Week 127: Bleak Weekend
Scott was down in London during the week so we played in-person board games. We chat a lot more in person and it’s just a lot more fun. We played Long Shot again.
On Thursday I was finally back in the office after being sick all of last week, it was great to see a load of people. After work, I did an escape room on the Golden Hinde which was fun, we absolutely smashed it.
The highlight of the week was going on our first Bleak Weekend with Gallal, something we’ve been vaguely planning to do for a couple of years. Here’s the premise: you locate the most run-down and bleak-looking motorway service station, book yourself into the hotel there for the weekend, and just let the liminality wash over you.
The weekend was a big success. There’s something very relaxing about being kind of nowhere and there being a constant flood of tired-looking people wandering through the place you’re temporarily calling home.
The hotel was very worn, with lovely bleach stains over the carpets where I think someone’s tried to prevent mould growth. The views from the windows were either a car park or the air-conditioning unit for the main service station. Unfortunately, you couldn’t hear the low drone of the motorway very well from the bed.
We sat alongside some truckers and gambled away £10 on the slot machines. We didn’t win anything, thankfully.
On Saturday we had a “no phones day”. We still took photos on a disposable camera which we thought would capture the mood a bit better. I’ll let you know when these are developed. Below is a small gallery of overly high-quality photos taken with a phone.
I recommend the experience wholeheartedly. We’ll do it again soon and maybe indoctrinate some more people.
