A Content Consumer Recommends...

Here are some things I am watching, reading or listening to at the moment that I think are very good. You may agree, disagree or not care. All of those are fine.

Comics
Jessica Jones: Alias by Brian Michael Bendis: Superior storytelling and fantastic art. Gritty, urban and funny. 

A Walk Through Hell by Garth Ennis: Slow-burn horror story about two special agents who end up in a terrifying and increasingly bizarre situation.

Films
The Favourite: Rachel Weiss, Olivia Colman and Emma Stone star in this offbeat historical drama. Cracking script and great performances all round.

Stan and Ollie: Heart-warming story about the greatest double act of all time fighting against the dying of their comedy light and doing a tour of the UK.

Music

Kate Bush Remastered Volume I: Wonderful remastered studio albums from one of the most important UK musical artists of the 20th century. I want Volume II. Now please.

Kelly Moran: Pared-down electronica minimalism with influences from all sorts of wonderful places.

Podcasts

The Joe Rogan Experience: Comedian, UFC commentator and BJJ officianado with more ace guests and sometimes potty-mouthed chat. The Mike Tyson interview is beautiful.

The Disrupters: A journalist and an entrepreneur chronicle the ups and downs of several business success stories. Much better and much more entertaining than it sounds.

Dear Joan and Jericha: Julia Davis and Vicki Pepperdine play often vicious, clueless and self-obsessed agony aunts. Dark and very funny.

TV

Dirty Money: Compelling Netflix documentary series exposing the big bad folk behind stunning corporate crimes, scams and cover-ups. 

Coronation Street: The biggest TV show in the UK is threatening to get back to its very best with missing money and a pregnant teen. Needs a killer, though!

Emmerdale: Still entertaining and moving in equal measures. Bob's descent into homelessness (pictured above) is a fantastic story flying under the mainstream soap radar.

New Start...

Tonight, I start a new grappling journey. Actually, it's the continuation of an old grappling journey, but it is at a new home in Guildford. 

So here goes my start at no-gi grappling. I even have a new rash guard...

Austerity Statistics No.2…

A recent United Nations investigation concluded that 14million British people are living in poverty. A junior minister was on hand to answer the 13 other MPs who attended the debate based on this shocking report. 

So 14million people living in poverty and a total of 14 MPs present to discuss it.

Austerity Quotes No.1...

'Poverty exists not because we cannot feed the poor, but because we cannot satisfy the rich...'

Anonymous

Austerity Statistics No.1…

In the last fast five years, the 1000 richest people in Britain have increased their wealth by £274billion.

New Year, New Start...

Christmas and New Year are done and I'm on track for sorting my shit out for 2019. The last year saw seven months of torment and stress at work, followed by redundancy, followed by five months of de-stressing and transitioning to a new part of my life. 

Whatever that new life eventually is - and there are several versions of it depending on what me and the Missus decide to do - my battleplan for 2019 is to spend as much of the year as I can writing and not seeking paid employment. The great fear with this is that I will basically chill out and spend too much time procrastinating and not enough time delivering work.

So I have to train myself to be better than my worst excesses. But I have pedigree in that area.

Because I've worked in and delivered success in a highly stressful job and work environment for the past five or six years, I know I have the work ethic and the discipline to succeed. And because I continue to train martial arts at the age of 49, I have additional work ethic, discipline and lots of resilience.

Anyway, I made the above notes to self, which are now pinned next to my computer screen. I will report back. 

First job for January: finish the script for the graphic novel. Go!