Month: April 2021

Making space

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I found myself burning out a bit this week. The last couple of months have been very productive but also a bit manic, and I’ve realised I need a bit of a break, so I’ve pared down a few of my activities. I log daily or weekly streaks for just about everything I do, because I find it’s the only way I can keep up with things – I’m very obsessional about my hobbies but also very fickle, so I’ll spend a few weeks obsessed with playing videogames and then a few weeks obsessed with making games instead and then a few weeks where running is my main passion… Maintaining daily streaks such as my run streak is the best way I’ve found to make sure that hobbies don’t get neglected during times when they’re not my main ‘thing’. However, when I have a lot of these streaks going, they become overwhelming and take over my life. As such, sometimes I have to decide to let go of some of them, and that can be really hard when I’ve put so much effort into keeping the streak going for so long.

This week I had to quit the Fetchpoint game again. The game involves going out every day and collecting tokens, including a red bug token that appears daily in your local circle and needs to be collected and taken out of the circle in order to be ‘squished’. You get bonus points for a bug-free circle at the end of the day and minus points if there are any bugs remaining. If you squish your bug for thirty days in a row, you get a badge. I have been chasing this badge for a long time and very nearly had it in September – unfortunately, after I ran the Virtual GNR, I felt too ill to collect my bug for that day and so the attempt came to an end. I started playing again in March to make a fresh attempt, but other areas of life have meant that some days I just don’t have time for the two-hour walk that a bug hunt often requires. It’s been a frustrating experience, and so I’ve given up again for the time being. Hopefully there’ll be a time in the summer or autumn when things are a bit quieter.

I’m looking forward to a quiet bank holiday weekend. A bit of running and walking, but mainly just sitting on my sofa with my game code 🙂

Next door's cat
It really makes me laugh when I open my front door to find this familiar figure sitting on top of my car and staring at me balefully! He was still there when I got back from my run thirty-five minutes later.

This week’s earworm playlists:

Saturday

Michael Land – ‘On The Hill’
Sia – ‘Cheap Thrills’
MC Hammer – ‘U Can’t Touch This’

And a bonus track that Geth was humming that day:

Michael Land – ‘Phatt Island Waterfall’

Sunday

Michael Land – ‘Upstairs At The Hotel’
Freddie Mercury and Montserrat CaballĂ© – ‘Barcelona’
Public Image Ltd. – ‘Rise’
Levellers – ‘Julie’

Monday

Dee Cooke – ‘Control Room’
Michael Land – ‘On The Hill’
MC Hammer – ‘U Can’t Touch This’
Michael Land – ‘Upstairs At The Hotel’

Tuesday

Michael Land – ‘Upstairs At The Hotel’
Princess Superstar and The High & Mighty – ‘Bad Babysitter’

Wednesday

Dee Cooke – ‘Control Room’
Pride & Fall – ‘December’
Michael Land – ‘On The Hill’

Thursday

Michael Land – ‘The Barbery Coast’

Friday

Cole Porter – ‘Anything Goes’
Michael Land – ‘On The Hill’

Phone Box Thursday: Temple, Temple

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Odd title I know. The street name is Temple, and so is the village name. Mum and Dad drove through it on their road trip the other week.

Red phone box
Red phone box, Temple, Temple, 16th April 2021.

(Coordinates 55°81’54.0″N, 3°09’15.1″W.)

It was hard to find an angle on Street View where the image wasn’t doing the weird ‘turn all the red things green’ effect that it sometimes does!

This one still has a phone in. Nice to see!

Playlist Pick: ‘Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis’

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I’ve largely been sticking with the LucasArts adventure game soundtracks these last few weeks, as they’re great background music for work (and are very inspirational when doing creative stuff). Fate of Atlantis has always been a favourite for music as well as a favourite game.

It probably has my favourite depiction of Atlantis of all time, and that’s saying something! The music reminds me of many happy hours in my younger years, exploring the beautifully pixellated Atlantean corridors. I really need to pull the game out for another playthrough sometime soon.

Sunday Race Memories: EMF 10k 2017

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I was originally meant to do the EMF 10k as my first ever 10k race in 2016, but had to DNS in the end as my brother was getting married in Canada that day! As such, 2017 was my first trip to this running festival, and it was probably the hottest weekend I’d ever seen in Edinburgh at 30°C…

A well-known rule in running is ‘nothing new on race day’, but as the week leading up to the race went on and it became apparent that the very hot weather was not going to cool down by the weekend, I realised I had to break this rule and bought some running shorts in central Newcastle on the Friday before Geth and I caught the train up to Edinburgh. There was no way I could have done the race in leggings!

Our friend Lisa was doing the 10k too and a few friends were coming to spectate, so it was really fun to meet up with everyone before and after the race. Due to the heat it was a really difficult day out on the course, and the water station at the halfway point was so welcome (although I think I only took a few sips and poured the rest over my head!).

EMF 2017
Well-earned medals after a hot race!

I’ve been back to do the EMF 10k twice in thankfully cooler temperatures, but I feel I’m done with that course now and will be moving on to other distances at the EMF in future. Geth and I had signed up to do the half distance in May 2020, which was postponed to September 2020, then postponed again to May 2021, then made virtual (so we’ll be running our own route somewhere in Newcastle instead)… oh well! We could have deferred to next year but it’s been the plan for a long time now that we’ll be doing the full marathon in 2022, which will be Geth’s first marathon. I might be tempted to return in 2023 so I can finally do the half ‘properly’. We’ll see. It’s always a great atmosphere, and a great excuse to go back to the old hometown 🙂

The nicer half of spring

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I think (hope!) we’re done with the winter weather now. I’ve been able to wear spring running clothes for five days in a row without getting cold, and the last two ‘supermarket trip Thursdays’ have been so sunny that the car has been summer levels of hot when we exit the supermarket and I’ve had to take my hoodie off to drive home. The blossom is finally coming out properly too, and should be in full bloom within a week or two. I’m already looking forward to taking lots of pictures.

I’ve spent most of this week planning games and experimenting with code (when not running, working, or doing household chores and admin). I’m in a real game creation place at the moment and am excited about all the things I’m planning to make over the next year or so.

Work has been quite busy for the last few days so I’m looking forward to the weekend.

Blossom

This week’s earworm playlists:

Saturday

Michael Land – ‘Scabb Island Overview’

Sunday

The CrĂŒxshadows – ‘Deception’
Harry Nilsson – ‘One’
Lisa Lougheed – ‘Run With Us’

Monday

The CrĂŒxshadows – ‘Marilyn, My Bitterness’

Tuesday

The CrĂŒxshadows – ‘Marilyn, My Bitterness’
Mesh – ‘Let Them Crush Us

Wednesday

Dee Cooke – ‘Control Room’
MC Hammer – ‘U Can’t Touch This’

Thursday

Michael Land – ‘On The Hill’
Jorge Vera – ‘Tierras Magicas’

Friday

Michael Land – ‘On The Hill’

Phone Box Thursday: Main Street, Carrington

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I can finally do some phone box logging again! The relaxation of restrictions in Scotland has meant that Mum and Dad have been out and about for the first time in months and have found me some more phone boxes, which will feature over the next few weeks.

Red phone box
Red phone box, Main Street, Carrington, 16th April 2021.

(Coordinates 55°83’33.8″N, 3°08’90.7″W.)

Always great to see an adapted defibrillator box. Lovely location too.

More from Scotland next week!