La Chat

I was busy but never rushed off my feet this Friday - an oddly nice middle ground of 'stuff'. I taped out firelanes in the studio with another member of the team, employing a 'work smarter, not harder' approach that served us very well. I logged a whole bunch of tech that got shipped over to us, and I ran out to the nearest greasy spoon to pick up a naughty lunch for some of my colleagues. Busy, but everything done well and would ultimately make people happy. 

Back at home I bid Rebecca farewell, she's off to London on a 24 hour run about. I'm looking after the cat in her sted and she's already found the perfect spot to settle down on the bed. It's hard to feel totally alone with a cat by your feet.

Flight Club

The last time I was asked to take notes at a page turn I was locked in a room with 5 people. One of which had Covid. Luckily today's one was much more normal. Everyone was collaborating, laughing and problem solving - all the while I was typing furiously, trying to commit everything to paper. Good thing I've been around the houses a few times so I know the filming lingo and was able to connect as lot of disparate dots, ultimately writing up well over a thousand words. My brain was running a little hot by the end of it but it was good fun to sit in the room where the sausage gets made.

With our Production team full up we're trying to do more socials while we can. This week was Flight Club, a social darts and bar which was a certified hoot. I learned that I was rubbish at darts, a fact one of my team brought up. 'I thought you'd be better at this'. Alas, I can control little Italian men with a joystick well, but when it comes to throwing tiny finned needles 3 feet, I am indeed naff. Gotta cherish these socials though, once I transition over to Script Supervising I will sincerely miss my team.

Tipping into the Tipping Point

Another recce means another breakfast set up in our little Production Office. I also got sent on a little lunch run that got cancelled at the last minute. At least that gave me some more time to catch up on my desk duties that I've been neglecting. Having said that, the plates I'm spinning are once again dependant on other people's actions now. Once I get a rubber stamp on a bunch of things I can leap into action, as it stands now I'm sitting on my hands a little bit. That'll all change as quickly as the wind though, I'm just enjoying a bit of the quiet while it still lasts.

CV Glancing

One of my old Script Supervisor mentors got in touch earlier to wish me luck on stepping up into the role, that was a nice bit of out of the blue recognition that kept me smiling. Otherwise I was going to the supermarkets and bakery early doors for bits and pieces as per usual... And I'll be doing it again tomorrow alongside a very sudden lunch run request for tomorrow afternoon. Just a few more weeks until I can hang up my informal title of Catering Coordinator for good. 

One little extra I got to do though was cast my eye over the CV's of my potential replacement. And hot damn, if my applications looked half as good as some of these guys I would have been in the business a lot sooner than I had dreamed. The next generation have got us covered and I know I can leave the team in safe hands.

Dog Poo

I had my nose deep into my phone as I walked to the bakery this morning, at least, that's my excuse for stepping in dog poo so early on. Is that good luck these days? Bird poo supposedly is, but I think any kind of floor poo works on a 'shame on you' kinda way. Was I any luckier today though? Jury is still out on that one. I was busy enough and a handful of the more ropey jobs just disappeared before I had to action them. I also beat Rebecca at this one board game for the first time ever today. Chalk it all up to the dog poo. I won't be doing that again tomorrow morning though as hosing down my shoe before work wasn't my ideal way to spend a Monday morning.

Sunday Writer

Before I had even opened my eyes the Sunday blues had sunk in. I feel like I'm drifting through my days at the moment since I don't have anything definitive to sink my teeth into. I'm lacking a game to play, a book to read or a TV show to watch. Nothing exists right now that fills my little heart with glee whenever I think about engaging with it. I'm riding it out because I know circumstances will quickly change when something comes along but for now I'm just coasting. I did return to my writing desk briefly to crack on with an opinion piece on behalf of another games blogger who wanted me to contribute to their site. I put off doing it for a long time today but I ended up really enjoying myself - a little no pressure time tapping on a keyboard turned out to be a good time with something potentially to show by the end of it. That'll be the legacy of this Sunday.

Chest High Wall

There wasn't a cloud in the sky so we took the opportunity to do some swift gardening. That horrible red weed thing crept back in, flourishing across every patch of soil that didn't have another plant firmly anchored in place. We filled two sacks almost exclusively of the stuff and the garden looks all the better for it. With great waste comes great responsibility so we booked in a trip to the dump. Rebecca disappeared into the cupboard under the stairs and managed to pull bulky trash from there like a magician. We filled Rebecca's car to the rafters, hocked it over a chest high wall and felt good about ourselves for the rest of the day. For bonus points, we took the picnic blanket out into the park, sat down and sunned ourselves in mid-April. Gotta enjoy it while we got it..

Deal In Principle

With most of the 'grown ups' out the office, today turned out to be easy going. It's what the team needed in all honesty, a day to get stuff done but also have a few laughs. I didn't even get sent out on a run, but I made more phone calls than usual which made me feel more like a member of the team and less like a gopher. That said, I had to low-key say goodbye to them as I got confirmation today that I'd soon be transitioning away from Production and into Script Supervising for this job. I am thrilled but it's a little bittersweet because my team are legitimately great and I'm headed into slightly uncharted territory. It's a new challenge though and they've already asked me to go out to all their future socials - an offer I gladly took up. Maybe this is the start of a whole new chapter.

Soft Boiled Eggs

The bread and pastries were still warm as I plated them up for breakfast - and as if that wasn't enough we also made some soft boiled eggs for the visiting executives. It truly was a spread to behold, it was only a little bit of a shame when they didn't eat it... Guess my hungry production team would have to step in instead. The grown ups were out on a recce once again so that gave us some breathing room to crack on with our day jobs. I struck a lot off my to do list but still found myself feeling mentally scrambled. I look around my team and the feeling is mutual. We're all still smiling but the busyness is strangely all consuming right now.

Salted Butter

I took a load of bread from my local bakery into work and within 2 hours it was gone. Apparently I love making rods for my back because now that people have gotten a taste for the finer things (fresh bread and French butter, the kind with hunks of salt dotted throughout) then they can't live without it. Guess I've turned into craft services once again, a role that is anathema to me but it keeps people on my side. I'll be at the bakery early again tomorrow morning. And probably the morning after that.

A Rainbow

Pulling out of our road I spotted a full rainbow arching over the park. This was at 7:15 when I left to get groceries and snacks for another recce. It was an early start but I had a lot to crack on with, every beat I hit with good timing, even after the occasional wrench was thrown into my timings.

One of which came as a missed called from my PM - usually this means something big brewing that I'd have to quasch. In reality, he had tee'd up a meeting between me and the Script Supervisor to discuss me coming onboard as an assistant Script Supervisor! I shoved the recce lunches into the hands of the HOD's and raced back to hop on a Zoom call with who could become my boss. We got on really well and she provisionally said she'd be delighted to have me on board as long as the higher ups are all good with it. I rode that high for the remainder of the day, which culminated in a pub session with the Production Team. Finger crossed that rainbow was indictive of things to come.

The Glamour of Television

Built my first Ikea flat pack of the job. The first of many I'm sure. The other assistant and I built it in the foyer of our director's accomodation so it was ready to be taken inside sometime this evening. At several moments during the build I resisted the urge to say 'The glamour of TV!' to my relatively green colleague but I didn't want to crush her hopes and dreams. That light faded from my eyes long ago I realized, I'm so used to scuttling food and hocking kit around that the magic of the silver screen feels alien to my efforts - I exist so deep in the periphery that I'm barely an extra.

Late Sunday Lasagna

A lasagna awaited us at Louis and Rachel's, how could we refuse a lunch at theirs? So for the first genuinely Summery day of April we all headed to the garden center and to start planning our season. I almost walked out with a couple of pumpkin planters but folded at the last minute - this was just a recce afterall, if I truly believe I'm ready to care for a pumpkin I'll be back out there in a flash. The rest of the afternoon was spent huddled around Louis' new emulator machine. We passed the controller on Super Mario Bros 3, each of us howling in disbelief whenever our fingers betrayed our intentions and let poor Mario die. 

The Sunday niggle squirmed back into my brain a little later on, that thought that poisons your good vibes, the ying to Fri-yays yang. What does next week hold in store? Lunches, research, emails and spreadsheets. The lasagna we enjoyed only served to remind me of Garfield's favourite quote...

Tyntesfield House

 Our energy provider incredulously gave Rebecca and me two tickets to a National Trust property of our choice. Tyntesfield House has long been on our 'Bristol to-do' list but it's always been too expensive to justify. No longer though! Parking was still a paid premium, but we knocked this attraction off our bucket list. I packed a cute little picnic for us to enjoy on the orangey lawn, Rebecca dropped a few nuts for the wildlife to enjoy but that gave us the fuel required to muscle past the slow walkers inside the eponymous house. It was a pretty mid-tier National Trust property, annoyingly it did that thing where rooms were cordoned off at the doorway, so you could poke your head in but could never get a sense of the space. There was also a distinct lack of information signage. I read most of the ones inside the building and I still don't know who lived there nor why it was an important building. I know they had servants and there was a billiards room but that about it. Still, it was a grand day out in somebody else's dime.

