A week of great food, entertainment, and cultural experiences.
Week commencing Monday, 10 February 2025
Seeing Kyoto
Quantified Self
This week: Stand 5/7; Exercise 5/7 and Move 14/7. (66%). Morning walks: 0/4 (days in the office don’t count). Office days 1/5. Total steps: 50,828
Life
It was pub quiz again. One of the rounds was really tough for us, but it turned out that it was tough for everybody. Mid-table seems to be our position.
Food that was batch-cooked last Sunday lasted the week. And it was very useful. Also, tasty.
We had an impromptu dinner at Mora Meza on Thursday night, and it was delicious.
If I wrote that we went to see a play that dramatises the 1997 climate change treaty negotiations in Kyoto, it would sound a bit dry. If I added that a big scene featured arguments over the placement of a comma, you might think to avoid it. In fact, the high stakes of the event – and the politics for the ten years leading up to the Kyoto summit – were gripping. A fantastic piece of theatre at Sohoplace.
Our Valentine’s dinner was post-theatre. The later hour meant we were the only ones in the restaurant. They were packing up around us. The food was delicious, but the ambience was – perhaps – not so romantic.
Saturday, to see Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy at the Odeon in Streatham (£7 seems like a bargain ticket). I’m not sure I’ve seen any of the movies since the original. It’s always best to have low expectations because I came out having thoroughly enjoyed it. Bridget is now a single mother and navigating life once again looking for love, but older, if not wiser. Surrounded by the consistent group of friends (including Hugh Grant, Sally Phillips and Emma Thompson) that helped make previous films. No spoilers, but is Roxster even a name?
Relatedly, related. I never read film reviews until after I have seen the movie and have my own opinion. But I love how The Guardian’s website can simultaneously have a poor review (2 stars, Peter Bradshaw) and a much more positive one (4 stars, Wendy Ide). I am not sure who that’s trying to help. My review: engaging, funny and not as clichéd as imagined. Probably 4 stars.
We saw Patti LuPone at the Coliseum on Sunday night. As PY quipped, Old Compton Street must have been deserted. The show is just Patti and two on-stage musicians. It had ballads and musical showstoppers, and the music spans her life, woven into her story. I think it was supposed to appear unscripted, but it was a bit too slick into and out of songs to be anything other than pre-written. There was a lack of personal showbiz anecdotes and not much spontaneity, but it was a wonderful evening of song. Did we just see an icon of stage? I think we did.
Media
More crime drama. This week it was the turn of Netflix’s Swedish drama, “The Åre Murders”. I was expecting subtitles but got the dubbed version. It was only on episode 4 I realised I could have the original Swedish audio; by then, I opted not to. It’s good, but the underlying reason for the show – detective Hanna Ahlander retreats to Åre after facing suspension in Stockholm – is somewhat glossed over. Be prepared for a lot of snow.
While watching another video about Dutch transit, I discovered a new word for the bricks used in road building. Technically, it’s a Dutch word: klinkers. See also this video.
Jon Stewart & John Oliver Welcome America to Its Trump Monarchy Era went on a bit. The monarchy bit was funny.
A week of discoveries, good food, and reflections.
Week commencing Monday, 3 February 2025
A winter scene at RHS Wisley
Quantified Self
This week: Stand 5/7; Exercise 3/7 and Move 4/7. (57%). Morning walks: 0/4 (days in the office don’t count). Office days 1/5. Total steps: 46,616
Life
To prove that I am nothing if not a mass of contradictions. After last week’s dive into, perhaps, useful AI, this: “The LAST thing we needed was a better way to generate plausible-looking horse shit for random gullible people to consume unwittingly, but here we are, and it’s only going to get worse.”Rachel By The Bay is also spot on. What a world.
Relatedly related. It was announced that Google’s Gemini assistant is being enabled at work. That would allow me to add material to the notebook service I talked about last week. I am not expecting hitherto unnoticed insights. Yet.
