COVID-19 Pandemic 2020 Part 6
When I last wrote about the COVID-19 Pandemic in May, the UK was just beginning to see an easing of lockdown restrictions. As a lot of people surmised, the government was trying to do too much, too soon and without the appropriate logistical support. Hence the last five months have been a litany of political disasters, all of which have contributed to the UK having the highest COVID-19 related deaths in all of Europe. Furthermore, the government's failure to provide PPE, make available a universally accessible testing service and implement an effective national tracing service, has highlighted their lack of talent and overall incompetence. Every week another “dead cat” is thrown on to the altar of politics in an attempt to divert the attention of 24 hour rolling news away from their utter ineptitude. Hence on top of the COVID-19 Pandemic, we’ve seen the spectre of both BREXIT and the “migrant crisis” re-emerge.
Shopping for Clothes
I am a 52 year old man, who has unofficially retired and therefore no longer has to commute, work in an office or interact with clients. I am also in a long term, stable relationship. I don’t have to worry about having to dress to impress, cutting a dash or maintaining a professional appearance. Nor do I put any particular stock in fashion. I view clothes as mainly functional, tempered with a degree of style. Comfort is by far the biggest deciding factor, along with durability. I don’t overly worry about my age, so I don't feel the need to dress especially “young”. My day to day clothes consist of t-shirts, jeans and trainers/sneakers. If it’s cold I put on a fleece. If I need to “look smart” I wear a shirt. If it’s jacket weather I wear a hooded top or something casual. Hence it will come as no surprise that my wardrobe is not at the cutting edge of fashion. However, I don’t look like a hobo either, to quote my granddaughters. It’s all a far cry from my parents' generation when clothes were far more formal and each age group seemed to have an unofficial uniform.
Libraries
If you wanted to find me on a Saturday afternoon during the late seventies and early eighties, then the local library was a safe bet. At one point I belonged to three including one in a neighbouring borough but Blackfen Library was my favourite. It was the nearest to our home and I was fond of the oddly austere building. Both of my parents have always been prodigious readers so going to the library quickly became a regular part of my youth. Initially, I was content to confine myself to the children’s section reading Hergé's Adventures of Tintin and the escapades of Asterix the Gaul. However, I was never really content with fiction aimed at children and especially stories about children. Hence as I grew older I expanded my horizons and strayed into the adult section. My parents didn’t interfere in my choice of books and took the attitude that if I were reading, then I wasn’t getting into trouble. My Dad would make the occasional recommendation. Usually classic science fiction by authors such as Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke.
Living With Chronic Pain
To begin with, I am not claiming to be living with “chronic” pain in this blog post. I am fully aware of the definition of the term and am fortunate that my current injury does not force me to endure such levels of discomfort. However, my recent experience has provided me with a new insight into something that most of us only notionally know about and have little or no true understanding. I believe I appreciate my Mother’s daily circumstances a lot better now (as well as several friends and colleagues who also live with chronic pain) and finally understand how debilitating both physically and mentally living in constant and acute pain can be. Hence I decided to write this piece. To share my experience with an injury that continuously hurts and to help inform others about the realities of living with chronic pain. Sometimes you need to experience something first hand to fully get the measure of it.
Community and Friendship
I joined Twitter back in 2010. Perhaps the most surprising thing I quickly discovered about the platform is the immediacy of communication that it offers. You can follow someone, reply to something they say or initiate a conversation with them in real time. Hence interacting with those who share a common interest becomes very accessible and enjoyable. It’s a far cry from going to a convention, wandering around and then plucking up the courage to speak to someone or join in a conversation that others are having. Social media removes those awkward “ice breaking” moments. Of course not every Twitter exchange is a pleasant experience but overall I’ve not encountered many problems using social media over the past decade. Twitter has broadly been a positive experience and introduced me to a wider community. It has provided me with an opportunity to meet new people and become part of something that is both social and positive.
Why Are So Many Gamers Assholes?
