A Handful of Games - 2020

End of year chores made up the day's bulk. Cleaned the oven which was a well overdue job so now it glistens and sparkles. I did the final shopping run of 2020, I tell you man, the Lidl down our road is never busy at the moment, it's absolute heaven to shop somewhere that isn't rife with riff-raff. Last but now least, I completed my write up for the best games I played this year. I always enjoy doing my annual round up, and this one I feel is a little sharper than most - Give it a read here if you have a moment!

Social Streamer

Rose early to be a part of a Twitch stream with a handful of other gaming YouTube folks. We were all basically coming together to share and discuss all of our favorite games of this year. I was actually the very first guest in the show and stuck around for almost two hours before they had to rotate someone else in. Had a real cute time doing it too, got to chat loads with people I'd never really met before - good bit of PR there!

Mark and Lucy swung by to do a present drop at our place too. We initially planned to go out for a walk but the sleet made us reconsider. Seeing them again at arms length made me more than ever wish for a bit more normality, we've all probably made personal 'what I'll do after the pandemic is over lists' and spending more time with friends like them if number one on that list.

Spicy Turkey

Turkey strikes again today as Rebecca squeezed the very most out of our leftovers. Soup for lunch, as prepped yesterday and a turkey green curry this evening for dinner. A handful of my home gorwn chili peppers are still knocking around so Rebecca asked if we could put them in as an extra spice. I remembered them being rather potent, but the few I picked I left to dry so I figured they'd mellow out a bit. I thought wrong. Worse still, Rebecca never learnt about the whole 'wash your hand after handling peppers' thing - some things you gotta learn the hard way. The ran shrieking from the kitchen and re-emerged with a cold compress against her eye. In solidarity, I bit into a chili flake and truthfully, I could barely put my tongue near one of these pepper, heaven only knows how bad it must sting if it gets into your eye.

Soul

Despite owning a mountain of cooked turkey, we needed to head out and buy some provisions. I elected to head to the supermarket and I while I know this is an all too common complaint, I was still agog at how busy it was and how many people still weren't wearing masks. Nine times out of ten I give people the benefit of the doubt, but while queuing I spotted a whole yuppie family together without any coverings. It triggered a very rapid level of intolerance deep within me, probably hailing form my Mother's side. I begun doing that thing where I fantasize about an interaction where I say something so snippy to them they immediately curl up and die with embarrassment while I'm lauded through ASDA as a Covid superhero. Instead I just bit my tongue and stewed by the self checkout... You know, the polite but unhealthy thing to do.

Luckily my spirits were lifted back at home, Rebecca and I took a spin on Disney Plus and watched Soul, the latest Pixar offering. You could boil it down to Inside Out meets La La Land and truthfully, that's exactly what you get. While no moment really 'wowed' me, it felt honest in all the right places and the gags were timed well with Richard Ayoade's character earning the most chuckles. I like how they didn't try to go for a big tear-jerking moment in this one too, but at the same time, it did feel a little toothless, the final 90 seconds in particular robbed one character of consequence. As a result though, it made for ideal Christmas Holiday viewing. A little funny and a little philosophical, it's the Pixar formula perfected, for better and for worse.

Boxing Day 2020

Still felt full when I woke up. Full of Christmas meats, chocolate and pudding. Like every Boxing Day I thought I'd try and pace myself on the decadent foods, but like every year, my standards slip near immediately after breakfast and now I feel the same as when I woke up. Rebecca and I treated today as a recuperation day, so we vegged out on the sofa for a time and I settled into the new game I got for Christmas, felt a bit bad for Rebecca because she almost didn't see me for half the day! Now we're back in Tier 3 the Christmas holiday is feeling a bit flat, weather has turned too so going outside isn't the nicest prospect. Guess we'll have to find some films to settle into in the meantime.

