tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30509166387464062822024-02-19T23:32:10.161+00:00Seriously, I'd pay good money to read this.Random mumblings from a Christian who just happens to be a writer, filmmaker and bewildered dad.sometimestheycallmejchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10251993549479346120noreply@blogger.comBlogger478125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3050916638746406282.post-20234719005825130422024-02-11T18:47:00.000+00:002024-02-11T18:47:02.196+00:00The Problem with Zack Snyder's Rebel Moon<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Zach Snyder’s <b>Rebel Moon: A Child of Fire</b> is a bombastic and slick sci-fi ‘epic’ that tries desperately to channel some Star Wars energy into a tired genre. It’s not exactly original. A loner farm girl named Kora </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">from the moon of Veldt </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">recruits a ragtag band of mercenaries to help her fight back against an evil empire that wants to have all of her village’s grain (in return for protection).</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Rebel Moon isn't the worst movie ever made, but there are lots of problems with it. Poor character development is one of them, but then there's also ludicrous fight scenes that are completely lacking any logic.<br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">You can’t help but draw parallels with other properties (Star Wars being the main one) doing a much better job. Obviously, Snyder is keen to kickstart a new franchise to rival George Lucas’ saga, but I don’t think Disney has much to worry about.</span><br /><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Rebel Moon’s biggest stumbling block for me, though, is the main reason why Kora chooses to rebel in the first place: the bad guys want their ‘grain’. Now, I might have missed something but why does a technologically advanced society that has the capability to travel between star systems need grain?</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Interstellar travel is extremely difficult - and by the looks of how it’s portrayed they can fold space, which is even harder - so surely they’ve advanced technologically enough to have solved their food supply problems? It seems like far too much effort to get into a spaceship, travel several light years, land on a moon and terrorise the locals for basic ingredients for bread. I mean, haven't they cracked replicator technology like in Star Trek? <br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I'm also curious as to why the baddies have decided to pick on a small farm in the middle of nowhere. Why not larger towns or cities that exist on the titular moon? Veldt is presumably similar in scale to planet Earth (because of gravity and whatnot) and so it must have a huge landmass of continents. Imagine if the Russians or Chinese decided to steal some crops from the US and landed in, say, <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Jarbidge,+NV+89826,+USA/@41.8763545,-115.4364793,16z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x80a8119c889ac037:0x4c86d06839d6238b!8m2!3d41.8749232!4d-115.430608!16zL20vMDMybnIz?entry=ttu" target="_blank">Jarbridge</a> in Nevada. Not the most efficient – or clever – use of resources.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I'm not a fan of relentlesly picking holes in movies – hell, some of the greatest movies of all time have glaring plot holes in them – but there needs to be a reasonable level of subsance and logic to the story and characters for the audience to suspend disbelief just enough to enjoy the ride. Rebel Moon's grain issue (as well as all the other stuff) was too distracting for me to get fully on board with the film.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This seems to be a common problem with modern movies, in particular big budget and brash affairs that are generally steered by the bottom line rather than any sense of artistic integrity. And no, I'm not a bumbling old saddo saying things aren't 'what they used to be' because there have been some terrific films that have come out in recent years that both made sense and were truly enjoyable. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">It's the films that get the big headlines with either big name celebrities or big name directors that have a tendency to opt for syle over subtances, slow-mo over sense. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Needless to say, I don't really have any intention of watching Part 2 - although there is a morbid curiosity in me that wants to see how badly<span> </span>this car crash of an entity turns out. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="275" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/J9X_FmCbrIA?si=t9IHSMv4_Gjzn7vH" title="YouTube video player" width="375"></iframe></div>sometimestheycallmejchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10251993549479346120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3050916638746406282.post-51754058810096106862024-01-01T14:44:00.003+00:002024-01-01T14:52:46.726+00:00A review of the year 2023<p>Well, that kinda sucked.</p><p>2023 has not been the best year, and I'm glad it's over. <br /></p><p>When I looked back on 2022, it felt like a very ‘full’ year. It seemed like I’d done lots of travelling (Africa, France, Switzerland, Scotland) and work kept me constantly busy. We also had a toddler foster child running around who was a bit of a handful. Even so, I think if I was to rate it compared to other years I would say it was a ‘good’ year overall – mostly because it was pretty varied and I felt like things had progressed well in different areas. Work seemed to be moving forward in a positive direction and my personal development was progressing slowly but surely – not just in work but with things like my Welsh studies, learning electric guitar and preaching in church.<br /><br />2023, however, has been a very different kettle of fish and something of a disappointment overall.<br /><br />It started well, I guess. We had a skiing trip to France in February which was great fun and we had a long wait before we took on a new foster child so I was able to focus on things like Welsh and guitar. What didn’t start well was work – the first three months of 2023 saw very few jobs coming in, which was a surprise because the previous year had been something of a bumper time for me. It was as if someone had turned off the tap at the end of December and then very slowly began turning it back on again over the following months. This wasn’t helped by a particularly quiet summer. Saying that, if work
had been busier I don’t know how I’d have coped with the sleep
deprivation. But it’s not just the lack of work that’s made me think
again about my career – I’ve become quite jaded by the work that I’ve
been doing. Most assignments are very samey and there’s been very little scope for
creativity or autonomy.</p><p>I’ve been self-employed for the last fifteen years but only this year
did I feel like I’d had enough and longed to be in the security and
regularity of salaried employment. So I’ve started applying for jobs just to push
some doors and see what’s out there. I’ve even had a couple of
interviews but no avail – I suspect that my age and demographic are
against me. Middle aged straight white Christian males are the bad guys
these days so I’ve not got much hope. I will, however, keep trying in 2024 as well as reshape the business in the hope that I can turn things around.<br /><br />Another difficult thing for 2023 has been the arrival of our latest foster child. Coming to us at just a few month old, it was a huge challenge from the start – mainly because the child had very poor sleep patterns and so our own sleep suffered. I spent a few months in the spare room so wifey could handle the lion’s share of night time settling. It was a long slog but by the time the child was about one, sleep had much improved thankfully. Even so, almost no two nights are the same. Sometimes they will wake in the middle of the night, other times they won't. Sometimes they will wake at 5.30am, other times it will be 7am.</p><p>Several months into the fostering, I’d decided that I couldn’t keep doing it anymore and it was then that I had to break the news to wifey. She took it well, all things considered, but given that she’d given up everything to take on this new career it was a bit of a blow. The good thing was that she had been finding things equally difficult (although not to the same extreme as me) and beginning to think about other things she could do. Thankfully we were able to work things through and agree on a way forward. We decided to continue with the placement (it would be unfair to the child to do otherwise anyway) until it was time for them to move on. In the meantime, wifey would explore options for a new career plan. She now has ambitions to be a social worker and I couldn't be more proud as I think she will do an excellent job.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOUB5cjdG0CZtgsJyOMV9pO_csrcENZktS7X56dQ5aln9IfMuI2LxRQcVi3qMnSpYDTs1EN7cmohq1YgdUNm62niyM7FmCx-EEGkjmDn6Rlezm4_7fi3YmcLBjgW4y6DGSn-wMjyynWgDOgPzZWAY9QVNilei79arKjY2QFe078RrLC3vTY-FhQDfKZaWY/s3088/IMG_3445.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOUB5cjdG0CZtgsJyOMV9pO_csrcENZktS7X56dQ5aln9IfMuI2LxRQcVi3qMnSpYDTs1EN7cmohq1YgdUNm62niyM7FmCx-EEGkjmDn6Rlezm4_7fi3YmcLBjgW4y6DGSn-wMjyynWgDOgPzZWAY9QVNilei79arKjY2QFe078RrLC3vTY-FhQDfKZaWY/w150-h200/IMG_3445.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me trying to look cool in my skiing gear</td></tr></tbody></table>Of course, some good stuff did happen in 2023. We had our new pastor and family join our church back in April, who are amazing. There have been some adjustments (there always are with this kind of things) but it's been good stuff and I'm looking forward to getting to know them better over the coming year and seeing how the church will grow and develop. I passed my Grade 2 Guitar Exam, which – given sleep deprivation at the time – was a small miracle. We had the honour of going to Scotland for my brother's wedding, which was exhausting but good fun. Then there was my other brother's civil partnership celebration in London, which again was tiring (and hot! it was the warmest day of the year!) but went well. Also, not to forget the aforementioned skiing trip to France where I actually cracked how to ski. I was able to shoot down the slopes with ease by the end of the week and officially caught the skiing bug (so I'm desperate to go again in '24).<br /><p></p><p>It's hard to think back on the past twelve months with much enthusiasm. I'm just relieved it's over and looking forward to positive changes in 2024 – the foster placement should end soon and then I can focus on my work, faith and creativity (hopefully!).</p><p>Happy New Year!<br /></p>sometimestheycallmejchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10251993549479346120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3050916638746406282.post-7240553347247370442023-11-29T20:52:00.000+00:002023-11-29T20:52:06.984+00:00A lot of hate for being late<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUJ8EfAjy9J9bQVRNpIye8l05PdK2GjyMpqTmez_ggM4GZIRV7Euo2_XJvfaPA9mpAXlwBQIflVaYG2BnktP63fNeLol0NBGHfv1-57ogchqhL8lofuBglrY2BOHPFD3rYhi7nLZSywEZn7nmL4EGB-BnIcZSrL2uEUvLyC2v5_EMGwSmkuaxir_vIIqM/s2048/Firefly%20a%20clock%20splintering%20into%20many%20pieces%2078113.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUJ8EfAjy9J9bQVRNpIye8l05PdK2GjyMpqTmez_ggM4GZIRV7Euo2_XJvfaPA9mpAXlwBQIflVaYG2BnktP63fNeLol0NBGHfv1-57ogchqhL8lofuBglrY2BOHPFD3rYhi7nLZSywEZn7nmL4EGB-BnIcZSrL2uEUvLyC2v5_EMGwSmkuaxir_vIIqM/s320/Firefly%20a%20clock%20splintering%20into%20many%20pieces%2078113.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />One of my pet hates is lateness. I dislike being late, and get annoyed when others are too (although I do cut them slack if they have a genuine excuse). Of course, it depends on the occasion. The more important it is, the greater the transgression when lateness is concerned. If it’s just meeting a friend for a coffee, it’s not that big of a deal (but still irritating). If it's a crucial business meeting or a significant occasion (weddings, funerals etc.), lateness really does give the wrong impression. <p></p><p>What really gets my goat, though, is people who are late all the friggin’ time. It can make my blood boil and I can’t help but have a poor regard for these people. I mean, how hard can it be to make an appointment? When you say ‘meet at 3pm’ what part of that statement do you not understand? In my view, being told to meet at 3pm and arriving twenty minutes later is the same as asking for sugar in your tea and being given salt. 3pm is not 3.20pm and sugar is not salt. Not only is it annoying, it’s disrespectful. I’m not saying my time is more important than anyone else’s, but if I agree to meet someone and they’re late they are purposefully robbing me of my time – time that I could be using for something else useful. Those twenty minutes could’ve been quite productive. Instead, because you’re late I’m sitting by myself, billy no-mates (probably just aimlessly scrolling on social media). Plus there’s the knock on effect. If I have other meetings I either have to cut my current one short or rush to make the next one. And as for a work context, it’s even worse. Not just because of the reasons I’ve mentioned but also because it simply comes across as unprofessional. As a freelancer, being late for clients all the time is not a good look - and may well jeopardise future opportunities.</p><p>The thing is, if you’re the kind of person who is always late, you probably don’t mind others being late. But if like me you find lateness annoying, you will automatically be cross with that person for being late. People like me are the ones who remember lateness and will make future decisions based on it. So, for example, I'd be less inclined to hire someone again if they demonstrated that they are unreliable and don’t care about other people’s time.</p><p>There may be an argument that strict time keeping is a ‘cultural’ thing, and that in places like, say, the African continent, being on time is not considered particularly important. Rather, times are just a vague and approximate guide. It's an important point, but may have a slightly racist aftertaste (although having visited a few African countries myself I don't think it's too off the mark). The argument goes the other way, in that there are cultures where being late is considered rude. And in some countries – such as Germany – there is even an expectation that people should arrive early for an appointment. Lateness is frowned upon much more in places other that the UK so it’s not like we are super strict here. I guess the question you need to ask is what is the dominant culture that you are living in? If you live in, say, Uganda and everyone's timekeeping is a bit slack then that's fine. But if you live in a country like the UK where lateness is considered rude or disrespectful then one should try to be on time.</p><p>As I said, lateness can be for a genuine reason. Traffic can be unpredictable or there may be a personal or family situation that comes out of the blue. It happens to all of us. But most of the time, it’s possible to arrive on time without any problems – and that’s what I simply don’t understand. It isn’t hard to be punctual. It just requires a tiny amount of planning and thought.<br /></p><p>If you need to be at a certain place or time, just Google the ETA and work backwards from there so you know when to leave. Make sure you have a diary with appointments in them (don’t rely on emails or text messages). Confirm ahead of meetings that you have the date, place and time correct. All really simple stuff. It’s even easier these days with lots of meetings being held via Zoom or Teams – there’s no commute time so lateness isn't excuse [although I know what it’s like ... because you don’t need to travel it’s very easy to leave it until the last second to get yourself ready].</p><p>Believe me, I still fail to do these things sometimes and am always kicking myself for not doing them – they are simple things that anyone with a brain cell can do. But most of the time I arrive within 10 minutes of an agreed time without really trying. And what's bizarre is that I'm naturally chaotic. If I didn't put plans and coping strategies in place I would be all over the shop, never on time for anything. But because I care about other people (and also my own personal stress levels), I make the effort to overcome my shortcomings.