Faves in 2020

Normally year-ends are marked with numerous rundowns, “…of the year” posts, and favourite picks. This year has been a bit different release-wise across various media, so I wanted to do something different other than obvious game/film etc of the year and enthuse instead about my late discoveries or personal entertainment highlights from the year. Stuff I’ve missed or not fully posted about yet. Catch-up year!

‘Trail of Dead live, The Mash House in Edinburgh

In March before everything went tits up we were very fortunate to get a mini break in Edinburgh . Two weeks before UK Lockdown was even a remote possibility I was lucky enough to get to see one of my favourite bands play live in quite possibly the most crowded, loudest environment ever. …And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead have been a band that I’ve been a big fan of for close to 20 years now, so it was incredibly rewarding finally getting to see them live after all this time. The band played lots from their back catalogue as well as plenty from their new album this year -X: The Godless Void and Other Stories- and the gig was probably one of the most thunderous and booming shows I’ve ever been to. Volume is subjective and usually with hyperbole, but I’m not lying when I say I didn’t know bands were allowed to play so loud…legally. I had extra tinnitus for days, annnd declaring that now makes me older than ever. Sorry.

Spotify and BBC Radio 6 Music

This year I started listening to BBC Radio 6 Music in a big way and after defaulting to Apple Music for years, this year I rejoined Spotify as streaming provider. These are quite small things, but both changes resulted in me discovering and listening to a lot more bands, artists, and genres than I have in any other year. I listed to 241 new artists this year(!) and 327 total, a lot more than my usual standard plays and go-to favourites. So lots more diversity this year- here’s my playlist of my favourite songs from this year.

Lots of Films!

With lockdown and being off work earlier this year I watched a LOT of films. In total this year I watched 81 Films For the First Time, and 140 films overall. In the absence of cinema trips here were plenty of rewatches of past favourites instead, and Christopher Nolan, Michael Caine, and Peter Jackson all featured quite heavily- here’s my stats in full. Next year I’d like things to be a bit more diverse, cult, and overall varied. Any recommendations let me know!

Lots of Books!

This year I aimed to read 25 books and while I quite havent reached that target yet (there’s still tiime) I’ve read a lot more this year than normally and spent more time actively reading accordingly. My favourite audiobook this year is Pet Sematary by Stephen King, I’ve posted about that already, and one of my favourite books was We Have Always Lived In The Castle by Shirley Jackson. Again, I’ve already posted about that, so let me offer up my other favourite instead…

Ice by Anna Kavan

I picked this up at random earlier in the year, and I read through it pretty quickly. It’s set in a distopian post-apocalyptic landscape where the cold stings and a chill bites throughout. Things happen, and there are scenes and events, but I wouldnt say there is plot, if that makes sense. It’s a maddening blizzard of a journey where things and narratives happen in paralell to each other but you’re never really sure what it real and what isnt. It’s magical in places with it’s language, sometimes feeling like a bleak fairytale in others, but it’s a piece of media that’s really stuck with me throughout the year. It’s not for everyone, but it’s definitely something I want to reread slower and even more thoughtfully next year.

Nintendo Firsty-Party Games

Animal Crossing: New Horizons released earlier this year and over lockdown and in the absence of structure, was something that I enjoyed and played immensely. The game really helped me relax and switch off, and ultimately give me something to obsess over instead of doomscrolling. Nine months later i’m still playing frequently. Also helpful and fun, my friend group started playing Mario Kart 8 online most sunday nights. In a time where couch-multiplayer is disappearing from games (regardless of social disctancing) these nights really felt old-school fun, and again, something good to distract and break up the week.

Online Dungeons & Dragons

Something that equally kept me ticking over was voice chat D&D, and playing over Roll20. I’ve probably played more this year than any other year combined with near weekly precision. In one campaign i’m heist happy halfling Panwick, in the other i’m dashing, dumb, dentist half-orc Henk. Both campaigns have been great distractions, and good burst escapes from reality.

Airiel

This year I listened to so much shoegaze and dreampop, and Airiel were one of my early discoveries through Spotify. BAND OF THE YEAR! Admittedly they only released one single this year and the stuff I did listen to was mainly from 2017-2004, but band of the year! I really enjoyed playing their dreamy/floaty, lets be honest, lovely discography and zoning out especially during the height of lockdown/2020 doom hell. The band are one of my favourite things this year- definitely on the list to see live once things are okay again.

