An Overdue Hello

 Hello terrapins, 

I trust you’re well. This isn’t an I’m hoping to charge you for your patronage message or anything, I just wanted to check in and say hi.

I would’ve attached the traditional audio version of this post, but I currently have the voice of that girl from The Grudge if she’d also been really into chain smoking barbed wire.

It has been quite some time since I wrote to you, and I’m rather sorry about that. I’ve been quietly trying to finish the new video, and am very happy to now be able to say it’s done. I won’t spoil the surprise, but it’ll be up shortly. In the video description you’ll also find a link to a few mini-podcast episodes I’ve made about solving creative problems and not going totally mad from trying to make stuff. I hope you like them.

It’s quite early in the morning here and I’m lucky enough to be watching the sun coming up around the mountain from my…study…? Office…? Room where I do most of my crying? Whatever the non-pretentious noun is. I’ll admit to being quite excited to share the potentially silly labour of the last few months with you shortly anyway. I’ve been promising myself if I actually do finish everything, I’m going to do nothing for a few days but play Death Stranding and drink white Russians. It’s important to have sensible life goals.

How are you getting on? Things are a bit weird here in Bulgaria. We’ve been out of our version of lockdown for a while now, and cases are quite steeply on the up again. At the same time we all seem so psychologically used to living with the situation that things feel oddly relaxed. I’m quietly optimistic about the Oxford vaccine; I hope you are too.

I wonder if these new habits we’ve picked up will last for life, and our kids and grandkids will watch in quiet confusion as we insist on washing our hands 15 times at minimum every time we come into the house. 

Anyway. Let’s not get dark. Housekeeping then:

The new book is almost finished, just going through the final editing phase. There are still some loose threads and scenes I wrote after a few beers that felt very profound at the time, but on reflection are fucking stupid and need to be taken out. 

I had my official womb-exit anniversary again a few weeks ago. You know you’re getting older when you repeatedly forget on the day of your birthday that it’s your birthday. Worse, you’re not even really looking forward to the presents anymore, you’re just very happy your family and mates are calling you to be lovely and sing down the phone. 

What else. Oh. I’ve decided to start learning the hurdy gurdy. If you are curious what a hurdy gurdy is, this is my new musical hero playing my new favourite musical instrument.

Also, someone stole my bike from outside Thin Red Line bar, and if by some weird coincidence the thief is reading this, the joke’s on you because now I have to walk everywhere and I like walking so fuck you.

(Incidentally the feline is doing very well and getting in her minimum 23 hours sleep a day and strict diet of meat and scratching the drapes to guarantee another uncomfortable conversation with my landlord.)

Finally, I’d been lucky enough to stumble on some (I hope you agree) cool stuff the last few months and I’d love to share them with you.

The first I found this morning, courtesy of a friend’s recommendation. If it wasn’t already obvious, I’ve been pretty terrified of death my entire life. One of my favourite comedian’s mum had a chat with him on his podcast about just that, being terminally ill herself. And she’s just incredible. As an obligatory warning: there aren’t many chuckles in this one, and like I did, you might find someone is cutting onions very close by. But I promise it’s worth it. 

The second is a channel I feel quite privileged to have discovered before it inevitably got massive. It’s called Ordinary Things and his stuff is gold. I think you’ll dig him too.  

The third is a game called Gris. A friend and I played it together over the course of several evenings and when we finished it the ending was so gorgeous we just sat back in silence for a while and reconsidered our lives. It is art and I can’t recommend it enough.  (Don’t be confused by the trailer, it’s not just PS4 – it’s on PC too via Steam.) 

And finally I will recommend a ukulele cover just because I can. It’s gorgeous and inspired me to actually try to play more than just five chords on my own ukulele (my own as in: stolen from a friend and I won’t be returning it.). I keep it on my desk now, and every time I’m having editing troubles, pick it up and try to futilely imitate this guy’s incredible playing. Just what a wizard. The ukuelele is one of those instruments that you don’t often see played to a professional standard, so it’s easy to forget when it’s done right, it’s mindblowing. (We all had to learn the recorder in school and obviously it sounded shit. Then one day a girl who was actually professional at it came to play for us and we were speechless. This young man is another wonderful example.) Anyway. This guy is a ukulele god. Clearly  

Again, huge apologies for not writing for a while. Honestly I didn’t have a great deal to say except, “I’m still working, please bear with me,” so it felt a bit pointless to waste your time. Now I’m hoping I can proudly waste your time instead with a new video. In any case, as always, thank you so much for still sticking by as a supporter here, I’m ever so thankful. Please give me a little more time to get the new book right, and I promise it’ll be waiting in one of these posts as an attachment if you’re curious. 

Hope you and your families/friends are getting on well, and as ever, just big love and thanks really. I'm more grateful for the support than I can say. 

Speak soon.

Ex.

P.S. - Attached should be a photo of the feline at her maximum state of laziness. It also happens to be her minimum state of laziness.