The Meerkat Muse: 1st of January, 2025
Welcome to 2025! Somehow, it feels appropriate to kickstart the New Year with a Meerkat Muse š
Of course, before diving too much into 2025, how did I wrap up 2024?
The Five Day Stretch
In the build-up to Christmas, I faced five consecutive days of lone working. It ended up not being quite so bad, owing to the regional install manager being with me for a couple of days, but some lone working was unavoidable. For example, I had to work the weekend before Christmas on my own, though in my industry, this is nowhere near as bad as it sounds. The chief problem was boredom, as opposed to being manically busy.
What was a little weird was having some random bloke unwaveringly stare at me as I headed to work. Did he fancy me?!
The Cold Tingle
Winter is the time of year for feeling under the weather, and it typically had to be the case that I would start to feel under the weather a few days before Christmas. I had to stock up on meds, in a bid to resist the oncoming tide, so to speak. Fortunately, I did not feel too bad over the festive period, but bugs and gremlins did afflict my wife and daughter, as well as myself. In fact, this would lend itself to a story for Christmas morning…
My daughter is not one for getting up early on Christmas Day, as she is a teen, and teenagers typically prefer sleeping in! However, she was sick at 5.30 in the morning on Christmas Day, which meant she was of course awake, and therefore my wife and I were awake as well! Following a clean-up period, we all ended up going back to sleep! It was then that I had one of my classic, baffling dreams, where I was in Hell – as an employee! I was some sort of curator, and by all accounts, struggling with my job! What would a dream reader make of that, I wonder?
The Big Day
Christmas Day itself was a low-key affair, with my stepdaughter and her daughter coming over for a spell, and my stepdaughter staying for dinner. Whilst in times past I have had the traditional turkey, in recent years I have eschewed this trend, and this year went for a leg of lamb. I love lamb, it’s juicy and delicious, and so it proved to be for the big day! There were the usual accompanying delights, such as pigs in blankets, crispy roast potatoes, and the all-important brussel sprouts, along with stuffing, and in my house we do Yorkshire pudding on Christmas Day.
As to what I received, I received a lot of socks, some much-needed new jeans, some t-shirts, a host of beers, a big bottle of whisky, and a number of knick-knacks. Christmas isn’t really about receiving stuff for me, truth be told I feel guilty about receiving gifts, I don’t often feel that I deserve what I get, make of that what you will. I draw a lot more satisfaction about giving gifts. If I want something, if I truly want something, I’ll tend to sort it out myself. In fact, my wife tends to get a lot of stuff for herself, which to be fair makes sense, she can guarantee she gets what she wants!
The trouble with being an adult at Christmas is that your mind is always on the next day back at work. The festive break is over too soon, and it’s back to the grind. What would work bring, during what is traditionally a busy sale spell?
Back with a Bang
The first day back proved quite successful, even if there were one or two ‘highlights’ that we could have done without. The regional manager put in an unexpected appearance, though he didn’t stick around for long, as he was doing the rounds, so to speak. My manager interviewed someone for a consultant role, and the guy seemed quite decent, so all things being equal, we might end up with a much-needed third person. There were quite a few customers in the shop, and a few of them ordered, which is what any salesperson likes to see! The big question was whether or not this busy day was a blip, or the start of something positive. What was not so positive was the last-minute phone call from someone who had ordered online, and ordered the wrong thing. Unfortunately, at that juncture, only the websales team could help him, and he had called too late in the day for anyone to fix it.
The kicker is, this guy had called the store to ask about the product, but wanted it there and then. Had he ordered from the store, we could have steered him in the right direction.
The Next Adventure
What with The Schism back in the hands of Jumpmaster Press, I have been busily working on my next project, which I am aiming to get to the publisher in the not-so-distant future. This story is tentatively titled The Forest, and I see it as a fast-paced, swash-buckling, treacherous treasure hunt. I’ve written nearly 42,000 words of this latest story, which has nothing to do with the Chon’ith Saga, though I am pondering how to introduce a cameo.
I’ve been inspired by a recent dream, where I discovered a secret underground civilisation on Venus. I plan to incorporate this into The Forest.
Winding Down
2024 has felt like a long year. It’s a year that’s been packed full of events. From countryside getaways in Norfolk, to several theatre trips to London (including a hectic schedule at the end of May!), a holiday to Sicily (one of the highlights), and not one but two new tattoos, a lot has happened, and that’s just what’s taken place on a personal level. I feel like my wife and I have reaffirmed our relationship as we’ve hit the 20 year milestone, and as always, I remain proud of my daughter.
I’ve finished writing the sequel to The Awakening (as mentioned earlier), and even managed to get the first round of edits done on this side of 2024.
On a political level, there have been some seismic events this year. In the UK, the woeful Tories finally got what they deserved: an absolute kicking at the general election. They deserved every defeat, and probably deserved even worse. In the USA, the reverse happened, with Donald Trump retaking the White House, a rather disgruntling and disappointing moment in global affairs. Russia’s war against Ukraine has continued, with a great deal of uncertainty as to what comes next, and Israel’s attacks upon the Palestinians have sadly continued as well.
Work proved quite busy in the final few days of the year. There were plenty of people to talk to, and a few nice sales, which were much-needed. Mind you, dealing with a loud, and somewhat disobedient kid on New Year’s Eve was more than I wanted. On that subject, my employers had concluded that we needed to stay open until our regular closing time, on the perilous assumption it would be busy. It wasn’t, and this was a scenario that played out across the company. No one who was working in the showrooms was surprised by this, in the least, and when we shut the doors for the final time in 2024, I was rather tired. At least I could switch the alarm off for the following day!
I want to try and end this Muse on a high note, and therefore begin 2025 on a positive note as well. I alluded to the bond between my wife and I. I think we’re stronger than we’ve ever been, and I think that speaks volumes, especially after 20 years of driving each other mad! I am trying to let go of fear and anger, something that can be a continuing battle, but a battle worth fighting, so for 2025, certain negative, worthless influences… well, I’m kicking them to the curb, so to speak. I intend to march to the beat of my own drum, and see where that takes me.
Here’s to a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2025!
