Tuesday 29 December 2020

Goodbye to all that.

Goodbye to All That - an excellent book and an apt sentiment for the year.

Even in its dying days the twists keep coming. Everything from the bizarre to the disastrous.

Let me regale you with the two latest examples - bizarre first.

I have been (at least according to a man I have no reason to doubt) nominated for a Nobel Prize. Which is - as I'm sure you've just thought to yourself - total madness. And it's neither of the first two flavours you might think of though I've never been within a million miles of qualifying in either Science or Literature.

I have been nominated for ... wait for it ... the Nobel Peace Prize 😆.

Apparently the policy document on police reform that I made a really really tiny contribution to has snowballed into something large and the whole enterprise (and thereby collectively all the contributors) has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by an individual qualified to make such nominations. It will be one of 100+ nominations and has zero chance of winning, but it's still a wholly bizarre thing to be told in a Facebook chat that you're a Nobel prize nominee!


[Update - the almost comedic bizarreness of the prize nomination continues. I'm told our nomination has made it from the longlist (329) to the shortlist (less than 20)]


The second, deeply unwelcome, example is happening right now. I'm in hospital with my youngest child and will be spending at least the next five days here while she's on IV antibiotics for sepsis. So we'll be seeing in 2021 from this room:


I hope you all have a better night of it and that 2021 treats us all more kindly.

(update) we were in for 9 days but the medicine did its thing and we're back home!

6 comments:

  1. So sorry to hear about the sepsis. I spent some time in the hospital with my son recently and it was no fun. But he's out now and we're reading The Girl and the Stars together, which we both love. Have a better 2021!

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  2. Please know that people are thinking of you and wishing you and yours well. Godspeed.

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  3. My heart goes out to you and yours! Wishing you guys the best for 2021.

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  4. Heartbreaking. Sending you lots of love and wishing for a speedy recovery.

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  5. In regards to Nobel - I guessed "Sexified" was going to be the category that you were nominated for.

    However seeing this picture of you and your daughter, I changed my guess to "Best Dad" category.

    I don't usually pray to the spaghetti monster, but I will for you and her.

    -Gerald Harnack

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  6. Best wishes for your family and a speedy recovery for your child.

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