Randolph (I’m blaming Jason for this.)
1. Kondo Living
There’s a Netflix show I haven’t yet seen about a certain Marie Kondo, who cleans your house by saying if something doesn’t spark joy, you should get rid of it. Folks were happy with her getting rid of shoes, but apparently there was a stink when she recommended the same thing about books.
As a book lover and published author myself, I’m the first to balk at the idea of getting rid of books. However, there are many libraries and second-hand bookstores that welcome donations. I even have a Little Free Library in my street with titles that change every week.
Books are things that need to be shared, not gathering dust on your bookcase. Lend or give them away so that someone else can enjoy their contents.
2. Princesses
Prince Harry married an American actress called Meghan Markle recently, and the billionaire actor George Clooney came to her defence from the British media, who are slagging her off in a big way.
Having recently had a taste of the gutter press in the UK after an incident involving my own family, I can only hope that American actresses are made of sterner stuff than tabloid journalists. They’ve already killed one princess.
(Note: I am acutely aware that my most popular joke page is about Princess Diana.)
3. Climate Change
Humans are helping bring about climate change that is literally changing the face of the planet, killing insects, and melting ice caps. Extreme weather is becoming the norm. Expect more ridiculousness in the next twenty years.
But don’t bother recycling, because China doesn’t actually want to sort through our exported garbage anymore. Most of it ends up in a hole in the ground anyway.
It’s bleak, folks, and I don’t know what to do about it because the people with money are ignoring it in the hope that they’ll be dead by the time it matters.
4. Making Music
In September last year I took up piano lessons for the first time since 1991. It has been an interesting rediscovery of a lost love. Recent cruise ship experiences reminded me how much joy I get from live piano playing (by competent performers, mind you), so I took the plunge. I’m not about to set sail as a ship entertainer anytime soon, but it’s not boring, and I enjoy Bach and Bartok in equal measure.
Also, I discovered recently that I made a whole 5 US cents in royalties from a track I released. I’m officially a musician! I’ve been spending time in Garage Band (and Studio One) putting some loops together, so along with the piano and choir exploits, I’m embracing music properly.
5. Acting
2018 and 2019 have been fairly dry in terms of acting opportunity. It seems I am never in town long enough to commit to things my agent wants to book me for. All the same, I have been directing film and stage productions, and I did a voice acting thing for my friend Blaise Kolodychuk, a wickedly underrated genius.
I’ve got some projects in the works as part of my production company as well, which need to see the light of day as finances allow. Lots of irons in the fire, as they say.