Mr and Mrs Smith

2005

06 Mar 2026

This popped up for the Lucky Dip DVD night. I guess it’s meant to be silly? It’s extremely silly. Spy/action movies do have their own logic but this builds so many improbable layers on top it’s like a wedding cake of silly. It was also quite hard to follow for a popcorn film. Like, you’re a dumb summer blockbuster why are you making me work so hard?

The only other thing I want to talk about is the fact that a lot of reviews are like “they look like a boring, average couple on the outside, living a boring life in the suburbs” and I’m like, they own a massive mansion! These people are filthy rich, that’s boring to you? Does this count as “average” in the US?

LOOK AT THEIR HOUSE! SIGN ME THE FUCK UP FOR BORING!

Yes, I’m a millennial, why do you ask?

A Home of One's Own: Why the Housing Crisis Matters

Hashi Mohamed

13 Jan 2026

finished 13/01/2026

I wanted to dig a little deeper into some of the issues I care about. Rather than watching hypey 20 minute videos on Youtube, why don't I get a book out about e.g. the housing crisis in the UK? So I did that.
Mohamed's writing is clear and damning: political failures across the board have created this crisis and let it fester. This isn't about Thatcher (although it's also about Thatcher), it's about a system that has failed at every opportunity to plan for the future. A Home of One's Own is a fairly quick read, but it touches on the major forces contributing to the lack of affordable, quality housing: the selling of council housing, nimbyism, foreign investment, a planning system that's not fit for purpose. Ultimately, it's conflicts of interest that keep this crisis unsolved: the powerful own houses, and benefit from the fact that others do not.
It deepened my understanding, although it's light on solutions or, you know, hope.
Everything needs to change. Political will is in short supply.
Gift this book to your parents or grandparents who don't understand.