With the end of the school term, I had a few days’ of extra time on my hands. And I learned that the first day of vacation is a wash. The whiplash of going from full days to empty days is difficult. I should account for this a bit better – lower expectations, lower the pressure, try to leave that one diem un-carpe’ed.
School
As I settled in, I took more time for coding projects toward the end of the week. Nothing to share right now, but it was a rewarding shift in focus. Less book-learnin’, more hands-on. One particular project was on the back-burner for a year until I had enough attention on it. I’m excited to see how it turns out…
Art
I need to see the Amish quilts at the Smithsonian American Art Museum next time I’m in DC.
Running
Strava tells me I set a new PR in the 10-mile. It happened on accident, and I have no idea what it may have been in my younger, fitter life. A validating moment, though, as I continue to explore the fitness I unlocked through all the wintertime training. Part of building endurance is a lot of long, easy, slow, slow, slooooooow gentle runs, and the dividends aren’t immediately obvious. Unleashing myself a bit the last couple weeks has been like exploring a cave. I know it’s bigger somehow, but the chambers aren’t fully mapped!
Books
Crytonomicon. DNF. Yeah, I had to call it off.
The Iliad. The Wilson translation is off to a good start. I got this book in hardback months ago. But most of my reading happens at night these days, and it was just too unwieldy to read on the couch, or in bed, in the dark. So, Libby to the rescue to borrow the ebook. (Also, I love Libby’s feature where, if you have a book on hold that comes in too early for you, you can postpone it a little while.)
Music
Have to start with COWBOY CARTER. I listened to this just a few hours after it was released. Not something I planned, I just couldn’t get back to sleep that night. But wow, it’s really nice to recline in the dark with music. And also nice to check in on Twitter when I’d hear something – “hmm, there’s some Fleetwood here… and this one is Tina Turner x Outkast…” – and see it validated by other insomniac music nerds enjoying the same thing. Setting aside the pre-launch singles, favorites are “BODYGUARD” and “DAUGHTER“.
After Tyler & Schneider and Eno last week, I returned to Hermanos Gutiérrez, Hijos Del Sol. El Bueno Y El Malo was one of my favorite albums last year. It’s hard to recommend just one track from either, as they carry a similar flavor through all the songs. Looking for similar work, I found my way to an excellent “Ambient Western” playlist (“Big Sky chill, Bootgaze, deep thought cowboy, high lonesome, stagecoach radio” !), which I think will unlock a lot of good stuff as I dig in further.
From Jenevieve, Division, I especially like the pop throwback sounds like on the title track – some “Maneater” urgency in the rhythm section? And “No Sympathy” sounds like something I’d enjoy from Carly Rae Jepsen. “Baby Powder” is solid downtempo, allowed the breathe.
Some other odds & ends:
- I like the ominous undertone and wooden shuffling/grinding sound in Mary Lattimore’s latest, “Nest of Earrings“.
- I haven’t played the game in decades, but memories are resurfacing from listening to the Myst soundtrack.
- Appreciate the bounciness in Alan Parsons Project, “Step by Step“. (Great first-song → second-song transition on that album!)
Articles & Episodes & Twoots
Matt Zoller Seitz interviews Damon Lindelof upon learning his life inspired an episode of The Leftovers.
The reliable Robert Daniels on Jordan Peele’s “Us”, and explaining movies. “Unforeseen consequences arise when art is made definable.”
“Physical media fans of all types tend to see themselves as survivalists prepping for apocalypse.”
“A good way to judge the quality of scientific criticism is to ask yourself: ‘Does this argument reject the best available evidence in favor of a solution that is essentially, assume the existence of a Transform Society button…'”
Dark software is like ghost kitchens – as software components and functionality are refined, it becomes easier to mix-and-match, brande, and narrowly target certain customers.
An app to make emoji floral arrangements.
“This website is still under construction, as I find my (pathless) path, but I’ve really been appreciating the framework of ‘personal website as private engine of change‘.”
Movies
Still Life: A Three Pines Mystery. This took a fun, zany turn in the last few minutes, but the TV show is so, so, so much better in every way. (I’m still begging for another season!)
Zone of Interest. More impactful because it’s so mundane. Disturbingly calculating, evil, selfish people carrying on indifferently. Ugh.
Point Break. The original, of course. It wasn’t until I watched this with a Californian that I realized how what seems super cool sub-cultures (LA surf bros!) to me (a kid raised in the rural South) can be so eye-rollingly familiar to people with first-hand exposure to it. The fight on the lawn after the house raid still makes me squirm. An excellent footchase, too. (Ends in Ballona Creek, I wonder how it maps out before?)
Video Games
I go through phases with gaming – a few weeks on, a few months off. Lately, I’m back on.
A couple weeks ago I dipped back into Tetris Attack because it’s relaxing stress. Something about the level of repetition, focus, and absorption makes it easy to wind down with, even though my heart is racing.
And I returned to Octopath Traveler, a multi-character, multi-plot RPG with elevated ~16-bit aesthetics. I took a bit too much time off, struggling to remember some plot/biography, but it’s fun to play. Related, one thing that’s underrated in RPGs is effective controls and menu navigation. I think they nailed it. That sort of polish makes a difference.
Luigi’s Mansion 3 is a little slow (we’re getting carried away with cut-scenes!), but silly-spooky is a good vibe.
TV
X-Files, s2e4 “Sleepless“. Enjoyed Tony Todd in his starring role. Really intense episode. Loved the use of super-close, claustrophobic close-ups here and there.
Reacher. s2e5-6. I like all these NYC scenes. Domenick Lombardozzi is so reliable, straight from central casting.
Words of Wisdom
“The best teaching will increasingly focus on what can’t be learned online.”
Mark Larson 