Walden

Log RSS

2026
October
  1. :

    Awake since 05:45. Despite the clocks going back the previous night, and getting a good nights sleep, I was weirdly tired yesterday. I had one nap, and nearly had another. And then I went to bed early at 21:30, which was unexpected. Though I did do a lot of tidying too, so maybe that tired me out. One thing I will say: my body feels a lot better this morning than usual. And I’m pretty sure it’s due to me having no sugar yesterday (aside from an almond croissant at breakfast that I spread from Nutella over). So that’s one day sugar free, I must keep it up.

  2. :

    About to start reading some RSS feeds.

  1. :

    Awake.

  2. :

    Need to get back in the habit of this blog. I’m about to start washing up. Then dinner. Then Comic-Con tomorrow.

  3. :

    Bed time.

  1. :

    At the train station.

  1. :

    Awake – since 06:30.

  2. :

    Scrolling on TikTok suitably depressed me, so I hopped over to Instagram. Now I’m going to read my RSS subscriptions instead.

  3. :

    Bed time.

  1. :

    Awake.

  2. :

    It’s amazing how quickly for the first two hours of a morning disappears if you let it.

  3. :

    Another day, more anxiety. Well, less anxiety, more just the feeling that my heart is beating funny. As always, I'm sure it's nothing though.

  4. :

    Heading out for kebab. Got 4 layers on!

  1. :

    Awake. Later than usual,

  2. :

    Back from Cambridge. Was a great trip. It’s now a rainy night (lovely). And I think I’m coming down with a cold (less lovely).

  3. :

    Bed time.

  1. :

    Been awake about an hour and a half. In Cambridge for the weekend.

  2. :

    In the bath at the hotel in Cambridge. We’re in a disabled room, so the bath is annoyingly shallow.

  3. :

    Feel weirdly short of breath. Bizarre. It’s strong. Like I have to manually breathing. But I still can’t get my air.

  1. :

    Bed time.

  1. :

    Awake.

  2. :

    Arrived at work about thirty minutes ago – late. My own fault, I was always going to be a few minutes late as I got a later train than usual. But the god's always punish you for such things by guaranteeing that you be extra late.

  3. :

    Captions are now supported for images on Walden :)

  4. :

    Just eaten a McDonald’s on a train home. I felt awful. I’m that person who stinks up a train. And this is one of those fancier trains with air conditioning, so there’s no open windows or leaky doors to let out the smell. And because I felt so rude I didn’t even enjoy it.

  5. :

    That McDonald’s has knocked me out. I took it into consideration, and got a Coca-Cola Zero (for the caffeine). But I’m still really tired. Though it is that time of day.

  6. :

    My Paper Republic notebook has come!!! I’m feeling sick right now though. I’m going to wait until I feel better before opening it.

  7. :

    Weirdly tired.

  8. :

    Had a little bit of a nap, I think. Abigail’s on the way home via train and then cab. And my brain couldn’t switch off about that, so I must of only got a 10 minutes or so.

  9. :

    Watched the new episode of the Celebrity Traitors tonight. It’s not as good as series 1, but still very good reality TV.

  10. :

    Bed time – I think, I hope.

  1. :

    Awake.

  2. :

    I think one of the reasons I’ve been having so many Monster Energy drinks this year is because of how much of a hot summer it’s been. But now that Autumn is here it’s a lot easier to have coffee. This morning I’ve even made myself both a cup and a Thermos full of coffee. I haven’t done that since I was at News UK I think.

  3. :

    At train station, waiting for train to take me into work.

  4. :

    There’s a man on the train using some toilet roll as a notepad.

  5. :

    One thing I hate about winter is how the outside is so cold, but the trains are so warm. You have to be constantly altering your layers as you transfer from one to the other.

  6. :

    Arrived at work. Train was about 10 minutes delayed so I got into work after 09:00.

  7. :

    I think today is the first time that I've adjusted the height of a Lime bike and not gotten dirty marks on my hands.

  8. :

    Nearly at home station.

  9. :

    Getting Fish & Chips from a mobile van for the first time ever.

  10. :

    Eating Fish & Chips and watching "Only Fools & Horses".

  11. :

    Watching the scene where Rodney gets married in "Only Fools & Horses”. With Simply Red playing in the background, it’s always sad when Del-boy and Rodney share that look as they say goodbye.

  12. :

    Waiting at the station for Abigail. Someone at her work was leaving, so there was some sort of ‘do.

  1. :

    Awake.

  2. :

    Currently looking at how kottke.org has looked down the years on the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. Browsing June, 2007 at the moment.

  3. :

    Got a little bit of wrist pain. Too much typing today.

  4. :

    Just opened my bedroom window for the first time in a few hours. Man, it was stuffy in here.

  1. :

    Awake.

  2. :

    Abigail’s been up since 03:00 blowing up balloons for my birthday, bless her.

  3. :

    Turned 35 today. Felt oddly sad last night and this morning. Not for any particular reason, I don't think. I don't feel overjoyed right now, but at least I don't feel sad. Though I certainly don't feel like it's my birthday. Though it never does, does it (after you turn about 14 anyway). Abigail's made a good effort though, which is sweet of her.

  4. :

    Taken Abigail to get her eyebrows down on my lunch break.

  5. :

    Getting a McDonalds.

  6. :

    Lunch: McDonalds – double cheeseburger, large fries, five nuggets

  7. :

    Been back home 10 minutes. Having a rare cigarette.

  8. :

    Trying out the fountain pen that I got for my birthday.

  9. :

    Done with work. About to start reading.

  10. :

    Writing and reading whilst I keep an eye on dinner (Abigail is dying her hair).

  11. :

    Abigail’s gone to bed. She’s been up since 03:00! Hopefully I’ll join her soon.

  12. :

    Struggled to sleep tonight. But I think now might be the time to give it a proper go. Bed time – I hope.

  1. :

    Awake.

  2. :

    With it being my birthday tomorrow, I’m looking at old photos from ten years ago. A decade ago we went to the Red Lion for my birthday. And I’ve also attached a picture of what I looked like on October 6, 2016.

  3. :

    Feeling tired and slightly sad today. I’m sure I’ll perk up as the day goes on.

  4. :

    On my way down to Hemel Hempstead to see the family for my birthday

  5. :

    Dad bought me a book about Winter.

  6. :

    At the Clowes’s.

  7. :

    Day the family. Did some cleaning when I got back. Bed time now.

  1. :

    Awake.

  2. :

    Trying not to go straight onto social media (well, TikTok) and look at my RSS feeds instead.

  3. :

    On the way to Bluewater. Abigail needs to pick up some things for my birthday.

  4. :

    Just eaten at Wagamama.

  5. :

    Leaving Bluewater.

  6. :

    Woke up from a nap.

  7. :

    Struggling to stay awake. I’m scrolling on my phone to stay awake, but it’s not working. I must have dropped my phone close to 20 times as I started to fall asleep again.

  8. :

    Finally fully awake. It took ages. I was tempted to call it a day and go to bed for the night. But I’m down seeing the other Clowes’s tomorrow, so I didn’t want to wake up at 02:00 and be ready for sleep by the time I had to drive to Hemel.

  9. :

    Dinner: M&S chicken & bacon pasta ready meal.

  10. :

    Watching Smosh with Abigail while she eats.

  11. :

    Tiny bit of chest pain. Feels like in my lower heart.

  1. :

    Awake.

  2. :

    Dammit. Slept in.

  3. :

    At the train station.

  4. :

    One of the benefits of getting a later train is that they’re the SouthEastern trains. Which are soooo much nicer than Thameslink trains.

  5. :

    Got my train tickets checked. I’m convinced they check them more often on a Friday and outside of rush hour. Not sure why. Maybe people are annoyed enough during the rush hour. But I feel like I’ve only ever gotten my tickets checked outside the rush hour (both morning and evening).

  6. :

    Arrived at work.

  7. :

    Listening to Groove Salad and trying to be productive.

  8. :

    On a late lunch.

  9. :

    Back home. Popping into Co-op for ice cream I think.

  10. :

    Home. Clouds have given way to some early evening blinding sun.

  11. :

    Autumn is officially here for sure. My Barbour boots were worn today. As were two layers of plaid.

  12. :

    Cooking dinner.

  13. :

    Having a cigarette whilst dinner cooks. My first for many, many weeks.

  14. :

    Eaten dinner. Essentially chicken, chips and peas. Macho peas, which were nice. Now watching the Celebrity Traitors.

  15. :

    Feel kind of weak and tired. But not sleepy – weirdly. A curious combo.

  16. :

    Bed time.

  1. :

    Awake. Did a weird one this morning to try and wake up less groggy. I woke up at 05:00 and took my Ritalin and then went back to bed.

  2. :

    Just opened a Monster Energy.

  3. :

    It could be coincidence. But I think waking up to take my Ritalin and then going back to sleep has actually helped me feel less groggy!

  4. :

    On a walk around the block with Abigail.

  5. :

    Back from my walk.

  6. :

    Done with work. Running a bath.

  7. :

    About to get in the bath.

  8. :

    To be honest, I’m not really ‘feeling’ this bath. I feel a tiny bit anxious. And also tired. Probably because I had a 150 gram bag of Doritos not long ago. But right now I’m feeling dizzy and the last thing I want to be doing is getting in a hot bath. But I’ll make sure it reasonably cool and I’m sure I’ll have a relaxing time.

  9. :

    Wow, my Log twelve hours ago at 06:37 this morning feels like an age ago now. https://walden.blog/2026/10/08/awake-did-a-weird-one-this-morning-to

  10. :

    Out the bath. Actually had a perfectly pleasant time.

