Author: Andy Ferguson

A Million Ways to Spend Free Time

Free time, it’s like free money really. Free money is things like lottery wins, tax rebates, and one-off performance related bonuses. The kind of money you can spend without guilt because it doesn’t feature whatsoever in your budget. Free time covers things like bank holidays, getting up an hour early by mistake, and finding yourself sent home early due to a bomb scare. I find free time quite productive, because somehow it doesn’t even occur to me to do things I need to do, meaning I can instead concentrate on fun things that might contribute to my general well being in a more abstract fashion.

And so, today I have trawled the internet for useful things that might make my life easier, but are more likely to keep me amused for a short period of time and then fade into insignificance.

And then in a moment I’ll get a pop-up window and an email telling me to get downstairs, open a bottle of wine, and watch Doctor Who. Technology is great sometimes.

Albums of the year 2005

2005 was the year I learned about computers, and learned that it is possible to jury rig old equipment to deal with today’s tasks with a bit of elbow grease. It was the year I rediscovered Dylan, Fairport Convention, and other folk-rock goodness. It was the year I bought more new music than any time since my late teens. It was the year where I rediscovered old friendships, and cemented a few newer ones. And it was the year when I finally found a job that stretched me and gave me a sense of worth.

It was also a year that I can look back on and honestly say was a happy one.

I end this year dividing my time between Birmingham (where I work) and Steph’s house in Hinstock. This arrangement works well, and gives me a much needed dose of country air, as well as the company I need to keep me sane. I’ve travelled as often as any other year, I’ve just not travelled as widely.

And now for my albums of the year (in the order they are stacked on my desk):

Rufus Wainwright – Want Two
The Arcade Fire – Funeral
The Mars Volta – Frances the Mute
Antony and the Johnsons – I am a Bird Now
Bloc Party – Silent Alarm
The Dandy Warhols – Odditorium or the Warlords of Mars
The White Stripes – Get Behind me Satan
Sufjan Stevens – C’mon Feel The Illionoise
The Magic Numbers – The Magic Numbers
Death From Above 1969 – You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine