Jul 20, 2026 Weeknote

#74 - From Dublin

Updates

My first week post layoff is completed - and I'm starting to settle into a slightly different rhythm of gardening leave. A few times this week I have felt 'adrift' without the scaffolding of the rhythm of my days, so it's up to me to create my own cadence while I work through what is next.

The weather in Dublin has helped, and busying myself with some of the paperwork has been a lot easier in summertime.

There was no quiz this week, as we sacrificed our weekly fixture to ensure people could watch England in the football. I also watched the bronze playoff last night which was most enjoyable.

On Thursday I went to the Dublin Barista School to take their one-day Barista Essentials course, which was a birthday present from Mrs R. It was a LOT of fun, a nice group of people a great tutor and some good learning about coffee. My latte art still leaves a lot to be desired - but I enjoyed the day.

On Friday we went to the cinema and saw the incredible new Christopher Nolan directed 'The Odyssey' - it is a nailed on 5* film, and I urge everyone to try and catch it on an iMax - or at least a big screen while you can.

Saturday afternoon we decided to sit down and watch 'Project Hail Mary' which we missed on the big screen (and slightly regret now) - it was a fun film, science fiction with a heart and some excellent special effects It stars one of the handsome Ryans, and is very nearly a perfect movie.

Reading. I've started Autocorrect by Etgar Keret - a strange set of short stories, vignettes and thought experiments that are a lot of fun and very provoking!

Recommended Music

This week, a more epic listen than last week.

The soundtrack to Odyssey is a fantastic production from composer Ludwig Göransson. Running at almost two hours, it captures all the drama of the movie and bought the extraordinary visuals to life. I noticed James Blake pop up a couple of times, and he appears with frequent collaborator Travis Scott in the final credits.

It stands alone as a great listen.

Highly Recommended.