First off before we begin, I am not going to apologise for using the term “asshole”. Yes I could use more eloquent language but finding a non profane definition is complicated and potentially difficult to agree upon. Are we talking about antisocial gamers, the deliberately obtuse or those with specific prejudices and axes to grind? Is this all about tribalism, real world political affiliations or the whims and caprices of professional malcontents? Perhaps all these examples are correct and just different facets of the same problem? See, it’s easy to get bogged down just with the terminology. But most people know what is meant by the phrase “asshole”. Within the confines of gaming culture, we know exactly who and what they are. We also know where to find them and sadly they are not an endangered species.
The Insincerity of Corporate Platitudes
For decades myself and others around the world have watched aghast at the state of race relations in the US. For a nation that exalts democracy, freedom and equality it seems to continuously fail to live up to such principles. In the last 4 years things have gotten demonstrably worse for obvious reasons and the outrages and injustices against the BAME community have increased further. The killing of George Floyd was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back and so for the last week the US has burned, figuratively and literally, in the fires of righteous indignation. A national wound has been laid bare and once again an opportunity presents itself to either address the matter and treat it, or to simply bandage it and ignore it. The major difference on this occasion is the presence of social media which for good or ill provides a platform to share information and express views as events unfold.
Time For a New Project (Again)
I am currently in a quandary with regard to my creative output. There’s a good chance that the lockdown has contributed to this state of mind and perhaps even the recent Blapril blogging event is partly to blame. I feel the need to do something at the moment but have no specific idea as to what it should be. I want to write but can’t think of anything at present that enthuses me sufficiently. I also want to return to podcasting, which is something I’ve always enjoyed. But I don’t especially relish producing a one man show. I’ve tried live streaming but don’t really think the medium plays to my strengths. Plus, I’m a little burnt out with gaming per se at present. Perhaps the answer lies in trying my hand at something completely new? This could potentially kill two birds with one stone as documenting the resulting learning curve could be a good source of blog posts. However, the first hurdle is deciding what my next project should be?
Electric Shavers
I have always found shaving a nuisance and a chore. There was a period in my working life where being suited, booted and clean shaven was part of the gig. So every morning began with a battle with the stubble. I won’t waste your precious time recounting all the various brands of razors I tried. Let it suffice to say that there’s a huge amount of bullshit peddled by the male grooming products industry (yes, I’m looking at you, so-called King of Shaves, you self aggrandising corporate gits). Perhaps the biggest one is that there’s an optimum way to shave. This is an utter falsehood. The way your facial hair grows is as unique as that on your head. So it may well suit Jugdish to shave “against the grain” and for Sidney to do the opposite, while Clayton uses his razor freestyle. There is no “one approach suits all”. However, shaving with a safety razor is a separate post altogether. It is because of them and due to my inherent apathy towards shaving per se, that I’ve recently tried using an electric shaver again.
COVID-19 Pandemic 2020 Part 5
The UK Government’s honeymoon period with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic is well and truly over. Irrespective of one’s political outlook, it is sensible and dare I say it, reassuring to want to get behind the Prime Minister and his cabinet in their attempts to tackle this dreadful situation. Some may have thought it would be the making of the man and way to bridge the political divisions caused by Brexit. But that was six weeks ago and such optimism has conspicuously withered on the vine. Many of the promises made and have proven empty and a decade of politically motivated austerity has left many key public services struggling. The government was under prepared, lacking in talent and driven by the same hubris inherent in all their political decisions. Namely that notions of British exceptionalism would somehow see us through. They haven’t. Despite the recently recovered Prime Minister (who caught COVID-19 due to not following his own instructions) standing at a podium on 27th April and claiming some sort of success, the reality is the complete opposite.
