed through life. Calamity followed disappointment followed misery followed disaster, and so on. And so, on a fine and sunny afternoon, Fizzy sat on the porch, head bowed towards the floor, and wondered what to do. Just as his thoughts were about to make an even darker turn, from under the chair and between his feet appeared a small green and orange beetle carrying a leaf at least twenty times its size...
Today’s episode is a small shout out to the glory years: 7, 8, 9, when everything we heard made perfect sense.
A lady’s vision, told to someone else, and then told to me, conjured up a vision from the past. A past I thought was hidden away in a little chest in a super secret spot…
Joyous shoppers, a super rat that possibly has the ability to walk upside down, a lady wearing the most beautiful face mask I have seen during this Covid-19 period, a gleeful jogger, cheese salesman with the skills and ability to sell cheese to cheese, and an enthusiastic, though not necessarily melodious, lady singing on a bicycle. Just some of the things we look at - if we want to.
Circumstances allowed me to take a couple of hours off, chilling in the Blue Teahouse (Vondel Park) and watching the world go by. Midway through my watching it became clear that I was being watched. I turned to see who was doing the watching and… Hey! I knew this lady. Actually I didn’t know her as such, she was someone I’d seen a couple of times, in different parts of the city…
A couple of years back I got to know a guy called Brutus who owns a dance club not too far from my house. Without going into too much detail, the moment he realised I was the dancer formerly known as Groove Master C, he insists I come visit the club. It has great music, a fantastic assortment of booze and, best of all, a wonderful atmosphere. At first I refused, claiming age and other things, but after a few months of pleading I gave in. Till this day I’m not sure if that was a very good thing to do…
Here you can see the King’s Day photographs from 2016 that inspired my less than successful 2020 King’s Day plan…
The King’s Day (2016) Collection
As Ray rides in the back of a limo, with his family on the way to the Presidential Gala marking the end of the war, Little Ray, his son’s best friend, looks up and asks: “Uncle Ray, what did you do to become a hero?” Ray has no idea how to answer the question, what is he supposed to tell this child?
My first meeting with Klazien van der Meer was in a supermarket line. I stood watching a holiday sunset on one of the store’s flatscreens when Klazien burst out laughing. She was wearing a rather odd pair of sunglasses at the time. I had barely finished asking myself: Why is she wearing a pair of sunglasses like that in a shop like this? When Klazien offered to let me try them on, which I did and wow! Look, it’s not fair to reveal too much in this blurb, but I can tell you this… if you ever get the opportunity to borrow or buy a pair of Sunbeamalogical® sunglasses, please do.
While cycling along from A to B I saw this really big guy - extremely overweight - strutting in that manner of a big guy who wants you to know and appreciate just incredibly big they are. You know that laid-back side-to-side rolling gait. Within seconds of seeing the guy the name/phrase ‘Big Joe’ popped into the old noggin, and I felt a story coming on. This episode is not about the finished story, rather, it’s brief look around one or two sections of my personal story-making factory…
All of a sudden I was decades back, in OMA, West 8, Neutelings... It’s competition time, which means, on the one hand, the joys of pushing your brain to the limit. But on the other hand… there was the horror of the last four days/last week of all-nighters!
A frisbee throwing couple, footballing parents and children, joggers in all shapes and sizes, as well as a couple of buggies. All this, and a bit more, in today’s episode.
Augustus Consumero loved shiny new gadgets so much he began an unboxing channel that soon became reasonably popular. In fact, some gadget makers sent Augustus free gadgets for him to unbox on his unboxing channel. All well and good, as you can imagine… until one day Augustus convinced a less unfortunate soul into occupying a spot for him (in an overnight line for a shiny new gadget). Things went south when August tried to wriggle out of paying the agreed upon fee…
My Uncle Kalu Kalu Kalu had a way of generating commotion wherever he went. So I’m sure you can all imagine how driving this same Uncle from Atlanta to LA could, possibly include one or more unusual events…
Skateboarding and tree-climbing dads, personalised keep-your-distance devices, and jumpy conversationalists are some of the items open for description…
All I had to do was head down to the southeast of the city, go to an apartment in a neighbourhood called Nellestein and water the plants. The task itself was a piece of pudding; the owner of the plants had left specific and easy-to-follow plant watering instructions, and I was finished in no time. It turned out… the difficulty was in the cycle trip home. It began with two girls on tricycles blocking my side of the cycle path. Yes, you did hear me correctly, my side of the cycle path! The rest, as can be found in court records, is history…
Walking over a bridge, midway between my position and Centraal Station, is a young lady swinging her arms in a way that conjures up images of happiness; which, in turn, reminds me of the many different ways people walk...