Thursday was too cold to sit out for drinks for our usual Thirst Thursday, so we moved to Mildreds, where I continued my rule of not ordering anything “chick+n” but broke my rule of avoiding tofu. The kimchi bokkeumbap, which contained salt and pepper tofu, was delicious.
Saturday, to the RHS gardens at Wisley. The Orchid House had colour, and there were snowdrops in bloom. I bet it’s even more impressive in summer.
Sunday to a crowded Ikea to buy a light. And then a tram and bus to Lower Morden Garden Centre, where we bought some new plants. To avoid carrying it, potting compost was ordered from Amazon for delivery tomorrow.
Note to future self: parsnip gnocchi was a lot of work, but delicious.
AI experiments, personal reflections, life updates, and intriguing challenges explored.
Week commencing Monday, 27 January 2025
A sea view at Seaview
Quantified Self
This week: Stand 7/7; Exercise 6/7 and Move 5/7. (86%). Morning walks: 0/4 (days in the office don’t count). Office days 1/5. Total steps: 58,567
The weeknotes are a bit different this week as I spent some time reading and playing with a number of AI tools, specifically using my own material—like these weeknotes—to see what the models might do with them.
Unrelated, I am experimenting with Google’s Notebook LM, using last year’s weeknotes and a collection of old blog entries from 2002/3. Even though the app says my data is not used to train the AI, I figured it’s public anyway. This is where the real power of AI will come to most people: when it can be used on their own data.
– I asked for a cast of characters, which came out OK, but I guess it’s a surprise for people I know IRL called Frank who the AI assumes are the subject of a drag musical. For clarity, they are not the same.
– Related, the AI says my weeknotes highlight “a lifestyle that values social connections, shared experiences, and cultural engagement”. I think that’s mainly because I don’t write about the hours I sit at my desk typing product requirements for work.
– I was pleased it said that the overall tone of the weeknotes is generally positive and reflective, but it’s missing so much information about me it made me think about how I am characterised online.
– In another task, the AI couldn’t distinguish between me and my father when writing about countries where I have worked.
In response to this, I asked ChatGPT if it knew who I was. It basically regurgitated materials I have online, which (I think) is good. Other AIs, including DeepSeek, didn’t come back with anything.
Google Notebook LM will produce what it calls an Audio Overview which, for me, was like somebody had created a podcast about my life as viewed through those blog entries. It was uncanny. And, yes, I think it’s very much like the fortune reader whereby much of the generic stuff sounds really personal but isn’t, but it was unnerving listening to a podcast about yourself; there was enough reality alongside the generic to make it seem like it knew more about me. It was capable of referencing cultural changes between the early 2000s and today, which made the analysis seem very real. A bit like listening to my own obituary. I can’t decide if I liked it or not.
There are a lot of interesting capabilities. I wonder how much longer before I decide to pay for access to more powerful models and tools?
Life
I am trying to arrange broadband for a place in Spain while not speaking Spanish nor understanding the format of many things. It’s more stress-inducing than I imagined.
On Wednesday, we passed into the Lunar New Year of the Wood Snake. At my Tai Chi class, we all wished each other a happy new year.
This week, I learned the government has a Hammersmith Bridge Taskforce. The taskforce met 16 times between 1st October 2020 and 25th November 2021. The bridge is still closed. Pretty terrible such vital infrastructure isn’t funded so it can be repaired.
Our first visit to the Isle of Wight for 2025. Delighted by how lovely it was.
A busy week of home updates, social events, and reflections.
Week commencing Monday, 20 January 2025
Taking pictures of lights
Quantified Self
This week: Stand 6/7; Exercise 4/7 and Move 5/7. (71%). Morning walks: 0/4 (days in the office don’t count). Office days 2/5. Total steps: 49,575
Life
Monday, a new fridge freezer was installed. Feels bigger but is the same size. Unlike the one that disappeared in the van, the fridge bit works as expected. Now, we can shop properly again.
