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I got a new iPod. Silver, lovely 160GB. And it’s finally time to retire my old one.

I was very late to the iPod. Checking my memory, I think I bought a girlfriend an iPod before I ever got one for myself. I got one just over two years ago. I’m trying to remember how I would listen to music before then. I basically carried around 20 or so CDs with me everywhere I went.

Needless to say, I’m not going back.

I like how the iPod can track what you’ve listened to over the years. It’s a pretty interesting snapshot of my listening habits.

Here are some interesting* statistics

Number of songs on it – 11,390.

That’s a hell of a lot. And I had to start culling when I ran out of room a year ago.

Number of plays since August 2005 – 54,897

Again, not counting tracks that I have since deleted off the ipod, and of course, listening to CDs and stuff which I still do.

It’s pretty much dead on two years that I’ve had this iPod so check this shit out:

Average number of songs played a day in the last two years – 75

Geez!

Number of songs that have ZERO plays – 742

These are songs that have sat on the iPod that I just never got to. Or kept skipping. Poor ‘Sunday Girl’ by Blondie was added to my iPod on 16th August 2005, and has still not been able to get one little play out of me. Nothing. It’s only 3:06 long. Still, no love. Sorry Debbie.

Top Twenty Songs

Pretty easy this one. The songs that got the most plays in the last two years.

1. Romeo and Juliet – Dire Straits (42)
2. Fluorescent Adolescent – Arctic Monkeys (41)
3. Sentimental Guy – Ben Folds (41)
4. Thunder Road – Bruce Springsteen (41)
5. Don’t You Think It’s Time – Bob Evans (40)
6. Girl Sailor – The Shins (40)
7. Phantom Limb – The Shins (39)
8. Turn On Me – The Shins (38)
9. Time – Ben Folds (37)
10. Rattlesnakes – Lloyd Cole And the Commotions (37)
11. Teddy Picker – Arctic Monkeys (36)
12. Sadness & Whiskey – Bob Evans (36)
13. Read My Mind – The Killers (35)
14. No Quick Fix – Nada Surf (35)
15. Sleeping Lessons – The Shins (34)
16. Let It Go – Youth Group (33)
17. Get Me Away From Here, I’m Dying – Belle And Sebastian (32)
18. Don’t Change Your Plans – Ben Folds Five (32)
19. Hey Julie – Fountains Of Wayne (32)
20. Mystifies Me – Son Volt (32)

Good to see how much new music is there. I’m not still listening to Big Star and Gram Parsons.

And I totally love every single one of those songs. Especially Romeo And Juliet. And Thunder Road. Corner me somewhere and ask me about those songs. And be ready to lose several hours of your life.

So I have my new iPod now. I’m putting the old girl away. I’m trying to think, and it’s the only thing I’ve carried with me every day for he last two years (I changed wallets this year).

It will be interesting* to see what happens in another two years.

Danny
London

* any claims of anything interesting is ambitious at best.

When I decided to go travelling, this intensely personal, spiritual journey, it seemed like everyone and their dog had a travel story. Especially the great Australia to London odessey. My sister did that. My friend did that. My dog did that.

And I’m not knocking it. I loved those stories. It lead to what Casey calls Place-Dropping. We would practise imaginary Place-Dropping back home. You lost a lighter? I remember one time I was in Vienna and I lost a lighter. It’s cold? Yes, reminds me of autumns in Madrid…

You get the idea.

So the new thing is accident stories. And again I love them. Although some are painful. It seems quite a frightening amount of people I know have seriously hurt themselves in their lives. Tales of collar bones, hips, broken thumbs, broken jaws, flying over the handle bars and in one case, getting hit by a taxi, this time in New York. The recovery stories are also lovely. 3 months in bed. 3 months in hospital. 3 months hanging in the water tank Luke Skywalker was in at the end of the Empire Strikes Back.

Everyone I know has suddenly become experts in medicine. In particular, orthopedic experts. I’m hearing (and reading) perfectly normal friends of mine use words like ‘femur’ in conversation. Apparently, all bones take 5-6 weeks to heal, regardless of which one. But according to another expert, foot bones heal quite fast. Maybe I need a 22nd opinion…

So the new game now is Body-Dropping. As Debbie told me, when her uncle got sick, he decided it was from then on completely OK to talk endlessly about his body. Quite inappropriately intimately too. It’s stopped hurting to urinate. The scabs on my legs have started to peel off. There’s still heaps of dead skin from where the cast was. Want to hold my glass eye?