A couple of days ago I’m out and about, observing the Super Moon, when I turn on to Haarlemmerstraat as the clock strikes twelve midnight. That’s when events... began to move in a new and quite interesting direction.
It’s impossible to say exactly where this theme came from. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact I always get an attack of the nerves (also known as butterflies-in-the-stomach) a few minutes before recording these episodes. Whatever the case, we flit across a few examples of butterflies interfering with the general stomach vibration…
A couple of weeks after my first chat with my cousin’s dog, who should I bump into on my way out of the house? Said dog with said cousin! Once more necessary business necessitated the need for someone to dog-sit Tim-tim… that someone was once again me. However, this time around, I was more than happy to help out my cousin…
Orange grass, a fuchsia sun, square bicycle wheels, glow-in-the-dark skin are some of the possibilities available in this episode.
Jàmes Bondios has just left Stamppot by Stan Pot and walks towards his bicycle (tricked out by Maria, the technical super-genius) when the Terrible Triplets (from the previous Jàmes Bondios movie: Jàmes Bondios and Chicken Claw) appear out of nowhere (on custom built BMX bikes) and attempt to take our hero out of the running. The Terrible Triplets seems to have forgotten one thing: They are dealing with… Jàmes Bondios!
In the clubs and bars along the Zeedijk you can find Mokum citizens aged well beyond their years, knocking back healthy amounts of medicinal jenever. And why? Because they’ve had a near miss, a narrow escape… they only just avoided a visit to the mythical (though actually real) Underground Chicken Empire of Mokum. They say: No human being has ever entered the Empire and returned alive. I’m sure you can all imagine my surprise (and confusion) on waking up to find myself trussed like a… chicken in 'said' Empire!
Today it’s not so much about getting new perspective on our city’s bits and pieces. Instead it has more to do with certain memories conjured up by what we see. Listen on and you’ll hear what I mean…
In today’s episode we learn how my aversion to gurus (of the attention-seeking sort) might have something to do with the fact once upon a time, I desperately wished to become a guru, I tried my best to become a guru, and then, finally on the day I accidentally became a guru (through no fault of my own) I realised this whole guru, guruism guruology, guruatric scene was not quite my cup of ginger ale!
This time, inspired by the creed: Nature abhors a vacuum, we let the imagination run free and have a go at adding a few extra bits and pieces to a very empty Amsterdam. A bit of rethinking here, a sprinkle of redesign over there… Ideas included in this podcast include what we could do with Damrak, the possibility of adding a super-swing to A’dam Tower, and an exquisite floating park on the north side of the River IJ…
Rest assured we’re not getting Oprah-heavy or going to reveal our deepest, oddest secrets; nothing like that. Instead, think of this episode as a preamble ramble about (some of) our feelings.
It all began on a Sunday morning, when my cousin Osita, came by with his dog Tim-tim and large box of Wholly Nourishing Doggie McCrunch-chrunch snacks. An all-day urgent business appointment with clients who were not fans of dogs meant someone needed to keep Tim-tim company. That someone turned out to me.
A drone transportable ‘follow-you-everywhere’ television; fully programmable automatic cooking gloves; a mood sensing Mood Mattress; jet-powered shoes to help you walk really really fast. What’s not to like, what’s not to want.
Eleven years back I was in the United States. Five days of business took me from Charlotte, North Carolina to Atlanta, Georgia; Birmingham, Alabama; Memphis Tennessee, and finally down to Jackson, Mississippi. I could have flown from city to city: The company was more than willing to cover the costs, but I chose to drive, because that way I got to see some of those in-between spots that never make it into the tourist brochures and, I like to think, catch a glimpse of what life is like in those places.