Same day, I cracked and started doom-scrolling the news. Then I remembered, and I went back to being calm again.
We got another door quote. £4,000 cheaper than the last one. Then we got references because we’ve never used the second quote company. Came back good.
I had two office days this week. Tuesday ended with more leaving drinks for Andy. This time I made the train home.
Related, tired by the end of Wednesday meant I skipped my Tai Chi class. That’s a non-resolution broken.
Getting home after being in the office on Thursday, a day with no evening work social event, was nice. But I am reminded how short evenings are after I have commuted and opened the door.
I thought I might check up on my pension transfers. This is a blood pressure-raising moment as money has gone from one provider, but the new one says it’s waiting. They told me not to do it, but I did it anyway.
I am consolidating a number of providers with one of my existing ones. They sent a note to say it was going ahead because they’d detected the new provider wasn’t a scam. It’s the same company; good to know they consider themselves safe.
Winter Light at Canary Wharf is always interesting. But, goodness, a lot of people.
We made a Burns Night dinner and watched a related BBC Scotland show. It included whisky, and it didn’t give me indigestion.
A dinner for Chinese New Year in Covent Garden on Sunday evening. Lots of steamed dumplings.
This week: Stand 4/7; Exercise 4/7 and Move 4/7. (57%). Morning walks: 0/4 (days in the office don’t count). Office days 1/5. Total steps: 38,460
Life
Got the quote from one of the big London firms to fix the rotten wood around the door. I am not sure what else we can do with £5,000, but it won’t be this. I assume they don’t want the work. Alternatives are being searched for.
Pub quiz is back. It was great fun, as always. Most frustrated I could not remember Carl Douglas’ name (the singer of Kung Fu Fighting). Somewhere in the middle again!
Big corporate thing on Wednesday. I watched it remotely. It was very well done, but it took most of the afternoon.
Thursday to the office, followed by a leaving do. Fun evening that ended up in a pub where the karaoke accompaniment was a live guitarist. We watched. Nice to see MB over from Japan.
Related, a very jolly member of Shepherd’s Bush station staff told me I’d missed the last train. I don’t think the big smiles were due to my predicament. Uber to the rescue.
Relatedly related, talked football all the way home. Felt vaguely knowledgeable because the family WhatsApp keeps me up to date on events at Goodison Park.
Relatedly, the Christmas tree is still up— and illuminated— in the middle of Shepherd’s Bush Green. Do they need to leave it up all year now?
A mainly quiet weekend, a decluttering of books went to charity. The weather has been terrible. Sunday, friends for dinner. A lovely afternoon.
Media
Watched the first episode of The White Lotus. The plot is based on new guests arriving at the White Lotus resort, bringing their own set of problems. They felt disconnected. But not a lot happens, and it’s slow going and felt like hard work. The characters, however, are fascinating but not likeable at all.
Randomly watched a YouTube video about the end of Southern Television, the ITV franchise for the south of England, and one about a man who lives in a tiny house on wheels, hidden inside a truck. It looked quite smart.
This week: Stand 6/7; Exercise 6/7 and Move 6/7. (86%). Morning walks: 1/4 (days in the office don’t count). Office days 1/5. Total steps: 67,017
Life
I guess we are fully in 2025. Can I keep this going for another year? I’d like to think so.
The first day back at work was hard. Although I did get out for a walk beforehand – and afterwards – so the week started well.
Watching TV one evening, I wondered what is the point of saying they are ‘live’ when BBC One continuity announcers introduce themselves in the early evening? Do any viewers care (I understand TV people might)?
Tuesday, to Robin Hood, this year’s Palladium Pantomime. Julian Clary starred as the titular character, with Jane McDonald as Maid Marian, and a supporting cast of panto regulars. All in all, a spectacle of extravagant costumes, celebrity cameos, and a thin plot. Absolutely brilliant.
