Mark Carroll's Journal

Again, a small update with unconnected trivia:

Some while ago, I noted that I should read Joseph Conrad's The Secret Agent. (I never attach actual reasons to such notes.) I finally got around to starting it and found the story to increasingly match details of a series we had started recently on Netflix. R. helpfully reminded me that the latter's named … The Secret Agent. The plots don't match each other wholly; I have yet to learn how far they diverge.

Previously, I read Iain Banks' Raw Spirit, a book about travelling around Scotland trying different whiskies. I had not read it before, the subject matter not greatly appealing to me. Still, I am glad I did: it was generally entertaining, and mixed whisky notes with driving and car thoughts, also tellings of all manner of anecdotes. It is strange to get a sense of the author from his quite personal writing, and to have him travel so many now-familiar places, given that he passed away some time ago. Belatedly, I get to know a local whom I shall never meet.

Last weekend, R. and I went camping with our dog L. It was a rather hot weekend, which R. found draining. I was surprised not to have to wrap up very well overnight. On the first evening, I managed to slip on loose moss and face-plant onto a rock; I still sport a fine black eye. Also, my leg remains rather stiff, I suppose it will sort itself out in time.

My in-the-office days continue to be tiring. Annoyingly, I remain in a poor position to use the transit time well: I feel up to reading people's journals here, etc., and the free newspaper on the train home, but little more. I often feel fairly tired and just want to rest instead. Perhaps cooler weather will help, or I will get more used to the new routine. Until now, I hadn't had much of a commute since high school and my previous two jobs were wholly remote. In my last couple of years of school, I got into the habit of napping on the bus home.

( I grumble about Uber. )

I have probably mentioned my disappointment in various British things. We can't manage anything from easily accessed healthcare to reliable rubbish collection. Hearing even the Labour government talk about reducing carer visas, not taking trans rights seriously, etc. really doesn't augur well.

Of course, we nearly ended up living in the US instead, which is even more of a dumpster fire given the lasting damage from the current administration. Both countries' officials seem unwilling to take on the task of responsible governance, instead we see performative policy that harms people without making any real sense.

I got to wondering: after the kids are grown and educated, perhaps we could go somewhere else? I took a look online on where people say is welcoming to immigrants and, ha ha, dismissed any list that includes the UK or the US.

The Scottish summer is currently cool and rainy. R. would be glad not to return to the hot humidity of the tropics. I like to think that we can find some middle ground.

In looking into what the options might be, I discovered that Spain's digital nomad visa could easily allow me and R. to live there someday. Then, we may be on an accelerated path because of the (colonial guilt) agreement that allows R. to qualify for Spanish citizenship more quickly. We would remain within easy reach of our children if they remain in Britain.

I have never been to Spain and know little about it. The language would certainly challenge me: it would be a considerable success if I could come to speak intelligibly, even with a dreadful accent. Nevertheless, as idle fantasies go, it is an interesting one to consider so perhaps I should try to reduce my ignorance in coming years. At a glance, reading about the current protests in Madrid seems an exciting start.

We returned to camping last weekend and were quite lucky with the weather, the loch looked beautiful on our first morning and we saw small fish in the shallows. I am out of shape or just worn out though, I was very appreciative of having limited duties with the teardown in particular. I slept well, wrapped in my sleeping bag inside a sleeping bag atop a new air mattress. The sunny afternoons could be warm but the nights still get chilly. While different absolutely, I was reminded of the relative cooling when I was outside Tucson in the desert after night fell. In a different life, I might have ended up living in a trailer in the Sonoran Desert but that's something the multiverse can explore on my behalf. R. is excellent at organizing our camping, I am lucky to get to follow their lead.

It was rather cloudy here for today's partial solar eclipse but, fortunately, the relevant important moon-finding fellow in the Middle East apparently sighted the crescent in time so the new month starts and we get to celebrate Eid al-Fitr tomorrow, also I don't need to call the school on Monday to explain an absence. As summer time (daylight savings) starts this weekend, we were looking at breaking our fast at 7pm tonight but 8pm tomorrow. Now, tomorrow we get to eat instead.

I am amused that family visiting from the tropics have chosen to visit Edinburgh today where, with windchill, it is forecast to get as warm as -3°C. I hope that they have a good time exploring the city and are wrapped up well.

Update: It turns out that they indeed had a good time.

