I enjoyed the process of writing about my best purchases of 2020, and so here is another consumerist post, this time listing my top 3 films, TV shows, musicians and games of the year. I previously used to post lists of books I read every year, but paradoxically having more spare time because of working from home did not help me with reading as now a lot more things were competing for said time (while you're pretty much limited to reading if you commute). So I simply haven't read a lot in 2020.
All this content was mostly either released this year or not too long ago (but only came to my attention relatively recently), so there is no very strict criteria other than that, as well as there is no particular order in which they are listed - if it's here, then I loved it.
Films
Motherless Brooklyn (Google Play)
Noir is not an overly popular category and doesn't get a lot of new films, so if you like it, you already have a reason not to miss this one. It is hardly new though - while very well, if not flawlessly, executed, it just follows the traditional plot, so if you have seen a few good (neo-)noir films before, you'll be able to tell how it is going to end soon after you start watching.
What makes it special is Edward Norton's performance. Hi is playing a detective suffering from a few neurological disorders, and he does it very well - there is no whitewashing, so you don't see yet another extremely smart savant with a few - of course cute and lovable - quirks (a usual trope when directors try something like this). Rather, you get a very good idea of what it probably feels like.
A great role that is genuinely ace acting, and it does a lot in terms of representation without the feel that it was the only purpose of giving a character that trait.
Not really a great film outside of context - a middle tier action flick, "not great, not terrible". Why it is more powerful and so is more exciting and emotional to watch that the genre boundaries suggest is because it is one of the few, if not the only, well produced 'mass market' films about wartime Iraq that doesn't feature Westerners.
Both bad and good guys killing each other for a couple of hours are Iraqis (and sometimes Iranians). There are neither American superhero SEALs saving everyone, nor a heavily hinted idea that it is solely because of the US that this place is torn apart, both of these opposite narratives ultimately denying Iraqis any agency. Mosul is different.
Clouds of Sils Maria (Amazon Prime)
A story of coming to terms with your age and consequences of your previous choices as well as circumstances outside of your control, delivered by Stewart and Binoche. Two lead actresses don't overshadow each other, which is already a rare occasion.
In one of the reviews I read that this film tells the same story as Birdman, but from a female perspective. I think this is a very good way to describe it, only of course it's doesn't make it inferior (the story they both tell is not new in the first place). I'd also add that as how Birdman is male-centric, it is also very American, while Clouds of Sils Maria is very female-centric and also very European. I think, they are both very good and even gain from being compared to each other.
While we are at it, isn't it funny how everyone used to make fun of Twilight films, but Stewart and Pattinson grew into really strong actors? Who knew.
TV Series
BoJack Horseman (Netflix)
This something you have probably already seen, but the last season was streamed in early 2020, and that gives me an excuse to repeat that this is a great show. The main thing it does for me is that it is extremely relatable, even though I am not a millionaire TV star, I don't have a drinking problem, have fewer friends and I am not even a horse.
What I mean is that pretty much every episode has a scene where you can recall a similar thing happening to you in the past, the same thoughts crossing your mind - not exactly like that, yes, not in the deliberately exaggerated way, but the conflict and the feelings were largely the same, and so are your memories that are suddenly very vivid. This is why I think this series should be loved by middle aged people more than by the young simply because they have more history behind them that this show ruthlessly excavates.
Better Call Saul (Netflix)
Another big title that doesn't need yet another introduction, but if you somehow did not see it yet, you certainly should (the last season is still pending). The characters and their problems are far from being relatable in this one, so it is the sheer talent with which everything is put together and the writing that make it great.
While it is a prequel for Breaking Bad, I didn't watch it before I started with Better Call Saul, and when I did later I found the original to be less enjoyable. Breaking Bad is, in my opinion, much less believable, and the transformation of the main character as the story unfolds (which is also the main idea of the prequel), is more difficult to imagine actually happening.
The only problem this show has is the one many could only wish for - it gets better towards the end, so if you didn't quite enjoy the first season or two and stopped, give it a chance, you won't regret it.
Ad Vitam (you get it, Netflix)
It is a short single season French show set in the not too distant future and exploring the problems of coming of age and mortality. The budget wasn't too generous and it shows - we're reminded that the action takes place in the future mostly just by cars having a plastic hump at the bonnet and blue or red neon lights everywhere. Unexpectedly, this seems to work by putting the focus on the story (similar how to it doesn't bother you in the theatre that all the action happens at the same stage).
The acting by the main duo is great, and while the series could probably be even shorter without harming the plot, it still qualifies for a 'hidden gem' category.
Music
John Frusciante (everything, really)
I've been an RHCP fan for decades, but it wasn't until this year that I also listened to Frusciante's solo albums. What can I say, I wish I did it earlier.
First of all, that is a lot of music (the latest album was released in 2020 / and it's electronic / and it isn't even his first electronic album). And we are not talking about a few particularly good tracks with everything else just thrown in to make it sell as an album - while some tracks are still better than others, the quality is pretty consistent.
Then there is a great variety - you get lo-fi experimental rock, acid house or something more like what you would expect from an RHCP guitar man. You can build a hours long playlist exclusively from Frusciante's tracks that still isn't too repetitive.
Atmosphere - Whenever (2019)
They keep doing the same thing with every new album including this one released in 2019, but the point is that they've perfected it. So there is this, and that Whenever is perhaps more romantic than their previous work, in a good way.
As with any musicians that put a great emphasis on the lyrics, this is not the music for every occasion, but the poetry is really good, and so there will be a day on which it resonates with you especially well.
The best track there is of course Son of Abyss, followed closely by Lovely.
Ibrahim Maalouf - 40Mélodies (2020)
Just a 43 tracks album by one of the best modern jazz trumpeters in the world, that also includes his best tunes like True Sorry.
I think he manages to maintain the right balance with freestyle-ish segments that 'wander off' the main theme, but never too far away from that (a problem with many modern jazz musicians that tend to overdo this part) - in short, you're still able to hum to his tracks. They are more 'melodic' than the classic records from the golden era of jazz (Your Soul is a good example of that), so I see why he could be called a bit dull and predictable in comparison, but looking at other modern performers, it's better to err on that side than on the opposite.
He also has his distinct style thanks to recognisable, but not overly dominating Arabic musical motives interweaved with otherwise classical jazz structure very gently - a good example would be Layla's Wedding that blends it with what otherwise is a tap dance theme.
Games
Into The Breach (PC, Mac, Linux, Nintendo Switch)
This is game is from 2018, but I only discovered it in early 2020, and it is still being released on new platforms. A simple turn-based strategy built around short battle scenarios where you constantly have to choose the least bad move, and the s0oner you recognise that your units' health is a spendable resource (that you just shouldn't run out of, not to preserve at all costs), the better.
Hades (PC, Mac, Nintendo Switch)
In true roguelike games you only live once, and when you die, you have to restart. Hades is an interesting twist on this principle - once you die, you die and have to start again (no saved games!), but some of your character parameters persist between the runs (of which there are going to be dozens if not hundreds), and the story remains uninterrupted.
I was first put off by its visually overloaded battles (too much is going on at the same time!), but the game isn't unnecessarily and frustratingly difficult, like, for example, Cuphead - you can feel that you are getting better at it as you play more, so you don't get bored.
Yoshi's Crafted World (Nintendo Switch)
Just a simple kids' game that is also fun enough for adults to play (with the kids watching). I am not a fan of the whole Mario universe thing and think that most of its 'masterpieces' are overvalued, but this one is just beautifully designed.
It is also built in a way that you can always re-play an older level again, which is good because they have different themes and difficulty, and so some of them might be more suitable for your kid's age or special interest.
Not much else to say, but I have spent a lot of time with it this year.
(this post was inspired by other similar lists - like this or this - which I also recommend you to read)
This year was certainly an odd and difficult one, and even if you were lucky to avoid the worst of it, it had likely changed your habits by making you spend more time at home. This is how I noticed that some of things I bought and started to use more often (or for the first time) in 2020 had a good impact on my everyday experience, way above their often negligible cost.
So here are some of those simple things that didn't cost a lot and yet kept me happier than I imagine I could otherwise be.
Vertical mouse
I used to have one in the office that was gifted to me by my colleague - he didn't like it, and I, as a new starter, didn't have a mouse. It worked surprisingly well for me, and after just one day it no longer felt weird to use, and then I even started to notice how uncomfortable was my (much more expensive) 'traditional' mouse I used at h0me. Still, it wasn't until I started working from home full time that I finally decided to replace it.
I've got this one from Amazon, but the same model, as it often happens with cheaper products, seems to come from different Chinese 'mushroom brands' while the actual device remains the same, so I don't think there is a huge difference between them and you can probably get any other similarly shaped model.
While at it, I also decided to ditch replaceable battery for a built-in one. For a long time I was always trying to choose devices with standard AA/AAA batteries (that I would replace with rechargeable ones), but now I admit it really isn't worth the hassle. Yes, a non-replaceable Li-Ion battery will lose the capacity eventually, but it will take a long time because unlike with your phone, you are not going to put it though a charging cycle every day.
Bone conduction headphones
They are pretty unique in a sense that they go on your temples leaving your ears entirely unobstructed, so you can still hear what is going on around you. That is invaluable for sports, especially running and cycling. The quality of sound is surprisingly good - I mean, it is certainly worse than what you get with a pair of nice conventional headphones, but if you are (like me) used to your HiFi setup, your bluetooth headphones are not going to fully satisfy you anyway, so what is really the difference.
The brand you'd want is AfterShokz - it is pretty much 'the' manufacturer with everything else being knock-offs. I used to own one of the first AfterShokz models years ago and it wasn't particularly great, but since then the build quality has massively improved. I am pretty happy with my current pair and see no need to upgrade even though their range currently on offer is probably even better.
The only problem with this type of headphones is that because of the headband you can't wear a beanie hat with them (cycling helmet is fine as it sits higher), and if you have longer hair it might also be less comfortable for you, but otherwise it is going to greatly improve your workout. Apart from safety coming from being aware of your surroundings and traffic, another benefit is that you can just wipe them down after a session - keeping traditional over/on/in-ear headphones clean and sweat-muck free is a bigger hassle.
External microphone
It is surprisingly difficult to find a webcam that can reliably beat the one built into your laptop (and apparently, here is why), but you can certainly improve your microphone game - and yes, your colleagues, friends and family on group calls would notice.
The gold standard for USB mics is Blue Yeti, and after studying many in-depth reviews I believe that this is indeed the best choice. If you, however, don't need anything but cardioid pattern and also want something cheaper, I recommend another safe choice which is Samson Meteor. Both cute and clever design, thick metal case, headphones jack (to hear your own voice without latency), great sound quality, mute button and indicator, and it is also substantially cheaper.
I was surprised to discover in the process that mini-USB (not micro-USB!) standard is thriving in the world of microphones. Last time I saw any other device relying on it was more than 10 years ago. So if this is something that puts you off, it shouldn't as it really isn't a sign of obsolesce in this particular industry.
Mechanical keyboard
I've been a fan of 'ergonomic' keyboards for a long time, and my trusty Microsoft Natural 4000 worked for more than 12 years, hauled from one office to another. Then at my last job I had a smaller desk and decided to stick to 'barebone' setup, where you just use your laptop with no external screens or other peripheral devices and so you can work anywhere - say on a couch - or even on a different laptop (e.g. your personal one) without feeling much of a difference.
Working from home made this argument less convincing, so I needed a new keyboard again and took this opportunity to try out a non-sophisticated rectangular but a mechanical one.
After reading a lot of reviews and posts, I quickly got overwhelmed with info and simply went for something I've been recommended in one of my group chats: Keychron K6, with UK layout, metal frame and brown Gateron switches (brown switches are a safe choice for newbies as they are less loud but still 'clicky').
My own experience first was like typing on a mechanical keyboard was nice, but not THAT nice, just different, perhaps, but not necessarily better - and then at some point I simply realised that I don't want to type on anything but it. And when you complete your setup with a wooden wrist rest, it also becomes quite ergonomic.
A few months of active use later I can confirm is good, although when the battery is low, you start experiencing connectivity issues (it doesn't go from 100% functionality to 0%, it's a gradual decline on your last 10-15% of the charge). It is, nevertheless, a solid low-mid level option.
Keychron often runs 15% discount campaigns (including now as this post is being published), plus if you put a keyboard in the basket and leave without checking it out, in a couple of days they'll send you a 10% discount code.
Paper shredder
Not sure about other countries, but in the UK you tend to get a lot of mail as it is the preferred channel of communication for many companies, organisations and government agencies (grrrr!). That pile of paper grows pretty quickly, and you have your full name and address stated on every sheet. Same about all those stickers on the parcels you receive.
Shredder really solves this problem, by which I mean when you're too anxious to put the papers in the bin as you received them, but also too lazy to cut the personal details out every time.