</p><p>So, if you're a 'late person' do everyone a favour and put some effort into not being one.</p><p>It would make the world a much better place.</p>sometimestheycallmejchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10251993549479346120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3050916638746406282.post-64193788891991255162023-11-05T19:41:00.000+00:002023-11-05T19:41:04.357+00:00The Folly of Flying<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkKu8NuRE5swSH_wp7SMDLFXp8yb1ZJg5Kq2fUHj6zi9OtpHgj1RoIiXCWF9_90nKAfQqI16NW3qcVHAW-iAeET83OXGzNMLIDKoQbhHAdKwtDKQ9JaJVPDr1tPANaVx4qDA2yO6c2h9extlMyVWmXH39n40kwSverakIgDi2PSEJQQRgNm2kts7iudOA/s2048/Firefly%20passenger%20airplane%20jet%20looking%20front%20on%20high%20quality%20photo%2042323.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkKu8NuRE5swSH_wp7SMDLFXp8yb1ZJg5Kq2fUHj6zi9OtpHgj1RoIiXCWF9_90nKAfQqI16NW3qcVHAW-iAeET83OXGzNMLIDKoQbhHAdKwtDKQ9JaJVPDr1tPANaVx4qDA2yO6c2h9extlMyVWmXH39n40kwSverakIgDi2PSEJQQRgNm2kts7iudOA/s320/Firefly%20passenger%20airplane%20jet%20looking%20front%20on%20high%20quality%20photo%2042323.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I’m fortunate enough (if fortunate is the right word) to have flown on aeroplanes (or airplanes if you're from over the pond) fairly regularly in my life. Although I’m certainly not one of those insufferable travel blogger types who go here, there and everywhere in an attempt to gain some kind of approval online through likes and whatnot. Even so, I’ve probably travelled abroad as much as the average person and so<br /> I’m familiar with the various ins and outs of flying. I must say, though, the excitement of galavanting across continents has lost its sheen. This is mainly because of the tedious pre and post flight process that involves endless queueing, waiting, undressing and shunting stuff around. Not only that, travelling is such an exhausting exercise - getting up before dawn to catch a flight, dealing with time zones, traipsing around unfamiliar cities on foot for far longer than you’ve ever done in your own. Who has ever arrived at their destination feeling alert and refreshed after several hours of travel? Certainly not me.<br /><br />It’s partly because of this that it makes me think about the fact that flying is one of the most unnatural things we as humans can do. Just consider the actual flying machines themselves: giant pressurised tubes laden with thousands of gallons of highly flammable fuel in the wings, screaming through the sky at hundreds of miles an hour, reaching altitudes that would make your blood boil and your heart explode. One mistake by the captain or ground crew can result in catastrophic failure of the vehicle’s primary purpose - to defy gravity with maddening ease. And that’s what gets me about aircraft. They are magical. Unbelievably complex machines with millions of parts, much of them constantly moving, and many of them exposed to mind-boggling temperatures and alarming levels of pressure. Manuals for these things come in several ring binders which must be consulted during an emergency. Thousands of human minds have come together to create them and hundreds work on them day and night across the globe just to satisfy our desire for a ‘bit of a holiday’.<p></p><p>What’s more, it’s easy to forget that hundreds of these giant metal hulks are whizzing through the stratosphere at this very moment. Whenever you are reading this, a million people are suspended in the air sitting in rows watching a movie or consuming an overheated jumble of slop in a metal tray. Most of them aren’t really thinking about the miracle of flight and the absurdity of it all. They are completely oblivious, no doubt thinking about more mundane things.</p><p>Now, every time I board a plane I think to myself ‘this is madness, utter madness - what the blazes are we all doing?’. The way we willingly put ourselves in mortal danger like this astounds me. It must be because I’m getting old, of course. I never had these thoughts when I was younger. I absolutely loved flying in my 20s and 30s. I’m the same about rollercoasters. Used to love them before I had kids. Now, whenever I step on board I eye up the spotty teenager manning the controls and whisper a little prayer.</p><p>It’s just as well I never get to meet my aeroplane’s pilot – I’d probably be thinking he or she is far too young to catapult us into the wide blue yonder while physics tries desperately to unceremoniously bring us back to earth. I'd want to see their pilot's licence and all of their credentials before sitting back down in my cramped seat among all the other human cattle. Of course the fact that it's very hard to get into a passenger jet's cockpit without substantial training, numerous levels of security and all sorts of other checks is by the by.</p><p>I’m well aware that all of life is a risk - we face potentially fatal scenarios on a daily basis. Driving on the motorway, taking the train, eating in a restaurant. Anything could go wrong.</p><p>Thankfully, most of the time it doesn’t.</p><p>God, luck, statistics or whatever you want to believe in is on your side, most of the time. And the same is true of flying (statistically, the safest way to travel apparently).</p><p>So next time I get on a plane I need to learn to relax - and trust that the teenager up front is just as anxious not to crash as I am.<br /></p>sometimestheycallmejchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10251993549479346120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3050916638746406282.post-25863621585809164472023-05-18T21:44:00.004+01:002023-05-18T21:46:28.310+01:00A death on the street<p><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1crdBNcxr7rCx7pFjFTTzldbP1QOPkuEzZt_cFyhsdBU95ItyRrfqrLEwjpGj7SXFcVlEiP7FSXFekeOCeQj0xx-eaFhvcw0d162IbfTrl0lx4cJllLgsBKW2ZMmndQZA0gjjEbABT23KFjzubRdFU2B830lNbrynP_H4FAbM6YHS1RoNhjBtARyX-g/s512/A%20lily%20flower%20lying.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="512" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1crdBNcxr7rCx7pFjFTTzldbP1QOPkuEzZt_cFyhsdBU95ItyRrfqrLEwjpGj7SXFcVlEiP7FSXFekeOCeQj0xx-eaFhvcw0d162IbfTrl0lx4cJllLgsBKW2ZMmndQZA0gjjEbABT23KFjzubRdFU2B830lNbrynP_H4FAbM6YHS1RoNhjBtARyX-g/w238-h238/A%20lily%20flower%20lying.jpg" width="238" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">Yesterday our neighbour died just outside our house. He was in his car when he succumbed to a heart attack. I came home after a meeting to witness his body being put into the back of an ambulance. I knew it was a dead body because they covered the face and weren’t in any rush to leave. It was a surreal scene with police and paramedic vehicles blocking the street while neighbours stood outside their front doors looking on in shock. I didn’t know who it was at first, but it dawned on me as I began to take everything in.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>The most </span><span>unnerving thing was the fact that wifey and I saw him in his car earlier in the morning and she wondered if he was alright. I looked over (we were further down the street on the other side) and dismissed it as I attended to our foster son, thinking I saw him move as I looked over. I figured he was waiting for someone, maybe listening to the radio or something. It never crossed my mind that he was on the verge of death, maybe even dead already. Too much else clouding my mind - I had an appointment to keep, I was tired, I was worrying about finances or the state of the world. Maybe if I’d been more zen I would have chosen to do something. I don’t know.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">A doctor friend of wifey said that most cardiac arrests outside of hospitals are fatal, so it was unlikely the outcome would have been different had we noticed earlier. And when we spoke to the neighbour’s son he reassured us we’d done nothing wrong. He was a retiree with a history of heart problems so it didn't seem much of a surprise. Perhaps it was just his time to go and things conspired to make it that way.</span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Still, can’t help but feel some guilt - he was right outside our house but we did nothing, and his wife is now a widow and his kids have lost their father. Damn.</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I hope I can learn from this. Always err on the side of caution (even if you might feel a fool), don’t put your own petty circumstances above others and accept it may be your time to be a hero. </span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It might just save a life.</span></p><div><br /></div>sometimestheycallmejchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10251993549479346120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3050916638746406282.post-69378626431327053682022-12-30T11:35:00.009+00:002024-01-01T14:49:59.086+00:00A Look Back at 2022<p><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;"></span></p><p class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG62PbZfzdnV8CxdMpmKXH_VOnViKH7h0pGwcSG3vM81CVmHxL-YNavGKJmH19wtcPvJOfsK8forOPXcgHmKPY3m6f0b4wO2v_04R_FGofyPfFRQdjt_H02htqAKxcTog85SowswI8f_avVkmEiJPwHgZvM13Nxk1p8nWFkg9kU0SGiDxUqJZMbs38WQ/s8256/new-year-2022-and-notebook-on-desk-2022-template-2022-12-11-23-57-48-utc.jpg" style="font-family: helvetica; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5504" data-original-width="8256" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG62PbZfzdnV8CxdMpmKXH_VOnViKH7h0pGwcSG3vM81CVmHxL-YNavGKJmH19wtcPvJOfsK8forOPXcgHmKPY3m6f0b4wO2v_04R_FGofyPfFRQdjt_H02htqAKxcTog85SowswI8f_avVkmEiJPwHgZvM13Nxk1p8nWFkg9kU0SGiDxUqJZMbs38WQ/s320/new-year-2022-and-notebook-on-desk-2022-template-2022-12-11-23-57-48-utc.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: small;">I didn’t want to write about 2021 for some reason. I think I was feeling quite depressed and simply didn’t have the energy. This time around, however, I felt like firing up the blog again and put down some thoughts on what has been another challenging twelve months for the human race (with a few nice moments thrown in just to take the edge off).</span></p><p style="text-align: left;">
</p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: small;">2022 seemed to be dominated by two things: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Climate Change. Both subjects have been covered by experts far better than I ever could, so I won’t ramble on about them but I’m very aware that both represent an existential threat to the world in a profound and disturbing way. On one side you have a deluded dictator sending waves of ill-equipped men to their deaths just to save face and assert some kind of projection of strength and power - and in so doing threatening to drag the whole world into a world war that nobody wants. On the other you have a global situation that is merrily destroying lives and yet those that have the power to stop it are doing as little as possible – either because they don’t see it as enough of a threat or they don’t want to upset their corporate paymasters. It really is quite disheartening.</span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: small;">As for me, I feel like I’ve had a very ‘full’ year with lots going on at home and at work. With lockdowns no longer a thing, and Covid treated as ‘just another virus’ (don’t ask me about that, I have no idea) life got back to some kind of normality in ’22. I was struck early on in the year how I reacted to having a big group of people round to our house for the first time in ages - I quickly got very irritable with them and wanted them to leave as soon as possible (but couldn’t say anything obviously so kept my thoughts to myself). We’ve since had a few more similar occasions (mostly just having couples over for dinner) and didn’t react the same way so I clearly needed a bit of time to adjust to the post-Covid scenario. On that subject I finally succumbed to the dreaded Coronavirus in the spring, right after returning from our skiing holiday (more on that later). It knocked me out for a good two weeks which was frustrating, but at least I didn’t have to go to hospital or anything. Even after that period I still didn’t feel 100%, which a lot of people seem to have experienced, and thankfully I didn’t get the long version which doesn’t sound fun at all. </span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: small;">I’m very fortunate to have done a reasonable amount of travelling this year, some of it for work and some of it for pleasure, and am very grateful for those opportunities. In the spring we had a big family trip to Les Menuires near the French-Swiss border. Most of my brothers and their kids were there, along with mum and dad which made it quite special. The skiing was great fun, if a little scary at times, plus I was aching all over from day one. Even so, by the end of the week I felt much more confident and am looking forward to going again in February. Then in June I traveled to The Democratic Republic of Congo with my friend Alain who had invited to join him on a business trip. We got to meet some high-ranking people, which was a great honour, and explore the vast city of Kinshasa. It was a truly memorable experience, with a few hairy moments on the way, and my hope is that the work we put in with eventually bear some good fruit. Over the summer I visited Scotland on a family trip to see my younger brother who now lives on a farm with his partner and her parents.</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: small;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: small;">I love Scotland and it was great to be back again after about ten years or so. As part of the trip we spent a few days in Loch Ness, which was not quite as magical as I’d expected but nonetheless a beautiful place to stay. In September I traveled with Alain again, this time to Geneva. This was to film and photograph a graduation ceremony which was fun, however I stayed a bit longer than anticipated and ended up staying another two days thanks to airport strikes in France. You might think that being forced to stay in a foreign city for a few extra days would be exciting but it did present a few challenges. Firstly, I hadn’t packed enough clothes for the extra time so had to buy more to keep me going and even the cheapest clothing wasn't cheap. Secondly, it cost me a lot of money in food and accommodation (granted the airline did compensate me for most of it). Also, it’s a bit weird being on your own in a foreign city if you hadn’t actually planned to visit for an extended period. Luckily I had two colleagues to spend some time with, so I didn’t feel particularly lonely (I do like my own company though) but it wasn’t like I’d planned to be there for all that time. Still, it was an experience and hopefully I won’t get stranded at the airport again for a long time now. In November I had the opportunity to do some filming in Liverpool (not very exotic, I know) but it was a city I hadn’t really visited before (apart from whistling through on the train many eons ago). Saying that, my visit was fleeting and I didn’t really get to see the place so not sure if that counts.</span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: small;">We started the year without a foster child having decided to take a break over the Christmas period. Instead, we opted to do respite care and only had a couple of placements before our skiing trip. Seems like I contracted Covid at some point during our visit to France (probably from the plane journey back) and one consequence of getting ill was having to postpone our longer term placement for a couple of weeks. While not ideal, we muddled through and welcomed a little girl into our home at the beginning of May. She was with us for about six months and during that time we supported her in getting over several phobias (water being one of them), which felt like an achievement. She was remarkably bright and incredibly sociable - and will no doubt go far when she grows up.