I can’t believe we’ve been back from our holiday for a whole week. Time has flow by.

I thought about posting a photoblog from Lisbon/Barcelona. But since there’s a whole week of photos that’ll get posted as part of the photo 365 next week I couldn’t be bothered.

The trip was really successful and Eve and I had a lovely time. Lisbon is an amazing city it was our first time there. So we did loads of walking around, catching trams and doing touristy things. The highlight was the tasting menu at Encanto – José Avillez.

What an evening! delicious food with great sensations. The rhythm of the courses and dishes was also really great.

We then had a mad 32 hours in Barcelona. It was super nice to see Huw Lemmey and Cory in their new place as they’ve moved since I stayed with him back in 2019. Eve was with me so that was even better as she got to meet and spend time with my friend for the first time. We went to some great restaurants (our holidays are basically all about eating tbh), went to some cool places and explored some bits of the city we’d both never been to before.

This week has basically been trying to find the slow ramp back up to full speed ahead. Whilst breaks really really important I always find it takes few takes to go up though the gears back to where you left off.

A week away really does make you aware of the slow boiled frog effect on the British psyche. The Truss debacle happened whilst we were away and we came home to a new prime minister.

Even leaving the gate at the airport, the first thing you are presented with is LBC branded LCD news screens showing you all the bad news – Welcome to the UK.

The cost of living here in the UK right now is also eye watering. Obviously its been happening for months, but going away and then coming back to the price of lunch/coffee with fresh eyes is a bit shocking. Whats worse a great deal of the things you get ‘for the money’ in London is mediocre at best. Buying a coffee is now a luxury and there’s only like 3 shops around here that I’m willing to go to ‘for the money’.

In other news, this week I attended the Autonomous Worlds Symposium in London on Thursday. Full of really interesting people, some twitter mutuals who I’ve never met IRL plus I haven’t been to an unconference in years so that was a treat. I can’t talk about what was discussed at the event but *I think* Kara Kittle from Other Internet and I will be writing an essay for the book/journal – tbd.

If you haven’t already listened to my podcast about leaving Twitter this week, or even if you have, it pairs really well with Ahmet Sabancı’s post: Its People All The Way Down.

I will point out that his post is far less disappointed and snarky than the tone of my show this week tho!

Permanently Moved

10 Tips for Leaving Twitter

You are leaving a place that has done immense damage to our society and culture. You and I both share in that complicity

Photo 365

The Ministry Of My Own Labour

• Spent all day at that the Autonomous Worlds Symposium on thursday
• Booked another podcast guest
• Discussed a twitter space i’m taking part in soon
• Worked on metaverse talk
• Reviewed/scoped/deadlined everything I want to do between now and xmas.

Dipping the Stacks

What climate fiction taught me about finding hope | Fix

I turned to the literary movements and people who have advocated for hope, justice, and solutions of all sorts, even during our darkest times

How to train your brain to enjoy doing hard things – The Washington Post

New research suggests we can train our brain to value making an effort and not just the outcome

Am I burnt out, or is this just life now?

Stylist’s social media director Chloe Laws reflects on the narrative around burnout and why it feels out of date in 2022.

The Battle for the Soul of the Web – The Atlantic

It doesn’t much matter what you call it, so long as you can get people feeling that way again.

The Climate Economy Is About to Explode – The Atlantic

Because federal spending tends to catalyze private investment, that could send total climate spending across the economy to roughly $1.7 trillion over the next 10 years.

Reading

I read almost all of Nine Gates: Entering the Mind of Poetry by Jane Hirshfield (The book I made a podcast about receiving recently). Mostly read this at airports and on planes. An enjoyable way to pass the time.

I finished Awakenings: An Astor Sabbathiel Audiobook by George Mann. A book with a very satisfying conclusion.

Music

thejaymo.net Spotify Playlist

Last Days: Non voglio mai vedere il sole tramontare – Caroline Polachek

Caroline Polachek is the singer from the band Chairlift. Their 2008 album ‘Does You Inspire You’ was a huge hit and was playing everywhere I went that year. Polachek also sang the Nancy Sintara track ‘Bang Bang’ for the Minions soundtrack.

I mention this as what a surprise this is: Non voglio mai vedere il sole tramontare is an opera song produced by Danny L Harle that features in an operatic version of Gus Van Sant’s 2005 film Last Days. A film loosely based around the death of Kurt Cobain.

This I opera like honestly I’ve never heard it. The production choice to add the record hiss, the tight filter on the vocals almost blowing out the microphone. The strings sound like they are in another room. The whole thing is just absolutely incredible.

I want more of this in my life.

I haven’t listened to any contemporary opera for over a decade. Plus I haven’t been to the opera since I saw The Death of Klinghoffer by John Adams in 2012.

I suspect Spotify dropped this gem into my for you page as

1. I have historically listened to a lot of Chairlift.

2. I listen to La Traviata once every few months or so.. basically whenever I’m totally overwhelmed by the state of modern culture.

Remember Kids: