Leon's weekly 'rap' – 24 December 2021
It's the last Rap of the year! I've had so much fun writing this 'column' and I hope you have enjoyed it, too. I'd be interested in your feedback: what you like, what you don't, what was the best 'tidbit' you got from this column this year.
Thanks for coming along for the ride this year. It's been challenging for most of you and I'm glad we've been able to share a bit of us with you to (hopefully) help you through.
With that being said, stay safe, enjoy the sun and, in the meantime, this week's rap ...
The best show I watched this week (and this year)
Still watching Elementary, which I am very much enjoying. As far as my pick of the year: I would have to say The Queen's Gambit followed by Fleabag. Both feature amazing lead actors and stories about women getting on in two very different worlds. If I had to pick one, it would be The Queen's Gambit, but I really did love Fleabag, which was very funny at times.
The book I'm reading right now (and the best book I read this year)
I'm currently reading The Big Bounce by Elmore Leonard, who is in my top five favourite authors. The best book I read this year was easily The True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey. If you haven't read that, find a copy and indulge. I started reading it on a week-long winter retreat in a mud brick cabin in the hills near the Yarra Valley. Perfect setting, and sometimes I think that influences how a book is received. Still, this tome is a masterwork, and once I started reading it I looked forward every night to getting back to it.
Most interesting thing I read on Wikipedia
Purple – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple
Yep, there's much more to purple than meets the eye. I researched this after finding out it is the only colour not used on any national flags. Evidently, back in the day, it took more than 10,000 sea snails to make one gram of purple dye, which is why only wealthy people and royalty wore it. Purple carries a lot of mystique and symbolism and the wiki page is well worth a read, if you like random facts (or love colour).
Music discovery
Not so much a discovery for me as a gift to you. I made a 'Christmas Cocktails' playlist for you all to play on Christmas Day!
And here are a few more you may like to play.
This one is the 'Christmas Crooners' list.
And this one is the 'Classical Christmas' list.
Then there's the 'Jazz Christmas' list.
And for those of you who like it a bit more 'rock'n'roll-y' here's the 'Jingle Bell Rock' list.
Best quote I heard or read this week
"Skip the boring parts." ~ Elmore Leonard (this is why he's one of my favourites). If only life were this simple!
Food I most enjoyed this week
My daughter made gingerbread men, Christmas trees and houses and then she decorated them. They were the best thing I ate this week. I hope you get the same thrill from the handmade treats you'll get this week!
Favourite article on the YLC website this week
I think the article about how often you should clean your appliances from our contributor Sam Wylie-Harris takes the cake this week.
Best article I read on the web
How to use the delete button in your brain to make it more effective published on Medium.
One of the simplest ways to keep your brain in tip-top shape and make learning new things easier.
Thing I am most grateful for right now
Holidays! It's been a long year, so I'm very much looking forward to time off with my family and, hopefully, will get to see a few of my friends, too!
What I wish I could be doing that I can't do right now
Being on holiday! Honestly, it can't come quickly enough!
Feel like sharing? Go on, I dare you!
The best show I watched this week
Here's Rap #11, for your records ...
The best show I watched this week
Stumptown. Cobie Smulders and Jake Johnson star in this crime/dramedy (I never thought I'd ever use that word in an article) about a returned marine (Ms Smulders) with PTSD who finds out she's a pretty good PI. Watched one episode and have been hooked all week.
The book I'm reading right now
Back reading Jimmy Carr's Before and Laughter, which is great, but my wife told me to tell you all about Billy Connelly's autobiography Windswept and Interesting, which she is loving and highly recommends to all.
Most interesting thing I read on Wikipedia
Transhumanism: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transhumanism
It's a bit of a read and poses so many questions. Would you be open to using technology or health science advances to greatly extend your lifespan, or enhance your mood or cognitive abilities? I quote: "Some transhumanists believe that human beings may eventually be able to transform themselves into beings with abilities so greatly expanded from the current condition as to merit the label of posthuman beings.'
What do you think about this?
Music discovery
Okay, this one is going to throw you. My little one has trouble sleeping. Or had trouble sleeping until we found this album: Ultimate Loopable Sounds Collection 2020.
I noticed how, when putting her down to sleep, I would often get super drowsy and sometimes nod off, too. So, I now use track #2 on repeated loop and I sleep so soundly all through the night. My daughter has Track #7. Thought I'd share it with the non-sleepers on the line.
Want to put a song on repeated loop? See the red circle? Tap that button twice – or until you see the little '1' appear on the top RHS.
But you didn't come here for that. You want music. So why not try Stina Nordenstam – Dynamite? In fact, all of her albums are great. Especially good for a cloudy day. Her music is mellow, laid back and moody, but very easy on the ears and good for background music for conversations, reading or doodling.
Best quote I heard or read this week
"Rather than think of yourself as flawed, think of yourself as a superhero with a weakness." ~ Neil Strauss.