  11. :

    Went into the bath with it fully bright out. Now: darkness.

  12. :

    Abigail is trying to get an early night, so we’ve parted ways. I’m fighting the urge to do something unproductive before bed (like just scrolling on TikTok). Am going to attempt to do some reading.

  13. :

    Dinner: left over pasta from last night. Abigail had soup and bread and cheese.

  14. :

    I fell asleep to "Means Girls" the other day and it was rather pleasant. I might have to fall asleep to it again today. And maybe even add it to my “films to fall asleep to” list.

  15. :

    Got some stomach pain brewing right now (and some slight dizziness). I had reheated pork pasta for dinner. So I really hope I heated it thoroughly. I’ve heard sickness from pork can be awful. This is the face of a worried man:

  16. :

    Very sleepy. Feel a bit like my body is shutting down right now. But I’m sure it’s just sleepiness. Why I’m powerfully sleepy I don’t know.

  17. :

    Bed time.

  18. :

    Unable to sleep. Got this weird ear sucking thing that I’ve been getting quite often whilst trying to fall asleep.

  19. :

    Can’t sleep. So midnight snacking.

  20. :

    Feeling tired. Might be able to sleep.

  1. :

    Awake.

  2. :

    Trying to cut down on caffeine. Didn’t drink about a fifth of my Monster Energy.

  3. :

    On the way to work on the train.

  4. :

    I don't know what it is, but I seem to spend half my life with my flys undone.

  5. :

    Goodness, I feel impressively awful today. I can't even blame sugar, as I ate none last night. Though I can't rely on it either, as it is is only day one of cutting out sugar.

  6. :

    Made the mistake of popping out on my lunch break.

  7. :

    On the bus for the first time in quite a long time.

  8. :

    Blimey, what a faff. Decided to pop to a John Lewis on my lunch break to see what notebooks they had. I cycled there on a Lime bike and got soaked. It wasn't raining that much, but I think all the water was kicking up off the surface. I had a waterproof on, but my Clarks Dessert Boots got rather wet. And then the John Lewis turned out to be huge. Great, but huge. So it took a while to find what I needed to find. Not wanting to get wet again I got the bus back. But it still required a decent bit of walking at both ends. It's amazing how what would have been a pleasant little journey turned into a nightmare.

  9. :

    My attempt to cut down on caffeine hasn't really happened today. I didn't drink all my Monster, true. But I've had 500 ml of Pepsi Max. Oh well. Tomorrow is a new day. As long as I don't have any sugar tonight, I'm golden.

  10. :

    Not looking forward to my commute home. I either go via Lime bike, and get wet. Or via Underground, and become a sardine in a tin.

  11. :

    Home. Knackered. But at least I’m home. I was so cold on the journey home. That’s a first. Am putting on dinner right away, otherwise I’ll crash.

  12. :

    Cooking dinner. Rigatoni with Quick Sausage Ragù.

  13. :

    Still cooking dinner. But this has been a pretty easy dish to make. If this is tasty I’ll be very pleased. Another recipe for the back pocket.

  1. :

    WFH today. Been up since just before 09:00 in time to log on to Teams and start working. Slept badly last night, dropping off around 03:30. Purely my fault – I had two forms of caffeine in the daytime yesterday (and the second was a Red Bull too!). Oh well, at least I’m WFH. I’m going to drink my Monster Energy and hopefully perk up. There is a weird thing I have (an ADHD thing I think) where if I get about 5-6 hours of sleep it actually doesn’t effect me too much (once I shake off the morning tiredness). In fact, I occasionally am more productive than when I get a good 8 hours. But it’s for one night only. If I have a second day of bad sleep I am then very unproductive.

  2. :

    Got some chest pain right now. I have a bit of hypochondria when it comes to my heart, so I often panic about any potential heart related symptoms. I'm sure it's nothing. But if it's not and this is me done: goodbye.

  3. :

    I’ve created a new “log” feature on Walden.blog

  4. :

    Abigail is getting some beautician stuff done at her sisters. I’m feeling a bit anxious today and not in a talkative mood really. So I’m waiting in the car – like a coward.

  5. :

    Considering finally opening my BulletJournal Pocket edition. Or I might just read instead.

  6. :

    Still waiting for Abigail. I enjoy chilling in a car (when I have stuff on me anyway, like books, notebooks, phone). It focuses my ADHD brain. I’m a little box with much less to distract me.

  7. :

    At McDonalds. Too late to cook.

  8. :

    Eating McDonalds.

  9. :

    Back home. In bed with Abigail watching TikTok’s. Feeling anxious still. Well, I think it’s less anxiety. More that I’ve got left arm and chest pain and it’s worrying me and giving me anxiety.

  10. :

    Bed time.

  1. :

    20:32: Eaten dinner – fish & chips. Watching “Off Campus”.