70up

If I'm being totally honest, I felt a little glum at work today. We're in that awkward sweet spot in the job where all the hard work is being done by everyone except me. I can offer to help as much as I can, but there's a point where another pair of hands will only muddy the waters, so I did my own prep so I was ready for when my own work load takes precedence (I will certainly happen, just not today it seems).

Instead the best thing I did today was watch 70up, the conclusion to the long running Up Documentary series. I was expecting to be moved by it but I was emotionally demolished by the ending. It's easy to say it's the best one by virtue of it being the last, but the change in director lets the project push against the show's format. It's more reflective and revalatory thanks to bonus archive footage that recontextualises plenty of the subjects - I thought I knew everyone but even after 70 years you still discover new things about them.

Bake Off is Back

Bake Off season has returned. Armed with a bigger TV that's actually capable of putting out HD channels we could finally agree when a judge poked a cake and said "this bake is too dry'. It's always a bit manic going into the first episode of the season. Lots of new faces and personalities to keep track of but they mostly won us over by the end. It's nice to have a regular meet up with Louis and Rachel again too, it's a cosy tradition that segways us wonderfully through the Autumn season as it gets chilly and damp. I'm actually keen to try to do some baking this year too... Biscuit week next week, I wonder what I could do. 

Secret Squirrel Fan Club

Another old colleague joined our humble team, we're basically now at full fighting force and armed with 100% more in-jokes so I'm feeling pretty good about everything. I had to explain who Secret Squirrel was to an American co-workers today after she was bemused by the fact we all kept saying it in reference to the set of 'inner sanctum' documents. Funny how that's become some British film-making jargon. I also drank one cup of coffee too many around midday and got the zoomies, bit like our cat at the moment. Now the weather has cooled off the cat has been a lot more active, it's nice to see her jumping around a bit more and getting excited about sleeping on our bed again.

Listless Lists

Enjoyed a Sunday reset of sorts. Rebecca and I finished season two of The Pitt which rocked our worlds, then I rolled credits on Kingdom Hearts 2 (a game that appears on the tip of some lofty lists but I didn't think was all that). I found myself feeling a bit listless afterwards though - it was early afternoon at this point but too deep into the weekend to commit to doing much else. So I just pottered, but it was nice knowing I didn't have a false sense of urgency to use every second of my spare time to rush in finishing the game I was playing. I felt at peace and ready to see what the next week brings.

Karaoke Knights

Frantically got the house back in order ahead of Rebecca's return. In between I was manically trying to get through the game I've been playing for the past couple of weeks to make room for the onslaught of other stuff to enjoy next month (AKA, the spooky season).

All this running around was put on hold by a big group night out on the town. Mark, Lucy, Danz Rebecca and I met up for Korean BBQ followed by some karaoke. I belted my little heart out to Born to Run alongside a few others, mostly though I was blown away by the amount of passion and talent my friend have for singing. That and the royalty free visuals and B-roll that occasionally accompanied a few of our tracks. We all had a great night together throug, solid little Saturday out. 

Mooncake Nightcap

Friday came and went, all in service of having a belated birthday hangout with Louis in the evening. There was Street Fighter, cheese & wine, couple of beers and even some Mooncake. Rebecca and Rachel were both away so today was very much for the boys, which will be in stark contrast to the upcoming Bake Off evenings. Chatting about games and our childhood never gets old with Louis, even better when we're playing games at the same time.

Happy Birthday Louis 2026

It was Louis' Birthday today, I dropped him a Steam code for a few more Street Fighter characters online while keeping my evening free in case he wanted to do something. He went to a sauna in the afternoon and literally sweated himself dry so he said what he'd like best is to just take it easy at home. I stayed back with the cat after work, Rebecca is up in London again meeting friends, leaving me to have a bachelor evening at home: oven pizza and video games. What a dreamy Thursday.