Merry Christmas 2020

For what feels like the first time ever in my life, I didn't wake upu in my parents house on Christmas morning. Instead, I honoured our breakfast traditions from my home in Bristol - grapefruit and glazed gammon + eggs for breakfast. Rebecca hadn't had the ham before but I reckon she's a convert now. We exchanged gifts just the two if us after breakfast and we hopped on a series of video calls, first of which was with Rebecca's parents, the latter was with my family. Though it was only in a limited capacity, it was truly wonderful to see that familiar living room brimming with the people nearest and dearest to me. Our call had some technical problems to begin with, but one we got into the swing it felt like second nature. We signed off wishing everyone a Merry Christmas.

Shortly after we headed to Louis and Rachel's for our Christmas dinner. It cannot be overstated just how fantastically they both did, Rachel in particular was spinning so many plates, but it didn't phase her and lunch was served with beaming smiles all around the table. 

A short walk followed by a group return to our house followed suit. Louis and Rachel made comments about how chilly their home is so we lit a fire and warmed up with some port, cheese and television. 

It was undeniably a smaller Christmas, but my spirit was sated regardless. It marked my first Christmas with Rebecca and despite getting fewer gifts this year, it just goes to show that presents don't make the holiday - the people do. I sincerely wish that everyone felt at least a tingle of Christmas magic this year and had a wonderful 'alternative Christmas'!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve 2020

Plans for the big day tomorrow have all been finalised and the turkey has been passed on to Louis for roasting. To my incredible embarrassment I told him the wrong weight of the turkey, giving him a number I still don't know how I saw. Inexplicably, I told him it was 2.9kg, in reality, it was almost three times that size so they will have to improvise a bit when it comes to over spacing tomorrow.

Rebecca and I are in charge of the 'after dinner and nibbles' department, we stockpiled plenty if wine and cheese for the occasion. Additionally, I prepped my own cola boiled ham, as is now tradition in the Durrant household. I thought I'd messed it up about four times while cooking it, but it came out a treat. I leant in for a smell after it had cooled off and it transported me right back home to my dining room on Christmas morning. Can't wait to share it with Rebecca, Louis and Rachel for Christmas.

The Joys of Word Economy

Booted up my laptop for a day of writing, just like my furlough days and you know what, I had a blast. I'm curating my best games of the year list, something I always enjoy doing but I legitimately feel that my language skills have improved since last year. I'm all about condensing these days, summarising my thoughts on a game in under 150 words is a fun challenge for me, carefully examining my word economy and ensuring it reads well are tiny things I'm beginning to take more care and pleasure in. Just about wrote 80% of it today so I'll finish it up sometime before the year closes - look forward to that then.

Lidl Amount of Shoppers

I was laughing all the way through the supermarket. Our decision to get to Lidl bang on opening hours paid off hugely - there were literally only 5 other customers in the whole shop! Snagged a turkey, plus a smattering of all those Christmas goodies you can only get in Lidl/Aldi. Made a single error though... We didn't get anything to enjoy in the days leading up to Christmas. Every time I open up the fridge there's a wall of treats I can't have yet. It just sits there, taunting me. All I want is a little snack, I tucked into some of the beer I got on the cheap instead.

Long Distance Christmas

All things considered, it was a pretty social day. Popped round to see Louis and Rachel to drop off some homemade mince pies and discuss our new Christmas plans. Then there was a classic late afternoon gaming session with Mark and Daniel (Pirates today!). Then, Rebecca and I switched tuned into a webcam quiz, because lord know I haven't done enough of those this year. I did win it though so I can't really complain. 

I'll be waking up early alongside Rebecca tomorrow morning so we can take a crack at some Christmas food shopping. Hoping to get to Lidl 5 minutes after they open in a bid to swipe some cheeses, beers and nibbles... And maybe, just maybe a turkey.  

Tape Dispenser on my CV

Relegated once again to being the glorified tape dispenser while we wrapped our presents this year. I don't know why I complain really, I'm horrible at wrapping gifts (flying solo to tape up Rebecca's gifts today confirmed that once again). I spiced up my duties a bit by being the Christmas song DJ, Rebecca didn't even object to Tom Waits' Christmas song so I must have been doing something right.

Sat Rebecca down to watch It's A Wonderful Life, the best Christmas film she's never seen. I'd only seen it the once before tonight and its still one of the best films I've seen all year. It so easy to feel you heart get swept up in the ending, and by the time the credits roll your faith in humanity and yourself is invigorated - just a beautiful picture.

