Another good day getting on with my text adventure, then I headed out to ukulele class. The tunes we’re doing at the moment are fun but challenging, and as I’ve said before I feel like I’m at the right level in the intermediate class.
Hoping for another good loss at Slimming World tomorrow as I’ve been on the treadmill a lot this week!
Not an OOTD: the first Christmas catalogue arrived through the door today. Not in the mood at all yet – let’s have Hallowe’en first!
Today’s earworm playlist:
James Taylor – Wichita Lineman Monty Python – Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life Peter Hames – Ordinary Man OneRepublic – Counting Stars
A good 2lb loss at Slimming World this morning, which I’m going to put down to the fact I’ve been making the effort to hit my Garmin step goal every day. Onwards and downwards for the next week, I hope!
I’ve spent the rest of the day coding. Looking forward to having more time to do it tomorrow.
OOTD: another cosy ’80s jumper. Glasses Emporio Armani (2017), jumper unknown brand (vintage 1980s, bought at vintage fair 2017).
Today’s earworm playlist:
Madonna – Into The Groove Duran Duran – The Chauffeur Andy Taylor – Broken Window Abba – Lay All Your Love On Me Monty Python – Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life Andy Taylor – I Might Lie Koichi Sugiyama and Takenori Yamamori – Unknown World Steve Winwood – Valerie
I started coding my new game today. The enjoyment I get out of doing this has probably been one of my biggest surprises this year – I can lose myself in it for days without really noticing.
As such, it was difficult to tear myself away to go to ukulele class tonight, but once I was there I really enjoyed that too! I really feel as though I’ve found the right difficulty level for me in intermediate class. Sadly I’ll be missing the end-of-term concert this term as I’m going to a gig that night, but I expect I’ll be staying with the intermediate group for a few terms yet!
I’ll be getting back to the coding tomorrow, but first I need to head to Slimming World weigh-in – I’m hoping that hitting my Garmin step goal every day this week will have helped me towards a loss…
Not an OOTD: gotta keep hitting those green bars!
Today’s earworm playlist:
Revo – Love’s Vagrant Basshunter – All I Ever Wanted Manami Kiyota – Lasaria Woodland Hans Zimmer – The Lion King Suite Revo – Ship Upon The Open Skies James Taylor – Wichita Lineman Whitney Houston – So Emotional Dolly Parton – 9 To 5
I’m finding it’s definitely coat weather now. I’m also finding I need to plug a few gaps in my September-to-January coat warmth spectrum, so for the moment I’m overheating slightly in one that’s a bit too heavy.
However, it’s nice to get out at the moment when it’s not raining, because the trees are turning beautifully and the leaves are nice to crunch through. I went for my usual Thursday walk to Slimming World and the supermarket this morning, and have been spending the rest of the day doing a bit of work.
More of the same tomorrow.
Not today’s OOTD: a favourite coat from three decades ago.
…is the collection of old episodes of Top of the Pops that I’ve recorded off BBC Four at the weekends and then have on in the background during the week. Far superior to house-buying shows or Jeremy Kyle or whatever it is the main channels show during actual daytime hours.
I got a good few watched today because I was still catching up with admin. I then headed out to ukulele class in the evening (songs are feeling easier!) and have been doing a few writing jobs since then.
Back to the day job tomorrow as soon as I’m done with Slimming World weigh-in.
Not an OOTD: a 1985 episode of Top of the Pops on our 2010s flatscreen. I still miss John Peel.
Today’s earworm playlist:
Jax Jones and Bebe Rexha – Harder Billie Eilish – Bad Guy Blancmange – Living On The Ceiling Tones & I – Dance Monkey Jim Croce – Bad, Bad Leroy Brown Peter Hames – Ordinary Man Charlie Puth – One Call Away Lizzo – Truth Hurts Dominic Fike – 3 Nights
After heading to my earlier Slimming World weigh-in this morning, I settled in for a day of writing. Today I’ve been mainly working on my text adventure game, which has been a lot of fun – it’s fascinating working out how to code all the puzzles.
Brain is a bit frazzled now though, so I’ll be having a quiet evening!
Not an OOTD: the online programme I’ve been using for my text adventure. Highly recommended if you’ve ever fancied a go at making a videogame!
Today’s earworm playlist:
Michael Land – Wally Crying Kate Bush – Wow Village People – In The Navy Jeremy Soule – Dragonborn
I slept a little longer last night, which is a good thing. I was still up fairly promptly to get a good day of writing in – I’ve got two competitions I want to submit to this weekend, so I’ll be busy all week getting these projects finished.
I then headed off to my first ukulele class of the term this evening. I was a bit nervous about moving up to the intermediate class – if it hadn’t been for the fact that they changed the times of the classes (meaning that beginners class now clashes with poetry night once a month), I might have stayed in beginners for another term. However, the pieces that were introduced tonight are very manageable – a bit challenging, and I’ll need to get back to practising every day, but I will have definitely nailed them by the end of term.