</span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: small;">Family life has been fairly uneventful, with the ongoing struggles of having a grumpy teen in the house putting a dampener on things from time to time. As I keep saying, we are doing our best to ride out the teenage years in the hope that no. 1 son will eventually come out the other side as a normal human adult. We’ll see. Having a toddler in the mix does make life more complicated, so I’m grateful we had some time at the beginning and end of the year where it was just the four of us. The boys are pretty much self-sufficient these days so it means I can have time to myself again (living the dream!). My youngest has suddenly become obsessed with football, which is a surprise but also great that he's involved in such a 'wholesome' hobby. We've done plenty of 'training sessions' on the rec (both in the boiling heat and freezing cold) which is a good little workout for me, plus he's joining a football club in the New Year so I'll likely end up a soccer dad going to games every Saturday morning. </span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: small;">Work has been fairly steady over the year, though I’ve still had the usual periods of feast and famine - but I have managed to stay out of my overdraft for most of the year (I think) which is a first. I’ve had quite a few of the more interesting assignments which helps maintain my sanity too, which I’m grateful for. I’d still like to up my game a bit, though, and get higher-value, more interesting projects more often. I’m working on a few ways to achieve this, but as with most things it comes down to time and money.</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: small;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: small;">Church stuff has been plodding along as usual. The good news is that we have appointed a new pastor following on from the last one who retired in '21. The church leadership has been carrying the weight of running things during the interregnum so it will be a relief to have a full timer in post to help take some of the strain. I have a good feeling about this new appointment and hope that God will use them to take the church forward in its ministry.</span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: small;">This year I was pleased to achieve a Merit in Grade 1 electric guitar. I’ve always wanted to play guitar properly but I’ve never really stuck at it so I started lessons last year in the hope that it would help keep me focused and on track. Being accountable to a tutor each week really does help with this and even though it’s often frustrating at times I feel like I’m making progress. I wish I’d done it years ago when my brain was better able to learn new things but cost was always an issue - plus I do my lessons over Zoom which is not something I would have considered a possibility three years ago.</span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: small;">Another thing I started to learn last year is Welsh. I’m still doing entry level, and it’s very hard going but I think I’m slowly getting the basics. I never learned it at school, because they didn’t make it compulsory until I was much older. I did French up to A Level and I’ve managed to maintain some remnants of what I learned (despite having a useless teacher), but I’ve wanted to speak Welsh ever since becoming a nationalist and republican. I want to play my part in keeping Welsh culture and language alive - something that the English tried to eradicate back in the day. Also, learning Welsh is heavily subsidised so lessons are pretty inexpensive. Plus the language is everywhere I go, from road signs to official letters from government - so it’s not too hard getting exposure. What would be nice is to have someone local who I could chat with to help sharpen my language skills, which shouldn’t be too difficult but I need to work on that. I use Duolingo every day, which is a good way of keeping me topped up and I’m always surprised about how much vocabulary I’ve managed to learn – the problem is stringing these words together in a coherent sentence, combined with the relevant tense. I’m sure I would have hated Welsh if I’d been taught at school, so at least I’m doing it motivated by adult intentions - the only downside is that (like with my guitar playing) lacking a youthful, stretchy brain means learning new stuff is a lot harder.</span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: small;">I haven’t watched as many films as I’d like this year, but most of the ones I did see at the cinema were big, dumb blockbusters that left an unpleasant taste in the mouth. Bullet Train was alright I suppose, but it felt like a slightly missed opportunity to be something truly original. As for films on streaming channels, I watched a few things which were fairly forgettable. I managed to find ‘Resistance’ on Amazon Prime, an interesting adaptation of the novel of the same name (which I read years ago). Set in an alternate 1940s where Germany won the Battle of Britain and successful invaded the UK, a small squad of Nazi soldiers station themselves in a quiet Welsh valley to watch over the locals. It’s a great premise, but sadly the low-budget nature of the film lets it down somewhat. The performances are great - with authentic Welsh accents, which is refreshing (Andrea Riseborough does a great job in one of her presumably early film roles) but the story feels just a little bit too small. </span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: small;">I’ve watched a lot of TV this year thanks to the teenager’s insistence on watching stuff together. It’s great to be bonding in that way, but it does mean I don’t have time to watch stuff that I want to see. We burned through Peaky Blinders, Utopia, Umbrella Academy, Rick and Morty, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul and are now in the middle of Walking Dead. All excellent shows. I’ve been watching Schitt’s Creek with Wifey, which is really funny. I was unimpressed with Boba Felt, which was an absolute mess – but Andor was a refreshingly good slice of Star Wars (if a little slow). I am sticking with Willow, which is actually quite funny at times, but gave up on Rings of Power (probably because it took itself too seriously). I’ve probably forgotten loads of stuff I’ve seen this year, but I’m reminded of this sketch (<a href="https://youtu.be/waqFxv4l85U"><span style="color: #dca10d;">https://youtu.be/waqFxv4l85U</span></a>) by comedian Matt Green. It makes a great point about the splinterisation (is that a word?) of entertainment. Not everyone can afford to pay for each and every streaming service (on top of the licence fee), of which there are a surprising number. And so, whenever you meet up with people for a chat you inevitably spend ages trying to identify a TV show you’ve actually all seen and can talk about (sometimes unsuccessfully).</span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: small;">Regrettably my book count took a sharp nosedive in ’22 thanks to all the late-night TV show bingeing, not leaving much time for reading. I finished ‘A Memory Called Empire’ just before last Christmas which was an impressive piece of sci-fi but too dull and drawn-out for my liking and only then started reading Mark Kermode’s The Good the Bad and the Multiplex which took me an entire year to finish. It's an interesting take on the film industry (with a big focus on how stupid 3D films are), if a little dated. This is not a complex book, but the opportunities for reading it were few and far between. I did get a new book for Christmas (Babel by RF Kuang) which I’m looking forward to starting so hopefully I will be spurred on to read a bit more in ’23.</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: small;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: small;">One highlight of the year was going to see Stereophonics at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff in June. The concert had been postponed from last year after they cancelled due to the pandemic. I went with some old friends from school so it was nice to see them. It was a great gig, they played all their hits and even Tom Jones joined them for 'Mamma told me not to come' so I'm glad I got to see him live (Tom's getting pretty old so I don't think he'll be around for long). Their songs are the kind that get cheapened by way too much exposure as muzak in lifts and shops which is a shame because it's good music (IMHO). When you hear them live, however, they have a new lease of life and you realise just how good the 'phonics are. Kelly Jones is a masterful musician songwriter and it was a privilege to watch him and the rest of the band perform.</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: small;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: small;">I won't say much about the state of British politics (I've written a rant <a href="http://sometimestheycallmejc.blogspot.com/2022/10/the-downfall-of-nation.html" target="_blank">here</a>), other than it does feel like now Boris has gone things are less turbulent than they have been for a few years which is kind of a relief. That being said, the Tories need to go as soon as possible given the damage they have caused to the country, but I don't feel particularly hopeful they will anytime soon.</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: small;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: small;">Finally, I can't look back at 2022 without mentioning the Queen's death. Queen Elizabeth II died on the afternoon of 8th September this year, ending the longest reign of any female monarch and ushering in a new era in the history of the British Monarchy with the reign of King Charles III. Given her age, it wasn't a complete shock but was certainly one of those ‘huh’ moments, as I’d only ever known Elizabeth as the Queen. She was one of those prominent people that had always ‘been there’ in the background since I can remember. My feelings towards the monarchy have changed over that time, from being pretty pro-monarchy when I was a kid to becoming very much the opposite over the last few years. I regard them as a parasitic, undemocratic, outdated institution that should be consigned to the dustbin of history and I think more and more people are coming to that realisation. King Charles was always going to have a difficult job following in his mother’s footsteps and he’s done a reasonable job so far I guess, although I don’t think appointing his son as the Prince of Wales was a great move. Most people were fairly indifferent to the news and probably didn’t appreciate the insulting nature of the title, but what was particularly galling was the fact it was announced so fast, without any consultation or ‘cooling off’ period following the Queen’s death (more here: <a href="https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/william-prince-wales-title-anti-monarchy-1866520"><span style="color: #dca10d;">https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/william-prince-wales-title-anti-monarchy-1866520</span></a>). I didn’t feel particularly sad about the Queen’s passing. She’d lived to a good age, and to be fair served her country well. The outpouring of national mourning was understandable, if a little too much, but I’m struck by how quickly the nation has moved on since September after everything ground to a halt for two weeks. I find the royal family worship a bit bewildering and cult-ish – no criticism is permitted, no questioning of age-old traditions that make no sense in our 21st century culture. What is slightly depressing is that Charles won’t be around for long (twenty years maximum probably) so we’ll have to go through the whole thing again when he goes - what I am nearly certain of, however, is that the people won’t mourn his passing the same way they did his mother. To me, that says a lot about where we are at when it comes to the monarchy in these modern times.</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: small;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: small;">So that, ladies and gentlemen, was my 2022. I look forward to 2023 with cautious optimism.</span></p>sometimestheycallmejchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10251993549479346120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3050916638746406282.post-667842310991417582022-10-25T11:00:00.004+01:002022-10-25T11:00:51.653+01:00The downfall of a nation<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="280" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3VwFwKOMe0A" title="YouTube video player" width="400"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div>I was working at a conference recently when the keynote speaker showed the video produced as part of London’s bid for the 2012 Olympic games. It’s a rousing piece, set to ‘Proud’ by Heather Small. Admittedly, the song hasn't aged well unfortunately given that it was used for comedic effect in the sit-com Miranda, but I must admit it brought a bit of dampness to my eye. Not that it was particularly soppy or emotional – rather, it represented, to me at least, something huge and significant that’s been lost. The Britain I grew up in, a nation that I felt proud to be part of, is no more and I was saddened to be reminded of this loss.<br /><br />All the values expressed in the film are admirable and worthy – the kind any modern civilised nation would want to be. Sadly they don’t apply to Britain any more (although claiming that the UK was fully ‘inclusive’ and ‘tolerant’ seems a bit of a stretch even for the early 2000s). We have become a people divided and impoverished – both economically and culturally – thanks to decades of inept, short-sighted and self-interested leadership (on both sides of the political spectrum). Meanness, cynicism, indifference, hopelessness and selfishness pervades the land like a cancerous tumour. <br /><br />As people struggle to heat their homes, pay their bills, see a doctor, secure a decent home, run their businesses or swim in the ocean without swallowing untreated sewage, the rich and powerful have gleefully hollowed out the soul of the nation and made a pretty penny to boot. It’s easy to blame Brexit and the manufactured culture wars (which I do to some extent), things which arose after the success of the Olympics, but I think the rot was there long before that. I’ve <a href="https://sometimestheycallmejc.blogspot.com/2019/02/maybe-we-deserve-brexit.html" target="_blank">written before</a> about how the British Empire is paying for its past sins (perhaps because it’s failed to really acknowledge them) and I think it just shows that, with the best will in the world, things will soon fall apart if you’re resting on shaky ground. <br /><br />The spirit of 2012 showed us what we could have been, but maybe when we examined it closely enough we knew deep down that it didn’t reflect the true nature of Britain. I suspect all that baggage of centuries gone past was just too much. <br /><br />An economy in turmoil, looming Scottish independence (with NI and Cymru not far behind), shrinking civil liberties and world events (amongst many other things) are conspiring to put that final nail in the coffin of the so-called 'Great' Britannia. Rather than address these issues with intelligence and care, our government is collapsing under the weight of its own incompetence. I don't think it's any surprise that I've heard the term 'banana republic' being used a lot to describe the UK recently.<br /><br />And that is a scary and unsettling thing, even for a republican supportive of Welsh independence like myself. Like many I long for change – but I also long for life to return to 'normal' for a bit.<br /><br />But, as they say, you gotta have hope. There is a rising tide of dissatisfaction with what is happening across the country, and eventually something has to give.<br /><br />Whatever rises from the ashes of the Old Empire, I hope it is a nation – or nations – that values kindness, tolerance, interdependence and integrity above greed and self-reliance. Where the mistakes of the past are acknowledged and learned from, rather than swept under the carpet and left to fester.<br /><br />That way, the spirit of 2012 – and the hope that it represented – won't be lost forever.</div>sometimestheycallmejchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10251993549479346120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3050916638746406282.post-23176495651139021912020-12-29T16:24:00.005+00:002020-12-30T11:37:47.776+00:00A Look Back at 2020<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVpVzB-IY8dD5CjO9C3yoC0l-x0B8zIk_OVnCoregjfmtVihly-N4a0B-oFghiTIR1wUWWiHABulxkLewasrOLwuDIkggiqpN3hru_gg1v0_w42-8YfP0RfMiYJHayqt2vV1XrGfeh5Ik/s640/skeleton-5478583_640.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVpVzB-IY8dD5CjO9C3yoC0l-x0B8zIk_OVnCoregjfmtVihly-N4a0B-oFghiTIR1wUWWiHABulxkLewasrOLwuDIkggiqpN3hru_gg1v0_w42-8YfP0RfMiYJHayqt2vV1XrGfeh5Ik/s320/skeleton-5478583_640.jpg" /></a></div><br />I don't think I can be terribly original in describing 2020. No doubt others have written far more eloquently than I have about this Annus Horibilis, so I will leave it to them. But I will at least write of my own experience. Partly for posterity for my poor descendents (if they ever have the morbid curiosity to read this thing) ... but also because this has become a tradition of this blog ever since starting it.