October
October was the month where everything happens, as usual. I’m not quite sure how we ended up with both our boys’ birthdays in the same month, alongside the start of University term, but it’s what we have, and it’s something I’m just about getting attuned to. Only took a decade, hey, but there’s little-to-no chance of writing month notes. My folks did also have their Golden Wedding Anniversary, which is pretty amazing and inspirational. I did a tiny talk, which I probably stressed about more than needed – there were a few family friends there that I hadn’t seen since being a kid, and I had to accept wearing a shirt at the weekend, but it was an absolutely lovely day seeing everyone there.
The same week, I also did a 10-minute Show and Tell at The Skiff where I co-work, as well as a slightly impromptu origami crane session at the launch of the new edition of Covert magazine from Writing Our Legacy. All talks were exciting in their own way, and it’s great to just be a part of these things.
We went to the Halloween event at Hampton Court. It was definitely not aimed at teenagers used to modern internet horror tropes, but they had some people wandering around in ghost character, and it was a good challenge trying to get a selfie with them. Also wandering around ignoring people looks like a strangely fun job…
November
November was the month I think that the year finally caught up with me a bit. Physically, the after-effects of moving house as well as everything else have been echoing through my muscles still – tennis (or badminton) elbow combined with constantly feeling under pressure to Get Things Done has left everything in my upper body and neck rather tense, so I spent a few weeks getting along to a physio. Not the cheapest, but I hate feeling physically out of sorts. Hopefully it’s got me back on track and, to be honest, stopping for 15 minutes for a massage just made me realise how much I never really relax.
I’m aiming to change that. Hopefully that’s the last time I mention moving house here…
At the start of the month, I headed up to London with Amy to attend a day’s conference on charity governance, hosted by Clore Leadership. I wasn’t feeling great and the trains were all over the place, but by lunchtime I’d been away from a screen for a few hours, chatted to a few people, and really started getting my head back into what it means to be a Chair. I really should dedicate some better formal time to the role – it’s too easy to let paid work and personal projects take over among the maelstrom of life.
Also, London looked great in the fog on the way back.
I had a weekend to myself at some point during Storm Bert, and tried cracking on with my Playdate game. It’s got to the point where I’m not confident I can actually optimise it to run as smoothly as I’d like, so next steps are to take some things out, sadly. I did get in some secret areas, but finding the enthusiasm after that slightly waning at the moment. A bit of me wants to get on with it, but a bit of me also just wants to publish something, heh.
It was well exciting being part of the Community Direct broadcast though. I’ve never done a trailer for a game before, and while I don’t think I’m setting the indie game world on fire or anything, putting something out into the world is still something of a a terrifying and useful activity.
Work-wise, things are changing. Work for a long-term client is winding down, which is sad. But a relationship with a new client has started to grow, and it’s good to spread out and look at something new. I’m really starting to feel “like a freelancer” now, if that’s a thing – I feel more confident describing my interests and focuses, and feel excited talking to others about it. I went along to the People, Planet, Pint meetup in Brighton and had a great time. I’m also getting better at chatting to people randomly, I think?
Oh yeah, and sidenote – I joined the RSA following a moment of serendipity. My next steps are to work out what to do with it, get some testimonials, and update my site which is starting to need some widening.
Content consumption has been fun of late, including:
- Finishing reading House of Leaves by Mark Z Danielewski. A unique and interesting read, something of a cult reference, and a case study in “doing things differently”. It didn’t quite live up to the hype in my head, but glad I read it and it raises enough lingering questions to have earned its place in history.
- Similarly, I finished “playing” Kentucky Route Zero on the Switch – an experience I felt I was trudging uncertainly through at times, but that I can respect, I guess, now that I look back on it. Would I recommend it? Unsure. But the soundtrack is now on solid repeat.
- The 2024 Zium Exposition was released, and I had an amazing evening wandering the halls of it brutalist design – the Lemaitre brothers (I assume they’re brothers) of BABBDI fame have done an amazing job, and I need to get back to visit the rest, as well as post some screenshots here.
- I watched Tarkovsky’s Solaris in four parts because what parent has 2.75 hours awake and undisturbed in one block? But wow, what a film, and really made me think about content that breathes, that gives you time to absorb it, and to reflect, but that at the same time doesn’t give a shit about you and your need to understand everything instantly. It’s what I love about Lynch too, and I would love to have this confidence in stuff I make going forwards.
Talking of making stuff that breathes, I did go for a photo walk and publish the results, “Invisible Labour”, a series of photographs based on the breath of the lungs and the slowing of time. I’m pleased with the results as much as the process, and hope to use the same approach in future.
The day the US election results came out, I finally deleted my Twitter account. I’d been aiming to do this for a few months, and had downloaded a backup for archival purposes already (although most of my tweets were auto-deleted anyway). I’m now split largely between Mastodon and Bluesky for the public chitchat zone, but feel like it’s difficult to get too excited about being on either. Social media is such a different beast now that everyone is everywhere all the time.
Anyway, lots more happened but I’ve forgotten it all already, and so should you. Step into the future one day at a time. Listen to the echoes, wonder at the bees and wasps which still frequent December’s cafe tables. Truly, these are Interesting Times.
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