Month: November 2023

Weeknotes #44: nutrition analysis

Week commencing Monday, 20 November 2023

Raynes Park Christmas tree before they turned on the lights

Quantified Self

  • This week: Stand 7/7; Exercise 5/7 and Move 7/7. (90%). Morning walks: 3/5 (days in the office don’t count). Office days 0/5. Total steps: 66,809

Life

  • A while ago I purchased Zoe, The personalised nutrition program but there was a problem with the glucose monitor. Monday, I tried again. Now, I’m obsessed at looking at the graph. The muffins were dry.
  • Tuesday, the boiler was serviced. No issues. I need to arrange for all the other house fixes.
  • The Christmas Tree arrived in Raynes Park (pictured) but they didn’t turn it on until later in the week and I wasn’t there to see it. Not sure there was any ceremony.
  • Let’s face it: young people can’t understand the value of long-term friendships. Which is why I loved my Thursday drinks. Cheers, Jules. Cheers, James.
  • To Shrewsbury on Friday afternoon. Difficult to have a conference call on a busy commuter train but I managed it.
  • Related: Saturday lunch sat one table away from their MP. Heard complaining that the venue can’t get staff.
  • Probably related: aforementioned MP almost always voted against a right to remain for EU nationals living in the UK pre-Brexit.
  • Friends round on Saturday evening meant a quiet Sunday watching Doctor Who (see below). Many LOLs with Sooz Kempner in the evening.

Media

Archive

To save the links getting lost in the future I checked the Internet Archive to see what they had saved for the posts linked here. YouTube links don’t seem to archive well so I don’t list them. If the source above no longer works, these should.

Weeknotes #43: Palladium, pie and a political return

Week commencing Monday, 13 November 2023

Beverley Knight at The London Palladium, 14 November 2023

Quantified Self

  • This week: Stand 7/7; Exercise 7/7 and Move 7/7. (100%, I’ve not done that for a while). Morning walks: 5/5 (no days in the office). Total steps: 75,450.

Life

  • My new morning thing is Bend. Let’s see how long this lasts.
  • First thing Monday, I may as well quote the BBC, David Cameron: Former PM making stunning comeback.
  • I tried multiple combinations of lightbulbs to try to solve a problem and none of them worked. I really don’t want to call an electrician but I may have to.
  • Tuesday, Chicken & Champagne Pie was not quite what I thought. But Beverley Knight was brilliant. The company was wonderful.
  • Diamond Geezer tried to find something, in London, named after King Charles. Best bit of the story? A gas bill can get you in to The Tower of London.
  • Christmas Ad Update: who won’t be making their oven glove sing this Christmas? Genius.
  • Wednesday, my train was delayed so I missed my class. First time that has happened.
  • Thursday, virtual drinks with a colleague. Just like the pandemic years but worked well. The low alcohol beer was nice.
  • Friday, walked to Wimbledon to see the ice rink before the opening. People working late to get things ready. Saw it again on Sunday when it was still skater-less because we saw it between groups.
  • Saturday, COVID booster. In and out in under ten minutes including climbing the stairs. Then to the recycling centre Merton brought to town. Nice idea. Then the shivers started.
  • Lovely pizza dinner with friends Saturday night but I had to call an early night as I wasn’t feeling great.

Media

  • In the late 80s I answered phones for BBC Radio Shropshire. The first time I heard Alex Lester was when he hosted the Sunday morning show and I worked through the glass. Lovely to listen to his career story on the Crunch and Roll podcast.
  • Took us a while to find a movie to watch on Sunday. Spider-Man: No Way Home was our choice. Excellent even though I was confused as I hadn’t seen the previous movie.
  • Tiny Houses: UK Actors Spectacular Tiny Home On London Outskirts

Archive

To save the links getting lost in the future I checked the Internet Archive to see what they had saved for the posts linked here. If the source above no longer works, these should. YouTube links don’t seem to archive well so I don’t list them.

Weeknotes #42: sunset boulevard – get there in your slippers

Week commencing Monday, 6 November 2023

Sunset Boulevard at The Savoy Theatre. Sign outside the theatre.
Sunset Blvd.

Quantified Self

  • This week: Stand 5/7; Exercise 4/7 and Move 5/7. (67%, maybe, average). Morning walks: 0/3 (days in the office don’t count). Office days 0/5. Total steps: 47,434

Life

  • Back in London after a peaceful weekend on The Island. Robert Elms on BBC London thinks you should move back to London as you get older, “Old age is when you need to be here … because everything is near and you can get there in your slippers.” He has a point.
  • Wouldn’t textcasting be cool?
  • Jamie Lloyd’s reimagining of Sunset Boulevard was brilliant. We booked for Monday Guest Star, Rachel Tucker, and she did not disappoint as Norma Desmond. A show, in black and white, with no props doesn’t sound great. It’s wonderful. The video techniques are impressive.
  • There’s a couple of innovative video scenes in Sunset Boulevard which, appear to be live … but who knows with theatre magic? I thought I might have to stand outside The Savoy Theatre one night to see but on Thursday, at Rachel Tucker’s album launch event, she confirmed it was live.
  • Also, Thursday, a good catch-up with ex-colleagues at our usual Thirsty Thursday venue off Carnaby Street. Now the Christmas lights are up. They’re not that festive but quite impressive.
  • I wrote top-line product requirements, in my own time, for fun. My current employer won’t build this but other ad tech might. It’s not wholly original – other systems do similar – but it is needed by smaller broadcasters or steamers who monetise with ads. I don’t know why I did it except to get it out of my head.
  • Oh come on Wikipedia, if you live in London, and have even the remotest interest in the transport around you, it’s the Dangleway!

Media

  • Christmas ad update: John Lewis 2023 is out. Apparently, they changed advertising agencies this year. Obvious Little Shop of Horror vibes. Not sure about it. The pros at work reckon TK Max is a great one.
  • I binge-watched Heartstopper Season 2 on Friday night and it was a good at the first season – although the characters started to annoy me by the last episode. But I don’t think I am the intended audience.

Archive

To save the links getting lost in the future I checked the Internet Archive to see what they had saved for the posts linked here. If the source above no longer works, these should.

Weeknotes #41: Christmas is coming (with a chutney pasty)

Week commencing Monday, 30 October 2023

A swan, pictured through the reeds, at Seaview nature reserve

Quantified Self

This week: Stand 7/7; Exercise 4/7 and Move 7/7. (86%, good going). Morning walks: 1/4 (days in the office don’t count). Office days 1/5. Total steps: 60,995

Life

  • To the gym Monday and Tuesday so that habit had made week two. I wish they’d reconnect the machines to all the AV stuff.
  • No Halloween callers on Tuesday night but a few out on the street. We didn’t get any sweets in stock this year because we’d end up eating them.
  • Finished Bryant & May: Ten-Second Staircase which I really enjoyed. Took me a while to decide what’s next.
  • Wednesday first first: I lead a stand-up. Basically, I called out people’s names and they said technical things (only some of which I understood).
  • Wednesday, second first: I saw my first Christmas TV ad. It was for M&S. Too early? I am certainly not thinking about that stuff yet. I recognised Hannah Waddingham, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Tan France. I believe there were others. Thursday I saw another: Waitrose with Graham Norton
  • Fifteen minutes late departing Waterloo on Thursday evening and a half-length train meant we were standing to Guildford. Not the most fun way to head off but the ferry crossing was not as choppy as you would imagine.
  • Friday and Saturday were very wet but there would be intermittent dry periods when we all thought the rain might have stopped. Got wet several times.
  • Friday night’s entertainment from a musical trio was wonderful. There was a real community feel in the Arts Centre.
  • Our Airbnb host from a few weeks ago described us as “polite interesting people”. That was nice.
  • Busy Bees has an impressive Christmas Wold shop selling anything you want to decorate your home for Christmas. I might think it’s too early. The rest of the world does not.
  • Sunday, the swans were more peaceful than the last time we went to the nature reserve and chutney pasty with the cheese was delicious.
  • A long route round on the train back to London but we did break our journey in Woking to help with some bags.

Media

  • Great interview with Macklemore as part of the Zane Lowe interview series. Made me listen to the latest album again.
  • Behind the scenes at Scary Fast: Apple’s keynote event shot on iPhone and edited on Mac.

Archive

To save the links getting lost in the future I checked the Internet Archive to see what they had saved for the posts linked here. If the source above no longer works, these should.