Dishonored

The Last of Us Part II came out in June and really blew me away with it’s bold narrative choices and heavy story consequences, but after completion I bounced off it pretty hard and revisited my backlog. The original Dishonored came out pretty late in one console generation and early into another so it was something that like lots of things I never really got round to. I played through the base game and all it’s DLC this year and I fell in ove pretty much straight away with its open-ended gameplay and the world narrative that it’s all set against. I jumped into it’s sequel shortly after and it was the same here, but with even more polish and gameplay options to be had. I had so much devious stealthy fun with this series I really regret sleeping on the franchise for so long, especially now that it seems finished. I would still definitely recommend playing the games even now

November Status Update

November -like 2020 as a whole- went by sooo quickly; what a short month! This month I bought a Playstation 5 and that’s gone off with a lot of my time (separate post about the games soon?) along with work and moping, but there’s a few specific days worth mentioning from the month too.

With plenty of films either delayed or postponed due to 2020 hell my local cinema has been great at bringing back and showing older titles. Earlier this month we went to see the original Jurassic Park in the cinema, and this was probably one of my favourite cinema trips in recent memory- a joy finally getting to see it on the big screen. As a child I was well aware of the film and hype, but after missing in the cinema initially I was forever relegated to watching it on tv/vhs/dvd et al. Jurassic Park is a film i’m incredibly fond of -and even one that I had already rewatched earlier this year- so watching it again in the cinema was an embarassingly comfortable, reassuring, and rewarding experience: positive endorphins only. The film has aged beautifully- dinosaurs are scary, set-pieces are fun, and the soundtrack that accompanies is easily John Williams best, all heightened in that cinema screen setting. The film is fun and full of heart throughout- I can safely say it’s one of my favourite films.

Socialising this year has largely been online with voice chats and videocalls, with piss-ups and fantasy roleplaying in between, but this month we managed to get out and attend a big birthday dinner with most of my friends present. Lockdowns, social-distancing, and self-isolation are all terms I don’t think I’ll ever have the benefit of forgetting, but against all odds I managed to have a ‘night out’ with 20 people (safely) and it was great getting to catch up with so many people (safely) for the first time in months. 2020 has been a big year of changing habits and no contact so I was drained afterwards, but the night will probably stand out quite a bit in terms of individual days for the year. I had fish for dinner, it was great! Everything at the moment generally feels a bit samey or blurs together, and I still cant believe it’s December tomorrow, but it’s good to know that as far as global pandemics go we’re hopefully coming out of it. Hopefully.

Less optimistically, I went running at the weekend for the first time since April and while I still have daily leg ache (in my muscles?) from earlier this year I was naivé and gave it a shot. On an early Saturday morning I got my running gear on and went to the nearby riverside to meet a friend and see how we got on. My pacing and breathing was good and I managed just over 4km with stops and starts quite easily. It was great being out on the paths and moving again, but I was sore as hell the remainder of the afternoon -the next day even worse- and reminded pretty harshly that I’m still mysteriously injured and aching. This one got to me- more doctor appointments before I try anything stupid like that again.

It’s hard to believe that next month is December and that the year is almost over. While aspirations and enthusiasm are quite low there’s a few things I’m planning to finish creatively before year end or as close to as I can manage. Fingers crossed there’s better stuff to report next month!

(MOC) A Big Lego Loser

A political disaster in 95 bricks. This morning I made a Lego model of the current Big Loser from the instructions going viral at the moment for a friend. They weren’t the easiest to follow and the figure is a bit cumbersome, so it’s all very in keeping with the man himself. It was difficult to get that orange-cheesy-wotsit-fake-tan-coating right so I made a darker variant, a clean one, and a lime green one for when he was sick with Covid and/or is later revealed to be a space alien. I joke about that, but honestly at this point it would not surprise me at all.

I recently made an instagram account just got Lego-specific content so I’ve posted the above over there too and I’m doing weekly work-in-progress Castle updates. It’s going great! Go give me a follow or a like if you want to see more.

