Slowing down social media is the goal for 2020. Doesn’t mean disappearing, just means placing better value on the interactions and benefits that can be found. Interested to see how long I hold out.
Only one more sleep… youtu.be/gDhG25fgb…
It’s great to see so many posts on social media showing increased donations to food banks, toy banks, charities for the homeless etc.
And we should celebrate these things.
But if you voted Tory, the last ten years of their control is why we are having to do this. The election is over but the reality continues and it’s only going to get worse.
I fear what these posts will look like in December 2020.
Finished watching Expanse Season 4 this morning. Might rewatch through again, clearly the quality of production is higher now its on Amazon Prime though, great TV (great books too!)
Team night out last night, tequila featured yet surprised myself by not being dead today. Just as well, another night (with family) starts in a few hours.
Christmas twinkles closer. Presents have been bought - fewer this year than last as who needs all that ‘stuff’ anyway - plans with friends and family have been made and now to get through the final days of reality before we can relax into a chocolate and cheese filled slumber, and take care of each other.
Time off with loved ones, the most precious gift of all.
A Saturday. Gentle plans, some chores, some coffee, some writing. Being good to myself. Plenty of nothing.
What are you doing today?
Don’t be angry at people if they voted Tory yesterday. They have been manipulated by lies and misdirection. Let’s help them, not pillory them. And whilst I’m angry at the result, anger is an energy so I’m hoping to channel that to positive things. Love MUST win out.
A Glasgow and your glorious rain, such a dear green place indeed. A quote for today then.
The rain it raineth on the just And also on the unjust fella; But chiefly on the just, because The unjust hath the just’s umbrella. - Charles Bowen
Suppose I’d better start thinking about Christmas then.
What would be your one perfect Christmas present this year?
Enjoying a warm, Oatly Barista, coffee before heading out into the rain with Dave. Definitely a lazy Sunday kinda day.
My blog has never been about one thing, and whilst it has been a reflection of my views and thoughts (good and bad) I still catch myself wondering why I still post there.
My views on many things have changed as I’ve matured. And still I write, simply because it interests me.
We had another good meal at Six by Nico last night; Mad Hatter’s Tea Party (pics on my Instagram). As always, well prepared food for a great price, and I still recommend it to people who haven’t been. It’s unique enough to warrant a visit.
But the appeal is waning. It’s always good but hasn’t been more than that the last few visits. It’s reliable for sure, but when we started going it was amazing, always surprised and delighted. Not so much any more with the same style of preparation now seeming dull and unadventurous.
Time to try some other places. Roll on 2020 and more culinary adventures.
This year the adults in our family are all agreed that we will forgeo big presents and mindless ‘stuff’ in favour of wee mindings. Nothing big, just small gifts from the heart. Makes the gift buying process so much more meaningful. And don’t worry, my niece will get spoiled rotten as always (but with smart, re-usable, long lasting toys).
N.B. In Scots people might say “a wee minding” which can refer to a gift with the word “mind” being used to mean “remember” in the context that you were thinking of someone and “a wee minding” would usually be a small gift just to show you were thinking of the person.
The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those that speak it. – George Orwell
Dropping off current car today, new one arrives on Wednesday. Also ordered a new bed. Rock n roll times!!
Growing up I never really felt like I fitted in anywhere. I was always an outsider to whichever group I tried to hang out with. Too geeky for the cool kids, not nerdy enough for the geeks. I tried to integrate but failed. Now, as an adult, I revel in the fact I don’t fit in anywhere or meet any expected norms. / mbnov
Heading to Apple Store later to get new battery for my 2012 MacBook Air.
Must not buy Apple TV. Must not buy Apple TV.
