A few days ago I came across a Jack Reacher novel – Bad Luck and Trouble – courtesy of my mother-in-law. Having read quite a few Reacher novels over the years and loved every one of them, I always jump at the chance to read the next one I find. Except, when I first came across this one, I almost passed on it because it is the basis for Season 2 of Amazon Prime’s Reacher…
I’ve just returned from a weekend away, with the bulk of my time spent recording music in a studio. It was invigorating and tasking in equal measure. We started on Friday in the early evening and worked well past midnight until we could barely keep our eyes open. We went to bed in the early hours of Saturday morning for a few hours, resumed recording by mid-morning, and put in another long day in the…
I’ve generally refrained from writing political material in recent times. I worry that if I start down that road, it’ll be all I write about, seeing as there’s no shortage of crisis, warfare, and scandals everywhere you look. That said, once in a while I find that when I pick up my guitar, the only thing my fingers want to do is play foreboding melodies that bring the dark thoughts in my mind to life…
This past week my wife and I decided to take a day trip to a well-known shopping centre. A few hours into our jaunt, parched from all the shopping and sightseeing, I wanted a refreshing beverage so we went to one of the many cafes in the mall. The first thing I noticed as we arrived at the cafe entrance was just how busy it was – there was a line of customers waiting to…
Regular readers of this blog will know that I’m a fan of the TV show This Is Us. I’ve made references to it a few times already on this blog. Still, it seems to be the gift that keeps on giving, because a few days ago I was reminded of an episode that left me with what I consider to be an important life lesson, important enough to want to share it with you. In…
Am I the only one who plays their favourite song on repeat dozens of times? I thought this was common practice, but I’ve since deduced from subtle comments by friends and family that perhaps this isn’t the case. Anyway, earlier this week I found my new favourite song — Cuántas Veces! by Katie James – and in predictable fashion, I went to town on it. I streamed it over and over on my daily walks,…
Imagine there’s a world war raging, a war being fought in part in the skies with fighter jets and warplanes. In this imaginary war, you’re in charge of fortifying the planes to ensure the flight missions’ efficacy and the pilots’ safety. As it happens, your enemies also have fighter jets and warplanes, as well as land spotters who would stop at nothing to shoot down your planes. Unfortunately, they succeed on occasion, so that a…
Shall I let you in on a little secret? There’s a thought that pops into my head on a daily basis. It’s more of a question really, and as a person working towards making a living as a creative, it fills me with dread. What if I never write a song or story again? What if my creative output has peaked? What if I have writer’s block for the rest of my life? Admittedly, these…
Last week I concluded a two-part series about the value of stories and how they shape our humanity. This week I thought I’d do something different, something I’ve not done in a while, and relay the message of this blog in song form. A few days ago my wife and I watched the last few episodes of the final season of This Is Us. I’ve written about the show previously, and you might already be…
Last week, I wrote about how stories are essential to what makes us human. I’ve spent the last few days thinking about this and I’ve found myself noticing many examples of stories we tell ourselves, big and small, important and trivial alike. Some of these stories may serve recreational or educational purposes, for instance, folklore tends to fall in this category. However, other stories are more or less essential to the functioning of society. An…