Weeknotes – 1748 of 4175
Hi all 👋 Hope you had a good week. Here’s what I’ve been thinking, learning and writing.
🏡 Life Update
I’ve never had any interest in going to a traditional English afternoon tea. Eating tiny bites with a big price? No thanks.
But my Mum loves them. So off we went for Mother’s Day. And to the Savoy Hotel too (the thinking mans Ritz). It was all perfectly nice, and less stuffy than I imagined. But it was eye-wateringly expensive for some mini sandwiches and cakes.
For six months or so I’ve been all-in on Notion when it comes to my work. I use it for meetings notes, a knowledge base, to-dos and as a calendar. It’s a powerful tool.
Before that I used Roam Research. But I got tired of having my to-dos and notes having to live separately – I needed tighter integration. So off to Notion I went.
But I’ve b experimenting with Logseq, which is essentially an open-source Roam clone. It’s gotten a lot better than when I used it several years ago. There’s little reason you’d pay for Roam over the free Logseq.
However, it still has most of the same limitations that Roam had. And it is also rather buggy and slow. So it’s not dethroning Notion.
Deleted my 23andMe data after they went bankrupt.
🔗 Short Links
“Is It Time for Old School?” Michael Wade suggesting bringing back classical music knowledge, memorising poetry, joining community service organisations, reading more books, and more.
There’s a whiff of “old man shouts at cloud”, but there’s still food for thought in this list.
Watch live TV from around the world at tv.garden.
📺 TV
This Time with Alan Partridge
I’m a big Alan Partridge fan. I’m Alan Partridge is one of my top five favourite comedy shows ever. I’ve watched it so much that I actually haven’t watched it for a few years, just to give myself a break.
The good thing about Partridge is that it’s still ongoing. Unlike a Blackadder, which was released and done with, there’s been plenty of Partridge shows, specials, podcasts and books.
One of the more recent ones is This Time with Alan Partridge. Upon release I thought it was decent, but nothing special. But it’s grown on me over time and I really like it now.
I watched it in the background whilst playing Age of Empires II, and had a lovely time. I’m a particular fan of the segment where he interviews an Irish farmer who looks like him. Find out where to stream it.
Murder in Successville
Each week a celebrity is dropped into a improvised murder mystery scenario. All the actors know the script, the celebrity doesn’t.
I’d actually seen the American spin-off – Murderville – and enjoyed it. So it was good to stumble upon the British original. It’s really great. A silly, fun show that you can’t help but like. Find out where to stream it.
🎵 Music
Note: most links are to Spotify.
David Gray
I saw David Gray at the Royal Albert Hall. I’d never actually listened to a lot of his work. His masterpiece from 1998 – White Ladder – has plenty of songs I love, but I never looked beyond that. So I ventured across his discography ahead of the show.
His other work isn’t quite in the league of that 1998 classic, but I was really impressed by Flesh in particular. And I still have plenty more to listen to.
If you haven’t listened to White Ladder, you must. The song “Say Hello, Wave Goodbye” has been on repeat ever since the show.
Oh yes, the show. It was very good. Many of the musicians I listen to were at their peak in the 60s/70s, so are now old men. So I have to arrive to their shows with fairly low expectations. And even then I’m sometimes disappointed. So I’m not used to a proper energetic show by someone still in their relative youth. He still sounds great and he put on a wonderful show. And it’s always good to visit the Royal Albert Hall.
Linda Ronstadt
A slight step back, she hasn’t built from “Silk Purse (1970)”. There’s some solid stuff here, it’s just a bit all over the place. 5/10
Best tracks:
- “I Won’t Be Hangin’ Around”: the best song on the album. She’s at her best when she really stretches that voice.
- “Birds”: a nice Neil Young cover.
- “Rescue Me”: out of nowhere this upbeat R&B number. It’s solid.
She’s getting better. This is still mostly country. But some rocky elements are starting to seep in, and for the better. “Long Long Time” is the standout track here – it’s stunning. 6/10
Best tracks:
- “Are My Thoughts With You?”: a pretty country ballad with a melancholic harmonica.
- “Long Long Time”: I first heard this in S01E03 of The Last of Us. The song is a big part of the episode, and I was a bit disappointed by the song choice. So many songs, and they choose a mediocre one. I was wrong. Listening to it on the album it’s a beautiful song.
- “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?”: a fun, pleasant cover.
A pleasant and mellow country-inspired album. Whilst not outstanding, I could see me myself putting this on again when I want something not too challenging. 5/10
Best tracks:
- “Bet No One Ever Hurt This Bad”
- “The Only Mama That’ll Walk The Line”: a fun country number that reminds me a bit of “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’” by Nancy Sinatra