This wasn’t the note I planned, I wanted to return to Susan Sontag and metaphors, but time has run out on me for the day, so you’re spared that.

iPod Shuffle

I found my old iPod Shuffle from my running days. Charged up, it still works perfectly, unlike my knees. The music on it is a 36 minute selection I put together for a 5k run goodness knows how many years ago. The tracks were selected either for their rhythm or to sing along to or both. I used to do 5ks in around 28 minutes (plodder, I know) and the music was designed to give me a final uplift (Springsteen) before an uptempo one to cross the line (Ramones). The last two tracks were celebratory then a wind down. The playlist is:

Madison Blues – George Thorogood
Amerykahn Promise – Erykah Badu
Don’t Fear the Reaper – Blue Oyster Cult
Sharp Dressed Man – ZZ Top
Immigrant Song – Led Zeppelin
Pyjamarama – Roxy Music
Radio Nowhere – Bruce Springsteen
Rockaway Beach – The Ramones
Sheila-na-gig – PJ Harvey
Peace Train – Cat Stevens.

Tooons

Anyway, bored with Pink Floyd after only two days, I thought I’d use this on my cycle this morning. I’d forgotten how uptempo some of this stuff was 🙂 I rode 18 minutes (to the end of Sharp Dressed Man) at a faster pace than the last couple of days. It was great!

This afternoon was dominated by a power nap and re-reading Susan Sontag, this evening, after my walk, I wrote my 1970s music post on Jimi Hendrix’s Band of Gypsys.

Foot of Clermiston Road

My walk was very quiet, as you’d expect. There were a few, but not many, people out walking their dogs or just taking the air. We all nodded and said hello even as we all gave each other a polite body swerve.

Most of the traffic seemed to be delivery vehicles. A Glasgow Express bus went past, empty except for the driver as far as I could tell. A local bus had only one passenger, an old fellow with a bag of shopping. At the bus stop at the foot of the hill there was only one person waiting, a nurse judging by her outfit. When the bus came she was the only passenger on it.

The cycling is obviously paying off even after only three days–I walked up the hill a whole minute faster than I was managing a couple of weeks ago.

Temperature this evening 36.2°, in my normal reptilian range.

Here’s something to sooth you to sleep.