So Long Leonard Cohen...

There will be more moving and coherent tributes paid to Leonard Cohen than these ramblings, but the news of his death earlier this week genuinely moved me.

I was a late convert to Cohen, thanks to a former girlfriend, and his music, lyrics and wry sense of self-deprecating humour have offered me peace, wisdom and entertainment for nearly two decades. His career has obviously lasted much longer than that, but the great thing about coming to any fanboy party late is that there is more material to enjoy.

Various Positions and I'm Your Man were my entrees to Cohen's music, then I started listening to his earlier work. His last CD, You Want it Darker, is a pleasure I have yet to enjoy but it's purchased and is ready to go.

I plan to wait until I have a quiet hour with just me, the cat and a glass of wine before pressing play, though. I want to savour the moment.

As you'd expect from a great lyricist and an acclaimed poet and novelist, Cohen was also a great story-teller. My favourite Cohen story related to his meeting with Janis Joplin and the story was often told as a prelude to the song, Chelsea Hotel.

In Cohen's own words:

'This is a story that I tell every time I sing this song and I'm going to keep on telling it as long as I'm singing. It's a story about a young woman that I met in an elevator in a hotel in New York City. One of the greatest singers that I ever heard. I was wandering around all night. That was a great elevator, you know. It was only about four feet wide. It was the very hub of my social activity. I didn't get around very much, but sometimes I'd meet somebody in that elevator. Around three in the morning, I used to see this other dismal person in this elevator. And I looked into her eyes. She avoided my eyes and it became clear to me that she wasn't looking for me. She was looking for Kris Kristofferson. I said, 'I am Kris Kristofferson.' She said, 'I thought you were a lot taller.' I said, 'I am a lot taller but it's just photography.' And the truth be told, I wasn't looking for her; she was a kind of sad-looking girl with knotty, curling hair and a very bad complexion. I wasn't looking for her. I said, 'Well, the truth be told, I'm looking for the granddaughter of Mae West.' She didn't even exist. And one thing lead to another. Well, we found ourselves together. And it was a long time later after she died that I wrote this song for her. Her name was Janis Joplin. It was at the Chelsea Hotel.'

Thanks Leonard. You are Kris Kristofferson. And remain so much more.

Blue Belt...

 

I attended a grading at my BJJ school this weekend and I got my blue belt.

To say I was chuffed is an understatement. I never take any belt promotion for granted, but I felt as though I'd had a solid year where some techniques and strategies were starting to bed in.

My guard and guard attacks are better than they were, I'd added an overhook guard and attacks into the mix, I have some half guard technique, and I'm slowly learning to transition between all three positions. Much else is still pretty woeful, but there are signs if life. 

More importantly, my instructors thought so and I am now promoted. 

Getting a new belt is always daunting as you have to rise to the challenge, but it's also important not to be too worried. 

It's the same journey and the same path. It just means you've hit a different road sign telling you where you are. So I am pleased, humbled and nervous. But I'm well happy, too.

And I can now use wristlocks!

Bad Husband Points...

Work is unbearable at the moment: a new editorial system that is not fit for purpose and a heavier workload are creating a huge amount of increased stress. I am unhappy and tired and it is not good.

On the plus side, I have the Missus. She went through a similar thing several years ago and she's been ace. I am aware, though, that I have been an absent husband for a few weeks now. Even worse, I have not been a particularly present one when not absent.

So this weekend, I got my shit together and engaged: two cooked breakfasts and two cooked meals later and I have earnt some Good Husband Points to balance out all the Bad Husband Points I'd been steadily amassing.

I am confident my marriage will survive many worse and more serious tests than this current corporate non-lubed arse-fuckery. I'm just not sure my sanity will.

OWWLOW News...

The Other Woman Who Loves Other Women has emigrated to live in the USA with her wife. I was sad to see her leave. We've not only trained hapkido together for more than a decade, but we're also friends. She remains one of the best people I know.

She also puts up with my constantly flirty nonsense and filth and, I'm pleased to report, an ocean between us hasn't diminished her ability to do that.

There are not many women I could refer to as 'a fine bit of booty' or 'world-class trim' and not get slapped. I bloody love her. And I miss her, too.

