proper spring is here - loving it

my trip to finland for staff development days was good. very different events, but interesting. good for socializing too as always, altho i mightve had a couple wines too many. 

ms R visited me after the finland trip and we had a good time AS ALWAYS, even visiting Brighton last weekend. we also found time to watch baby reindeer, i had to see what everyone was talking about.  i definitely liked that it showed how men can also be vulnerable/human and struggle with situations like that, stalkers and abuse and shame around the experiences. there was a lot of familiarity, not that the exact same thing had happened to me but eerily some things or events were familiar and I guess it was just quite well done as it seemed realistic to me... also making the stalker a human instead of some very simple evil caricature. anyway on the downside, i think many viewers are taking it more seriously as it happened to a white male. had it been a female, a lot of ppl would shrug and victim blame, i suspect. its hard to differentiate between the the "novelty" of having a male in that position and the fact that white men are usually believed more readily. either way as end result i would like to think the series increases understanding of victims in these kind of situations. theres always a lot involved, from personalities, power dynamics, contexts and some people having the skill of pressing your buttons... its hard to be "the right kind of victim", doing what we think in hindsight and from a distance think is the "right thing" to do. i have been recommending the series to friends as well (not that i have many who hadnt seen it already). 

someone just recommended Hacks and Big Boys to me. might check them out later. also a couple people have mentioned 3 Body Problem.

miss R and i tried Dopamine Land, an experience designed to be fun, with different kind of rooms, colours, sounds, mirrors...  incl a ball pit.

Brighton beach with miss R.

in a tapas restaurant in central london with miss R.

i ordered these G Spot drinks to try (Gillian Anderson's company, what else is needed?) - they are not alcoholic, no caffeine, just ... nice drinks i guess. the taste of this (soothe) one was not maybe exactly to my liking but oh well, now ive tried it. loved the box they came in - the humour is subtle enough.

in finland at the office with 4 drinks on my desk. i guess i like variety.

finnish april weather... lol

it was nicer at times. this is from the coastal middle-of-nowhere location where we had the staff development days. sauna is right behind me here. i will admit it was pretty serene and i enjoyed the sauna too.

just a meme i really enjoyed.

i appreciate how uk gov reaches people via social media and apps when it comes to voting or other big events that involve (almost) everyone. this reminder to vote on May 2nd appeared on Spotify. there was a mayoral + London Assembly election. im glad Sadiq Khan got his historical 3rd term as a mayor. 

Bruno is still around, his neck wound slowly but surely healing. it used to be this huge gaping hole now its closed, just needs to grow new skin. the area is about 5x8cm so it takes its time. this pink wrap suited him well i thought. not sure he agreed.

my jury duty starts monday. its still both interesting and worrying. i really dont want to miss too much work (and income) but also want to perform my duty of course. i keep getting reminder emails and was sent a little paper leaflet with instructions, incl dresscode (casual is fine). the courthouse is by the Thames just north of us so not too far.