So for me, my hip is fine, but when I cough or sneeze, my muslces in that area naturally seize up, and it hurts like hell. Laughing is also not as fun as it used to be. I’m getting pins and needles in my left foot a lot. And yes, most of the large cuts and stuff have now scabbed off and odd, innocent-looking, new pink skin has revealed themselves.

(Body Dropping, like Place Dropping and Name Dropping, is only fun for the Dropper. But it’s so much fun.)

Which all goes to show

a) how unextraordinary my situation is, really.

b) how much sickness and injury touches our lives. I’ve spent a bit of time in hospitals, both for myself and to support friends. And none of them have been good times! And…

c) how amazing the human body really is. It really is.

Danny
London

I like the fact that this blog, started almost a year ago now, has gone from a travel blog, a loose philosophy blog, the inevitable music blog, a few poems and will now be an accident recovery blog.

So I’m home after my accident. I’m doing fine.

It’s day one and I’m pretty much living in my room. Nathan found a disused wheelchair in the street (we live near a hospital) and decided to bring it home. Some people questioned why, but it’s come in mighty handy today. I’m been on it, bouncing around the room. Going from the toilet (I have an ensuite, thank god), to my desk, my CD racks, my tall boy and my bed. Quite efficient really. Also, the keyboard stands Josh Pyke left at my house to look after make good handles. One sits either side of the toilet, and I can climb on them. Brilliant.

The only thing I cannot do quite right is stairs. Which means I can’t get downstairs, to the front door or the kitchen. So food is a challenge. As is opening the door for people.So I can’t even recieve couriers or mail. It’s something I hope to look at conquering this week.

But it is so good to be home. Did some work today. Replied to some emails but I’m still behind. Caught up on the news and cleaned the room a bit to give myelf more room. Talked to my folks. It’s all going to work out I think.

Above is me barrely two hours after the accident. I healthy reminder to look left and look right. And lets not forget look left again.

Danny

They say such nice things about people at funerals that it makes me sad to realise that I’m going to miss mine by just a few days.

– Garrison Keillor

Everyone has been so nice.

Having watched far too much Scrubs, or indeed, just pop culture, it’s weird to step into a hospital and feel cliche. You think of flowers as dorky, cards as tacky.

But they aren’t. I love everything I’ve gotten. I don’t know when I last needed my friends to show me they love me, but they certainly came through. I don’t know how to react.

It made me think of the quote above, which I only learnt two weeks ago from a girl in Krakow. And I’m glad I didn’t have to die before my friends said some nice things to me.

The medical update is as follows. I have gone from dead, to not being able to use my spine, to a fractured hip, a foot and a torn muscle in my shoulder. That leaves one limb unharmed – my right arm. Insert jokes here.

They’ve checked everything and that’s all they’ve found. They’ve looked at those three areas quite a bit and still haven’t decided on a course of action. I’m comfy and all, but I really want to know. I’m mentally preparing to kick up a stink today.

I’ve spent so much time in hospitals, but never as an adult, staying in a long period. Funny to watch the schedule. Breakfast at 8. Sheets at 9. Rounds at 10. Lunch at 1. Visitors at 3. Dinner at 6. Lights out at 10.

My parents are doing fine with everything. I have friends here and Australia helping me in all ways. Lots of people have dropped by. My nurse kids that I have a small library and chocolate shop here.

Talked to many people over the last few days. I’m feeling loved, which is the bottom line. One of the last people I talked to was Bec, my dear muffin. And it took me ages to find her, so by the time I got through to her, it felt like I was calling for the first time.

I’m good, emotionally. I’m optimistic physically. More news soon.

Danny
London

At 11:30pm on September 4, I was leaving work after a couple of drinks with colleagues. I walked out, a little woozy, yes, and saw my bus across the road.

The bus was blocking both lanes of northbound traffic, so when there was a break in the southbound traffic, I made a dash for it.

Unfortunately, a taxi decided to do an overtake of the bus. I smashed right into the middle of the taxi, going at 30 miles an hour, and ended up almost 10 metres from the point of impact.

I remember seeing the taxi. Just the split second before it hit me. And I had so many thoughts. How do I get out of this? This is what a car crash is going to be like. This could be the big one.

I did not black out according to others, but I can’t remember anything but being on the floor next.

Right in the middle of Kensington Church St. I was in shock. When my mind started to clear a little, I screamed. I could not move. I didn’t know where my guts were. My legs could have been in Holland Park for all I knew.

Then the pain hit. And I screamed again.

I owe it all to Gary, another cabbie and a volunteer firefighter. He made sure I kept still, got my details off me before I became totally incoherent, checked my spine and neck quickly and most importantly, he held my hand and told me it was going to be ok.

The Police and the ambulance are a blur. I remember being put in the stretcher and being taken away. I remember thinking of Batman being in an ambulance in a comic I have.

The Ambulance people later told me that they were called in for a fatal. They brought body bags.

I remember them cutting through my jeans thinking, those are good scissors to cut through denim. Even delirious, I took off my leather jacket so they wouldn’t cut that.

I was taken to St Mary’s hospital, and was strapped down hard so I could not damage anything further. My Doctor, Will, and my nurse, Lizzie, could not have treated me better.

We had to do several Xrays at the base of my spine and my neck. It looked as if there may have been fractures there. And as much as I could feel someone squeezing my foot when asked, all I could really feel was pins and needles. I totally thought I would lose my legs.

The Xrays gave me the all clear in the neck and spine department. They did find fractures in my left hip. It hurts like nothing I’ve ever felt before.

Later they discovered I broke some bones in my right foot. They put me on pain killers, and after 7 painful hours, let me out of my neck brace. I have been napping all day and in my drowsy state it feels like the neck brace is still there.

I was taken away from Emergency then and put in a bed. Today, I have been doing further Xrays before they decide on a course of action.

The problem is the hip, which destroys my motor functions below the waste. I can’t even get into a wheelchair. Also, if the damage is significant enough, they may have to operate.

I hope not. I was very silly, but I’ve been lucky so far. Very lucky. Being hit by a car front on? And no permanent scars and maybe a funny hip forever. That’s nothing.

Even my bag with my laptop, camera, glasses, ipod and all survived. Well the bag is wrecked but the insides are ok.

All my London friends have really stepped up and looked after me. I have a fresh set of pyjamas for tonight, bunch of mags, and plenty of emails wishing me the best.

I am going to be ok. Which is nothing short of extraordinary.

Danny
London

I love this painting very much.

It’s by the Belgium painter René Magritte, and it’s called the Treachery Of Images. The french writing translates to ‘This Is Not A Pipe.’

We live in information overloaded times, and it’s interesting how someone like me can come across someone like René Magritte. There are two really obvious ones – The Beatles Apple logo is based on an apple from a Magritte painting, and Paul Simon wrote a wonderful song called René And Georgette Magritte And Their Dog After the War.

I love the Simon song. It is one of my favourite Paul Simon songs – and that says a lot. Just like Magritte’s work, Simon’s song is a surreal thing, but somehow very tender and sympathetic. It’s basically an imaginary story of René Magritte and his wife and dog, living in New York, dancing in hotel rooms, listening to 50s Doo Wop. Bizarre and lovely.

But the real way I cam across Magritte is this painting is used in a comic. Scott McCloud’s Reinventing Comics. In it, he uses this painting as a larger talk about art.

And that’s why I love this painting. It reminds me to not get too up my own arse when I fall in love with a song, a painting, a movie, a book, a whatever.

I mean – This Is Not A Pipe?

It’s most clearly a pipe, right?

It has many pipe like features.

Actually, it doesn’t. It’s a painting. Wikipedia tells me it’s Oil on Canvas.

Well, it’s not even Oil on Canvas. It’s a jpeg. Pixelated little lights on a computer screen. My Dad would find it hard to smoke out of this pipe. It’s pretty much light. So, ok, Magritte is right. This is most definitely not a pipe.

So?

…

I like it because art is about trying to capture something. People painted huge elaborate scenes to try and capture a moment. Or a place. Or a portrait. But at the end of the day, it’s not the same. And for hundreds of years of painters saying, hey, this is what this actually looks like…well Magritte gave all that the finger.

Treachery Of Images is like someone in a movie turning to the audience and going ‘This is all a bit of bullshit, isn’t it?”

And it is. All art is bullshit. And you have to question what you learn from it. You don’t really know someone just because you listen to their songs. You don’t know an object just because you read a book on it. It’s the great lie of art. To make you think the art can represent something else.

I tried to buy a print of this when I was in Brussels. But everything is closed there on Mondays. They are also building a Magritte Museum that opens next year. So maybe they’ll buy this painting back and I’ll actually get to see it.