A bit of freestyle, riverside chit chat (on a sunny afternoon) about creativity and the mind having space in which it can flourish. Don’t worry, nothing heavy duty here…
What could be simpler, more straightforward than going out on a sunny Sunday morning to catch a tram? Many other things, it turns out. Instead of an uneventful trip from A to B and back again, I was forced to confront a tracksuit wearing gentleman, his tracksuit clad partner, their child (who may well have been related to the Devil) and a little old lady with a little fluffy white dog. It was all too much…
The current sense of change in the air released a way back memory from my school days when forces, greater than any individual pupil, made us cross previously unexplored territory…
At exactly the same moment (Universal Time) two wannabe-famous-on-YouTubers posted their comments on an actually-famous-on-YouTuber’s clothing. It is hard to believe, even though it is technically a fact, how the coincidental similarity between the snide comment from 4W In the House and the equally spiteful pronouncement from Not-Marvin Gaye would lead to the near collapse of society!
We open in the bustling interior of Stamppot by Stan Pot, an exclusive stamppot restaurant in the centre of Amsterdam. It’s one of those places where the price includes the opportunity to eat delicious stamppot in an extremely cosy-to-the-point-of-uncomfortable establishment. It is here, we find not only our man Jàmes Bondios, but also a number of other up-to-no-good swarthy chaps, all harbouring bad intentions between their ears. Though swarthy and bad-intentioned as these men were, they had failed to consider the considerable survival skills of Jàmes Bondios…
Jàmes Bondios in Tulip Head is Chidi Chidonicus production of a Chidi Chidonicus film of a Chidi Chidonicus story about a man called Jàmes Bondios.
Now that the sun is out, and because these podcasts are made while strolling around the city, I thought it only fair 😊 to share pictures of my routes between A and B.
City walkabout: Sunday, March 22, 2020
What should have been a straightforward journey home, from Rotterdam to Amsterdam, turned into a brought daylight nightmare. My nerves were jangled multiple times and, depending on your point of view, I battled within an inch of my life.
Small-wheeled bicycles, sleeping canal boats, the redesign of the front of Centraal Station, and the St. Nicolaaskerk are just some of the topics discussed in this episode.
Today, we look at some of the ingredients that make our man who he is. Born in Mexico, in a village we are not permitted to mention; son of Jàmes Bondios, who was also son of Jàmes Bondios, et cetera. Equipped with the highest quality of technological gadgets, provided by ‘M’ Maria, a creative and technological genius. His suit, that is much more than a suit alone, is by Jesus. And yes, he has a catchphrase, a simple sequence of words we’ll get to know soon enough…
Episode 32 extras images relating to three of the anecdotes shared in this episode. https://www.chidi.org/episode-32-extras
Begijnhof, Amsterdam - https://www.amsterdamoudestad.nl/bezienswaardigheden/bezienswaardigheden-oude-binnenstad/begijnhof
Well with that in mind, here are a few thoughts on my version of the ‘discussion… what is, or is not, useful?
I will understand if, having listened to my retelling of the events that took place on the said Sunday, you refuse to believe a word. Well, I can empathise with such a position, and so all I ask is that you try to listen with your ears and mind wide open.
One week ago the Covid-19 outbreak caused Amsterdam, like many other towns and cities around the world, to hit the brakes. A rapid reduction in activity: Fewer people and less traffic on the streets, more greetings, empty shelves in the supermarkets, and an inescapable sense of uncertainty…
The first incident involves my introduction to an annual phenomenon that took place at the Bijenkorf department store. The Drie Dwaze Dagen was a crazy shopping sale that encouraged the strangest behaviour in usually calm citizens. The second is a recollection of the chaos caused when the Nigerian government changed the colours of the Naira banknotes - in an attempt to combat forgery - and gave everyone a limited time in which to exchange the old money for new.
This episode introduces us to a great anti-dog defence, to the alleged inventor of the word ‘Yo!’, a formerly (and actually still) unknown member of the Beatles, a 12 year old kid who could consume a huge number of pancakes and milkshake then take multiple trips in an amusement park ride and not barf…
Believe it or not, part of the answer to above lies in this simple nugget of wisdom: If you are not very good at drinking, and choose to go out with people who are very very good at drinking, it makes sense that (before the drinking begins) you come to some kind of safety agreement…
Well... inspired by that kid’s words, I went out, bought some running gear, and the next morning headed into Westerpark for my first jog. Without dropping spoilers left and right, I can tell you the experience of my early-morning-jog-in-the park quite possibly changed me in ways I have still to discover.
