Whilst answering a post I was tagged in a few days ago, I realised I haven't posted here in six months or more. It's been a rotten year. Lost my mum, stepdad's not doing so well, took on a new role at work that I was not remotely prepared for... basically having my midlife crisis. 😅

Paging @emilymagpieyeah.bsky.social... I genuinely did a double take when I saw this in the @6music.bsky.social feed. Go you! 😀 (Glad to see you here, btw, may it be everything we still miss about the good old days on Twitter!)

Pink Floyd's "At Pompeii" is at number one in the UK album chart? I am the zeitgeist! 😄

@jigsawpieces.bsky.social Happy Birthday old chap! Hope you've had a severely excellent day. 😃

Hmmm. That weird feeling you get when you realise that the dread Tories have finally lost control of your local council after 20 years, but that Reform now have the largest number of seats on it... 😵‍💫

Exactly this.

Utterly dispiriting watching Farage and his army of swivel-eyed loons accrue seat after seat in the local election results. I do understand why people are so angry at Labour - I am too - but Farage's tired, reactionary, xenophobic bullshit is not the answer. 🤦

Exercised my democratic rights earlier this evening. Unlikely to make a difference in a Tory seat so safe that most tactical voting sites just put a shrug emoji next to it, but elections can only be won by showing up. 🗳💚

I've been neglecting my blogging, so wrote a monster update tonight. Hopefully it goes some way towards explaining why I've been so quiet here of late...! open.substack.com/pub/hippydav...

Ah, back in business. All hail the excellent staff at the O2 store in Worcester, who rectified a seemingly intractable problem with my new phone in record time. Had a brief mooch around Worcester, and now waiting for the train home so I can get on with the weekend I was actually planning!

If you love live music and want to have your voice heard by the government and music industry, please join thousands of music fans in taking this survey before it’s too late cgastrategy.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

Well, my specialist's appointment this afternoon went very well. Because I have a long history of forming kidney stones, I used to get regular scans, which - understandably - stopped abruptly when Covid hit, but were never re-instated. This has now been done, which is very welcome. 😀

A hassle-free train journey and a welcome walk in the sunshine to see a man about some kidney stones. Got here a little early so hanging out in the sun. Roll on Spring!

I watch the footage of Musk waving a chainsaw around at CPAC earlier, and can only conclude the same kind of blind, dispassionate hatred and nihilism that drives Leatherface drives Musk as well. Both men only know how to destroy; for them it is an end unto itself.

One thing's for sure, sitting here listening to a new Mostly Autumn record and sending my thoughts into the ether has left me feeling that any minute, Tim Hall would be joining the proverbial chat. "I hear his voice call / It only seems a moment since we last spoke", indeed.

#NowPlaying Mostly Autumn, "Seawater". The two-disc limited edition of MA's latest arrived this afternoon, so this is my first listen. As usual, when it's great, it's fabulous; when it's not great, it's... really not. There are few bands who I profess to enjoy that I have such a difficult time with.

#NowPlaying Nightwish, "Yesterwynde". Still besotted with this - almost certainly my favourite of the recent trilogy, and the others are all great, so that's not faint praise. Some bemoan that they've left their classic power metal sound behind them and have embraced prog and folk, but not me.

#NowPlaying Jinjer, "Duél". First listen. Man, they sound like they're on a mission this time. It comes roaring out of the gate, fists flying, before becoming surprisingly varied. "Tumbleweed" - surely one of the hardest-hitting songs about the invasion of Ukraine - is an instant highlight.

#NowPlaying Spiritbox, "Eternal Blue". Another band with a much-anticipated new record on the way ("Tsunami Sea", out next month). This is still the perfect blend of blissful pop and feral metalcore; very interested to see if we get further twists to their sound on the new record.

#NowPlaying Lacuna Coil, "Broken Crown Halo". Totally psyched for the new album ("Invisible Empire"), so giving this old favourite a spin in the meantime. This one captures them on the cusp of transitioning to a heavier sound, and it's a great mix of hooky choruses and speaker-trashing riffs. 🤘

#NowPlaying Nobody's Wolf Child, "Erbsa's Songs Of The Sea". Still thoroughly besotted with this, it's utterly gorgeous. NWC's other singles have been fantastic too, I can't wait for the debut album. I reckon it's going to be pretty special.

#NowPlaying Deathless Legacy, "Mater Larvarum". Ghost-style occult lunacy, beautifully rendered. Steva has a wonderful voice for this stuff, and the playing is taut and has plenty of heft. Looking forward to the forthcoming "Damnatio Aeterna".

Finally managed to listen to the whole of the Dream Theater album, thanks to a cancelled work meeting. Aaargh, it's superb. Unmistakably DT - highly melodic and thoroughly gnarly by turns. A delight for fans like me, highly unlikely to convince those who remain unconvinced. Long may they persist! 😄

And whilst I'm moaning, what's going on with this bloody cold? Feels like it's coming back for round three. God, I'm so tired of winter. I need sun! (And a better immune system, I suppose.)

