#177 (20+25)
Older. Bolder. Golder. Smoulder.
23 JULY 2025
Hello, IT’S MY BIRTHDAY TODAY!
How old am I?
Well, here is a fun maths problem to work it out. Take the current year and split is down the middle into a pair of 2-digit numbers - now add those numbers together.
That is my age today!
I’m feeling immensely grateful. I’ve never been more excited or more thankful for the people or activities that make up my every day. What a treat you all are!
The only thing I miss about Facebook is the birthday interactions so if you have a minute, and you’d like to make a (20+25) year old man very happy, hit reply and remind me of something we shared together (a time, a place, a moment).
Because the basis of any friendship is being able to say to someone else Do you remember when ... ?
See? That’s the kind of shit I’m going to come out with now that I’m old.
SO thought, MUCH wisdom.
Rule of three
[Game] Donkey Kong Bananza
As you play Donkey Kong Bananza (the new Switch 2 platformer from Nintendo), you realise very quickly that everything is smashable. Everything! Sometimes there’s a puzzle and instead of solving it you just punch through a wall and tunnel your way to the prize. It’s SO much fun. My favourite elements are all the NPCs that stand around and say things like Do you like my new house? or This is my favourite fishing spot! just to set up the joke when you immediately smash it all to smithereens, whereupon they say something suitably wistful like Well, I suppose nothing lasts forever.
[Improv] Emily Murphy
Look, Emily is obviously the best. She’s funny and clever and probably the most naturally talented improviser I’ve ever worked with. Happily for all of us, she’s just started a blog and, if you’re serious about improv, then you should subscribe NOW. Check out this entry about commitment - there’s so much gold in there that reading it is like taking a full workshop on the subject. Definitive and invaluable.
[TV] The Last of Us
I played The Last of Us on the beast that was the Playstation 3 way back in 2013 but I’ve only just got around to the TV series. The reason is I’ve been cast in Endure and Survive - an improvised show set in the same post-apocalyptic, fungus-zombie filled world. We’re performing it at the JO! International Improv Festival in Poland next week. Anyway, the TV series is hugely impressive, but please let me be (probably) the 500th person to recommend episode 3 in particular - it’s a stand alone story (you don’t need any context other than the world is ending) told with such beauty and grace, it’ll take your breath away. I hope we can capture even a fraction of that depth and humanity.
Spotlight
Pretend Night at Theatre Deli is STILL coming up on Wednesday 30th July 2025.
Mystery Teacher We can now reveal that the mystery teacher is none other than the spectacular Monica Gaga. The workshop that she’s bringing to Pretend Academy is called You’re grounded, let’s play.
Hilariously, there is actually only one ticket left, as thirteen of you decided to sign up when it was still a mystery.
Pretend Night Live from Studio 10 of Theatre Deli. This month we’ve got Liam & Lloydie doing their acclaimed duo The Clones and Jon Nguyen & I remounting our well-received duo Understudies in which we stage Act 2 of a show where the main cast have regrettably all got explosive digestive issues simultaneously. And if that wasn’t enough, then you can see a DREAM ensemble featuring the aforementioned Monica Gaga and Emily Murphy as well as Katy Schutte, Shanaka Dias and Ed Fargher. Show starts at 8pm and costs a tenner. Studio 10 is exclusive (i.e. small) so we only have 16 tickets to sell.
Sign up here for THEATRICAL IMPROV OF A WORRYINGLY HIGH STANDARD
Movement for change
After a brief hiatus, I’m back on my movement journey with ever more enthusiasm. This week, I want to introduce the idea of snacking on exercise.
The basic idea is, instead of doing one 30-45 minute intensive workout, you take multiple breaks throughout your day to move. So I’ll hang from a doorframe for 30 seconds as I go to get a drink of water or watch some TV whilst sitting in a resting squat. I even have two types of balance beam in my office so I can balance whilst on Zoom calls at my standing desk.
I love it. It feels so much more doable to me than carving out time to actually go to the gym. I use MultiTimer to keep track of how long I spend on each activity (and then input it into a spreadsheet at the end of the day because I’m a NERD).
Radio contact
I’m on a boat!