Been quiet on here for quite a while. Just shy of two months, in fact! Well, I aten't dead, of course -- it's just been a long slew of sickness and busyness.
I don't think I have any particular news or updates to share -- things have mostly continued as they do, without any particular distinction -- but I wanted to start rebuilding the habit of posting things here.
(One thing I find interesting is that, having dipped on doing short, regular posts, I've lost the supporting habits that feed into it. e.g. when I was posting regularly, I'd pretty constantly be having and logging little ideas for other posts. The doing-and-the-logging are the things that stimulate the thinking (or, certainly, prime the brain to recognise the right shape of ideas when they crop up.))
I've been at Failbetter for more than a year now, which is strange. It's a classic case of the passage of time where it feels like the current state feels like it has been so forever, while also feeling like it only began five minutes ago.
The year, so far, seems to be following a similar pattern to 2022 -- a disciplined and mostly relaxing January, followed by a series of escalations that just knock everything off nominal (in this case: insomnia, sickness, holidays. Which is probably better than last year's case of 'just far too much work').
Spring has also firmly sprung since my last update. The bare trees and bushes are covered over with foliage, which mostly seem to serve to conceal screaming sparrows. There are two magpies nesting near our house (one of whom has a tic a bit like mine -- I have called him 'Squeaky Beaky'). I've spotted a few blackcaps -- the first time I've ever seen them! And I've started watching the skies for the arrival of the swifts...