Danny
London

Its my last night of the trip. Everything is done, and as I walked back to the hotel I wandered slightly into a courtyard with pretty lights. I walked down it, via pond side resturaunts and turned back to see Ste Catherine’s Cathedral at night. I took one last photo and went home.

Kind of funny, just when I thought nothing else would happen, someone drops this scene in my lap.

In the last few days I have seen paintings, buildings, bands, comics, performers, castles, rivers, etc…all food for the soul.

I thought once that maybe I could be a great artist of some sort. Might still happen I guess, but its not for now. Right now I’m happy with the inspiration. I’m happy to be a consumer.

Talking to Brian in Prague, we discussed High Fidelity, and what a great tribute it was to guys like us. The ones without talent, but the ones that get the most out of what talent can provide. We’re the middle masses.

Back at work tomorrow. Will be posting lots of photos very soon.

Danny
Brussels

I am sitting in Rynek Glowny, on a beautiful day, enjoying a Zywiec after a hectic morning.

Its my last full day in Krakow. I fly out at 7am, and trying to fit everything in.

A number of interesting, important things have happened here. Firstly, met some great people on the train. They gave me quite a lot to think about. I also went out drinking with some locals. One girl told me living in London is like working on the moon. This fantasy. It was very, very humbling.

Auschwitz took up most of day two. I could have spent another day there, but I was so disturbed already. I was going to write a whole thing on Auschwitz. I might still do. But for now…when walked through the gas chamber and looked into one of the ovens where they burnt the bodies… I wanted to throw up.

I met Sarah and Tess who had dinner with me last night and today is tourist day. Saw the castle, Schindlers factory, the Japanese museum and now back in the old square for some serious beating up of the memory card.

All this walking is killing me though. This time tomorrow I will be in Brussels where I plan on getting a regular hotel, get cleaned up and catch a eurostar straight to work Tuesday morning.

There is so much to say. So much I’ve seen and learnt. Sad to think it is pretty much over.

Danny
Krakow

Finally, some alone time with a proper computer.

I am in Krakow after a wonderful time in Prague. I just fell so in love with Prague. My first night, when it rained, I braced it to find some food. And turned a left and looked right and found this random gorgeous boulevard, leading up to the magnificent Museum. In the sparkling rain it was very magical.

I met some great people in Prague, people I will keep in touch with. First and foremost my New York friends, and getting pretty close to betting Chris would throw up on St Charles Bridge. We had some massive nights. And the afternoon I sat in a bar and wasted a lovely afternoon getting drunk with Adam, discussing a lot of Tom Waits.

My favourite memory of Prague comes from the Castle. If you do not know, Prague is divided by a river with the Castle, high up, looking over the town. It looks gorgeous at night, by the way, all lit up (I have plenty of photos that I will share). But out front of the Castle are these well kept gorgeous gardens, that look over the entire city.

It’s been hot all week, and I was walking through these gardens, sweating. I walked right through a courtyard in the middle, spotted a pretty girl, suspiciously on her own, without a book or an ipod. Sunnies on, just smiling. I walked past her to get to a fountain to wash my face and turned back, and like the fairy tale end of a movie, this good looking dude walks up from over the horizon, and greets her. They hug. They kiss. On a gorgeous day looking over the whole city, that I have decided is the most gorgeous spot in the world. Were they locals? Were they long separeted lovers? I don’t know. I almost took a photo but that would have been weird.

So I didn’t even do all the things I wanted to do in Prague but I will be back. And sadly I left, caught a train to Krakow. Met some great people on the train. Just the usual…where are you from? What do you do? Essentially, who are you and what are you about?

There was a frighteneing moment when I couldn’t find my passport, and the long train journey wore me out. Finally made it to the Orange Hostel, where I was supposed to meet Judie but am now 9 months too late.

(Sorry Jubes, all the people you knew here are gone. Aga is now a stewardess and very happy, though)

Had drinks tonight with two lovely random girls I met in the square and then went to a club with people at the hostel. Needless to say, I’m really loving it. And I’ve only been here 6 hours or so.

Tomorrow it’s a bright morning start for some serious sight seeing. Couple more days, then back to Brussels and home. I can barely remember work. But it will be good to lie in my own bed again.

It is 1:30 and I’m decalring it an early night. I will bore you with more later.

Danny
Krakow.

In a cabin car with french teenagers, all around 17. It’s 10:30 and they just cracked out the wine and offering the bottle around.

Oh, Europeans! How can I say no…

Danny
On a train to Krakow