But I'm delighted she's happy and she's taken the chance to do something amazing like pack up in the UK and have a go somewhere else. Her courage and her passion for life continues to amaze, impress and inspire even when she's an ocean away.

Zante: Part V...

Bloody addictive mobile phone games!

No sooner have I weaned myself off Scrabble and Countdown, then I download Wordbrain... and, by Jimminy Cricket, it is bloody addictive.

It's essentially a wordfinder where the letters forming the identified linked words drop away from a grid once you have found the word. The depleted grid then offers new possibilities. Clear one 4x4 or 5x5 grid, then start another.

I currently have the brain of a whale according to the game's rating system. This is probably not a compliment...

Honky Tonk Samurai...

I am a long-time lover of the work of hardbitten-cum-offbeat thriller writer Joe R Lansdale. I thought The Bottoms and Cold in July were grimly fabulous, and I have also dipped into his short stories.

My favourite novels by him, though, are the Hap and Leonard books, which chronicle the misadventures of East Texas disaster magnets and best pals Hap Collins and Leonard Pine.

Honky Tonk Samurai is the ninth full-length novel featuring the duo, who have also starred in a couple of novellas, and it's a cracking story, littered with all the usual smart and funny dialogue and bizarre plot twists you'd expect.

Reading this book was like catching up with two old friends whose company you always enjoy, and I'm looking forward to our next hook-up when the next novel is out.

I'll also be catching up with online TV series on Amazon, too.

Love these guys.

Zante: Part IV....

'You're a sexy lady,
I'm a sexy man,
I may not have too much money,
But I treat you the best I can...'

I have just got out of the shower after a day on the beach and I am serenading the Missus. I am being romantic. I am all allure. She, however, thinks otherwise.

'I am reading a tragic book about a dying man. You can't sing, your rhyme structure sucks... and put some fucking clothes on!'

This was not the response I was looking for. I may dress as a plumber next time I am doing the romance. That always works in the films I watch.

Zante: Part III...

My cultural highlight of the holiday in Greece so far has been a trip to Olympus, site of the original Olympic Games in Ancient Greece.

It's essentially a museum-cum-ongoing-outdoor-excavation-site, a bit like The Forum in Rome, and it's very impressive.

From the demolished temples, to the workshop of sculptor Pheidias, to the arena where the games were contested, it's a fascinating place.

My favourite place was the Palaistra, an area where the wrestlers, boxers and Pankration fighters trained. I even did some punching and kicking drills to get into the spirit of it.

My favourite non-cultural thing a game I invented called Sneaky Bum Touch. This involves subtely touching the bum of your other half when they are not expecting it. Additional points are gained for Sneaky Cock Touch or Sneaky Fanny Touch. This may be the new Pokemon-go! Or Poke-a-man/ho!

Zante: Part II...

I am reading again and it is an utter joy. Although joy may not be the right word considering I am reading about crime and punishment in London, thanks to Catherine Arnold's excellent history on the subject, and the history of syphilis, thanks to Claude Quetel's book.

The Missus did suggest the latter was not appropriate holiday reading, but it's fascinating.

A lot of the moral and social arguments about sexually transmitted diseases in 16th and 17th century Europe were rooted in religious bigotry. It's disturbing to note that we don't seem to have come very far in the 21st century in that respect either.

Zante: Part I...

Me and the Missus are finally on holiday. I say 'finally' because it's been 20 long months since we last had a two-week break.

Our destination is a boutique hotel in a far-away corner of the Ionian island of Zante. It is beautiful and I can see us returning here.

The first thing I note is how long it takes me to fully unwind. It's at least four days. This is bad and it makes me realise how corporate-damaged I'd become at work, operating under continued and ever-increasing pressure in a toxic environment. I can't alter the environment as it's too entrenched, but the long and unrewarded hours are not continuing when I return.

The second thing I realise is that I have done virtually no playwrighting this year. I've done plenty of freelance writing work for money, but I have done little of my own stuff. This changes when I get back.

Finally, I have read one book this year. That will also change as I begin to read again this holiday.

Funeral Rites: Part I...