"Middle-aged"
I read a comment on a news website recently in which the author claimed to be “middle-aged”. They were 67 years old. This highlighted something I have considered for a long time; that this term is one of the most elastic and wilfully misused in the English language. And it may come as a surprise to you but this really bugs me. Because one’s age shouldn’t be a matter of anything other than numerical accuracy. However, it would appear that I’m swimming against the tide on this issue and perhaps many others. For many people, most forms of self scrutiny are refracted through the prism of their feelings and cultural assumptions. Hence what they think, see and feel about themselves is often quite different to objective reality. Your age falls into this category. And then there is the cultural bias towards youth which runs through every aspect of society. All things considered, it’s hardly surprising that people are going to stretch the term “middle-aged”.
Play Your Own Way
This post comes with caveats. In a perfect world, common sense would prevail and I wouldn’t have to list them. But we live in an age where some people take great pleasure in being professional contrarians and deliberately obtuse. So let me state clearly and unequivocally, I am not advocating that your gaming pleasure should come at the expense of someone else's. If you sign up for a 12 man raid and have a specific role to play, then do so to the best of your ability. Fooling around has consequences in such a scenario. However, that is not what is being discussed here. Nope. What I am suggesting is that you should take your pleasures, where you can find them. And if they have no tangible impact upon other players, then you are totally entitled to play your game of choice in a manner that suits you. It’s a simple axiom, yet it still proves to be very difficult for some gamers to comprehend and more importantly accept. Allow me to explain by means of an example.
COVID-19 Pandemic 2020 Part 4
I started displaying symptoms of COVID-19 on Sunday 5th April. I developed a headache, a raised temperature and muscle pains. And then the coughing started along with a sense of tightness in my chest. It was initially just uncomfortable and inconvenient. By Wednesday all symptoms had become much worse and I felt like I was in a constant bear hug. I was continuously trying to find a position where breathing wasn’t so painful and awkward. Due to the toll that fighting the virus was taking on my body, I was feeling very lethargic, despite sleeping at night for over 10 hours and napping during the day. I also noticed that I was continuously thirsty and was eating a great deal, to fuel my body’s immune system. Then on the evening of Friday 10th April I started to feel extremely cold. That evening was the worst I felt throughout the entire experience. Despite wrapping myself in a duvet and multiple blankets, I could not get warm. And then over the course of the weekend all symptoms started to decline. By Monday 13th April all that was left of COVID-19 was a sense of extreme fatigue. Something that will last for another week according to medical sources.
Cutting Your Own Hair Part 2
Today my Panasonic ER-GB37 Wet & Dry Hair Trimmer arrived. As I suspected, once unpacked there was nothing excessively complex about this device or its operation. So I duly charged it for a couple of hours and then decided it was time to attempt to cut my own hair, as I haven’t had a haircut in over five weeks. The trimmer can cut to twenty different lengths between 10mm to 0.5mm. I opted for 6mm which equates to one quarter of an inch or Number #2 as some Barbers refer to it. I washed my hair and then went and sat outside at the garden table to make use of the natural sunlight. Rather than removing one of the various large wall mirrors that adorn our house, I opted to use a simple shaving mirror. This proved a sound choice as it comes with a stand. After a few deep breaths I began the process.
Cutting Your Own Hair Part 1
I usually go to my local Barber’s every four weeks or so. It’s about fifteen minutes walk from my home and I’ve been going there since 1970. I like to keep my hair short and I enjoy the therapeutic benefits of relaxing and have someone cut my hair. The staff are great and there is a curious sense of continuity that comes from going to the same establishment for 50 years. The original Barber has retired and his son now runs the premises. In my youth I used to favour certain styles and was especially fond of a well cut flattop (Kurt Russel sported an absolute beauty in the 1994 movie Stargate). Sadly such a style is very labour intensive and time consuming. Hence many stylists don’t care to undertake such a cut and it’s a bitch to manitain. Hence in more recent years, I’ve favoured a straightforward clipper cut. This consists of Number 1 (one-eighth of an inch/3mm) around the back and side and Number 2 (one-quarter of an inch/6mm) on top. However, the Barber shop is currently closed and I’ve not had a hair cut for nearly 5 weeks.
