Having a very lazing, relaxing morning here in Fife. I might go for a walk while it’s dry. Then it’s time for a roast dinner, followed by taking my mum to the cinema to see Alien: Romulus.
I’m sure we’ll all sleep soundly tonight!
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🍿 Saw ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ tonight and it was a riot. Again, Michael Keaton is just the best. Excellent use of practical effects and the music is the cherry on top.
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💻 A summary of what I did, thought and experienced this week:
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📺 In preparation for tomorrow’s trip to the cinema to watch the sequel, I watched the original Beetlejuice last night. Seeing it for the first time in at least a decade was quite the experience!
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🍿 I went to the see the new Alien movie yesterday evening and really enjoyed it. Satisfying jump-scares, nice references to the original movie, and some lovely details filling out the Alien universe, particularly around Weyland-Yutani. All in all, good stuff.
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🍿 Thoroughly enjoyed yesterday’s viewing of ‘Deadpool and Wolverine’. I laughed pretty much all the way through, and lost count of all the easter eggs and in-jokes. Which means I’ll have to go back and watch it again.
You know, for science.
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🍿 Just been to see ‘Despicable Me 4’ and it was as fun as I had hoped. Just can’t get enough minions.
Banana.
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🎥 Watching ‘Godzilla Minus One’ on Netflix, as I missed it when it was in the cinema. Amazing stuff - the special effects are incredible.
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🍿Re-watching “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”.
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🎥 The new trailer for ‘Deadpool and Wolverine’ has activated all the feelings.
I can’t wait for July. For lots of reasons. But this film is very near the top of the list.
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📆 2024: Week Ten
An unusual week, this one. I started it in a hospital and I’m finishing it on the sofa. Feeling fine now and looking forward to the week ahead.
Wellbeing
After Monday’s hospital tests, which all went to plan, I’m now waiting on my next appointment with the consultant to get some answers and a plan of action.
I’m not sure how much was physical and how much was psychological, but it took me a few days to feel like my normal self. I probably should have anticipated the next day would be tough, but Fatigue kept me from getting as much exercise as I’d have liked, and I ‘treated’ myself to a few cheat meals. As a result, I’ve regained some of the weight I lost last month. No matter. I’ll get back on the saddle this week and get back on track.
Social diversions
Again, for a week that started in the hospital, it turned into quite a social few days! We had a friend visiting from Singapore this week, so I ended up spending a few evenings with him, eating pizza and catching up. I also hasd a house-warming party and drinks at a friend’s place.
Yesterday, we went to The Other Art Fair in Shoreditch and fell in love with several pieces. No impulse purchases were made, though we did keep several business cards from artists we chatted with. Really lovely people, with fantastic talents on display. It was such a pleasant experience, we both left with smiles on our faces.
Add to this a dinner with my husband to celebrate our 11th anniversary (since our civil partnership - we’re over 20yrs together) and I was really looking forward to a very quiet Sunday. Mission accomplished! I’ve been doing some planning, some readying and I even re-watched Dune on Netflix. But mostly, relaxing,
Travel planning
2024 is going to be a year of travel, that’s for sure. With last month’s visit to Japan already under my belt, this week saw me book a weekend in Vienna with my husband, a weekend in Malaga with my best friend and start planning a week in Bangkok - again, with the hubby.
I loved my first, very short visit to Bangkok and I’ve been keen to get back for years now. Vienna and Malaga have been on my list for a few years now. And we’ve also got a week for Sitges Pride in June and a return to Japan in November. My travel journal will be full by Christmas! And it all starts with a trip to Edinburgh this coming week - a mix of business and catching up with family.
Work
Work was most definitely a mixed bag. While I had some disappointments on the new business front (you can’t win ‘em all!), I also got some cracking feedback from a client and managed to have an incredibly productive couple of days in the office to finish off the week. I also got to finally announce a new podcast project that I’m really excited about.
And that was the week that was.
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2024: Week Nine
After a couple of weeks off due to my visit to Japan, I’m back into the weekly habit of posting an update of the week that was.
Travel and adventure
The main update here is my return from Japan. It always feels like a wrench to leave Tokyo, but this was somewhat lessened due to my excellent journey home. Though it was far from efficient.
