It’s The End of The Year (As We Know It) And I DON’T Feel Fine

Wednesday is about books. And reading. And sometimes it’s just about writing. Kinda curious to see where this one goes myself… !?

I’ve got the Covid, yo. Second tour of duty. The spicy cough. The fog of brain. Aches and pains. It all seems so long ago, so this is somehow totally new, and yet of course strangely familiar. It accounts for the delay in today’s newsletter hitting your inbox or app. Now, retitled “Tonight’s Newsletter”.

My mum messaged and said, “Oh wow, who gave you Covid, that’s disappointing!” She hasn’t yet had Covid.

I am hopeful it won’t be quite as bad this time around - and in these early days it hasn’t been. But it’s quite something to be in a mild fever-dream state and watching Simeon Brown talking about how we need to go faster on our roads, so we can get to the places quicker: Because Business! And ole mate, Luxon, reckons they’re still committed to the same environmental policies, but they’re just doing it differently. Because New Zealand is under new management! Start spreading the news! Oh don’t worry about that, Chris Bishop is offering only his best Jazz Hands right now. Sparkle!

Nicola Willis has kept this pretty quiet really, but I think she’s a bit pissed with the last government. Can you image getting a job and then spending the first two weeks saying that you can’t really do the job because of the previous employee. In what world would that work?

It’s hard to believe it’s almost Christmas once again. I’m in my final days of work for the year, and they’ve been basically wiped out by the Novel coronavirus (nCoV).

My biggest disappointment with the ‘Rona is how it knocks out your ability to read. My eyes start dancing almost instantly. Next thing they’re swimming. I can’t concentrate. Through the night I couldn’t sleep, but I also couldn’t read, so I listened to podcasts for a bit - and then thought that maybe I’d get a new audiobook. Which might be tonight’s ticket, if I need it. I’m pretty keen to get Henry Winkler’s book on that format - it was already on my Christmas holiday reading list, but last night, scrolling through the YouTube, I found this nice chat Winkler had with Adam Sandler and Jimmy Kimmel. And he mentioned that he narrates his own audiobook.

I‘ve got a stack of books next to me, but I can’t get past more than a page or two of each. I had my iPad next to me for the whole day too, and it’s only now that I can string a sentence or two together. Though I should probably let you be the judge.

Early this morning I received this:

It is ‘recognition’ that I have a few paid subscribers. And that the number is growing. I’m grateful for all readers/subscribers, paid or free. If you’d love to be a paid subscriber but seriously cannot afford it, you could message me and I’d comp you a premium subscription. I really would. But of course, I’d love it even more if you could subscribe. Just $5 a month, or even cheaper to sub for a year at just $30 in total. But, it’s a terrible time to be shilling for that right? It’s Christmas. Still, one thing you can do is give a gift subscription. That can be your Christmas shopping. Someone did that just the other day. Which is super cool. They have paid for a friend to read these newsletters - as a gift.

The email with my apparent Bestseller Status told me I should do a post to boast about it. Which, I guess, is this. But I always feel weird doing such things. Then I figured it’s the end of the year, and what I really want to do is say thank you. To all of you. To anyone that read this, or shared it, or subscribed (paid or free) at any time throughout this year or the years previous.

It’s coming up three years for me on the Substack - and I like it. We’ve built a little gang. And I like the format of TV/Film, Books/Writing, and then Music. And I plan to just carry on over the summer. I’ll do it each day, even if you might not read it quite as often (which I totally understand). But if I stop, and have a full holiday I’ll find it too hard to start again.

I wrote a wee poem yesterday, inspired by the way Oscar talks to me about music when I get a bit too passionate about something from the past. To be fair to him, this is (largely) fiction and he actually loves The Beatles:

Things We Said Today About The Beatles That Your Mother Should Know:

they were just a band. Some of their songs
are pretty mid, fam. That one about the
octopus having a garden under the sea,
Brah. What’s that one even on about my
bro? On god, I could write a better song
with my dick, yo. Beat The Meatles! Yo.
Yo. Write that shit down, bruv.
Straight fire. Just facts, cuz.

And if I’m well enough, and over the Covids, the final Dirty Spoons show of the year will take place this Sunday at MOON in Newtown. It’s going to be a ripper, Topdresser (from Masterton) and Interlopers (from Kapiti Coast) will join us. And if I can’t be there, then I’m sure Sam will be able to nail the first solo Dirty Spoon set. (Info below).

Well, I’m getting a bit woozy again, so I’ll try time another short nap and some more YouTube doco searching.

I texted my mum back and said, “To answer your earlier question, I walked past Brooke van Veldon yesterday, so I imagine she gave me Covid”.

No reply.

Thanks again for your readership this year. I’d love to know what you like, or maybe don’t like about “Sounds Good!” on Substack? Maybe you want more of a particular thing, or not as much of something else? You can message me or share in the comments below.

And how are you feeling about the end of the year? Fine? Or nah, not at all. And if so, what’s bugging you particularly as we slide towards 2024 in a world on fire?