Just Getting Into Sherlock and Consumed With Despair

While watching certain shows, I become so enthralled by the brilliance of them and become totally immersed. The ultimate achievement of many media, of which few are successful.

This weekend I found one that many have been the pinnacle and I can't believe it's taken me this long to get on board.

It is the ever-brilliant

 (Source: http://slouchingtowardsthatcham.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/holmes-and-watson.jpg)

I know, what the hell, first and foremost. I'm only just getting into this excellent programme now? After a second series has already been made and shown? Yes, yes, I have no one to blame but myself but I have this strange curse of personality where I don't watch the things I know I'll really enjoy. Perhaps part of me is worried that it won't reach my high expectations. I don't know. I'll save the psychology for another time.

And I have been an admirer of Stephen Moffat for a long time now, for his work on Doctor Who (and his best episodes such as Blink -- amazing stuff). Yet still no watchy-watchy. I know. Nothing but weird.

First two episodes down in one day, though, because I needed MORE IMMEDIATELY. The first episode was just absolute brilliance. An excellent introduction to the characters. Of the two -- and of all the characters -- Dr John Watson is my favourite.

Sherlock is, of course, brilliant. And there aren't just shades, but full, slap on an inch thick of the Doctor from that other famous Moffat-led tv show. The two could have been separated at birth. Never let them get into the same room together because they would surely cancel each other out in some kind of implosion, a blackhole of crackling monologue and frantic pacing, with the last thing anyone ever hears being "Oh, I'm brilliant!"

And that's why Sherlock isn't my favourite character. Because the word doesn't quite apply to him (not yet; I hear we delve into him more in later episodes). He's like a whirling myth. He's infallibly, awe-somely, bloody brilliant. You can only sit back and marvel.

But John. John has a background. When we met him he has all kinds of personal problems. Granted, they get solved pretty quickly in the first episode, but we only ready know he's a flawed person. He has the capacity to be brave, to be witty, to be confused, be to scared, to be moral. It's this last that particularly interests me, and the ending to the first episode. That his actions were dictated by his strong morals. That he has no qualms killing someone if he thinks they are a 'bad man'.

Now, to the point of my post. Verbosity, thy name is Brooker.

Once the enthralling nature of the episode wears off, it's only deep, deep despair. There I sit, thinking, I could probably learn that Sherlock method. I could totally walk into a room and immediately know the last person to be in it, their exact actions and what they had for breakfast last Tuesday. It's all observation, deduction, yeah?

No, you cretin. Oh, sure, you can learn, but haven't you heard that it takes 10,000 hours to actually master an activity? It won't be something you can show off at a party next week. And the point of Sherlock is that he is so brilliant. There's no one else like him. He probably deduced the events behind his own birth the moment he popped out of the womb. 

No, Brooker, no amazing display of brain power for you. Go and watch another Sherlock, that'll chase your troubles away.

Reasons Why You Should Be Saving, Young Person

Young? Carefree? Whole life still ahead you? Then you'd better get saving.

When I was younger, I had the usual beliefs: that I wouldn't get old too quickly, I wouldn't be married with kids and a full mortgage by the time I'd only just scraped into the twenties, I wouldn't get bogged down in all those adult things.

Bills. Bank accounts. Matching bed covers and curtains.

OK, so I'm nearing the latter end of my twenties and I'm still fending off most of the above. But as much as you tell yourself things when you're younger, the fact is you will be an adult one day and it'll happen so gradually and insidiously that you'll still feel like an overwhelmed child inside. It's all right. We're all the same, but we don't think we are so we all pretend to save face.

If you want your independence, you'll need your own place. If you want your own place, you'll need a job. If you have a job and your own place, you'll have bills and rent to pay. It's all part of one big happy package.

Getting your own money is amazing. Especially when you pay off all the horrible things, remember to buy the essential back ups and food now and then, and still have some left. Is this really mine? To use as I wish? Sure, go ahead, you work for the stuff, it's made to be used. Always take time to treat yourself, otherwise you might as well just be working for bits of paper to save in a box.

But the future. Sure, it doesn't stretch off indefinitely (although at such an age, it feels that way) but there's still a fair amount to get through, all things permitting. And the thing about the future is that is can be horribly unpredictable. Unfortunately people lose their jobs, get ill, relationships end, all these things that can affect your financial standing. You'll be up the creek with no money to pay for a paddle. What I'm getting at is putting some money aside every month is a pretty damn good idea.

I know, it's hard. We're already told we should be putting our money into sixty different places. And your pension! Want to be able to actually stay alive after retirement? Better start saving now, small primary school child.

You don't even know if you have enough money left over at the end of the month to be able to save. Well, there's a simple remedy to that. Sit down, do some calculations and find out. You might actually be surprised that you have more than you think.

And it doesn't have to be a lot -- it'll all amount up eventually.

Now, I'm going to seem quite contrary now and say don't just save money for savings sake -- spend it now and then. Sure, have some aside in case of emergencies, but don't make that your sole purpose for the money. Use some of it sometimes. Take a weekend break, maybe even a holiday. Splash out on something you wouldn't normal persuade yourself to buy because it's just outside your price range. Saving without anything to look forward to can be demoralising in itself.

And the old addage is always true. You can't take it with you (unless you plan to be buried with it in your coffin, in which case that's you prerogative). Use it will you still have the necessary nerves and chemical reactions to create the enjoyment you'll get from it.