IN ISSUE 12: Bradley Wiggins, photographs of the year, why Wetherspoons is good for community, take a life changing adventure, three new epic TV series to try & what were you listening to in 1985
A 7 minute read, with the added serendipity that might just change your life
Editor’s letter
Welcome to issue 12, our final issue of 2023. I hope you have enjoyed it, it appears so, as our readership has grown strongly. Midlifer is about the serendipity of finding something worthwhile you weren’t looking for -it’s what I miss most about today’s media. Judging by what you click through and read each week, that’s something different for everyone - but these have been our most popular headlines to date… The key to success and happiness? It’s not what you think, why truly sociable people hate parties, Troy Hawke greets the best golfers in the world, Nick Cave on the art of growing older, Travels with Epicurus: Meditations from a Greek Island on the Pleasures of Old Age and the comeback of The KLF!
I hope you find some inspiration and serendipity in this issue and in Christmas :)
Enjoy.
Chris.
This week’s cuttings
We scan all relevant media to find anything valuable for living some good midlife
Generativity—The Great Opportunity Midlife Presents
Personal growth takes a great leap forward at 40. (Psychology Today)
Why party drinking hits midlifers so hard.
It's true, hangovers are worse over 50 - here's why. Experts assess the damage and share their tips for recovering faster or avoiding a hangover in the first place
What were we listening to on our Walkmans in 1985?
Tears for Fears, New Order, the Smiths, Aztec Camera… the nation made its choice
The best thing I’ve seen about why decluttering is good for us.
The Golden Globes - over 50 talents nab more than 30 major nominations
De Niro, Brian Cox and Gary Oldman get honoured but Harrison Ford got snubbed.
The mental health reasons Bradley Wiggins no longer rides a bike
As part of a new BBC documentary on imposter syndrome, the 2012 Tour de France winner admits he has no memory of standing on the Champs-Élysées in the yellow jersey, and that his estranged father once told him, “You’ll never be as good as your old man” (Road.cc)
Don’t sneer, Wetherspoons are good for community.
Society needs sources of cheap comfort (Unheard)
How permanent are our digital memories?
Most of us now believe our digital records are better preserved than our physical ones. Is that really true? (New Stateman)
Why the young are more terrified of ageing than ever
From climate anxiety to fear of diseases wiping us out, it is no wonder that the young are worried about getting older. Are they trying to stop the end of the world with Botox? (Dazed)
‘I’m not buying new stuff any more’
The young people getting into ‘degrowth’. Amid the cost of living crisis and threats to the climate, many are pledging to consume less and spend sustainably (Guardian)
‘Why is the cheese in the salad drawer?’
The triggers for midlife kitchen rage. We’re approaching Peak Kitchen Rage – that occurs on Christmas Day – but it’s something many of us experience throughout the year and, as time goes on, increasingly acutely. By us, I mean of course midlifers, who like to think we’re pretty relaxed and easy going apart from in one crucial respect: when it comes to all things kitchen-related. (Yahoo)
How to start something new?
Adventure: Want to take part in a genuine adventure? Join Explorers Connect. In 2009, Explorer & Campaigner Belinda Kirk established Explorers Connect as a not-for-profit organisation with the mission to help people live more adventurously. Belinda is the leading campaigner for an #AdventureRevolution. Below is a sample of this week’s opportunities to take a life-changing adventure in 2024. Sign up if you want to adventure in 2024.
A cultural week
Remarkable Winners of the 2023 International Photography Awards
The 20th anniversary of the International Photography Awards (IPA) brings together a stunning collection of images from professional and amateur photographers around the world.
If we were a podcast…
We would probably be ‘The rest is entertainment’ presented by Richard Osman and Marina Hyde.
TV for Christmas
We are always looking for something great to get into - something that lasts at the top level for more than one season. You wait for years and then three potentials come along together….
The high-stakes lives of NASA astronauts and their families in a world where the global space race never ended. Now on series 4 - all receiving rave reviews (Apple TV)
Set in the early 1950s, Lessons in Chemistry follows Elizabeth Zott (played by Larson), whose dream of being a scientist is put on hold in a patriarchal society. When Elizabeth finds herself fired from her lab, she accepts a job as a host on a TV cooking show and sets out to teach a nation of overlooked housewives — and the men who are suddenly listening — a lot more than recipes. (Apple TV)
Following a dysfunctional team of MI5 agents and their obnoxious boss, the notorious Jackson Lamb, as they navigate the espionage world's smoke and mirrors to defend England from sinister forces. Already 3 seasons in.
The fan-to-fan ticket exchange. If you are looking to go out at Christmas but everything is sold out, try Twickets, which resells tickets at a maximum of face value + only a 10% fee. You still get to go and the touts lose out :)
Happy Christmas.
One last thing…
The Pantone reference colour for 2024 is…
Finally, if you want to know the secrets of preparing a warming mulled wine in a slow cooker, read this week’s Saga newsletter.
Have a great week!
Please share this issue, or if it was forwarded to you, please subscribe below, we publish once a week, every Thursday. Plus, please email us anything you think would benefit from being shared with Midlifer readers at chris@chrisward.cc