2020 Was Pretty Bad So I Treated Myself

With 2020 continuing to be an absolute disaster culturally, politically, and more importantly personally, It’s been more important than ever to find ideas and activities to keep happy. Absolutely everything has changed in some way, and I’ve found the continued sudden stagnations and resets quite difficult if I’m honest. I might have mentioned this quite a bit already. Lets just write the year off and pretend it never happened?

With that in mind -and with all previous lookingforwards delayed or cancelled- back in August I decided to proper treat myself and preorder a Sony Playstation 5. Since that preorder went off it’s been my go-to calendar excitement, and incredibly fulfilling having something to look forward to daily. It’s perhaps a purchase sooner than necessary: gaming backlogs grow and are at this point forever, but the allure of shiny new boxes that play shiny new games is an insatiably maddening one, so here we are! After 27 years of playing videogames and having that as an interest I get my first “day one” console! I’m only a few hours in and still really need to play things properly but so far I love every bit of it. I have the next few days off, so while my birthday plans changed, my Denmark holiday was cancelled, and all those weddings I was hoping to attend were delayed, this is hopefully going to make up a little for some of the previous inconveniences of 2020. I feel better already…

2020 Reading Goals

Back in January I made a lot of New Year Resolutions and things I wanted to do this year, but with 2020 being the absolute worst, few of these have have actually been acheievable or even realised. Things like travel plans and running have been big no-gos as global pandemic and backache continue on, but one resolution this year was to read more and it is actually on track!

I set myself the goal of reading 25 books before the year was out, and while initially that doesn’t sound like much, it’s five times more than what I would normally get through in the same period. I never read as much as I’d like to (lets blame nights out, doom scrolling and social media) and while lockdown and distancing have been absolutely terrible it’s been quasi-good at partially eliminating some of those distractions. With eight weeks now left this year I’ve now got only five books left (see above) to hit my target- they’re an odd mix of books started last month, earlier this year, and even from a few years ago during house and job changes. What I want to do is get everything finally wrapped up ahead of next year. I am notorious for starting things and never finishing them, having backlogs, and slow progress on media across the board so I’m looking forward to completing this self-challenge and more excitingly, looking forward to doing even better next year.

A list of everything I’ve read so far this year is over on my Goodreads page. Once the year is over I’m planning on doing a post here summarising them all with my thoughts and faves, potentially another looking for 2021 recommendations too (if I actually get my backlog cleared)!

October Status Update

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2020 has been a scary year, and I wouldnt be lying if I said I’ve been a bit overwhelmed by it all at least ten times this year already. With a second wave of Covid_19 hitting Europe and the UK now (or just a continued first wave?) for me personally this month there’s not much to report. With venues and shops closing earlier due to restrictions, darker and stormier nights, and NO SOCIALISING WHATSOEVER it’s been a very quiet month, and one with very little respite from the ongoing Monday to Friday 9-5 work drudgery. Again, scary stuff, so with everything hellishly terrible I decided to lean into it all a bit more and made a point of really doing nothing this month except consume horror books/tv and film.

For the longest time Horror media of any sort was just a big no-no for me. Cowardice, confusion, a lack of…risk taking? I’ve read Stephen King as a teenager and forever since, but I was always aware of my limits and sensitivity. As I’ve gotten older it’s something that I’ve found myself enjoying more and more, particularly in film and literature. My favourite thing about the genre is that invariably it has some of the most human themes and characters compared to absolutely everything else and that it rewards looking inwards at self, identity, and just humanity in general. Not always of course, but a great number of stories look at what makes us human, what our relationship is with each other and then makes a horror or fear out of something that is the opposite.

Two years ago Netflix produced and released The Haunting of Hill House, a one-off miniseries inspired by the Shirley Jackson book af the same name. I loved it. It was tense, dark, it was about love, it was about hope and light, and it really opened up the genre for me, both series and book. The show was one of the most complete, satisfying, and absolutely whole things I’ve ever watched. This year it’s follow-up released -again a miniseries- this time inspired by The Turn of The Screw by Henry James. I wasn’t familiar with the source material but I was very excited to watch the show as a spiritual follow-up with the same cast and creative team. The first night we watched three episodes, another three the second, and the final three on the third, closing the entire show out within one weekend. Thematically it’s very different to ‘Hill House with a horror and darkness that sometimes feels altogether more frightening. It’s a lot lighter on tension and jump scare set pieces, but it was incredible at studying humanity, life, death, and the transition thereof. I really want to watch it again and think and talk about it a lot more- a revisit is guaranteed once I’ve finished reading the book.