Words have lost all sense of meaning these days. Being offered a slice of cake with your coffee is not fantastic. Being offered a slice of cake by someone wearing a flamingo outfit, balancing a jug of water on their head, all whilst roller-skating whilst you are sat on a floating platform in the middle of a lake, in a star lit forest, with a string quartet playing covers of Daft Punk tracks… now THAT would be fantastic. / mnbov
Ownership and property are vital to many people, lauded by others, and still more crow and trump about everything they have, all their riches. All anyone really needs is a roof over their head, but you can’t be an “influencer” about that, can you? / mbnov
I live in a home full of love, and dogs. My family care for me and support me, my friends have stuck with me over the last 30 years. I have a job, can afford running water and heat. I am rich beyond my means in so many ways. / mbnov
I’m trying a (mostly) plant-based diet at the moment. I’m hoping to find the right mix of lifestyle to meet my needs, reduce my impact to the environment, and be healthier. For me it’s always a mix, a balance. There is not one solution to all of these things. / mbnov
It typically falls to me to lock up our home last thing at night. It’s something I remember my Dad doing as well, and now I know why. Keeping your family safe and secure is always first and foremost in my mind these days. / mbnov
A man is known by the company he keeps, said Aesop (a fabled storyteller). I look at my closest friends aka the family I choose, and my partner, and hope that I am known to be lucky, loved, and happy. I definitely feel that way. / mbnov
It can be hard to remember to smile these days. The constant horrors in the news, the eroding of empathy, our tragic planet. My face is more often than not wearing a woebegone expression. Time to stop and count my many blessings, and smile again. / mbnov
I’m in the midst of trying to change some habits. I’ve tried a few things in the past, few have stuck. For me it’s not until the new habit is a background hum to my day, that I know I’m succeeding. / mbnov
Sometimes you don’t realised you had a gap in your life, a hollow, until it is filled and you are finally whole, complete. / mbnov
Decisions can be agonised over, dwelt upon, mulled, simmered, and stewed. Big or small, we analyse and consider, “what if” is the driver. Yet sometimes the decisions taken quickly end up being the best. One second and everything changes. / mbnov
As 2020 approaches it’s already feeling like the year I abate my use of social media. It will be gradual, not an on/off approach, but it needs taper down to let me find the true value it has for me. / mbnov
I watched Game Changers last night. Wow. Meat eaters (I am one) need to see this. Short version, we should all be eating plants. Only plants. Time to build a new eating lifestyle. / mbnov
Superlatives are commonplace. Everything is awesome, wonderful, amazing. The words have lost all meaning, all their weight. So if I say that this morning, my breakfast from Meadow Road was superb, what does that really mean? This flattening of language is a worry. / mbnov
I try to be selective as best I can, with what I consume, with the friends I keep, the choices I make for my life. You don’t always get to choose though, learning to live with the cards dealt is just as important. / mbnov
Isn’t it interesting how mass media manage to take simple things, manage to mangle the truth, into something dark and murky? Trump is being impeached. He is a liar. And in the UK, good people are being given murky pasts that don’t exist. Horrible world this. / mbnov
Election time in the UK. I am comfortable with my politics but moreso than ever, I recoil from the conversations, too much of it is based on negativity and stoking hatred. It’s a real pain in the neck. / mbnov
It’s an odd thing, an injury. I marvel at how my body and brain, cope and adapt. I give no small thanks that when fit and healthy I am able bodied. It’s all about perspective. / mbnov
I’ve moved around a lot, stayed in many places. A friend recently showed me the for sale ad of a previous house, odd to see the kitchen and bathroom we had fitted, many years ago. I’m in a new home now. With a new partner. Since day one it has felt like somewhere I will stay. It still does. / mbnov
It happens subconsciously, we can be sitting on the bus, or on the sofa watching TV, or walking in the park, it doesn’t really matter where/what, but I find myself reaching for her, a hand on her back, or on her leg. A simple touch, a moment of connection. / mbnov
It’s Sunday. A day to put down whatever technology you have in hand and enjoy the world around you. Find a quiet space, read a book, meditate, go for a walk, whatever works for you. It’ll give you more energy and head space for the coming week than you realise. / mbnov
I don’t have many jackets. I run warm most of the time so barely need one for half the year. But as the weather turns, and it starts to get cold, outcomes the puffer jacket. It’s like being wrapped in a duvet. Cold, what cold? / mbnov
Life is too short, they say. It’s a phrase I use often, but don’t act on enough. Out walking the dogs at night, I catch myself standing and looking up at the night sky. A star blinks and twinkles and reminds me that nothing I do truly matters. / mbnov
My Mom Has a Question - Dave Pell - Medium
Time flies like a banana, some say, but for me as my years advance, time really does seem to be flying. Last night I caught up with a good friend for dinner and we realised we hadn’t seen each other since early September. An entire month missed. Whooosh. Frightening. / mbnov
A mostly sleepless night. Between caring for a dog terrified of fireworks and a pulled stomach muscle, tossed and turned (painfully!) all night.
