Ranked 271st in Funny Sex...

Morning Gang! Another week, another rejigged to-do list as tasks I've failed to complete over the past seven days get hastily pushed on to the week ahead. Just me? No? Fantastic. Some of us will be gearing up for Halloween and Bommie night. Others will be skipping such Autumnal pursuits and deep-diving into Netflix Christmas schmaltz. Wherever mid-October finds you, I hope it's winning. 

Best line of a review, ever.
I WILL call you out. Oh yes.

Writing news

Thursday saw the one-week anniversary of Assembling the Wingpeople's publication and it has been INTENSE. Most of the last seven days saw me doing what could mistakenly be termed, 'titting about on the Internet.' But it was real work! Honest. Every day, reviews have been posted on Goodreads and Amazon as well as social media. Friends and family keep messaging about where they're up to, and what they think. And then there's been the official admin that a new book brings. The surge of online activity ushered in by publication day, meant for five minutes I charted 271st in 'Love, Sex, and Marriage Humour.' I LOLed! As my ratings are usually in the millions, this was quite the bump. Imagine what lofty heights I could reach if I knew what I was doing. 

In other work news, my website's up and running. Last time I checked there were some search issues, but if you type nickybond.com into your browser you'll see what's what. Finally, there's been no time for reading recently, but I've downloaded The Christmas Murder Game by Alexandra Benedict and I'm looking forward to full immersion soon.

Culture

Sometimes there's no need to state the obvious; we all know the score. But that doesn't mean we should neglect to praise stalwart institutions that always deliver. Big claps and a hearty hurrah to Strictly Come Dancing. It's  been going forever and you either watch it or you don't. But the stealth way it's got same-sex couples represented on BBC's Saturday night flagship family show, is beautiful. The even better news is that John and Johannes are outstanding. Breaking down barriers AND  dancing exceptionally. It's simply too marvellous being filled with joy each weekend. Both the overt and incidental messages sent to every hetero-normative home in the land, are the right ones and I'm here for them.

Beyond that, I've been listening to back-episodes of Brett Goldstein's podcast, Films to be Buried With. Each one sees Brett interview someone about the key films that reflect their life. It's usually a jumble of funny, profound, moving, silly, and informative. This week I listened to Brendan Hunt and Toheeb Jimoh's episodes and was more than happy about it. 

Food and Drink
The search for the best non-animal chicken continues. Marksies do chopped up meat-like pieces called No Chicken. Can you see what they did there? I like it but it's not always convenient to make a special trip for one ingredient. I tried Tesco's Plant Chef fake chicken this week, which also tasted nice, but was slightly off-putting in its uncooked state. And then there's Quorn. Always there, never lets you down. I'm just not sure it's my favourite. I did say it wouldn't always be fancy cheese boards and champagne, didn't I? Sorry, I'll try to be less dull. How's this? Saturday night saw me shovel in a Dominos, and Sunday was all about roasted root veg from the garden. Anything roasted and blanketed in gravy has to be worth a mention, yes?

Out and About

Ah Gang. Let me tell you. Last Friday I took myself off to Manchester and saw Armistead Maupin interviewed at HOME. My favourite author; the man who made me want to write and the reason I spent my 30th birthday in San Francisco. Despite this not being the first time I've seen Armistead in the flesh, it was a 'tingles' moment. The guy that created my favourite literary characters was in the room. I was so happy. Books transport you away, they give you insight and experience you'd never had got if your imagination stayed in its lane. They are magical. And so was Armistead Maupin.

Well then. That's it for the week. If you're in the middle of reading Assembling the Wingpeople, a big fat Thank You. If you've bought it to be supportive with no intention of turning the page, then Thank You too. You gotta do you, and I appreciate it regardless. 

Have a lovely week, folks.