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Mathew Westhorpe.net

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Author: Mathew James Westhorpe

Entertainment

Guardians of the Infuriating Puzzles

My pilgrimage to New Growth in the back end of nowhere had led to my peaceful acceptance of the indifference of the universe. Choosing to settle in the region of space that was on the doorstep of my nephew’s last wish for us was melancholic, but meaningful. The frontier nature Read more…

By Mathew James Westhorpe, 9 months ago 19/06/2020
Entertainment

New Growth in Elite Dangerous

My nephew disappeared in the Pencil Sector a little over a year ago. A garbled comms transmission shortly before launch was the last we heard of him. Local authorities have been supportive and helpful, but it’s still unclear what happened. When the official investigation was concluded and it was clear Read more…

By Mathew James Westhorpe, 9 months ago 24/05/2020
Entertainment

Behind the Podcast: Recording the Pilot of This Game Changed My Life

The day I visited BBC Broadcasting House to record the pilot episode of This Game Changed My Life was a surreal experience.  Trips into Central London always make me feel like a yokel, so as a paramedic it was oddly reassuring to see an ambulance parked outside as I arrived. Read more…

By Mathew James Westhorpe, 10 months ago 30/04/2020
Entertainment

This Game Changed My Life

In these solitary times, podcasts are mana from heaven.  Done well, they are engaging and informative entertainment for the long commute, a quiet walk, or as all of those things are currently somewhat restricted, when you’re stuck at home longing for good company. The right podcast is like having some Read more…

By Mathew James Westhorpe, 10 months ago 29/04/2020
Parenting

Michael’s Next Adventure

When my nephew Michael died last year, a little over a month after his 15th birthday, the greatest part of the tragedy was the future his fate had stolen from him. In the weeks after his death, I wrote a short story about what I like to think happened to Read more…

By Mathew James Westhorpe, 11 months ago 15/04/2020
Lifestyle

Michael’s Guide to Unplugged Gaming, Coping with Isolation, and the Zombie Apocalypse

Michael was my nephew. He was 15 when he died last year after six years of illness, treatment, and isolation. So when it comes to coping strategies for medical incarceration, he was a pro. Even before he was ill, we always enjoyed playing games together. I wish he was here Read more…

By Mathew James Westhorpe, 12 months ago 20/03/2020
Lifestyle

Death, Life, & Video Games: A Documentary, a Podcast, and the Conversation to Come

When my nephew died last year, a few weeks after his fifteenth birthday, the resulting emotional storm of torment, frustration and regret was impossible to process.  Oddly, like a storm, there was a strange peace to be found at the centre of it all.  For me, it was having purpose Read more…

By Mathew James Westhorpe, 1 year ago 09/02/2020
Lifestyle

Random Rant: The School (Trench) Run

I’d like to think that I’m not a coward, but the school run fills me with dread. Perhaps I’m overstating my reaction, sometimes it’s just mild trepidation with a smattering of frustration. Or general indifference with a dash of bemusement. I think it’s a matter of timing, and perhaps also Read more…

By Mathew James Westhorpe, 1 year ago 16/01/2020
Lifestyle

The Blogging Paradox (or Why I Stopped Blogging and Why I’m Starting Again)

Internet culture is a fascinating, terrifying, distorted reflection of human behaviour. Social media is a House of Mirrors which warps context, subverts emphasis and provokes opinion. I’ve learned from experience that emotionally investing in online interactions is a hazardous pastime which can lead to dark places. It can also be Read more…

By Mathew James Westhorpe, 1 year ago 13/01/2020
Broken Paramedic

Guilt Keeps Me in the NHS

My compulsion to stay working within the NHS is largely driven by guilt. As a healthcare professional, nothing I have experienced in the last decade under a Conservative government gives me much hope that things are going to improve in urgent and emergency care any time soon, but I can’t Read more…

By Mathew James Westhorpe, 1 year ago 17/12/2019

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