I have just finished reading Ashes to Admin by Evie King. I had to specially order it from Waterstones. Part way through the book, for the first time for any book, I was thinking that this is a book that Waterstones should have in stock and on display. I was thinking of approaching John B in Waterstones and offering to underwrite the cost of 10 books – if he orders them and offer them for sale, I would buy any unsold and gift at Christmas. That is how much I was enjoying the book.
I learnt of the book from the Death Studies Podcast and do recommend a listen of the chat with Evie King. It definitely shortened my early morning drive a few weeks back.
I have stopped writing notes on the flysheets of my books – now, I have a notebook page folded into each and every book that I have read with my notes and observations. These include words that are new to me – Evie King introduced me to bodged; badinage; shonky; yomp; yoots; and Dunbar’s number. I am glad that as I write this two of those are new to Microsoft word as well – it is always good when one is not alone.
There was one expression early in the book that stayed with me
‘ … death is more than expected, it is guaranteed. Should our brains slip up momentarily, say when passing a graveyard or funeral home, and remind us of this, our ultimate fate, we rally, assure ourselves that it won’t be for a very long time. We dye our hair to fool ourselves into believing that this time is even further away than it is, a time which is so far removed from the moment we are inhabiting right now that it bears no relevance. But one day, the here and now will meet the long way off, and they will become one and the same moment. What will that moment look like?’
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Eighteen months ago, I was dead. Without consulting me, CPR and defibrillation restored a beating heart and I am here to continue blogging – even I still have not written a digital will (read the book on that one….)
Maybe that event has made me relate more to the words. ‘But one day, the here and now will meet the long way off, and they will become one and the same moment.’. Reading that sentence brought be back years to when I first learned of the graffiti at Paddington Station – Far Away Is Close At Hand In Images Of Elsewhere which was applied 1974; was demolished in 1981; and reapplied in the 1980s before being removed again in 2004.
I never saw the graffiti – only images of it. It did resonate. It lodged in the grey matter. In mid 2000’s, as a supporter of Munster, I was active on Munsterfans. I had the words as my tagline – Far Away Is Close At Hand In Images Of Elsewhere.
Maybe that event has made me relate more to the words. ‘But one day, the here and now will meet the long way off, and they will become one and the same moment.’. Reading that sentence brought be back years to when I first learned of the graffiti at Paddington Station – Far Away Is Close At Hand In Images Of Elsewhere which was applied 1974; was demolished in 1981; and reapplied in the 1980s before being removed again in 2004.
I never saw the graffiti – only images of it. It did resonate. It lodged in the grey matter. In mid 2000’s, as a supporter of Munster, I was active on Munsterfans. I had the words as my tagline – Far Away Is Close At Hand In Images Of Elsewhere.
Photo from theawl.com
For the last 15 years or so I have not been a regular on the Munsterfans Forum. I did wonder if that was still the tagline – it is not and has been replaced with
"When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies? Perhaps to be too practical is madness. To surrender dreams, this may be madness. To seek treasure where there is only trash. Too much sanity may be madness. But maddest of all -- to see life as it is, and not as it should be!"
I could not remember the source of that tagline. Web search revealed it was from Man of La Mancha – Dream the Impossible Dream, fight the unbeatable foe, bear the unbearable sorrow, and run where the brave dare not go, and all that.
Both of those taglines reflect me – then and now. If I were still an active Munsterfans Forum participant, I would be tempted to change the tagline to ‘But one day, the here and now will meet the long way off, and they will become one and the same moment. What will that moment look like?’
Recommendation enough.
"When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies? Perhaps to be too practical is madness. To surrender dreams, this may be madness. To seek treasure where there is only trash. Too much sanity may be madness. But maddest of all -- to see life as it is, and not as it should be!"
I could not remember the source of that tagline. Web search revealed it was from Man of La Mancha – Dream the Impossible Dream, fight the unbeatable foe, bear the unbearable sorrow, and run where the brave dare not go, and all that.
Both of those taglines reflect me – then and now. If I were still an active Munsterfans Forum participant, I would be tempted to change the tagline to ‘But one day, the here and now will meet the long way off, and they will become one and the same moment. What will that moment look like?’
Recommendation enough.