Don't bother with the manual crank-driven ones (yes they exist). They are more compact, and first you think that you'll only be using it occasionally, so that'd do for you. I've been there, and it won't.
Also be careful to choose a cross-cut (as opposed to strip-cut) model - it would be only a little bit more expensive, but massively more secure.
Pull-up bar
I wrote a post about turning my garage into a simple gym earlier this year (and so I am not including items described there in this list, even though they had a major impact on my quality of life), but since that time I improved it a little bit, a by far the most important addition was this pull-up bar from Decathlon:
This particular model is easy to mount (a single piece that goes on the wall instead of two separate plates that need to be carefully aligned) and can be folded as shown below:
Not only it unlocks a wide range of exercises for you, it also serves as a platform for other equipment, such as a weight pulley. This whole idea of putting equipment in the garage has been very helpful during the the lockdown, and now I don't even know if I would need a gym membership again for anything other than sparring sessions.
Precise stylus
This is a bit of niche one, but I have upgraded my very old Samsung Note 3 this year (still stuck on Android 5.1), and went for Google Pixel because of its camera. It meant, of course, that mobile sketching became nearly impossible, because it's just the Note line that has that unique Wacom layer under the screen supporting pressure-sensitive styluses.
The best thing you can still do with a simple capacitive screen is to get a precise stylus like Adonit Switch 2-in-1. You don't need its pen functionality really, but the screw-on cap is very handy and protects that small delicate disc at the tip well.
The stylus is easier to use that it seems, and it allows for some non-sophisticated sketching on any phone or table, even though small details would be still difficult to execute - you'll need to zoom in more often because of that or simply to adjust your style to it.
If you don't sketch, then I'd recommend you to try because it is fun, but you might also find this stylus very useful if you ever had to work with Excel documents on mobile.
Nintendo Switch
The blessing of Switch (and Nintendo ecosystem in general) is that it was never powerful enough to run big titles, even when it was first released, so there is no feeling you're stuck on an ageing platform as games get more and more demanding - a massive repository of indy games and ported old classics is more than enough for an occasional gamer like myself. In short, it most certainly will be a relatively long term investment even if bought now, years after release.
Although I did finish Witcher 3 on it, and it was... good enough? You have to brace for higher game prices though.
The portability aspect of it is working great for me, but probably not in the truly intended sense - even if I were still commuting, I don't think I'd be taking the console with me as that time is better spent reading. However, being able to roam your flat freely with the gameplay seamlessly switching between the external TV and built-in small screen is something that changes the whole experience - which I why I wouldn't recommend buying a Switch Lite that can't be connected to a TV.
Also, one of the best games of this year, Hades, is an excellent fit for a Switch.
Key organiser
Most key organisers cannot accommodate large mortice keys, but this one can ( the faux leather loop can take a 65mm long key). After spending some time figuring out the right number of silicone washers to space the keys while still keeping the screw in place, it holds together surprisingly well (i.e. you don't find a handful of loose parts in your pocket when you don't expect it).
In addition to looking more neat, the main benefit of it is that your keys no longer rattle, meaning you can simply put them in your shorts pocket on a run rather than having to squeeze your keys into a separate 'wrist key holder' (yet another item that needs washing and just feels awkward to wear). This is why getting this small thing changed a lot for me as I started to run regularly when the first lockdown started, and dealing with keys was one of the major annoyances.
The downsides are that it is less convenient to actually operate keys, especially if you have a night latch lock where you need to keep tension on the key all the time while the door is opened. It is still a small price to pay for not having to deal with a rattling mess.
***
Well, this is it. I now think I might might also put up a similar list of non-material impactful apps and games later - maybe be even before the next year is over!
When I started turning my small garage into a home boxing gym, I was surprised to learn that there were no guides I could easily follow, and so I had to do more own research than I initially expected. While there was some fun in that, here is an attempt to save time to someone going on the same Google journey.
Heavy bag
It all starts with a heavy punching bag, which is usually more difficult to squeeze in than other home gym equipment such as pull up bars or light double end bags. If you want it to be, well, heavy and yet not to take too much space, you'll need to make some unorthodox decisions.
Step 1: bracket
If you are lucky to have enough space for a proper load bearing ceiling mount and the bag comfortably hanging in the middle of the room, absolutely go for it. It is the best setup. The next best thing, if you can spare a fair bit of space, is a common wall bracket. If, however, you want to save as much space as possible, your options narrow down to a limited range of folding brackets.
I eventually went with RDX X5 for the following reasons:
Folding mechanism is dead simple and because of that appears reliable: you have to lift the protruding bar to the tubular section of the bracket pole, rotate it 90° and slide it back on the square part of it. Compare it with this, this or this and see.
Mounting area is compact enough, so I could put it on the narrow pillar part of the wall (see the picture). With that, I gained more swing space for the bag, plus it makes it easier to fold because the bag meets the wall a bit later this way.
Since it folds sideways and not downwards like some other brackets, it is possible to fold it without taking the bag off - a big win. That, however, is physically much more difficult than it seems (albeit still possible) if the bag is heavy enough, plus it depends on the size of your bag - if it meets the wall too soon and your rope or chain is fairly short, you might not be able to fold it if the bracket is mounted on the flat wall.
Be careful though if your ceiling is low - as you can see on the picture above, unlike with other brackets this one demands more vertical space which I wish I realised a bit earlier. I now have just enough vertical space and wish I had even a little bit more of it.
The bracket comes with screws and plugs, but you really want to use proper anchor bolts instead. I hired a handyman at MyBuilder.com to drill the wall because it turned out that to rent a powerful cordless drill (my garage is not electrified) for a day costs the same, but in your area it might be the other way around.
Lastly, I recommend buying it from RDX website directly and not from Amazon, at least in the UK. The price on Amazon is lower, but if you factor in shipping (which is not free as it's a heavy bulky item), it's the same - and if you unhappy with the purchase, shipping cost isn't refunded anyway.
Step 2: bag
Now the bracket it is place, the next thing you need is a punching bag, and this is where it gets interesting. You want a bag that is heavy enough (roughly half of your weight) and yet is also compact - and luckily there is an unorthodox solution to both of these problems, a rubber (or rather PVC/PU) bag filled with water.
Chances are you have never seen a bag like this before as they are pretty rare. I've been a customer of 6 different boxing gyms in London, and never saw one.
Why choose a water-filled bag?