Pepper Mill

My Friday was almost left in tatters on account of a lowly pepper grinder. I fitted a fridge no problem into my car, I begun drafting cast gifts without a sweat, but what got me stressing was a tiny pepper mill. Our director is moving into a new accommodation so it fell on us to provide a couple of groceries for them, but for love nor money could we find a pepper grinder in a nearby supermarket. An hour later we located one, but at that point the absurdity of the task had taken hold. It was simultaneously the highest and lowest stake thing we'd ever had to put inside a kitchenette. We returned as humble champions, the director will never know if our struggles as they season their meals..

Kidnapped Earl Grey

Once my shopping basket was full up with real butter and posh sliced bread, I realized that I become an incidental Art Department Runner for the day. They're waiting on their junior people to start the job so I'm filling in the gaps til then. I gladly do their shopping, what I had less sympathy for is when they started outright stealing our teabags. Not just one or two mind, whole boxes! I wouldn't even mind if they were neighbourly about it and just asked for a borrow, instead I look the muppet when my team ask me where the Earl Grey has gone and I can only say 'But I swear it was RIGHT HERE' as they look at me like a crazy person.

It's so nice to come back home to Rebecca and the cat after a long day of jumping through hoops. They keep me going and keep me smiling.

Feet in the Door

Looking back, I'm not 100% sure what I accomplished at work today. I was fairly busy prepping Birthday paraphernalia for a colleague: cakes, cards and prezzies. I quietly spent a good chunk of the day releasing what I'd say during a training course seminar that I had been invited to speak at. About 12 young adults who were looking to break into the industry we're all on a day course at The BottleYard to learn how to get their foot in the door, so I joined forces with a member of the Locations team to give a lil spiel about what it's like to work in our industry. We could have filled a whole day chatting to them, but sadly our time was very brief with them. I think I presented myself ok, it's hard to drum up enthusiasm in strangers for a department as nebulous and spreadsheet based as Production but I had a gas of a time.

Emergency Pret Run

Just as I was making a passing remark to a colleague about not having to do a Pret run so far on this job, I got the call. Emergency Pret run, on the double. Our recce team ran a bit late and lost their restaurant reservation so I was deployed, alongside a colleague to feed our hungry, hungry heads of department. This derailed my day somewhat as I had only just left a big team meeting that filled my to do list with bullet points. I'll pick up the slack tomorrow, assuming there's not another surprise coming my way.

I mean there will be, but that's part of the fun.

Office Bananas

Morning of running, afternoon of sitting - that's most of my days in a nutshell. People are out on recces again doing their thing so I can be found pecking at emails, running away to buy groceries, returning to my inbox before being whisked away for a tea and coffee run. I'm never at my desk long enough to get given any meaty tasks which is a blessing and a curse. While the lack of responsibility is nice, I often find myself yearning for something more important and restocking the office bananas. Every now and then someone throws me a bone to gnaw on, mostly it's sustainability measures and figuring out best way to implement them. For better and for worse the higher ups are being sticklers for environmentalism. Sometimes things are overly altruistic rather than realistic, but finding that compromise is all part of it.

Scoop

We braced ourselves for an almighty storm that never really manifested. A spot of drizzle in the morning, then sunshine for the rest of the day. The Tabacco Factory market operated a minimised amount of stalls in case of wind, but with the sun out I couldn't believe how busy it ended up being. 

I finished the game I was playing and tuned into watch Netflix's recent film of the fortnight: Scoop. It's a journalism piece about the Prince Andrew interview that was fine... It exists... It doesn't elaborate on much we already know and doesn't hit the same highs as other contemporary journo flicks like She Said or Spotlight. It is a film about the interview in the most literal sense: we watch people say 'boy, it sure would be good to chat with the naughty prince' and then they do. If you've seen the real life interview you arguably don't need to see the dramatized version unless you're really interested in seeing actors reconstruct it.

Revenge of the Rum

Last night's 'on the house rum' might have been one drink too many as it turns out. I awoke to an almighty headache, even just focusing my eyes on things was enough to get my head spinning. A bit if self pity and an episode of The Apprentice later and I was on the mend though, a coffee and a walk to the Harbour side freshened me up a bit too. This weekend Rebecca and I just wanted to take things easy after some big working weeks. I already feel detoxed and stoked to have one more day of rest tomorrow. There's meant to be storms though so we may have to treat it as a wet play day and stay indoors.

Maximum Board Game Night

Continued to tick off boxes at work and making good strides towards our end goals. I feel like I'm doing good work to support my team, be it helping them take stuff off their load, or by simply making them a tea/coffee. Just happy to be there an make the difference where I can.

The nearby board game night is back on the cards after a lengthy hiatus so Rebecca and I filled out bags with games and headed up the hill. It started out with just 4 of us having a cute little session, then more and more people all dropped in! I have never seen it so busy - the owner was thrilled and I was happy for them. We spent most of the evening with said owner, we even got a free rum out of the deal! I said to Rebecca on the way home, I'm so glad I took the gamble and popped my head into the shop two years ago after seeing a poster.

Spreadsheet Shuffler

Did a little bit of everything and nothing today, but got a lot more direction after sitting down with the team to discuss our individual 'to do' lists. I'm being deployed like a satellite to hover over my guys and help out where I can. For the travel and accom peeps it's updating logs, for the more admin based folks I'm updating spreadsheets. In fact, whenever I'm not doing food work, all I seem to be doing is inputting data from one source into another. What a time to be alive.

Top Gun Maverick

Opened up the office and paraded around for half an hour before anyone else turned up. And by 'paraded' I mean I manically brewed coffee, set out pastries, yoghurts and fruit all for our team going out on recces. The day was pretty chill afterwards though, just ran errands as they cropped up and made dream come true... Again, mostly in the food department but we gotta start somewhere.

Being in early meant leaving early too so Rebecca and I had a chance to watch another Tom Cruise recent blockbuster: Top Gun: Maverick. Though I can't remember virtually a single plot point of the original, I can tell you this new one if flat-out better. It nails the academy style 'lets train the best to be even better' narrative beats and bolts in some high octane action to boot. It's innovation to effectively mount a go pro to fighter jets provides footage that always stuns and the film manages to honour it's own past without getting high on it's own supply. Solid, solid, solid.

Emergency Freezer

I was the first one in our local bakery for a pastry pickup. Some crew from London are down for the next few days visiting so we wanted to put out a good spread for them. It was one of those mornings with a lot of running around to set things up, but once everyone was in and happy the day mostly ran itself. I did have to source an emergency 2nd hand freezer because one of them wanted to keep their smoothie ingredients frozen. I suppressed my eye rolls at this being a first world problem and got one in the office within the hour, all before the peas and broccoli begun to melt. 

I'm back in early again tomorrow to lay out a continental breakfast spread for everyone before they head out into the rain for recess. All I do is food.

Gluten Free Biscuits

I wanted to optimize every second of the bank holiday Monday. I did a bit of extra curricular work by doing a supermarket sweep ahead of tomorrow's big meeting (we have a royal visit from the higher ups so I wanted to make sure we had enough posh, gluten free biscuits up our sleeve). But after that it was pure chill times, starting with the most recent Mission Impossible film which was just 'ok'. I've slowly come to terms with the fact that the action is good in these new ones, all the auxillary dialogue stuff is just woeful now though as every single group conversation consists of characters finishing each other's sentences. But, it was a long movie so today was the perfect time to watch it. 

I actually can't quite believe that the Easter break is over now. A double weekend over in a flash. I don't want to go to sleep because that'll make tomorrow come faster.

Easter 2024

Low-key forgot the clocks did their thing last night so when I woke up at 9am my shock got the better of me. Gingerly I arose and went down for breakfast, absolved by my family reminding me of Daylight savings. A hot cross bun and a croissant slathered in homemade marmalade kept me going until Dad's roast dinner. Leg of lamb, roast potatoes and a side of cabbage + bacon. Real good stuff, probably one of the best Dad has done in a while in fact.

Louis and I drove back to Bristol a little bit later and I was invited to join Rebecca and her parents out for a drink. I never thought I'd be the kind of person at a pub on the evening of Easter Sunday, but I got a chance to mingle with exactly that type at The King William for a swift pint of stout. It was certifiably quiet in there, minus a few oddballs like us, but it was charming enough. I have a mountain of chocolate to get through, but that what Bank Holiday Monday is for!

