My cultural awakening: Groundhog Day made me quit my job, move house and leave my girlfriend
When I saw Bill Murray’s classic comedy I realised that I was trapped in my own unfulfilling time loopI didn’t know anything about the plot of Groundhog Day before I decided to watch it 10 years ago,I remember collapsing on to the sofa after work – completely exhausted – and putting it on,My girlfriend was already asleep in the next room,Her drinking had been getting steadily worse that year, but I think we were both in denial about it,Most evenings I’d spend alone, so I’d put a movie on in the background for company.
I found it funny at first, watching Bill Murray’s character trapped in a time-loop.But about 20 minutes in, I started feeling this creeping sense of dread.I remember seeing Murray’s white alarm clock going off, waking him up to begin the same day and feeling this horrible spark of recognition.It was like watching my own life play out on the screen in front of me.If anything, Bill Murray’s nightmare onscreen life was better than mine.
Murray is a TV presenter, forced to report on the same local festival for ever – whereas I was stuck working four jobs, and could barely afford to pay rent,In the morning I would drive to a factory and put in a six-hour shift, and in the evening I worked as a painter-decorator,I’d teach music on the weekends and play the occasional gig,My girlfriend couldn’t hold down employment, so I was in charge of handling all the bills for both of us, and the responsibility was crushing,I told myself she would stop drinking, and that this was only a phase – but she was getting worse.
I had come up with some twisted logic and convinced myself that staying with her was the easy option – whereas in reality, it was so hard.We were constantly arguing.A few weeks before I saw Groundhog Day, my girlfriend had made some throwaway comment, saying she could “live in this flat for ever”.I’d had this sinking feeling I couldn’t really put my finger on.I couldn’t imagine anything worse than living in that way with her for ever, but I didn’t have the courage to say that to her – or even really admit it to myself.
I’d just pushed the panic aside, gone to sleep and then woken up to begin the vicious cycle again.Within three days of watching Groundhog Day, I’d taken more action than I had in the previous three years.I quit all four of my jobs and broke up with my girlfriend.I used most of my savings to pay back-rent on our flat, then moved into a place on my own.I did almost nothing for about five weeks.
I’d spent every day rushing from job to job, attempting to avoid thinking about my life – so I spent a lot of time just staring at the wall, trying to get to grips with what I wanted to do next.At first it was terrifying, just feeling my brain work – and asking myself all the existential questions I’d been repressing.But slowly, I started to feel a tiny bit less afraid.When my money ran out, I took a catering job, but I made an effort to cap my working hours.Cooking is stressful, but it’s also unpredictable, which I like.
No day ever pans out in exactly the same way.I’ve never watched Groundhog Day again.I’m in a new relationship and I’m much happier in my work – but sometimes I wonder whether I’m actually avoiding rewatching it because I’m frightened of having a similar realisation about my current life, and I simply don’t have the strength to remake my life all over again, at 48.Maybe seeing Groundhog Day once in a lifetime is enough.Sign up to Inside SaturdayThe only way to get a look behind the scenes of the Saturday magazine.
