The last few weeks
An eye for composition is something that leaves you if you don't use it.
Things that take four hours or more:
- writing an importer for WordPress blog posts that gets URLs from XML export, then scrapes those URLs because the site uses ACF and that's the only way to get rendered markup that is actually useful for importing into non-WordPress systems
- watching the classic 1999 movie The Matrix twice
- driving from Brighton to Birmingham
- two Formula One Grand Prix
- editing a 30 second video
- getting a terrible night's sleep
- implementing and debugging one single custom Google Analytics 4 event in Google Tag Manager when it fires fine in Tag Manager but Analytics is not picking it up, and even after four hours you're not really done you've just washed your hands of the entire thing because life's too short to deal with this absolute cesspit of a product. It literally isn't even fit for its own purpose and I am done interacting with it.
- watching a Best of Lee Mack compilation on YouYube, twice
The Merriam Webster site has a top lookups right now feature and it's hypnotising. When I looked just now, "lumber" was there for a good couple of minutes and I must know why.
A very busy bank holiday weekend
Went back home to take my mum and aunt out for lunch to celebrate their very-much-deserved retirement. Nearly melted in our hotel room. Went to a beach, a car show, and had some ice cream.
The other day, a friend posted on Instagram about Cedars of Lebanon, and I'm still cross that Cedars of Lebanon isn't a post rock band in the vein of Red Sparowes or All We Expected. I'm disappointed in us.
Homer Simpson Backs Into Bushes
I love this scene, and I really like my patch and pin badge. When I found out Adidas was making these Stan Smiths, and they actually looked good, I had to try and get a pair.
Flying Scotsman at Bluebell Railway
Tabitha and I went on the Flying Scotsman. I admired this train as a kid, and being able to see it up close, and ride on it was a weird dormant childhood dream to fulfil
Bonus Day Off Skate
I booked Monday off to recover from ArcTanGent, then forgot I'd done it and didn't realise until just before I left. Tabitha cycled; I skated.
ArcTanGent 2023
It's another bullet point list. No point me typing this up again. I went in a camper this year, like a bougie jerk, and I am now spoiled. I will not camp as long as I have the choice - the whole weekend was so much better this year
When I get out of bed in the morning, I still anticipate a waggy dog waiting for me as I walk into the kitchen. When I reverse the car onto the drive, I still check for the dog in my mirrors.
British Lawnmower Racing Association 500
Lawnmower racing has been a discovery in multiple acts. First we watched a random video on YouTube, then our friend nearly drove their mower into their pond, and then 5 miles from their house there was a 500 lap endurance race. This was all in less than a month. I like that.
Malayalam, Eastbourne
It's not often that a restaurant is so good that I'll make a specific post about it but there y'go.
I got eaten by ants
It was dry for 15 minutes so I wanted to go and fly my drone a bit. Unfortunately, the ants also wanted to fly and it was quite unpleasant.
Steam Deck Upgrades
Absolutely sick of the 512GB space limit on my Steam Deck so I grabbed a 2TB SSD for mine. The swap is pretty easy, but very nervewracking taking something like this apart.
Scotland 2023
Nice little getaway to Scotland. I had never been before, so we decided to spend a few days in Glasgow, then a few in Edinburgh.
My little square of sunrise
I haven't thought to look back and see how it happens, but sunrise for the past few weeks has been cutting through a hole in everything, and making a nice little rectangle on our fence. It's one of those things that feels like it's just for me. Do you ever get that?
Woke up with a melody in my head that I could not place, but I did know the lyrics, and wait I can sing this song I definitely know this. I hate it when that happens.
David Mitchell said on an episode of Would I Lie To You that if he knew how he knew all the things he knew then he could only know half the things. But what if you only knew how you knew the things you know, but you couldn't actually remember them?
I think my Query Language is fine, and my indices are OK, but my database might need restoring from a backup.
Festival-ready
As I'm sure I mentioned, I soloed ArcTanGent last year. I enjoyed myself but in places I was quite bored and lonely. This year I'm planning to learn from my mistakes.