Saturday, first delayed train of the year to Birmingham, primarily to see the Ikon Gallery’s partnership with macLYON: Friends in Love and War; works by over twenty artists from the British Council Collection and macLYON that explore the theme of friendship. I’m trying to see more art because I don’t understand it. This was wonderful, but I am sure I didn’t appreciate it properly.
Later, the Cuban afternoon tea was great, but there’d been a mix-up and we’d been booked in when the main service finished. The Sri Lankan dinner was excellent, and we’re on the hunt for a local equivalent.
In between, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra: CBSO Explores: Friends in Love and War, featuring the world premiere of Héloïse Werner’s siren suite for soprano and orchestra. Not the usual type of performance we’d see, but really interesting to experience.
Sunday, to see the National Trust’s Birmingham Back to Backs. It’s the last surviving court of back-to-back houses in the city. The houses, built back-to-back with shared courtyards, offer insights into the lives of ordinary people in the 19th and 20th centuries. A really well-done and recommended tour.
Media
More ‘talking shop’ about radio, as Dermot called it. Paul Gambaccini, broadcasting for 50 years, has a neat story about Sir Elton, also Scott Mills and Rev Kate Bottley. Lovely listening on BBC Sounds.
New Year activities, media, and reflections on personal moments
Week commencing Monday, 30 December 2024
Here comes 2025
Quantified Self
This week: I blame the holidays: Stand 5/7; Exercise 3/7 and Move 3/7. 52%. Office days 0/3. Total steps: 33,288
Life
The last one with a 2024 start date. I am filing it under 2025, regardless.
I worked Monday and Tuesday. Not many people in: quiet. Thursday was busier, but I got away for the first train south of the year.
Tuesday, while in my study, I switched on Radio 2 where it was Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s Kitchen Disco, which seemed a bit too much of a party for me starting at a screen for work. I let it play into Tony Blackburn and then into Bob Harris’ Sounds of the 70s, opening the show with the very sad news that DJ legend Johnnie Walker had died. JW had a remarkable presenting career spanning almost 60 years, from the pirates to today. While not the 70s party playlist scheduled, it was a show full of music and memories and seemed very fitting.
New Year’s Eve was with friends and a lovely evening was had. Somehow, the clock jumped from 1am to 3am remarkably quickly.
Queer (at the BFI) on New Year’s Day. Daniel Craig’s portrayal of a 1950s gay man grappling with loneliness and addiction is really good – different from Bond – but the ending confuses. PY found an explanation.
Friday we had an aborted walk on the Isle of Wight: the narrow country lane we needed to start the journey was busy with cars going too fast.
Sunday, it rained a lot. Just in case parts of Ryde flooded we left a bit earlier than planned.
Media
Radio 2 All Stars: Mark Goodier, Owain Wyn Evans, and Angela Griffin. She still worked in Burger King whilst starring in Coronation Street.
“The left’s greatest sin seems to be, and I speak as a sort of leftist, is that it would rather be right than effective”, Stephen Fry guesting on Triggernometry
As the new year allows these moments of self-reflection, here comes my 2024 Yearnotes: a way to look back and be grateful for the interesting things I was able to do.
Lanzarote, 2024
Bananarama, 2024
Starlight, 2024
Green Day, 2024
Corfu, 2024
Paralympic Games 2024
I didn’t do my yearly self-review at the end of 2023. I have no recollection why. When I restarted the weeknotes in mid-2023, I allowed myself the flexibility to be late publishing, and I think that enabled me to keep the streak going. I hadn’t considered that one of the consequences would be I’d write something every month of the year in 2024, something that hasn’t happened here since 2005. I think the weekly writing habit was good for me as I wrote a whole bunch of other things alongside the weeknotes. As the new year allows these moments of self-reflection, here comes my 2024 Yearnotes: a way to look back and be grateful for the interesting things I was able to do.
