The Line
There have been times when I've been obsessed with the ups and downs of different financial instruments. When I worked in the City, you'd hear people routinely say things like "The market wants to go to 6000, but it's just going to take a while to get there." The instant feed of crypto prices can dominate in the same way - woooh! yaaaay! oooomg!
But this isn't a cryptocurrency market chart. It's the level of the River Wey near my home. The effects of Storm Dennis have not been quite what was forecast and this has shown up in the data - I might get to see the actual river level a couple of times a day, but I only know what happens in between by looking at the chart. If I lived nearer to the river (horizontally or vertically) I might take an even deeper interest. This line could rule my life.
This week I was inspired by seeing some old pictures from Life Magazine, showing Picasso in his studio "painting" with his signature line but using a torch and long exposure. A digital SLR with the flashlight of my phone is a much quicker and easier to use the same technique. This is the line that is me, that has been me since I picked up a pen. It reminds me of everything I've ever written but it means nothing at all.
You need be 150 miles west and swap two letters around to feel the effects - the River Wye's chart - about 2 mins walk from my house.
Thankfully it drains south, not north where my house (with a cellar) is. There's a large park which basically becomes flood plain for at least a couple of weeks a year.