December 30, 2019

As we approach the end of year, I thought I would think about some numbers from 2019 that reflect important parts of my life.

1677.75 hours worked (or more accurately booked — the total will be a little higher). This is the boring bit but I often enjoy my work and it pays for all the stuff I really like doing!

114 visits to the gym or playing sport. Two years ago I decided I needed to stay healthy and I’m pleased that I have managed to keep going, changed shape and brought my blood pressure down a little.

68 books read. This is the first year I added audio books to my reading list and it has proven to be a good way to tackle books that would otherwise be too challenging. My top five books from this year (in no order) were:

• The Way of All Flesh by Ambrose Parry
• Trinity: The Treachery and Pursuit of the Most Dangerous Spy in History by Frank Close
• Lessons in Stoicism by John Sellars
• Vietnam: An Epic History of a Divisive War by Max Hastings
• Ancillary Justice trilogy

41 albums purchased in Apple Music. I still feel more comfortable purchasing my music although I like using streaming to discover new music and if I really like an album I will try to buy a copy on vinyl. Each year I try to narrow down my favourite music to a ‘Festive Five’ playlist — my 5 favourite tracks released each year. This year, my choices are:

• Brown Baby by Rhiannon Giddens from the album There Is No Other
• South by Damien Jurado from the album In the Shape of a Storm
• Emerge by Bryony Jarman-Pinto from the album Cage and Aviary
• Glorious by Sudan Archives from the album Athena
• Lesley byDave from his album Psychodrama (my album of the year)

13 Minutes to the Moon. I am fascinated by the history of the Apollo programme and this was the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. The BBC released a wonderful podcast series called 13 Minutes to the Moon that explored the final phase of the descent to the moon’s surface in exquisite detail with atmospheric music from Hans Zimmer. If this is your kind of thing, go listen now…

PSA increased to 10.7. The medical experts and specialists continue to monitor my slightly cancerous prostate and for the moment the best treatment os to do nothing and keep an eye on things.

Zero shirts ironed Let’s switch back to things that bring joy… I stopped ironing my work shirts in 2019. £10 a week seems a small price to pay (despite adding up to £400 a year) to avoid grumpily switching to thinking about work on a Sunday afternoon when faced with the need to iron four identical blue shirts.

Reflection


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