Weeknotes 2023 W27: Holiday

I’ve taken the entire week as a holiday. Initially, my plan was to stay in the UK and travel around there, but that plan fell through because I couldn’t budget for it. So I’ve spent this week in Berlin, and it’s been nice.

The trip to Brighton and London wasn’t quite worth it. Most of my plans fell through, and I didn’t get to meet the people I planned on meeting. It happens. But attending a software conference after having come to the realization that I don’t really like software development anymore is… certainly odd. Combine that with the grief I was dealing with, and I can’t shake the feeling that it’d have been better for me to skip the trip entirely.

Quick bits:

• This was my first time flying since 2019. It feels like an eternity ago, yet it also feels like yesterday. It was also my first time going to BER (the new Berlin airport) as opposed to TXL (the old airport). Also: I have never been to SXF (the other old Berlin airport).

• As I was walking around London, I recognized the Bank of England building because I’ve killed a lot of people there — in Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate, that is.

• I had Mas­to­don installed on my phone for a while so I could figure out how to hang out with people during the conference, but it’s uninstalled again now, so that the amount of social media on my phone is back to zero. (I reduced the social media apps on my phone to 0 back in Week­notes 2023 W16: Envy.)

• I spent quite some time at the Barbican, a building I liked so much that I abandoned my plans of visiting a museum or two afterwards. I sat at one of the nice wooden tables, with a drink and a slice of cake from the nearby Barbican café, and did some reading and writing. I had a nice chat with the woman sitting at the other end of the table; she expressed her relatable admiration for the Barbican, and suggested I do the architecture tour — though for that one you have to pre-register, so that’ll have to be for the next time I’m in London.

• After the plane touched down in Berlin, everyone on the plane remained seated until the seat belt sign was switched off. Wild.

• Acting class is over. The next module is starting coming month, but I think it’s good to take a break and reflect until then. But I already miss my acting buddies!

• I had a dream about a celebrity in which I asked about their work ethic, and they responded “I begin my morning by eating bananas for three hours straight.” Eww.

• I had a first psychotherapy session with a new therapist on Thursday. It was primarily an orientation session, though I think it clicks with this therapist. I’ve already budgeted the remaining sessions this month.

• I made sourdough bread again, for the first time in a month or two. Even when working from home, and sometimes even when I’m on holiday, it is a struggle to find the time. The bread was yummy.

It’s amusing/amazing how taking a break benefits my creativity. Five days of holidays, and my writing desk is covered in paper with half-finished drafts, odd ideas, random pieces of writing.

Welcome to Hell. Take a break in the Bawling Alley, designed by our Sketcher of Sorrow.

Most of my effort has been going into writing short stories, though I’ve also been dabbling in writing short plays/films as well. The latter feel like an unsurmountable challenge right now, because writing dialogue is hard.

I attended a (free) creative writing workshop earlier this week. That was nice, though likely not worth the 40-minute commute to do regularly. It gave me ideas for exercises that help me get over writer’s block, though. Later today I’ll attend another (free) creative writing workshop. I’m thinking of attending some of the larger, longer-term, paid workshops and courses.

Entertainment:

• I bought How long ’til black future month?, an anthology of short stories by N. K. Jemisin. I’ve only started, but I enjoy its quirkiness.

• I only just started watching season two of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, but either I’m not in the mood or it’s not very good. Odd.

I subscribed to Paramount+ so that I could watch the aforementioned new Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season. I took the opportunity to browse the Paramount+ film catalogue, and, oof, it is a mess: duplicate films and mislabeled films all over the place. Paramount, you need to get your shit together. I’ll probably not renew my subscription.

I find it interesting how I am becoming less and less interested in playing games. Taste in entertainment changes over time, I suppose.

Links:

• Belgian Tax Hack (Bruce Schneier): As a Belgian I can confirm that this is what I would attempt to do too.

• Eight Ways to Improve Your Pixel Art Characters: I don’t know much about pixel art, but I can absolutely appreciate it!