July went quickly! This month was over just as soon as it started, and for the most part, everything went great!
Outdoor Swimming
After a recent incredible campaign by volunteers, the North Baths in Wick were cleaned and renovated. The North Baths are an open-air swimming pool dating back to 1904, and while the north of Scotland isnt exactly known for it’s warm temperatures, the pool has been historically popular, now entering a renaissance. Several friends had already reported going, and so, on the hottest day of July, I threw caution (and t-shirt!) to the wind and decided to join. It was incredible! The water was still and clear, people were diving in, and it was weirdly one of the most freeing moments of the past year. I’ve never been a good swimmer, but through subsequent visits I now feel happier, stronger, Ive lost a bit of weight, and perhaps most importantly of all, I feel a lot more positive about my self. As the month went on the temperature dropped, one day the waves were crashing in, and more friends have joined. Outdoor swimming is something I never thought I would do, but I’ve surprised myself, and i’m glad I gave it a shot. A trophy stamp for 2021!
Dont Get Got
Dont Get Got is something I’ve been following with great interest after the glowing Shut Up & Sit Down video review. It’s a party game of social deviance and mischievious objectives where you have to complete objectives and trick other players, the review above is worth watching! I recently backed the reissue (with expansions!) on Kickstarter and with social distancing opening up again, gave it a shot with a gathering of friends. Objectives ranged from subtle to the absurd, but the best thing about it was how competitive it all got, and how other players became SO ANGRY when they realised they’d been tricked or “got”. Without the faux-edginess of something like Cards Against Humanity this landed really well and was just fun more than anything else. I definitely want to play this more, as social meets hopefully continue!
Loki
After the excellent and mysterious Wandavision, and the disappointing and messy The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from Loki or even further Marvel Cinematic Universe TV efforts on Disney+. Loki is a character that’s been heavily reccuring in the Marvel franchise of films and a favourite throughout, so it was mildly disappointing that he did “die” during Avengers: Infinity War. Thanks to time-travel, multiverses, and comicbook nonsense he thankfully got his own show and do-over, and his series was pleasantly fun. Lots of fun! With fantastic leads, and some excellent space/time whimsy, this really felt like Marvel’s Doctor Who a lot and even bested certain seasons of what it seemed to be imitating. As with Wandavision it was great watching a show weekly and having each week theroising and anticipating the next part, and honestly, maybe the binge model of TV is a cultural mistake? The MCU has an inherent problem of always setting up the next thing and not resolving anything, and while that was still definitely the case here, the season finale REALLY pleased my fanboy Marvel brain. For those keeping score, I’m probably sitting here: Wandavision>Loki>FalcoSoldier.
Covid Vaccine
After testing positive from Covid_19 last month, this month I got my first dose of the vaccine! Effects weren’t that bad at all, and I’m glad I finally got one…but still weirded-out and angry at the universe that I got infected just days before my initial appointment. Regarding the virus itself, I’m still getting recurring headaches and feel oddly light and temperature sensitive at times, but as the weeks pass I feel stronger and healthier than ever before. Swimming and walks have helped with that, as has summer and seeing people, and I’m looking forward to continuing with lots of all of it.
August is looking to be a bit of a catch up month for everything, lets see how that goes!