I’m going to an earlier Slimming World weigh-in tomorrow morning so that I can have another productive day of writing!
Not an OOTD: the Tyne Bridge still has its Great North Run sign on and looked absolutely beautiful from outside the Sage Gateshead tonight.
Today’s earworm playlist:
2 Unlimited – No Limit Michael Land – Sea Cucumber Revo – Horizon Of Light And Shadow Peter Hames – Ordinary Man Jim Croce – Bad, Bad Leroy Brown Jackson Browne – Rosie
It’s been an okay-ish day. I had a good loss at Slimming World this morning (not sure how, but I’m relieved to be losing again after a few consecutive weeks of gain!) and have been writing all afternoon. Geth is out boardgaming this evening, so I will be going back to my videogames.
Work all day tomorrow and then it’s Great North Run weekend!
OOTD: my favourite top for weigh-in. Glasses Emporio Armani (2017), hoodie Uneek Classic for Mesh (2016), vest top Primark (2018).
Today’s earworm playlist:
Timecop1983 and The Bad Dreamers – Back To You Duran Duran – Rio Disney – Prince Ali* Shakin’ Stevens – Green Door Pretenders – Back On The Chain Gang The Beatles – Drive My Car
I didn’t do a seven-month update because things were so busy last month. I think that shows that sobriety is starting to feel more normal to me and I’m not as obsessed with counting the days as I was at the start of the year.
I suppose my main preoccupation on the subject over the last couple of months has been the double-headed discomfort that (1) drinking is so normalised in society – while I do make use of various sober support groups, I find that in my ‘real life’, I’m the only one who doesn’t drink – and (2) problematic habits around drinking are not taken seriously and seen as a bit of a laugh by a lot of people who still drink. I obviously used to have this attitude too – it’s the way I grew up, because it’s the way we all grow up – and now that I’ve been detached from it for a few months, I find it quite scary how insidious the whole thing is. Whether it’s my Slimming World group endlessly joking about how really we should be called an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, or a favourite podcast of mine doing a special episode where the participants are drunk, I find that at the moment I’m just really uncomfortable with alcohol use being treated in such a lighthearted way. Maybe I’ll never be comfortable with it again. I don’t know.
I also ran into a lot of difficulty on the synthwave night out last week. Being stone cold sober when other people there were really, really drunk (too drunk even to stand up or hold a conversation in some cases) was really quite unnerving and a bit upsetting. I didn’t feel comfortable at all – I had been looking forward to enjoying the music, but I found that it wasn’t really a space where I could do that.
I’ve started to encounter things that make me sad and nostalgic about drinking itself. It’s taken longer than expected, but it is occasionally happening now. This week, I’ve been playing pirate video games – pirates are one of my favourite themes, to the extent that the novel I’m querying at the moment (and have been working on since 2011) is set on a pirate island – and of course they’re all full of rum and drinking games, and I’ve just been feeling sad about the fact that I can’t identify with all of that anymore. Maybe I should watch a few recovering alcoholic cop shows for good measure. Bergerac was always a favourite.
Two minutes is my current limit when standing in the alcohol aisle at the supermarket before I have to get out of there. I discovered this today when Geth and I were hunting for Nosecco in Sainsbury’s. Still, it’s an improvement on early sobriety, when I couldn’t go near the place.
I’ve reviewed a grand total of one booze alternative over the last two months:
This is mainly because I’ve been a bit too busy for non-diary blogging lately, but also partly because, as I mentioned in my last update, I know what I like now.
I’ve also been a bit too busy to keep up with my recovery support as much as I would like, but I have been working on it here and there. It needs to be more of a priority over the next month.
Poetry night went really well last night. I can finally say that I don’t feel nervous about reading my poems any more! Getting up there once a month is doing wonders for my confidence.
It was the usual Thursday routine today. Geth and I went to Slimming World and then the supermarket this morning, and I’ve been getting the house ready for boardgaming guests coming round this evening. I also got a bit more videogaming done, which is really helping me relax and escape from world events at the moment.
Back to catching up with admin and writing tomorrow.
Not an OOTD: today I’m just in my usual weigh-in outfit that you’ve seen a million times, so here’s something I bought instead. 2019 is turning into another year of hell out there in the world, but at least I can still buy magazines with Duran Duran on the front cover. You gotta escape somehow.
Today’s earworm playlist:
FM-84 – Bend And Break Gunship – Dark All Day Haircut 100 – Love Plus One Duran Duran – Big Thing Oasis – Cigarettes And Alcohol Oasis – (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? Adam Ant – Goody Two Shoes David Bowie – Golden Years The Midnight – Days Of Thunder FM-84 and Ollie Wride – Running In The Night Disney – Prince Ali* The Timelords – Doctorin’ The TARDIS
*The MIDI version from the 1994 videogame. I booted it up on DOSBox this morning in celebration of the fact that they’re going to be bringing out an updated version on the Nintendo Switch soon!