My take on the theme ‘The day everything changed’ is a story about the anti-depressive effects of an early Oprah Winfrey Show!
Right now, many of us are probably experiencing a very different, very new, and thought provoking experience.
Covid-19 is giving some of us the heebie jeebies and that’s all right. I just felt the need to share a few thoughts.
Oh and rest easy, this isn’t going to become a hardcore, deep thinking session. It’s just me standing under a willow tree, in the rain, with a microphone, throwing around a couple of why’s. Also, there’s a reference to a guy called Malcom Muggeridge: way way back he hosted a show called The Question Why.
After taking out the rubbish I took a stroll ‘around the block’ and ended up at a very empty Dam Square.
It’s impossible to say precisely where all my stories come from, but I can tell you a lot of them begin with a single sentence or phrase. Today’s phrase is: “Well that’s a mighty fine piece of Chicken!”
This particular episode is dedicated to everyone in a hurry, who can no longer remember exactly why they’re rushing around; to everyone with too much to do and too little time in which to do it; to everyone in a state of stress because an imagined danger or pitfall is waiting just a round some future; to everyone who, on Friday, finds themselves wondering what happened to Thursday, Wednesday, Tuesday, and Monday…
Sometimes, in this life of dashing back and forth and right and left, we’re allowed to slow down for a moment and listen to ourselves. Well… today… I’m going to try and help you do just that while listening to me read out some very fine words from the dictionary.
The first time I met Thingie was here in the park. The second time as well. And the third, fourth, fifth… in fact every time I’ve seen Thingie, it’s been here in the park.
!
The original Thingie mentioned in this episode is located at lat. 52.3594 - long. 4.9516, and the referenced clip here.
Also, I was correct about the artist’s name: Piet Parra, and the real name of Thingie is ‘Anxiety Bunny’.
Everything was fine upstairs until I entered one room that was simply too much for my spirit. We left, or was that fled? And I returned home with a flock of WTF?s flapping around my heart. What’s with the artist? I wondered. How did they reach there? And… just to be clear, the fact I couldn’t handle a piece of art says nothing about the art in question, and everything about my reaction to it. But you can hear about all that in this episode.
Today’s episode was inspired by one of those moments when you, and the person walking towards you both try to get out of the way but somehow end up mirroring one another’s movements. The laughter that followed our temporary confusion put me in a very good mood!
The oncoming Storm Ciara, and all the atmosphere of light panic that precedes it made me peek into the matter of fear that is much bigger than ourselves.
While standing at a point of higher elevation - a simple task here in The Netherlands where ‘flatness’ is generally seen as the way to go - and looking down over the city, my mind filled with thoughts and memories about the desire to fly. Well here they are, or at least some of those thoughts…
Well, the good news is… I do not have a specific remedy for unfreezing the mind. And the even better news is that it does not matter, which is why, today, we’re going to talk about paralysis - not the medical kind, but the paralysis that gets in the way of doing stuff.
A mad meteorological day in the middle of Amsterdam, together with the accompanying general weather complaints from some citizens, inspired a number of jolly thoughts and memories about acting, looking or imagine ones to be important. And bear in mind, no one is claiming importance doesn’t have the right to be important, all I’m saying is that, under the right circumstances, importance can bring a smile to our faces…
What is manly manliness all about, and is it still necessary in today’s world? Personally I don’t think so; but then again, I don’t have the final say on what is or is not necessary…
A gentle, early morning stroll along the Nieuwendijk filled with a bit of looking-in-shop-window moments commentary, and a few other bits and pieces…
Have you ever begun a project, a story, developed an idea… and just as you’re picking up creative steam you realise it’s all wrong? You are heading in the wrong direction. This is usually an internal process, however, in the case of this podcast, (where there are already six episodes of not-quite-the-right-directioness) I need to perform an on-mic change of direction and approach. The original idea behind Just About Now was spontaneous observation and reflection, but for various reasons I raced off down a very noisy path. Fortunately, just before the content began to suffocate in its own absurdity I saw the ‘light’ 😊