Two of the things I am happiest about this year don’t fit neatly into the categories I use here. I am delighted that we were able to keep our monthly Pub Quiz attendance going; it’s such a nice way to see friends regularly. And, a random comment in the summer led to the discovery of €25 tickets for the Paralympics and a hastily booked train. It was wonderful to immerse myself in some sport for a day. Even the power cut at the hotel the night before our early-start departure couldn’t spoil the joy of the event.
And there was a sixth wedding anniversary, an eightieth birthday celebration, a fiftieth birthday party, and a King’s Garden Party that I haven’t written about but must be highlights.
Moving
At the end of ’23, I started to suffer with a frozen shoulder. It went through its most painful period in the first quarter of 2024. As a result, I didn’t even cross my gym’s doorstep for the first seven months of the year. And then I only went 6 times between then and now. I should insert the usual new year wish to do better. But, who am I kidding?
If I look at the amount of exercise I actually took, irrespective of time in a gym, my trackers say I took 3,131,527 steps for a cumulative distance of 1,407 miles (and burning 268,888 in the process). That’s 12 days and 17 hours of exercise-like exertion.
2022 in music
I try to make Last.fm the source for this data, but Apple Music’s failure to natively sync means I am dubious about the numbers. Last.fm says I scrobbled 5,170 tracks (down 24% on 2023). Of those, there were 3,093 unique tracks compared to the 2,906 songs that Apple says I played. While Last.fm thinks Lainey Wilson’s Wildflowers and Wild Horses was my top track, Apple says it was No Caller ID by Megan Moroney. To be fair, they both have the same count at Last.fm, so I am unsure why one was picked above the other. They’re both great songs.
Last.fm says Breland’s Cross Country was the most listened to album, Apple says that was number 3, while Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter was top. Are you spotting the trend is country music again?
All of that is somewhere between 12 days and 14 days listening in 2024. I think that was pretty good. I just wish somebody did the same for podcasts.
All the socials
I (still) have a Mastodon account but I have yet to pontificate there. Ditto Bluesky, although I keep promising myself I’ll move to a custom domain.
There were 28 Instagram grid pictures. There were 84 stories. It still remains my favourite format, but that’s a 42% decrease on 2023. There is a highlight selection from 2024 stories. Also, although it’s not social media, it is photos, I posted a collection of pictures from God’s Own Junkyard, the warehouse tribute to neon: All lit up.
There are now 98 feeds in NetNewsWire, notably new in 2024 are London-themed newsletters that I read via RSS. London Centric has just published a ’best of’ and The London Minute is becoming a daily read. London Spy, The Londoner and, nearer home, The Wimble are all worth some time. Given that London’s newspaper, the Evening Standard, had to drop the ‘evening’ portion of its name this year because it’s become weekly, these are more than the name ‘newsletter’ might imply, and are all recommended reading if you live – or are interested in goings-on in – the Capital.
Books, TV and Cinema
I failed my reading challenge, managing only 9 of the promised 15. However, they were all excellent and I don’t know which to call out as my favourite.
I also saw All of Us Strangers, but skipped the cinema to watch it from the comfort of my living room. It takes time to work out the timeline of the characters, but I loved it.
Many of the things I’ve posted about here are tracked in some app or other, or I’ve been able to use my own weeknotes as a reminder. I’ve tried using setlist.fm as a gig tracker. And, while it’s great, there’s no easy way to see 2024, and every artist at a festival is a separate entry, which is fair but, perhaps, does not enable an easy count of gigs. I enjoyed the Isle of Wight festival, Bananarama, Grace Jones, Stevie Nicks and even Bucks Fizz. At the Stevie Nicks gig, I saw Brandi Carlile and am now a fan of the music. In mid-December, I saw both the Lightning Seeds and Paul Heaton; two fantastic evenings.