Water packs more weight in the same volume than what traditional pre-filled bags offer. They are mostly filled with textile or rubber mulch, so an average 4ft (120 cm) bag is only 18-20kg and 5ft raises it to 22kg. The heaviest standard non-professional bag (i.e. the one that won't cost you a few hundred pounds) I could find is Decathlon Outshock 1200, but it remains out of stock even after the end of the lockdown. Now even a reasonably compact 15" (38cm) water-filled bag is easily around 35kg.
Portability. Should you want to replace your water-filled bag, you can empty it and store it conveniently. You can also sell it and post it without paying prohibitive fees because of its dimensions and weight.
Pear-shape bags are good for practicing not only straight punches and hooks, but also angle ones and uppercuts. At the same time the smallest traditional angle bags are going to be larger - that isn't bad, but is going it eat up almost all the space your compact bracket offers between its eyelet and the wall (it's usually no more than 2ft or about 55cm) leaving almost space no for that wide swing.
More tolerant to low mounted brackets. The ceiling in my garage isn't high in the first place, plus a good bit of available height was eaten by a ceiling beam and the bracket that due to its design sits low. With a traditional bag, you'll have to craft a top board like in this video, while pear-shaped bags actually are best positioned at your head level or even a bit lower (like here).
Why you still might not want it?
Shape. If you want to practice kicks, you'll need a traditional long bag, full stop. It is not impossible to kick a pear-shaped bag, but let's be honest, you are not this guy.
It is harder than a traditional bag. Bare knuckles practice, if this is your thing, is going to be problematic, if possible at all. You'll even want to wear your sparring gloves and not just bag mitts for this one. This is also a good thing though - for example, I tried hitting it without gloves and immediately realised my hook wasn't ending with the wrist positioned correctly. Other bags would be more forgiving.
If your are hanging it outside or somewhere with no heating, in winter it's going to be even harder on your hands. You can add some anti-freeze to water, but it's the PU material that would become less flexible in low temperatures. I am yet to learn what it's like in winter, and it entirely possible that it isn't a problem at all, but some reviews suggest this, so I'm putting it here just in case.
Which bag?
The most famous brand that you also see in videos with famousboxers hitting water-filled bags is Aqua Bag. It is also predictably the most expensive option, but if you're comfortable with the price, you can't be wrong with this choice.
There are, however, cheaper brands - such as Phantom Althetic. With the ongoing discount and free delivery from Germany (expect it to take about a week though) it is about two times cheaper than an Aqua Bag of the same size.
You can, however, pay even less. It turns out that common Polyform boat fenders are just as good. They even look surprisingly similar, down to small details - and there are many more colour options.
I decided to stay on the safe side and got the Phantom Athletic 38cm bag, but guess what, it has the same boat fender recommended air pressure marking on it:
It isn't 'just like a common boat fender', it probably IS a 'common boat fender' with a new logo printed on the side. While I am reasonably happy with my purchase, knowing that, I see no reason no to go for a cheaper and more brightly coloured option, unless you're ready to splash enough for an Aqua Bag.
While most of the bags like this come in the same pear shape, I also came across a longer Everlast Hydrostrike. It doesn't look bad as well, but I couldn't find it anywhere with a delivery to the UK. But if you like this shape more, I guess you can buy a similarly shaped boat fender which are also widely available for a fraction of the price.
After using this my new bag for while I remain pretty happy with it. It is comfortably heavy, so it is swinging, but not too much. Its size is right for me - could be a bit larger, but certainly not too small. Filling it was easy - it comes with a garden hose adaptor. My only complaint is that the plug could be tighter - I had to put a layer of bandage tape around it to prevent it from coming off occasionally after heavy punches (but it could be that I have just overfilled the bag). Aqua Bag system looks a bit more reliable.
Phantom Athletics bag also comes with a synthetic rope that you can you to hang it, and I also recommend it over a chain for home gym use since it's quieter and doesn't wear out the bracket eyelet (which is not replaceable, unlike the rope). Obviously you'd first want to hang it and only then fill the bag with water because doing it the other way around will be awkward and you'll need other person's help.
If you go with a rope, be sure to use a knot that doesn't slide under load. A rock climber friend recommended bowline knot which worked well for me and is not difficult to tie. Voila:
Double end bag
Now that you have a heavy bag, the next step is to get a double end light bag. The heavy bag is great for developing power shots, but it doesn't teach you accuracy or improve your reflexes, and you have to constantly remind yourself to move around it, while a double end bag is always ready to come back in your face. These pieces of equipment compliment each other perfectly, and this is why you need both.
There are many double end bags to choose from with the prices varying from £10 to £100 (when looking online, also search for 'floor to ceiling bags' as some listings won't come up for 'double end' keywords). Professional models can be even more expensive, but realistically what you have to avoid is the listings that have pictures with people badly photoshopped on them. it's also a good sign when the bag has metal rings on both ends instead of faux leather loops. If the bag doesn't come with all the fixtures or even cords, it also isn't a problem (and arguably is a sign of getting a better bag for the same money) as all of that readily available in your nearest hardware store.
You also don't want a bag larger than 20cm in diameter even if you're a beginner. In short, it has to be size of human's head or smaller (up to as small as a tennis ball, although this is for more experienced boxers).
I went with this mid-range Pro Box bag. It comes with belts that end with a stretchy rubber section, which were too long for my low ceiling, although they both have an adjustment buckle on them (and so you can cut them to make them shorter).
As I was sticking to the compact setup, I got the quick release carabiners so I can dismantle your bag and put it bag quickly. Plus, I don't play football, so I didn't have a pump needle to inflate the bag's bladder, and I had to buy it separately.
You can use another wall bracket if you can't drill into your ceiling, but as unlike with the heavy bag it doesn't have to support a lot of weight, chances are you can use a ceiling mount for it. If you still go for a bracket, again be mindful about the vertical space as you would still need enough of it for the bungee cord to work.
Floor mounting point is a bigger problem as you don't want to be stumbling over the bit of metal when the bag is not in use. One way to avoid it is simply to attach the cord to something heavy like a kettlebell if you already have it. Another is to buy something like this.
I simply drilled into the my garage's concrete floor and put a D-ring there that folds flat when not in use. I used the bungee cord section that came with the bag as the top cord, and the bottom one is a generic 1.5m cord looped through the bottom ring. It is less resistant than the top one, but because it's tensioned more, the bag still doesn't go up and down when hit (which is a sing that your tension is uneven and you need to adjust it).
