Friday, the carpenter didn’t turn up to fix the cupboard. PY wasn’t very happy.
Also Friday evening, to the ferry for the Isle of Wight. I noticed the app had a departure platform, but the station’s screens did not. Took a gamble and managed to avoid the rush for the front carriage. This time, we were on time for the ferry. Fish and chips when I arrived.
Saturday, T and his Ukrainian tenants came across for a visit. It started raining, I didn’t take my hat, and so I burned when the sun came out.
Breakfast was at Wetherspoons, which was packed at 9:30 in the morning. But, a nice day in the sun. They managed to secure an earlier hovercraft back.
Quizzes, feedback, Tai Chi, food, athletics, and celebratory medals.
Week commencing Monday, 14 July 2025
The men’s 800m field spreads across the track during Saturday’s Novuna London Athletics Meet.
Quantified Self
This week: Stand 4/7; Exercise 6/7 and Move 6/7. (76%). Morning walks: 0/3 (days in the office don’t count). Office days 2/5. Total steps: 60,489
Life
Pub quiz with an extended group as B & A joined us. We did quite well, but not in either of the winning groups.
I had to write some performance reviews. I find this one of the most challenging work-related tasks, and I am only ever asked to do it as a colleague. I don’t know how managers do it at scale. It’s difficult to provide constructive feedback.
Relatedly, I asked ChatGPT to review my words and give me constructive feedback on what I’d written. When I was told that I “stay in my lane”, I thought the AI and I might have crossed a line I was unprepared for.
I’ve been struggling to get to my Wednesday night Tai Chi class. So, for this term, I’ve switched to the online Tuesday evening class. It’s not as good, but at least I can make it.
On Thursday, I went to Club Mexicana, a 100% plant-based restaurant in Kingly Court, Soho. I hadn’t known about it before we went. I had the sticky glazed ‘ribs’ bowl, which came with BBQ sauce, pink onions, pickled cabbage, garlic mayo, salsa verde, pickled jalapeños, and rice, along with extra beans and guacamole. It was delicious in an “I want to come back tomorrow” way. It’s a quick-bite place, not a long-dinner place, but with that in mind, I recommend it.
Later, I found a few scathing reviews which did not match my experience in any way. However, one review stated that the place “decided to imitate various meats instead of using plant-derived proteins … [it’s] cultural whitewashing to ignore a potent pre-existing vegan-friendly culinary tradition in favour of contorting plants to resemble the flesh that you’re rejecting”. I’ve always disliked the way some plant-based meals try to recreate the meat element, but it’s a trend that is here to stay and, in this case, it was particularly delicious. So go, eat, ignore the reviews, but understand I didn’t try the tacos.
On Saturday, I went to the 2025 Novuna London Athletics Meet at The London Stadium. The rain was terrible for the opening races, but gradually improved through the day. There were seven personal bests recorded in one race alone (women’s 5000m), but a predicted world record attempt in the men’s 800m didn’t materialise.
The event also featured a moment where Britain’s men’s 4x400m relay team from the 1997 World Athletics Championships finally received their gold medals. Seb Coe presented the medals in a ceremony recognising the team’s elevation from silver following the disqualification of the USA team. Getting a gold medal after 27 years is quite a thing.
Later, drinks around the Olympic Park, ending in the bar at the Everyman cinema, where, bizarrely, they don’t serve crisps.
I thought it was a stunning performance, full of energy and excitement. Rachel Zegler and Diego Andrés Rodriguez were brilliant. It was different, without props or sets, and used very simple colours. I’ve never seen a standing ovation like this one.
Relatedly, on Tuesday I listened to a cast recording from an earlier revival. It lacked the energy of this latest version.
Trains: I received £2.54 in compensation for one of my delay repay claims, but the second came back with £18.36, so I think it was worth it.
More trains: I was delayed by over 90 minutes on a journey from Euston to Shropshire. Fortunately, my carriage had air-conditioning.
A weekend in Shrewsbury. Lovely tapas on Saturday night. Fixed Mum and Dad’s home phone after the EE engineer left them without a landline. Their garden is looking lovely, and it was good to be able to sit outside.
This week’s lesson from country music comes courtesy of Brandy Clark: “I hate stripes, and orange ain’t my colour, and if I squeeze that trigger tonight, I’ll be wearin’ one or the other, there’s no crime of passion worth a crime of fashion”.
Game Changers Radio: Aircheck trauma. It’s real and it’s everywhere. As part of the conversation, the point that the creative process is subjective and provides the opportunity to learn was important.
The guest on Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s podcast Dinner’s on Me was Russell Tovey. A lovely conversation. The discussion about the shame of growing up gay in the 80s made me quite emotional.
Robot update: the robot hoover ran on Monday, quite impressively mapped the room, and bumped into everything.
Tuesday, to Sohoplace to see The Fifth Step, a play about how people handle their demons in the context of alcoholism and recovery. It stars Martin Freeman and Jack Lowden. It’s good and thought-provoking. 3/5 stars from me.
Wednesday: divisional all-hands meetings. But drinks in the evening with Mark B. Very glad I was able to catch him while he was in the country.
Related: I was delighted that I kept an eye on the time and did not miss the last trains from Shepherd’s Bush.
Thursday was another office day. And more drinks in the evening with Andrew and Sarah. It was nice to sit outside. And now we know why A went to a Taylor Swift concert.
Friday to Central London. Dinner on Argyll Street was timed to finish just before Rachel Zegler appeared as Eva Perón on the balcony of The Palladium Theatre. Much more impressive than I thought. And they had to close the roads for the twenty minutes the crowd is there. It will be interesting to see it from inside the theatre next week.
Saturday, Pride. The Big Gay Brunch was fun, but too early for even non-alcoholic drinks. The breakfast buns were excellent.
Related: Phil found a route around the parade so we could get across to Piccadilly, avoiding crowds. It’s quite impressive how quiet London can be, even two streets back from a million people.
Dinner at Meson Don Felipe. Excellent food. We felt a bit ignored by the staff.
Sunday, Country on the Common. It rained on the way in, the bar staff managed to ignore me, and I was not feeling the vibe. Left and took a train to look at the river. Headliner Noah Reid had withdrawn from the event. I notice no refund was offered.
