I’ve had Covid this week. I could have cried when I saw the positive result after being so careful for the last three years. Feeling miserable but the coughing is starting to fade a bit. Hopefully the worst is over.

Started to read: Wyntertide by Andrew Caldecott 📚

It’s taken a while for me to get around to reading the second part of this excellent trilogy.

🥂 Last work day of the year.

I just heard a radio advert for Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. That’s a bunch of words that don’t slip off the tongue easily.

I turned on the micro.blog newsletter service and sent myself a copy to see what it looked like. It’s nice. I haven’t written much here to justify a newsletter but I can see how it would be a great way to keep family members up to date with what I’ve been doing.

Christma Eve dinner at relatives today including a few gin & tonics and this doggy.

Trying to get back into the VSCO iOS app but the user interface is still awful. There’s something wrong if I have to keep reminding myself where the camera button is. It’s unfortunate because the app has a lot of nice filters that are worth using. In for another year anyway.

I never really listened to Terry Hall’s band The Colour Field that much. Which means I’d never heard their gorgeous cover of The Roches’ Hammond Song until today. Hammond Song on YouTube 🎶

🙁 Contemplating the first Christmas without my dad around.

I don’t like the way rich and powerful men get referred to using their first names eg “Boris”, “Elon”. They’re not our friends.

Steely Dan’s 20 greatest songs – ranked! | Steely Dan | The Guardian:

With November marking 50 years since their debut album, we pick the best of the band’s idiosyncratic output, with tales of capitalism, drug dealers and mid-life crises.

Nice list. Deacon Blues is my fave. 🎵

I watch baseball late at night here in the UK. My late dad was in the US Navy and we lived in San Diego for a while when I was very young. I would love to see the Padres beat the Yankees to win the World Series for sentimental reasons.

That word “late” is still hard to say.

I shouldn’t still be surprised that there are people who will watch hours of a TV show they claim to be boring, and awful, just to dump on others enjoyment of that show.

Film log: Watched Rock and Roll’s Greatest Failure: Otway the Movie ★★★1/2

John Otway was/is the personification of punk’s DIY spirit. This fan-funded documentary was a lot of fun but it could have done with a few more critical voices. 🎥

Roger Waters is embarking on “his first ever farewell tour” according to an ad on the radio. If this goes well I presume there will be another “farewell tour”.

The Marillion show was rescheduled to the following night but at a different venue. This was my view of the stage and the reason I have a sore neck today. It was a great show though. The usual mix of high emotion and laughter from live Marillion. I loved it. Setlist. 🎵

Some random finds out walking today. Early signs of autumn.

I expected it but next Monday’s Marillion show in Glasgow has been cancelled. It’s disappointing but understandable. I could have done with the uplift after such a stressful summer. New date to come. Marillion ‘The Leavers: V. One Tonight-Live At The Royal Albert Hall 🎶

Film log: Watched Agnes By Varda, 2019 ★★★★. 🎥

The share menu in iOS is a delight. You never know what you’re going to get. I do know that the app I need is never there no matter how many times I’ve added it in the past.

Watched Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power. I really enjoyed it. The first episode was a bit exposition-y but things really pick up steam in the second. I always say you can’t go wrong with the addition of dwarves. Looking forward to the next episode. 📺