Early Bird Loses the Worm

Caught the worm like a proper early bird. Hit the shops just after daybreak to do the final sweep so we wouldn't need to leave the house again until Christmas. Made another batch of mince pies too, really warmed up and got in the Christmas mood. Then the Government announced their Tier 4 plans and everything went to shambles. Looks like I shan't be spending the big day with my parents anymore as Newbury is currently sat in a Covid hot zone, plan currently is to share the day with Louis and Rachel, cooking our first Christmas dinner and nursing any woes with copious amounts of beer, cheese and port. 

I think Mum took the news the hardest, while chatting with her on the phone she seemed particularly deflated. We agreed to do a webchat on Christmas morning to at least share some of the festivities together - I'm very much looking forward to that at least.

No More Work in 2020

 Damn, just realized I haven't pre-written a witty out of office email to flick on as I logged off today... 

Yes that is it for me for work in 2020, the filming is officially on its Christmas hiatus which means I finally have a license to sit back and feel good about all the hard work me and my team have been doing over the past 5 months. Tomorrow is a day bursting with opportunities and after hitting the shops nice and early, I'll probably make some more mince pies then call it a day. Fingers crossed Mark and Dan will be around for games then too, because I am hungry to spend some quality time with them.

Potent Presents

With 90% of my presents for others bought now I can finally start relaxing into the Christmas vibe. Ate a mince pie with my coffee and enjoyed basking in the glow of the Christmas Tree a little bit more than usual today. Maybe I'm just smiling on the inside while thinking about handing people their presents, that's a lovely feeling that only gets more potent with age.

Winding Down My 2020

With filming winding down, I've once again taken to my desk at home to do a few odd jobs. There's a bit push to get a bunch of new year accommodation things sorted which is a job that'll trickle through into my tomorrow too. Other than that though I think its smooth sailing for the time being. I keep thinking about how much I'm looking forward to Christmas this year, haven't seen my family in months and spending some quality time will be lovely.

No One Can Chill Food Like Me

Day two on the floor went swimmingly well, once I got over the lunch ordering hurdle once again. I roped in our other production Assistant to help me grab the food once it was ready and boy, did I end up feeling mighty bad for her. She struggled to find parking near the restaurant and got stuck in traffic, she felt mighty awful about it all too thinking she held the whole shoot up but in reality, we were running slightly behind anyway and could afford to wait 10 minutes no problem. 

had my first brush with a mini star today too, they were in the studio today for their first shooting day and I was charged with making them tea, taking their food orders and helping them out in general- easy stuff really. Halfway through the day they asked me to put their food... in a fridge. This warranted a friendly arm tap and a 'thanks a million from them'. Probably the highest ranking compliment I've ever earned for something so hilariously trivial.

DOP Got No Keys

Sun was still rising while I drove to work. I was once again thrusted into the world of floor running today, the skeleton crew made the workload manageable, I can't say the same for our locations mobile reception though which made everything that much harder. Once done in the middle of nowhere I got the incredibly bizarre job of driving our Director of Photography back to Bristol after he lost his car keys. Got him back safe and sound for the remainder if the afternoon which was done in the studio, pretty cushy gig at that point. Back there again tomorrow, for what may bethe final day of filming in 2020!

What Goes on my List?

Joined forces with Louis today to brainstorm potential present ideas for the family members who are commonly tough to buy for. Short of planning, Louis instead managed to smash out some spot on suggestions that I will ride on the tailcoats of by covering 50% of the buying costs. Real load off my mind that, I was fearsome we may have to do our infamous traipse across Bristol bespoke shops and grab something tasteful, if last minute. I think that's on tradition we can thankfully forgo this year.

Now I can focus my attention toward what I want for Christmas, and for the first time in my life, I am at a total loss. When I was 8 I wanted Hotwheels, Operation or anything from the Argos catalogue that was modestly priced. Now that I'm on the outskirts of 28 I simply don't know what else I really want or need for Christmas. Maybe I just need to rack my brain some more, certainly I don't want to think that my inner child has died a death.

