Weeknotes 338

Boiling. Hate it obviously — I’m not ridiculous.

Most of this week has been submerged in the woozy fever dream of being uncomfortably hot all the time. Can’t think clearly, can’t sleep properly, can’t do anything of substance, just sheltering and surviving. If we’d been intending for anyone to keep living on this planet after all the millennials die we’d be absolutely screwed.

I had no choice but to bust out the air conditioner to make the nighttime temperature even vaguely tolerable. It’s too loud to sleep with it on, also I’m not made of money actually!, so I have to do an uncomfortable dance of running it before bedtime to cool the bedroom, then turning it off and tightly closing all the doors and windows to Keep The Cold In, then going to sleep, then waking at 3am in a suffocating fug of carbon dioxide and water vapour, then opening the doors and taking my chances for the restless remains of the night.

Three gyms, no notable weight loss. At least it’s air conditioned. I’m trundling through Redemption Ark okay and waiting for one of the many new characters to do something.

I had lunch with Mike on Monday as he passed through town, then calls with Tekin on Tuesday and Sandi on Thursday night. Nowadays I often have occasion to feel dejected and incapable so it was restorative to catch up with friends who know what they’re talking about and at least outwardly believe that I do too. Is this 🦋 being supported?

On the plus side of work, I did genuinely enjoy our summer party — food, drinks, bowling and karaoke at All Star Lanes Brick Lane — on Thursday afternoon. The format afforded maximum freedom to do whatever you’re in the mood for, which I really appreciated, despite the venue having some awkward associations for me. I had straightforward fun eating vegan pizza, drinking a Corona Cero, bowling a few gutter balls and singing some Britney with my team. Then, like last time, I was mercifully free to slip away early and get some work done.

I was planning to go to the Japanese market in Dalston yesterday but chickened out in the heat. Today’s finally cooling down so I’m hoping life will become more normal from tomorrow.

I finished Heated Rivalry. It improved a little towards the end but I’m still shocked by how much of a narrative nothingburger it turned out to be.

I’ve resumed my stalled rewatch of Succession where I left off in season two: Tern Haven, Argestes, Return (“three muddy trout for six and fill up on mustard”) and Dundee.

Such great writing! Such great performances! So genuinely funny! They don’t, these days, currently, make them like this any more.

Oh, I forgot to mention last time: I noticed the gutter outside my windows was blocked and starting to fill with stagnant water again. I dug out my litter picker and dislodged some ordinary organic slop to allow everything to drain peacefully away. The neighbour with whom I share it will never know and never thank me. This is my thing now.