A day to just stick it out, head down, get on with it. / mbnov
I like walking. Whether alone, with the dogs, or with friends, walking is quiet therapy. It’s not a case of pounding the pavements, more a stroll in the street that brings a relaxed joy. Idly passing the time, glimpsing other worlds through living room windows and passing cars. / mbnov
Being accused of being mean-spirited hurts.
I am not mean.
I just want fireworks banned for “personal use” to save my dog being reduced to a petrified quivering wreck. Who’s mean now? / mbnov
Fancy that. 2 days into a “post every day” challenge and the lurgy descends. When I say lurgy, I mean man-flu.
I retreated to the sofa, drank all the water and simple things, definitely nothing fancy for this palate. / mbnov
I sometimes wonder what life will be like when I am no longer here, will I have left my mark in any way?
Part of me hopes not, the part that already worries about my own impact to the planet. But part of me hopes I will have left something, something that people will look at fondly. / mbnov
The key to building a sustainable habit is to establish a good foundation that makes future behaviors automatic.
And so I tap the keys and words appear and I wonder, will I remember to do this every single day? / mbnov
Wall to wall blue skies for the last two days as we drove up to Pitlochry for a night away.
Along with wandering in the brisk fresh air, we also spent a little more time away from our iPhones, disconnecting with the world, and reconnecting with the gorgeous autumn countryside. A red squirrel (the first one I’ve seen!) heralding a wonderfully relaxing couple of days.
Back to work this morning, and already the lure of the screen is drawing me back. More and more I find I need a new way to focus, and less and less am I looking to my smartphone to help.
Progress?
Another glorious sunny Sunday.
Gleaming blue skies bring dazzling light, bouncing off windows, throwing shadows dark and long as the sun slips across the horizon.
A perfect day to be peering over the top of a steaming cup, rich and dark, watching the autumn leaves as they bustle across the grass, catching in drifts that will crinkle and crunch underfoot on the journey home.
A fresh wind arrives, speaking of the winter to come, and so we grasp our mugs tighter, basking in the last remnants of warmth knowing that, all too soon, they too will be wrestled from our grip.
Morning moon
“A bird does not sing because he has an answer. He sings because he has a song.”
A friend of mine write an occasional email newsletter and this dropped into my inbox this morning. Funny how these things, whilst entirely coincidental, alway seem to be timely? In the newsletter they goes on to say that they’ve been doing “more shoulds than musts, and it doesn’t feel good”. It’s something I’ve noted in myself recently, and have been rectifying.
Of course the secret, for me, is positioning the things you must do to be the things that are good for you. I MUST write more regularly even if it’s only a small amount (hello micro.blog) versus I SHOULD take out the trash. Simple adjustments, big wins.
You can sign up to her newsletter here: https://tinyletter.com/pixeldiva
Realising that my mental health ‘mood’ is very much a game of buckaroo. In isolation, each little thought is of little consequence, but once they are in my head they all add up until it’s a teetering mess of negativity and it only takes on little nudge and the whole thing goes flying in the air.
Whether that nudge is a positive thing (all those negative thoughts are banished and we start over in a better state of mind) or a negative thing (everything goes flying and I just wanna stay in bed all day as I can’t bear the mess of all those things lying around) is still a matter of debate.
Getting my reading groove back, it always comes and goes. Recently finished the wonderful A Gentleman in Moscow; a luxurious blanket of a book, so rich in language and texture I was truly abject when it was over.
Then leapt into the somewhat jarring world of The Unexpected Gift of Joseph Bridgeman; a time traveller who is a bit of an asshole and doesn’t seem to realise it.