Chances of Chances

Filled a thermos up with coffee and headed out to spend some time with friends for the first time since the second lockdown was initiated. We wrapped up plenty warm too since we'd have to do our socializing outdoors, but that was a worthy trade-off because it was a welcome reprieve to chat to a comparatively new person face to face. Just before we bid farewell to the we strolled past a road near their house and our friends bumped into one of their family friends... who just so happened to be Erica Roe. Though that was a crazy brush with a pseudo celebrity, what made it even more bonkers was that halfway through the conversation they learnt up against a van parked on the street which just so happened to be one of the vans I'd hired out for a member of our crew. What even are the odds of this chance encounter - it boggles my mind to even ponder on this coincidence.

Once I'd settled down from that brush with destiny, Louis asked if I could join in for an online gaming tournament he'd organized in lieu of our usual Christmas Smash Bro games. Our friend group have been separated into two teams and we're competing in a slew of games, ever match is also free for everyone to spectate so we've been commentating and cheering on our team-mates. It's been a huge success so far, I've earned a few points for my team too but the spirit of togetherness is what really ind it all together.

Flaunt Yer Jumper Day

Part of my daily duties on Monday and Tuesday next week involved finding takeaway places that'll serve 25ish people for lunch. In a past life, dreaming up menus for large groups was probably my forte, but every time I land this responsibility on jobs I always overthink it. I'm the least fussy eater in the world (though once again I discovered I still cannot swallow a mouthful of lebkuchen) but I always think about the fussy eaters and how they'll complain if the food I sourced wasn't to their liking. Eventually, I wear my brain down and learn to say 'sod that person' and that's how I landed on two decent places for the next few days. Even gave them each a courtesy call to let them know to anticipate a bigish order next week - fingers crossed, everything should go smoothly.

As it was National Christmas Jumper Day today it felt fitting to don my lovely sweater that Rebecca got me during our first year of dating. Shame non of my co-workers could see it since I'm still working from home, but it did help me get into the feel of the season. For obvious reason, this Christmas has felt a little stunted so far, but I am very much looking forward to finally seeing my family all together again on the big day. That thought is really carrying me through the coming weeks.

Cyberpunk 2077

Snuck out of bed very early to sink in a few hours of Cyberpunk 2077 in before work started. To my chagrin, I had to download more of the game, then wait for it to be installed, then there was another download, I waited an additional three hours this morning before I got a chance to finally dive in... and I quickly learnt one thing: I will probably need to invest in a new graphics card sooner than I anticipated. 

I continued the home working and got briefed on what I would be doing next week. A pair of filming days have been locked in and they need a floor runner for those two days, I'm a man of many hats after all so I've been summoned to fit that role once again. Looking forward to it already.

Part Time Santa

Loose ends needed tying up first thing today. I scooped up a handful of items I needed to return to Amazon from our main office before settling in back at home to work from my own desk. I then had the joy of trying to remember which return label correlated to which parcel, then I had to schedule a walking route to the high-street to drop them off at the correct post offices. Felt like a part time Santa.

In my downtime I went on a mini Christmas present buying spree and ticked several people off my list. Though I spent longer than I care to admit trying to buy Rebecca her Christmas card online. I kept adding it to my basket, then it sold out, then it came back in stock again... then it sold out again! I've never typed my debit card details in so fast because this was the perfect card for her so I didn't want to let it slip through my fingers. Luckily I got it in the end - I can sleep soundly knowing that it's on it's way here to put a smile on her face.

My Old Desk

Crazy to think that I started this film job back in August. One of the very first tasks I was given was to go and retrieve a smattering of fans to cool off the production team. A few months later that office is cold to the touch while it's occupants beg for a way to turn the radiators on. These were the type of thoughts running through my mind while I helped Mark reshuffle the tables and chairs in said office - the filming crew needed a place to sit and eat during lunch so the office's structure was sacrificed forthe greater good. Once done there, I was granted permission to work from home (it was my turn to do that, not just me being soft), a few hours later it sounded like hone was the right place to be because the crew all got stood down after a Covid scare. All I could think about was that now empty office where all our work began.  

