Hello and welcome back to Mortgage Advisor on FIRE.
Weekly Update
It’s been one of those weeks where work has absolutely dominated everything. The kind of week where your calendar fills itself, you tick all ten things off your to-do list only to find you finish each day with more on it than you started, and before you know it, you’re wondering where the week went.
That said, I did manage to get out on the bike a few times so I could argue with idiots walking on the cycle lanes again. It really does help clear the mind; the cycling that is, not the arguing with morons.
There’s something about being on the bike that forces you to be present. No emails, no notifications, just me, the road, and whatever questionable life choices led me to cycling uphill for fun.
Unfortunately, one of those rides didn’t quite go to plan.
At some point as we were almost home, my rear wheel clipped the corner of something.
What followed was that bizarre, almost cinematic, effect where time just slowed down. You know exactly what’s happening, you know how it’s going to end, but you’re completely powerless to stop it. It felt like it took about three to five business days to actually hit the ground. Plenty of time to reflect on life, question my coordination, accept my fate, and wonder if I’m going to show up on a reel of people crashing into things.
Inevitably, gravity did its thing. So, a week of hard graft, a few decent rides, and a slightly humbling encounter with the ground. All in all, fairly on brand.
Project Hail Mary
On Monday I went to see Project Hail Mary with Oana and my Dad. We all loved the book but we all agreed the movie was underwhelming. Visually it was fantastic, but I felt the whole thing was very rushed. I don’t want to say too much and spoil it for my readers if they’ve not seen it yet. I would say that if the film’s premise has grabbed you, definitely read the book or listen to the audiobook. It’s brilliant.
We went on a mass cycle ride on Saturday morning with dozens of other people. It was a great crowd and lots of fun. Following that, Oana and I stopped at home for lunch before heading back out again for another ride. We were cycling down the side of the river when we saw a heron on the wall next to us. We see herons all the time in, and around, Kelham Island, but we’ve never gotten so close to one as we did this day. It was happily munching away on some food people had left for it.
The Greatest Science Fiction Shows
I’ve noticed a few posts recently listing sci-fi shows and movies with titles like “best ever” and “greatest of all time”. I thought I’d enter the chat and list my top ten sci-fi shows of all time, starting at number ten and working my way to the best one of all over the next ten weeks.
Note: for a show to qualify, it has to have finished.
So far, I’ve covered:
10 – The Outer Limits
9 – The X-Files
8 – Space: Above and Beyond
7 – Quantum Leap
6 – Battlestar Galactica (2004)
And so we arrive at number five on the list…
5 – Dark (2017–2020)
Dark is one of the most intricate and intellectually demanding science-fiction series ever made. Created in Germany by Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese, the show takes a familiar concept, time travel, and turns it into something far more complex, unsettling, and philosophical.
Set in the small town of Winden, the story begins with the disappearance of a child. At first, it feels like a mystery grounded in the present. But it quickly becomes clear that this is something much larger. As more children vanish and strange events unfold, connections begin to emerge between different families, different time periods, and different versions of the same people.
What starts as a missing persons case evolves into a sprawling narrative spanning multiple generations and multiple timelines.
At the heart of Dark is an idea: time is not a straight line, and more importantly, it may not be something that can be changed.
Another defining feature of Dark is its focus on family. The show revolves around four interconnected families, and over time it becomes clear that their relationships are far more complicated than they initially appear. Characters are linked across generations in ways that are often shocking, with identities looping back on themselves in ways that challenge any straightforward understanding of lineage.
The famous “family tree” in Dark is less a tree and more a tangled web, or a knot that tightens as the series progresses.
This has profound implications for identity. Characters encounter younger and older versions of themselves, confront the consequences of their own actions across time, and are forced to question whether they are truly individuals or simply parts of a larger pattern.
Free Will vs Determinism
Dark explores whether anything can truly be changed. Characters repeatedly attempt to alter events, driven by love, guilt, or desperation. But again and again, their actions seem to reinforce the very outcomes they are trying to avoid. The past, present, and future are locked together in a cycle that feels impossible to break. This creates a philosophical tension that runs through the entire series. Are the characters making choices, or are they simply following a script that has already been written? The show doesn’t offer easy answers. Instead, it leans into the discomfort of that uncertainty.
In the genre of science fiction and time travel, many shows focus on accessibility and broad appeal, Dark does the opposite. It demands attention, patience, and a willingness to engage with complex ideas. It doesn’t explain everything. It doesn’t simplify its concepts. And it certainly doesn’t hold the viewer’s hand. But for those willing to invest the time, it offers something rare: a science-fiction story that treats its audience as capable of grappling with genuinely challenging ideas.
