Month: September 2024

Weeknotes #88: social and sea views

A productive week filled with events, reflections, and engaging media.

Week commencing Monday, 23 September 2024

Motor boats on land in the foreground, the sea and blue skies beyond.
Pub with a sea view

Quantified Self

  • This week: Stand 7/7; Exercise 7/7 and Move 7/7. (100%). Morning walks: 0/3 (days in the office don’t count). Office days 2/5. Total steps: 66,251

Life

  • I could write about train delays and missed connections, but I won’t. Except to say it happened Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Although I also made the last train home on two of those days.
  • In the office for two days this week. Tuesday was a divisional ‘All Hands’, and there were sponsored drinks afterwards, which was nice. The later drinks started to border on discussions about agile development practices. I’ll admit I was part of it and shouldn’t have been (see below).
  • Thursday, there was a small team ‘All Hands’ followed by a leaving do. It was emotional at times.
  • Friday, a carpet was fitted. I saw it when I arrived in the evening. It’s very nice underfoot. We had more fish and chips.
  • Saturday involved a rail replacement service where we were the only ones on board, a nice walk, and lunch in a pub with a sea view.
  • Sunday was almost identical, but the pub and sea views were different, and the bus was the regular service bus (winter timetable starts today).

Media

Weeknotes #87: out and about

A lively week of events, tech, and entertaining media experiences.

Week commencing Monday, 16 September 2024

Fish & Chips with a sea view
Fish & Chips with a sea view

Quantified Self

  • This week: Stand 7/7; Exercise 6/7 and Move 7/7. (95%). Morning walks: 3/4 (days in the office don’t count). Office days 1/5. Total steps: 62,572

Life

  • Christmas countdown is progressing. Now, less than 100 days.
  • Millions watched last week’s Apple launch. When Om Malik wrote that they seem to have the same place in the modern zeitgeist as fashion collections being unveiled every season, it resonated.
  • There’s a feature on my phone that tests to make sure I am using the most appropriate silicon tips for my ears. Turns out, I should be using a different-sized one in my right ear. I think the fit is better and the sound improved. Impressive technology.
  • Monday: Dinner with former – and current – colleagues. Everybody is doing well.
  • Open House volunteer party was a lovely event, and I met nice people. We had a Street Burger afterwards, which was better value than expected.
  • Some social drinks were cancelled, but I made up for it by staying at the post-work drinks longer than I planned. The first day I did not complete my exercise goals in over a month.
  • Related, after a long night out, a delicious kebab delivery arrived, satisfying my midnight cravings.
  • To Kingston and back in under an hour. The new watch is nice.
  • Left early to make the 7:20 pm ferry, but it was cancelled. Took the also delayed car ferry, which turned out to be nice.
  • The weekend company, location, and hot tub were lovely. The Fish & Chips with a sea view was wonderful. The BBQ was delicious. The sausages were spicier than suggested, and Sunday’s carvery contained a lot of food.

Media

  • The last episode set Dead Boy Detectives up for a series that isn’t coming. It wasn’t aimed at my demographic, but I enjoyed it and thought it was original.
  • Full Disclosure hired an actor to voice The Secret Barrister – it was an excellent episode.
  • I also heard the episode with the Labour MP for Rhondda, Chris Bryant, which is all worth a listen.

Weeknotes #86:

Enjoyed art, fitness, and reflections with positive experiences

Week commencing Monday, 9 September 2024

Takashi Murakami's contemporary work has been described as playful and profound as he brings together elements of Japanese manga, anime, and Western pop culture in a movement and style known as "Superflat".
Superflat by Japanese contemporary artist, Takashi Murakami

Quantified Self

  • This week: Stand 7/7; Exercise 7/7 and Move 7/7. (100%). Morning walks: 3/4 (days in the office don’t count). Office days 1/5. Plant diversity: 30. Total steps: 67,509

Life

  • We were fourth in the quiz this week. I was frustrated when “tin” correctly answered the question about periodic elements not containing letters in the word “mackerel,” and I only realised this after we had submitted our answers.
  • Tuesday promised an hour of free electricity for consumption above our average for the time of day. I plugged everything I could think of into a power source. I am not sure how to tell if anything was free.
  • Trying to work out if my over-ear headphones need refurbishment. I’ve been testing them. It’s an odd experience working in the house with music right in my ears rather than from a speaker behind me as I couldn’t hear anything else (including message alerts from my computer and the doorbell – I only knew somebody was at the door because my phone popped up a message from the bell).
  • Wednesday: the hotel refunded the money for the power cut night. Hoorah.
  • A miscount at my Tai Chi class suggested next week it’s 13 weeks to Christmas. A miscalculation (it’s 14). I am not sure either count is what we want to hear.
  • I credit my Apple Watch with motivation for exercise. Check out the last few weeks’ Quantified Self. So, I went all in for the new one that was announced on Monday. Did I fall for some Apple spin?
  • Roger French’s These closures need closure highlights recent issues with The Island Line. Without a regular service, passengers will surely move to buses and it would be sad to see this line close.
  • Birthday evening: Moco Museum London for some impressive modern art, and then Six By Nico for the Tokyo menu. The food was wonderful.
  • Saturday volunteering for Open House at The Royal Society’s Grade I listed HQ. Stunning building with a lot of history and lovely people.

