I sat down this week to try to write a Christmas-themed story, but the first thing I did was re-read last year’s Christmas-themed story, and I 1) was really happy because I really thought it was fun, and 2) started doubting whether I could top it in the amount of time I had available this week and got bummed out by that reality.
So please feel free to go and re-read "The Legend of Ol' Saint Nick". The numbers say many of you either didn’t read it or weren’t subscribed at that point, and even if you did read it, you probably forgot the content considering that I forgot the content and I wrote the darn thing!
I will have my 26th story of the year for you next week, and I’m going to make it New Year’s-themed instead, since I haven’t done one of those, and then I’ll make another run at a Christmas-themed story next year.
(By the way this is coming on Saturday instead of Sunday because I don’t expect most people will check their email on Christmas Day. This is a temporary exception and we will go back to Sundays after this.)
And now, here’s a smattering of the rest of my favorite media that I consumed this year:
MOVIE - “Everything Everywhere All At Once” - Hands down, this was the best movie I watched this year, or frankly for several years. This movie like kinda restored my faith in movies as a form. It’s gorgeous, chock-full of innovative set pieces and action sequences, and it has genuine heart and an emotional core.
BOOKS - Three entries here because I read a lot and love books the most.
“Michelangelo: God’s Architect” by William Wallace - This is an older book but it was the best non-fiction I’ve read in some time. Focuses on Michelangelo’s later career (did you know he worked until he was in his late 80s?!) and his transition from sculptor to architect and mostly project manager. An amazing explanation of the practical obstacles he faced in achieving St. Peter’s and other huge construction projects. Wonderful details on every page. (e.g. “One of the primary problems Michelangelo had to solve was where to get enough high-quality rope. Rope was arguably the most important tool used in the entire construction process.”)
“Lapvona” by Ottessa Moshfegh - I did not like this book much at all when I first read it, and it is most definitely *weird* and *dark*. Not for the faint of heart. It concerns the machinations of a feudal Lord and his adopted son in a fictional medieval village undergoing a severe drought. But this story has really stuck with me throughout the year, and I keep discovering new layers in it as I think about it more and more. Nothing about the book makes sense on its own; it’s only in the context of the rest of the story that each piece finds its meaning (or, usually, its meanings).
“Life 3.0” by Max Tegmark - The state of the art is moving really fast, and some of the material was definitely familiar to me, but this is the best “Intro to Artificial Intelligence” book I’ve ever read, by far. It frames the problems in terms of extended stories/riffs about what could go wrong with A.I. down the line, and the technique really brings the issues into focus. This will be the book I recommend to anyone looking to learn more.
ALBUMS
“Harry’s House” by Harry Styles - A pop masterpiece. I liked his first album but this is a huge leap forward for the former One Direction standout. The catchy hooks and breathy, energetic voice are still there, but now there’s a depth and texture to the production that takes the tracks to a new level. If Harry Styles can manage to keep experimenting and not give into the temptation to just make this album over and over, he will be this generation’s Bowie. FAVORITE TRACK: “Music for a Sushi Restaurant”, which also has the weirdest music video I watched this year.
“Vincent” by FKJ - FKJ (“French Kiwi Juice”) is, in my view, the best musician alive today and the Beethoven of our time. I’ve never seen him live, but it’s on my bucket list. He plays piano, drums, and every horn there is, and makes an orchestra’s worth of music by himself. This album flows from start to finish, holding attention effortlessly even in the more minimal tracks. Turned up loud while driving at night, this album is like being in a dream. FAVORITE TRACK: The whole album. Here’s a link to the first track in a YT playlist of the entire thing. I’m jealous you still have your first listen in front of you.
TELEVISION
My television tastes tend to run towards watching “Fixer Upper”, “Community”, and “30 Rock” reruns on repeat, as we really only watch before bed at night for comfort. I did manage to fit in some new series this year, though not even close to everything that came out. Of what I saw, my favorite show was “Severance”. I’m a huge Adam Scott fan (I love his podcas with Scott Auckerman and I loved “Party Down”). I’m also a huge Ben Stiller fan, he just really picks quality projects, so I was highly anticipating this one, and it did not disappoint.
The sci fi premise starts out devilishly simple—Adam Scott has a job where, when you enter the office, your mind is split so that you cannot remember your life on the outside, and when you are on the outside, you cannot remember your life at work. It sounds like an SNL sketch, or at most an episode of Black Mirror. Instead it turns into a rippingly good season of television that left me wanting more and setting a calendar reminder for season two.
As a final enticement, the cast is absolutely stellar—a perfect mix of talented and diverse newcomers with some all-star character actors that you’ve seen and loved in everything over the years. The whole thing is just a delight.
END
Well, that’s it for me! Enjoy your Christmas weekend, and I’ll be back next Sunday with my final email of the year, which will contain my 26th story of 2023, and 52nd overall story for this project. Thanks as always for reading! And of course, if you enjoyed this, please help me out by liking, commenting, or sharing with friends. Happy Holidays!
OGWiseman Recycles!
I really like the song “As It Was” from Harry’s House. And I really enjoyed Severance! The opening credits has some of the best visuals I’ve seen for a TV show in a while.
Happy new year!
52 stories - that is so impressive, Owen! A book I will recommend is Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. It is on a lot of top 10 lists, and it isn't sci fi but it is a story-and-character- driven book about technology (gaming and coding) in the 90s.