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.