I made a point of watching only Horror films this month and things that kind of came under that genre, so yes, Hocus Pocus, The Addams Family and Practical Magic were all allowed of sorts. I finally watched Halloween (1978, John Carpenter) this month, having ignored/missed/avoided the franchise my whole life. It was incredible! A real old-school practical slasher flick with lots of scares and jumpsightings of famous stabber Michael Myers throughout, and so really well done. A whole 42 years later(!) I think the film has aged phenomenally and I really regret missing out on it for so long. My other big film fave was Us by Jordan Peele. Get Out, his directoral debut, was critically lauded and while I could recognise it’s brilliance upon watching it, it wasn’t really something that I admired. Against the majority, I much preferred Us. An absolutely stellar, bold, and complex piece of both narrative and filmmaking. It’s not without it’s flaws, but it has buckets of allegory to unpack throughout and really taps into some very nasty unnerving human fears.

As with Halloween this month I went back to another genre-definer classic and I listened to Dracula by Bram Stoker. I knew going in that this was perhaps going to be a bit of a difficult one, but I really didnt enjoy this much at all. It puts all the pieces on the board with a creepy castle, stakes, garlic, bats and fangs, inspiring everything forever afterwards but I found it really dry. The opening chapters are enjoyable and engrossing -Tense! Creepy! Dramatic!- but the second half of the story meanders and dithers so much. The protaganists think, and observe, and ponder which is great, but it’s all with very little urgency. There’s lots of exposition but the story just felt unecessarily long. Not for me. Conversely, I really enjoyed -and I really can’t believe I’m comparing the two- listening to Coraline by Neil Gaiman. I find with Gaiman he’s generally really good at creating unease from the simplest of childhood fears and anxiety, and Coraline does this so well. A dark twisted fairytale about things that are different, changing circumstances (which are just the scariest at any age), and uncertainty through younger eyes. I’ve seen the film before but this was my first time with the book and I liked it a lot.

Going forward there’s still lots to do. At the moment it seems like some of the scariest stuff is on the news and there for us all to see whether we like it or not, but I’m in the process of reading The Turn of the Screw and i’ve started reading the numerous short stories by Shirley Jackson too. In an ideal situation it would be proper lockdown again with all the time in the world to read and watch so much more and already I feel like I really missed plenty of other great stories I could have done. As the horror that is 2020 continues, I’m sure there’s going to be plenty of dark winter nights to get stuck into some of them.

Castle Urquhart and The Loch Ness Centre

Last month as a bit of an escape, Ailish and I had a few nights staycation, with one night spent in Inverness and another in Nairn. Originally at the end of September we were going to be attending a wedding, but with that cancelled and excess work leave still to take, we decided to head off all the same for a bit of escapism. The car *might have* needed a service too, but that’s besides the point. All the same, after months indoors and looking at mostly the same walls, we had a few nights staying somewhere else for honestly the first time since March and it was incredibly refreshing.

With a worldwide Covid pandemic still largely in progress (and particularly in Scotland) we weren’t really keen for much shopping or crowded streets so when we reached Inverness we kept going and went to Castle Urquhart just outside Drumnadrochit, and next to Loch Ness. This is a place i’ve been wanting to revisit for a few years now, only vaguely remembering a trip there when I was much much younger. The drive there and heading south out of Inverness was warm with bright beautiful scenery. We followed great roads under trees beckoning us down the map and to the loch; a loch certainly a lot bigger than what I remembered. We passed lots of great houses and small hamlets and drove by plenty of parked would-be-photographers, before the sight of the castle on the edge of the loch began to appear in earnest; everything picturesque as hell.

Even though the castle has been there 800 years the afore-mentioned virus really has changed everything socially, so booking tickets the night before was a requirement for entry. As we drove in this was reiterated again, and the restrictions and changes outlined. Masks optional when outside, stick to the right of the paths where you can. the cafe is closed for sitting in. There were a few cars there and people milling about but I fully expect the ticket pre-order had maybe caught a few tourists and visitors off guard. Advantage us. As with the loch, the walk down to the castle was equally bigger than what I remembered from my childhood, but with mostly clear skies, a soft breeze, and a reduction in numbers it was incredible to see the castle and it’s surroundings open up as we trod passively downhill.