One of those ideas takes the form of a type of temporal paradox I love; The Bootstrap Paradox.
There’s something deeply unsettling about the idea that not everything has a beginning. We’re wired to believe in cause and effect, in origins, in neat little chains where one thing leads to another. The Bootstrap Paradox quietly dismantles that comfort. It suggests that sometimes, the chain doesn’t have a first link at all. It just loops back on itself, endlessly.
In simple terms, it’s a paradox where an object, a piece of information, or even an idea exists without ever being created. It is passed back through time and becomes its own origin. No author. No inventor. No moment of creation. Just a closed loop, humming away, self-sustaining and impossible to untangle. Ask where it started, and you’ll find yourself going in circles.
Let’s look at an example involving a watch, and don’t worry this isn’t a Pulp Fiction story. You have a watch that has been around the block a few times. Your father gave you this watch which he received as a gift from a stranger years ago. Sometime later you go back in time and meet your father as a young man. You give him the watch. He lives his life and then gifts the watch to his son; you.
In this example, the watch has no beginning or end, hence the paradox. You’re possibly wondering why it’s called The Bootstrap Paradox, but the etymology of that could be a whole post on its own. Let’s just say that the phrase “pulling yourself up from your bootstraps” was the origin of the phrase to “boot up” your computer, and all the associated phrases that comes with that, like reboot and so on.
Anyway, this is where Dark stops being a time travel show and starts becoming something far more claustrophobic. Because it doesn’t just flirt with the Bootstrap Paradox, it embraces it fully.
The first two seasons of Dark are some of the best television you will ever see. The third, and final season, was not, and this is the only reason it is not higher on this list.
#AD – Do you want to help me earn a little cash for free? Of course you do!
Now that I’m self-employed I’ve signed up with a few businesses that offer services that assist with getting a mortgage. One such service comes from Check My File which brings together your credit report from multiple sources into a detailed breakdown of your credit history.
Normally there is a £14.99 monthly charge but with my link you can get a FREE 7-day trial. My affiliate link allows you to create an account, get your report, and if you want to cancel within the 7 day trial period you will not be charged. If you want to keep the service beyond the trial period, the £14.99 monthly charge applies.
By signing up to the trial period, you’ll help me out with a small commission even if you cancel inside that trial period.
Important points:
1. This code is for a free 7-day trial for those who have not had an account with Check My File before.
2. You can cancel anytime with no penalty.
3. If you do not cancel within the 7-day trial period, you will be charged £14.99 until you cancel.
4. It will ask for payment details, but if you cancel within the 7-day trial period, you will not be charged (assuming you have not had an account with them before).
5. I will earn a small commission from Check My File for each person who signs up for the free trial, whether they continue to a paid membership or not.
6. I do not get to see your credit report. It is private to you, unless you choose to share it.
7. To make sure the code tracks, please complete your sign-up in one sitting i.e. don’t close the tab and start again later.
8. Make sure you download your report before cancelling.
9. Yes, this is a shameless plug, but my last wage was paid in October.
https://www.checkmyfile.partners/GZMJPSJ/2CTPL
What I’m Doing
Listening: Artifact by Jeremy Robinson
Watching: Project Hail Mary
Reading: nothing
Financial Update
Assets
Premium Bonds: £250.00.
Stocks and Shares ISA: £138,151.51.
Fuck It Fund: £19.15.
Pensions: £115,950.68.
Residential Property Value: £242,113.00.
Total Assets: £496,484.34.
Debts
Residential Mortgage: £174,145.84.
Total Debts: £174,145.84.
Total Wealth: £322,338.50.
I dropped £8k into my ISA by drawing funds from my FIF and my Premium Bonds. The market has also recovered a little, meaning my ISA is now at the highest it’s ever been. It’s entirely possible that my ISA balance will be higher than my mortgage balance by the end of the year.
We are locked in to our mortgage deal until January 2031, but when that time comes around we will have an important decision in front of us. Being mortgage free is a huge boost to any FI journey, but my ISA is also my bridge to accessing my pension.
Another thing to consider is my new self-employed venture. If I can build a steady pipeline of business, I should be in a position to hammer both my ISA and the mortgage.
Anyway, this is all I’ve got time for this week as it’s currently almost midnight on Saturday as I’m finishing this up. Thanks for reading and have a great week ahead.
DISCLAIMER
The views and opinions in this blog are my own, and do not represent the views or opinions of my former, current, or future employers, nor should they be considered advice.
If you want personalised financial advice, seek an appropriate professional. If you are in financial difficulty, seek advice via the resources below:
Biolink
You can now find all my social media pages by checking out my Biolink:
bio.link/davidscothern.
From the title of this post, I expected to read more about Michael Douglas!