The Meerkat Muse: 26th of February, 2025
Welcome back to the Meerkat Muse! What’s been happening?
A Cheesy Valentine’s Day
I mean that quite literally. Well, sort of. The day before Valentine’s, my wife and I shared mac ‘n’ cheese, in two different forms. Was it the most glamorous Valentine’s Day meal? Hardly, but we didn’t really have the opportunity to make the most of the day itself, albeit for a very good reason. You see, the day itself was particularly entertaining, for a different reason. My wife, daughter and I took a trip to London on the Friday, to see Inside Number 9 on stage. The TV series is an anthology show, written by Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith. The series is a combination of dark comedy, subtle horror, dramatic twists, and at times, quite heart-wrenching emotion. It is sometimes tempting to refer to it as a comedy series, but in fact, it is anything but a comedy show, for the aforementioned reasons,
Seeing it on stage would provide a different, more intimate form of entertainment, but the question ahead of the show was: would it be any good?!
The answer is an emphatic yes. It was a very funny show, punctuated with the jump-scares and twists that have turned Inside Number 9 into a cult classic. It was thoroughly brilliant, and if you are a fan of the macabre, as well as laughter, it is worth checking out!
Oh, my wife got me a terrific card, one that isn’t too far away from the truth…
Speaking of the wife…
The Belching Wife!
My wife tends to drink sparkling water more than regular water, which by her own admission she finds hard to drink. That’s fair enough, but of late there’s been a telling, and rather loud consequence, to her water of choice. She has been routinely producing some of the most epic burps I have ever heard, even at one point managing to burp the world burp, if that makes sense!
You’d think this is horrifying, but it is in fact an endless source of entertainment!
The Spider Incident
The other morning, as I was getting ready for work, I was joined by an eight-legged companion, that was crawling up my work shirt. I shook my shirt to shake off the unwanted guest, and went to brush my teeth. Said companion reappeared on my arm. I shook my arm, and it vanished, only for me to feel something crawling up my neck! The spider was now heading across my neck, to destinations unknown. I shook it loose, and it disappeared, only this time it did not return.
I don’t mind spiders. I think they are useful at dealing with pests, such as flies. That said, I am not especially fond of having them crawling around on me. It’s somewhat unsettling, even if I know the typical house spider can’t inflict serious harm. I guess this is something of an ancient instinct, a throwback to the era where our ancestors might have been vulnerable to a spider of sufficient danger. I had an itchy sensation for the remainder of the day!
The Church and the Moon
I’m not entirely certain as to the reason, but a local church displayed a model – a large model – of the Moon from its rafters. It was highly detailed, with the craters and markings all present and correct. Seeing it formed part of a busy Tuesday, the day before my scheduled trip to the north. We visited a local craft shed, where my daughter did some painting, and after grabbing something to eat, we went to the cinema, to check out the latest Captain America movie.
Was it a good movie? Well, it was alright, which is more than I can say for some Marvel Cinematic Universe projects. It felt like a Hulk movie, as much as a Captain America movie, make of that what you will.
Going North
In my previous Muse, I referenced a trip to Wakefield, for training. There are a great many reasons why I was not thrilled with this. For starters, it entailed a three-hour train ride. Actually, that’s not too bad. I like a train ride! However, I prefer it to be on my terms, and this was anything but. My recent ruminations on whether or not to stick or twist with my current employer have eased, but the idea has not completely faded. With that in mind, trips and overnight stays for work purposes carry a faintly redundant air for me. I guess I should appreciate the chance to see head office.
The geek in me was delighted to travel up on an Intercity 225 set, hauled by a class 91.
I do love an Intercity 225 set!
The training itself actually felt quite worthwhile. There are plans – some of them tentative, others more concrete – which have me potentially excited. A lot depends on who can influence who. There are certainly opportunities, and I do feel a bit more invigorated, as far as the job is concerned. I’ll still keep an eye on the job market, simply because it’s prudent.
With the trip completed, and following a long journey home (which included disruption on the Underground, thanks to trespassers on the line), it was back to the routine. In fact, by a quirk of the schedule, I was lone-trading the day after the trip! Needless to say, I was sort of keen to put my training into practice, but also very tired, and largely not in the mood for people. Unfortunately, I’d scheduled an appointment for 10am that morning! It was faintly wrong of me to hope they would rearrange, but I really wasn’t up for it! Fortunately, they did not turn up. Unfortunately, a family with two loud, fidgety children did. Fortunately, they did not linger.
My lethargy continued into the afternoon. I just could not shake it. I’m pretty sure that once upon a time, I could burn the candle at both ends, but it is abundantly clear that time is long one.
A Busy Week
With the weekend out of the way, and with a few discussions and quotes under my belt, I looked toward the week with a mixture of anticipation and apprehension. I had to visit a customer on Monday, and that is not generally ideal, as getting to customers is not always easy. Still, this customer insisted on a home measure, and thus it fell to me to carry it out. In the end, the visit was not too bad, and an appointment is booked for next week to follow up. What I do face this week, are a couple of days of lone-trading, though there is the promise of my friend, former boss, and on-going colleague being there. Well, I say promise, he cannot guarantee his presence, but it seems likely.
The Chance to Promote!
I don’t yet know when, or even if, this will definitely happen, but I reached out to a local radio station, and it looks like I have a tentative agreement to have a radio interview, about The Awakening! Needless to say, this is a great opportunity for some advertising, as it were. My wife often tells me I have a face for radio, so this works nicely! I’ll share more on this, as and when it happens.
The Contract
My publisher, Jumpmaster Press, have officially taken on my next project, The Forest! I have signed the contract, scanned it, and sent it back, and will post back a paper copy at the first available opportunity. I am delighted! I have also breached 10,000 words on the third, and final part, of the Chon’ith Saga. I still need to work out how to wrap that story. I fear it will be emotional.
So we reach the end of this Muse. What awaits over the course of the next two weeks? Tune in next time!