I’ve not used anything to track theatre shows, so I am reliant on my own notes. Aside from Starlight Express, mentioned below, the best theatre included the immersive Guys and Dolls, Stranger Things: The First Shadow (which can be watched even if you don’t know the Netflix show); new musical Operation Mincemeat (inventive and hilarious) and The National’s Coriolanus was great: I surprised myself following the plot, having never read the play.
I’ve always loved listening to the radio. This year, however, I found more and more podcasts to keep me entertained. My current favourite is the cooking-interview show, Dish, but I caught up on a lot of Kirsty Young’s Young Again, which is also great.
Broadcaster Steve Wright died at the beginning of the year. There were plenty of wonderful tributes, but I particularly liked Steve Wright in his own words.
There were a couple of things that surprised me this year; I tuned into Test Match Special while Mum and Dad were at Lord’s for the first day and really liked the company. Timmy Mallett’s Radio Oxford show from back when John Lennon’s died was a nice bit of retro audio.
James O’Brien’s Full Disclosure is one of my favourite podcasts. It’s hard to pick favourite episodes, but I went back in time to the Andy Burnham episode (which was great). Full Disclosure hired an actor to voice The Secret Barrister, and that was an excellent episode.
Other writing
Possibly inspired by the forced regularity of weeknotes, I found myself posting a lot more to my blog. In On diary writing, I talk about how I want to improve my ability to articulate feelings and emotions in writing, which is a goal for this year. That was a follow-up to something from earlier in the year, My digital history, where I think of my personal website as a historical record of my life.
Another blast from the past was ‘Mine is the last voice you will ever hear’, a bit of a wander down memory lane reminiscing about “Two Tribes” by Frankie Goes to Hollywood and how, when we played the song repeatedly at school, we thought it was a form of rebellion.
I also blogged about a couple of events I’d been to this year: Hidden Holborn was another in the Hidden London series where the public is able to go to areas of the London Underground that are usually off-limits. Once again, I went to the Isle of Wight Festival, this year keeping a record of what I did: day one, day two and day three. And, earlier in the year, I was lucky to get tickets for the first real public performance of the new-look Starlight Express and I wrote up my thoughts.
Other counts
I am always fascinated by the stories people who count things in their lives can tell. There are 2,518 photos in this year’s album, but only 15 made their way to Flickr. Thanks to TFL, I know I made 373 journeys on the London transport network, 30 of them were buses. They didn’t tell me I took 6 flights this year, JetLovers did. And on 1% of my mornings in 2024, I woke up in Edinburgh.
This week: Stand 7/7; Exercise 7/7 and Move 7/7. (100%). Morning walks: 0/5. Office days 0/5. Total steps: 68,697
Life
It seems appropriate that the 100th weeknote is the week before Christmas. I can’t believe I’ve completed 100 of these, although this run only began with weeknote 22 back in June 2023.
I saw the Wallace and Gromit projection on Battersea Power Station and thought it was great. The £9 mulled wine wasn’t worth it.
Gave blood. Interesting chatting to the staff; they will be making up the Christmas holidays with extra Sundays because two days less blood in the system isn’t great. Give blood. Don’t miss your appointment.
Walked to ‘the big Tesco’. It’s full of different Christmassy things.
I made a shepherd’s pie using parsnips as the mash. It was delicious.
Friends’ Christmas dinner in Wimbledon Village was saved when E persuaded the staff to move us out of the middle of somebody else’s Christmas party. The food was excellent.
Christmas shopping in Kingston. It was busy (good for the shops) but not manic (so, good for me).
Enjoyable week of festive activities, concerts, and media moments.
Week commencing Monday, 9 December 2024
Heatongrad
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: 69,501
Life
Some of the Christmas lights went up. The tree was out of the box, undecorated by week’s end.
Monday evening, to the cinema for Wicked. Concluding in three hours, you’re only at the interval (if you were at the stage show). It is, visually, very impressive and seems like a faithful adaptation of the musical. The chemistry between Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande sparkles. Special shoutout to Jonathan Bailey who makes Fiyero stand out.