Next up? Not sure, but it feels good to be getting lost in a good story again. Although I think I’ll look to the former of my recent reads for recommendations. Sumptuous language and imagery will always be my preferred prose of choice.
Still getting to grips with Joker. What a stunning movie. Accused by many of having a lot to say but not really saying it, I politely disagree. It’s not a ‘clever’ message but given world events at the moment, it’s a savvy and scarily accurate one. That, plus some intelligent nods to other parts of the Batman universe, some amazing cinematography, and an absolutely, eerily stunning performance by Joaquin Phoenix, and I left the cinema in awe. This is the type of movie that restores my faith in the art of cinema. Go see it (just make sure you have the headspace for it, it is very dark).
I’m trying to walk more in an effort to regain some of the fitness I’ve lost this past year, and to lose some weight. Having a dog that would happily walk for days, regardless of the weather, means I don’t really have an excuse either. It’s also good for my mental health, my sleep patterns and more. He is the Best Dog (just don’t tell our other dog I said that, she’ll be raging!)
It happens every year, and the more often it happens the less value I place on it. I don’t like the attention it brings (more on that soon), and whilst it’s nice that people are thinking of you on a day like today, it’s really just that. A day. Which all sounds very humbuggery of me but given I’ve just turned another year older I think I’m allowed to enter my ‘grumpy old man’ phase any damn way I please! 46. Good grief.
2020 looms and with it a refocusing. Double down on the things that bring joy, and lose more of the things that have little value. First stop, Facebook. Keep the account but step away from the daily scrolling. Find other ways to enrich your time. Meditate, do a crossword, rediscover podcasts.
No, these are not resolutions, just fleeting thoughts that I hope will land, and remain, and make 2020 even better than 2019.
The alarm goes off but I’m already awake, my sunrise clock having slowly brightened the room ahead of the alarm time. I get up, shuffle to the spare room and lie down again.
I open the app and start the stretching routine, following along as the exercise change. Hold for 30 secs, change, hold for 30 secs, change.
7 mins later I’m done and head for the shower.
There are many tactics - google will get you all of them no doubt - to counter mental health problems. Exercise, eat well, sleep, read, meditate, etc.
The biggest thing for me is to accept my mood, no matter what it is. I may wake up grumpy and that’s ok. As long as I don’t dwell on it I find the mood changes, eventually I realise why I’m grumpy and it’s usually something I can fix or something to ignore.
It is not easy.
Ask your loved ones (be they family or friends) how they are, then ask again to be sure. No-one will admit they are depressed or suffering at first, open the door to them and just listen. Don’t fix.
And take care of you. If you need a day of doing nothing, do so. Try not to let it become the habit.
In March 2020 two things happen. 1. My current contract ends, and whilst there may be (another) 6 month renewal, it is also nicely timed to coincide with new IR35 tax rules coming into effect the following month. 2. The PCP on my current car comes to an end and I’ll either need to pay the lump sum, or look for an alternative.
With the unknown that option one brings, which may or may not impact my income quite dramatically, I’m caught between a rock and a hard place in the usual head vs heart debate over what car to get next.
What I really want, something bigger with electric memory seats. i.e. a Skoda Karoq Edition. What I can actually afford… who the heck knows!
Rain rain sod the feck off. Forecast says rain for the rest of the week, which is fine, except the waterproof trail shoes I bought last year (cheap ones) aren’t all that waterproof and are definitely not comfortable. But they were cheap. So I’m on the lookout for a better option as last nights sodden walk was not the most fun - I think Dave enjoyed it though!
A lovely dreich evening in Glasgow. Perfect for walking the dog ‽
Writing habit is returning. Slowly, but it’s there. Need to get rid of some more distractions though. This weekend, spare room clear out time!
What the hell? Fuck you Facebook.
And lo, October has arrived.
With it comes the promise of golden leaves shimmering on frosty mornings, cozy evenings spent under blankets in the company of loved ones, dogs snoring on the rug.
And then there is Halloween. The loathsome time of costumes and scares, and woe betide anyone who does not participate, for it is they who are looked down upon.
Another voice, screaming into the void.