Food I most enjoyed this week
The Chocolate Hour at the brand new Mövenpick Hotel in Melbourne. I mean, the dinner at Miss Mi was amazing, but the chocolate hour was a treat. It's like a chocolate happy hour and it's free for guests every day between 3.30pm and 4.30pm
Favourite article on the YLC website this week
I think Jeremy Cooper's article Retirees should splash on themselves and save the economy was a ripper. And why not? If you have it, treat yourself! I also enjoyed Ben's article – Ancient Aboriginal bush medicine could improve cancer treatment. So many trees and plants are found in modern-day medicine and we can still learn so much from ancient plant-based medicine. If what these scientists have found is legitimate, then this will have major benefits for people with cancer.
Best article I read on the web
Dare to Think: Why almost all advice is useless published on Medium.
I'll go out on a limb and say most of us have, at some point, taken advice derived from something that worked for someone else in their life's context. This is an argument for backing your own judgment instead of relying on the advice of outsiders.
Thing I am most grateful for right now
The city. I love the city. There's a certain feeling I get every time I emerge from Flinders Street Station onto Flinders x Swanston that I can't explain. I feel like it's the city saying 'hello'. Corny, I know. Also, being back in the office. It’s nice to have a change of scenery. Good to be out and about and back working with my colleagues.
What I wish I could be doing that I can't do right now
You know what? I think I'm where I want to be right now. I feel content. Can't say that often, but I really can't think of anything else I can't do. Sure, I'd like to hang out with family and friends, but it's been nice to be back in a routine, back in the city and have the option of doing something, even if I don’t necessarily need to be doing it right now. There are a few friends I'd like to catch up with. And I suppose I should do that sooner than later, because you never know when the rug will be ripped out from under us again.
Feel like sharing? Go on, I dare you!
I used to use the Wikipedia a lot but of late I find I am continually being harassed by requests for donations, hence I give it a miss and find a medical or a scientific journal to find info I need.
Rap #14 ...
The best show I watched this week
I've been going easy on the TV this week. When I have had time, I've been sticking with Elementary. I have also picked up on a show I started watching last year but dropped. It's the cinematic version of a famous Philip K Dick novel The Man in the High Castle. If you're not up on the book, it's an American dystopian alternative history in which the Germans and the Japanese won WWII and split control of the US and the world. Very intriguing and enjoyable viewing.
The book I'm reading right now
Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro. It’s a tale of a butler who goes on a driving holiday while his boss is away. That's the short pitch and all I'm up to at the moment. I've also been reading World of Art: Movements in Art Since 1945 by Edward Lucie-Smith. It's kind of like a crash course on all the major art movements from the past 75 years, including abstract expressionism, pop art and more modern movements.
Most interesting thing I read on Wikipedia
Ikigai – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ikigai
How many of you can claim to have found your ikigai? It's a Japanese concept of 'motivating force', or finding the cross-section of thing you love doing, what the world needs, what you can be paid to do and what you're good at. Not easy, but a worthy pursuit and good inspiration.
Music discovery
Hmmm… This week I have been enjoying Peter, Bjorn and John – a Swedish pop band with some really fun, melodic and bouncy tunes. I've also been playing a bit of Christmas music this week – especially this super-cool playlist. Great for when the traditional Christmas carols and songs start grating on your nerves. Enjoy!
Best quote I heard or read this week
"I don't know how I got to this point but it must be as a result of everything that has come before so if I were to change something, I might not be at this point now." ~ William Shatner.
Food I most enjoyed this week
Raw Lemon Slice – https://www.katysfoodfinds.com/raw-lemon-slice/
I love this slice my lovely wife makes. It's fairly healthy, too. My trick is to cut some into smaller squares (just a bit bigger than bite-sized) then put them in the freezer. They make for a nice after-dinner treat. Pretty simple to make, too!
Favourite article on the YLC website this week
Gee, we had some really good articles this week about retirement income, such as the one about the new HEAS program, the changes that should help to boost retirement savings and investments putting your retirement at risk. But I think the one about Paulina Porizkova talking about sex appeal after 50 was a ripper.
Best article I read on the web
The 12 Best Movies Hardly Anyone Saw in 2021 – from Concrete Playground. So much cinema was experienced on a much smaller screen and so many wonderful movies released this year went under the radar. So I plan to tick quite a few off this list, particularly Pig, and EMA.
Thing I am most grateful for right now
Christmas is coming!! I am so grateful my daughter has reinvigorated my yen for all things merry, tinselly and red. Christmas, for years, was just another thing to do. Yes, I was a Grinch for most of the last 20 years. It's amazing how magical this time of year is for newer souls and I' love seeing Christmas through her eyes. It makes me so happy.
