I think I might have to take a break from these weeknotes due to the absolute lack of activity I have going on in the upcoming weeks!

My big news this week I wrote about on Monday. I’ve ‘accepted’ a job back in the Civil Service and I discussed the reasons in that post. I’m excited about the role and getting back to the wider gov digital community but unfortunately the lead time until I can start is pretty significant and as I’m not working at the moment I really need to work out what to do with myself. 

The positive is that it opens up a window – potentially – for me to take advantage of the InterRail ticket I bought on a whim when they were on sale a little while ago. I have a pretty generic trip planned – the reality is my travels are often driven by my pursuit of new street art / graffiti spots to visit and those spots tend to be in bigger cities. So my plan at the moment is

Amsterdam > Hamburg > Berlin > Prague > Munich > Zurich > Paris

– like I said, pretty generic, but I’ve done so little travel for pleasure in Europe it is still exciting.

The fly in the ointment somewhat is that if the lead time until my start date extends longer than that I currently expect I am wondering whether I should get a small bit of consultancy or something for a couple of months. Knock a bit more rust off and top up the coffers over the summer.

Elsewhere this week the rail strikes meant I couldn’t attend Camp Digital in Manchester so I tried to watch it online – in the end though I found it really hard to give it the attention it deserved and only really tuned into Rachel’s brilliant opener, Kylie giving a great, detailed talk about some of her teams work at Citizens Advice and Gavin being Gavin to close the event. Apart from some early glitches I thought the online production was really well done and it was a great line-up – a real pity that the strikes disrupted the event (for the record I support the rail workers industrial action completely – I just feel for the events team.)

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The second biggest news for me this week was the launch of Paramount+ in the UK at last. Yes I realise that this is pathetic but I own my failures as a human! I mean I just went to Texas for an event talking about TV after all.

The first show I binged was 1883 – the prequel to Yellowstone. I do love a Western and Yellowstone is one of my favourite shows and its creator Taylor Sheridan likewise one of my favourite writers/showrunners. So it isn’t a surprise I enjoyed this as well but it is relentlessly bleak and brutal (even if the female lead never looks anything but as if she has stepped out of a salon!). It follows a group of pioneers on the Oregon Trail and it is quite the ride and has a couple of fun cameos.

I also caught up on the first couple of the new Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – and that is splendid. Just fun sci-fi nonsense that really reflects the original more than anything since (so far).

Road to 50 – 1984

Movie – Once Upon a Time in America

Album – Fat Boys by The Fat Boys (Disco Three)