Muddy Muscles

My legs were as stiff as tree trunks once I got up this morning. I clearly overexerted myself playing Padel yesterday and now I'm paying the price... Especially once it was decided that we would take a big walk along the muddy bridlepaths of Newbury. It was actually really pleasant doing leaps of faith over vast puddles was torturous.

I started falling asleep on the sofa earlier so I took it upon myself to do something useful so I helped Dad cook dinner. With the help of a trusty recipe, I was charged with making a tomato and okra side dish. I'd never really done anything like that before but I was incredibly willing to give it a go. Turned out great, but then again I'll never turn down any excuse to eat tomatoes.

Padel

Though I wasn't at work today, that didn't stop me from seeing my colleagues. A few of us met up for a game of Padel, the lastest racket sport sensation. Most of us were first timers but after knocking the ball around a bit things quickly became competitive. Because the nature of the game operates on some different rules to badminton or tennis it took a little while to unwire my brain - I only really got the knack of it 5 minutes until our session was over.

My time out the house meant Rebecca could prepare a small egg hunt around the house for me which was very sweet. I usually do the honours of setting one up for her, so it was a little strange being the seeker for once. After the eggs were sourced and scoffed I packed for heading home to Newbury. Louis and I got there without traffic and got to hang out with our parents. Quite nice to enjoy each other's company without the hoo-haa of Christmas, it's just easy breezy.

4 Day Stretch

A little bit more running around today to fit everything in before the Easter Weekend. 4 day weeks are meant to be the way forward for many office jobs but in the TV industry it's one less day to get everything done by. My team were certainly feeling the pinch more than me so I did my best to support them as I could. I was handed over one very nice job to call up a prospective job applicant for an internal role to tell them they got the job. It sounds like one of their first big gigs so hopefully this is a big deal for them. I'm just tired and jaded though and can't wait to languish in the long weekend. I can't remember the last time I got all 4 days of Easter off, I gotta make the most of it.

Happy Hamper

 A lot of my jobs self evaporated over the course of the morning. That freed me up to compile a hamper for our director, a task I took great pride in. I headed to North Street and popped intoy favourite shops to gather the very best 'made in Bristol' stuffs. With a near blank check I bought chocolates, fancy toiletries and boutique snacks then arranged them in a wicker basket with straw. By the time I was done, I wished I was the one getting a hamper!

70%'ing

Doing my darndest to treat my workload like a big conveyor belt. Tick off jobs so new ones come in. But so far I feel like I'm 70%'ing most of my tasks as I'm forever waiting on final greenlights from my higher ups. We're all super busy at the moment so I hate chasing people up on stuff, with any luck it'll start to peeter down a smidge so we can regroup and refocus. Coming back home to Rebecca and the cat is nice though, it helps remind me why we put ourselves through the ringer for 10 hours each day.

Automatic Brownies

My latest hire car got dropped off first thing - a hybrid mini SUV which is perhaps a little too big to park on our street. It's an automatic too which always takes some time to rewire my brain to recall how it works. Luckily I got plenty of practice going to and fro to the train station to pick up members of our team. Just a day with the car and I'm bedded in nicely with it. 

I baked some brownies for my colleagues as well which went down even better than I had expected. And that's saying something because we got sample platters of catering style food for lunch and my brownies still came out on top. I just hope there's some left tomorrow now...

Poutine and Pints

The whole of last week Rebecca and I were looking forward to going to a local brew pub near us for a Canada themed event. Beer and pop up street food... 'Poutine and pints' I kept jokingly referring to it as and that wasn't too far off the mark. We both enjoyed eating some high end and layman poutine while in Quebec and Montreal recently so we knew what to expect. Yet for a dish with only three ingredients (chips, cheese curds and gravy) they somehow managed to bungle every element. Fries that were both cold and overdone at the same time, gravy that had congealed blobs in it, and the cheese was just straight up red leicester torn into makeshift cubes. 'A mockery of Canadian culture' says I, a man who has only been there for a fleeting visit. Still, it was fun to go on a little date lunch with Rebecca on this sunny Sunday afternoon.

A Human Write Off

My head was heavy after catching up on a bit of sleep. Bleary eyes, I stirred the porridge and went out for a food shop, but I didn't feel like I woke up fully until midday. A friend of Rebecca popped round for Rummikub and a chat this afternoon, after being a shell of a person all morning it was nice to see that I wasn't a total human write off amidst company. 

I'm slowly getting better and pan sauces. Usually I over reduce them so there's nothing left to enjoy, but a YouTube video broke down what to look out for. With my newfound wisdom I made a Chicken Piccata for dinner which was saucy in all the right ways, my culinary capital continues to climb.

Grown Up Food

You forget how much you look forward to weekends when you're not working. Now I dream about them like 10ft tall ice cream sundaes I can suba dive into. We had a few niggly bits at work we had to get over the line by end of play. As usual, I got asked to do a bit of catering correspondence and brokering. I think I did ok overall and I got out a little early so Rebecca and I could jet up town to hang out with Mark and Lucy. Mark was determined to cook us 'grown up food's after we apparently made a meal for them that raised the bar. The irony is they're both better chefs than us! Lamb meatballs on a bed of couscous on a bed of yogurt was a real winner, the height of home cooking sophistication. A few drinks and a few games later and I was already getting good weekend vibes.

I Live for Spreadsheets

The workload is very slowly ramping up. The rest of my team are a little snowed under with emails and finding crew so I've been enlisted to help where I can, even if it is just by updating spreadsheets aplenty. Our little monkey brains love excel documents don't they? We delight in numbers going up and despair when they go down, those thin gridded lines hold truths once everything is in it's right place. We love them so much we pay each other to make new ones all the time, then update them - what a time to be alive.

Offering Roles

I continued my deep dive into the scripts for the show, intermittently getting brought in to help out on a couple of odd jobs. At the behest of a colleague I messaged a few people in the Art Department to offer them a position on the job. Felt very benevolent providing the hope of employment to strangers, with any luck we'll assemble a dream team who'll keep the job calm and professional. In between I'm cleaning the kitchen and keeping everyone generally happy, that's the best I can do now until some bigger tasks come my way, no doubt they'll start flooding in soon.

Paper Ponderer

We needed A3 paper ready for first thing today and it turns out that's a relatively tricky thing to source locally... Unless you have a detective like brain and access to the Internet. Turns out there's a big old stationery warehouse just on the opposite side of the park from me AND it opened before my starting time. Crisis averted, everyone was happy and I managed to do my hardest job of the day before my day had even started.

The remainder of the morning and afternoon was reading scripts and swotting up on some sustainability measures we're implementing. We really are putting our best foot forward on this job which is lovely to see, I'll do the best I can to safeguard that practice too.

Snacks and Stationery

I returned to the studios that I remember wistfully saying goodbye to about 6 months ago. My new job has begun, I'm mostly just getting the office all set up and happy, snacks and stationery basically. Saw a few chaps from my team which was fun and overall the vibe seems pretty good so far. This has the makings of a very nice gig, I just want to pace myself a little better than I did in the last one to keep my enthusiasm and my energy high.

Baklava in the Rain

A nearby London farmers market tempted us to brave the drizzly weather. The customary meats, eggs and cheeses were there but what really caught our eye was the Middle Eastern gazebo with their trays of glistening baklava. We couldn't resist (and the prices were hilariously agreeable too), so with a coffee we took a bite and all locked eyes and smiled.

That was certainly the days highlight, we spent the remainder of the day traveling home where I begun packing my work bag. I'm not kicking and screaming about returning to work but I will miss my cosy routine. New challenges are welcome though and first days have the tendency to be easy breezy, I just hope tomorrow goes well and I get good vibes from the project.

Featherweight Taproom

A light breakfast was all that lined my stomach from a very dark pint of stout from a London taproom. We went out to stay with our friends who have recently moved to a place with a significantly larger footprint. We walked through a muddy trail in a nearby park to get to said taproom, I spent most of the journey back pretending to be sober. 

Dinner with our hosts brought me back from the brink though, that and a few board games and watching Stanley Tucci sample the delights of Italy (they saw the book I was reading and hit play on the program, there was no protest from me). I'm already sad tomorrow is Sunday, I'll have to make the most of our time with our chums before we head back to a new reality.

Writing Flow

I was not ready for the sudden flow state I found myself in as I sat down to try and finish my current writing project. All week I'd been chipping away at it, like a sculptor using a toothpick, but today I busted out the hammer and went to town on my work. I blocked out my day but all that went out the window as I found myself writing, editing and sharpening - all making the end product better and more cohesive. I dragged it to 95% completion before backing away to give more thought to my conclusion... Which came to me while reading a book on the subject a few hours later. I basically had one of those thrilling days where you end up smashing your goals. More of those please!

