Mesozoic Mind: Thoughts on the year that was

December 31, 2021

Well, to all those who've stuck around to read it since March, the year is closing with the "Happy" Holidays behind us and the New Year of MMXXII soon to come, and I've completed the first one of Mesozoic Mind. It's been a great time here and have had a good time writing them, if sporadically and unfocused (I'll work on that). I'll be honest, I admit that last point has definitely been a problem when writing, causing works to be delayed a bit more then I wanted, unable to write full paragraphs at a time. But still, when I can do it, I can write a lot, and I love doing so. It also has helped me get more, read more, and bond with my mother.

Doesn't help on the subject of unfocused that the December schedule was skreonked up by my mother's chemo (now you know about that), hence why the Dawn of Life review was delayed by weeks, and reviews I had planned are now in January, and I'm still annoyed at it. But enough grumbling.

If I had to rank my favourite works I have seen so far, and the reviews of said works I am most proud of so far, they would respectively be:

For the Latter:

And as for the Former:

Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure (The best I've seen yet in all the things I like)
Willner Madge Dawn of Life Gallery at the Royal Ontario Museum (A work of art in exhibit form; the benchmark for museum palaeo-exhibits here on out)
Walking with Dinosaurs (So good it transcends its time)
Chased By Dinosaurs (Happy Holidays, Nigel Marven)
When Dinosaurs Roamed America (Only documentary that that can compete with WWD)
James and Louise Temerty Galleries of the Age of Dinosaurs and Reed Gallery of the Age of Mammals at the Royal Ontario Museum (Gordo's kingdom doesn't need much changed to truly be great, though a bit basic)
Chased by Sea Monsters (Excellent, what modern Shark Week wishes it was)
Walking with Beasts: New Dawn (Great as per franchise, though pity the birds)
Sea Rex: Journey to a Prehistoric World (No inaccuracy can escape my sight, but childhood)
Banjo and Swift (Great, Dinosaur Planet-esque yarn, mate!)
Dinosaurology (Fun little read)
Jurassic World Dominion - The Prologue (Only problems are being too short and Zilla-lite)
Dino Lab II (Slightly better, but not the best overall)
Dino Lab 1 (Potential in there and Meteor Studios always will be missed, but not exactly the best it put out)
Cameron and his Dinosaurs (Oh, childhood nostalgia, how you blind me to an undercooked story)
Prehistoric Planet (Most mediocre recut of Walking with Dinosaurs prior 2013)

The rest? I admit I could have done better with, and would gladly improve, updating my thoughts on them to better reflect my ideas and understanding and try and delve more into the social contexts of each work to give it that extra punch.

I admit that Mesozoic Mind means a lot to me, mostly because during COVID lockdown and restrictions where one can't go out as much, writing Mesozoic Mind has really helped my mind focus and occupied without going mad or burning out from boredom and loneliness, and even a little depression.

I also admit I wish if I could focus better, I'd write both longer posts and way more posts, depending on which is less detrimental to my sanity and mental health.

When I started writing this, I actually intended to focus a bit more on museum exhibits, like listing my favourite exhibits and what I like in mine. However, a mix of not being to many places outside of the ROM in a long time and the ongoing pandemic making for bad travel means until recently this was scrapped, instead focusing on books, movies, and TV I can watch at home online or read there. Maybe in the future when COVID goes down I'll try writing more on museums. I actually plan on trying to visit the great museums of the US if I get the chance in a road trip, like Carnegie, the Smithsonian, Cincinnati and Cleveland, and maybe even New York.

Thanks for the views you all gave me. However, because I didn't want to subject anyone to the utter monstrosity online ads, I didn't allow it, so I'm not earning any cash from this.

That is why I'm considering starting a Patreon account. Followers will get exclusive access to Random Palaeo-Ideas of the Day, other ideas and speculation I have, Palaeo-Media opinion pieces, and early access to new posts (and maybe take some of the cash out for my own family in these trying times). It'll also double as the place where I can finally fund that book Dino-Sight I've been working on, maybe even finding an illustrator for it instead of relying on the stock models I used for it.

So coming next year, what will one be seeing here on Mesozoic Mind? Well, my intention for the blog was to focus more on really obscure stuff that no one has even heard of let alone reviewed, and next year will see things get back to form after the delay we will get exactly that. Come next year for a musical journey back to Thatcher-era England, a history of palaeontology, and we delve in the the cesspits of the early 2000's. I might even show off more of the books I own. I might even check out the special that gave our blog the name. Sneak peeks below!