Flying To The Stars

It's been a while since I logged in or updated or even thought about the dreamwidth and I wanted to ask you apologise. If you read Samantha's journal I then you'll be know what's going on been going on the for the last few months. And for those who don't, her dad died unexpectedly at the beginning of the year and she had what she's calling 'a mental health crisis'

With a lot of support from myself and Lucy, our doctor, the local mental health team and bereavement counselling she's on the road to recovery. And you have no idea how much of a relief that is. I'm not too proud to say I was scared I was going to lose her 😢 Lucy has been amazing throughout; I was concerned the stress was going to trigger an episode of her own but it's like her nurturing instincts kicked in and took over.

In the last maybe 10 days, things are returning to what resembles normal around here. Samantha is still signed off work and it's been agreed that she will be back in September for the new school year. We're finding our groove again and I feel like I have her back; my wife, my lover, my dominant, my best friend

The three of us are taking a long weekend break to Amsterdam this weekend. I think we all deserve to get away, enjoy each others company and press reset. I'm looking forward to visiting a few museums, exploring the red light district, indulging in some coffee shop treats and... Well to be honest some romantic walks along the canals.

I'm currently finally setting up the tablet I got for Christmas so any app recommendations you may have would be great.
So far I've got Facebook, twitter, duolingo, BBC sport, Man City app, good reads, Spotify

For now, I still have over 1000 unread emails to catch up on and then I'll be back to Dreamwidth. Samantha has 'highly suggested' Lucy and I come back to social media...

The three of us all try to blog - although none of us are particularly good at it. We all seem to have bursts and spurts. I know I want to keep it in my schedule but I haven't really figured out what to do with it. Lucy has actually has a blogging spread in her bullet journal - blogging ideas, days to blog and reminders to comment etc.

I definitely find inspiration is something I struggle with and it comes down to why do I want to blog.

Lucy uses hers almost as a form of therapy - to get thoughts out of her head and down on 'paper', to help her sort out what's going on and work through it. I know she writes a lot of posts that she doesn't actually publish.

Me... I started it because I was trying to find something to do after retiring. Lucy did it and it seemed interesting. I like meeting and interacting with new people and thought blogging would be a great way to meet people I wouldn't normally meet in real life - but also to find and get to know people with similar interests.

I've found I like blogging because it makes me a better writer. Communicating in person is easy, you have tone and body language but when it's just words on a screen, you have to be more careful, more selective over your words and sentence structure less you come over wrong. Sarcasm, for example, doesn't always translate to a written form.

I also like that it makes me more aware of my life, more intentional about my decisions, more observant about myself. Obviously I can't write about every event, every thought and every happening in my life. So there's a process of how I articulate the most meaningful moments and important thoughts and sometimes the most meaningful things start to appear in the mundane.

There's also the rush I get when I get feedback, every time one of you comments on one of my posts. So thank you.

So what about you - why do you blog?

The internet, blogging spaces especially, make me feel like a dirty old man. We're going to completely ignore the fact that I am a dirty old man and focus on how young everyone else online seems to be.

I come across random blogs, start reading only to realise that the writer is in their 20s or 30s. I've joined 2017revival and addme and all the posts seem to be from younger ladies. I feel hesitant to start a conversation, to request to add them because I don't know how they'd feel about a... (and I use the term loosely) more mature man reading their posts.

I try to imagine how I would feel if the situation was reversed; if I were that age and found out that someone old enough to be my father were wanting to read my blog. I think I'd feel quite awkward. I doubt I'd be interested in reading what they had to say.

Do I necessarily feel comfortable reading posts by someone young enough to be my son - if not younger than him. Am I opening myself up for completely inaccurate accusations of inappropriateness?

I did an interest search for over 60s but it was unsuccessful. I did a google search for 'over 60s blogs' and learned a hell of a lot about how to dress as a woman over 60 which I'm sure would be really useful were I of the female persuasion. I offered to send the links to an amused Samantha* and she shot me a look that would make a lesser person drop down dead.

Then again, does age really matter? Isn't this whole thing about getting to meet people that I wouldn't normally meet. Doesn't science-fiction etc transcend barriers of age, gender, race, sexuality etc.

Or is my son right and I am 'too old' for this?

^{* Samantha is still many years from 60}

Thank you everyone for your tips and advice on my last post. I definitely found it helpful, and if anything it just reaffirmed what I already suspected.

Write from the heart, write about what I want to write about, write about whatever is in my head, write about what interests me, write about what makes me happy, write about my life.

So what does that mean? what interests me and makes me happy?

My wife and girlfriend. Polyamory. My son. Books I read, music I listen to, movies/tv I watch. Science fiction. Superheroes (Marvel and DC). Football. Fishing. Gardening. Astronomy. BDSM.

I'm not completely sure how any of these are going to translate into posts but I've also been told to not think so hard about, just 'put pen to paper' and 'dont expect perfection on page 1'

All food for thought and I'm interested to see how it all plays out

I have however been working on the title for this thing. Instead of being a bland Jack's Journal, I've now got a name of Flying To The Stars:Adventures in Space, Time, Polyamory, and Fishing which I really do like. I've also got a layout that I'm much happier with.

One step at a time. Perfect won't happen on page 1.

I'm pleased to report that I remain an utter embarassment to my son. I feel this cements the fact I'm doing an excellent job as a parent. Today he told me, with all the wisdom he has garnered from his 29 years on this planet that I need to 'grow up' and 'start acting my age'. He didn't seem all that impressed when my response was that I'd never been 64 before now and had no idea how I was supposed to act.

Apparently, I'm too old to be watching 'silly' superhero and science-fiction movies - we were watching X-Men when he dropped in for an unexpected, unannounced visit.
Please I was watching Star Trek and Doctor Who the first time around, and reading Marvel and DC comics in the 1960s. I was a geek before it was 'cool' and the current revival is only making my love grow. You'll be prying my Captain America action figure from my cold dead hands. Actually, scratch that, he'll be coming in the coffin with me.

I'm also too old to be reading a kids book about space.
I'd just finished reading The Planets - a DK Publishing book about, well, the planets. Absolutely fascinating book, and it's made me want to know more about NASA's Solar & Heliospheric Observatory

I'm also too old to be blogging or playing Candy Crush Saga - because God forbid I find new ways to spend my day, find new hobbies to entertain myself with.

I do though have suitably 'old person' interests and should only fill my time with crosswords, chess, gardening, fishing and listening to classical music.

I probably shouldn't tell him I'm thinking of going back to school....


(Please don't take any of this the wrong way. I have a really good relationship wiht my son and he's very much like I was at that age. I'm mostly just amused that he believes people's personalities and interests are dictated by how old they are!)