Weeknote: 40/2023

Verbs

Reading: New Yorker profile on Larry Gagosian.

I knew a little of Gagosian, but this New Yorker profile turns over the stone to reveal an incredibly complex, morally grey (at the very least), and utterly shark-like figure behind so much of the modern art industry.

Watching: Lupin, starring Omar Sy on Netflix.

Very pleased to have season 3 of this out and we devoured it in just a day or two. Omar Sy continues to charm from start to finish, and once again he shows what a power-house performer he is.

Listening: J. S. Bach: Goldberg Variations, Vikingur Ólafsson

I’d read rave reviews about Ólafsson’s interpretation and performance of these very well-known pieces, but as I’m very unlikely to get to a performance of his world tour I will have to settle for this beautiful recording.

Playing: Dungeons and Dragons, 5th Edition

We’re into the home stretch of the Dungeons and Dragons mini-campaign I’ve been running since the start of the summer. The crew have finally raided the bank vault they were tasked with breaking, and have the McGuffin in hand. Now it’s just a simple case of making the getaway…

Words

Most of this week has focused on fiddling about with my professional/company site (www.swuxlxd.com) and getting the first new batch of courses on there as well as on the European Schools Education Platform. As part of this, I’ve been pinning down the brand identity for SWUX and trying to re-learn everything I once knew about graphic design, branding, and web design. I’m definitely very rusty, but for now, I’m relatively pleased with how things are looking. Further down the line, I think it will be a smart move to get a pro in to refine everything but I’m trying to dodge my tendency to let perfect be the enemy of done.

I’ve also been making more of a concerted effort to get to know Novi Sad even better. We’ve been here for more than two years but so much of that time was occupied with pandemics, followed by finding, buying, refurbishing, fitting out, and moving into our apartment, let alone huge amounts of travel for work (last year) and getting the company up and running (this year) that I’ve only now found the mental space and literal time to start making those explorations in earnest. This week I enjoyed the Night Market that takes place around once a month at the ‘fish market’ in the city centre. I came across it by chance a month or two back but made the time to check it out properly and really enjoyed browsing the stalls, eating a hot dog, grabbing a local beer, and buying a few things from the sellers there.

Along with getting out and joining in with things here, I’ve also been taking some driving lessons. I’ve got a UK driving license but having lived abroad for quite some time, I’ve hardly driven in years. Going back to being a learner is always a revealing process, especially for someone whose working life is all about understanding the learning experience. It can be a pretty humbling experience and is a really great reminder that the experience of the teacher is definitely not the same as the experience of the learner - even more so when you’re in the middle of rush-hour traffic.