Well, that's about it. Many things can still be improved, but the lesson here is that it's easier to organise yourself a space like this than I used to believe, and now I only wish I did it earlier.
A few days ago I have volunteered for the first time in a day centre for homeless people - a site where everyone can have a lunch, a nap, take a shower, change their clothes, see a doctor and in general relax.
While I fully understand that coming up with a lot of conclusions after only doing something once is unhelpful and almost unavoidably naive (let alone that there are many better write-ups of the same experience) I have still been thinking about what I have learned for longer than it could go without getting written down. After all, first impressions, despite often not being accurate enough, have their own merit simply because they are first. Let this post be an attempt to explain what I feel like I need to tell to myself in the first place.
It goes without saying that by taking part in an event like this you help other people a little bit simply because there is a great demand of it, and you provide the supply. This is the main purpose of turning up and doing your shift, and this alone is a reason good enough for doing so.
Yet what else can be the reason for you to do that - or rather what else could you expect? I'd say the main one is that it is a good exercise in humility.Consciously or not, every new joiner imagines themselves doing 'noble' things - at very least having some 'deep' conversations about how our society is broken. No, you'll be picking up rubbish in toilet stalls or mopping up the floors if someone has spilled their meal or even vomited.
Yet the feeling that strikes after the initial confusion is a good one. It is life and it is real work, and it is essential, so you're doing it, and you try to do it well, regardless of what you do outside of this shift. Believe me, after you realise what it is and why were you first confused, it feels good.
The next best thing is that you will meet a large number of very different people. It depends on how social you are in day to day life, but chances are it is going to peak your 'number of people spoken to a day' ratio for the year.
New joiners are usually assigned to tasks in pairs, and you'll have plenty of opportunities to talk to your random partner (and then to the next person at the next task, of which there are going to be many).
In my more than brief experience, volunteers tend to be on a younger side, but there are enough of middle aged and retired people there as well. Occupations also vary (what I have personally heard people mentioning was 'City finance', 'music', 'retail', 'software', 'law', 'charity'), and everyone would be open to having a chat because there is that instant feeling of camaraderie and alignment, even if just for while the shift lasts.
That is going to pierce your social bubble regardless of where on the social spectrum it was centred before.
Another unexpected side effect would be spending a day without touching your phone.The novelty of it, of course, again depends on what is your day to day job, but I believe it's safe to assume drowning in notifications is fairly common. This is because phone use at the centre is restricted for many reasons: there is obviously a ban on taking pictures, then you don't want provoking people into asking to use your personal device, and in general you should be there for guests first and foremost and not scrolling through your timeline.
That, along with with being busy in general, leads to spending a day almost exclusively offline - which feels pleasantly different.
That alone makes it worth coming, even if you don't factor in the actual social good which might be difficult to quantify. A step out of the comfort zone, which is also a benefit to other people is something to be treasured.
There are, however, a few things which would probably make your shift difficult - not physically, but emotionally. Just like before, it goes without saying that it is not easy to see the effects of homelessness that close and realise what other people are going through - but this, while being emotionally taxing, is something that you would probably expect to see. What I want to stop at specifically are the bits that I didn't expect to discover.
The first one is that... there is a limit to which we are all ready to go. Volunteers pep talk predictably puts a strong emphasis on how we are ready and capable of making a difference - intentionally so, because it works and this is how you motivate a large group of people. Yet you will probably soon find out that while you might indeed be ready to do a lot, you aren't ready to do everything, and you will have to reflect on that.
'You don't understand me. You really don't. If you really want to help me, take me home - to YOUR home. See?' - this is something that you might hear, as I did, or, if you don't, you might get a hint of that being strongly implied. Or it might be never be mentioned at all, but it would still be a looming elephant in the room which both sides decide to ignore because otherwise it would make them equally uncomfortable.
So despite all the good intentions it is an unescapable fact that at the end of the day some of us return home and some go back to sleeping in the doorway. And that if we really wanted, we could change that, at some personal cost, but we choose not to.
This problem has no good solution, of course, and it is easy to argue with facts and numbers that doing otherwise is unsustainable - which is true. Yet what would be different this time is that you will have to think about that as it would no longer be possible to brush off easily as something irrelevant.
And this is not a pleasant thought to have.
Next unpleasant discovery was seeing like numbers become people, and then become numbers again. I think it is typical for a fresh joiner to suddenly being exposed to what was invisible before, and so to 'zoom in' and start seeing individuals in people who were previously no more than faceless social group, even if you were sympathetic. This is normal when there was next to no previous interaction, and so this is why the transformation is so insightful.
Yet you might be able to pick up a somewhat different attitude from the most experienced volunteers - people who are coming there often and have built up a lot of field experience. Or it could be just me, but sometimes when they were talking to guests I was registering the same undertones in what they were saying I know very well from teachers in my son's special school (which could be why I noticed that in the first place, but nevertheless).
Unlike you, they can also 'zoom back out'. If I were to come up with a metaphor, it would be 'padded wall' - while polite and understanding, and having their guest's/student's wellbeing as their top priority you can see when the experienced specialist stops engaging deeply and starts 'following the script', and after that there is very little you can do to change the situation.
This usually happens in heated conversations, possibly with shouting or crying involved, and is completely understandable. If a guest is asking for something that cannot be done, it's best to cut it short quickly before it gets personal instead of spending a lot of time trying to understand their reasons and to change their mind through a lengthy argument. I suspect this is especially dramatic to observe for someone who is new, because when they see such interaction, it is their first time, and they expect such an emotional moment it to unfold into a caring debate, and instead what you hear is a polite rephrasing of 'I WON'T BUDGE'. Thing is, that unlike you, experienced people know that scenario well and have dealt with dozens if not hundreds of them, so they know it when the conversation goes nowhere.
Same is true for experienced guests - they also have tried it before and they are picking up the same undertones very well, so they can stop after probing even though they didn't sound like it before. Both sides win, but having to choose where is not productive to engage is another inconvenient truth, and if you are to become an experienced volunteer (and so be much more useful in your role), you'll have to learn the same social scripts and stop treating everything as a unique journey - even though you'll say a different thing to new joiners at the briefing.
Since you cannot do everything, but you want to something, you will have to choose what is that something that you want to do. This is, probably, was the most important lesson.
Grey Day by George Grosz - while I have seen the reproductions of it before, it's only a couple of weeks ago when I saw it at the exhibition.