Pi Day

I'm doing a wee bit of research into films about food so I woke up extra early to watch Like Water for Chocolate. I think I did anyway, the movie kinda passed me by as if I was in a fever dream. I was super on board for the magical realism at the beginning but it lost all momentum by the second half. But you got to hand it toexican filmmakers, they know how to make something explosively emotional and allegorical.

Seeing as it was Pi day too (03.14, hohoho), it felt apt to watch Waitress, a movie that concerns itself mostly with pies. This one was much more watchable while dripping with mid-life crisis revelations and that cosy early 2000's small town comedy feeling. It's a cult classic with the heart of an angel.

Halcyon Days

Continued to peck away at my keyboard, writing and rewriting one more short project before I'm back to work on Monday. I'm going to miss the freewheeling days of quietly sitting at my desk, sipping coffee and stroking the cat. But then again, I miss financial security more.

Still, if I have to stop writing I'll at least keep reading - that's my resolution to myself. It took me a while to get back into the swing of being an unpublished nobody, but if I keep reading I'll at least keep my hand in. I got Stanley Tucci's biographical cookbook from the library and Blood Meridian to keep my mind sharp, very much looking forward to starting one of them this weekend.

Numbers Go Up, and Up

The iconic mizzle in Bristol kept me locked indoors when I should have been out running. Eventually it staved off and I completed a 3.7k - not bad for a third run since a hiatus. The rain was unbelievably fine throughout the run though, I felt like a pampered vegetable, getting continuously misted in a posh grocery store.

I ticked off a new game (Dordonga) and a new film (Mrs Doubtfire) today too. I certainly do derive some reptile brain satisfaction from updating my online databases, but really they just feel like another body for the pile. Why do I feel compelled to record every film I watch? I guess I like seeing that little number go up and up but is that a healthy way to treat art - as something to consume rather than consider? I need to find people to discuss these things with really, otherwise I watch movies and impress no one but myself.

Breakfast at Tiffany's

Endured a few weeks of speculative waiting, but this evening I got the deal memo for my next job land in my inbox. I'll be back in a job starting next Monday going up to the end of the year. It been a long time before confirming this so I feel mentally prepped, but also a little surprised - I'll have to remember all the steps, just hope I haven't lost my touch in making other people coffee.

I caught up on a famous film I'd never seen til today: Breakfast at Tiffany's. Lord it was ropey. It's been a long while since I felt so numb to a movie, even the bits that were 'funny' I didn't feel like laughing to. The romance was non-existent too on account of fundamentally intolerable characters.

Mother's Day 2024

For Mother's Day Mum and Dad made the trip out West to see the Bristol collective. I made reservations at a Lebanese place that none of us had tried before, so it only made sense to try all the mezze heavy hitters like falafel and baba ganoush. Dad helped himself to the mixed grill, narrowly dodging the meat sweats while the table chatted away. We saw the restaurant advertising a free desert for mothers on mother's day - what none of us for saw was Rebecca and Rachel getting a free pud as well. As Rebecca lifted a spoonful of free panna cotta up to her grinning lips I had never felt so jealous in all my life.

Once the family dispersed back home Rebecca and I did one of our quietly favourite things: channel surfing through the Sunday Night telly. It's dire, but in a way that's easy to make fun of, our commentary making each other laugh before unironically getting more invested in Crufts than we'd expected. Monday tomorrow, and what could mark the last full week off I have before returning to work (fingers crossed). Time to make it count.

Julie and Julia

Little Victories by the Harbourside do some amazing coffee. I was craving a cuppa so Rebecca and I did a tiny pilgrimage there for a long black and a flat white. Sipping it while watching the weekend rowers glide along the water is a Saturday pleasure. It was back to business at home as we cleaned and hoovered the house within an inch of its life. Always nice to step back and admire the fruits of your labour though, it made for a great space to watch a film in. Julie and Julia was my vote for movie tonight and it was a charming little surprise. Every book about screenwriting drills in the notion that conflict = story, yet this is one of those rare examples where even a frictionless plot can make for an engrossing watch. It won't change the world, but it's heart is firmly in the right place and sometimes that's enough.

Sofa Scribbler

I drafted up some new video ideas, but I didn't want any of them to feel forced. So I joined our cat on the sofa with my notebook and scribbled away before landing on what I think is a fun little project. It low-key looks like I'll be back to work again fairly soon so I'm wondering how's best to carve up my remaining time off. Part of me wants to write and part of me wants to bucket list a bunch of films, games and friend hangouts. I just want to spend my time well but that thought is oddly crippling.

Updated Website

My sports watch informed me I completed my longest run ever with it this morning. It was only a little over 3K but in already jazzed to see that new record pop up again very soon. 

I finished up moving over all the bits from Sick Critic over to my website, plus a little extra review I completed this week. Again, I've been meaning to do this for years so it feels super to finally have a home for all my older work - a fair amount of it still holds up too!

https://eyebrowowl.wordpress.com/

In the Bag?

The great article transfer nears its completion! By a inexplicable stroke of luck I managed to reclaim all the words and pictures from my old posts, some were saved in the metadata, others I had to boot up my brick of an old laptop and others I managed to splice together from The Way back Machine. In between all this I was accosted by the good folks at Malory Towers who asked if I could hop on a new project. I'm still technically waiting to hear back from my big Bristol job but I learnt today all they're doing is finishing up the wording on people's contracts before sending them out very soon. I think it's in the bag?

Training for Training's Sake

Laced up my new shoes for another run. Shame on me for not going out sooner, but better late than never in this case. I winded myself a little bit early on going uphill so I got home panting, but after a power shower I felt like a million dollars. I'm keen to get back to a good level of fitness where a a quick and easy run feels... quick and easy. Just gotta keep training and it'll come. 

I finished writing up a quick game review for my website, again in an effort to keep my practice up. I haven't posted it in there just yet but I'll link it here when it's there. Not my finest work, but it was written at a pace I'm significantly happier with. Mostly I just want to prove to myself that I've still 'got it'.

Plundering for Pictures

I continued the effort to transfer my past articles onto my personal website. I got all the text ok which is great, I am missing a lot of the old pictures is the only wrinkle. I'm weighing up how much effort I go to in order to recreate them as I don't want to get overly bogged down in the weeds of that task. In the meantime I'm writing a small review for a game I recently played (not a video mind). I'm doing it as a small palette cleanser after my latest effort on YouTube as that project was so lengthy and manicured, I want to do something quick and fun - a joy to work on in other words.

Sunshine and Cake Slices

Threw the curtains wide to find the sun shining down on the world - the first nice day of the year as far as I was concerned. Lucky then that it also happened to be Lucy's Birthday party by the Harbourside, we took in the sunshine in the walk down and made merry with all our good friends. Even Dan came down for the occasion. We all just chatted for what felt like a few minutes but before we knew it a couple of hours had passed by. Time really does fly...

The Zone of Interest

We wanted to take advantage of every second we had this weekend so only an hour after we finished breakfast we were off to the cinema! The Zone of Interest had been on our radars for a while now and seeing it on the big screen was 100% the right call for this film, mostly because the sound design was a sensory feast. It was almost like witnessing an art museum installation at times as the camera work and imagery evoked darkly cerebral energy. At times it knocked my socks off, but it plays everything in such an understated way that it never feels like it's going guns blazing to force a thought. Great stuff.

We discussed the film the entire walk back and even while we finished painting the kitchen. Completing a task like that warrants a humble reward so we got some warming fish and chips for tea. Productive, thought provoking and nutritionally beige, what more could you ask for on a rainy Saturday?

The Great Transferral

I was pleased to see my video gaining a little bit of traction overnight - with any luck it'll pull in a few more views over the weekend. it's certainly a more personal video but the topic does seem to resonate with those who have stopped to watch.

I started the big task of transferring over all my articles from Sick Critic. That website has gone the way of the dodo and I always felt a bit sad my work couldn't be accessed anymore. The Way Back Machine caught most of my posts thankfully so I've copied everything over so I can post it onto my EyebrowOwl website soon. I look back on that period fondly, some of my best work was done then so giving it a more permanent home will be a great comfort to me.

The 29th

On my extra day this year I did the same thing I do any other day. Chipped away at the games I'm playing, thought about which films I want to watch next and brainstormed smaller writing projects I want to start. In between that I are breakfast, lunch and dinner, drank two cups of coffee and one green tea. I got dressed when the sun came up and got into my pyjamas when it set. Did I squander my extra day by simply living it as I normally would? Should I have seized it as an opportunity to do something special, or does that put an unnecessary pressure on a thing? Perhaps I didn't move the needle today but that's ok isn't it? I honestly don't know.