<br /><p></p><p>So here goes - my review of 2020.</p><p>Obviously, the year has been dominated by the Coronavirus. When lockdown was announced in March it felt so surreal, like a movie. Of course, movies about global disasters might be fun to watch – but it's not so fun when you're actually in one.</p><p>Keeping the boys occupied during lockdown was easy in some respects - they spent most of their time on screens, much to my regret. The novelty of doing remote learning wore off pretty quick and it was a constant struggle to manage, but eventually we relaxed things a bit. There was no point fighting those battles. Sure, they missed about six months of their education but I don't think they'll suffer greatly because of it. I'm just disappointed that they are so dependent on their screen time.</p><p>What struck me about the lockdown was that I actually quite enjoyed it, to some extent. As an introvert with a virtual masters degree in being socially awkward, the idea of not having to go out and actually interact with fellow human beings felt like a huge relief. It was a bit like taking a holiday from everyday social interactions, which was very welcome. Of course, these feelings were somewhat hampered by the ascension of everyone's favourite online meeting tool. Yes, you guessed it - Zoom.</p><p>Whilst I appreciated Zoom for all of its wondrous technical capability of bringing people together from far flung places, when using it for any kind of social purpose it became truly excruciating. You miss a lot of the behavioural clues I guess, and when you're not particularly confident in the first place it just amplifies your anxiety. I do hope, however, to continue using Zoom (other platforms are available, of course) for meeting purposes long after the pandemic has subsided, mainly because it negates the need to faff around with all that travel/parking/finding the place rigmarole. Plus I've found it helps the meetings to go quicker, because there's less of the usual tedious pre- and post-amble that tends to happen – and I also think it keeps the talkers in check a bit better.</p><p>I really am a barrel of laughs me.</p><p>Work went pretty much dead at the start of lockdown, thanks to loads of events I was booked to work on being cancelled, but soon the work picked up a bit (most of which I could do from home) and I also ended up taking on the role of producer for our weekly church service videos which kept me occupied. This is still on-going – we're not sure when we'll actually be meeting up in the church building again like we used to. Probably not until well into 2021.</p><p>Having started fostering in November, we had already gotten into the swing of things by the time the new year came around. When lockdown hit we had a bit of a wobble admittedly, but our foster child was fairly oblivious to it all thankfully. The process of moving them on for adoption took longer than it would have, thanks to Covid, but eventually they transitioned to their adoptive parents almost a year since coming to live with us. It was a bittersweet moment - saying goodbye to someone who had become embedded in our lives for a year, but knowing that a loving couple were going to look after them forever and give them a really good start in life. One upside was that it was nice to have a bit of a break from looking after a little person (who was good as gold but still quite demanding).</p><p>Once that was over, Wifey went in for an operation on her thyroid gland. It all went smoothly and, after a couple of weeks recourperating, she's well on the way to full strength. I'm struck how the timing of all of this couldn't have been better. Wifey was in real need of the op, but had she gone to hospital while we were still fostering it would have been a real strain. Yes, we would have coped - but the good timing made things so much easier to deal with. Also, interestingly, because of Covid I think she actually had a better standard of care than if she had gone for the op pre-lockdown. This is because basically there had to be less people in the wards and so the ratio of staff to patients was much better. I'm not saying the health system has been magically improved by Covid – far from it – but thankfully our experience was a positive one.</p><p>We've had some struggles with the eldest – he's in full swing teenage mode, but we're just holding onto the fact that someday he'll come out the other end. Covid has helped in some ways and been a huge hindrance in others, but at least he's an introvert like me so hasn't totally suffered from a lack of social interaction.</p><p>Holidays in 2020 were pretty limited. In the post-lockdown summer we took a trip to Oxford to see Wifey's dad, which was actually quite a fun time, which involved a fair amount of outdoorsy type activities. Then in December we embarked on a trip to Bluestone in Pembrokeshire. We knew it was going to be a bit different because Covid had meant a lot of the activities were limited or cancelled. Even so, we'd been looking forward to getting away and having a break post-fostering. However, what started out as a fun and relaxing time was cut short when the news about new lockdown measures to deal with Covid were announced (mainly because of a mutant strain that was doing the rounds). We got notification from the resort management that they were closing and we had to be out by lunchtime the following day. So, we'd only been there two nights when we should have been there for five. It was gutting, but the good thing was that we'd all had a really good time - even our eldest, who had been quite negative in the run-up to going. We'd been to the pool and had lots of fun there, enjoyed take away pizza and gone for a walk in the woods. It was also a good way of introducing the boys to what Bluestone had to offer and hopefully means they will want to go again another time (when all of the facilities are up and running). So, a bit disappointing, but at least we got to get away for a bit - and we'll get a refund, so maybe we'll be able to go again next year.</p><p>One big change to the household (as well as having a foster child live with us) has been our new cat. Bryn is his name and he's a rescue cat that we acquired in the summer. Apparently, he was found wandering some hill somewhere (which is where he got his name, Welsh for Hill) and was about a year old – although the rescue centre didn't know for sure. He took a while to settle in and get used to us and now he's very much a part of the family. We've decided to keep him indoors for the time being, just because we're not sure our neighbourhood is the safest place for pets. There's plenty of busy roads and other cats roaming around so we're not sure he'll fare too well. It's nice to have a cuddly creature in the house, but he does have a tendency to claw the carpet (when we have a perfectly good scratch post!) and wakes us up several times in the night – either to just sit on our bed or play with an imaginary mouse. Even after saying goodbye to our foster child, our sleep patterns still leave a lot to be desired. Still, he's become a firm favourite with the boys – our very own therapeutic pet – so that's good.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKKeXcwgK4G79PamC2oSfSNj-vDJUJRQDkxQnZH-p1nmbDugqiIDiSeLYyOR6Bx7O81yw9UdfOArViKejDqbc-zEFNxsZvC-OHrxZSEgmieivvEsQ5tmoPvEBZ3keru6ASmqFf-uu8jJA/s4032/IMG_1464.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKKeXcwgK4G79PamC2oSfSNj-vDJUJRQDkxQnZH-p1nmbDugqiIDiSeLYyOR6Bx7O81yw9UdfOArViKejDqbc-zEFNxsZvC-OHrxZSEgmieivvEsQ5tmoPvEBZ3keru6ASmqFf-uu8jJA/w240-h320/IMG_1464.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>Looking at my only other post of 2020 (way back in January when everything was just a normal level of sh*ttiness) I was looking forward to the year ahead with wide-eyed optimism about learning Welsh, progressing with a new YouTube channel, finishing my first feature-film script and getting fit and healthy. Wellllll .... things didn't quite go according to plan, but that's not entirely my fault.</p><p>The good news is that I finally got into the swing of things in terms of good health and diet. Soon after lockdown I got roped into the Joe Wicks obsession, and number one son persuaded me to start running again. It was a bit of a shock to the system but I managed to keep it going. It was, however, slightly soul-destroying to be doing Joe Wicks five days a week and going for a run three evenings a week only to find that I hadn't lost any weight. Turns out, I have to eat better as well. Doh!</p><p>I had gotten into the mentality that, because I was exercising, I was allowed to eat any crap I liked. Sadly, for my particular kind of metabolism, that just isn't the case. Once I worked out my BMI and discovered that technically I was obese, I decided to double down and try and lose some weight. This involved being more careful with what I ate (along with the regular exercise), and I managed to drop about 9kg which I'm quite pleased about. Saying that, I've put most of it back on over the Christmas period because basically I decided to pause the good eating plan until the new year. The main thing is that I know I can lose weight and how I can do it – so that will be my plan for '21.</p><p>What about the other stuff I'd planned to do? Well, learning Welsh didn't happen because going to classes was not an option for the whole of 2020, thanks to Covid. Maybe when things ease off in 2021 I'll be able to sign up for one. I guess there's the option of online learning but, given my comments earlier about Zoom, it's not something that I'd want to do if I can help it. But I do want to learn as soon as I am able.</p><p>I actually have started a YouTube channel, although it doesn't have any live videos yet and I only set it up in December. It's going to be about Universal Basic Income, and I don't expect it to become some kind of online sensation – just an outlet for my desire to shout about UBI whenever I can. What's been interesting about 2020 is that UBI has become part of the ongoing discussion about how to cope with the pandemic. What began as a fringe policy idea at the start of the year has become pretty much mainstream, advocated by most opposition parties across the world. We have yet to see any countries adopt it wholeheartedly, but as the economic effects of Covid continue to cause hardship and suffering, it seems to me like the only solution that will actually make a difference. Time will tell.</p><p>And what about my feature film script? Well, I did actually complete the first draft during lockdown. Being the first draft, though, means I have to go through it with a fine tooth-comb and sort out the wrinkles and mistakes. That may take a while. My ambitions for making a low-budget feature film have been hampered somewhat by the pandemic. Given the current state of affairs, it's a logistical nightmare to film anything complicated which conform to social distancing and hygiene requirements - I am not rushing into trying to do anything for now. Once things settle down I will, but for the time being I am exploring the possibility of doing something that is more realistic. Namely, something audio drama based. Watch this space.</p><p>Talking about films, I only went to the cinema three times during the whole of 2020. Before the lockdown, I saw David Copperfield at the Everyman Boutique cinema for my birthday (which was fun). During the pandemic I saw Tenet and Mank – both very good films and both very different. It's not like I go to the cinema all the time, but I was certainly very aware of the impact the pandemic has had on the filmmaking business. There is a lot of talk about the industry adapting to the new paradigm and everything going online. This is a shame because going to the cinema is such an 'event', especially when you don't go that often. It would be sad if all the cinemas shut. I'm sure many will, but I can't imagine cinema trips becoming a thing of the past – unless we continue to have a virus disrupting our lives and stopping us from meeting in large groups.</p><p>So that's my roundup of 2020. I am reluctant to even speculate about 2021. We still have Brexit to contend with, as well as the Trump/Biden handover. And of course, Covid – and the effects of the pandemic – are here to stay for a good while yet.</p><p>If any of us manage to get through the next twelve months alive I will call that a win.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwtLhYW_rssMnCrrh4kkh96JkO4CMi9MlG0zSBDBIsjCqDQpU5abk8wK3FpbRA7uOlCsd9oNI4LZGq1HjN1TshIsOD4_E7RzqDdjVTW3I3bpcFY04DhIXUB_oo1fViAzrylvhE5anL62Y/s2048/IMG_2107.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1774" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwtLhYW_rssMnCrrh4kkh96JkO4CMi9MlG0zSBDBIsjCqDQpU5abk8wK3FpbRA7uOlCsd9oNI4LZGq1HjN1TshIsOD4_E7RzqDdjVTW3I3bpcFY04DhIXUB_oo1fViAzrylvhE5anL62Y/s320/IMG_2107.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>sometimestheycallmejchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10251993549479346120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3050916638746406282.post-30288971672743772822020-01-11T15:41:00.001+00:002020-01-11T15:41:43.162+00:00A look ahead to 2020<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This time last year, I <a href="https://sometimestheycallmejc.blogspot.com/2019/01/looking-forward-to-2019.html">wrote</a> about big changes for 2019. I wasn't wrong, but looking at what I read I don't think I quite did as much as what I'd hoped to do.<br />
<br />
I'm not one for New Year resolutions, but I do think this time of year is as good as any to take stock of things and look ahead. Now that the big family stuff of 2019 is out of the way, hopefully I can focus on the smaller, personal things.<br />
<br />
One thing I'm not good at, and need to work on, is reviewing my goals on a regular basis. I need to try and do this at the start of each month in order to (hopefully) remind me I need to work on them. Without doing this, I am prone to shove my goals in a drawer and forget them until twelve months later. <br />
<br />
Here are my goals for 2020:<br />
- Finish my feature script<br />
- Start learning Welsh<br />
- Finish at least two of my creative projects<br />
- Improve my fitness and healthy eating<br />
- Improve my mental health well-being<br />
- Increase my income from work<br />
- Set up a Basic Income podcast<br />
- Set up a Christian Filmmaking podcast<br />
<br />
It sounds quite a lot, so I'll be interested to see if I manage to get any of these done. But, hey, if you don't at least try you'll never get anywhere. <br />
<br />
That being said, I think it's important not to be too inward looking. I have another goal which I need to keep at the forefront of my mind:<br />
<br />
- Be loving, kind and generous to others at every opportunity<br />
<br />
Pretty obvious you might say, but in this day and age it's easy to think about ourselves all the time, rather than others.<br />
<br />
Here's to a positive, fruitful (and kind) 2020.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
sometimestheycallmejchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10251993549479346120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3050916638746406282.post-44193664028929755652020-01-02T15:48:00.005+00:002020-01-02T15:48:59.676+00:00A review of 2019<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So, I guess it's about time I dusted off this blog and did a review of the year.<br />
<br />
I've
really fallen foul of life and failed miserably at keeping this blog
updated. Shame really, because I often enjoy reading back some of the
stuff I've written. It's also a good way of capturing my random thoughts
and moments of my life before my addled brain forgets them.<br />
<br />
Now
things have settled down (see what I've written under 'Family') maybe I
will be able to get back on the blog horse again, so to speak.<br />
<br />
2019 eh? Well, that was interesting.<br />
<br />
Family<br />
First off, family life has been more hectic than usual because of two major factors: house renovations and fostering.<br />
<br />
For
some time now, we've been thinking about fostering, and about a year
ago decided to start the process. It involved lots of meetings and
paperwork plus the odd bit of training, but it was relatively
straightforward and painless.<br />
<br />
We decided to extend the
house in order for us to have an extra room that would allow us to
foster. But before we did that, we upgraded our kitchen. The kitchen we
inherited when we moved in ten years ago was in dire need of an upgrade.
