Life Less Literary - Dan Sumption lives here - Latest Comments

Re: About

dansumption — Thu, 07 Nov 2013 13:22:08 -0000

I realise that. A title should always lie, a little. The subtitle, I think, actually refers to the group as "Francophone artists", which is closer to the truth though still incorrect as I know about half of the folks in the photo are English & mainly there to enjoy a good opening night, as we used to be able to do in those pre-austerity days :-)

Re: About

Andrew — Thu, 07 Nov 2013 13:08:49 -0000

Id like to state for the record that the beautiful picture u took for your banner is not of French artists, but a wholly international group of which I am one. And I'm English. Bald guy looking right, talking to a woman. Who was Bolivian. Maybe.

Re: Education for Leisure

arghhhh — Thu, 29 Aug 2013 05:56:08 -0000

I hate people that just use places where they can post and just try and piss everyone else that is actually trying to find some great info from actual smart people. everyone that just swears and uses inappropriate language on posts just completely annoys me and they are actual dumb people who have nothing better to do then annoy people studying poems.

Re: Education for Leisure

inappropriate — Thu, 29 Aug 2013 05:51:12 -0000

I think this comment should be flagged |>

Re: Education for Leisure

cam — Thu, 29 Aug 2013 00:15:42 -0000

Re: Education for Leisure

Genevieve Revell — Thu, 29 Aug 2013 00:15:32 -0000

omg im so hung up on kale i want to die

Re: Education for Leisure

chickeneater229331324 — Thu, 29 Aug 2013 00:13:55 -0000

Fuck you fat cunt kill urself

Re: Education for Leisure

cam — Thu, 29 Aug 2013 00:12:44 -0000

i dont think that is appropriate cam

Re: Education for Leisure

Sam Herrman — Thu, 29 Aug 2013 00:11:32 -0000

i want to smash carol ann duffy right in her tight bum.

Re: Education for Leisure

gen — Wed, 28 Aug 2013 23:54:20 -0000

your mum

Re: Reading Fast and Slow

Niso — Wed, 24 Jul 2013 07:30:16 -0000

You could add Adler's " How to read a book. It helped me studying better

Re: Metafilter Sucks

GG — Fri, 21 Jun 2013 07:08:47 -0000

Metafilter dedicates a lot of time to finding new ways for liberals to
be offended. Metafilter has become a site where someone makes a post,
say, on black and white photography and then someone will object as
'black and white' is discriminatory toward people who do not fit into a
binary distinction between black and white. A successful thread will
then be taken to metatalk where comments that are deemed offensive can
be highlighted and people can be offended that they too were not
offended or that they were offended by the person who took offense.
Someone has actually posted 'I feel unsafe in this thread' regarding
discussion of some topic.

Re: About

dansumption — Thu, 02 May 2013 18:04:42 -0000

Hi Barry, many thanks for getting in touch! Yes, I remember it well (I think it was closer to 15 years ago) - we still have the two paintings up in our hallway. We've bought, traded and received as gifts quite a few bits of original art since then, but it was your two paintings that started the whole thing off! Funnily enough, I was at an exhibition opening in Greenwich a couple of weeks ago, and thought of you, as one of the artist's work reminded me a little of your street scenes - you can see hers at http://www.jopeel.com/

This blog isn't entirely dead, although it's certainly seen better days. Nowadays I seem to spend far more time on social media, and far less writing longer posts. I keep meaning to, but... never seem to have the time.

Do you exhibit your work anywhere in London these days? It would be good to see what you've been up to.

Re: About

BEJ Smith — Thu, 02 May 2013 13:58:41 -0000

The previous message had some peculiar verbal adjustments. Dunno how that happened.

Re: About

BEJ Smith — Thu, 02 May 2013 13:57:50 -0000

A million years ago (well probably 10) you bought a couple of paintings from me at Spitalfields market. Your blog is a joy and your style a marvel. I wonder whether it is still going? I still remember you coing to my style and deciding what to buy and I was so pleased. Spitalfields Market, I finally understood, was for the benefit of the management and not the stall holders. So, cheers Dan Sumption.

Re: Education for Leisure

lastmanstanding — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 23:25:46 -0000

This young man is living in a world of unemployment and underemployment and he feels bored because he has lives a life of wandering the streets and once a fortnight goes into the town to sign for the benefit. Thus leading him to feeling alienated to the rest of the world, a sociopath maybe or just sick in the head but he feels as if he should make a mark on the world and should be recognized as someone of significance. So he resorts to killing and in the end murder. Little does he realize that he will become infamous instead of famous.

Re: Education for Leisure

Amani — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 15:07:00 -0000

The meaning of the poem can be interpreted as there being a flaw in the education system as they are not showing people how to use time productively, as well as it showing the narrator as a person who honestly doesnt know what to do with his time. Also it shows what being bored can eventually do if you dont know what to do with you time linkin gto there being a flaw in the education system.
( Im also Year 9)

Re: Magma Beard

Tom_clayton2002 — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 08:27:12 -0000

Though I now have a deeper insight into the 'rationale' behind your fungus, I still maintain that such follicular foolishness is the mark of a true Attention Seeking Idiot or A.S.I. I fully understand that my comments will not be welcomed but nevertheless I feel I would be doing yourself and mankind in general a disservice were I not to point out the real awfulness of your actions. I understand from my medically qualified friends that such actions can signify mental health issues, a kind of 'look at me' cry for help if you will. All the best..... T

Re: \SystemRoot\ System32\ Config\ SOFTWARE is corrupt!

