Stuff

Stuff contains my other interests. Some of my experiences and lessons learned in business. Social and political issues that matter to me. Sport, music, film, photography. Being obsessive about coffee. That kind of stuff.

Work and business have been a big part of my life. Sometimes I’m surprised to realise I have worked for fifty years. From my early days doing manual work into a corporate career, and then into the world of startups and small companies. Along the way I did an MBA and a Diploma in Clinical Organisational Psychology.

Stuff is too light a word to apply to a category that includes racism and discrimination. But equally, I don’t believe it’s my place to hold forth too much on the issues. I’m a heterosexual man with a lot of white privilege. I haven’t had to suffer as a result. I’ve been poor, I’ve been miserable, but I’ve never been discriminated against.

I also include my broader art-leaning stuff. I’m not artistic. Being married to an artist for nine years has amplified that even more in my mind. But I consume many films, and I love photography – looking at photographs, as I don’t have the eye to practice it.

Music is central to my stuff. It’s always on at home when I’m exercising and commuting. I’ve got tens of thousands of tracks stored digitally or on vinyl. Live music is my favourite night out too.

Stuff is bound to include esoteric coffee or coffee equipment at some stage. I’ve never whimsically done things. So while I’ve always liked decent coffee, the COVID lockdown opened the door for me to get more interested in home brewing. Before long, my stuff came to include expensive espresso machines and grinders. And beans from all over Africa and Latin America.

Welcome to my stuff – serious and trivial.