weeknotes Weeknotes 2022.25: What an awful week It hardly seems worth documenting the minor annoyances I’ve experienced this week when so much genuinely awful stuff (the US Supreme Court jeopardising the life of anyone with a uterus, an attack on a gay nightclub on Oslo, the continued wicked violence of the United Kingdom government against refugees
weeknotes Weeknotes 2022.24: Some internet archaeology I made my touring bike sad by not riding it for a full six months or so. While fixing a puncture on my other bike, I got Taran the tourer out of the bike cage today to test it—the tyres are still fine, the chain is still OK, but
weeknotes Weeknotes 2022.23: The Ponds I have swum[1] in the ponds that are in Hampstead Heath and which you have probably seen in a movie[2] Forgive me it was terrific So cheap[3] And so cold[4] 1. for the first time in my almost 11 years in London ↩︎ 2. SCENES OF A
weeknotes Weeknotes 2022.22: a dispatch from Normal Island My participation in the Platinum Jubilee celebrations has been: * getting an extra bank holiday off work * getting 15% off on the suit & shirts I needed to buy for a wedding * eating 1 cupcake and 1 dessert from a certain large supermarket that had various Union Flag-themed decorations * heading out to
weeknotes Weeknotes 2022.21: Going about on 72 (and 2) wheels It’s been a long time coming, but Crossrail is finally here. I took my initial trip on Tuesday. On Saturday evening, we went across to Paddington for a date night, and had another go. It was very popular with cosplayers from MCM Comic Con at Custom House, and the
weeknotes Weeknotes 2022.20: The Southeastern Shuffle I’ve had to get the train twice this week. Neither time went especially well. On Tuesday that was missing my train and being delayed 20 minutes because I had to explain to the gateline assistant that yes, I am allowed to take my bike on a London bound train
weeknotes Weeknotes 2022.19: Back to Normality(?) I’ve been ‘out out’ four times this week. Campaigning event and then dinner with some friends on Wednesday. A colleague’s leaving drinks on Friday. A walk around Richmond Park yesterday [https://www.jonathanis.online/richmond-park-photodump/] . I forgot how exhausting social interaction was and I genuinely don’t know
weeknotes Weeknotes 2022.18: A Rest I’ve had the week off work, and have mostly failed to clear my to-do list, because of various dramas, but oh well. The election happened [https://www.newham.gov.uk/council/local-elections-2022]. I’m going to reserve judgment about what happened in other boroughs, but suffice it to say
weeknotes Weeknotes 2022.17: Escaping to the provinces To start a much-needed bank holiday weekend, we visited my parents in the arse-end of Surrey. The weather was nice enough to enjoy the garden, we went to a restaurant that was startlingly good, and were pleasantly surprised to see a number of new independent shops springing up. Said town’
weeknotes Weeknotes 2022.16: Life treads upon life An early Bulb Watch for this week: against all my expectations, the tulips have flowered (along with a few alliums, enough for us to fill a vase for a dinner party.) Rather entertainingly, though, they’ve actually ejected the cyclamen that I’d put in the pot so it wasn’
weeknotes Weeknotes 2022.15: Spring will spring, no matter what The world feels as if it is spinning apart, and it’s not doing wonders for my mental state. It is at least a comfort to know that spring is here. The world keeps turning and the trees keep blooming. I’ve visited the bluebells at Wanstead Park [https://www.
weeknotes Weeknotes 2022.14: four seasons in a week The weather has run the gamut. We’ve had rain. We’ve had thunder. We’ve had sun. The world seems like it may be spinning apart, but spring is here… at least for now. Halo Infinite remains delightful. Some of the dialogue towards the end is genuinely heartbreaking. Maybe
weeknotes Weeknotes 2022.13: As Steve Jobs Intended Having not got my Xbox out of its box for the past 5+ years (at least since I moved away from Forest Gate, possibly longer) I discovered that Xbox Cloud gaming exists, and works pretty well. As a result, I’ve been able to play Halo on my iMac with
weeknotes Weeknotes 2022.12: The existential horror of not being listened to Just a short one today at the end of an emotionally exhausting week. I grow tired of catastrophising, saying something is a bad idea/going to cause problems, being ignored, and then being right. I spent five hours of my own time (after having worked 7 hours of that day
weeknotes Weeknotes 2022.11: Watch as they pull me down It was only a cold I picked up last week [https://www.jonathanis.online/weeknotes-202210-outside-and-in/], thankfully. I’d forgotten how annoying colds were. I was off sick from work on Monday, felt mostly fine on Wednesday, but by Friday was waking up with a sore throat—although maybe that was
weeknotes Weeknotes 2022.10: outside and in I’ve made a point of taking a walk over my lunch break. Stepping away from the computer and getting out of the house during daylight hours has improved my mood a fair bit, and allowed me to pay more attention to things around me. I saw some voluptuous-looking muscari
weeknotes Weeknotes 2022.9: Stepping back from Hell, just for now We’ve just come back from our first post-pandemic foreign trip, 4 nights in Paris. It was chilly, the air quality wasn’t great, one of us got a cold, the hotel breakfast was a bit lacking, and we walked far enough to make our ankles ache (19.1km on
weeknotes Weeknotes 2022.8: The £114 pizza I accidentally paid £114 for a pizza on Friday. The cashier’s finger slipped when she was entering £14.93 on the terminal, I activated Apple Pay and paid before checking the amount on the screen, and that was that. It almost feels too easy. Thankfully the money was refunded
weeknotes Weeknotes 2022.7: in Eunice’s wake I’ve caught up on Star Trek: Discovery. I’ve spoken about the pacing [https://www.jonathanis.online/weeknotes-20226-catching-up-and-posting-up/], and this doesn’t seem to have improved a great deal. In the most recent episode, there’s an urgent decision that must be made. It should feel like watching Kenneth
weeknotes Weeknotes 2022.6: Catching up and posting up I’ve started catching up on Star Trek: Discovery, a show with which I have a peculiar relationship. After the complete farce of the series being pulled from Netflix days before launch, I’m enjoying catching up on season 4. There’s something that feels a little off, though. All
weeknotes Weeknotes 2022.5: missing pieces I’ve been in the process of editing a video with a running count of something in the corner. For this, I wanted to use a seven-segment display style typeface. Unfortunately, I’m very particular about what I like in seven-segment displays. For instance: do you draw a 6 with
weeknotes Weeknotes 2022.4 Our spring bulbs continue to rise, and the first crocuses I planted are getting ready to bloom. They appear to have some kind of insect’s eggs on them, and I’m not sure if I want to do anything about them. I guess we can’t see what they
weeknotes Weeknotes 2022.3 I went for my first swim of 2022, and managed to get a puncture on the way there. True, my fault for not having a puncture repair kit, tyre levers, pump etc. to hand. But I did feel annoyed that there was nowhere to even pump the tyres at 8pm
weeknotes Weeknotes 2022.2 Somehow—I’m not sure how—I have managed to avoid getting COVID. I did get worried after a coughing bout on Friday (when air pollution in London was appalling [https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/jan/13/londoners-told-to-reduce-physical-activity-on-friday-due-to-pollution] ) but my PCR came back negative. I’ve reduced the amount
weeknotes Weeknotes 2022.1 The amaryllis started to fall over. The first stem (let’s call it Stem A) to rise bloomed very happily, but in an effort to make the second bloom (Stem B) as successful as the first, I was probably a bit zealous in watering and feeding it. (Floppiness is supposedly
