BLOURNAL
A day out in the Mournes
Yesterday, I went for a wee trip out with my dad. We made a few stops along our travels — Dundrum, Murlough Beach, Tollymore Forest Park and a few pit stops in the Mournes — but most of the day was spent driving around and taking in the scenery before the sun goes down.
New Years’ Resolutions
Not gonna lie, it has been extremely difficult trying to come up with resolutions for this year given… everything that’s been going on in the world over the last couple of weeks. To be fair, January is usually a slow month and I never go into the start of a year with any major expectations, so I probably shouldn’t be so critical of myself, but… obviously, that’s never stopped me before.
One Rabbit Hole After Another
I read another chapter of Lemmy’s book last night after slacking off on my reading for nearly a month. I still haven’t got to the formation of Motorhead yet but I like what I’ve read so far.
My first concert of the year (and hopefully not the last)
Hiya… meant to write something on Saturday but I lost track of the time and I was having a hard time articulating myself, so here we are.
Rediscovering an old pastime of mine…
OK… so, here’s a strange pastime that I used to love doing when I was in uni.
I’d often go back to a movie that I’d already seen and read the script while I’m watching it again. As somebody who was studying cinematic arts and looking to get better at writing, I always found the comparison between how scenes played out on the page to how they played out on the screen quite fascinating, because unless writers/directors are particularly protective of what they’ve written, it’s not always a straightforward translation. Things get added, things get deleted, many of the visuals details are fleshed out, etc.
A whodunnit-themed blournal post…
Ahoy, ahoy.
I’ve mostly been trying to distract myself from all the chaos unfolding right now. Not gonna lie, it hasn’t exactly been fun, but I did finally get around to watching Wake Up Dead Man, the new Benoit Blanc mystery.
Practice photography
Ugh… it’s not been a fun weekend for me, especially with the current state of the world and Trump’s gruelling recklessness, but I’m trying my best to find solace wherever I can. Getting out to the Ballyronan Marina for a breath of fresh air certainly helps, as does trying to take photos of the birds chilling out by the lough.
Daily Photos
So… I’ve now added a “daily photos” page to the website where I intend to post photos on a daily basis usually with the date and a caption below… pretty self explanatory stuff, really. If you hover over “Galleries” on the menu up above, you’ll see “Daily Photos” listed as one of the dropdown options. Click on it and you’ll be able to see what I’ve posted since New Years’ Day.
Getting back into proper photography
I might have alluded to this in a previous blournal entry, but I’ve become far too reliant on using my mobile phone to taking photos, which is a handy tool to have when you’re on the go, but I also recently discovered that my phone's camera has built-in “intelligent optimisation” that automatically enhances my photos. Not gonna lie, I felt like I had a slight crisis of confidence when I found that out, but you know what… it’s as good an incentive as any to pick up the DSLR, which I’ve neglected for well over a year-and-a-half now.
Could we please have a normal 2026? Pretty please? Or is that too much to ask?
Sigh.
Look, I said I wasn’t going to doomscroll in 2026, but when the world is figuratively and literally on fire and the powers-at-be are actively pouring gasoline on the flames, it’s hard to resist the temptation.
What I saw, read, played and listened to in December 2025
So… now that 2025 is done and dusted, I can wrap things up presenting all the things I watched, read, played and/or listened to throughout the month of December. Good variety of films, shows, music, games and even books for a change… although I’ve fallen back into bad habits with the latter. That’ll need to rectified this year… PRONTO!
First Day of 2026
So, that’s 2025 done and dusted… Stranger Things is officially finished, Zohran Mamdani is now the mayor of New York and I’m pretty sure it’s now 2026 no matter where you are in the world.
Last Day of 2025
In less than a few hours time — at least in our part of the world — it’ll be 2026 and I’m not entirely sure how I feel about that. I know for a fact that I failed to accomplish much this year, but I also know that it’s no use beating myself up about it.
A step in the right direction
So… I think I managed to spruce up the comment section ever so slightly. It’s still not perfect by any means but I think it looks considerably better than it did even a few hours ago. Alas, there’s still plenty more work to be done with this website in general… most of which is long, long, LONG overdue, but I’m finally on the right track at long last.
Comments Section
So…
I managed to finally add a comment section to this blournal and it was a lot easier than I initially anticipated. That’s the good news. The not-so-good news is that that it currently looks like this.
Why I don’t do year-end lists (Part 2)
So, I mostly don’t do year-end lists because I don’t see nearly as many new movies as I’d like to, and the same could be said for most shows and video games that end up becoming the talk of the town.
Why I don’t do year-end lists (Part 1)
I have to admit… I am fucking awful at keeping up to date with new music. There’s so many albums which released this year that I’ve been wanting to listen to, but for some reason, I just haven’t gotten around to yet..
A few vague New Years’ resolutions to start off 2026 with…
Yes, I know 2025 isn’t over yet but I’d like to try get slightly ahead of the curve for a change.
Truth be told, I don’t really any clear resolutions for 2026 as of yet. I still plan on going to the local hub three days a week to work out, but so far, nothing’s set in stone aside from a few immediate dates in my calendar. I’ll be seeing Biffy Clyro in Belfast in less than a fortnight away, which will be my third time seeing them. I’ve been a fan of this band since my mid-to-late teens and they kick so much ass live, although it’ll be interesting to see how they manage without bassist James Johnston, who’s taking a step back to address his mental health. It’ll be strange to see them without a core member because for me, the chemistry between the three band members has always a big part of what makes Biffy such a good band. Nevertheless, I wish James all the best with his recovery and I’m confident that it’s still gonna be a brilliant show regardless, just with a slightly different dynamic this time around.
Yes, I know Christmas Day has come and gone, but it’s still Christmas as far as I’m concerned.
Hi.
I meant to start working on a post-Christmas blournal entry a lot sooner but I’ve been playing Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 almost nonstop since yesterday morning, so apologies for that. It’s been a great Christmas for me so far and I’ve had so much fun spending time with my family, gobbling up some Christmas food, getting reacquainted with old friends and soaking in all that good old-fashioned Christmas cheer.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays
Merry Christmas to all my friends, to both my immediate and extended family and anyone else who celebrate Christmas, and the happiest of holidays to anyone who celebrates the many other holidays around this time of the year.