What I wish I could be doing that I can't do right now
I would love to be heading off this weekend for a planned conference in Byron Bay, but Omicron had other plans and it has since been cancelled. Shame. I've seen a fair bit of Australia, but I've not been to Byron. And it seems, it will be a bit longer before I get there …
Feel like sharing? Go on, I dare you!
LOL I was talking to son in Sydney an hour ago and listening to Sydney's fire works, I said it was a bit early and he said they do it for the children before they go to bed!
A very very happy whole year 2022 to everyone, please be healthy and safe.
The best show I watched this week
Searching For Superhuman
Friday 7th January at 10:00 am (63 minutes)
Immortality: From extending lifespan to reversing ageing, scientists have made incredible breakthroughs that have not only saved lives but herald a new era where the human body can stay healthy and youthful, until the moment of our death.
Definitely worth watching ... So much incredible information - yes it could extend your life.
You have to have an hour to spare and watch it on iView or Catch-Up.
Here's Rap #10 – 19 November
The best show I watched this week
Only Murders in the Building. I saw a trailer of this a while back and assumed that, with a cast featuring Steve Martin, Martin Short, Tina Fey, Selena Gomez and Sting, it was a movie. Imagine my surprise, then, when it turns out it's a series. And it's great. A trio of true murder podcast-loving residents in a fancy New York apartment complex bond over a murder that happens in their building. They team up to do their own podcast. There's intrigue, laughs and, I quote Martin Short's character Oliver Putnam: "Oh, my God, the twists and turns of this are unbelievable. It's like a rainbow crafted by a drunken leprechaun". I'm not going to give more away than that, except that, like me, you'll most likely be hooked after the first episode.
The book I'm reading right now
I just finished a couple of books by a local poet Darby Hudson called Falling Upwards and 100 Points of ID To Prove I Don't Exist. Darby is a bit of a Banksy of poetry, publicly posting poems on lampposts and the like that, as Academy Award winner Adam Elliot states "effortlessly manage to draw from the beauty and profundity from the minutia of daily existence". They are both great collections and would make a good pressie for literature lovers. You can find his work in respected journals or you can buy the collections here: https://www.darbyhudson.com/
Most interesting thing I read on Wikipedia
I met up with our friend Max Williams this week. Max is well in case you’re wondering (hi Max!). We discussed many things, but one that came up was diary keeping. I mentioned my practise of daily entries and he bested me with amazing travel journals he'd kept since the 70s (spoiler alert – keep an eye on your inbox for the outcome of that conversation).
I asked him if he'd heard of Samuel Pepys. Have you? He's most famous for keeping a private diary from 1660 and 1669 which ended up being published and is the most 'reliable' first-hand source of information about life back then, including eyewitness accounts of the Great Plague, the Great Fire of London and the Dutch War, among his more 'personal' exploits. If you have no appetite for reading the 10-volume collection (I've only ever skimmed my copies) then reading his wiki page should give you an insight into this fascinating man and how keeping journals can end up enshrining your name in the history books.
Music discovery
I've had fun finding playlists lately, This one is a ripper. I mean, there is much good modern music, but it can never compare or compete with what I'd say is the golden era of rock and pop – the late 60s and early 70s. Here's the first of many playlists I'll share with you covering that era. I'll still be mixing in some new stuff though!
What's your favourite music era? Who's your favourite solo artist and band?
Best quote I heard or read this week
"When you stop growing you start dying." ~ William S Burroughs.
It's an oldie and one I've lived by since I first read it in my teens. Doesn’t hurt to have reminder though. It's like some old Buddhist or Hindu proverb about 'once you declare yourself a master you stop learning'. You can never learn enough, me thinks …
Food I most enjoyed this week
The peanut butter roll my four-year-old daughter just made for me "all by myself".
What's a simple dish you really enjoy?
Favourite article on the YLC website this week
I really got into writing about Stephen Judd appointment as a COTA fellow, because I think the work he'll do is so important. Death is so institutionalised in Australian and more people should be able to die where they choose. Still, the one I enjoyed reading most was Ellie's article Seven tips for living well on the Age Pension, because you don't need to be on the pension to get something from it and I think it will help a lot of people live a better retirement.
Best article I read on the web
It's one I'd come across a while ago but saved in my 'read later' folder in my browser bookmarks. A really touching and funny article called Three Life Lessons from a Dying Man. I learn a lot from this. I hope you pick up a point or two, too.
Thing I am most grateful for right now
The care my aunties take of my nan while she's convalescing from a nasty fall she had in residential aged care. They are amazing. The family does its bit (mostly) but my aunties are always a step ahead and a level above. I should note that her aged care place has been taking really great care of her, too, and has been completely COVID-free throughout the pandemic. So, there are some good news stories about aged care places.
What I wish I could be doing that I can't do right now
I copped a nasty cold this week and it's made me appreciate just how much I value being healthy and able to breathe easily. So, I guess 'breathing easily' is what I wish I could be doing that I can't do right now.
Feel like sharing? Go on, I dare you!