George Grosz - Grey Day (1921)
This is not exactly what the white museum label next to it read, but like pretty much any other essay you can google, the explanation was the juxtaposition of the 'well off bureaucrat' against the gaunt figure of a war veteran. Some articles also mention other characters: the faceless worker and the bespectacled men peeking around the corner, but that's usually about it.
What attracted my attention though were the distinctive scars on the bureaucrat's face. My first thought was that it could be a hint that the man is a veteran himself, and so instead of a blatant conflict between the well off and the forgotten we are looking at how different the life can still be for people who once could be freezing in the same trench. Yet the fact that there are multiple similar scars, all at the lower part of his cheek, makes it almost certain he got them on a fraternity duel.
That tradition, once popular enough among male students in German speaking parts of Europe to become a memorable cultural trope, was basically young men striking each other's faces with blades while wearing only essential protection to cover their eyes and noses. Getting a few nasty looking but not life threatening scars in the process was not a concern, but rather a desirable goal - the opponents weren't supposed to move around much dodging the attacks.
Similar scars can be seen on the faces of other Grosz's characters, but unlike with Grey Day, those people are mostly unambiguous Nazi warmongers. Their scars are there for the same reason as the swastika badges (which are, of course, also helpfully in place) and along with other unmistakable visual attributes they leave no room for other interpretations:
George Grosz - The Pillars of Society (1926)George Grosz - This Is Orgesch Who Our Stinnes Loves! (1919-1920)
Compare that to the goofy cross eyed figure of the bureaucrat from Grey Day. If it wasn't for the scars, he is no way threatening - just ignorant, perhaps, of what's going on behind the unfinished wall.
Yet it is not just the scars. He is also wearing a black, white and red ribbon - the colours of the monarchy and not the Weimar Republic which replaced it. It is more prominent and visible for us today, yet I believe that it's together with the scars that its meaning is amplified, eliminating the possibility that it might not be carrying a message.
It also seems unlikely that the ribbon is here to tell that the bureaucrat has simply been decorated for his war service, as there doesn't seem to be a ribbon in the same colours and stripe proportions among the German awards of that era.
It is a political message then, right in our faces. Around that time (early 1920s) DNVP (which flag and colours were identical to that of the German Empire) was a political home for different kinds of right wing opposition, including the future Nazi party supporters. It wouldn't be a stretch to suggest that someone who once enjoyed fraternity duels (it takes a certain type of people to find pleasure in such exercises) was also later in life not in favour of the 'decadent' Weimar state and then was likely an enthusiastic member of Nazi institutions or SS military.
*** Among the numerous Grosz's drawings and sketches from the same period there is one also finished in 1921, which very much resembles more famous Grey Day. While most of the figures are recognisable, the 'bureaucrat' is not. The face scars are still here (although they are less prominent and can be mistaken for the skin folds), but the facial features are exaggerated in a different way, radiating aggression instead of the goofiness.
George Grosz - Unemployed (1921)
If the assumption that the sketch was completed before the painting (which how it usually happens) is correct, the transformation of the bureaucrat was intentional as well, and artist's first thought was indeed to make it more straightforward, with a menacing looking man naturally being a more obvious reference.
So this change is also a part of the message Grey Day sends.
We are now suddenly looking at a very different artwork. It doesn't simply expose inequality and the harsh realities of post-war life in Germany (the faceless worker / the forgotten veteran / the indifferent civil servant). More than just that, it also makes a prediction: we are watching a new war in the making, as the person confident and consistent in his beliefs, with the grim reality readily confirming them for him, marches into the future. A middle class educated office worker, he seems harmless now with his briefcase and the ruler, but it's him who is the architect of the new reality, even if he isn't yet recognised as such. One of the many who are going to ruin it for everyone.
Funny that it comes straight after the post on becoming a UK national, but that serves me right for not posting frequently enough. After a lot of panic-induced tweets and retweets today, here are some of a bit more detailed thoughts on the EU membership referendum that I think would be interesting for myself to re-read later:
I predict we are going to see the unlikely alliance of economically disadvantaged people and free market capitalism adepts crumbling. The former served as a vehicle for the latter thanks to the fact they both happened to dislike the EU at the same time. Voters hit by globalisation (and by immigration from the 'new EU' as by one of the most visible aspects of it) on many occasions have clearly expressed the feel of being neglected and not looked after. This doesn’t have much in common with ‘negotiating bold trade deals at the free market while not restricted by silly regulations’ argument – in fact, they are fairly opposite. It is not going to take long for these two views to collide, and it is going to be spectacular. Although it is not going to happen immediately – for some time it may run on nationalism and on ‘putting England back on the globe’ spirit only, but inevitably the economy will speak again.
Old magic no longer works. It is not only because of the overuse of the word ‘racism’ which is difficult to deny (although not every time it was used it was an ‘overuse’), but it is officially no longer a cultural taboo. Accusations in bigotry no longer stick and mean little to people that don’t already agree with you on the subject in question. It is true and impossible to argue that pretty much all of the far rights and neo-nazis were in the Leave camp, but it is no longer recognised as a problem big enough to vote otherwise by people who in theory could have voted otherwise (as it is also true far rights are still a minority of those who voted Leave). Which brings us to the next point:
A decent number of naturalised white immigrants and native-born or naturalised non-whites have voted to leave the EU. While this seems to strengthen the point promoted by the free market capitalists from p.1 (it’s all about foreign control, and we are not against the foreigners themselves!), these votes – as far as I can judge – are also fuelled by the desire to halt the immigration. In the circles of naturalised ex-USSR citizens (the community I obviously am the most familiar with) this reason is quoted in at about 90% of cases, both in personal conversations and on online forums. I am confident this is going to backfire on all those people badly as they will soon find out a non-white person is still an immigrant and a naturalised white still sounds foreign to some people possibly including their neighbours and their kids’ classmates (who are now ‘red pilled’ and know that being called a racist no longer means an argument lost by the accused). Nor does the above mean that only the ‘uncontrolled’ immigration is disliked – try having a similar referendum on the controlled one. This, of course, doesn't mean the whole idea is now invalid - as I said, it no longer works like that. It's just that actions have consequences.
I hope that the gone fear of being called a racist is not the only way in which everyday culture is going to change from now on. What certainly needs to die is that old trope about the establishment having control on everything and feeding the public convenient lies from the controlled media which are in an alliance with intelligentsia. Of course the establishment by definition enjoys an enormous control over our lives as well as there is plenty of lies in the press, but they are not monolithic, they fight each other and seek for public support which they not always receive. Almost all of the supposedly almighty university elite was against what just happened, yet it did. If I were a progressive journalist, I would do everything for this drum to no longer get banged on without making the person doing it look like a shameless populist even by today’s standards.