Cupboard doors were falling off and shelves were collapsing on a
regular basis. We were never really in the position to borrow the money
for it until we realised we'd need a mortgage to extend the house so
figured we'd ask for enough to do both. We also thought that we might as
well do a whole load of work in one go and get it over and done with.<br />
<br />
Whilst
this was great in theory – yay! a new kitchen and extension! – the
practical was far from enjoyable. We had four weeks without a
functioning kitchen and then two months without any attic space. We
spent several weeks beforehand clearing out / moving junk in order to
accommodate the building work which on one hand was useful (we had so
much crap - it was liberating to get rid of it all!) but on the other
hand exhausting and time consuming.<br />
<br />
We also spent a
long time after the work cleaning, tidying away, sorting even more stuff
and painting. Even though we got a painter in to do the hallway and
landings, we couldn't stretch to doing all of the upper rooms (walls and
ceilings) - so did that ourselves. Again, an exhausting experience.<br />
<br />
Finally,
by the end of September, we had a new kitchen, an extra bedroom and a
decent-sized office for me. We were ready to foster.<br />
<br />
That
was when we had six weeks of waiting. During that time I was doing what
I could to put my office in order as I hadn't quite cleared / sorted
everything by then. At the time of writing, I still haven't sorted out
my office, but it is functional as both an office and a guest room (with
the necessary sofa bed). I expect it will be another six months before I
have everything the way I want it to be.<br />
<br />
In
mid-November, we finally got the call to foster our first child. It has taken some
adjusting, and made us realise how much freedom we use to have as a
family with two relatively independent kids, but it's been totally worth
it so far.<br />
<br />
Faith<br />
My faith continued on something
of a downward spiral again this year. It's not because of anything that
has happened particularly, it's just I don't seem to 'feel' anything
about what I believe any more. There's a sort of emptiness there. My
intellect accepts the reality of God and who he is – I have no doubt of
His existence, that He created the universe and that Jesus was sent to
earth to save all of mankind. I have no problem with that at all and the
truth is I can't begin to imagine what it would be like not believe in
anything. The atheistic perspective holds no attraction for me
whatsoever – if anything, it is more depressing and bleak than anything I
feel right now.<br />
<br />
I try and read my bible on a regular
basis and I pray whenever I can, I just don't seem to care any more
(although that sounds harsher than it really is. Of course I care, but
it seems to take a lot more effort these days). Sometimes, I feel a
spark of life deep down. I was almost driven to tears singing 'O Come O
Come Emmanuel' on Christmas morning at church – so something is there.<br />
<br />
Maybe
it's a symptom is being middle-aged. Seems like a decent explanation,
although there are plenty of others my age or older who seem fairly
content and strong in their faith, so what's wrong with me?<br />
<br />
Travel<br />
We
were lucky enough to have two trips to France this year: one for a mass
family gathering (mum's 70th) and another for Wifey's brother's
wedding. They were only two weeks apart in the late spring so it felt
very extravagant to be heading to Bordeaux on two separate occasions
within the same year.<br />
<br />
For the family holiday, we
revisited the mansion house in France that we stayed in two years
before. It wasn't quite the same as the first time we went (you can
never repeat the experience again), but it was still nice to hang out
with family and celebrate Mum's birthday. At least that was special. We
couldn't completely escape one or two family tensions, but it was
bearable. One of the highlights was taking part in an escape room that
had been set up underneath the mansion. It was a bit weird (as in,
having a tourist attraction underneath our holiday home) but good fun.<br />
<br />
Our
wedding holiday was a different affair, mainly because of the stress of
a formal occasion (with lots of beautiful people everywhere) plus more
family tensions popping up just to keep us on our toes. Thankfully the
weather was beautiful and the setting couldn't be more French. We did
have a good time, but it was something that we were beginning to get
accustomed to and so it was a big shock to come back to reality when we
returned home.<br />
<br />
Aside from our French adventures, we
also visited London in the early spring to see my brother and partner in
their new home (while visiting the Tate Modern), and went up North in
the summer to see Annabel's stepdad.<br />
<br />
Movies<br />
I
have stopped doing my monthly reviews, mainly because I had just run out
of energy doing them. It was becoming something of a chore to make sure
I watched a film a week and I felt like I was doing it out of necessity
rather than because I wanted to actually watch anything.<br />
<br />
Saying that, I'm still watching films when I can – but nowhere near as many as I used to.<br />
<br />
I
didn't get to see many films at the cinema this year, so it's hard to
do a top ten. I'm ashamed to admit it, but most of the stuff I saw on
the big screen were Marvel films (erk!). I saw Avengers: Endgame and
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker twice. So much for being a film buff!<br />
<br />
TV<br />
My
TV watching has been sporadic and disconnected as usual. Wifey and I
are still churning through Homeland and have given up on The Handmaid's
Tale (too depressing). We managed to power through 'Killing Eve', which
just goes to show that if a series has a definite end point it's
something we're more inclined to stick with. This series was made great
largely thanks to the terrific two leads. The same goes for Kimmy
Schmidt, which we finished watching this year. I think the shine wore
off towards the end, so it was good to stop before things deteriorated
too much.<br />
<br />
I did get to see series one of The Boys on
Amazon, which was an excellent – if extreme – take on the tired
superhero genre. Stranger Things series three on Netflix was, I felt,
okay-ish. I think they should have just stopped after doing two but I
can understand why they carried on. The storyline veered towards the
ridiculous and I'm worried things will get even more absurd for the next
one. We're still working through Friends, reliving our 90s/00s past –
although rumour has it Netflix won't be showing it for much longer.<br />
<br />
Other honourable mentions: The Good Place, Final Space, Good Omens, Atypical.<br />
<br />
Books<br />
I
spent most of the year reading the first four books of the Earthsea
saga by Ursula K Le Guin. An impressive equal to Lord of the Rings or
the Narnia series, the world-building is impressively subtle and
believable while the characters are grounded and enigmatic. As I say
every year, I want to read more books but just don't have the time or
inclination as it's a lot easier to watch TV or YouTube. Maybe when the
world eventually falls apart and there's no electricity I'll get to read
more – heh!<br />
<br />
Work<br />
Work has been more pronounced
in terms of feast and famine than it's ever been, I think, which is
kinda weird. For the first quarter of the year I was inundated with
work, and even surpassed my overdraft substantially (which has never
happened before) thanks to the income brought in. This heady moment was,
of course, brief as I then plunged back into my borrowing again to keep
things afloat. Summertime was typically quiet and then it picked up a
little until I headed into December which was surprisingly busy. Despite
all of this, I am back into my overdraft again – but with our new
fostering situation helping to ease things on the finances, this new
year might see things go differently.<br />
<br />
In terms of work
travel I was in North Wales in February to do a few days filming and
then later in the summer I went to the Lake District to film a wedding
which was a bit random. Finally, in November I did my first filming gig
in London for a conference, which was tiring but interesting.<br />
<br />
Health<br />
I
have managed to stay relatively healthy this year, although my exercise
regime has fizzled out to nothing. I'd started going for early morning
walks, which was kid of refreshing, but I didn't feel like it made a
huge difference. I've also become less intentional in terms of eating
healthy food. It seems like there's always some big occasion just around
the corner so it's hard to say no to treats and suchlike. I'm not
convinced restricting my food intake has made a huge difference to my
waistline so I'm less inclined to go without (eating nice food is about
one of the last pleasures I have left!) – but saying that, I know that I
need to reduce my weight a bit just so I'm investing in my future self
when I'm a lot older and more prone to illness.<br />
<br />
World Events<br />
Well,
2019 has been a right bathtub of offal, that's for sure. We have the
ongoing crap coming from America and its deranged leader, despite a
supreme effort by many to put the brakes on Brexit it's finally gonna
happen next month – and still nothing is being done by those in power to
avert the climate catastrophe that is steadily unfolding before our
very eyes (the nation of Australia is literally burning as I write this,
people!).<br />
<br />
After the General Election in December, I
decided to shut myself off from the news and any political discussion
for a while because I'd had a gutful. I can't understand why the
majority (albeit a slim one) seem to think it's OK that 1 in 5 people
are living in poverty in this country, or why it's OK to plunge
headfirst into an economically suicidal withdrawal from Europe. All I
can hope for is that once people see the crap that's happening as a
result that they finally come to their senses and act accordingly.<br />
<br />
This year I have been more and more convinced of the need to break up the Union and have been a firm supporter of <a href="https://sometimestheycallmejc.blogspot.com/2017/05/is-welsh-independence-good-idea.html" target="_blank">Welsh independence</a>.
Whilst it's something that will be a long way off, I think it's
something that may well be possible within the next decade or so. Here's
hoping.<br />
<br />
Other stuff<br />
I have continued to be part
of our church Life Group that is learning British Sign Language, which
has been an enjoyable experience. The only challenge is that I don't get
to use it much outside of our weekly meetings. I try and sign on
Sundays but I'm not confident enough to stand up the front and I usually
have other duties to worry about, such as looking after a fidgety
toddler. I have been exposed to BSL thanks to the occasional bit of
filming work, though, so it's useful for that. Hopefully I will get to
use it more, but we'll see.<br />
<br />
I may put off my BSL
learning for a while, though, because I am thinking about learning
Welsh. It's something that I've been wanting to do for ages, especially
since becoming more nationalist in my outlook. I'm under no illusions
that it's going to be difficult, though, although I think there will be
more opportunities to practice it than BSL. Plus, it could prove useful
for my occupation if Wales as I could end up getting more work.<br />
<br />
In
2018 I made a decision to do something bold and ambitious - to write
and direct a full-length feature film. This was borne out of my
frustrations with trying (and failing) to get short films made. While it
may seem a bit daft to make a feature if I've not had much luck making
shorts, I feel like taking on a big project has more chance of
attracting attention (and funding). I may be wrong. I think I may make a
30-minute film first, just as a bit of a stepping stone to making
something that's much longer. It's a big endeavour, and I'm fully aware
of that. But, I'm getting to the age where I haven't got the time to do
things in small steps. I've got to go for it, really, and that's what I
hope to do over the next couple of years.<br />
<br />
If there's
anything positive about 2019, it's that Basic Income has finally become
mainstream, and I guess I've played a teeny tiny part in that. I set up a
Basic Income Twitter account for <a href="https://twitter.com/UBICardiff" target="_blank">Cardiff</a> back
in May 2018, and have been trying to keep it going ever since. It
hasn't exploded with growth, but has a reasonable following and I get
the odd engagement. What's been really exciting though is US Democratic
candidate Andrew Yang basing his entire campaign around Basic Income
(what he calls a Freedom Dividend) – the first time anyone has used UBI
as part of a presidential bid. He's up against it, in terms of getting
elected, but I'm convinced that if anyone can beat Donald Trump, it's
Yang. You can find out more here: <a href="https://www.yang2020.com/" target="_blank">https://www.yang2020.com</a><br />
<br />
As
well as the Twitter account, I've been planning to organise a small
event in Cardiff to raise the profile of UBI. It was something I'd hoped
to do in 2019 but never got round to it (mainly because of all the
preparations for fostering). Hopefully I can this year. How it's going
to pan out, I have no idea but I just want to try and keep getting the
idea out there as much as possible. I figure the more people hear about
it, the more likely it will eventually filter through to the politicians
who will eventually take it up.<br />
<br />
I have to admit, I
really think UBI is the only thing that will make any kind of difference
to all the crap in this world. It's something that will empower people
to sort politics out, fix the environment and end poverty for good. That
and lots of prayer, of course.<br />
<br />
Happy New Year. </div>
sometimestheycallmejchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10251993549479346120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3050916638746406282.post-29715523146891675702019-04-05T17:56:00.000+01:002019-04-05T17:56:32.033+01:00Scientific-based governance<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDox4onMEg16F_r6PWxxnFy0GHw38uZ-f1JOO-IsT2r5cQ0QeR6te0jCBlTOLWA8D59pyRcj8q-gI97JVYcjtshNx9FGX0w_yxmgJPy0s82-lNDo3ZJr5hEzh852N6_5MDZZiV5zsfSrK0/s1600/african-2027619.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDox4onMEg16F_r6PWxxnFy0GHw38uZ-f1JOO-IsT2r5cQ0QeR6te0jCBlTOLWA8D59pyRcj8q-gI97JVYcjtshNx9FGX0w_yxmgJPy0s82-lNDo3ZJr5hEzh852N6_5MDZZiV5zsfSrK0/s320/african-2027619.png" width="160" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A scientisty type person</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
If you're like me, then you'll be frustrated with politics and how it works. It seems in this day and age (especially here in the UK), government is hell-bent on hurting as many people as possible – mainly poor people, but everyone else not in the highest / upper levels of society as well. I can kind of get behind the Labour slogan of 'for the many, not the few' – but I still don't trust what's going on with that party, and I can't trust those in the leadership who are supportive of Brexit. I mean, look how that's going.<br />
<br />
I feel like politics at the moment is more about personality than ability. It's about getting to the top and acquiring power rather than using one's position to improve society. No one is immune, it seems, from the temptations of getting kickbacks in return for political favours and so corruption seems to always be present at the table of politics. And then there's the childish bickering and jeering between grown men and women, drowning out those they disagree with. Watching Parliament on TV is just like watching the school playground a lot of the time. I can't help but feel that this kind of adversarial politics distracts people from the work they should be doing to improve the lives of everyone.<br />
<br />
Of course, I do believe that there are good and decent politicians out there working hard for their constituency and for their country. They put in long hours and make huge sacrifices, traveling to Westminster several times a week to have their say. The trouble is, I think, that the further up you go the more out of touch you become.<br />
<br />
Personally I don't think our current system is very fair or conducive to today's modern world and it needs to change.<br />
<br />
Interestingly, there is something of a growing movement towards having a new kind of governance based on scientific evidence. The idea is that rather than make up new policies in the hope that they will work, government uses research and facts to find out whether or not they actually do.<br />
<br />
Finland is apparently dabbling in this idea, as demonstrated by its so-called Universal Basic Income pilot which made the headlines recently when the results were published. They supposedly set out to empirically test and research the concept of UBI (more about this <a href="https://medium.com/basic-income/what-is-there-to-learn-from-finlands-basic-income-experiment-did-it-succeed-or-fail-54b8e5051f60">here</a>), but then the politicians got in the way. They didn't like the way it was going to be done and so changed the whole thing. It wasn't a genuine Universal Basic Income (ie regular government payments to citizens every month, no strings attached), it was a watered-down version only given to the unemployed with certain conditions imposed on them.<br />
