A New Chair - Nova stolica
Getting older does, sadly, mean experiencing a lot more aches and pains and so anything that makes life that little more bearable has to be a plus.
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Hello and welcome to this week's post, where I am sat on my brand new office chair as I write this.
Well, it’s technically a gaming chair, but I really needed to get something that is a lot more comfy than the chair I have used for the past decade or more.
Getting older does, sadly, mean experiencing a lot more aches and pains and so anything that makes life that little more bearable has to be a plus.
Right?
It’s the most expensive chair I have ever bought for office tasks.
I’m Breaking Out of the COVID Dominated Lifestyle
I don’t know about you (well I think I do actually), but these past few years have been totally weird.
For me, I needed the freedom of movement to travel around Bosnia and Herzegovina (and elsewhere), creating content for the Blog, YouTube channel and Podcast. It was something I enjoyed tremendously. As a “retiree” my life exploring new experiences together with Tamara, was perfect.
You could say “Living the Dream” I suppose.
We all know what then got in the way, and is still in the way.
My plans had to be shelved. I came up with some alternatives hoping to sustain my content creation. They too came to nothing. A broken ankle added to the frustrations. Grounded. I was totally grounded. Looking back I actually think some sort of depression also added itself into the mix.
Looking back, I did spend tons of time in my office/studio trying to see what I could do. To be fair it wasn’t a total waste of time.
I got myself refocussed as far as my use of Social Media was concerned.
I have deleted so so many apps from my mobile device. I plan to use my desktop computer more from here on in.
I also didn’t realise the effect that institutional/governmental “gaslighting” had reached, resulting in unhealthy limits of media toxicity. Especially here in Bosnia.
Gaslighting describes a person (a "gaslighter") who presents a false narrative to another group or person which leads them to doubt their perceptions and become misled (generally for the gaslighters' own benefit), disoriented or distressed. Generally, this dynamic is only possible when the audience is vulnerable, such as in unequal power relationships, or when the audience is fearful of the losses associated with challenging the false narrative.
So, my intake of news and current affairs has now reached the lowest ever. I have started to question everything I do consume.
Added to the many months of dodging the virus and getting fully vaccinated, both Tamara and I finally tested positive for the bug.
We weathered that storm very well (lucky old us).
So, this past week I have been back to planning for the next six months and for the first time, in a very long time, getting back to “face to face” meetings and interactions. Goodness, I didn’t know how good that feeling could be. Just to sit with a coffee in an office or a coffee bar (not a webcam) and chat through ideas. I do keep as distanced as I can and also use a mask where I feel it’s required. I did feel however, quite exhausted after the first meeting.
The Bosnia and Herzegovina Team has arrived at this year’s Olympics
New Potential Project
Hopefully in the coming weeks we’ll be working on recording English language voiceovers, for a range of Virtual Reality tourism videos for the Tourism Organisation of the Republika Srpska (TORS).
We’ll also be finding out about some ideas for Glamping from a company with an innovative idea here in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
A Readers Recommendation
I know this isn’t pure Bosnia and Herzegovina content, but this archive Pathe Newsreel (remember them?) shows this area and how it was just 10 years after the Second World War, in 1955.
Martin Gannon, a staunch supporter of these weekly posts sent this link.
Hope you enjoy some rampant nostalgia and thanks Martin 😀🇧🇦
Today’s Lunch
Podcasts Educate, Inform and Entertain - An Update
In last week’s post I mentioned Podcasting.
Great to see that there’s a conference about this being held in Banja Luka.
Bosnia and Herzegovina certainly needs to hear from voices outside of the main stream media.
Did you miss OUR Last Podcast?
Please DO give it a listen.
What We Have Been Watching
I’ve very recently started to watch Sci-Fi. It’s never been remotely interesting for me.
However, this is the second series that I’ve watched and to be honest it’s not that bad at all.
The Rain is a Danish 3 season trip, with the first season released back in 2018.
The story is based around a virus released in Scandanavia.
After recent “real life” events, it’s easy to “see” similarities. But of course, this is fantasy. Compelling viewing fantasy.
Highly Recommended.
And Finally
If you want to read back editions of the newsletter, listen to previous podcasts (we have quite an archive now), or catch other content, all this is available on the web interface, just like a regular blog.
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Tamara and I appreciate your faithful readership, your comments, and your generosity!
THANKS SO MUCH ❤️
I have seen 2 seasons of Rain. It was good. I recommend Raised by Wolves series. The director is Ridley Scott. Good luck for new projects and plans!