The Missus' stepfather died a few weeks ago, so we headed to Aylesbury for the funeral. 

The service was very moving and the church was packed, then we headed to the cemetery for the burial. 

Merrick, the stepfather, was Jamaican and he arrived in the UK in the late 1940s on the second boat after the Windrush. So there was a filling-in at the graveside, which means that friends and family complete the burial after the coffin is lowered into the grave and they shovel the earth into the hole, then decorate the grave. 

I'd never seen this before and it was both alien and very moving. My brother-in-law, who was very close to Merrick, joined in with this process. 

Then it was off to the wake and a joyous night listening to reggae, roots, dancehall and ska because Merrick was not only a DJ but also a major music fan and record-buyer. 

It was a moving day and a fabulous goodbye party. Merrick was a lovely fella and he'll be missed. I'll be listening to Joe Turner this week and thinking of you. Rest in peace.

Things Young People Say: Part I...

I have learnt a new phrase. This is 'Facepalms'. It's apparently something that people say when they are exasperated and it represents a person holding his head in his hands. 

I've decided I can do young people's words, too. So here is my first entry:
Anklebum: This applies when you've put your foot in it and it's worse than a little embarrassing. It means you've put your foot in it and you're nearly in the shit. 

It's probably not my best work. But others will be.

Sentences I Never Thought I'd Hear: Part VI...

'I'd like to fist you like a human glove puppet. While wearing a gauntlet from a suit of armour. With a lance still in its hand.'

Sentences I Never Thought I'd Hear: Part V...

'I'd like to shit in your mouth, then sew your lips shut.'

Sentences I Never Thought I"d Hear: Part IV...

'You look so old. You're even wearing MC Hammer pants.'

Sentences I Never Thought I'd Hear: Part III...

'It's a complete shambles organised by cunts!'

Sentences I Never Thought I'd Hear: Part II...

'The difference is that in my current job I've never had a sweaty 60-year-old man strip me naked and ejaculate all over me. But the way things are going, it could happen...'

Competition Time...

Last year, I missed the BJJ Surrey Open through injury, so I was delighted to be turning up to compete at this year's event. Even better, I was in the correct age category with two other fighters who were born before 1970.

I'd put a solid couple of months of training into preparing for this and I was about as injury-free as I get these days. I'd also been really careful about making weight in the months leading up to the event, so I didn't have to lose excessive amounts in the weeks before it, and I made 181 lbs with something to spare.

My key goal at this event was to not make stupid mistakes and try to attack more, and I think I did that. 

In the first fight, I pulled guard from the off and threatened chokes from there, then got mount, tried an Ezekiel choke, spun into an armbar, got back to mount and finished with an Ezekiel choke. Although a decade older than me, my opponent was stupidly strong and was a karate fighter with 30 years experience. But I got into a dominant position and I didn't relinquish it.

In the second fight, I tried to pull guard and managed half guard. I threatened a loop choke at one point, but it was very much a game of me not managing to establish full guard or launch any meaningful offence from half, while he moved into better positions, which meant I was playing positional escape and trying to re-guard. I didn't get submitted, but he beat me by a lot of points. His frame and movement was very good and he was better than I was. 

Overall, though, I was pretty pleased with today. I'm never going to be a really aggressive or exceptional grappler, but I can be a solid one and today I felt OK to be competing again. It was also good to meet two more grapplers in the olds category.

On the mats, I'll have better days than this and I'll have worse days than this. The trick is to just keep having days and to keep learning. I think that's the right attitude.

Sentences I Never Thought I'd Hear: Part I...

'They haven't gone back to that chlamydia thing again, have they?' 

Cooking Up a Storm...

I am currently in creative thinking mode as I prepare to write the next Tech Virgin column for Metro. I always want to make them quite funny, so I'm currently working my way through a whole heap of cookery-related gags because the next one is on kitchen gadgets. 

I've been in pun mode so I'm working on variations of The Naked Chef and so far have only come up with the following: 
The Naked Ref 
The Naked Geoff 
The Naked Unicef 
The Naked Clef 
The Naked Deaf 

I am also re-using the famous line from Johnny Craddock about 'making scones that look like Fanny's'. I probably need to up my game.