A blog a day #11 - new books and more painting

Another day painting adding a second coat of primer to the whole kitchen. Set up nicely to finish the job tomorrow with the top coats. I must admit it looks so much fresher and brighter already just having the white walls so I’m a wee bit pleased!

But I couldn’t face another full day in and headed out to spend some Christmas money in Waterstones. I picked up their book of the month, ‘The Anxious Generation’ by Jonathan Haidt, which examines the effects of digital and social media on young people. I’m a wee bit anxious to read it given I’m already worried about how hooked my own girls are on things like YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat. I really wish I hadn’t let them on these things at such a young age; it’s a huge regret if I’m honest. I can’t see any benefit to them while the negatives are plenty. I take a bit of solace knowing I’m not unique as a parent and it’s as much down to societal pressure as it is to individual choices.

I also got ‘LESS’ by Patrick Grant, which looks more at my own problem with clutter and having too much stuff which again is causing me increasing levels of stress. Our house is a tip and it’s down to having too many things in it, admittedly most of which belong to me. Hopefully this will give me some ideas and motivation to get rid of lots of things I don’t need anymore.

And I grabbed a copy of The Economist for the first time in a while. I’m less interested in sharing my political opinions online now but I think I need to be a bit smarter about what those opinions are and be more informed about things happening out in the world.

Lisa was out in town with Christine so I was in eight car and dog this evening (treated myself to a fish supper too). Quite happy just chilling with the animals and watching football and

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The haunted hub and a confused nation

Sunshine over East Kilbride! Hurrah for summer! So what if it's still barely double-digits in temperature. The lack of sideways rain, sleet or howling wind goes down as a win in my book. I'm sure it won't last. 👀 So it was a very pleasant walk to the library on my lunch break to return some books (I came back with the latest Alex Cross novel from James Patterson and a book on how to start running - hah!). I was however, a bit sad to see the state of East Kilbride's supposed 'The Hub'. With Costa Coffee having packed up, it leaves the place feeling a tad desolate what with the other empty units giving some serious ghost town vibes. Not even the cheekiest of Nando's, which is still running off some lingering hype, could inject some life into the place. Not so much a 'hub' as a 'haunt'. 🥁 Confused priorities On the news, two stories caught my eye at either end of my working day. The first, from Florida, on how a head teacher at a school was p...

Over Time

A new song (which I'm still kinda polishing) but I recorded it on video during some free time today. I'll hopefully get it tracked out soon with drums and everything else soon. Continuing the theme I had going with my other one, I think this is about those times when you feel like there's no point, you're maybe suffocating a bit, and annoyingly self-aware that it's probably your own fault! Again however, I like to have a wee melancholic upside in there and that is the fact that time, reflection and crucially your loved ones are there to pull you out the hole even if you don't see it for a little while.

A blog a day #13 - office day

Monday morning and back to the office today. Half of me hates getting up so early on a Monday but the other half of me quite likes getting out the house and into the city. I also like seeing colleagues and there's usually a few in on a Monday so the chat is good. Got through some editing and posting, joined a couple of meetings, learned more about our soon-to-join Foundation Apprentice and picked up some more books on my lunch break! Drove to work also today. £8.50 for a peak time return on the train is just outrageous in my opinion. I can park for £6 all day in the city centre. That said, driving is fairly tedious and the standard of some folks on the road is appalling. Not sure if a lot of people have watched so much American TV, they now think we drive on the right hand side in this country. And just the lack of basic manners and behaviour is sad. After that, a basic night in front of the telly with some Still Game (again lol) and a good few pages of Stanley Tucci's book ...

Ever Learning Dad

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