Castle Urquhart’s history is one of much conflict with the castle itself participating in numerous battles, wars, and raids while in use over a period of roughly 500 years. It shows. A motte and bailey fortification founded in the 13th century, the castle’s place in history gave it a supporting role in The Wars of Scottish Independence changing hands between Scotland and England (and vice versa) before subsequently being owned by a series of Scottish clans and families. During exchanges destructions and renovations shaped the castle into the structure that it is now- a composite of leftovers, extensions, and rebuilds; defenses added as combat continued and time passed. By the end of the eighteenth century the actual castle was roofless, mostly ruin, and a scenic wonder only to artists and tourists alike. Which takes us to this post today… I’m not the artist.

The skies opened as we made our way down the hill to the castle proper as we passed a repro-educational trebuchet and crossed what would have been the drawbridge upto the gatehouse to seek shelter. Like the rest of the castle the gatehouse has suffered destruction in parts with collapsed masonry visible on approach, but the structure itself is mostly still there- as the rain continued quite heavily now it provided shelter to a number of us, though, alarmingly not always socially distanced. We left and took our chances elsewhere in the grounds, exploring the wall remains of the “castle-toun” assortment of smithy, great hall, and doocot. That there were once pigeons housed and farmed in the castle grounds to provide eggs and subsequently meat in the winter surprised me a lot more than I would have thought.

Grant Tower, the towerhouse is perhaps the postcard centrepiece of the castle remains, but due to pesky virus restrictions yet again we weren’t allowed to climb fully to the top. Nontheless we still got to explore the interior of the five-storey structure -one way paths- and hang hands and phones out of windows and openings to take photos of a now quite bleak and stormy surrounding loch. The Jacobite Ferry was on the water- thankfully no signs of any monster activty.

The sun did reappear after a while and the skies warmed but by this time we were mostly back up the hill and in the car. We headed back to Drumnadrochit and decided to visit The Loch Ness Centre and Exhibition, an impressive looking building and bright garden that was once The Drumnadrochit Hotel. Ailish had been here when she was younger; a ‘museum’ about the loch and all the scientific discoveries and wonder it had generated over the last century. This time there was no mention of middle-ages conflict or battle, but the experience was a bit of a ruin itself.

The hotel experienced a devastating fire in 1984 so while the outside looks forgive me (again) picturesque as hell, the inside is a weird plastic cavern misery where you go from one room to the next watching very dated timed videos on a projector. I read as much in the reviews on the Tripadvisor page but we gave the place the benefit of the doubt and decided to go. It’s…okay for what it is, but zero interactivity and the attraction could probably learn quite a bit from the edutainment and joy of places like The Edinburgh Dungeons et al, but that’s just me. The place had an ironic B-movie esque charm but it hurt me more knowing that it and the accompanying cafe, tourist hotspot to world-famous Loch Ness definitely had a lot more potential, just maybe not the inspiration.

Fear of open water -yes, that one, i’m that person- meant we didnt go on a cruise or boatride of the loch, but with an afternoon of rain soaked into my clothes and a chill from dated attractions freezing my bones, we went back to the car and headed off. I’m really glad we visited the loch that day because with so much reiteration of everything on the news and social media and even day to day it felt great to break that cycle a little and go somewhere new and genuinely different, without having to travel too far. Yes, it was only one day, but that really made a difference; the castle itself inspired me quite a bit in regards to my ongoing long-fabled work-in-progress Lego Castle, and I left with a new desire to learn more about Scottish history. I would definitely recommend anyone reading to not just visit the castle ruins, but the loch itself at some point- there’s no certainty of monster sightings, but you’re guaranteed some equally impressive views away from home.

A Lego-specific Instagram account

A few weeks ago I bought a lightbox to experiement a little in Lego photography. If i’m honest I’m really yet to start with it properly, but 2020 as a whole has been a great year to re-prioritise things and re-evaluate what I want do with my free time. With a lot more time at home I’ve really gotten back into my Lego in a big way, and while things I’m building now won’t get quite the public display at exhibitions like I was hoping, it’s good to progress ahead and really have projects to focus on.

