Another year has flown by and here below is my Bo(nd)(Spea)rings family summary. More exciting than our adopted name suggests…
I’ll start with my Mrs who, unexpectedly, became Jamie Lee Curtis in the early part of the year. I wasn’t looking for it, but accepted the reality when it came. A lovely haircut as usual from Chelsea at Hush, providing a stylish short cut that Carmel is very taken with. With such ephemeral superficialities out of the way, Carmel achieved many professional milestones, including a distinction for her ESRC training year and highly achieved in research training. Another publication is in review for a highly ranked journal. The PhD is in full flow and I am now fully usurped by the thinking of Foucault; ‘governmentality’ indeed.
We have continued to enjoy a number of carefully scheduled escapes to give us some couple time. We really enjoyed walking in the footsteps of Tolkien in and around Clitheroe. Our first year married together was celebrated with a luxury spa weekend at the Woburn Forest Center Parcs. Cherish these times with your loved ones, take nothing for granted. With Ruth, Ross and Sarah we returned to Canada for a stay in Vancouver and Vancouver Island. An amazing place, which I felt a strong connection to. I think I’m really a Canadian. Apart from my lack of French. Alberta will draw us back soon enough.
I’ve managed a couple of short breaks away with Stuart, including a really nice stay in Whitby. #tamedebauchery Great to recharge the batteries a little, before plunging back to work. Speaking of which…
The organisation I work for is currently going through something called ‘Org2.0’, a significant downsizing of staff numbers to keep within a changing funding envelope. I navigated a survival of ‘Wave 1’, losing many colleagues on the way. Some were happy to go, others sadly, not. The process affects all in the organisation and, due to the size and nature of the implementation is protracted and will continue through much of 2020. The data platform I work on will transform further in 2020 and should provide an incredible resource for the management of our NHS and for health research. I probably have about three more years in this field and hope to make a good contribution.
Our four are all doing well. Erin and Megan have both hurdled the 21 year threshold, so look out. Erin has had an incredibly successful year in industry, bioengineering several strains of mutant warriors and now heads into a very heavy final year at Leeds. Megan is deep into year 2 of her Media degree. Her cat, Rhaegal, is now the size of a mountain lion. Connor is doing well and into the management tier in the world of hospitality and is getting to travel a little with his girlfriend Charlotte. Cameron is all about the tech, planning to build his own super-computer, if only he can acquire the funds. Is this the year that he becomes the tallest in the family?
Every year, me and Cam try to get away together for some ‘dad and boy’ time. We zoomed down to Ruth and Ross’ in Bristol and got to go to the aeronautic museum, with a walk around Concorde.The following day’s trip to The Mall was a classic boys efficient shop, emerging unscathed with perfect black school trainers.
The home has had a few upgrades, including a modern boiler and a porch, both of which have helped with the warmth. The garage room is now the gaming haunt for the two boys in the house, and has been renamed Gondolin, secret city of the elves. Beware balrogs. A good sized gaming table is in the centre with simple computer consoles for both of us, all courtesy of our local IKEA. It’s a great space and we are very lucky to have it.
It’s been a good year of gaming, if not writing. Our conventions continue to provide a great place for people to come together and play tabletop roleplaying games. A couple of playtests of Wordplay 2 were very successful, with the text of the book now about 80% complete. I promise, mostly to myself, that the text will be completed this year and will head, in whatever way, into production. It’s been a long time coming, but I’m genuinely excited about it. I’ll be running the game some more at conventions this year. My birthday was marvellous with lovely times with Carmel, then family time with my kids arranging a special game of D&D with my good friend Pete as our guest DM. The best! We’ve rounded out the year with some family games of Pathfinder 2nd Edition, which has been a hit with everyone, so there will be some more in 2020.
I’m surprised that Pathfinder has been a hit with me, it is a great version of D&D (F20) game. There are a number of gaming projects that will come to fruition in 2020 that I’m really looking forward to. Monthly face to face Forbidden Lands games will accompany regular online games, along with the convention experiences. Just right for where I am right now.
The stage has called once more, a whispered decade since I last tread the boards.I have a walk on part in the next SUDS play, which will give me a chance to taste the excitement and wear a frock.
Returning to Foucault, I reflect on a tumultuous year, playing out his concepts of power and control, on our country’s political landscape. Even a cursory look allows you to see the strings being pulled as we dance to a new tune. Much of what I believe in was riven asunder and will be cast aside in 2020, but I will continue to fight for what is left and, like many of us, play the long game. I joined the Greens.
Finally, what are the top 5 Masterclasses that you could deliver? In no particular order, here are mine:
Running away into trouble
Effective mackerel consumption in the workplace
Inadequate door closing
Putting your foot down without anyone noticing
How to appear fascinated whilst really asleep
A good year for the Borings. Let’s celebrate that we are alive and take 2020 by storm? We’ve got a lot to do.