Tuesday, Paul Heaton in concert. £35 tickets; a bargain. I kept my coat on in honour of the performance. 25 songs. The new ones, like Fish ‘N’ Chip Supper, are just as good as the classics, Rotterdam (Or Anywhere). Rianne Downey, a new voice that works perfectly. Perfection.
A pension meeting. I don’t know what else can be said. Necessary admin.
Wednesday, The Truth About Harry Beck, a drama about the creation of the London Underground map, (oops, diagram). Staged in the London Transport Museum, it’s the story of Beck’s life from draftsman to designer, with his wife Nora as his biggest supporter. It’s nicely done, playing off the audience a little, with a clever scene trying to visualise the map on stage. But, yes, a play about the tube map.
Christmas party two. I stayed longer than I should have done but it was good fun. Tried to find a bus home that wasn’t due for 30 minutes and ended up missing a tube by a minute and having to wait ten.
Unexpected discovery of the week: my driving licence has expired. Renewal was easy, but not as easy as not noticing. The new one is issued without the EU flag on it. It saddened me.
Christmas party 1: I don’t enjoy attending parties where I’m unsure how many people I know, as I’m not good at making small talk with strangers. I was very restrained, still really enjoyed it, and was grateful the next day.
Related, I didn’t make my own cocktail but got one of the staff to make me an espresso martini. My drink did not look as lurid as some of them.
Last week I listened to a lot of discussions about energy use. This week I read that the UK has likely reached “peak petrol”.
Delay (should repay)
I’ve mentioned a lot of train delays recently; here’s this week’s adventures. I write this so that in a year I can look to see if taking trains back into government control has made any difference.
Tuesday: Cancelled trains into Waterloo, OK homewards.
Wednesday: Cancelled trains into Waterloo. The next train arrived with packed 4 carriages. I abandoned.
Thursday: Morning, another packed train short-formed. Delayed homeward (train skipped all stations before Raynes Park).
Friday: More cancelled Waterloo-bound trains. I noticed with sufficient time not to miss my on-time Portsmouth connection.
One of those led me to Young Again with Jamie Oliver: seemingly very honest. Which led to the Malcolm Gladwell episode. I like Malcolm’s podcasts, but I felt not engaging with the premise of Young Again made him sound difficult.
Gay Marriage and Me on iPlayer. I’m not sure why I just came across it, but I am reminded that it’s only been ten years, and less in some parts of the country. Interesting to see how many gay people of faith would like their church to marry them.
A lively week with food, fun, and festive adventures!
Week commencing Monday, 25 November 2024
Quantified Self
This week: Stand 7/7; Exercise 6/7 and Move 7/7. (95%). Morning walks: 0/4 (days in the office don’t count). Office days 1/5. Total steps: 63,828
Life
Observant readers will note this is the first week in a while where my exercise streak has been broken. It’s frustrating, but there’s a reason.
Related, at the start of the week I renewed my gym membership, even though I have hardly visited this year because of my shoulder. I vowed to do better next year.
Relatedly related, I injured my leg on Wednesday (ironically on the way home from my Tai Chi class). Somehow my leg disappeared from under me on some stairs (did I slip, miss a step?), and I was suspended above ground by holding onto the railing. I have been unable to walk without pain for the rest of the week.
Before I fell, I’d been stuck on a train that didn’t move for about an hour due to delays. Waterloo was in chaos. People were angry. I always feel sorry for the platform staff on nights like this.
There are Christmas songs on the radio.
Delay repay update: Transport for Wales did receive my delay repay request forwarded from Avanti, but won’t process it until they know how to pay me. Even though they may conclude not to pay me.
I hobbled around the office on Thursday before heading to Carnaby Street for Thirsty Thursday drinks. I was early, so enjoyed my first Five Guys burger.
Related, the Carnaby Street lights are a bit disappointing when compared to last year’s colourful extravaganza. Apparently, they are energy-efficient and will be reused for years.