Media

Weeknotes #85: Paralympic Paris 2024

Eventful week with travel challenges, sports highlights, and impressive sights.

Week commencing Monday, 2 September 2024

Paralympics Paris 2024 collage with images of Paris South Arena and Para Table Tennis
Paralympics Paris 2024, Paris South Arena

Quantified Self

  • This week: Stand 7/7; Exercise 7/7 and Move 7/7. 100%). Morning walks: 0/3 (days in the office don’t count). Office days 1/4. Total steps: 81,490

Life

  • I was going to put Mum & Dad on the train at Raynes Park. Glad I stayed with them as delays (into Clapham) and a removed stop (Vauxhall) necessitated agile planning. They had to cope with additional cancellations at Birmingham.
  • Then on Friday, my train had to run slowly to Guildford and, therefore, a missed connection. Really frustrating. What’s happening to our railways? A refund claim was submitted.
  • Monday night at the hotel. Total power blackout. We were shown to our room by the light of somebody’s phone. Not sure we should have checked in. The lights startled us when electricity was restored. And then the TV came on, seemingly at full blast, at 2am.
  • Tuesday, early Eurostar start for a day at Paris 2024 Paralympics: GB lost in the Boccia, France lost in the goalball, and Israel won, GB won (twice) in the table tennis. So much to see and so much existing sport.
  • Related, we saw the Paralympic flame in the balloon-cauldron from behind the barriers, in the rain, before they had raised it to the sky for the day. And it was still very impressive.
  • Relatedly, sometimes I felt there was too much “where did it go wrong” when we just won a silver medal.
  • Wednesday night, the pub had a branded lager. Thursday night, a different pub was noisy, so we sat outside in the rain. What did the table next to us really buy, if it wasn’t the rose they later gave us and we, in turn, passed along the tables?
  • Saturday, Galeón Andalucía was docked in Cowes. It’s very impressive close up, but we didn’t pay to see inside. Inspired sail past with the Pirates of the Caribbean theme.
  • Sunday it rained and thunder was predicted. When we got to the top of the Spinnaker Tower, the skies turned blue and we watched the boat traffic on The Solent while having a wonderful afternoon tea. Recommended.

Media

Weeknotes #84:

A week filled with summer moments and enjoyable experiences.

Week commencing Monday, 26 August 2024

A parade of people dressed in bright colours as human peacocks at Ryde Illuminated Carnival 2024
Ryde Illuminated Carnival 2024

Quantified Self

  • This week: Stand 7/7; Exercise 7/7 and Move 7/7. (100%). Morning walks: 1/3 (days in the office don’t count). Office days 1/3. Plant diversity: 42. Total steps: 70,180

Life

  • Hello, September. Let’s have a little more summer, please.
  • Last week I omitted the scooter rally from my weeknotes. It was impressive and a reminder of why modern engines are much better for air quality.
  • Bank holiday Monday by the beach was lovely. I observed that low tide was very low.
  • Former Met Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu: “So I like to call it bullying being the disease and the isms being the symptoms. And I noticed that whenever I’m in an audience, you know, women, black, brown, women, the disabled, the neurodiverse, LGBTQ+, anyone who’s in the audience who’s of difference will just be nodding furiously because our outcomes are all the same. Our journey is quite different, but our outcomes are the same.”
  • Wall-to-wall Paralympics coverage is a recent phenomenon, unheard of in many places until recently. Thank goodness we have Channel 4. I’m as addicted to this medal table as I was to the Olympics.
  • Tuesday, to the theatre for Why Am I So Single, the new musical from the creators of Six. In its current form, it’s too long. I bet this will be addressed before the official opening night.
  • Thursday, Holland Garden is a lovely, tranquil place for people to spend an afternoon.
  • Friday, picked up the train tickets for the weekend and realised I’d missed one railcard off the booking, so had overpaid. I get annoyed at myself for things like that.
  • Saturday, Ryde Illuminated Carnival was as wonderful as its Shanklin sibling. The classic buses from the museum a nice addition.
  • Related, of course, we ordered the Secreto Ibérico and Berenjenas Fritas, as they were our favourites from last time.
  • The café queue at Quarr Abbey moves slowly. But the place is another tranquil spot and perhaps the queue shouldn’t move all that quickly.

Media

  • Bank holiday Monday, Steve Wight in his own words. A lovely tribute to a radio pioneer.
  • Wednesday, Paralympics opening ceremony: enjoyable, even if it didn’t feel as energy-packed as I would hope an opening ceremony would.
  • Thursday and Friday, Test Match Special: unexpectedly good company that I tuned into because Mum and Dad were at Lord’s for the first day. I gather England had quite a good day. Joe Root was the standout, scoring 143 runs. At least one reference to cake.
  • I finished Tracker, the Disney Plus series I mentioned last week. Wondering if the new season will be shown here.