Week Notes 2021/38+39+40

Sun Oct 10, 2021

Introduction

Notes for the weeks of 20th of September through 10th of October 2021.

Three weeks of notes. I’ve fallen out of the habit for the last few weeks due to a couple of busy weekends and also not spending any significant time writing at lunch or in the evening.

The Notes

The insurance claim for my monitor is happening. There’s an engineering visiting the house on Tuesday to hopefully repair it.
Jen’s parent’s visited from lunch the 30th of September until the 2nd October. On the Thursday, we took them to the recently reopened maritime museum and to a restaurant for a meal. Friday, we wandered around town a little before making dinner for them at the house for the first time in two years.
I’ve been plodding along with work. My start and end time for the day a getting a little weird and I need to correct that, especially as it’s starting to impact running in the evening. I’ve had a few interesting tasks to do, but have slightly been struggling with autumn creeping in, which makes this house cold & damp.
Not much serious writing has happened. I have managed to get a couple of hours in doing an exercise that I enjoy, but, at best, it is preparation work for other things.
On the 8th of October, Jen & I had our ten year anniversary of being a couple/partnership/co-dependent. We bought each other a heafty book each to celebrate. I bought her a new hardback printing of The Anatomy of Melancholy by Robert Burton. She has ordered me a copy of The Weird: A Compendium of Strange and Dark Stories edited by Ann & Jeff VanderMeer. I am looking forward to reading The Beak Doctor Also, obviously, I am looking forward to many more years together with Jen.
I did start writing an article responding to a really poor editorial written by Arley Song.

Reading

334 (Thomas Disch, 1972)
- I finished this, finally, and I respect this book a lot more than I actually like it. However, while having coffee with a friend after Parkrun, I described it as a book that I don’t love on the first reading, but if and when I come back to it in a couple of years it will probably become a firm favorite.
The Dying of the Light (George R. R. Martin, 1977)
- A slow read. I am trying to decide if I quit 100 pages in and slightly board or stick it out for it to cohere in another two hundred pages.
Berserk (Kentaro Miura, Vol 1)
- I’m a convert. This is a popular series to discuss on a Discord I am part of and I understand why.
Running & Adventures

Strava is down while I write these notes, so these will be filled in later.

The key highlights are a new 5k PB at ~24:00 and a hike up Carn Bhac.
On Tuesday, September 21st

Watched

Only one item of note, although I’ve watched some good films on YouTube.

Foundation
- So far I’ve only seen the first three episodes. It isn’t great and it is a substantial improvement on the the material it is based upon. Right now this is filling a spot of weekly TV viewing of new material. I’ve been describing the series as solidly in the six to eight out of ten range, which is nice. It isn’t going to ever hit the highest heights, but neither do I think the quality of the series is going to dive into the abyss.