COVID-19 Pandemic 2020 Part 3
I wasn’t expecting to write the next instalment of this “pandemic diary” so soon. However, yesterday morning (Sunday 5th April) I developed a headache and shortly afterwards a temperature and muscle pains. By midday I started coughing persistently and noticed what I will describe as a sense of tightness in my chest (it feels like I’m wearing a shirt that is too small for me). These symptoms persisted and I went to bed at an uncustomary early hour. I slept in the spare bedroom, which is also my office and have isolated myself as well as I can (we live in a bungalow) from Mrs P. As of this morning the symptoms have persisted and it now feels very similar to a bout of flu. I am sluggish and groggy but certainly not at the point where I need medical treatment. Napping is proving useful and I’m hoping I can mainly sleep through this, as I am now stuck in the office for the next 7 days. I am allowed access to the bathroom, although separate towels and rigorous cleaning of all handles and surfaces is now the rule of thumb.
COVID-19 Pandemic 2020 Part 2
It’s been one and a half weeks since my last entry regarding the COVID-19 Pandemic 2020. As I’m sure you’re all aware, a lot has happened globally in that time and many nations are currently coming to terms with the ramifications of dealing with this virus in their own “bespoke” way. Personally I think a global approach to the problem would be beneficial but the rise of nationalism and a diminishing of worldwide institutions such as the United Nations has made such a strategy very difficult. I was going to summarise my thoughts on the UK’s response to this crisis but I have decided instead to defer such a post for another week and instead focus upon a more positive theme. Because something has happened recently in the UK. Something I was doubtful about because I’ve been so jaded by contemporary politics. And yet despite my cynicism, I have seen a demonstrable increase in community spirit, solidarity and compassion in the last few days. And it has been a thing of beauty to behold.
COVID-19 Pandemic 2020 Part 1
The COVD-19 Pandemic is an unprecedented global event and the way day to day life has changed so rapidly over the last few weeks is deeply unsettling. Hence I’m writing this recurring post as a coping mechanism; a means to process what is happening and observe how society is reacting to the ongoing crisis. And first off, let me state that I’ve already spoken to two people today, who do not see a Global Pandemic as being a crisis. Yes because we live in a post truth world where some people labour under the delusion that all opinions are of commensurate value, there are still people who “feel” that this is all an overwrought brouhaha. I suspect “crazy people watch” may become a major part of my writing. So where to begin exactly? Well I guess the best thing to do is to explain what my personal situation is.
Restricting Player Representation in Video Games
Belghast wrote a succinct and personal rebuttal today regarding the iniquities of restricting player representation with video game characters. Escape from Tarkov creator’s Battlestate Games, are currently involved in a rather tired and predictable controversy over the lack of playable female characters in the aforementioned title. If you want chapter and verse about this sorry state of affairs then visit The Verge who have all the salient information. Part of me can’t help feeling that it’s 2020 so shouldn’t we all be done with kind of bullshit? Apparently that’s not the case and some parts of society and indeed the world, still think its the 1950s. Sadly the video game industry seems to be a habitual offender when it comes to these sorts of debacles. Their desire to self flagellate and elect to be continuously on the wrong side of history is perplexing. So once again it is time to counter yet another false narrative and shed some light via the medium of facts, rational thinking and logic on that increasingly lonely place known as reality.
Goodbye 2019
Last year I tried to write a measured and balanced post about the passing of the year. Sadly this time round my attitude toward the departing 12-month period is somewhat binary. Yes there were a couple of highlights to 2019 but most of it was an uphill struggle and therefore not worth celebrating. It can frankly sod off and won’t be missed. The two high points were my son’s wedding in August and my renewed enthusiasm for blogging that came about due to the Blaugust writing event. But overall 2019 was a repetitive and somewhat depressing grind having to continuously deal with multiple family illnesses, numerous hospital visits and then at the end of the year a bereavement. Yes, these are things that happened to us all eventually and there is no escaping them but I appear to be trapped in this facet of the “circle of life”. Furthermore, until certain situations resolve themselves, I cannot make or implement any long-term plans. 2019 has been in many ways about just treading water.