Sign up to get the inside story from our top writers as well as all the must-read articles and columns, delivered to your inbox every weekend.after newsletter promotionDid a cultural moment prompt you to make a major life change? Let us know by emailing cultural.awakening@theguardian.com
Ten UK energy firms to pay £7m in compensation after overcharging error
Ten UK energy suppliers including EDF, E.ON and Octopus are to pay £7m in compensation and refunds after overcharging customers, after a review by the energy regulator for Great Britain.Ofgem said the suppliers have agreed to pay more than 34,000 customers compensation and refunds because of erroneously billing them more for standing charges than is allowed under the regulator’s price cap. Standing charges are daily fees added regardless of how much energy is used.The affected customers all had restricted meter infrastructure, meaning more than one electricity meter point recording usage at their property, and were erroneously overcharged between January 2019 and September 2024
Aston Martin and Rolls-Royce share prices soar as manufacturers welcome US tariff cuts
British manufacturers have welcomed some tariff relief in the new US-UK trade deal, with the share prices of the sportscar brand Aston Martin Lagonda and jet engine maker Rolls-Royce rising.The US has agreed to cut tariffs on cars, jet engines and steel, although the 10% baseline levy will continue to apply to other products exported from the UK, the two governments announced on Thursday.Keir Starmer spoke to Donald Trump from the headquarters of JLR, the UK’s biggest automotive employer and one of the main exporters to the US.The US now has a quota of 100,000 British-made cars per year with a 10% tariff – significantly lower than the 27.5% rate Trump imposed in March, but more than the 2
Wikipedia challenging UK law it says exposes it to ‘manipulation and vandalism’
The charity that hosts Wikipedia is challenging the UK’s online safety legislation in the high court, saying some of its regulations would expose the site to “manipulation and vandalism”.In what could be the first judicial review related to the Online Safety Act, Wikimedia Foundation claims it is at risk of being subjected to the act’s toughest category 1 duties, which impose additional requirements on the biggest sites and apps.The foundation said if category 1 duties were imposed on it, the safety and privacy of Wikipedia’s army of volunteer editors would be undermined, its entries could be manipulated and vandalised, and resources would be diverted from protecting and improving the site.Announcing that it was seeking a judicial review of the categorisation regulations, the foundation’s lead counsel, Phil Bradley-Schmieg, said: “We are taking action now to protect Wikipedia’s volunteer users, as well as the global accessibility and integrity of free knowledge.”The foundation said it was not challenging the act as a whole, nor the existence of the requirements themselves, but the rules that decide how a category 1 platform is designated
Tech giants beat quarterly expectations as Trump’s tariffs hit the sector
Hello, and welcome to TechScape. I’m your host, Blake Montgomery, and this week in tech news: Trump’s tariffs hit tech companies that move physical goods more than their digital-only counterparts. Two stories about AI’s effect on the labor market paint a murky picture. Meta released a standalone AI app, a product it claims already has a billion users through enforced omnipresence. OpenAI dialed back an obsequious version of ChatGPT
Australia welcomes Owen Farrell omission but Lions get backing as firm favourites
The looming showdown between the Melbourne-born Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu and the Wallabies’ prized rugby league recruit Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii was an immediate focus of Australian analysis after the British & Irish Lions squad was announced.The 38 players named by Andy Farrell, led by the England captain, Maro Itoje, and featuring two Australians in Tuipulotu and the winger Mack Hansen, were recognised as clear favourites for the three-match Test series starting in July. But most commentators agreed the improving Wallabies should not fear the Lions, especially if they can stay competitive at the breakdown.The former Wallabies inside-centre Tim Horan, now a broadcaster, backed the call to make Itoje captain. “You’ve got to be first picked in every single Test match for the Lions, so there’s probably about five or six players [would would be], and he’s one of those
IPL cricket suspended amid growing India-Pakistan tensions
The Indian Premier League has been suspended, initially for a week, because of concerns about the security situation in the country amid rising tensions along its border with Pakistan. The news came hours after the decision was taken to relocate the final fixtures in the Pakistan Super League to United Arab Emirates because of safety concerns. Foreign-based players in India and all teams in Pakistan are expected to leave the countries over the next 24 hours.“Further updates regarding the new schedule and venues of the tournament will be announced in due course after a comprehensive assessment of the situation in consultation with relevant authorities and stakeholders,” Devajit Saikia, the secretary of the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI), said in a statement. “The decision was taken by the IPL governing council after due consultation with all key stakeholders following the representations from most of the franchisees, who conveyed the concern and sentiments of their players, and also the views of the broadcaster, sponsors and fans; while the BCCI reposes full faith in the strength and preparedness of our armed forces, the board considered it prudent to act in the collective interest of all stakeholders
Disability benefit cuts impossible to support, 42 Labour MPs tell Starmer
New UK-US trade deal is a relief for Starmer but doubts, and tariffs, remain
UK politics: Tariffs cut on UK cars, steel and aluminium in US trade deal, says Starmer – as it happened
Cars, steel, beef and films: the key points of the US-UK trade deal
Reform’s success shows how little Labour has offered voters | Letters
Tell us: how will Labour’s planned disability welfare cuts affect you?