The castle i’m building at the moment is taking a while and still needs a bit longer in the oven (figuratively of course, not literally) and I’m confident and more importantly excited it will be finished this year. As progress continues I’m hoping to be posting monthly build updates here and also just more words about Lego in general (it’s my number one hobby!). A few days ago I decided to open that up a bit more, bit the bullet, and made a secondary Instagram account just for my Lego posts and for following other enthusiasts. There’s not much there at the moment while i’m still getting set up, but it is absolutely something I’m planning to use quite a bit, especially over the coming winter. Not everyone wants to see pictures of minifigs, not everyone wants to see pictures of me, lets split the content up across accounts!

Only days in i’ve already found it incredibly beneficial to the algorithms and the recommendations I get, and while the new account is something of a content/subject matter echo chamber it’s inspiring seeing what everyone else is doing, while simultaneously encouraging by getting that feedback and praise from others. If nothing else it’s all a massive experiment in social media manipulation, but one that’s working for me, for now at least. If anyone reading wants to give it a nosey or a follow you can find it here, or by clicking the picture below!

September Status Update

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September was a month of sciatic nerves, Stephen King, a staycation, and SO MUCH Fargo.

A lot can change in a year, 2020 is a BIG indication of that. This time last year I raised £350 for MFR Cash for Kids by running 5K a day for the whole of September, and it was one of the hardest, silliest, but ultimately one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done. This year I was planning doing the same, but after hurting my ankle (and subsequently, leg) during Lockdown I haven’t been running for the majority of 2020. I really miss that! I miss not being in pain the whole time! A few doctor and physio appointments this month revealed my leg pain is actually “sciatic irritation due to postural changes”. What is that? Basically months of staying at home slouching playing games and hunching over webcams have actually injured me. Being lazy actually hurt me. With diagnosis hopefully complete I’ve since been stretching, more active, and most importantly, more focussed on my posture for perhaps…the first time in my life. It’s made a difference, and the last few weeks have seen a big change in pain reduction and how sore I am- things are actually getting better. I might be able to get running again just in time for a season full of cold northern winds and rainstorms. Yay?

After reading and enjoying Stephen King’s On Writing last month, this month I decided to revisit the author properly for the first time in some while, and eagerly jumped-in to Pet Sematary. The title had always sidestepped me for whatever reason, so returning to some previously-missed dark Stephen King horror was always going to be rewarding and comforting in the weirdest possible sense. I was ready. There’s an audiobook version narrated by Dexter’s Michael C. Hall and this is something I listened to over a week and a bit, completely engrossed, disturbed, chilled, and just absolutely revelling in it if I’m honest. I’ve been a bit up and down with audiobooks previously, but the narration here is absolutely incredible, and Hall completely sells the dark, twisted, harrowing tale, while frequently ramping up tension and absolute dread. I’m an audiobok convert! I need to do a post of my favourite books at some point, and while this would probably not quite get ranked, Pet Sematary is definitely in my top 3 from Stephen King. Entertainment Weekly have a great retroactive piece on the book (and films). It’s quite spoilery but it’s worth a read if you’ve finished it!

Something that had equally eluded me previously was the film Fargo. Released in 1996, I watched the film a whole 22 years later in 2018 and loved it when I did finally get round to it. This month I’ve done something similar with the spin-off tv series of the same name, but thankfully only 6 years late this time. It’s absolutey brilliant and something that really hooked me this month. The tv series is mostly separate from the film with each season being an anthology piece with their own stories and characters. The first season feels a lot like a spiritual sequel that builds on the film’s tropes but it gives characters and scenarios more time to mature. It’s easily was one of the best things I’ve ever watched on tv…or it was, until I then watched the second season. Season 2 is a sad, tragic, and beautiful 10-parter about people misunderstanding the hell out of each other, being in a watershed moment in history, and having to brace for future change while dealing with much bigger concepts. I feel like I’m under-selling; it’s incredibly accomplished, and always just so much more than standard cop v murder case fare. The third season is equally as bold and brave, and existentially questions the meaning of it’s own stories and characters and cause and effect logic. All three seasons are beautifully profound. Staggeringly so. I honestly wish I could watch them all for the first time again but encourage anyone reading to check them out.