Seven Years and Nostalgia

With the video done and dusted I decided to use the day to do a bunch of things I've been too busy to do otherwise. I played a new game all the way through, I watched an old movie from the 30's and met up with Rebecca during her lunch break. Just a good reset day to purge out all the 'work work work' mentality I've had recently. 

But all that hard work has paid off in the form of a new video, I'm very pleased to present Seven Years and Nostalgia - a deep(ish) dive into why we collectively love Ocarina of Time and how nostalgia helps maintain the continuity of our identity. Watch it here.

Photos to Camera

Crunched my way over the finish line for my video. I did have to make a quick video call to my Mum to ask for some old pictures of me, she held them up to the camera and I have them the thumbs up or down. They were the last piece of the puzzle so I spliced them in them awaited Rebecca's vote of confidence. The video is uploaded now but undergoing it's processing to HD which takes a bit of time. I'll launch it tomorrow afternoon I reckon to cast a wide net for viewership. More than anything, I'm just glad it's all done and dusted.

X2 Shop Trip

Did the embarrassing thing where I went out to do the big shop, then completely forgot to get the main ingredient for our dinner tonight. A second skip to the shops for me I guess but at least that broke up the day of video editing. I am so very nearly there now, I'm mostly just fine cutting now and mixing in the music. I might be in a position to share a draft with my producer, Rebecca. She'll tell me what works and doesn't while there's still time to fix it. Just hope she likes it.

Richmond Sausage

I was comatosed until mid morning, enjoying a soft pillow and warm bedsheets. I hadn't even heard Rebecca get up before me so I dragged myself out of bed to join her family at the breakfast table. I couldn't have a big meal though as we were due out for a late brunch with Rebecca's school friends in Richmond. We sipped americanos and popped the yolks on poached eggs before going on a walk around the affluent waterfront. There are worse places to be on a Sunday that's for sure.

A Quiet London Pub

Since I've been waking up increasingly early recently, I figured I was due a little lie in on the weekend. We woke up in London at Rebecca's parents house which served as a great excuse to meet up with Dan. We caught the train to meet up with him in South Bank to find a quiet pub to chill out in. Perhaps it was naive of us to expect to find a cosy place for a pint in Central... During a 6 Nations rugby game so we settled on a bustling street food place instead for beers. I brought a few games to play with Dan and we spent most of the time chatting about video games, same old Dan. Miss hanging out with him in a regular basis.

Editing Community

For the longest time I've had an idea to use a specific editing technique in my video. Alas, all the methods I employed proved fruitless so I turned to YouTube for a tutorial. The helpfulness of strangers online, especially for video editing tips and tricks, never ceases to amaze me - I was up and running within 3 minutes after faffing around with my alternate means. Once I dropped that new bit in my timeline it suddenly dawned on me that I'm approaching the homestretch. Just a little longer cooking and it'll be ready for the world!

Bald to Bounce

Once my brain started to leak out my ears from video editing all day I figured it would be best to get some screen free time. The rain cleared up and my new running shoes looked longingly at me from the corner - guess it was time to give them a test run. I kept the tags on (but tucked them into the shoe) just in case their maiden voyage proved unpleasant, but I ripped the tags off the second I got back. I FLEW during today's run. Less effort on me and my pace was better too, a win all round. I mean, my old shoes were totally bald so the upgrade was going to be substantial, but this was revelatory.

Hilarity & Horror

I traded in my morning of editing for an early walk into town to do some life admin. My phone contract shot up in price recently so with the help of the plucky store assistant Owain we got it down to an acceptable price once again. With all those savings coming my way it seemed only right to spend a little on a new pair of running shoes. Without hyperbole, I think I've had my old ones for half my life so they were due an upgrade. I settled on a pair in store, rebuffed all the extra paraphernalia they peddled to me at the checkout and walked home actually feeling excited again about going for a run soon.

Then it was back to work spit shining the script and re-recording lines that needed reworking or lines I flat out mispronounced. The glimmering light at the end of today's tunnel was games with Mark and Dan. We had a few false starts in Baldur's Gate after a recent update naggered some system stuff, so we dived back into Lethal Company for some unseasonal scares. A character possession in the middle of a sandstorm resulted in a legendary horror moment that left me with my hand over my mouth as I desperately held 'W' to run for safety. Only that game can provide the right balance of hilarity and horror.

Get Up Machine

I've been channeling my future self by getting up earlier recently to enjoy the fruits of longer days. I went out to do the weekly shop before I even normally start my work day, talk about productive. I put more hours into editing today than most other days recently, gradually it's getting closer to where I want it to be. 

I was planning on having a day away from the edit tomorrow so I could re-write chunks of the script that no longer serve me. I went to cancel my Adobe free trial and the mad men gave me another week free for the hell of it. Thanks a lot suckers!

Tagine

Continued the video editing process, slowly but surely plumbing away at it. Over the weekend I mentally developed the style I wanted it to have which has given me some much needed direction - but I have found myself occasionally paralyzed due to the heft of the project and because I want to do it justice. I just keep telling myself it's like a mammoth washing up pile, if I dive in it'll seem easier the further I progress.

One minor accomplishment I earned today was cooking my first ever tagine. Dad gave a recipe over to us recently, it seemed like a doddle so I rolled up my sleeves. Our family often have them so I knew what I was shooting for, the end result was definitely in the right ballpark! Another one for my repotoire.

#SundayReset

The urge to stretch our legs was fierce so Rebecca and I took a walk up Park Street. We peeked through the burnt out husk if Pinkmans, went discount book shopping and grabbed coffee at the top of the hill. All the while the sun was just about poking through the clouds, too shy to announce the beginning of Spring, but his confidence will grow.

We casually invited Louis and Rachel over for dinner tonight but they never confirmed with us. I took to the living room floor so I could become one with the carpet for a few minutes, at that point they announced they we swinging by after all. But so many chores left to do! A three hour power cleaning session took place. We repainted the kitchen, hoovered every surface and baked cupcakes. We felt shattered afterwards but it was undeniably nice to see them both. The rushed Sunday reset was worth the faff.

Glowing Red Light

My Canadian relatives came a-visiting this weekend so we met up with them in Newbury for a slap up lunch. Dad did pork with apple sauce (a meal I had actually been silently craving earlier this week), followed by an apple crumble with added Mars Bars, an eyebrow raising twist that was a hit with our guests.

I dove into the attic to grab my old N64, a console I'm pretty sure I haven't powered up in about a decade. I'm using it for my upcoming YouTube video but I quickly wanted to test it worked before taking it back to Bristol. I blew on the cartridge, hooked up the display ports and fired it up. Mum and Dad perched on the sofa as I booted up Ocarina of Time, a game they were both shocked to see how graphically it didn't stack up to their memory. Nostalgia is a hell of a thing.

AM Coffee, PM Coffee

Still getting a little square eyed these days but at least I'm making progress on the video. Time passes simultaneously slowly and quickly when I'm at my desk, it feels like I'm spending ages on a little section, but then it's already time for coffee, lunch then afternoon coffee. In a strange way I feel like I'm treating this work a bit too casually, I miss doing a little bit of crunch to put out something that gets my motor going... I mean I have the bleary eyes already so I'm halfway there I guess.

Pan Aux Breakfast

I certainly wasn't expecting to be tucking into a still warm pan aux chocolat first thing this morning. Rebecca ran up the road for us both even before I begun waking up. A treat for sure and a feel-good way to start the day, which was full of video editing. Block by block, clip by clip. I'm pieceing it all in together. The video hasn't quite emerged from the ether just yet, I've set myself a chunk to crack in with today which is feeling good, I just hope that seeps out into the rest of it all.

Valentine's 2024

Spliced in my voice recording - I only noticed two minor mispronouciations of words which is pretty good going for me! I'll rerecord them soon but they still work fine as place holders while I tumble in all the video clips. Like a blank page, an empty editing timeline is a daunting thing. I'm just starting off with the easy bits for now so I can get a sense of it. I also need to rework my editing stamina because I was getting lightheaded and square eyed a lot quicker than usual. I need a bigger lunch I reckon...

For Valentine's Day Rebecca and I continue our long, rebellious tradition of not doing anything if it costs money. I did put together a zero-cost gift to surprise her with though which she was delighted with. More often than not those are the kind of gifts that mean the most.

Makeshift Booth

I dragged most of our sofa cushions upstairs to set up my impromptu recording booth up on Rebecca's desk. Our cat was incredibly bemused by the situation, yet amidst all the strangeness of the sight, she still recognized my sound pads as chunks of the sofa, so she decided to try and jump onto them while I was recording. The setup was precarious to say the least and the whole thing came crashing down. Now relegated to the other side of a closed door, I was able to complete my recording in relative peace. Took nearly 2 hours but I did it... 4,500 words is a fair bit to say out load as it turns out.