<br />
Interestingly, the results still showed that overall it improved people's lives (albeit for the short term while the programme was running), proving that putting money into people's pockets can make a simple but huge difference.<br />
<br />
Whilst it's good to hear this, it's still frustrating that politicians won't let scientists do their job, because if our leaders want to have policies that actually work then it's a no brainer to actually test them and show whether or not they do.<br />
<br />
That way they get to improve society, save money and look good.<br />
<br />
Who wouldn't want that?</div>
sometimestheycallmejchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10251993549479346120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3050916638746406282.post-66712664896406776722019-03-17T17:14:00.000+00:002019-03-18T17:14:14.575+00:00This week I have been mostly... wb 11/03/19<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Week beginning 11/03/19<br />
<br />
No. of evening meetings:1<br />
Films watched: 2<br />
Healthy eating: Average<br />
Mental health: Good<br />
<br />
It's been an entire month since my last weekly update, mainly because I have been insanely busy workwise. So, I'm trying to get back on track with my blog stuff.<br />
<br />
This week has been fairly uneventful, with just normal life and work stuff going on.<br />
<br />
Our fridge has finally been fixed - yay! After weeks of putting up with an overexpensive piece of Italian-made German junk not keeping our foodstuff cool we are back in the refridgeration game. Amazingly, we survived, but did have to throw out a lot of manky stuff and some milk did go off once. It actually wasn't too much of a chore not having a fridge. I was nervous about catching some kind of illness from room temperature food but that didn't happen thankfully. Maybe if our fridge had failed during the summer things would have been a bit different.<br />
<br />
And then there's Brexit.<br />
<br />
Well ... that was interesting.<br />
<br />
I won't say much, but every time I read the news about Brexit I despair at how useless and pathetic our so-called leaders are. At least the terrifying prospect of a no deal has been taken off the table (well, that's how it looks anyway). I'm praying the whole thing gets called off – we just need someone with the balls to do it.</div>
sometimestheycallmejchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10251993549479346120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3050916638746406282.post-10283468183448157402019-03-04T18:49:00.001+00:002019-03-04T18:49:07.899+00:00Oreo Easter Egg Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Before the dust had settled from the gorge-fest and overindulgence assault that is Christmas, the great confectionists were already gearing up for the next holiday season. This is nothing new, of course, but there seems to be even more choice when it comes to small chocolatey Easter treats. And so, I came across these Cadbury Oreo Eggs – taking place next to their Creme Egg companions – and had to give them a try.<br />
<br />
The little Oreo eggs in a bag have been around for a while, but I'm pretty sure these bigger ones are new for this year.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0CaqybOaZPRr8Gntye3C0z7I-zbyZk1TlVDmIyzA_0kNI556_ge-B6ml2JHbFxypR1VW8-4wrXSX5w4iwWmm207XJDJBXh5J-Jma6y8mlJ1NB26KVdNz3vIqhpfQrOwU-1uCB_IzK1NAE/s1600/IMG_4987.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0CaqybOaZPRr8Gntye3C0z7I-zbyZk1TlVDmIyzA_0kNI556_ge-B6ml2JHbFxypR1VW8-4wrXSX5w4iwWmm207XJDJBXh5J-Jma6y8mlJ1NB26KVdNz3vIqhpfQrOwU-1uCB_IzK1NAE/s320/IMG_4987.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigaHRX331Tkq1hSnKPxwKj4z5DBecSlASKifSYi9UDgxvhSg7PB8ohZQid8DFNHEthUH3yzL5LfweputISx6FofzsYx20J_YEJkbW6nvb6yuHREzrAFXrqs49lbMOaniMlnDKPJfJlhmAg/s1600/IMG_4988.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigaHRX331Tkq1hSnKPxwKj4z5DBecSlASKifSYi9UDgxvhSg7PB8ohZQid8DFNHEthUH3yzL5LfweputISx6FofzsYx20J_YEJkbW6nvb6yuHREzrAFXrqs49lbMOaniMlnDKPJfJlhmAg/s320/IMG_4988.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
I've never been too fussed on Cadbury's attempt at cashing in on the Oreo brand, mainly because the creme doesn't taste like Oreo creme. These new eggs aren't anything new in that regard - just Cadbury Oreo Chocolate bar re-packaged in an egg-shaped guise. Yes, these little treats are edible, but they aren't Oreos and they aren't proper Creme Eggs. So, in my opinion, a bit of a disappointment. Boo!<br />
<br />
Verdict: 5/10</div>
sometimestheycallmejchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10251993549479346120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3050916638746406282.post-55722458121768536542019-02-28T18:58:00.000+00:002019-03-04T19:03:03.540+00:00Films I've seen of late (Feb '18)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
#9 Manchester-by-the-sea (2016)<br />
A man with a tormented past must care for his nephew after his brother's death. This is a moving and emotional portrayal of grief and the burden of responsibility, with Casey Affleck giving a great performance. The ending is a bit disappointing ... not sure if it's the conclusion I would have liked, but still a great piece of work.<br />
(9/10)<br />
<br />
#10 The Post (2017)<br />
Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep star in this period piece that explores the Washington Post's involvement in the uncovering of military secrets, proving the US Government lied to the public about the war in Vietnam over several administrations. A fascinating insight into government corruption and the struggle for the media to exercise free speech, this is a hugely relevent story to today's 'fake news' hysteria.<br />
(8/10)<br />
<br />
#11 The Disaster Artist (2017)<br />
Hilarious biopoic of actors Tommy Wiseau and Greg Sestero as they set out to make Wiseau's movie off their own backs only for it to become widely regarded as the worst movie ever made. It's a fairly standard underdog story (Wiseau's initial failure takes a volte-face as his movie becomes a cult hit), but the Franco brothers' performances are brilliant (especially James as Wiseau) and it's kind of inspiring for anyone out there who wants to pursue their dreams.<br />
(8/10)<br />
<br />
#12 Inside Out (2015)<br />
Pixar's attempt at exploring the psyche of a child going through a traumatic experience, which is very clever and worthy but doesn't really make sense if you think it through hard enough. This is one of my least favourite Pixar movie's mainly because I think it tries too hard to be deep and thought-provoking. Even so, a bad Pixar film is still a decent movie which says a lot about the team behind it.<br />
(6/10)<br />
<br />
#13 Ready Player One (2018)<br />
This is one of those movies I can't help watching over and over. It's a solid guilty pleasure that doesn't hold up logically under close scrutiny, but the plethora of pop culture references along with Spielberg's steady hand make up for it. Whether it will hold up in ten or twenty years time is anyone's guess – but you never know...<br />
(8/10)<br />
<br />
#14 Oceans 8 (2018)<br />
Enjoyable sequel to the male-dominated Ocean franchise, this time with an all-female gang (led by Danny Ocean’s sister) attempting to steal a $150m Cartier diamond necklace. Doesn’t quite have the same laughs and wit as the previous films but worth watching nonetheless.<br />
(7/10)<br />
<br />
#15 How to Train your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019)<br />
I have always been a big fan of the first Dragon film. It's funny, witty, inventive and moving in equal measure. The sequel was OK ... and so was this, the third in the trilogy. The first film is just so good, it's pretty much impossible to repeat its greatness. There are some minor interesting moments in this final Dragons movie, but thankfully it ends well. It's a definite conclusion to the series and gives a satisfying sign-off for the inhabitants of Berk.<br />
(5.5/10)<br />
<br />
#16 Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)<br />
I’m watching these Marvel films in a pretty random order but it’s not too difficult to figure out what’s going on. Cap has to go underground when it’s revealed that Hydra has infiltrated the top levels of government. He also has to deal with his former best friend-turned-super-soldier-assassin who's out to kill him. Mindless fun.<br />
(7/10)<br />
<br />
#17 Alita: Battle Angel (2019)<br />
With a bit of help from James Cameron, Robert Rodriguez brings the eponymous Manga comic book to life with some impressive CGI and several great set pieces. It's let down by the 'uncanny valley' feel of the effects (they're still not quite perfect), which I suspect suffered as a result of the 3D production process. Christoph Waltz seems half-hearted in his performance, but Rosa Salazar is great as the heroine. There's too much reliance on a follow-up sequel but this is definitely the way to do manga right on the big screen.<br />
(7.5/10)<br />
<br />
#18 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawntreader (2010)<br />
The third (and last so far from this series) Narnia tale for the silver screen, it actually stands up quite well despite the fact that the previous two films were more superior. The diffculty is that CS Lewis' book is not particularly film-friendly and there is an obvious struggle to reconcile the two formats. Even so, it's a decent attempt – no doubt well-steered by Michael Apted's directing chops. Enjoyable Narnian fun.<br />
(7.5/10)<br />
<br />
#19 The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019)<br />
If there's ever a sequel that had a lot to live up to, it was this film. The Lego Movie was near-perfect (aside from the gratuitous product placement), and so doing a follow-up was never going to be easy. It does struggle at the beginning, but it finds its feet eventually with some catchy music and slew of expected cultural references – all tied up in a plot that involves going to the Sistar System and confronting an evil queen (or something). Oh, and there's some time travel involved too. When all is said and done, though, this is not the first Lego Movie. Enjoyable, but disappointing at the same time.<br />
(6.5/10)<br />
<br />
#20 Lady Bird (2017)<br />
An excellent teen coming-of-age tale that manages to capture the female perspective remarkably well - with humour, sensitivity and emotion. It's 'period' setting (2002) is fascinating, as is the lives of youngsters on the cusp of the smartphone / internet revolution. Saoirse Ronan nails it as the plucky teenager grappling with her mum's controlling parenting style while pining for freedom and independence but also desperate for security and comfort in the place she grew up.<br />
(9/10) </div>
sometimestheycallmejchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10251993549479346120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3050916638746406282.post-20138006531433519892019-02-17T20:32:00.002+00:002019-02-17T20:32:36.095+00:00This week I have been mostly... wb 11/02/19<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Week beginning 11/02/19<br />
<br />
No. of evening meetings: 2<br />
Films watched: 2<br />
Healthy eating: Poor<br />
Mental health: Okay<br />
<br />
This week has been fairly uneventful with bog-standard work stuff (filming in West Wales, editing, meetings) and mundane family-life goings on.<br />
<br />
I've become ever more cynical about the whole Valentine's day thing the more I've aged (because it's just a commercial envy guilt-trip) and fittingly me and Wifey didn't really get to celebrate it as I was working away and she was ill with a horrific cold. I'm not too bothered, seeing as we had a nice lunch date to celebrate my birthday on Monday.<br />
<br />
The one thing that has dominated our lives this week (well, mine anyway) is our malfunctioning Smeg fridge freezer. It started going on the blink a couple of weeks ago, and when we got an engineer to come in and look at it he declared that he couldn't fix it but someone else could (and it would be very expensive). After then getting that someone else to look at it, he indeed confirmed it would be pricey and would take ages for the part since Smeg are useless.<br />
<br />
Our fancy pale blue fridge freezer was bought on a whim after we'd received some inheritance money and I've regretted it ever since – even moreso now we have to pay a small fortune to fix the damn thing, and wait weeks in the process. Don't ask why I'm going ahead with this. Just don't.<br />
<br />
Living without a functioning fridge freezer is not fun, such is the first world problem that it is. I am constantly worrying about food going off, having stuff that should be cold which isn't and generally paranoid about encouraging the growth of pathogenic bacteria.<br />
<br />
Ironically, whatever amount we end up spending on repairs could have bought us a brand spanking new unit (admittedly in boring white, but at least it would be functioning). Arggghh!</div>
sometimestheycallmejchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10251993549479346120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3050916638746406282.post-44938720582976286092019-02-12T18:24:00.000+00:002019-02-12T18:24:01.814+00:00Maybe we deserve Brexit?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiknUKnoqOh_keo27k4157-uoGEUWBRD-k1V0ibbj-upbuOSSn4geR4EN_ogV56UDF0idWx3oSS0Ja7PWUIYTjwhqpuiJCr18d4beczUbdH1jD4QIpfQ1XXIW_1IVja7kzAOdDlfqpJnVg/s1600/eu-1473958_1920.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiknUKnoqOh_keo27k4157-uoGEUWBRD-k1V0ibbj-upbuOSSn4geR4EN_ogV56UDF0idWx3oSS0Ja7PWUIYTjwhqpuiJCr18d4beczUbdH1jD4QIpfQ1XXIW_1IVja7kzAOdDlfqpJnVg/s320/eu-1473958_1920.png" width="320" /></a></div>
I am opposed to Brexit.<br />
<br />
I am distressed about the mess we seem to be finding ourselves in politically, socially and economically – all thanks to an ill-informed magical unicorn fantasy about 'taking back control'.<br />
<br />
The UK is edging closer to the cliff edge and nobody really knows what's going to happen, but the general consensus (even from the Brexiteers) is that it could be pretty bad.<br />
<br />
That said, I wonder if maybe we deserve it.<br />
<br />
You see, there's this thing in the Bible called '<a href="https://www.crosswalk.com/family/parenting/what-is-a-generational-sin.html" target="_blank">generational sin</a>'. It pops up every now and again mostly in the Old Testament and my understanding is that it's this idea that when someone sins against God the consequences of their behaviour aren't necessarily limited to the duration of their lifetime but can have an impact on their descendants, sometimes for several generations.<br />
<br />
So, here we are in the midst of the biggest UK crisis in recent history and I'm thinking about our national past.<br />
<br />
Sadly, a lot of this Brexit insanity is based upon some misguided nostalgia about the British Empire, sort of like saying 'Make Great Britain Great Again'. The problem is, the British Empire is long gone. It was even beginning to fade before World War Two broke out. And it is not something to be proud of (see 'Five of the worst atrocities carried out by the British Empire' <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/worst-atrocities-british-empire-amritsar-boer-war-concentration-camp-mau-mau-a6821756.html" target="_blank">www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/worst-atrocities-british-empire</a>).<br />
<br />
As we face up to an event which could plunge our economy into recession for an entire generation, I feel like we've brought it upon ourselves. Our forebears screwed over half the world, and now their descendants (us) are paying for their sins.<br />
<br />
I recently read a story on Twitter that kind of confirmed my theory: a British guy was chatting to his Kenyan-born taxi driver who said he voted for Brexit. When asked why, he explained that he wanted to hurt Britain. His country had been ravaged by unbridled colonialism and he saw Brexit as a way of getting back at his country's former oppressors. He wanted to see us suffer.<br />
<br />
A bit petty perhaps? Maybe, but who can question the motives of someone who has grown up oppressed by British rule? Can anyone honestly say they'd do things differently if it was them?<br />
<br />
I know I can't. I guess it proves there's some justice in the world ... unfortunately it's not so great when you're on the sharp end of that justice.</div>
sometimestheycallmejchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10251993549479346120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3050916638746406282.post-90068979724324449532019-02-10T08:33:00.000+00:002019-12-20T11:06:38.875+00:00This week I have been mostly... wb 04/02/19<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Week beginning 04/02/19<br />
<br />
No. of evening meetings:1<br />
Films watched: 5 (probably my personal best)<br />
Healthy eating: Poor<br />
Mental health: Not great<br />
<br />
So I'm getting older. Still. Damn these mortal husks!<br />
<br />
This week has been dominated by my birthday, which indicates I have completed forty four circuits of our solar system on this ball of rock known as 'Earth'. Yay.<br />
