Recursive Words

Preparing to Travel

After a week and a half struggling with a cough and cold, I’m finally starting to feel better this morning - or at least if I sit quietly, I don’t cough my lungs up. My head still slowly fills with snot though. Too much? Sorry.

The lost weekend

After signing myself off work sick last Wednesday, I returned to work on Thursday and Friday even though I was quite obviously getting worse.

Not good at being sick

I’m not entirely sure where today has gone. One of the kids brought a pretty awful virus into the house, and it got me. I think this might be the first day I’ve had off work for over a year.

Friends, cheese, wine, and dogs

After several months chasing our own tails, we invited some friends over last night. There really wasn’t much of a plan - other than escaping from each other’s normal lives for a few hours.

A cup of celebratory coffee

I’m sitting in the dark of the junk room at home, sipping a celebratory cup of coffee and listening to a largely forgettable “jazz café” playlist after climbing something of a mountain today. A mountain only I know exists.

Over-thinking

A few thoughts have been rattling around my head recently. For the most part they keep out of the way, but then during the quiet moments they emerge, throw spanners into any nearby spinning cogs or wheels, and then take a step back to admire their handywork.

Hello midnight, old friend

We went out for breakfast this morning at the café where my middle daughter works (or rather, one of the places she works - she now has two jobs).

Into the city

At five fifty five this morning my body woke me up, and I switched off the alarm I had carefully set the previous night. I’m mysteriously good at doing that.

Artificial Intelligence

I just finished watching the movie “Her”. It’s only taken me 12 years and then two sittings to make it through the movie. Better late than never, right?

The Brutalist

We saw the movie “The Brutalist” at the cinema last night. I almost emptied my head into the keyboard when we got home, and I’m glad I didn’t - there was just so much to process about it - the majority of which I can’t really communicate.

Existing

I went for a walk into town at lunchtime today, purely to escape the house for a little while - to escape the computer, the washing machine, the dishwasher, and the endless rounds of picking up and putting away.

Coming up for air

Katherine Jenkins is quietly singing the flower duet from Lakmé, and I’m wondering about making a final coffee.

I am Groot

My eldest daughter sat in the junk room with me this evening - at my work desk - and helped me build a LEGO kit I got for Christmas - of “Groot” from Guardians of the Galaxy.

Virtual Worlds

After wandering into the living room this evening I caught the second half of the wonderful movie “Free Guy”

A Midnight Writing Club

Welcome to the inaugural meeting of the “Midnight Writing Club”. Unfortunately we only have one member at the moment - me - so I’ll be acting as chair-person, taking the minutes, making the coffee, and putting the cake on plates that I brought with me.

Oblivious idiot

The clock will tick past 1am in 4 minutes. I’m sitting in bed, in the dark, tapping away on a laptop - running down the last bit of “awake” I have left.

Watching and waiting

I’ve spent much of the day watching a long running process on a distant server farm slowly report onward progress. It’s been interesting - wanting to find better things to do, but not wanting to look away, should it mysteriously run off the rails as computers tend to when given the chance.

A grand day out

After scraping myself out of bed this morning, and standing rather conspicuously in the middle of the kitchen in my underwear sipping coffee - while waiting for a turn in the shower - I pulled some clothes on, and prepared to set out with the rest of the family for a day in London together.

A slightly less brave new world

After trying to convince myself that I wanted to live in my own castle for the last several weeks, and after sitting high atop my invented throne, admiring my own handiwork, I had a moment of clarity - or rather the thought “why the hell am I doing this?”

Nosferatu

I just got home from a visit to the cinema with my eldest daughter - to watch "Nosferatu" - a new version of the story inspired by Bram Stoker's Dracula.

Caverns measureless to man

Over the course of this weekend - for no other reason than to satisfy an unending curiosity, I have re-created a simulacrum of a computing platform I last saw perhaps thirty five years ago.

The melting pot

While sitting atop my fence with a bag of popcorn, waiting for the Facebook, Instagram and Threads mud-slinging escapade to calm down, I've been trying to understand the anger, spite and fury that seems to have consumed so many.

Almost daily

For the last several years, whenever asked how frequently I write on the blog, I have replied "almost daily". I'm beginning to wonder if I should refactor my stock reply to "almost weekly".

Scammers

I received a message on my mobile phone yesterday - I didn't take much notice at the time because I didn't recognise the name. While catching up with email late last night I remembered the notification and went off in search of the message.

New Years Day

Last night we were invited to bring in the new year with neighbours. We hadn’t planned on going anywhere or doing anything, but thought “you know what - why not?”.