Moipone — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 05:26:44 -0000

So how did u resolve it. Coz I am currently experiencing the same thing. All files can copy except the software. Even tried to check it on DIR cannot see it. Please help

Re: Education for Leisure

Mik — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 13:46:43 -0000

This is a brilliant poem. How you could short-sightedly think its agenda is inciting knife crime is incredible.

Re: Fat

dansumption — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 04:21:24 -0000

Nice one Guy! Things didn't prove to be quite so simple for me (as the next few posts will make clear), but then I still spend too much time sat in front of a computer, and I do (occasionally) eat pizza (and drink beer).

Re: Fat

Guy Drieghe D. — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 01:31:11 -0000

Hiya Dan,
I had similar experiences with my weight. Including the snooty thing when I was a rather skinny 64kg (10 stone) throughout most of my adult life. Regardless of my eating behaviour, I remained firmly (and proudly) at 64kg...
At around 35 I slowly started to add a few grams here and there, but once I hit +40ish, those grams became kilograms, peaking at around 95kg a few years ago. Uggh.

Because of the job I do -- which, as we know, is very similar to yours -- I've never believed exercise or dieting or something would help. I simply continued eating the same stuff (always been healthy there; no pizza's/fastfood for me) and drinking the same amount (red wine, mostly), convinced that "not sitting in front of the box the whole bloody day & night" would be the only way to shed some weight.

And lately my theory has been proven right (well, at least for me)... Since our move, 3 months ago, I have been doing a lot of physical work (renovations, building bathrooms, stuff like that), and have avoided the computer as much as possible. I am now back to a "normal" 82kg, with about as perfect a BMI as I can have. A recent health check declared me as "utterly and somewhat astonishingly healthy".

What was I saying ?
Oh yeah, don't exercise, don't diet, don't believe in the "21st century health hype". Eat lots of meat, drink lots of Barolo (or as a cheaper alternative: Douro wines), avoid the computer, and build a bathroom now and then. :-)

Re: Fat

dansumption — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 19:52:47 -0000

Yeah, I'm not quite the slave-to-routine that my previous post made out - and there is nothing quite so wonderful as being able to live by one's impulses (I still do this probably more than most: for example, last week when I needed some space of my own, and took off on a safari of random bus routes around London for 6 hours) - but I do appreciate having _some kind_ of a routine to fall back on and to keep me fresh for tackling the rest of the day.
As for using apps & downloads, I guess that's partly just my inner gadget-freak, but I do also find that without some form of guidance my mind wanders all over the place, and within no time at all I've forgotten about my breath and started worrying about what I'm going to have for tea or whatever. I'm getter better and better at doing it without guidance, but it's still very welcome to get some third-party input and new approaches to my meditation routine from time-to-time.

Re: Fat

Bridget — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 18:40:44 -0000

Well Dan, Just browsing away and read the last 3 posts, really enjoyed them, brief and not too longwinded or complicated, the way to lead ones, life. I agree totally almost with all you say, mindfulness, willpower, fighting fat...it is definately and age and metabolisim thing...although I'm fitter now than i ever was in my 20's...I suppose doign yoga, and teaching it, has made me more and more aware of the breath, having mental time out, I however, wouldn't use any apps or downloads, I just allow my self the pleasure of 'daydreaming', losing all sence of space/time..etc and LOVE to do this in bed in the morning. I don't have a rountine, and find the more I try to have one, the more agitated I become...so I go with the flow of my body/day and am grateful for any time I have to myself, regardless of when it is. I do agree though, that most people function better with routine, but, i judge my routine as a weekly thing....get out for a walk 4 times a week, do my own yoga practice 5/6 times per week, and try not to force myself to have them all done on a set day/time, as some times I'm just tierd, have other stuff come up, or have to entertain various nieces/nephews/friends/boyfriend/dog..or like today, just HAD to read my new book, I'd orderd from the library 2 months ago, so my walk/yoga didnt get done today and I ate a bag of sweets whilst reading in abandonment!! !! but once I achieve those goals on a weekly basis I'm happy!! , the rest of week will be a good one, if I can put the book down. I know I'm blessed, as have a relaxed life in the country, earn enough to keep me more than happy, but no matter what one appears to have or have not...theres always a black hole waiting around the corner, each day/week/moment we need mindfullness/willpower and fat busting gung ho to stay on top of the wagon!!

Re: Fat

Tom Jewell — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 17:48:05 -0000

Very interested to hear more i have never managed to be as skinny as you :) and I started putting on weight since i hit uni. But like you go to around 16 stone a couple of years back. 2010 I got down to around 14 stone through doing a job where i was walking alot each day and now sit around 14 and a half and really should try and drop another stone or so but very bad at it.