First World problems: there's a new Dream Theater album out. I adore Dream Theater, and what I've heard of the new record is excellent. Dream Theater records are lengthy. It's been nearly a week and I still haven't got more than 3 tracks in without being interrupted. It's becoming vexing. 😄

I can think of a few worthy four-album runs, but I can't think of any greater than: The Dark Side Of The Moon Wish You Were Here Animals The Wall 🥰

Five favourite female vocalists, you say? Kate Bush Eivør Julianne Regan Tori Amos Máire Brennan

This is brilliant. The music is fabulous (hey, it's Underworld), but just watch the audience. Their utter joy is completely contagious. Love Hyde & Smith's words towards the end, too, concerning the music and their relationship to it and each other. Love those guys. 🥰 youtu.be/hfhKHcej-7U?...

Uncertainty is seldom welcome at work, but there are a lot of changes, large and small, afoot. I've worked through numerous redundancy drives and great uncertainty before, but for some reason I don't get that vibe this time around. Interesting times ahead, I reckon. The only constant is change.

My line manager retired today. So few people seem to be fortunate enough to have a truly great line manager, so I count myself lucky that I got to enjoy half a decade of outstanding support and friendship (we will stay in touch). Now I, and the rest of the team, move into the unknown. 😄

Lurgy watch: I think I'm finally turning a corner. The sinus pain is pretty much gone, as are the oceans of mucus. I still cough like I have the plague and everything still tastes of snot, but this is progress and I will take it!

I'm a long-term fan of the franchise as a whole, so objectivity is next to impossible, but this looks like it's going to be a whole lot of fun. And my favourite dino, Spinosaurus, is back! 🥰 Can't wait. youtu.be/ot0cwH6r0Lg?...

Tried going into work today, rather than working from home. Spent the day coughing and spluttering and feeling generally wretched. I think the walk home nearly finished me off. Whatever this is, it's still kicking my arse. Antibiotics are finished. Back to the GP tomorrow, I reckon. 😮‍💨

Dylan from Openreach rocked up as predicted at precisely 8:30 this morning and bravely faced the elements, maniac bus drivers, legions of plague-ridden kids and the gauntlet of our cats Lyra & Serafina in order to bring the modern wonders of direct-fibre connection to HippyTowers. Thank you Dylan! 🏆

Still feeling like death from this sinus infection. Enough already, accursed malady! Just another reason why I dislike January. I dunno, every year I try and go into January with a positive mindset, but every year I end up disappointed. It's a long, dark, depressing month spent dodging germs. Bah!

This also applies to my WIP. 😄

Getting properly tired of this sinus infection now. Had almost a full day without that vile taste, but it's back again now. C'mon antibiotics, work your damn magic already! I dunno what's worse, the vile taste or the constant crippling head/face ache. *Grump*

Well, that'll teach me to go back sooner if something changes. I have a sinus infection, and have been given antibiotics. Yay! The infected sinus is responsible for the horrible, nauseating taste I've enjoyed for the past three days. 😅

Seeing a man about a lurgy.

Well, I was hoping the mucus would hurry up and leave my body, and so it is... but does have to be so green and taste so bad? 🤢 Worst. Cold. Ever.

Got home, flicked on the TV, and caught 0.003 seconds of the inauguration before deciding it was time for some more X-Files. Far less concerning. 🙂

Slow but continual improvement on the lurgy front (only one uncontrollable sneezing fit today, and congestion levels are improving), so back to the old salt mine tomorrow. This week will, I suspect, be all about catching the hell up. 😀

This Saturday's film night (I'm going to start posting these to make a record, since we've never written them down in the 18 months or so we've been doing this. Me and Steen pick a film apiece each week. Stars by me, since this is my feed. 🙂): "Mack & Rita" (2022) *** "Civil War" (2024) ****

Whilst waiting for the shit to hit the proverbial fan, it seems the unthinking man's champion has launched his own line of crypto memes. Is there nothing this decrepit charlatan won't stoop to? He is like capitalism's dying gasp, an exemplar of all that's terrible and self-dooming about it.

Wow, US Bluesky makes for some pretty depressing reading at the moment. Obviously as Steen and her side of the family are American, we're concerned for what's going to transpire once Inauguration Day is done. The US and the world have weathered this storm before, but the stakes are higher now.

Whilst I've been laid up, I was in need of some comfort TV, which led to me re-watching the first three seasons of #TheXFiles. It's astonishing how well it holds up for a show that started over 30 years ago, and some of it seems even more prescient now than it did then. Still my favourite show.

Relieved to now be home, in a warmer environment, shopping done, and preparing for Film Night, for that is the Good and Right purpose of Saturday nights. 😀 Also relieved I remembered to get more Lemsip, since I appear to have consumed almost a whole box in three days. 😄

Finally some minor improvements on the cold front: woke up today to find that the ocean of snot has largely abated, and that my head has, for the most part, ceased to feel like it's about to pop from internal pressures. Still have a brutal cough, mind (I appear to have pulled a muscle in my chest).

Sick day #2. Ever so slightly brighter today, but the sneezing and the ocean of mucus persist, and I have zero energy - just walking to the loo and back was so knackering that I then managed to sleep for an hour. 😄 If this is 'just' a cold, then it's the worst one I've had in over a decade.

Well, that's just had me in pieces. 💔 Striking just how many other incredible talents we've lost who were involved, too. Ach. #RIP #DavidLynch youtu.be/0Bxz_MTOA6A?...