just finished watching watchmen (the hbo series) and now i'm forcing myself to write something. it's been way over a year. life flows faster than ever before, but words and thoughts congeal. it's been the best of times, i'll be forever grateful.
but anyway, i just wanted to commit some specific events to the undersea pipes that bind us all together.
a rebrand
a relocation to lisbon. place is different, but work's the same: cryptography research. london's great, but the air seemed to be becoming more and more saturated every day after day. water, fumes, darkness, heat, metal.
i can't pretend that the move to lisbon came about after a romantic traversal of the lower reaches of europe. but it was a move served on a plate at the most perfect of opportunities. retrospection on the time spent in japan at a stage of irrevocable difficulty. a catastrophically hot july without respite. a place & country that i knew nobody and knew nothing about. not so many economic obligations.
that's not to say that there was a blind jump into the unknown. we had good reviews from a lot of people. almost too many. it also seemed like the final viable moment to make such a move. i'm not sure to what extent brexit would have affected a future move, but it felt comfortable moving before the terrible events at the end of last year occurred.
there were some other minor things. i feel like i've finally escaped from the prison that was derby county fc. being given the chance to live within walking distance of open water. the chance to move for better weather (something that i've never really considered).
and what since?
obviously, not a huge amount has changed. but it's been a nice journey, and i'm still capable of feeling sorry for myself, no matter where i am.
i finally formalised the relationship that i've enjoyed for over 11 years and had a party to celebrate it:
cycled through some industrial complexes associated with the french wine industry:
changed the colour (external aid required) of my hair (totally not a big deal, but i'm incremental) & got lost in southern france:
found another football team to hate:
and what now?
the plan to write more was something of a new years resolution. in reality, what i would like to do is express myself more to other people. it's become a little too comfortable for me to just flow with the current.
and while i don't like the feeling that i've exposed myself too much, i think it might be better for the long run.