This post is mostly written for selfish reasons, as I’ve found myself always glad to have the chance to go back and remind myself of years past via this blog. I can’t imagine this being all that interesting to anyone else, beyond future me trying to remember when I read a certain book, or which year I went on that one trip. Anyways, I’ll get right to it:
TRIPS AND TRAVEL
Favorite New Place Traveled – Chicago. It has always been in the back of my mind as a place I thought I’d like to go, and it did not disappoint. Abbey and I went in mid-July with another couple, and we had an absolute blast. We did lots of basic tourist stuff, like a bike tour, an architectural boat tour, and walking around the Magnificent Mile and downtown, and I could have done it all again for 2-3 more days.
Favorite Repeat Destination – It’s hard to explain why I like Las Vegas so much, since it so obviously stands are a representation of what I often thoroughly dislike in my country. It’s the epitome of loud and showy, maybe the biggest and loudest example of ridiculous consumerism and flashy constructed-ness. It can also be gross and dirty in uniquely-Las Vegas ways. But for some reason, since it’s so over the top, it works for me. Since I first went as a 21-year old college student, I’ve always loved being there. When I tell people this, they are always surprised, and they assume it must be because I gamble a lot. Why else would someone want to be in Vegas 2-3 times a year? Even if the tables were shut down, I still think I could go to Vegas. For some reason, putting in headphones and walking the Strip is a rejuvenating experience for me, and I still haven’t found myself desensitized to just how massive and impressive the scale of everything. Add do this an awesome new place like Circa downtown, which is clean and roomy and fresh, and I think I still have a few years until I’m over it. With the baby coming, I’ll definitely go less, but Vegas will always be there.
Favorite Golf Trip – I finally had the chance to spend a few days in Hot Springs, Arkansas as soon as the Spring semester ended last year. Every course we played was totally soaked from seemingly never-ending rain there, and the conditions were not ideal, but the golf courses were fantastic. In particular, I loved Granada and Diamante. Hitting tee shots through tall trees is something I rarely get to do, and I can still vividly see some of those holes. That trip also involved my favorite meal of the year, the focus of which was an Hawaiian ribeye cooked by a close friend to me. I’ve never had a better steak in my life, and I can still taste it.
Favorite New Golf Courses – With the continued pandemic, I played lots of golf in 2021. Most of this golf happened in Abilene, of course, but I did play some awesome first-time courses for me, including those in Hot Springs. Other notables included Rock Creek Country Club in Gordonville, TX, a course I knew absolutely nothing about and that kind of blew me away. It was really, really good. My day at Shady Oaks in Fort Worth was of course a standout, too, which I talked about in a previous post. But, for me, the two courses I played on my Chicago trip were my favorite. The first was a small public course, Mt. Prospect. It was old-school in all the best ways, and it reminded me of the best parts of courses like Pecan Hollow and Stevens Park in Dallas. We only had the chance to play 9 holes, but I annoyed my partner incessantly because I wouldn’t shut up about how much I loved it. The second was The Club at Lac La Belle, a recently renovated classic-age golf course in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. I was there for a Golfer’s Journal event, which I’d never done before, and being part of that was a cool experience I hope to repeat in the future. The course was the star of the day. Very old school, very unique golf holes, and very big, goofy, and challenging greens. I had spent lots of time looking at pictures of golf courses like this in magazines and online in the past, but I’d never had the chance to really play one before. Lac La Belle sort of had me at a loss for words. It’s in a very random spot west of Milwaukee, and I cannot imagine another reason why I’ll be there again, but I hope that wasn’t my last time to see that place.
Other Travels and Trip Highlights – Denver with Abbey for Spring Break. Port Aransas with the Wombles in the summer. San Antonio with my in-laws. After a year off, Back Porch Formal reconvened in Kingsland, TX–this was our 13th edition of the event, which is mind-blowing. Diesel Cup at Lake Whitney. WTI in Kingsland. I was in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Field on March 20, 2021 to witness the biggest moment in ACU sports history, when our men’s basketball team defeated the University of Texas in the first round of March Madness, 53-52. That is something I will truly never forget. And, of course, I can’t talk about 2021 and not talk about the delayed honeymoon Abbey and I took to the Dominican Republic. We stayed at a new-ish resort in Punta Cana, and we also went with another couple with whom we are close friends, which we’re glad we did. Raving about how much fun a honeymoon is is sort of trite, so I’ll just basically say that it was an amazing six days in which we didn’t have to worry about anything other than which restaurant to eat at and whether or not to order a cerveza or pina colada. I wish Abbey and I took a honeymoon like this every year.
*A quick note on my travels – When I type them all out, I am reminded of just how spoiled of a life I’ve lead in the past 4-5 years. I have had the chance to go so many places, which is so different from my life before I started my job. When I was a graduate student for seven years, I always found myself wanting a life in which I was able to jump on airplanes and go places. Now, seven years later, I feel extremely luck and proud of how much travel I have done. I have truly packed it in, and I have made the absolute most out of the extensive effort I put into finding the best deals on plane tickets and hotel rooms. Beyond that effort, though, is also a large amount of luck and privilege, and I am not unaware of this. I don’t know if I should have been able to do all the things I’ve done, but I took full advantage and I am grateful. With the baby on the way, the next few years will be much more grounded for me, and rightly so.
READING AND WATCHING
Partly because of how much travel I did, and partly because of the courses I taught, 2021 was a big reading year for me. Here are the numbers:
Books Read – 55 (one short of my personal high since I started keeping track, which as 56 in 2019).
Books Read for the First Time – 30
Books Read for the Second Time – Maybe 4 or 5
Books I’ve Re-Read Too Many Times to Count – The rest of them. Most of this happens for classes I teach, but some of the re-reads are also for research projects. For example, I read No Country for Old Men twice last year, a book I’d read multiple times before and a book I’ll read at least once in 2022 for a class I’m teaching. When I was a student, I always avoided re-reads at all costs–why would I read something again whenever there are so many books out there? Now, though, I find myself thoroughly enjoying the chance to revisit texts over and over.
Favorite of the New Reads from 2021 – I talked about this in a previous post, but I think Richard Powers’s Bewilderment was my favorite new read last year. I also really liked Fake Accounts by Lauren Oyler, Memorial by Bryan Washington, and Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote.
Favorite 2021 re-read – This year, my favorite revisit was Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo. I used this for a class, and I think it’s an absolutely incredible novel. It deserved all the praise and awards in received, and more.
Least Favorite Book from 2021 – I’ve already talked about this, but Groff’s Matrix did not work for me at all. I also did not love Revival Season by Monica West, or The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich.
I did not keep track of what I watched in 2021, so it’s difficult for me to talk about favorite films, but a few things I watched that did stick with me were the big Netflix hit, Squid Game, which I expected to hate. I almost gave up on it, because the violence was so incredibly personal and up-close. But I stuck with it, and by the end of it I actually found myself enthralled by what the show says about money and what people will do to get it. I did not like watching people killed in such matter-of-fact and explicit ways, and for that reason I would not recommend this show to anyone. But the show has important things to say, in my opinion, and if you can stomach that much violence (I don’t blame you if you can’t), the show can be worth it. I really liked Dune, although it was so clearly the first half of a longer story that I was disappointed when it ended. The visuals and tones are spectacular, though. To be honest, I don’t really have vivid memories of watching much else last year. I need to do a better job in 2022 of tracking this.
I began this post by talking about its value to me personally, and now that I’ve written it, I can only echo what I’ve already said. Reflecting on where I went, what I did, and what I read over the past year is helpful for me to put lots of things in perspective. It helps me realize how incredibly spoiled I am, and how ridiculously lucky I’ve been in terms of the access I have had to outlets of leisure and new experiences. Part of this is due to my intentional efforts and decisions to make these things happen, but a much larger factor is contributing factors outside of my control, for which I am humbled and thankful. Big things are coming my way in 2022, and I am fully aware of just how unprepared I am to be a first-time parent. I’ve been able to be pretty selfish and self-serving with my time in the past ten years or so, and that’s about to change. I know it will be a good change, and I know I’m in for feelings I’ve never felt before. I just hope I still get to get on a few airplanes, and see a few movies on random Tuesdays, and open a few new books. We’ll see.
woddtomble 