I have been 40 since December 12th 2009 and I think this is a good time to start keeping some kind of record of what’s going on in my life. There’s lots of fresh starts
Home
We’re currently renting the top floor of a farmhouse from our friend Alpaca Deb who is living in the downstairs apartment. This is a really good situation for us right now. We sold our previous property and we didn’t have much luck finding a place that we liked as the closing date approached us at warp speed. Now we can look for a new place at our leisure and not have to worry about settling for somewhere that isn’t suitable due to a looming deadline. We’ve got the satellite TV, phone and broadband all set up, facilities for the animals, it’s all worked out nicely.
Work
I started my new job in the small town of Elora on December 2nd, at a very small studio, just four of us. It’s a big change from the places I’ve worked in the past which had as many as 150 employees, or in the big city where everything moved at crisis speed. My commute to work is about 35 minutes on some very picture-skew country roads, which beats 3 hours each way on the Greyhound. It’s nice to have a quiet place to work where I’m not chained to my desk and don’t have people breathing down my neck.
Books
I’m currently reading “Academ’s Fury” by Jim Butcher, book two of the Codex Alera series. Normally I don’t read fantasy series, I just don’t have the interest or patience. Science-fiction, mystery and historical stories are what I prefer. Jim Butcher is such a good writer that I would read his shopping list. He creates breathtaking cinematic action scenes that I don’t ever want to end. I care about his characters and want to know more about them. I first began reading Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files books shortly after I saw the promos for the television show based on those books. They are a thumping, cracking, roller coaster of a good read, without a dud in the entire series. Don’t take my word for it, go get them.
There’s quite a backlog of books waiting to be read. I’ll make a list later.
I’ve just finished listening to Wil Wheaton’s “Just A Geek”. If you’re only familiar with Wil Wheaton as Wesley Crusher from Star Trek then you’ve got a big surprise coming. Wil is a very, very good writer, more than that, a very, very good storyteller. His stories are about his life at work and at home, which sounds like they could be very dull, but they aren’t. There are no car chases or shootouts, just great stories about life.
Music
During the last few weeks I’ve been listening to The Beatles, Japan, The Jam, Heaven 17, Depeche Mode, Madness and lots of other 80s music. I’m so glad that I’ve re-discovered Madness, they’re great, and they have a new album which is so good that I think I’ve worn it out. My wife and colleagues tease me about my taste in music, but I’m 40 now, so I don’t care :-)
Movies and Television
This year I have become a big fan of the Murdoch Mysteries which is a very entertaining period mystery drama with extremely high production values. I enjoyed the show so much that I read four of the novels the show is based on and they are riveting, not so much for the mystery but for the character studies and the depiction of Toronto in the late 19th century.
I’m looking forward to seeing Guy Ritchie’s new Sherlock Holmes with Robert Downey Jnr. Sherlock Holmes is one of my literary (and television) heroes. It should be interesting to see Ritchie’s take on the character. Jeremy Brett is my favorite television Holmes, Nicole Williamson my favorite film Holmes, and Clive Merrison my favorite radio Holmes.
The weather outside is fierce. Winds and blowing snow have reduced visibility to a few metres. It’s good to be inside with spring rolls fresh from the oven.
