This is my “now” page. Check out nownownow.com for more information about “now” pages.
10 second update
Living in Nova Scotia for 18 years, “kids” are now 19 and 23, celebrating being with Adrian for 33 years, working for the Community College. Concentrating on health after surgery in February. Now I suppose I should call myself a “cancer surivivor”.
No formal political roles for the first time in many years but I do help out friends with strategy, data and analysis.
Earlier in the year we adopted a beautiful puppy because… life isn’t complicated enough. Luckily Adrian is doing all the hard work and I get to escape during the week to work away from home. She is beautiful though.
Podcasts
I have been listening to far too much US politics as we approach the election in November. I posted about it. After a 15 year gap I have also started listening to The Archers again.
I have also been listening to:
- Sing it Pink – the story of the Pink Singers, London and Europe’s oldest LGBTQ+ choir, told through the people who sang. Ongoing will rate later 😃
- Why do you hate me? – another Marianna Spring Podcast about the scary world of conspiracy theories. The platforms have a big part in the hate farming. 🌟🌟🌟🌟
- Death of a Codebreaker – the GCHQ, MI6 seconded code breaker, Gareth Williams was found dead in a sports bag in his bathroom in 2010. This podcast tells the story of what is known from the investigation into the young man’s death. 🌟🌟🌟🌟
- Blood on the Dancefloor – about the terrorist murder of a gay policeman in 1990s Northern Ireland. Excellent and disturbing. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
- A Very British Cult – British “Life Coaching” group “Lighthouse International” exposed. Scary cult. 🌟🌟🌟🌟
- Believe in Magic – surprising twists and turns in the story of a young woman, her illness and her fundraising. 🌟🌟🌟🌟
- Carrie Jade does not exist – not quite “Believe in Magic” but still an interesting tale with some twists and turns. 🌟🌟🌟🌟
- Disaster Trolls – the sick people who pretend they believe that disasters did not happen and make money from selling these ideas to gullible people. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
- Marianna in Conspiracy Land – why hippies are flirting with extreme right wing conspiracy theories. 🌟🌟🌟🌟
- Vishal – investigation into the disappearance of a young boy on the day of the wedding of Charles and Diana. Disturbing, emotional, and infuriating. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Books
I have recently read:
The Velvet Rage: Overcoming the Pain of Growing Up Gay in a Straight Man’s World by Alan Downs
Doppelgänger by Naomi Klein
This Land – The Struggle for the Left by Owen Jones
Conspirituality: How New Age Conspiracy Theories Became a Health Threat by Derek Beres, Matthew Remski, Julian Walker
Learning to Love Midlife – 12 Reasons Why Life Gets Better with Age by Chip Conley
Research and Rabbit holes
Current research interests and the rabbit holes I end up down:
- The small web / personal websites / indieweb
- Federated social media
- Self-hosting / homelabs
- Leadership – emotional intelligence, Susan David and Emotional Agility
- Mindfulness
Goals
Current self-imposed metrics
- 10,000 steps at least five days a week
- 30 minutes cardiovascular exercise five days a week
- 10 minutes mindfulness every day
- Three things I am grateful for each day (this is on hold right now)
This site
I used to describe my website as an “Oh look I have a website” site and then found out there are such things as Everything/Nothing or E/N site which mean everything to the writer and nothing (or almost nothing) to anyone else. I am good with that. It is not everything to me and I mainly use it to play around and work out if I can do things or test things or whatever.
I last updated this site on 24th February 2024 when I changed the site logo and a little of the look and feel – particularly the front page. I also added my ideas page and then listed on aboutideasnow.com which is a great resource for the small web.
This page inspired by: Derek Sivers and nownownow.com
Updated: