The Meerkat Muse: 24th of September, 2025
Welcome one and all to the Meerkat Muse, where we start on a sombre note…
The Flames of Rhetoric
Back on the 10th of September, Charlie Kirk, a man noted for his pro-Trump, pro-conservative activism, was murdered at an event in Utah. I had the misfortune of stumbling across footage of his shooting via Twitter, and I can tell you it is not something I would wish upon anyone. Charlie Kirk held a number of views that I personally consider to be awful, but that does not mean I would wish him dead for it. One of the cornerstones of democracy is that we do not silence opposing voices. This does not mean we have to tolerate sexism, racism etc, but we do not resort to killing. Charlie Kirk was a father and a husband, and his family have to face a much worse future than they did before.
I’ve offered up some more extensive thoughts here, but what I am left wondering is whether or not anything will fundamentally change. I suspect it won’t. There are those fanning the flames, those who are cruelly gleeful, and no one seems to want to change a thing.
A Hideous Dream
I am prone to some strange nocturnal adventures, but the dream from a couple of weeks ago is a contender for the weirdest, and possibly most unpleasant dream I have ever had. What started out as some sort of Avengers dream soon morphed into a scenario where I had a bunch of maggots – big, slimy grey things too – wriggling around on my arm. Worse, some of them were trying to burrow into my skin! I had to pop them to remove them, which wasn’t fun. I was eventually rid of them, after an itchy, icky experience.
I don’t know what triggered that, but perhaps something was crawling up my arm in my sleep? I can’t explain it at all, but I know I am not keen for a repeat! That same night I dreamed my wife and I journeyed to my parents in Stevenage, only to then head to a local supermarket to get some shopping for home. Lugging shopping all the way home to Essex seemed rather unnecessary, but that’s dreams for you. They rarely convey sense.
The Heavens Open
Mid September brought some spectacular downpours. The 11th in particular delivered not only a torrent, it also gave us hail, thunder and lightening. It’s as though is reminding us that summer for us northern hemisphere ‘kats is well and truly over. Still, it hasn’t been cold, it’s just not been hot.
The Podcasting ‘Kat
Having once had a podcast, and considering a few issues with the apps that I use to make videos, I figured ‘let’s do the podcast again’. So, here we are. I need to find a way to make it easily visible via Meerkat Musings. At present it exists as an RSS feed on the right-hand toolbar, but in nowhere near the sort of fashion I want. I have struggled with podcast feeds and players, and I am not aided by database issues on a near-frequent basis. Once or twice I’ve considered migrating Meerkat Musings away from WordPress, though I’m not sure of that step, or how it might completely alter the structure of the site. It would also mean adapting to a completely different means of building posts and pages, and I am not sure I want to do that.
A Rare Date Day
With my daughter heading to the cinema the other day, my wife and I had a rare opportunity to grab some food and have a drink as a couple, which we took full advantage of. There’s something about an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet that brings out the food lover in me. For once, I treated myself to the teriyaki section, though full confession, I was a little underwhelmed by it. Still, it was nice to have a moment with my wife where it was the two of us. I obviously love spending time with my daughter and doing things as a family, but it’s nice to have some time as a couple too. My wife and I were a couple first, and we don’t often get the opportunity to do couple things.
Following the buffet, we had a drink at a local bar. It was relaxed and cosy, and it would be great if we can do it again one day.
40 Years of Super Mario
It’s so mad to think that a humble plumber from Brooklyn could become a video game icon, yet 40 years after Mario made his debut alongside his brother Luigi in Super Mario Bros, he is arguably the most famous video game creation of all time. There have been many tremendous games featuring Mario and his friends, with football games, tennis games, golf games, fighting games, and of course racing games all featuring this gaming legend. There’s the big marquee moments too, of which there are more than I can mention in a Muse.
In a world where intense, and sometimes quite violent video games have become massively popular money-makers, it’s refreshing to see the Mario franchise offering up good, wholesome family fun at every turn. The games are creative, and Nintendo will find ways to breathe life into the formula, over and over again, avoiding a sense of repetition despite the surface similarities. As a terrific case in point, I refer people to Super Mario Wonder, which took the classic 2D platformer and reinvigorated it with new and quirky ideas.
The longevity of Mario is quite remarkable, and it’s a glowing testament to fun. Here’s to another 40 years!
Under the Weather (yet again)
It seems the moment I recovered from covid, I caught a cold. A cold swept through my colleagues at work, and I inevitably came down with it, to my dismay. A cold is not as bad as covid, but like covid, it can leave you devoid of energy, and generally feeling listless. To add to my malaise, I wound up being roped into building a shed for a friend of the family, something which occupied the entirety of a day off work. Cue several cuts on my hands, thanks to the sharp sheet metal I was working with, plus hurting my knee.
I could have done without all of that. I get it, family needed help, but in all honesty I was placed into a position where I couldn’t really say no, and thus lost a complete day off. It goes without saying that this is hardly ideal, and it contributes to my feeling that there are times when I can’t help but feel that my free time is not my own.
A Brief Resurgence of Summer
For one day, the temperature rose again, into the mid-20s, a surprising but pleasant state of affairs, as though summer was waving goodbye. After a month of erratic and wet conditions, it was nice to see a bit of sun again. I cannot speak for everyone, but blue skies and bright sunshine tend to live this meerkat’s mood, and I certainly needed it.
Doodles and Drawings
I’ve recently lacked the creative spark and energy to write, though I hope I might rediscover that drive in the not-so-distant future. What I have been doing is a bit of art. Whether it can actually be called art is not something I can judge of my own stuff, but I hope you like it!
Frustrations with Work
As ever, there are reasons to find the day job a source of pain and irritation. There has been a recent trend of ‘do as I say, not as I do’, and if there is one thing guaranteed to annoy me, it’s that sort of approach. Alas, there isn’t the right opportunity out there for me to think ‘let’s go for that’. I cannot jump ship for the sake of it, it has to be the right move.
Sliced whilst Shaving
I often manage to nick my chin whilst shaving, but slicing my own finger with my razor is an entirely new trick, and not a great one! I had experienced enough bleeding whilst putting together the shed, and would prefer to keep the red stuff in my body!
The Rapture?!
According to a preacher in South Africa, the Rapture is due. It might even be due today. Good, pious and holy Christians will be taken to paradise, leaving everyone else behind. It would certainly be interesting to watch the Rapture unfold, especially if those who feel themselves so devout were left behind! There’d be a chuckle or two from me in that event!
So it is that we conclude this Muse. Until next time.
