With March, I started getting back my missing mojo. Which is not to say that the month was easy, but things are getting better. It was also good to have a flow of visitors to the valley: Tom, Graham, Katharine, Muffy, and Laurence. I did some good hikes too, which got the blood flowing. Work was tough but always interesting.
My diet and exercise were mostly slack, not helped by my trainer being away. I put on an extra 2.0 pounds, which means a total of 4.3 since the end of November. I walked 435,256 steps, an average of 14,073, and the most since the 16,000 or so average in March 2024, when I was in a step competition. The longest day’s walking was going back home from Howarth with Tom and Graham. I’m still not running yet, but my gym recently added an elliptical machine. I went in for the first time outside of my sessions and ‘ran’ 5k. It’s good to see I can manage this, and it might help me build up to actual running.
Most of the films that I saw this month were in the cinema, apart from the dire Electric State. I’d loved the trailer for this so much that I read the book before seeing the film, ignoring my rule about picking one medium for adaptations – it’s a good thing I did. The Bridget Jones film was not for me (I don’t think I’ve actually seen the previous ones), and I am Martin Parr was interesting – very odd to watch a film that included footage of the cinema I was in. The Last Showgirl brought out very different opinions from me and Rosy, but I loved it. For the second year running, I watched all 10 Best Picture Oscar nominees (link to blog post). Anora‘s win was well-deserved, but there were some other very strong contenders. Like everyone else, I watched Adolescence, but found myself underwhelmed. The acting was superb, but the one-shot gimmick seemed to constrain most of the episodes. It’s also shit that it takes a drama to set the national agenda.
My reading was disordered at points in March, demonstrated by the fact that I woke up one night because I’d knocked over my bedside pile of books. The only one that stood out in March was The Amplified Come as You Are, Michael Azzerad’s extensive commentary on his 1993 Nirvana biography, which I’ve written about on a separate post. The online story The Ideal Candidate Will be Punched in the Stomach was a great read – and even better for the writer making it grimly plausible.
I’m enjoying No Return mode on The Last of Us: Part 2. This is a roguelike, with a daily challenge. It seems weird to be so in love with one particular game and not taking to any others. I tried a little of Atomfall, but stopped when it made me feel pukey. I need to give it another chance.
Writing has been slow, but I’m continuing to work hard at it. I’m enjoying the weekly stories on substack but I also want to do something substantial. However, I don’t want to spend a lot of time on something I can’t find an audience for (I very much struggle with promotion). I’m thinking a lot about my approach to writing but it also feels like I am getting somewhere with this. I sent out a prototype of a fun thing (picture below), which Justin pointed out was a feelie.
Work was busy, with a run of all-day meetings at the end of the month. My client role continues to feel ambiguous, but one of the challenges of consultancy is introducing structure where it’s missing. I’ve started setting my goals at the start of the week, aiming to set out what I want to have achieved. It seems to be working, but there’s still a way to go.
I was chatting with Dave recently and he suggested that I sometimes talk too much about my frustrations in the monthnotes. My life right now is close to perfect – I share a house with my best friend in a place I love, and my job is both challenging and engaging. I talk a lot about the frustrations (sleep being a big one) but it’s the grit that makes the pearl. So, when you read me complaining here, bear in mind that there’s very little I would change.
My biggest struggle right now is with energy – days in the office are proving particularly exhausting. I ringfence much of my spare time and energy for writing and my daily steps, which leaves little left for a social life. My attendance at my regular in-person writing groups has been sporadic. I’m not sure how to re-prioritise things, but I am benefitting from less time on social media and cutting down task switching. I’ve also turned off all the metrics on my kindle so I can focus on reading better. It feels like things are improving but I still need to get back to something approaching pre-pandemic levels of sociability
Important Hebden Bridge bird news! The geese here always seem to lay their eggs in odd places. One silly goose chose to nest on some bare stones by the river. Rosy and I were delighted to see a kind person delivering bedding to the birds, which has now been used for a proper nest.
- I’ve booked my midsummer holidays. They’re a long way off, but I’m excited to have something to look forward to.
- March brought the 5th anniversary of the first covid lockdowns. I’m still haunted by that experience.
- The Pack Horse Inn has closed once more, which is a tragedy.
- I started to clear the back garden. It’s still a disgrace, but there’s something satisfying about improving it.
“It’s also shit that it takes a drama to set the national agenda” – hasn’t that always been the way though? I’m sure Homer would have opinions. It was great seeing how much good the drama about the Post Office scandal did. Would be nice to see this do the same, though my fear is not that it’s setting the agenda, but that it’s setting the wrong one: politicians seem to be putting the burden of fixing this on our kids, rather than use their own power. There was a bit about this in the Tim Arnold clip I sent you, but the most powerful thing I’ve read about is was this LinkedIn post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/elly-hanson-2151932b5_five-reasons-not-to-show-adolescence-in-schools-activity-7312921716647751680-IGQy
” I woke up one night because I’d knocked over my bedside pile of books” – this happens to me _at least_ once a month
There are good examples of fiction setting the political agenda – The Jungle by Upton Sinclair being one example.
I feel a little uncomfortable with how the post office scandal and Adolescence have both worked – there’s a populist angle to both of these. People get excited by the drama, but fail to ask the systemic questions. Politicians follow the crowd to make them feel like they have a say. And, as you say, the politicians are going with the wrong solution, because they don’t want to face down the huge corporations.
Good drama makes for bad laws.