<br />
My birthday celebrations have been a fairly damp squib, however, thanks partly to being forced to work on the actual day of my birthing (something I always try and avoid if at all possible, but when there's work I usually can't say no) and thanks also just to the overwhelming sense of time slipping away from me as I tread closer and closer to the time when my body eventually ceases to function.<br />
<br />
Oh I'm a barrel of laughs aren't, I dear reader?<br />
<br />
Seriously though, I am <i>trying</i> to overcome my melancholic tendencies – but things like birthdays seem to make it a lot harder. I'm sure I'll snap out of it though. I won't be dancing around gaily like some mad loon, but I will eventually return to some semblance of normality I'm sure of it.</div>
sometimestheycallmejchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10251993549479346120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3050916638746406282.post-69051696174701302152019-02-03T18:33:00.001+00:002019-02-03T18:33:10.753+00:00This week I have been mostly... wb 28/01/19<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Week beginning 28/01/19<br />
<br />
No. of evening meetings: 2<br />
Films watched:3<br />
Healthy eating: Poor<br />
Mental health: OK<br />
<br />
Plague, Balls and Welsh Cakes<br />
<br />
This week I have been mostly working from home with the odd venture out into the open. This is partly because I have had to keep an eye on number two son who has been off school with a cough. I’m not very sympathetic on these occasions sadly as I always default to suspecting the patient is not as ill as they say they are (especially if it means missing school and watching TV for most of the day). Number one son was off later in the week as well ... copycat phantom illness maybe??<br />
<br />
One outing I had to make was the local hospital for a slightly embarrassing ultrasound on my privates. I’d had some funny pains 'down below' around Christmas time and thought I’d better get them checked out. It took a few weeks to get a scan but when I did it was a relatively quick and simple process. It was a bit embarrassing having some old dude slap some gel on my bits and rummage around with a scanner but he declared it was all clear so that was a relief.<br />
<br />
On Saturday I ended up doing a ton of craft activities with number two son – such is his keen interest in making creative stuff – but we also spent some time making Welsh Cakes (thanks in part to seeing something on Twitter about them and being inspired to do some baking). I suspect my ardent nationalism may have been inspired by these little round treats. Yum.</div>
sometimestheycallmejchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10251993549479346120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3050916638746406282.post-77141993149406317752019-01-31T17:06:00.000+00:002019-01-31T17:06:10.523+00:00Films I've seen of late (Jan '18)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
#1 Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 (2013)<br />
An inauspicious start to my year of film watching admittedly. This sequel to the food-based animation (which I haven't seen BTW) is decent enough. The concept is kinda weird, but you probably need to see the original to truly get it. Some funny ideas and good performances (although it feels like some concepts have been ripped off other films) ... but forgettable all the same.<br />
(6/10)<br />
<br />
#2 Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)<br />
I revisited this after watching Infinity War, and enjoyed it more than the first time I saw it at the cinema. It's good to see the Avengers working properly together as a team, and good to see early threads of the Thanos storyline slowly coming together. Good clean fun.<br />
(8/10)<br />
<br />
#3 I, Daniel Blake (2016)<br />
A worker with a heart condition is cruelly forced to look for work in
order to receive money from the state, but the system is up against him
even though he's done nothing wrong. This is a deeply distressing account of life on welfare in 21st century Britain, and tragically things don't seem to have improved since this film was made. The only glimmer of hope is the small moments of kindness and generosity that permeates this story from the ordinary men and women without any real power.<br />
(9/10)<br />
<br />
#4 The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988)<br />
Based on the German stories from the 19th century, the titular Baron comes out of retirement – in the middle of a seige no less – to set the record straight about his wild and fantastical exploits. Notorious for its out-of-control budget, this final film in the unofficial 'imagination' trilogy of Terry Gilliam is full-on spectacle and weirdness with some great set pieces and memorable performances from the likes of Oliver Reed, Uma Thurman (in her first movie role) and Eric Idle.<br />
(8/10)<br />
<br />
#5 Bird box (2018)<br />
Sandra Bullock takes on an unseen enemy in a world where demonic-like creatures have invaded the earth causing people to commit suicide if they see them. What could be a fairly by-the-numbers post-apocalyptic thriller is actually quite nuanced and moving as the heroine struggles to keep herself and her family alive in a world where they must cover their eyes whenever out in the open. A refreshing piece of work.<br />
(8/10)<br />
<br />
#6 Fyre (2019)<br />This documentary about the ill-fated festival is both tragic and hilarious. The sheer ignorance of the organisers about what it takes to run a successful festival is mind-boggling. Even so it's kind of funny to watch a load of millenials rock up to a building site in the Caribbean and effectively turn into cast members from Lord of the Flies because they have to sleep on water-soaked mattresses in disaster relief tents.<br />
(8/10)<br />
<br />
#7 Free Fire (2016)<br />Disappointing comedy thriller that starts well but ends up just being an extended shoot-out. Interesting idea and a great cast but it’s a one-trick pony with no depth.<br />(5/10)<br /><br />#8 A Quiet Place (2018)<br />Aliens have invaded earth and their one weakness/strength is that they can only hunt their human prey using their highly-developed sense of hearing (so, what - they can't smell?). In the resultant post-apocalyptic world, a family struggles to survive whilst under the constant threat of these baddies coming along should the slightest loud noise be made. An interesting and well-crafted tale, its only letdown is the slightly flawed logic surrounding the beasties as well as the confusing choices made by some of the characters during the course of the film.<br />
(6/10)</div>
sometimestheycallmejchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10251993549479346120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3050916638746406282.post-39385740271034272402019-01-30T17:17:00.002+00:002019-01-30T17:17:44.582+00:00Orange Cardiff Buses - Yay!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A looooong time ago I <a href="https://sometimestheycallmejc.blogspot.com/2009/02/orange-buses.html">blogged</a> about Cardiff's buses and lamented the fact that they weren't orange anymore. They had become mostly green with a slight orangy bit somewhere and plastered with ads that made them roving billboards with people inside.<br />
<br />
I'd always liked the fact that Cardiff's buses had a distinct colour (bright and highly visible), much like London's. <br />
<br />
I have begun to notice, however, that the iconic orange bus has made a reappearance on our Cardiffian roads – which I am very pleased about. Here's a pic to prove it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwvUPwcqNZk9bamfCrKnpMj5x9awjJhy9Rac0TASaRAio6ggMM-rw8nfo23iWnSQsi4Uf6BCuIuFlLsbJ-jamoQZHEuim13cp6NohicWuS0fZXIiKbSttNDnXMvwwsI92a20LfHiGxqLKL/s1600/IMG_4966.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1130" data-original-width="1600" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwvUPwcqNZk9bamfCrKnpMj5x9awjJhy9Rac0TASaRAio6ggMM-rw8nfo23iWnSQsi4Uf6BCuIuFlLsbJ-jamoQZHEuim13cp6NohicWuS0fZXIiKbSttNDnXMvwwsI92a20LfHiGxqLKL/s320/IMG_4966.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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sometimestheycallmejchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10251993549479346120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3050916638746406282.post-71630516639310597402019-01-27T17:25:00.002+00:002019-01-27T17:31:05.140+00:00This week I have been mostly... wb 21/01/19<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Week beginning 21/01/19<br />
<br />
No. of evening meetings: 1<br />
Films watched: 2 <br />
Healthy eating: Very Good (except for the weekend!)<br />
Mental health: Good<br />
<br />
This is my first diary entry of 2019 after a bit of a blog hiatus.<br />
<br />
This week I have been mostly obsessing over kitchens, trying to think positive and mulling over work challenges.<br />
<br />
We are in the process of getting a new kitchen. Our current one is literally falling apart and came with the house when we bought it ten years ago. I dread to think when it was actually installed.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOzZOfBgqlEUNj8-76GN85Sz9M0OF7PnZXr9IAwx_tnMX0xU2jXpmaXGKLomgj5zCQCWhncCC6Q2Sydi3woh4iptkWAqHXUxUdcp6UYnw6xeEW_en8CvTmLapGXIxdF1SHUoqqGusNMyP0/s1600/IMG_4955.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOzZOfBgqlEUNj8-76GN85Sz9M0OF7PnZXr9IAwx_tnMX0xU2jXpmaXGKLomgj5zCQCWhncCC6Q2Sydi3woh4iptkWAqHXUxUdcp6UYnw6xeEW_en8CvTmLapGXIxdF1SHUoqqGusNMyP0/s320/IMG_4955.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our loverly cupboards ... note the wrecked flooring too</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Having been to a couple of kitchen vendors (I won't name names), I am astonished at the list price of a bunch of wooden panels cobbled together with screws and glue. Buying one without any discount will easily set you back tens of thousands of pounds, and yet when you haggle (which is never challenged) the quote is a fraction of that. There is something morally questionable about that, I feel. Thanks capitalism...!<br />
<br />
I have started a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy course and it has been going well. The stuff we've looked at so far seems to centre around managing your thoughts and trying not to let your mind wander into a spiral of negativity. All good stuff, but not necessarily easy peasy in practice, especially when you start reading the news (yikes!). Still, I feel like just the act of going to a group sepcifically to help me wrestle with my low-level depression has helped enormously.<br />
<br />
Work continues to be a challenge – not in the work itself but more the continual worry about where the next job is coming from. Last autumn I was pretty much out of work for two months and that meant we took a huge hit financially. Things have picked up since, but I really need to find a more secure extra stream of income to help us when things do slow down.<br />
<br />
I am trying to write more short stories at the moment and will be posted them here in this blog – watch this space!</div>
sometimestheycallmejchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10251993549479346120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3050916638746406282.post-82999074243539711272019-01-19T17:28:00.000+00:002019-01-20T17:06:23.765+00:00Hurry up with the self-driving cars already!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I occasionally get to drive rental cars because of work, which means I often drive different makes of car. I never get my hands on any luxury vehicles, though – none of that bourgeousie nonsense for me, oh no.<br />
<br />
Usually they're mini cars like a Fiat 500 or small compacts like a Vauxhall Corsa i.e. cheap and chearful 'runabouts'. Even though they are cheap, they usually come with basic – but in my opinion vital – features like DAB radio, a USB connection, power steering, parking sensors and cruise control.<br />
<br />
One thing, I've noticed, however, is that these cars can be really distracting – which is pretty dangerous.<br />
<br />
I guess this applies mainly to rental cars, but when you first step inside a new car you have to familiarise yourself with all the different controls. Granted, the basic stuff – gear stick, wipers, indicators etc. – are usually pretty much the same whatever you end up driving. But when it comes to things like the climate controls or stereo system they're all completely different.<br />
<br />
This is really annoying because you have to re-learn how to do something as simple as changing a radio station (because you do it in your own car all the time, it's second nature). Even if you spend some time getting to know your car's controls before setting off (something I often don't really have the luxury of having), it still means prodding a screen or twiddling knobs until you get used to them.<br />
<br />
And that's the dangerous thing – you shouldn't be looking at a screen or down at the fan knob, you should be looking at the road. In that split second when you're trying to figure out where the DAB radio settings are, or trying to stop a gale force wind blasting your face, you could miss someone walking out into the street.<br />
<br />
What's worse is that these controls are rarely intuitive. Entertainment systems often employ a UI that may look funky but is badly thought-through in terms of logic or clarity. I've even spent time stabbing the plastic rectangle in front of me, assuming it was touch screen when it actually wasn't.<br />
<br />
The gear stick is relatively universal. There's little variation from car to car and most people don't have to consult an instruction manual to use it. Why can't entertainment systems be standardised in a similar way? <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxMbJZAw6AUWekDfveCay6M58h87EfEIQ7j3rHhm7MdqklE4-R5OR_8EUbuIDDMdgHqLCqez4Qlsg_UuH9pBxoDMcV5ZfHMMSH6Lnp9eQ9gPXVzzQ_9N_EaiOFzlS3JFf6aKJbzd9dBBZu/s1600/IMG_4940.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxMbJZAw6AUWekDfveCay6M58h87EfEIQ7j3rHhm7MdqklE4-R5OR_8EUbuIDDMdgHqLCqez4Qlsg_UuH9pBxoDMcV5ZfHMMSH6Lnp9eQ9gPXVzzQ_9N_EaiOFzlS3JFf6aKJbzd9dBBZu/s320/IMG_4940.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
This dashboard from a Vauxhall Adam I drove recently is a great example of bad design. The touchscreen is quite low to start with, so if you need to look at the sat nav your eyes have to look right down away from the road. Worse still, the vent and air con controls are tucked away at the bottom with the gear stick in the way. Plus, the symbols for the knobs are too small. It looks nice, but you're gonna have a bad time interacting with it.<br />
<br />
Apple's CarPlay is sort of a step in the right direction but not everyone has an Apple phone (they could use Google's rival option instead of course, if they're on Android, which I've not tried), or – shock, horror! – they might not have their phones on them when driving.<br />
<br />
CarPlay does have big app buttons and it's Siri-enabled, but it's still like having a bigger version of your phone on the dashboard. Again, a seriously bad distraction especially when text messages or Whatsapp messages appear onscreen.<br />
<br />
Yes, I admit you should have certain settings turned on so you don't receive messages while driving – but I think maybe these should be active right from the start rather than us having to remember to implement them.<br />
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With all of these distractions, I can't help thinking we need self-driving cars as soon as possible. At least that means we can be distracted with music, text messages, videos and phone calls without careering into a lampost or a bus stop full of people.</div>
sometimestheycallmejchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10251993549479346120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3050916638746406282.post-66967978383402618102019-01-08T16:17:00.000+00:002019-01-08T17:37:40.705+00:00Finally Star Wars makes sense<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Warning: slight spoilers here!<br />
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Having watched The Last Jedi recently, I was reminded of the fan backlash it generated and all the moments in the film that people derided. Granted – it's not a perfect movie, but I enjoyed watching it again having been able to slightly distance myself from all the negativity when it was released. I am, however, trying to grapple with the reasons why people have such a problem with it.<br />
<br />
I know one of the main reasons: it's because it didn't go the way people wanted it to. They wanted Luke to come in and kick the First Order's ass with some super-duper Jedi moves (a la Phantom Menace's Darth Maul fight scene). Instead, they got layered messages about the industrial war complex, failure, pride and the inevitability of repeating mistakes made by those before.<br />
<br />
Of course, people are entitled to their own opinions ... but the way the
backlash exploded across the internet by entitled fans was sad. If only
people could channel such energy into making the world a better place,
huh?<br />
<br />