Since the political balance in this country is visibly shifting to the right (and possibly staying there for ages if Scotland leaves), the opposition to Tories needs to return to the centre. It might not be a reason to let the Blairites back in, but it is crystal clear that Corbyn and similar die-hard figures are not going to deliver a feasible alternative, unless a guaranteed support (which seems to be like 15%, right?) from the safe core voters is considered enough (hint: it isn’t). In other words, Labour party needs to go back to being less marginalised social democrats in order to maintain a chance of winning. I think it would be better even for those supporters of it who are happy with the current leader. Another problem is that their safe core voters seem to be divided on the EU membership, which might mean they might shrink even further. I am considering signing up in case there will be a chance for a public vote on the party leadership again.
I am of course an edge case both culturally and economically being both of a foreign background as well as someone who has bought property in London at the peak prices and rock bottom rates (both of which are now guaranteed to change), so I am undoubtedly biased towards the status quo. But I honestly consider this decision was a mistake that is both going to fail the promises made to those who voted for it and prove the fears of those who voted against.
Yet this country remains strong and has definitely been through challenges far worse than that, so I also believe it is still going to be not that bad. And frankly, EU is a mess. I also suspect that some of the things that I now consider to be wrong may turn out for the best, because I am not an expert and my personal experience is quite limited. It’s probably not going to be that bad, and London will be London, England will be England, and maybe even the UK will remain no less United than it currently is.
It’s just that I genuinely believe it could have been much better, and this is why I am sad today.
Strangely enough, it doesn't really feel huge because it's so stretched in time. Look, first you become a permanent resident, and there isn't much to celebrate because for everyone concerned you are still a foreign citizen. Same queue at the airport arrivals, no voting even in local elections, no ID that doesn't scream 'immigrant'. Well, it grants you right to be employed without any formal restrictions on the hiring process, but my previous visa allowed me into the same labour market position as well. As a permanent resident, you can also apply for various state benefits such as tax credits (apparently) or council housing, but again I was lucky to have never needed that, and neither do I now.
This status does offer security though so you stop worrying about your visa not getting extended next time (not very likely provided you comply with the rules) or paying ever-growing fees (this is big actually), but that's about it. Something you can certainly feel, but still nothing to write home about really. This is where you start hesitating whether to celebrate now or to wait for the next, more prominent milestone. And indeed there is one coming, the problem is it is not the last in the line either.
A year after becoming a permanent resident you can apply for citizenship, but then again you don't have a single 'this is it' day where you can draw a line and throw a party. First you get informed that your application has been successful. Hurray, but technically that doesn't mean anything yet because you have to attend a ceremony and receive your certificate. Which doesn't happen too soon. In my case, for example, it took about a month because there are only so many days a month the council does ceremonies, and I had travelling plans as well (as after you become a citizen, you can no longer go abroad with your old documents).
When you finally attend said ceremony, it still isn't the end of it, because you don't have a passport. You only need it to travel abroad, but doing so effortlessly is one of the great formal benefits of naturalisation, so you usually apply straight away... and wait again because in Britain you have to be interviewed in order to get your first passport, and you got it right, that usually cannot be booked too soon. The point of the interview is to prevent identity theft, which in case of a naturalised non-EU immigrant like myself seems redundant as all the data including biometrics has already been submitted many times before that, but the rules are still the same.
Finally, a day comes when you receive your passport - yay! - but at this point that is something you, in a way, take for granted and there is no that feel of genuine excitement (still feels incredible of course, but you kind of have crossed the finish line earlier, right?)
Another predictable, yet still funny thing is that everyday life-wise it doesn't really change much. People who don't like you because you are a foreigner (not that I can personally complain too much about that though, but nevertheless) couldn't care less about whether you have a passport or don't, as a rule. Similarly, people who used to like you before aren't going to like you even more because of that either. And more importantly, you are still the same person. You still get into awkward situations a bit more often than you'd honestly prefer. Your accent is still a dead giveaway. You still have had a very different childhood comparing to any of your British peers, and that's even regardless of the social class. I can go on and on.
Yet I've still been feeling an urge to write this, mostly because I realise this has been one of the biggest projects I attempted in my life so far, and it has been successful. I am also now holding a far less idealistic view about the UK comparing to what I imagined it to be when I fist got an idea about moving here, but at the same time I am feeling a lot more involved and accepted that I dared to hope for which amazes me more than ever, and for that, I am grateful. My admiration for Britain is still there, but is now backed by different, less naive and postcard-worthy matters - which, unlike the latter ones, are less prone to being shattered by brutal reality I am much more aware of as well.
It's been about 8 months since I last posted, and also 2015 is now over, so it feels like a logical thing to finish with the list of books I have read last year. This update is going to be embarrassingly short, so I will compensate by elaborating a little more than usually:
Not Much of an Engineer by Stanley Hooker (clippings) - an autobiography of one of the Britain's top engineers and one of the few responsible for the success of the famous Merlin piston engine of war period and later jet engines.
Apart from a lot of technical details, the book also includes some of the author's personal views on various social issues, which are somewhat brutal by today's standards. While almost any stance from 30-50ss would look quite right-wing today, in this case it is also amplified by the natural bias of Sir Stanley as an extremely talented and hard-working individual, who naturally assumes that if it was easy for him to escape some life traps, many should be just as able to do the same.
The above is a minor topic in the book of course, so whether you can get behind that or not, about 90% of it is still about engines and the organisational structure of British aircraft engine manufacturers, so if you are into that, you certainly won't regret reading it.
The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914 by Christopher Clark (clippings) - a little bit too long, but a detailed explanation of the events that, directly and indirectly, led Europe to the First World War. While offering a bigger picture (economic tendencies in the major states, their trade balances, treaties and loans), it also drills down to the biographies and personalities of some actors (kings, presidents and Saraevo conspirators).
All of that was especially interesting to me as to someone who went to school in early post-Soviet Russia, where very little attention was paid to WWI which was always overshadowed in textbooks by the revolution of 1917.
You might find it enjoyable as well if you don't mind long books and if you are not too disturbed by the unavoidable thoughts of how similar are the explained events to what is unfolding in Europe right now.
