Look 106: Have fun storming the castle
Fellow angler,
First order of business: I’m taking an end-of-year hiatus to edit the first draft of my novel and catch up on season 6 of Love Island Australia. I will publish one more post next week for paid subscribers and then resume haunting all your inboxes on 17 January 2025.
What to expect in 2025
I plan to return in January with a second draft of a novel that I can start sending to agents and publishers. You can expect posts on what it’s been like writing, editing, and hopefully publishing a first novel. You’ll also continue to get the confused mixture of content that I’ve been sending the past couple of months.
If you start to miss me (I know you won’t but let me have my moment) here’s my archive with all previous posts.
If you’ve been looking for an opportunity to unsubscribe (believe me I get it) this is your chance.
Rewind: Thanksgiving
Last week I attended the (100th) Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The big balloons were impressive but it was also pissing rain so the experience was a wash.
My fun fact for you is that the parade started in 1924 and balloons first appeared in 1927 when Tony Sarg (a famous puppeteer who had the enviable title of “America's Puppet Master”) created the first balloons with the aid of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company.
If you care to know more about the parade’s origins, here’s a poster from the New York Historical Society.
Content that might interest you
I did not plan interesting content for this post so here’s some content I’ve enjoyed this year:
4 books:
Memento Mori: The Art of Contemplating Death to Live a Better Life by Joanna Ebenstein
Our society is afraid of death and works hard to hide it from view. This book takes you through some exercises to help you build a healthier relationship with your mortality.
Shubeik Lubeik by Deena Mohamed
This is easily the best graphic novel I’ve read this year and probably in the past few years.
The Elements of Eloquence: Secrets of the Perfect Turn of Phrase by Mark Forsyth
If you’re interested in writing, this is a highly approachable intro to rhetoric tools that real writers have used historically to make their writing sing. Honestly, you non-writers may enjoy it because rhetoric also underlies the plays, famous movie lines, and ads you see every day.
A Pocket Guide to Pigeon Watching: Getting to Know the World's Most Misunderstood Bird by Rosemary Mosco
Don’t be such a snob. Pigeons are beautiful birds. Even if you refuse to accept that, learning the history of the world’s most domesticated bird will give you some fun facts to share with friends.
3 movies:
Time Bandits (1981)
This movie offers the sort of fun, medium-brow cinema that feels hard to find today. Plus Sean Connery, John Cleese, Shelley Duvall, Ian Holm (Bilbo Baggins), direction by Terry Gilliam, and a song by George Harrison. Apple TV+ has remade it as a show produced by Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement. I love both of those men but it’s not worth paying for. Luckily, Best Buy offers free three-month subscriptions to Apple TV+. I know it sounds like there’s a catch but I did it myself and it worked as advertised.
Death Becomes Her (1992)
More good old-fashioned fun. While you’re at it, feel free to follow me on Letterboxd.
Cronos (1992)
This is Guillermo del Toro’s first feature-length film but it has everything you’ve come to expect from him: It’s spooky, it makes you think, and it has Ron Perlman.
1 fun video
If you like The Princess Bride then you will enjoy this video on the most expensive and funniest scene in the movie. (And if you haven’t read the book, I also recommend you get on that.)
Until next year,
Happy Fishing!