Non-fishing Stuff of the Year 2021
This feels like a pretty good time to write a non-fishing related blog post. We’ve got fresh east winds down here, my local coastline is rather flat and lifeless - much like Boris Johnson’s “reign” perhaps? - and it feels like the world is ending all over again. I consider myself extremely fortunate that mental health issues have not been something I have had to deal with on a personal level at any point (yet) in my life, but does anybody else here wonder what on earth the long-term mental health ramifications might be from what’s going on? I don’t mean to remotely belittle the fact that this bastard virus has killed a scary number of people who should still be living their lives, rather that there are such a wide-ranging set of connected issues with this virus - who knows where the hell we might end up both collectively and personally. If you know anybody who doesn’t seem to be quite themselves at the moment, please reach out to them. Hence this blog post, because not only is going fishing and/or spending time outdoors so good for us, but I would also argue that disappearing into a really good film or TV series or podcast or album and so on is another valid way to help try and safeguard our brains for a little longer. Here goes with my Non-fishing stuff of the Year 2021 then……….
People of the Year 2021 - Exactly the same as last year. Anybody who is on the frontline of trying to get us regular people through this armageddon, and this time around I must also include all those people who are involved in the mass vaccination operation. Thank you, thank you, thank you. How long the system as such can continue to just about work under so much pressure is anybody’s guess, but I would suggest that the larger percentage of us here owe more than we could ever repay to a lot of amazing people going above and beyond for far too long. Thank you.
TV series of the Year 2021 - Succession Season 3. On many occasions I don’t think the hype can possibly be justified - Breaking Bad anybody? - but the TV series Succession keeps on getting better in my opinion. The quality of the writing is simply staggering, to the point where I really want to go back and watch Season 3 all over again because it’s impossible to absorb all the nuances and subtleties first time around. I would usually struggle with a TV series where every single character is absolutely despicable, but the writing and the acting draws you in until you can’t quite believe how much you are enjoying it. The hype is justified.
Film of the Year 2021 - Nomadland. Okay, so I know this film was actually released last year, but I saw it in 2021 and it got into my head on so many levels. I could watch Frances McDormand in almost anything, I think she is a staggeringly good actress (or should it be actor?), and I can’t help but admire the fact that the film makers stayed away from trying to put a coat of Hollywood gloss upon a range of themes which I think mean even more as we move through our lives and so much uncertainty. My most disappointing film of the year was Army of the Dead. I love a good zombie film, but the big budget gloss of Army of the Dead was not that.
Book of the Year 2021 - Immoral by Brian Freeman, plus a bunch more in this fantastic Jonathan Stride series. It’s not a new book and I can’t remember how I stumbled upon the author Brian Freeman, but I do love it when I can get into a really good book series. I’m a few books in and they get better and better. I don’t read many non-fiction books but earlier this year I did read “The Cold Vanish: Seeking the Missing in North America's Wildlands” by Jon Billman, and I couldn’t put it down. Scary, sad and tragic, but also eternally hopeful in different ways.
Podcast of the Year 2021 - Surfcasters’ Journal Night Shift Podcast, and yes, I was somewhat honoured to be asked to record an episode with Zeno Hromin. Fishing consumes my life on so many levels so it takes a fascinating podcast for me to want to listen to even more fishing stuff - and the Night Shift podcast is just that to me. A number of non-US anglers make the classic mistake of thinking that because US striped bass anglers catch consistently bigger fish than we do here in the UK then they must be far better anglers - they aren’t if that helps, and striped bass just happen to grow a lot bigger than our (sea) bass - but it’s so interesting to hear from really good and inquisitive and thoughtful anglers whatever they happen to fish for. Please note that I am not remotely putting myself in that category just because Zeno asked me to record an episode with him! Other podcasts I really enjoy are Pilot TV, Rugby Union Weekly, “The Good, The Bad & The Rugby”, and Test Match Special.
Album of the Year 2021 - Primordial Arcana by the mighty Wolves in the Throne Room. I have loved Wolves in the Throne Room for many years now, and their 2021 album “Primordial Arcana” for me is the perfect mix of mood and aggression and calm and emotion. Black metal in its many guises does it for me in a serious way, and although I have never been to the Pacific northwest in the USA where Wolves in the Throne Room are from, I have spent a fair amount of time further up in British Columbia on the west coast of Canada. Every time I listen to this album “Primordial Arcana” I am transported to the vastness of this majestic landscape, and I feel better for it. The one song I can’t stop listening to from this awesome album is “Underworld Aurora” below. If music is mood then this song has got the lot.
Best Buy of the Year 2021 - Sony WF-1000XM4 True Wireless Noise Cancelling (in-ear) Headphones. I had a couple of Amazon vouchers saved up and I took the plunge on these things. A lot of money but I like my sound. No regrets at all. Very, very good.
Disappointing Buy of the Year 2021 - The (GoPro) Remote for GoPro cameras. What a pile of crap, but now try getting hold of GroPro to get it sorted. Good bloody luck! If you walk any distance away from a GoPro Hero 9 camera then The Remote will disconnect and ruin the very reason why I bought the frigging thing in the first place. Could be so good, but it isn’t.
Main image from https://www.freepik.com/