Vulcan Test Pilot: My Experiences in the Cockpit of a Cold War Icon by Tony Blackman (clippings) - since the last flying Avro Vulcan, an iconic Cold War era bomber, was retired in 2015, I decided to read a bit more about it. This book is written by one of its test pilots and would be interesting, I suspect, to aviation geeks only. What I was impressed with most was the technical impossibility for some crew memebers to bail out in too many dangerous situations (imagine their feeling when the pilots have already ejected! - and that actually happened), and also by the habit of one of the top test pilots to fly in his pinstripe suit instead of the pilot overalls.
Life on the Edge: The Coming of Age of Quantum Biology by Jim Al-Khalili and Johnjoe McFadden (clippings) - one of the best, if not the best of pop biology books I've read, it explains how quantum effects are necessary to understand the core biological processes such as photosynthesis. Of course in one way or another quantum effects are behind every observable effect, but in most cases you can safely get away without ever involving that in your calculations, so it is extremely exciting that in order to understand something very basic and essential to life on Earth, this needs to be considered.
Not every connection explained there is currently 100% confirmed (e.g. the role in the sense of smell remains a strong theory), and at some point the authors get carried away and deviate from the topic into some shaky philosophy, but the most of the book is eye-opening and quite well written.
Britain for the British by Robert Blatchford (clippings) - an early Socialist manifesto by a prominent campaigner from the days when it was a fresh idea, written in a very simple language as it was intended for the masses. In particular, I enjoyed applying provided examples to the current situation to see what has changed beyond recognition and can no longer be evaluated following the same approach, and what remains exactly the same.
It was also another reminder for me about how far away was Russian Bolshevism from the Western socialism. It is a pity too many modern left-wing politicians find inspiration in Chinese, Soviet or Venezuela atrocious regimes instead of in their own past, certainly not ideal but excellent in comparison.
Submission by Michel Houellebecq (clippings) - I found that scandalous novel much less Islamophobic than I expected from random reviews. Actually, there are very few negative statements, if any, it makes about Islamic society - it is rather pictured as a blind 'force of nature' filling out the volume made empty by 'degenerative West'. The protagonist is a typical anti-Western propaganda figure: a middle-aged single male working in a useless industry, incapable of a long-term relationship and at the same time obsessed with sex which he mostly gets through exploiting his position of power.
I disagree with this message and Houellebecq's view of the modern European and Islamic societies, but he is a good writer and even though I was reading the translation, the language was good and the plot development was okay. What's more to expect from fiction.
How Meteors Hit the Ground by Geoffrey Higges (clippings) - another book only interesting to aviation geeks, this time a very short one. It is basically a list of the design flaws of Gloster Meteor aircraft, the first fighter jet that entered mass production (no, it wasn't a German one). It stayed in use after WW2 as well (not only in Britain), but even after a number of improvements Meteor remained a demanding machine to maintain and to control. E.g. in 1952 (the year the author served in his Meteor squadron) a Meteor pilot was killed every four days.
The Arrows of Time by Greg Egan - including this book in the list is cheating because I only started reading it in 2015 and am still only 25% through it. The last book in Orthogonal trilogy, it is to the first two books what they all together are to the rest of Greg Egan's books, and also what Greg Egan's books are to the rest of sci-fi. In other words, it is Greg Egan on steroids with even more science of his world involved which makes it quite difficult to understand. So far there has been very little literature but a plenty of alternative physics, and I suspect it is going to stay like this.
I wrote about the previous (second) volume in my last post, so you can read it if you are interested.
This seems to be it for 2015. Have a good year, everyone.
Apparently I have read 14 books so far this year. Below is very briefly what I think of each of them (in chronological order) along with a link to excerpts I highlighted during reading:
Homage To Catalonia by George Orwell (clippings) - superb, easily on the top of my list. Brilliantly written, genuinely exciting and educating, and feels very relevant to many modern conflicts in different parts of the world.
Knocking on Heaven's Door: The Path to a Better Way of Death by Katy Butler (clippings) - very similar to Being Mortal by Atul Gawande I wrote about before, but with less of medical details and more emotional, probably because it is written by a professional writer as opposed to a doctor. While the idea is the same, both books are worth a read in my opinion as they provide views from different angles.
The Roman Guide to Slave Management: A Treatise by Nobleman Marcus Sidonius Falx translated by Jerry Toner (clippings) - the title says it all. Interesting both from the cultural and historical perspectives. For instance, I wasn't aware of that major diffrences existed in the attitude to slaves and slavery between Ancient Rome and Greece, the former being way more progressive - if asked before reading this, I'd say the differences were minimal or that Rome was more oppressive.
Brighton Rock by Graham Greene (clippings) - someone on the Tube train was reading it and I decided to give it a go as well. Meh.
The Eternal Flame: Orthogonal Book Two by Greg Egan (clippings) - The Orthogonal series is probably the most Eganish of all Egan's books, which means I really struggle to name anything that comes close in science fiction. The closest is probably Flatland from 1884, I mean in terms of inventing your own consistent world and the society suited to live in it, but of course it is on a different scale. You will either hate or love The Orthogonal, but you can be pretty sure you haven't read anything like it before.
Anatomies: A Cultural History of the Human Body by Hugh Aldersey-Williams (clippings) - the first half of the book is better than the last when it switches more to organs' perception in culture (not that it was unexpected considering the title, but still).
England and Other Stories by Graham Swift - meh. A couple of good stories and then too many of mediocre and bad ones which are seemingly different only in characters' names employing the same twist again and again.
Works of Jeremy Bentham by Jeremy Bentham (clippings) - not a real book, more like letters and articles by Bentham which are very long and explain the same thing paragraph after paragraph. But reading through a plan of a prison (out of all things) written by a celebrated liberal thinker might be interesting.
The Gilded Gutter Life Of Francis Bacon: The Authorized Biography by Daniel Farson (clippings) - great reading and probably the best of 'authorised biographies' I have read. Definitely better than the book on sitting for Freud's portrait above, but I recomend to read them both as Freud and Bacon used to spend a lot of time together.
Internal Medicine: A Doctor's Stories by Terrence Holt (clippings) - another meh. Expected more after Gawande and Butler, but this is just House M.D. type of stuff with no particular idea to express. Not without some good passages (see in clippings), but overall not worth your time.
Just making another note that we have got our first British passport in the family last week. Here's the holder unhappy with the fact he is not allowed to tear it:
That marks almost 6 years and £9.5K in visa fees after we came here (the latter will be well over the round figure of 10K when we two adults naturalise next year).
This is the earlier picture of us in the UK taken on our fourth day here:
Back in 2009, many things, good and bad, were only yet to happen.