Fine-Toothed Comb

I dragged a fine-toothed comb over my script, amending all the bits that felt 'off' to me and now I think it's ready for the world. Tomorrow will be a day in my *very* makeshift recording studio to do voice over and I'll grab a little bit more footage of the game I'm playing, then on Wednesday I'll dust off an old debit card and sign up for a free subscription for my video editing software. All systems are a go now - let's get this sucker done and dusted.

House Dandruff

My dehydrated mouth kept me awake for a good chunk of the night, guess I kept craving salty foods because we cooked a fry up for Rebecca's visiting parents. I don't want to blow my own trumpet but I somehow managed to produce a shockingly good breakfast - those eggs will be the envy of Rebecca's dad for many moons.

We bid our visitors farewell in the morning then rolled our sleeves up for some housework. The paint has begun flecking around the kitchen extractor fans so it was all scrapers on deck. We sanded back all the bad spots and gave it a little spruce up, the paint will come later but its nice not knowing our food might get house dandruff in it anytime soon.

In Law Visitation

We took Rebecca's parents up to the Clifton Downs for a leisurely stroll. The weather was unusually good for early February so we made the absolute most of it to blow the cobwebs out from our minds. We crossed muddy patches before reaching a cafe for lunch, once caffeinated we caught the train back home. The evening activity was something old, something new. We ventured out to a new microbrewery that's opened up very near us that we wanted to take a chance on. It was a bit hit! I dare say we have even found a new haunt. Then it was off to Acapella for a classic pizza meal. Bish, bash, bosh - that's how you do a in-law visitation.

Big Birthday Fuss

In order to prep the house for Rebecca's parents visiting I went round the house like a vacuum powered tornado. Sofa pillows were fluffed, mantle pieces dusted to a mirror shine and detritus was relegated to another realm. Her parents brought another cake round to honour Rebecca's birthday earlier on this week, but they passed it to me at a inopportune moment. I thrust it under my jumper and had to make my way past Rebecca not once, but twice while performing a loose charade about holding too many wine glasses (hence why I was cradling my gullet). It worked though and the cake reveal was a big surprise. Rebecca sure loves an extended Birthday fuss, I'm just glad her folks are here to help make her feel special.

Creative Pep

I begun polishing work on my script now just to make sure it flows well and I've put to paper all the things that were swimming in my mind. We met up with a friend for pizza tonight who was gently lamenting her ability (or apparent lack thereof) to write creativity. Rebecca and I gave her a little pep talk, I drew a lot from my experience of staring at the wall until inspiration struck - granted that doesn't make for a great motivational speech but I think she appreciated the solidarity. I'm mostly just excited to get this current thing of mine done and dusted.

Baldur's with the Boys

 I *think* I got a completed draft for my next video's script. I highlighted a few bits that need gentle rewording or expanding, but otherwise I think it's in a good place. I'll cast my eye over it tomorrow after I've slept on it, but it's full steam ahead otherwise.

After a two week hiatus, Baldur's with the Boys recommenced for a huge session. Despite Mark making questionable decisions at almost all opportunities, we've never lost an encounter or stumbled into a fight we couldn't win. The good vibes and the loot keep coming.

Happy Birthday Rebecca 2024

Rebecca opened up her presents in bed and counted her blessings on not having to work today. The world was her oyster and we were free to get brunch at a trendy new spot on North Street - poached eggs and coffee is a great way to start any birthday after all. The scenic route took us home via a bookshop and the harbour side, once home it was a board game half marathon. Rebecca won the lion's share of the games (I didn't even have to throw my punches because it was her special day, she is genuinely better than me at almost everything we play). Some 'Theo Burgers' were requested for dinner and I somehow made a better than usual batch, just in time for when it counted most. Our full bellies got us through a rainy walk to the Hippodrome as we clutched our tickets to Wicked. The birthday generosity didn't spring for lavishly expensive ice cream, but we both admired the great seats and musical belters. 

I hope Rebecca had a good one today. I didn't get a chance to bake a cake but I still snuck a small shop bought one under the radar and watched her blow out the candles.

Errant Errands

Doing any kind of birthday prep while Rebecca is upstairs working from home turned out to be near impossible. Luckily she went on a trip to the library after work so I had a window of opportunity to get all my wrapping done plus any other errant errands. Just hope she has a nice day tomorrow. We have a loose itinerary to follow: brunch, board games and a trip to the theater! Rebecca often says she prefers other people's birthdays to her own since you're just alone for the ride then. That'll describe me pretty well tomorrow.

Mini Ticks

It's always a good morning when you start off eating brunch at the Sundial Kitchen. With Rebecca's birthday around the corner today was a mini treat day for her (hence the brunch), we also took a stroll around Totterdown with Louis and Rachel and watched a few more episodes of Ghosts (series 2 has stepped it up a good notch). I finished my mammoth game that I started playing just after Christmas and frankly glad to get a bit of time away from it after commiting so much time to it. Mostly just ticking off a lot of mini fun activities basically, which is what Sundays are for. Roll on Monday, I'm ready for it.

The Colleseum

 Our first trip to IKEA this year was a bit of a bust. We went to get a good handful of picture frames for some prints we've accumulated. I measured them all up and prepared reference photographs - the works basically. Once landing in the shop we found the range of frames a little underwhelming. Maybe our tastes are just migrating away from IKEA but we only left after buying a single thing (plus the compulsory meatball purchase). We sourced a few other frames from elsewhere but still, a naff turnout.

While queuing up in store we got invited to the grand reopening of a pub that Rebecca and I had walked past over a hundred times but never had the nerve to go in. We took the plunge with a friend and we all expected maybe a few dozen folks for the opening night... We had to queue for a beer it was so rammed! Chuffed it did so well on night one and cool to say we were there when it reopened it's doors to the world.

February's Conveyor

Where has this week gone? So many of us felt like January lasted a lifetime, but now that we're on the conveyor belt of February 2024 is gonna start chugging along at full speed. My personal and gaming projects are still underway but are so, so close to being finalized. Very much looking forward to spending this weekend doing some more things I love with the people I love too. We got an legit nice game plan for the next two days that I can't wait to get started - all it took was January to end.

Maestro

While Rebecca was out at bookclub tonight I took that as an opportunity to watch a film. I'm still playing Oscar catch-up and Maestro was next on my list (and readily available on streaming services). And I mean... There's always one dud on the Best Film list. I can't remember the last time I watched a biopic and left having learnt so little about the subject. Though the film smartly weighted the film's focus on Bernstein's marriage and partner, it comes at the cost of knowing what his impact was outside of his family life. Despite some good performances, camera work and costume/makeup I was left feeling a little hollow.

White Noise Wonders

In an effort to smash out the last drips and drabs of the new video I have resorted to listening to white noise and ambient sounds on my headphones. I remember seeing some colleagues doing this about 7 years ago, I turned my nose up at it to begin with but I used it a fair bit while doing some lockdown writing. It helps to draw out distractions and focus up the brain into a work version of fight or flight. It works a treat, until a little cat starts acting up and climbing up places she shouldn't... I've now made a little lounge zone for the cat in the dining room so she can *calmly* hang out with me if she so desires.

The Quest to Finish Baldur's Gate

Chiseling away at my two big January projects, my video and Baldur's Gate 3. Like the month itself, the end is in sight for these things - it's been a strange thing to clock into my writing desk during the day and log onto my PC for games in the evening with familiar routine. Once either of them no longer have their hooks in me I I'll be wandering around like a free man. Just a little further to go.

All of us Strangers

A return to Monday means a return to my writing desk. I'm getting so close now to having a first draft done, the goal I've set myself is for the end of this week. I need some real time away from it so I can come back to it with objective eyes. I am pleased with it so far though, but there's a few directions I could take it that I'm not sure if I should run with just yet.

Cheap cinema tickets beckoned Rebecca and me uptown to see All of us Strangers, here's my little thought nugget on it.

The film cultivated a feeling not unlike the sensation of floating in a large, lukewarm bath. Dip your head underwater and you'll hear the blood rush and the water reverberate, you press your wrinkles fingers together harder than usual to feel despite the numbness. In that space you think a little about a lot of things, thoughts meander as you struggle to push out the knowledge the water is getting ever colder until it's too much to bear. As you reach for the towel you try to recall your bath thoughts, but like a dream they fade away. No conclusive thoughts, just strong vibes and the words to all the things you regret leaving unsaid.

Ghosts (UK)

Another Sunday come and gone as a new week knocks on the door. A friend popped their heads round for some afternoon games, but otherwise it was just Rebecca and me continuing to take it easy. We realized we didn't have a shared TV show to watch at the moment. Succession would have been a great point of call but subscription services are so pricey these days. So we hopped into iPlayer to try out Ghosts which pressed most of our buttons. Glad we didn't click on the US version by mistake though!