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This month I’ve been back at work, in daily routine, doing the house chores, and everything feels mostly back to normal, at least on a surface level. After having to cancel both holidays and guesting at weddings earlier this year -and with not much event-wise on the horizon- Ailish and I decided to have a weekend break in Inverness and nearby Nairn. We’re just home. We visited Loch Ness, went shopping, ate great food, and honestly this was just a weekend that I was needing for too long- It’s great to get a change in scenery, switch off, and honestly just relax for a few days. I will do an actual longer post on our Loch Ness trip later- there’s some initial photos up on my Instagram.

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Next month things are becoming quieter, and slowing down again as the weather gets colder. It’s hard to believe that it will be October already after it feels like the year has even to get started, a year that really just didnt seem to happen at all. Coming home from work, locking the door, and getting the blankets, that’s what autumn and winter is all about, at least thats what I’m hoping. It’s going to be a great time to catch up with lots of games and books!

September Links

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Some interesting stories, thoughts, and ideas i’ve discovered throughout September 2020, rounded-up.

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Scientists Rediscover Rare ‘Singing’ Dogs - I’m not saying I have one in the house already that makes noise when the postman arrives, but i’m not not saying that either.

What Does Everyone See in Jesse Plemons? - From being absolutely the bigest asshole in Breaking Bad to main cast in the recent I’m Thinking of Ending Things and all the supporting roles in between, Jesse Plemons is getting a lot of work. This is an excellent profile on his rise to stardom his confusion thereof. We recently watched him shine in Season 2 of Fargo- he’s definitely an actor worth following.

The Controversial Origins of the Story Behind Mulan - Disney’s recent live action Mulan has been embroiled in delay after delay, pricing concerns, and even social boycott. In this story TIME examine just how faithful (or otherwise) it is to the legend, and if it matters or not (I don’t care for the animated ‘original’ all that much…)

Glitzy SUV Adverts Subverted on 100 Billboards by Guerilla Eco Warriors - ‘Brandalism’ is now both my favourite word and concept of 2020.

What is ‘friluftsliv’? How an idea of outdoor living could help us this winter - While a fireplace, books, and hot chocolate are usually the go-to idea of winter, here’s an alternative suggestion: go outside. Exploring and exercising in nature is a great way to escape mental hell and internet doom, and comes with lots of benefits. Tme to layer up.

What hundreds of American public libraries owe to Carnegie’s disdain for inherited wealth - An excellent article about sharing knowledge via wealth and the sacred comforting aura of the library. Andrew Carnegie built just over 2500 libraries in his lifetime and gave away the majority of his wealth. What a legacy! Take note Bezos and Zuckerberg…

This game of Dungeons & Dragons has been going on for 38 years - We’re only a few months in so only really scratching the surface tbh, but here’s a great story of history inspiring roleplay, the inifinite possibility of the game, and most of all, the comforts of a friend group kept together despite a worldwide pandemic.

The impossibly perfect landing of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 - I’ve never skateboarded, but the recent remaster of these games this month have been a long-time coming. These were the games I spent an entire puberty playing and now in 2020 it’s a remake that’s audiovisually perfect. Twenty years later it’s great picking up exactly where I left off, minus (most of) the tantrums.

Stolen books worth £2.5m found under floor of Romanian house - We’re not quite at ‘hiding books under the floorboards’ capacity level here in the house, but an interesting news story about a recent BOOK HEIST with plenty of advice, illegal or otherwise for moving and storing books.

Daily Pics of Chameleon Holding Lego - exactly as it sounds. Now, if only we could get him to actually sort and tidy Lego as well, that would be fantastic.

Video

Caravaggio: Master of Light - Another excellent video from The Nerdwriter, this time examining Caravaggio’s dynamic use of lighting in his works and the cleverness within. His paintings are always bold, brave, and really quite profound; a visionary ahead of his time

Audio

The SS Reoccurring Nightmare - These are the audio logs of Chief Engineer Marrow Pilkinbear of the spacecraft S.S Re-Occurring Nightmare. Some excellent sci-fi narrative v cleverly presented. Give it a listen!

Other

Autumn Feels Film Playlist - With Autumn now here/fast approaching I picked 10 of my favourite films relating to or about the season. Everything starting a bit warm and golden, quickly changing to cold dark nights and reasons to stay inside; Letterboxd rounded-up the most-mentioned from all the site users.