Giving Receipts the Cold Shoulder

Gracious me it's chilly. Lucky for me I get to sit in a nice warm mobile office but everytime I stepped out for lunch or to drop something off the chills hit me hard. So I huddled up by the warm glow of my laptop and consolidated my receipts which was an unbridled joy. My mince pies went down a treat though and helped brighten the day for many stressed people in the truck today. Made it back just in time to give Rebecca a cuddle before bed too. This next week we're back in Central Bristol and we couldn't be happier with the short commutes.

High Time for Pie Time

Continuing the Christmas vibes, I rustled up a special batch of mince pies this afternoon. Made my own pastry in accordance to a Mary Berry recipe (the secret is rubbing orange zest into the pastry itself). I zhuzhed up my shop-bought mincemeat with some dried cranberries, port and orange juice too, the only thing I didn't totally nail was the pie lids. for some of them Rebecca and I attempted a type of lattice thing with varying degrees of success, for some others I wanted to try the classic lid look, but once they came out the oven the lids just sat atop them like ill-fitting bin tops. Though they aren't lookers, they taste the part - fingers crossed they make an impression when I bring them into work tomorrow.

Decking Our Halls

Just like real adults, Rebecca and I splashed out a bit this year and bought our first honest to goodness Christmas tree. Everyone always raves about how good real trees smell and in all honesty, I couldn't tell you what one smelt like, but today the scent registered with me and instantly took me back to the Christmases of yester-year. Though we put the tree up early this morning we waited until the sun went down before we conducted the ritual of listing to all the best Christmas songs while decorating the tree. Here's the result!

 

This is the best picture we managed to get, a short while later, after I lit a fire, put a film on and settled down with a hot chocolate all the lights on the tree suddenly died... guess we'll be doing Christmas decorating part 2 tomorrow with some replacement lights at the ready.

Rough, Soggy Day

Ploughed through one of the toughest film days of my life this Friday. Started early with the return of the van, then a trip up to a hire place followed by another short trip back to our offices. When I budgeted for time initially I thought I could even head home afterwards for a coffee and a read... That was a mistake. My morning chores begun snowballing as new jobs trickled in so I arrived on set bang on Breakfast call. This time as a member of Locations Department. My first job... Take breakfast orders for the whole department plus the security team (12 in total). My foot seldom came off the accelartor for the rest of the day, especially after the rain begun chucking it down, leaving me and another chap in charge of putting tents up. By the end of the shoot we all looked like drowned rats, I cranked the heating up in my car and grinned all the way home knowing that I'd soon be in my warm bed.

Bye Bye Brean

For my final trip up to Brean I was lucky enough to get a lift in. This of course came with the caviet that I would drive the big-boy van back to Bristol at the end of the day. Got pretty cosy driving it at the national speed limit, with very few drivers out and about I could just enjoy the drive and listen to the radio - made me feel like a budding trucker. Tomorrow I was asked if I could don yet another hat by temporarily joining the Locations department for the day. Don't really know what their department entails so it'll be a learning experience.

Christmas Movie Deathmatch

Did the double Brean trip again today, returning kit and various expensive bits of camera equipment back to their homes. When I wasn't driving around I was locked into a heated debate about the best Christmas films. Over the last few days I'd been constructing a 'Christmas Movie Deathmatch' tournament for the people to on the shoot to vote on. It really kicked off today though as we opened up the voting to the entire shooting crew for a bit if Christmas cheer. I'm very happy to report that people were very impressed with the lengths I went to in order to organize it, that really made me smile.

Cosy Confines

Really didn't want to get out of bed this morning. A very small, but important little pre-arrangement I made for someone's travel plans at work fell through last minute so it fell back to me to figure out an alternative. Though I had a handful of options I was fairly reluctant to leave the cosy confines of my bed to try and crack open a solution. Once work started I got to researching and very quickly found the holy problem-solver, all within 30 minutes of starting. That relief carried me throughout the day and it was immeasurably reassuring in retrospect to realize, once again, that there's very often a good answer to a problem and that I shouldn't feel overly daunted by something.