Friday, dinner at the new branch of Scott’s in Richmond was delicious. Their festive lunch menu is served until 5:30 pm, and the fillet of pollock with cauliflower and woodland mushrooms is lovely.
Related, the fried Brussels sprouts with kimchi dressing are even better.
Relatedly related, the off-festive-menu oysters were better again.
I was taken to a comedy show at Richmond Theatre. I’d never seen, or heard of, Henry Rowley before. Described by Sky News as “The British ‘posh boy’ who became one of the year’s breakout TikTok stars”. I really enjoyed it.
Related, didn’t feel old. So, that was a win.
In spite of my inability to walk well, Christmas at Waddesdon is fantastic. The interior has been decorated for Christmas, inspired by the Sleeping Beauty story. There are more Christmas trees than I have ever seen in a single house. An outdoor light trail, projection, and Christmas market are great.
First mulled wine of the year has been ticked off.
Media
Listened and watched quite a bit about green energy, starting with Zero Bills homes: Getting rid of energy bills for good, a podcast by Octopus Energy. The basic idea is that modern, well-insulated houses, with the right set-up, can offset their entire electricity bill by providing power to the grid at times of peak demand.
Which led me to an episode of the Everything Electric Show about a B&B that runs with very low running costs thanks to a low-energy set-up: Low Energy Bills! This B&B Makes It Possible!
On a train, I finished listening to Toto Wolff (Team Principal & CEO of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team) on High Performance – a fascinating insight into how to be better.
My new favourite podcast is Dish! I am working my way through the back catalogue. This week Sara Cox was cooked mackerel with a watermelon rojack, but you know she’d have been just as happy with chips and gravy.
Jaguar cars showed-off their rebrand and everybody has an opinion. I have no idea if it’s good or bad, relevant or irrelevant. I am just amused by The Internet’s reaction.
I don’t know if this is really the tone of the impartial journalist, but the Isle of Wight Observer’s article about the departure of Red Funnel’s operations director did make me laugh; “It remains uncertain if Ms Lakes’ new role at the RNLI will allow her to continue working from her comfortable home in Scotland, where she is said to be overlooked by a painting of a highland cow above her fireplace.”
Regular readers will recall I mentioned the wonderful Sandown Hat Parade back in the summer. This weekend some of those hats were on display at Quay Arts and it was fantastic to read the story behind them.
I am officially in the Christmas spirit after have a wander around Christmas World. A lot of money could have been spent if I’d wanted my house covered in Christmas.
We stumbled across Moonflower Murders this week. But by Sunday evening we’d watched the series. It really took some time to get into the multiple timelines, but it was enjoyably cosy once I’d figured out what was happening.
Reflective week balancing personal, media, and creative activities.
Week commencing Monday, 11 November 2024
Shrewsbury
Quantified Self
This week: Stand 7/7; Exercise 7/7 and Move 77. (100%). Morning walks: 0/4. Office days 1/5. Total steps: 60,568
Life
Hedge trimmers turned up on Monday morning about two hours early. I was in the shower, but PY let them in. They were completed within forty minutes, and there is way more light to the back decking. Wish I’d done it earlier in the year.
Related, we met the neighbour whose hedge was technically being cut. He was delighted we were doing it.
Quiz night: we got a few more correct puzzles this time, so we’re improving. We are still in the middle of the ranking; we cannot compete with our score the first time we went.
I re-read How I ship projects at big tech companies several times this week. It’s a useful reminder to focus on getting the project out and telling people about it.
Down memory lane, I found a blogpost written in 2004 after I’d been running a training course. It made me hunt my diaries for who I was training and what was the dinner. And I found the answer.
A bit of news kept popping up in various places all week with the headline, “Pub in central London hit with restrictions after faint giggles from customers annoy man”. I want to say, “you bought a flat near a pub …” But, maybe, I shouldn’t.