I flew with Malaysia airlines from Tokyo to Kuala Lumpur and then from Kuala Lumpur to London. With a six hour layover in the middle. Both flights were an absolute delight and I can wholeheartedly recommend Malaysia airlines for any long-haul travel. Just like they mention in their impressive onboard safety video, they bring Malaysian hospitality to life.
I have a few of short-haul trips in the schedule in the coming months: Edinburgh, Dublin, Sitges and Mallorca. I’m also looking at visiting Malaga for the first time. And then, hopefully, we’ll be back in Japan come November - for my first ever visit to Hokkaido. Exciting!
Health and Wellbeing
Not that it’s my main focus in life, I now weigh less than I did before my visit to Japan! This is despite all the food and drink and lack of gym visits. I can only put it down to all the walking I did and the healthy nature of a lot of Japanese cuisine.
Today is all about preparing for tomorrow’s hospital visit. I can’t say I’m looking forward to it, but my focus is 100% on getting some results (which should be immediately after, once I’m fully conscious again) and have a plan of action.
Fun and Games
I went to see Dune 2 yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s arguably better than its predecessor and I barely noticed its impressive 2hrs 47mins runtime. The special effects were incredible, the score absorbing and the story compelling. If you enjoyed the first one, this will definitely impress.
I’ve been re-watching Battlestar Galactica from the start - again! It was initially reserved for sessions on the elliptical trainer in our gym, but I actually ended up watching six episodes on my flights back from Tokyo. I’m now on season two and, while there are a few rocky episodes and evidence of cheaper set design, it’s still an impressive piece of TV drama.
I also finished Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow and really enjoyed it. As I noted when I posted about it, it reminded me of one of my favourite books of all time, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay which is the biggest compliment I can give it.
Finally, given recent news of how Wordpress is abusing the content creating by its users, I’ve started over with a personal long form blog and will be shutting down my Wordpress sites in the coming week. I’ll also be posting my longer posts over there, but linking back to them here on MacPsy.ch. I find Ghost to be a much better solution for those kinds of posts, where Micro.blog is perfect for sharing quick thoughts and cross-posting to other platforms.
And that was the week that was…
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🎬 I really, really enjoyed Dune 2.
Even better than its predecessor. Incredible design and music - a totally engrossing cinema experience. The 2hrs 47mins runtime flew by.
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I went to see The Creator this afternoon and really enjoyed it.
A lovely story, stunning visuals and a walloping score. This sci-fi geek loved every minute.
I might even have shed a tear or two.
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So Barbie was just the most amazing experience.
I could sit down and watch the whole thing over again. It exceeded all my expectations and had the entire cinema audience laughing throughout.
My most fun visit to the cinema this year.
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So, Oppenheimer was stunning.
Beautiful to watch and the soundtrack was simply amazing. I could sit down and watch the whole thing again.
And, personally speaking, the time just flew by.
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Just booked tickets to see Oppenheimer for this Sunday lunchtime.
Bringing a friend, as my partner simply doesn’t have the attention span to last three hours in the cinema. I’ll give him the summary over dinner afterwards.
And yes, Barbie is booked too. But next week. I don’t think I could handle five hours of cinema in a single day. And I get the impression I might need some decompression and a long walk once I leave the cinema post-Oppenheimer.
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And there we have it: the reason I don’t watch horror films that much any more.
A ton of anxiety-filled nightmares, followed by several hours of insomnia. Having tried all the usual tricks, I’m just lying here, reading and cursing past me for pressing play on Netflix earlier.
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Why do I ruin my own sleep like this?!
I watched Insidious for the first time this evening.
An endless series of jump cuts and scares. Quite exhausting and not something I’ll be watching again.
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Indiana Jones and the Disappointing Finale
I’m still trying to figure out what I thought of the latest Indiana Jones movie. I watched it yesterday evening and, while there were some great moments, overall I left the cinema a bit disappointed and a little relieved it was over.
There were some very strange edits, some distracting sub-par CGI effects and quite a bit of clunky exposition. All the same, it was great to see Indy back on the big screen and, if I’m honest, have any of the previous movies avoided the above traps?
The audience laughed out loud at some points, I found myself smiling at some of the references, and it was all like stepping into a pair of very comfortable, old shoes.
Maybe it was a case of unrealistic expectations or jumping aboard the hype train before watching it. My bottom line is: would I watch it again? Not anytime soon.