As frequently, it’s been a while since I’ve written here. Working in retail during the Christmas season doesn’t leave much time and combine that with exhaustion from the heat (Stupid burning hell pit of a country) and a self diagnosed seasonal depression spike have meant I haven’t exactly been in a good frame of mind. I’ll spare you further ruminations and instead apologise to anyone who had the misfortune to interact with me when I’ve not been having a good day.

So, instead the good stuff! My wife and I bought an apartment, more on that later. I bought another LARP sword, though that was mostly to distract from the constant mind shattering terror of the orange one’s return. It’s felt really fucking weird the couple of times I’ve talked to customers in the store about Fair and Balanced, having to really labour the point that it was run in October 2016, when that shit was still funny. I was really looking forward to being able to look at the news without that creeping feeling of dread, that constant background noise of “Oh what the fuck has he done now?” I keep telling myself all I can do is be a good person, help where I can and not snitch. To worry about the things I can change, keep looking to hope and not doom scroll. Election day local time was particularly bad, as it was deathly quiet in the store, which left me time to, you guessed it, doom scroll. sigh

I got to see Hammerfall with my wife, and it was as ridiculous and glorious as I’d hoped for. For starters, neither of us had any hope we’d ever get the chance, but getting to see them was a real bucket list kind of night. For a band who’ve played massive Euro festivals, to see them at the Manning Bar may have seemed like a comedown, but the show was just as over the top, albeit with less pyro. Gods, I adore when bands do the co-ordinated headbanging, it’s so stupid I can’t help but love it. I can’t explain why, but it just makes me so happy. Outside of Hammerfall, I’ve been listening to a lot of versions of The Ecstasy of Gold. That’s mostly as A: it’s fucking brilliant and B: my wife mentioned putting a will together, and my brain (After mostly recovering from running screaming at the merest contemplation of my mortality) set to wanting to make a funeral playlist. I know there’ll be some John Williams and Iron Maiden, but I can’t decide if Brillig’s The Old Captain is the start or end song.

And yes, I am now a home owner. Since that, instances of friends calling me bourgeois scum and/or calling for my execution via madame guillotine have shot up alarmingly. This has meant, since we’re moving to a smaller space, that I’m having to pack and cull things. It’s been, emotional. One shelf has a pile of notebooks* (THEY STAY!) next to a pile of gaming books that I’ll be letting go. So, if there’s something of mine you’ve coveted, this could be your lucky day! The idea is to have some sort of giveaway or set up an “Give me a few bucks if you want, otherwise take it from my house!” event. RPG books, some bits of LARP kit and DVD’s will likely be the first up for the chop.

i got a free month of Amazon Prime and have been binging Vox Machina, which has been a joy. In news that will surprise no-one who knows me, Grog and Scanlan continue to be my favourites, and the character development they’ve gone through has been emotional and hilarious. Grog’s cry of “I GOT A BEARD!” brings joy, as does damn near every time Scanlan sings. Also, I get to continue my game of “I recognise that voice!” When that’s done, the plan is to shift over to the final season of Lower Decks. I’m really gonna miss that show.

Speaking of LARP, I was attempting to distract myself from the heat on Tuesday and had thoughts about a pirate based game again. Mostly pillaging from Hoist the Colours plot wise, the last survivors of a mighty pirate horde wash up on a lost island and have to figure out what to do next. That or, several ships wash up on the same island, but different locations. Each crew has something the other wants (Powder, map fragments, water, etc) and have to decide how to proceed. Shenanigans ensue. Yes, I started listening to Larps and Tarps coverage of Hoist again, but they bring joy and I need that right now.

It’s past 1am and I have plans to people tomorrow. Bedtime now. Take care of each other. Night all.

* I don’t have a notebook problem. There are notebooks I don’t own, so I’m fine.