Weeknotes 76

Some weeks nothing happens again.

It’s been less hot and more rainy this week, which is a relief. Most mornings I’ve enjoyed opening the bedroom window and letting the cool, damp air wash invisibly over me. Sometimes it smells nice too.

I took my newly-repaired bike out for a spin yesterday. I didn’t go far — only to the big Sainsbury’s at Whitechapel — but it was enough to check that the bike and my legs were working properly after their extended period of neglect.

It felt great to be riding again. If we get another sunny day I’ll push myself to go somewhere more distant and exotic; big Tesco at Hackney Central?

I managed to reach the opening credits, and thus England, in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. I’m making an effort to play the main story for a bit instead of purely mucking about but it’s hard to care much because I don’t understand anything that’s happening or who anyone is. I’ve also not played enough of the Assassin’s Creed series to be able to follow its present-day framing story so those parts are equally baffling.

Fortunately none of that matters because the player’s only real responsibility is to follow the quest marker (and, in some cases, randomly mash the combat buttons) to make the next thing happen. This is fun in a mindless way but does make me wonder whether I’m getting the most out of it. Ultimately I suspect it’s not a particularly good or deep game so I probably shouldn’t worry about missing out. It’s still kind of entertaining and there’s lots to look at.

It’s been a year since The Last of Us Part II was released. Unsurprisingly nothing better has come along in that time so it’s still the best game and I think about it often. I’m keen to replay it on the PS5 but haven’t found the right time yet; I tend to pick up games in idle moments to kill a couple of hours and unwind, whereas Part II feels like it demands my proper attention. I have some time off soon so that should give me the opportunity I need.

Calendar check: five-day week, three-day week, three-day week, zero-day week (holiday), four-day week.

I didn’t make an active decision to do this, but I think I must have finally given up on Arrested Development by default. For the last month or so I’ve always found something else to do while exercising — usually listening to a podcast, but sometimes just staring quietly into space — and it wasn’t until this week that I realised I was subconsciously avoiding having to watch any more of season five. So I’m going to concede I’ve fallen at the final hurdle and move onto another show that I can actually enjoy. I’ve not decided which yet.

Several of the songs from Inside have become regular favourites in this household, often appearing out of nowhere during a moment of silence, but it’s mainly Bezos II which bursts uninvited into the majority of waking moments. Congratulations!

Second dose next weekend. 💉💉💪

10.7kg down. Feels good to reach double digits. 🎉