Kevin Tiller

I have a friend who is a frequent user of twitter and often encourages me to use twitter. But I am struggling, I am not sure I get “it” even though I am often an early adopter of technology – call me a twitter sceptic.

But I think I get blogs (started using Blogger on the homepage of CoolRunning Australia in 2000) which was well before it hit the mainstream.

For me I like the idea of a blog to capture the state of my mind at this moment in time – maybe to leave a record to my kids of the sort of person I was. Or for myself if I lose my marbles and want to re-find who I once was. At least to me that sounds like a convincing argument for keeping a blog. I have a personal website but suspect it needs more explanation. I also find that when I write, assuming I am not stressed out, it helps me sort out the sounds in my own mind (there is always a lot happening up there but its too noisy to make much sense).

I have also decided to not write comments on my own blog eg responding to previous comments, but will address them in future posts.

So a couple comments:
1) Plu asked for a photo of my Kayak. Technically its a “sit on” hence you might imagine that in the big sea it will be hard work. That day I was riding a Squid but I have 4 Kayaks – others include an Ocky and a cuttlefish.
2) Great Gatsby – sorry I didn’t like it. It is part of a concerted effort to read some more “classics”. I’d heard of the book many years ago but actually thought it was about a hotel called the Gatsby (for some reason) and it was only when I read the back of it that I realised it was on something else totally:

It came across as rich things with too much money and I couldn’t get into it. Or maybe I put up a mental wall so I couldn’t get into it. One of my mantras in life has been “I don’t wanna hear about what the rich are doing, I don’t wanna go to where the rich are going, They think they’re so clever, they think they’re so right, But the truth is only known by guttersnipes” or maybe I have successfully brainwashed myself into thinking that. Anyway life’s too short to worry aboutt bad books, there’s millions more out there to read.
i recently read the White tiger book as I am a total fanboy for stuff on India and China. I liked it.
3) Serena asked if I had read Vernon God Little – I haven’t but have listened to an interview with the author and would like to read it sometime. In general I don’t read many fiction books, usually prefer non-fiction, or pseudo non-fiction.

On the running front I ran down the street with the dog today, so its likely I will be able to start off slowly “soon”. if not tomorrow. In general if I get injured I am happy to come back slowly to make sure its healed properly.

Here are some of the Youtube videos I watched when I was doing the washing up last night – it’s a bit of an eclectic mix:

• Horse feathers “curs”
• Billy Bragg – Carpenters v Bob Dylan
• NME Video: Billy Bragg at SXSW 2008
• Show of Hands “Roots”
• Angelic Upstarts – Loneliness Of The Long distance Runner
• Dub Pistols and Terry Hall performing ‘Gangsters’ live
• Sonic Youth – Candle
• All the Young Dudes/Jean Genie – David Bowie & Billy Corgan
• Mott the Hoople: All the Young dudes
• placebo – the bitter end
• placebo – running up that hill
• Knockin On Heavens Door – Antony & The Johnsons
• placebo – bigmouth strikes again

This was originally on my blog on CoolRunning and I had a few comments:

runrosierun – I have the same problem with Twitter. I’ve tried a couple of times but I just don’t get it.

Fred – Mott the Hoople!!! All the Young Dudes!!! Thanks for the reminder of this great song.

rachinaus – You are right Kev…life is too short for bad fiction – which is why I gave up always trying to finish a book if I genuinely didn’t like it – its also why I never understand people rationing a book they enjoy so it will last longer – I mean there are so many great books no one will ever read them all in a life time.

I also agree about Gatsby and the rich but I was always intrigued by the sub text of old money versus new money. Jay Gatsby never ‘belongs’ in this book because he ‘made’ his money. What he yearns for is not just Daisy – it is the life they represent – even with money he cannot have it because he had to earn the money and is a self made man.

I think maybe this can strike a chord for any one who has felt that they are not quite part of the society they are in – or the one they want to be in. But also to want what you cannot have is an affliction that affects more than just the rich I think – OK I promise to stop commenting about Gatsby.

Hmmm – the book stuff always engages me – maybe that’s why I’m giving up my job in the new year to open a bookshop

tim – I gave twitter a good go. I found the most interesting people I could. I read their tweets each night. It became a chore. i like blogs. I like this blog. It has a range of topics with cool links and is about someone I know quite well. Twitter is just too short to have any quality to it. I sometimes wonder if we as a society just love new things.

serena – I agree with everyone re twitter. I gave it a shot. My thinking is that I will keep up with all the social network stuff so I can stay up to date on what the kids are into, but twitter made my brain get sucked out of my head and into the ether. I had to keep patting the latest Vanity Fair for reassurance that people aren’t that boring everywhere (although the thing that made me squirm was seeing how boring my own ‘tweets’ were).
Kevin I was sorting through my books that have to be moved (I have hundreds; a book junkie) and stumbled upon The Great Gatsby. I wouldn’t have opened it but thought of this blog and had a look at it was filled with notes from year 12 Lit TAE exam, a little trip back in time.