A long-lost documentary about The Empire Strikes Back surfaced recently on YouTube (<a href="https://youtu.be/YeB-uXGGaEU">https://youtu.be/YeB-uXGGaEU</a>) and it featues a snippet from director Irvin Kershner who said something very telling: "Science fiction has certain qualities, you have to respect. All kinds of scientific jargon. We've eliminated all scientific jargon. We've almost none. Just a touch, like salt and pepper. It's not a science fiction movie."<br />
<br />
That was a bit of an 'a-ha' moment for me. No, not one where I fantasised about Morten Harket. Rather, I was able re-frame Star Wars in my head not as science fiction but fantasy. It's not 2001: A Space Odyssey.<br />
<br />
I think one of the reasons people are struggling to appreciate TLJ –
other than the fact that it didn't suck up to fan pressure to stick to
the tired old routines – is because they fail to see it for what it is:
a space fantasy for kids. It's about space wizards with laser sword,
for crying out loud! <br />
<br />
Of course, I kind of always knew this. I mean, you can't hear sound in a vacuum (so Star Wars space battles should technically be silent), and being able to magically lift inanimate objects by the power of thought alone is pretty far-fetched. I've always taken things in Star Wars with a pinch of salt ... but it helps to not see it under the sci-fi banner. Yes, it has space ships and robots in it but those things are secondary. <br />
<br />
Like any good story, the focus should be about the characters and their journey from the beginning of the film to the end. There needs to be learning, progression, redemption ... something that changes in the character or characters over the course of the movie. Everything else (including TIE fighters, alien cantinas, blasters, laser swords etc.) is just set dressing.<br />
<br />
Saying all that, I still think the prequels are <a href="http://sometimestheycallmejc.blogspot.com/2011/01/greatest-disappointment-in-cinematic.html" target="_blank">garbage</a>. </div>
Farsight Filmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18178817916308235306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3050916638746406282.post-24491610349033752962019-01-01T09:23:00.000+00:002019-01-01T13:46:14.502+00:00Looking forward to 2019<div style="text-align: center;">
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Happy New Year!</div>
<br />
Not wanting to sound overly dramatic but 2019 is potentially going to be a big year for me.<br />
<br />
Big – as in lots of changes and significant stuff happening, rather than I'm going to get a massive record contract or I'm going to cure cancer. Sorry to raise any hopes.<br />
<br />
Firstly, we have some house renovations to do. We are planning to extend our upstairs area by converting our attic into a new room, adding a shower and expanding the existing top toom. Also, we are going to get a new kitchen. This is sorely needed as we have doors literally hanging off their hinges and flooring with great chunks missing.<br />
<br />
We have two trips to France planned for this year. One to celebrate Wifey's brother's wedding and one to celebrate my mum's 70th birthday. Hopefully our travels won't be adversly affected by Brexit.<br />
<br />
Ah, Brexit. That big, fat, country-sized turd of spite and selfishness that is making HM Government eat itself. As an ardent remainer, I have watched with bewildered morbid fascination at the Brexit Bunch jumping over themselves and stabbing one another in the back in order to keep their self-destructive fantasy on the wobbly rails. It's worse than car-crash telly.<br />
<br />
Our leaders are fudging governance so badly it may lead to civil war, Russian annexation or worse (being Trump's 51st state?). And that's after we crash out of the EU with no trade deals or agreements whatsoever with anyone. An island adrift, tready to be devoured by voracious states or immoral multinationals.<br />
<br />
So, I hope I look back on this and am able to laugh at my silly pessimism and thank the Lord that common sense prevailed.<br />
<br />
As for the rest of 2019, I am mulling over the idea of crowdfunding a short film, researching new ways of expanding my freelance business and doing some more work on scripts and ideas I've been working on.<br />
<br />
We are also going to explore fostering in earnest this year, once we have done the work on the house. This may take a while, so I have no idea how long it will be before we are ready to start – but this will be another big change in the JC household. <br />
<br />
It's hopefully going to be a fairly creative year – even while the world comes crashing down around me.sometimestheycallmejchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10251993549479346120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3050916638746406282.post-40226323628429282712018-12-31T11:59:00.000+00:002019-02-02T11:46:05.296+00:00A review of 2018<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
Happy New Year! It’s that time again - here’s my review of life on this spinning rock in space for the last 12 months.<br />
<br />
Sadly, I spluttered and failed in my blog writing - after starting the year well, I ended up doing just 41 posts in 2018. This is better than 2016 though (when I only managed 26), so that's something. Really must try harder!<br />
<br />
<b>Family</b><br />
There have been big changes in the JC household this year. Firstly, no. 1 son went to high school, which was a big deal. It had been an incredibly stressful and worrying time leading up to the September term, but once the dust settled we were pleasantly surprised (and relieved). Our eldest has settled in really well and is doing great, thank goodness. Secondly, we started looking after some children as we started preparing and exploring fostering. We've been volunteering with a charity that helps to provide respite care for families who are struggling to cope (but are not serious enough to warrant social services involvement). This has involved looking after babies / toddlers for a day or two on an ad hoc basis. It has been a varied experience and we are still figuring out what works best for us, but at the moment we still feel fostering is the right way forward (but it may take a while before we're ready to start actually doing it).<br />
<br />
<b>Faith</b><br />
It feels like my faith has stagnated recently. I can't quite think of any 'wow' moments I've had in the last year, but I've had plenty of occasions of doubt and questioning. You might argue I have a belief that's collapsing but I've always had a strong underpinning of faith that has thankfully kept me grounded. I am confident that God is real and loving ... I just feel distant from Him a lot of the time. Even so, I keep pushing ahead.<br />
<br />
It's been just over a year since I became a deacon at church and that has proven interesting. It does take a chunk out of my time, but I do feel like I'm doing something useful to help the church.<br />
<br />
<b>Travel</b><br />
We had one foreign trip this year, travelling to our favourite campsite in the Vendee in France. It was a nice time but sadly I think maybe the kids are too grown up to go again (esp. no. 1 son). We'll see.<br />
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We spent a weekend at Crealy Theme Park in Devon. We had fun, but it was quite small compared to other parks (like Legoland, for instance) and we'd pretty much had enough by lunchtime on the second day.<br />
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Lastly, in August we travelled to Oxford to see the in-laws.<br />
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Not much in terms of travel this year (although I did a couple of trips for work, which I've mentioned below). 2019 will see us going to France twice no less, as we first go on a big family holiday and then go to Wifey's brother's wedding. Should be fun. We're also hoping to do a proper London trip again sometime in 2019, as well as a jaunt up to Yorkshire. <br />
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<b>Movies I've seen</b><br />
I managed just over 90 films in 2018. This was less than my prefered target of 100, but hey ho. Trying to watch two films a week is actually quite difficult (especially if I want to watch other stuff on TV). My favourite films of 2018 are (in no particular order):<br />
- Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri<br />
- Ready Player One<br />
- They Shall Not Grow Old<br />
- Annihilation<br />
- The Ballad of Buster Scruggs<br />
- Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse <br />
I don't feel like this year's films were particularly good. Most of them were OK – with the exception of Ralph Breaks the Internet, which is the worst film I've seen for a long time. It's a cynical, soulless insult to filmmaking and is an insult to the first film, which I loved.<br />
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<b>TV I've watched</b><br />
In 2018, Wifey and I watched a fair amount of stuff on Netflix. We've been working through the excellent Homeland as well as the third series of Kimmy Shmidt. We did record the second series of The Handmaid's Tale and started watching the first few episodes but we found it so depressing and too close to home we stopped watching it for a while. It is a really well-made show, and we are planning to start watching it again. Our new comedy show is 'The Good Place' which is a great concept with some brilliant performances, but we've also started rewatching 'Friends', that old staple of Friday night TV back in the 90s. It's a bit of nostalagia trip watching Ross and co. living in a forgotten time when there were no mobile phones, internet or Trump – which is kind of comforting.<br />
When I'm at home at lunchtimes, I often try to catch an episode of Community, where all six seasons are on All4 online. It's a great watch, very funny.<br />
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<b>Books I've read</b><br />
Dracula by Bram Stoker<br />
Going into this, I was acutely aware of the
cultural tropes and clichés associated with this eponymous character.
The Prince of Darkness has appeared in everything from movies to comics
to music and yet, the most well-known tropes are far removed from
Stoker’s original tale. Francis Ford Copolla’s 1992 movie version tried
to be faithful to the source material (but even then added in a love
story that doesn’t appear in the book as well as much more gore). It’s
therefore difficult to read this book without the influence of all that
cultural baggage. Still, it's a gripping read in places and an interesting window into attitudes towards darkness and evil from the time.<br />
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The Cosmic Trilogy by CS lewis<br />
Epic in scope, this science fiction series by the renowned Christian author is very different to the children's Narnia series. Probably best described as hard, mid-century sci-fi – it is sometimes difficult to follow but you can't help feeling you're reading something truly genius. The first book is a fairly straightforward 'Earthman visits aliens on Mars' story (written much like its contemporaries), while the second is a psychadelic tale of the same man visiting Venus and getting into some kind of cosmic / spiritual battle. Finally, book three takes another right turn and gives an account of a fascist organisation taking over a college in Cambridge with ambitions to dupe the British public for nefarious means (oh, and it's got Merlin from King Arthur in it too).<br />
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How to stop time by Matt Haig<br />
A very clever and interesting tale about a man who ages ever so slowly and as a result has lived for centuries. This makes life difficult, especially when superstitious peasants start to wonder why he manages to keep his youthful looks or when he falls in love with a girl who will grow old faster than him. The plot isn't desperately sophisticated, but it serves the premise well and shows that youthfulness isn't everything. <br />
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Kangazang: Small Cosmos by Terry Cooper<br />
The final book in the Kangazang trilogy, I am pleased to recommend this sharp and funny sci-fi comedy with some interesting concepts and themes. A great finale to the series.<br />
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Dirty Glory by Pete Grieg<br />
I can't remember much from this book, but it was certainly an encouragement and exhortation to pray more, so I'd better get on and do that.<br />
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<b>Work</b><br />
Freelancing continues to be its familiar experience of peaks and troughs since I have no real control over the work that comes across my desk. The year started off busy with trips to North Wales for a big NHS project and various conferences. In the summer I had my usual big animation annual report project to do, which was surprisingly a lot less stressful than previous years. Weirdly, October and November were completely dead and I was beginning to seriously worry about where things were going but I then had several bookings for both December and January so that was a relief. As well as North Wales, I've traveled to Birmingham and Newtown for filming events. Birmingham is probably the furthest I've had to travel for work in a while (apart from Majorca in 2016). I enjoy these occasional trips as it breaks up the monotony of things at home, but it's usually stressful arranging childcare or navigating to a venue I've never been to before. I am painfully aware of the need to find alternate income streams to help balance out my workload and cashflow – so I'm going to try and focus on this in 2019.<br />
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I've also continued to be part of the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/PurpleHatProductionsWales/" target="_blank">Purple Hat Productions</a> collective, which started off well shooting a music video in January and then a horror trailer in March. We released our comedy 'Hey Mal' in April which we'd shot the previous autumn. There was a bit of a quiet spell for the rest of the year until we had a flurry of activity filming a Brexit satire, a short for the My Rode Reel competition in October and then another short made in Penarth in November. It feels like we didn't do that much this year, but looking at that list we were pretty busy (considering this is a side-project). Hopefully we will be able to maintain momentum next year.<br />
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<b>Health</b><br />
Overall, my health has been good. I suffered from extreme back pain over the summer after our time in France – which took a couple of months to put right. I realised that my exercises were putting a lot of strain on my back and was making it difficult for me to get better. So in response, I'm doing a lot less exercises at the moment which is not ideal. I think I need to find something new to do that is both energetic and kind to my spine (no mean feat). Wifey joined Slimming World this year, which has been surprisingly effective (it's not a diet, it's more about healthy eating) and I am trying to follow it as best I can as well. One result is that I have become an expert at making low fat chips!<br />
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<b>World Events</b><br />
Sigh. Even though I was trying to be upbeat and optimistic last year, with all that's been going on at home, in America and the rest of the world I can't help but feel despair at the way the world is heading right now.<br />
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We are facing a global environmental catastrophe with only years to fix, and no-one seems to care. Britain is facing one of the biggest political crises in recent history and no-one seems to think it should be averted. The three largest economies in the world are being led by dictatorial megalomaniacs and a lot of people seem to think this is fine.<br />
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If we manage to get through to the end of 2019 unscathed (or even alive) I will be amazed, as it will be nothing short of a miracle.<br />
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<b>Other stuff</b><br />
Sadly our stick insects died this year, as did our hamster. No great loss there as I was a bit fed up of all the cleaning required. There has been talk of getting a kitten, but I'm very wary of this given the responsibilities involved, vet bills etc. It may be, however, that the cute factor will win us over eventually ...<br />
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I've also taken up British Sign Language through our church life group. This has been a fun but challenging experience. Learning a language is no mean feat in itself, but BSL is trickier because it's harder to practice on your own ... plus there are lots of regional variations which makes it difficult to know what the 'correct' sign for something is. Saying that, it's been great to be able to communicate better with the deaf couple in church and I think they really appreciate that.<br />
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As with most years, 2018 has been a mixed bag. Mercifully no great tragedies, but not tremedous occasions of joy and celebration either.<br />
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I'm just thankful to have survived another year!</div>
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