Professional Cat Sitter?

The past few weekends have been chokka for us so it was amazing today to just have it all to ourselves. I'm approaching the end of the massive video game I'm playing at the moment, I nearly bounced off it last weekend as the world got so much bigger towards the finale. But I had today to commit a hearty chunk of time to enjoy myself and take it one step at a time. 

I did a small bit of work today in the form of creating an online profile for a cat sitting website. While I continue to wait for the next job to come to town I figured it was an easy, nin committal way to make a very extra pounds. Might get to meet some cute cats along the way too, it's a win win! My profile needs to be appro by the powers that be, afterwards I'm off to the races.

Ra

Breakfast coffee, midday coffee, afternoon coffee. The holy triforce of caffeine that gets me through most everyday. In between cups of hot brown liquid I sit at my desk and write. At a glacial pace this new essay is coming together, every day it feels like I have a new epiphany that I feel compelled to tell the world about. I'm specifically looking into the function of nostalgia at hte moment. Like wisdom teeth and the appendix, it feels like an arbitrary feature of being human, but I have come around to the idea that it serves a valuable function (so long as you don't let that emotion consume you). I'm really excited to share my thoughts but it just needs a bit longer in the oven to make sure it's polished and in a place that I'd be proud to put my name next to.

Once the 'working' day was done I filled my backpack with board games and strolled up the road. I haven't been to the local games night for about a month for one reason or another and tonight was one of the best. A great crowd of people helped a lot (nerdy, but they weren't defined by their love of the hobby), we all played each other's games and got a good kick out of them. I bought my copy of Ra along in case we had a good player count - I've had it since my Birthday and only really played it the once. The crowd were super eager to try it and fell in love with it immediately. So much so they asked if I could bring it next week. I gotta clear my social calendar now!

Burns Night 2024

 Moments after slurping down my morning coffee I was whipping cream and mashing raspberries through a sieve. Tonight was Burns Night and I was making dessert as usual - cranachan to be exact. It felt lovely not having to make 15 mini portions for the folks at work. This year was just me, Louis, Rebecca and Rachel once again tucked around a dining table with haggis and deconstructed neeps & tatties. We hadn't seen those guys since their trip to the States so we had plenty to catch up on, watching videos of Louis skiing and hearing about their exploits was a ton of fun.

Blood on the Clocktower

A large chunk of my day was spent building up for a long evening activity out in town. A friend and I signed up to play a game of Blood on the Clocktower (think wink murder/werewolves on steroids). So I sat in a group of 14 strangers and sipped my inclusive pint, quietly preparing my epic bluffs and potential web of lies. About 2 hours in I realized I had mostly checked out of the big debates over who was good and who was evil. Seeing through people's lies and the ensuing drama just doesn't light my fire in a social space as it turns out. To the games credit it did keep me semi involved after I had been murdered and the promise of a sentiant storyteller should make games spicy. In practice, being dead is still dull and the storytellers were ego tripping. The biggest lie I told tonight is when someone asked if I'd be around next week. 'Maybe...'

Society of the Snow

Irrespective of the Oscar nominations coming out today, Rebecca and I watch Society of the Snow - a film about a famous survival story of a plane crash over the Andes in 1972. It was a real triumph overall, some genuinely impressive film making on display here thanks in part to some of the harrowing set pieces but also in the films pace and focus. There is an awful of of humanity on display here, the story obviously evokes that but the narration drives it home without ever feeling mawkish. That and the smaller moments of kindness the camera takes us to, the way a friend is buried and the diary entries they write to no one. Chuffed to see it nominated for best foreign picture - godspeed to it.

Bone Yard

I had totally forgotten about one of writing techniques to curb paralysis. Introducing the Bone Yard. Whenever I overwrite paragraphs or have floating sentences I'm proud of but can't quite slot anywhere I sometimes just keep them on the page, this leads to me overthinking where to put them and then growing attached to them. If I delete them though, I might really miss them. So, I highlight any errant sentence, Ctrl+cut, and paste them I to a brand, spanking new word document where they go to die. At least I can call upon them again if I really need them, but just freeing up space is just the ticket for me right now.

I didn't just cull today though, there was a mighty yield of chicken stock to be had. House smells great and I live in bliss knowing that a handful of future meals will be enhanced tenfold by meaty broth.

Anchovey-less

 Took our guests up to the North Street market for coffee and a bite to eat. They mostly wanted to see if they could get some 'posher than supermarket' style anchovies, I thought we'd be inundated with canned specialty fish in that neck of the woods. Alas, best we could find was a jar costing £6 which was far too steep. They went back to London anchovy-less, but not before a few more card games.

Once the house was back to normal I cooked up a roast for the two of us and Rebecca played more of my new game than I did! You play as a translator in a far off land and you have to interpret glyphs and speech eventually threading together their language. It's riveting stuff and very gratifying once you guess a set of stuff correctly. We warped out minds together for a spell until my brain was exhausted - hope that means I'll sleep well tonight.

The Bigger the Breakfast...

 Rustled up a breakfast banquet for our weekend crowd. We talking sausages, eggs, bacon, toast, avocado, mushrooms, hash brown and fried on-the-vine tomatoes. I'll be dreaming about that breakfast all week while I tuck into my fruit and fibre. 

That wasn't the day's highlight however as we took them out to Chance & Counters for a few hours of board game goodness. Camel Up was a big hit alongside Just One. A few drinks were enjoyed there and on the way home we did a kinda pub crawl + pizza. Just good vibes all round basically.

Extending Hospitality

Hit the shops so we could line our cupboards and impress our weekend guests with our hospitality. The house was hoovered within an inch of its life and the cat was lashing out all day on account of the changes happening around her. Now everyone is tucking into bed under this one roof and everything feels pretty good in the world. We got the cat bunking with us tonight too, fingers and toes crossed she behaves herself.

Breathing in the Air

Forced myself to go out on a short walk after experiencing a heavy bit of writers block. I didn't mind the fact it was the coldest day so far, being able to breathe in all that frozen air was a big plus for the most part. Crikey, I'm sounding like a Covid shut in now... It cleared my head but unfortunately I still couldn't get into the swing of it. Like a fool I tried to brute force myself to finish one section, when it didn't come naturally I kept trying and trying but that accomplished nothing. I should know better and just walk away from a bit like that if it's causing me grief and do an easier bit.

Tomorrow I'll be doing the big food shop for the weekend. We have 3 guests over from Friday night to Sunday so they'll be getting full English breakfasts and a continental feast too. Basically aspirational meals that we never normally have but it is nice to make a fuss.

Value of Writing

Writing, restructuring, copy and pasting, that was my day in a nutshell. The deeper I get into this one the more valuable I start to believe it is to exist. That might sound a touch narcissist but when you've been carrying around thoughts on a handful of subjects for years but haven't found a means if expressing it yet... Well, it just feels nice to meditate on it, then shape it into words. I'm currently living by the mantra that 'Writing is discovery', every day I sit down and learn something new about myself (and how I regard video games). I'm finding a lot more contentment in that side of things, especially now I've hit 30.

Commiserating Coffee

Got invited to an impromptu coffee hangout with a few old colleagues of mine. All chaps that were leagues ahead in the industry, yet we all commiserated on the lack of any job nibbles for us to latch onto. At least there's a degree of humility to this work drought. We all made a covert blood pact to try to find each other work, I just hope we all land on our feet soon enough. Just a few short months ago we were hanging out in the production truck doing good work on a good show, no doubt there's a place for us all out there.

Blue Monday 2024

Weird how, Rebecca, Dad and I all independently remarked on how January is dragging, only for us all to remember that today is Blue Monday. We're all gritting our teeth and riding out this storm - quite literally as the week gets colder. I'll be at my writing desk if you need me, developing original thoughts and reorienting the point of attack for my next video. Writing is rewriting after all.

Dragging January

Back in Bristol now after a short stint in London. We all woke up quite late in account of everyone getting a bit sloshed at a get together. Rebecca and I cooked breakfast for the family, scrambled eggs and bacon does in fact have healing properties and we all perked up quickly after eating. 

Our cat was chuffed to see us home again, she was loloping around the place practically begging for strokes, who am I to deny a cute cat? Rebecca and I are both dragging our heels at the prospect of another week ahead. January is dragging a mite and it's only meant to get colder this week...

Pontoon

Rebecca took a trip out to a routie appointment in London so I used that time to read and write. While scribbling in my notebook an original thought was conceived and a truth was uncovered. A mantra I wholeheartedly believe in states that 'writing is discovery' and I struck personal gold while sat on the family sofa. 

