Status:
Relatively quiet day. Slept a lot and tried to take things easy. Great-neph M came over and we spent a bit of time together. He’s just got his formal autism diagnosis which should unlock a whole load of support at school and we talked about the difference that external validation makes. I don’t get to hang out with M as much as I’d like but it’s good to be his adult autism buddy. He’s currently fascinated by old phones (and most old tech to be fair) and was delighted that I never throw anything away so have a box of the damn things. Top Uncling.
Overnight listening:
Reading:
- John Harris: In Gorton and Denton, I found a long-festering sense of fury that Labour has no idea how to tackle
- The Fallen Apple - it would be nice if companies, once they figure out how to make something useful that people want, could just keep doing that and not fuck it up for the short-term benefit of the stock market or whatever. For the first time in 40 years my next computer (which I will put off as long as possible) might not be a Mac and I really resent the hassle that’s going to entail.
- America’s contract to protect white women has always been tenuous
Watching:
- Beau Travail - When a woman makes a movie about men (23:52) - really good video essay about the portrayal of masculinity in film that unexpectedly turns polemic towards the end.
- Laura Kampf (23:04)
- Sunday Papers: The Observer 18 January 2026 (1:04) - Isobel Smith, an interesting artist Fiona came across.