It’s that time of year again, to look back on what has been and ahead to the coming times. It was so fitting the Roman god Janus, he of two faces looking in either direction, gave us the name for the coming month of January. As we stand on the precipice of another trip around the sun, I thought I would look back at some of the highlights from this year, my first one writing consistently on Substack.
Certainly a highlight for me has been the chance to share some longer form humour related to Classics, that doesn’t translate well into a tweet or a meme. These included looking at unintentionally funny moments in the Odyssey or diving into times where memes were less than accurate in the search for a good joke. Keeping on the theme of setting the record straight, I also looked at words and phrases that are being sadly misused, and even went into depths about the type of memes I avoid.
A number of pieces were either the cause or the result of quite a bit of drama on the internet! Who can forget the time I tweeted about the Nile river and people went insane… Then my pieces on the love of alt-right fanboys for Rome and Sparta caused quite a stir, though a follow up post is well and truly needed after all the ‘thinking about the Roman Empire’ posts this year…
On the lighter side of things there were holiday diaries in New Zealand and Australia, as well as recommendations on places to see in Greece and Italy - and how to avoid a bus ride from hell! I also enjoyed reviewing Classics in pop culture, including Hadestown and Lore Olympus, and the music of Bastille. There were also a few showcases of some of my hobbies and creations, as well as the history of how I got here and where my career is taking me. There are even a few special posts just for my paid subscribers, to whom I am so grateful.
Finally, my pet projects. One from the past - the entire Iliad in Memes! And then the ongoing saga of the Trojan War told from the perspective of a Cricket match that would put the drama of the Ashes to shame. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I have loved making it. And that really sums this all up - a bit of everything and all of it is me. Thank you for taking the time to read, like and subscribe to me this year - I really look forward to what lies ahead.
Take care, enjoy some time with the people you love and see you in 2024!