In the evening we ventured out for what I consider to be the last of the Christmas get togethers with some friends of Rebecca's family. Traditionally we drink, eat, drink, play Pontoon then drink some more. I rekindled a love for limoncello and drunkenly vowed to learn how to make it in time for next year. Only time will tell if I make good on that anecdotal promise.

63 Up

Arose a little earlier this morning so I could finish off the last installment of the Up Documentaries. 63 Up was the most reflective piece yet, even though no one knew it may we'll be the final one, there's an unmistakable sense of winding down. The subjects are prompted into the purpose of the program more actively and all give a life affirming answer. It's been a rare pleasure to see these films, the more I think about it the more appreciative I become of the whole project and everything it achieves.

I'm back in London tonight with Rebecca to do our last Christmas social activity. This one is always belated but it doesn't feel like the new year has properly started until hands have been shaken and wine has been drunk.

Bash Bash Bash

Ran a few errands this morning and begun applying for a very promising sounding little gig. Just hammering in the final additions to my CV and then it's time to cross my fingers and my toes. Otherwise I cracked on at my writing desk where I'm getting bogged further and further down by overthinking and underwriting. I suppose that's occasionally my curse, I enjoy doing it, but sometimes it really is like bashing my head against a wall. Sometimes that yields results, more often than not I disappoint myself. Maybe I need some time away from it so I can reapproach it with a fresh perspective?

Bad Times = Good Times

 Wednesdays are fast becoming the designated games night for Dan, Mark and me. Our continued quest on Baldur's Gate 3 (Dungeons and Dragons to the layman) saw us get into a legitimately perilous encounter in the goblin camp. Mark's accidental bloodlust forced every enemy to swarm us instantly so we let our blades and magic do the talking instead. Just as we thought we had everything under control, an imp casually shoved me into the underground dungeon full of giant spiders (why'd it have to be me?!) Through continued ingenuity we came out with only the kind of scarring that exists within, and all the merrier for the bad times gone south.

56 Up

Still working my way through the Up Documentaries. After finishing today's installment I only have one more left to go. Such a profound thing to see people grow up and grow old, and now in 56 Up the subjects are becoming increasingly whistful as they look back over the years. I'm watching them mostly for research for my next project, but I often find myself with pen and notepad stowed away, watching only to enjoy the time capsule crack open once again.

Tired (Behind the Eyes)

Last night I was so ready to face Monday. Then Monday happened. I'm still on the writing hustle this week, I even set up my desk with a pitcher of water and a hot water bottle to get me cemented in one spot. By try as I might, I couldn't ignore a wearyness that I'd associate with having a cold. That tiredness behind the eyes, the urge to close them, never to be opened again kinda thing. I did get some nice stuff on the page but less than I would have liked which is always a bummer.

Hazy Memories

Got the house ready for a social call with some very old friends. One of which used to be my very best friend when I was growing up. We played board games and later took a stroll down memory lane, discussing times from nearly 20 years ago - each of us completing our hazy memories of events from our collective childhoods. The time went almost too quickly though and Monday comes a-knocking so we all scattered back to reality.

The Boy and The Heron

Rebecca and I indulged in a very, very lazy Saturday. I basically went a little square eyed from playing video games all day (ah, I miss those kinda days). But I needed to blow the cobwebs out of my mental rafters so we took a walk... To an even bigger screen to watch The Boy and the Heron, the latest film from Studio Ghibli.

It brings me no joy to say this one fell a little flat for me. The imagery is undeniably stunning however. The dream world has a painterly quality, evocative of a wealth of moods and textures. Death and rebirth are the most obvious themes the film harks towards, The Isle of Death makes a very subtle early apperance and you can read deeply into almost any other of the etherial environments. (And hey, if that's your bag, all the more power to ya.)

Despite all that, the film fails to cash in on the vibe it cultivates. The hero doesn't change, nor meaningfully influenced after what should be an identity defining journey. No lessons are learnt in this space, stuff happens and then we're whisked off to the nex scenario. It's a conveyor belt of beauty and imagination, but without anything propping up that beauty, it just registers as superficial.

+ points for the parakeets
- points for a woefully abrupt ending.

Nonfiction Rules!

My writing desk morphed into my reading nook today. Currently a lot of the stuff I've written for the new video is a 'm o o d' but none of it feels substantiated just yet. Writing about nostalgia is a tricky business as it's such an intimate and nebulous topic, but I found a book online to read that I ended up hoovering up. I only sat down to read the intro paragraph but ended up reading the whole thing! I scribbled down endless notes, then chatted with Rebecca about it all and NOW I feel like I have a point to make for my writing! Pretty successful little session.

Sidebar. Where have nonfiction books been all my life? In my mind it always had a stigma, instead it's like learning but cool. I can feel myself becoming a better and more interesting person when I read them.

7 Fishes

I had lofty ambitions to get up early to sneak in a bit more video game time but the draw of the pillow was too great this morning. Instead I sat at my writing desk a little earlier and committed more hours than usual to try and unpick what I'm trying to say in my next YouTube video. I have a lot of 'vibes' in my head but I'm still lacking the cement to glue it all together. A few brainwaves today gave me a little more to go on but right now I just need to keep on bashing my head against the page.

12th night is tomorrow so we had just enough time to enjoy the tree and watch the Christmas episode of The Bear under its light. I wasn't especially Christmassy (and that was very much the point of it) but it was some riveting TV. It takes the dysfunctional family dynamic and turns that screw very gradually over a Christmas meal. I winced, I laughed, I held may hands over my eyes.

Baldur's Gate 3

Dan stoked the engine fire for the hype train of Baldur's Gate 3 - the most decorated game of last year. It's basically pre-baked Dungeons and Dragons campaign with great writing and voice acting. It also happens to be multiplayer, so after spending far too long in the character creator Mark, Dan and I dove into a new adventure together. I can already see why the game is so beloved, but handing the narrative reigns to Mark (who is notoriously a bit of a chaotic neutral wild card) already means I'm seeing new forks in the story and ways characters react to events. We played for a few hours and it's already created a handful of 'you had to be there' funny moments - It's a hoot so far!

Uncharted (The Movie)

Off the back of my mini goal to watch more films this year I saw 49 Up (for research purposes) followed by the Uncharted movie with Rebecca. The latter is based on a video game and, big surprise, it wasn't especially good. I'm also trying to write more reviews on LetterBoxd these days, please indulge me if I repost my thoughts here from time to time:

I can't quite put my finger on why this film doesn't quite hit the same highs as the games...

Maybe it's the lack of charm, theming and pathos in the story. Maybe it's because its most inspired set pieces are copy+pasted from the games. Maybe it's because the 'real' villain is as interesting as a wet piece of cardboard. Maybe it's because there's no involving historical intrigue in the central treasure hunt. Maybe it's because Mark Wallburg looks like he got lost on his way to interview for the next Oceans film.

...Like I said, it's really hard to put my finger on why.

Saltburn

As is customary with all Jan 1sts, the day is somewhat squandered by the acts of the night before. We reap what we sow in this life, but a late start to the morning is a fair price for a fun New Year's Eve party. We visited a friend of ours for the afternoon, spending a few hours with them and their dog - a very civil way to start the year. I then acted on one of my mini New Year resolutions: to watch a few more modern movies. Saltburn seemed like a good place to start seeing as it hit streaming... Let's just say I'm glad I didn't pay admission to watch it because it got worse with every passing minute. I was never sure whom to empathize with, or who to root for as even when you think you got the measure of someone, the film laughs in your face for ever caring anymore. It thinks it's clever and subversive for doing this but it just reads as smug and undeveloped. When nothing in your film really matters, why should I even bother to care?

Hello, 2024

Another year behind us, who would have thought it would come around so quickly?

2023 was a strange old year for me. I basically rolled into it on Rivals, never quite catching a breath to consider the implications of a long old job like that. It was an all consuming gig for sure but it did introduce me to a lot of new people and a lot of new opportunities. I got a full suite of responsibilities on the shoot, taking care of 2nd Unit days and more importantly, learning the craft of the Script Supervisor. At long last I'm taking a step up the rungs of my career ladder, let's hope it's a fruitful step.

As for personal milestones, there's been a lot of growth too. I left Europe for the first time ever to go on a well deserved jaunt to Canada - aside from interailing, that has probably been the best holiday I've ever been on. I returned to YouTube for a bit and garnered 14 thousand views for a little project I didn't think would resonate with others as hard as it did. 

I feel I've become a little insular last year however. Perhaps I've not taken as much care to maintain some friendships or to take bigger social risks. I'm not the one for resolutions these days, but developing that side of me would be my goal for 2024. Here's to a New Year and a (fractionally) better me.

 

Best Game: Resident Evil 4 (Probably)

Best Film: Aftersun

Best Album: The Head Hurts but the Heart Knows the Truth