It’s full on winter now, so that means we’ll be spending a lot more time indoors, and wrapping up trying to simply survive, like a disgruntled bear, until the end of the cold snap.
We are looking down the barrel of a few long, dark nights with not much on and we can’t imagine we’ll have much of a desire to go outside at all, so how can we get through the month? Well, with a few of these things by our side.
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
An annual event at this stage, Call of Duty rarely disappoints and looks set to pull out all the stops again with their latest edition Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. It features Kevin Spacey and a whole host of futuristic weapons, and as with every version of the game, you can be sure that the online features will have you up well past your bedtime.
Skincare Lab eye moisturiser
Between central heating, wind, rain and cold, your face can take a real hammering in the winter, and if you don’t want to come out the other end of this season looking 20 years older, you should keep an eye on your skin. Skincare Lab's Daily Moisture Defence eye balm does pretty much exactly what it says on the tin. Your eyes are the part that you have to leave exposed most of the time, so give them the best care they can get and make sure that the cold months don't take too much of a toll on you.
Lacoste Blanc
Time to switch to a less summery and slightly muskier scent for the winter, something with a bit more spice and some extra warmth to it. With notes of cedarwood, vetiver and woody base notes, Lacoste Blanc is masculine and strong, without being overpowering.
Assassin’s Creed Unity
Ubisoft’s hugely successful franchise is back with Unity, as we head off to spend some time in the French Revolution. You’ll pick up some historical details along the way, and we’re expecting big things after the next-gen leap was made with ACIV last year. Unity promises us a huge expansive Paris to mess around in, that should keep you occupied for a few hours at least.
Gloves
It’s definitively winter now and that means that you can’t walk around with your hands exposed to the elements, lest you risk losing a finger to frostbite. You’re going to need some gloves, and fingerless ones are no longer acceptable once you are a human male over the age of 12 or you've given up your career as a hobo boxer, attempting to fight your way up through the boxcars. Go leather or suede, but make sure they’re soft inside and well made so that you’re not buying another pair this time next year. These ones from H&M will do the trick without breaking the bank.
Blazer
We’ve gone on and on about blazers recently, but with the weather getting worse it does mean that we can layer up as we get our Autumn/Winter wardrobe sorted. A blazer will always be the piece that makes your outfit, even If you’re just wearing jeans, so pick one that will work with a few different pieces, like this herringbone jacket with a blue and burgundy overcheck from Gagliardi. Simple, but stylish.
Jameson Caskmates
Long, colder nights mean more time to sit in with a fine drink and simply appreciate it, and that’s what you need to do with a nice bottle of Jameson Caskmates. A collaboration between themselves and the brewers from Franciscan Wells, this Jameson is meant to be savoured so you can appreciate the extra tones added to it by the aging process in the stout infused barrels, where you can pick up notes of chocolate and a little bit of added heat.
Veep
We’ve all been plugged in to Love/Hate, obviously, and that has taken its toll on us, mentally at least. We’ll never be able to look at a pool cue again, so we need something that will make us laugh, and that’s where Veep comes in. Starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus as vice president Selina Meyer, it is the rarest of creatures: an American comedy that’s based on a British show (The Thick of It) that's actually good. Ana Chlumsky and Tony Hale (Buster from Arrested Development) also feature, making the show extremely witty and dry, but still laugh out loud funny.
Serial
Your journey to and from work is going to get a lot colder and possibly longer as the bad weather normally also means bad traffic, so you'll want something to listen to. Serial is the first spin-off podcast from This American Life, but you don't need any knowledge of that series to get completely hooked on this. it tells the story of Hae Min Lee, the daughter of Korean immigrants to America in Baltimore who was murdered in 1999. Her ex-boyfriend Adnan Syed was convicted of the murder, but host Sarah Koenig goes about investigating the crime to see if the police got the right man, bringing you new information and a different twist every week.
Pic via CriticsAtLarge
Roberto Bolaño
The late, great Chilean author is the man behind one of the best epic novels of the last few decades, 2666, and with some long nights ahead you could tackle that particular tome if you fancy it. However, we always enjoyed a good short story and you can get in to his work with the great collection Last Evenings on Earth. It includes stories from two different collections originally published in Spanish, and while there are a few must-read tales (such as 'Buba') excluded, 'Gómez Palacio, 'Days of 1978' and the titular 'Last Evenings on Earth' are enough to make you a Bolaño fanatic.
Main pic via Bruce Timothy Mans/Flickr
