http://www.mikesowden.org/feveredmutterings Lurching and Stumbling Towards A Life on the Road Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:39:57 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en We're midway into my ten ways to break the ice with strangers when you're travelling - and now it's time to play the fool. HOOK 1. Let Them In 2. Act American 3. Best Foot Forward LINE 4. Invite, Don’t Drag 5. Channel Your Inner Numpty 6. Assume Nothing Except Your Own Ignorance 7. Tickle ... http://www.mikesowden.org/feveredmutterings/breaking-the-ice-line#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed It's been nearly a year since I accidentally deleted my blog and had to start all over again. Here's everything that's happened at Fevered Mutterings (v4.0) since that glorious day of rampant stupidity for which I am rightly proud. A year's worth: most of it original, some stolen from my archives; ... http://www.mikesowden.org/feveredmutterings/big-list-2009#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed I'm leant against the car, gasping, giggling, sucker-punched by the cold. Around me, the landscape is motionless and brittle. The tops of trees have exploded as the wind tried to bend them.  Overhead, dirty clouds boil past like timelapse photography. The rock-strewn ground is so hard you expect it to ... http://www.mikesowden.org/feveredmutterings/olympus#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed I have two new favourite TV shows. One of them caught me completely by surprise. The unsurprising one is Caprica. That was never going to surprise me. They had me, all the way, by the fact that it was the prequel to my favourite television show of all time. Caprica could have ... http://www.mikesowden.org/feveredmutterings/caprica-sgu#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed I'm over here this evening, flying the flag for cities and wondering where they'll take us. I've have only one major issue with cities: they inspired these excruciatingly awful lyrics. Guilty as hell. "Concrete jungle where dreams are made of?"  Say again? (No, actually don't say again. Thanks). http://www.mikesowden.org/feveredmutterings/cities-exciting-but-guilty#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed Modern writers have a problem, and it's called The World. It's noisy and distracting. The solution is simple...destroy it. More on that in a minute. First, some basics. Define "writing": Me, I reckon it's - a process where words are put together in arrangements that elegantly and efficiently convey meaning. (This means Dan Brown isn't technically ... http://www.mikesowden.org/feveredmutterings/destroying-the-world#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed So that's how. Image: Mike Sowden. http://www.mikesowden.org/feveredmutterings/how-spiders-catch-rain#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed The road is a lonely place. Everyone's a stranger. You long to connect with someone, anyone, but the odds are stacked against you. You're in too much of a hurry to engage in social bonding rituals like feasting and hanging out. There's the natural coolness in the air. And hey, you're ... http://www.mikesowden.org/feveredmutterings/breaking-the-ice-hook#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed It's easy. Simply climb that hill on the right. All photos M. Sowden, June 2007. The final photo (Flickr page here) is currently being used by Lonely Planet. http://www.mikesowden.org/feveredmutterings/athens-stomach-punch#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed It's all in the comments, folks. http://www.mikesowden.org/feveredmutterings/what-are-blog-comments-for#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed