Best of 2020

December 2020

Somehow "best" and "2020" look strange together in the same sentence. All things considered, 2020 was unusual: scary, tragic, revealing, but still far from the worst. At the time of writing most of the world is hit by hard lockdowns due to the second wave of Covid-19. But we have a vaccine now. In a hopeful anticipation of the new year, I am remembering the best things I have experienced in 2020.

Books

• Memories, Dreams, Reflections by Carl G. Jung – Similar to my last year's obsession with Nassim Taleb, this year was about Dr. Jung. I used to think that for something so crucially important, we know so little about our brains. Now I'm convinced that we know even less about our souls. And it's more important than the brain. I've told about jungian analysis to a few close friends, retold them some curious things about the unconscious and dream interpretations – and got back polite nods. I understand that jungian analysis sounds weird at first, but the more I gaze into in, the more convinced I get that there is a lot of truth to it. Or is it the jungian abyss gazing back into me?
• How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big by Scott Adams – I like this type of books. Some people would place it in the self-help genre. If so, this is one of the best self-help books I've read.
• Stories by Anton Chekhov – Find myself coming back to these stories every couple of years. One thing I realised during this re-read is that both funny and sad stories are... sad. They capture the human condition so perfectly, so deeply.

Music

• Alice by Tom Waits
• Titanic Rising by Weyes Blood
• Punisher by Phoebe Bridgers
• Mordechai by Khruangbin



This is my Spotify Top Songs 2020 playlist.

TV shows

• Fleabag – Possibly became one of my favourite shows ever. What is certain is that I've become a huge fan of Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Just check it out, the writing is amazing!
• Sex Education – I started watching it during what is now known as "The First Wave". The show grows on you because of the excellent character development.
• How I Met Your Mother – I watched it in German, as part of my ongoing efforts to learn the language. Surprisingly, I found this naive show quite insightful about relationships: friendly, familial, and romantic.

Movies

• Bab'Aziz – I refuse to tell you anything about this movie.
• Eighth Grade – I've been a fan of Bo Burnham since forever. What a great film!
• Paterson – Don't know how I managed to go four years since its premier without seeing it. Somehow the film shows a lot by having little action, and tells a great deal with only a few dialogues.



Some of my favourite movies I rewatched: Casino Royale, Burn After Reading, Die Hard.

Podcasts

• Lex Fridman – This podcast is the perfect example of how somewhat same questions posed to people from somewhat similar fields result in extremely dissimilar conversations. Love this podcast, go Lex!
• Bill Burr's Monday Morning Podcast – This is my old and trusty friend. Even during the crazy politically charged year, even being a Californian, unlike many liberals blindly trashing Trump, this comedian stayed true to his principles – all politicians are shitheads, all banks are thieves, buy a home, save cash.



This year I stopped making RCG Podcast and started a solo one.

Best things I did

• Started a dream journal.
• Bought a kettlebell and a ukulele
• Wrote 30 Years, 30 Lessons.

I hope you have a great, healthy year ahead of you. In words of the great Kendrick Lamar, we gon' be alright. Happy new year!