Christmas is here again.
It comes around quickly and for the lucky few/many, it means a chance for a holiday!
Hopefully you a have a break planned in the next couple of weeks.
I will look back at 2018 and say “I’m glad it is over” due to lots of highs and lows. It has ended in a better place than I thought therefore I have a lot of positivity going into 2019. My challenge for 2019 is to convert that vibe into something of substance.
Over the holiday period, I hope to do a bit of watching, reading and listening especially of subject matter that makes me a better person.
Anyway, here are a few things that you might enjoy.
Reading
Basketball (and Other Things) by Shea Serrano
Anyone who likes thinking about ‘what if’ scenarios and doing it in a fun way will enjoy this. You don’t even have to like basketball – just limitless thinking.
The host, Shea Serrano, asks the hard questions but does it with great fun. My favourite is: “if you could dunk on one person who would it be?”
Reading the first paragraph, I note Shea has suggested you cannot dunk on Jesus – so this gives you a starting point for your own discussion.
For the more serious read, I’m looking forward to Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress by Stephen Pinker
The more that science and reason is at the basis of our society, we discover there is more we have in common than dividing us.
This book argues that “health, prosperity, safety, peace and happiness have tended to rise worldwide since The Enlightenment”.
Watching – TV
The Good Place on Netflix is the show I have most enjoyed in 2018 and look forward to when a new episode is released.
Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events (Series 3) is also due out in early January. I’m looking forward to the seeing how the dark and unlucky world that the Baudelaire children live in comes to an end, they deserve a break.
Watching – Movie
- The Usual Suspects
- Mad Max Fury Road
- Life of Brian
- Holmes and Watson
- Storm Boy – Long Live Mr Percival – a remake of one of my all-time favourite movies (I am sure I will be disappointed)
Podcasts
Broken Record with Malcolm Gladwell and Rick Rubin is about how various people have influenced music. It is a great listen.
A group of people discuss a classic movie from the last 25 years and break it down. From ‘Clueless’ and ‘Mission Impossible’ to ‘Mad Max Fury Road’ all genres are discussed and it makes you want to watch the films again.
Each week Shea Serrano picks a movie villain that is considered ‘best in class’ and discusses why. So far I have heard about the psychological thriller villain Hannibal Lecter from The Silence of the Lambs; high school movie villain Regina George from Mean Girls and an episode about superhero movie villain Killmonger from Black Panther.
The episodes have been great fun and very thoughtful.
Music
If all those Christmas songs are wearing you out, Rolling Stone has released a list of the best including:
Joel, the Lump of Coal by The Killers & Jimmy Kimmel
Zombie Christmas by Emmy the Great & Tim Wheeler
Let me sleep (It’s Christmas Time) by Pearl Jam
The full list can be found here.
Lastly my other listening and viewing pleasure will be sport with plenty of cricket on the radio combined with plenty of Big Bash and NBA basketball viewing on TV.
Here’s to a relaxing summer: laid back, drink in hand, feet up and occasionally nodding off listening, watching or reading!!
Merry Christmas and a have great New Year!