Friday, July 22, 2005

corporeality


When your body lets you down - or when you treat it in a way that makes it fail - you realise how fragile and concrete you are. I've got this weird stomach crampy thing again, and it's reminding me that I need to be kinder to my body: better diet, more exercise - the usual obvious things that you lose sight of in the hedonistic rush of the day to day. When you get ill, you're reminded of how provisional and delicate your health and body is.

To counteract that sombre thought, try this exercise: enunciate the letters of the alphabet aloud, and try and monitor what's going on with your tongue, teeth, gums, palate, cheeks, lips, larynx, throat, and breathing; it's a reminder of how amazing language is, how amazing you are, and what a miracle the whole thing is.

So. I need to look after myself better, don't I? Maximise the amount of alphabet usage in my life.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

It *would* be a bloody miracle if I could get some of my classes to realise how wonderful (the English)language is... Grrrrr

red one said...

Sorry about the stomach crampy thing. You had a couple of painkillers and a nice hot cuppa?

*puts kettle on just in case*

Come and think of historical events for me. It's more fun than being ill - now there's a promise!

RedOne

Andy said...

Thank you Riddonet. Went back to work today, but had to have a little lie down in the medical room this afternoon: that half-lit, water-pipe-sound-effected space made me think of infant school, and being feverish. The same creaky metal-springed bed, too. Zzz...

red one said...

You've still got it? That's really bad, Andy. Hope you stay off work till you're properly better - it's not exactly a haven of health and happiness at the best of times, after all.

*looks for hot water bottle*

RedOne

Andy said...

I think I'm constitutionally incapable of hearing people say 'stay at home'. Very 1950s.

Got some drugs and an appointment with the scary (apparently) dietary advice nurse.

Soon be better.

btw...I used to love the scorching ow-it's-too-hot feel of a fresh hot water bottle against my tentative, sensitive child's foot sole.

Andy said...

PS - I posted something in your 'historical events' post, but I think Blogger threw it away.

Andy said...

Steve - start them on the German'fascination thing first, eh?

;-)

Fight the good fight: pearls before swine, eh?

red one said...

Damn damn damn Blogger (in a nice way to people who do a free service). Can you try again? I was wondering what you might come up with.

RedOne

PS although if it's the princes in the tower you will find that the entire Richard III Society has got there before you. Very strange.

Andy said...

Yeah, I saw that Princes thing: people were coming up with bollocks conspiracy theories even in the 14th century...don't people realise that life's mainly just an enormous mess of cock-ups?

red one said...

I just can't get worked up about royals. Now royals, then royals, can't be doing with any of them.

Although if I knew more about the period I might be able to say something intelligent about whether the princes malarky reflected more interesting goings on in society generally... but I don't. I'm horribly ignorant really.

I'd like to know if "cock-up" was a phrase in use at the time, though. When I read it, I laughed... and then I thought, don't the more earthy phrases usually have ancient Saxon roots or something?

Dunno, just wondering, mind wandering.

I might have a look in the dictionary...

RedOne