Despite some difficulties, I managed to get a work project running reasonably last week and it is a relief to have the initial delivery behind me. The remaining to-do's can wait until next month.

This weekend's quite windy. I am now back from a walk over the squiggly bridge into the city centre to buy a few small items, at least it is more sunny than rainy right now. I returned home over the pedestrian suspension bridge near St Enoch Square. Especially near the Clyde, I had my hat pressed quite firmly over my head lest the wind take it.

Over the holiday, we will have a quiet time. My kids are in the US, R.'s are in Asia, it's just us and the animals for Christmas while our kids see extended family. It's great to take a breath, catch up with things, and enjoy being together.

R. fancied seeing Wicked (2024) and we get £5-each tickets at Odeon for having sold our souls to Jeff Bezos so off we went into last night's wind and rain. I didn't know what to expect: I don't have much memory of the original story, perhaps some memory of Tin Man (2007) which hardly hewed closely, and I am not much up on modern musicals. It turned out to be better than I expected: I found myself engaged and I thought that the green lady sang very well. Given what I know or guess of what constrains the plot of the followup, I am curious to see where it goes.

Listening to Radio Scotland tonight, they did well for me in choosing songs from big albums from 1984, then followed up with a show which seemed to threaten folk songs in Gaelic. Giving it a chance, I've been surprised to find that I mostly like the music, at least as background. (Typically, British and Irish folk I'd avoid even more than I would country music.)

I try to drink plenty of liquid each day, typically glasses of room-temperature water and hot tisanes, sometimes various tea and coffee also. About the only use I have for ice is for making a bowl of very cold water in which to cool boiled eggs rapidly.

With our colder weather, something new has happened: no longer do I find glasses of cold water appetizing. It would take plenty of tisanes to get me what feels like enough liquid. So, inspired by a colleague back in Dundee who used to drink plenty of warm water, I've now started doing likewise: it's okay. So, that's the new pattern, at least for now.

There was some frost on the grass when I took our dog L. out this morning, I expect some tomorrow too. In taking him out in the evening, typically I've seen the recently full moon, sometimes early in the morning too. I suppose the moon's times will move on and I won't much see it for a while again. If I bring out L.'s large jacket, rather than small harness, then he runs away so I suppose he still thinks it's not too cold.

We put the flat back up for sale, still no offers coming, we'll probably give up again soon. Still, it would be great to move somewhere better to walk L., maybe also nearer our youngest's school. Even if our flat is unusually large and bright, there are plenty of others for sale in the neighbourhood. In the meantime, money's tight, partly because we're still paying off furnishing the place when we moved in. It's difficult to settle when we don't intend to remain.

Last weekend, the recent rain had passed. On Saturday, we had a cool, sunny day which was perfect for a couple of walks. In the morning, we strolled a little in Glasgow Green then headed over to Barras Market. After lunch at home, we walked in the other direction, and I picked up more books at the Mitchell Library. For some parts of our walk, there was a strong wind. I wondered why the sun and wind felt so familiar, and I realized that it was from having lived in Cornwall, it reminded me of visiting the coast.

The next day, I visited my kids in Dundee, and rode on a Ferris wheel for the first time in ages. I expect that I must have before but I don't recall when. It was great to get to talk with them and hear how they are doing.

Monday saw me flown to London for meeting my new colleagues in person for the first time. I took the bus to the airport and, after arrival at Stansted, took the train to Liverpool Street from where I could walk. The weather was nice, I joined one remote meeting from a bench in a small, pleasant park before meeting people for lunch then going on to do some work with them before heading back home.

Tuesday we had the property maintenance engineers visiting to check into the recent water ingress into our building. It turned out that the gutters hadn't been properly maintained, they had blocked and the rain overflowed into the wall cavity. We will do what we can to make sure that doesn't happen again. In the evening, my throat didn't feel right.

Yesterday, I felt as if I had a head cold. However, I had wanted to make at least some progress with my work, and I finally managed to make a proper start on my current project, with obvious points for continuing.

Today, I felt unusually dreadful, and took my first sick day for many years. I don't even remember when I was last off work sick but it was at least three jobs ago. Testing tonight, an expired COVID test showed my first positive result. That's entirely my own fault for finally letting my guard down and not being careful enough in travelling to London. It's an education that I ought not have needed but perhaps I can at least learn to try to avoid subsequent reinfection.