Sunday, May 1, 2016

Edward's April 2016 Mix






I’m getting used to the new job. And liking it. I’m a man who wears many hats now: accounting, purchasing, and production control among others. I’m working more hours and so my gaming and entertainment time has been truncated. And as you’ll see, this mix is probably one of the shortest I’ve written. But it’s not because of my abreviated playtime; it’s because of one thing: Dark Souls! It’s all I’ve been playing.
  

1.      U2: Achtung Baby on CD: I’m not a real fan of U2. It seems for every great record they make, Zooropa or Achtung Baby,  they make something like All That You Can’t Leave Behind. But I must admit, Achtung Baby is an album which U2 knocked out of the park. There isn’t a bad song on it simply because Adam Clayton’s bassing and The Edge’s high E-string guitaring is simply a match made in Heaven. This CD has been in my car CD player for the past two weeks, and I can’t stop listening to it. Listen to this album with a good subwoofer. Adam Clayton will want to make you go out and buy a bass of your own.  

2.      Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition on PC: I just hit level 51 with a concentrated aim toward a strength trait. Yes, the game is still hard as hell, but I’ve not ragequit yet. I’ve just defeated the Capra demon boss which wasn’t too hard, and I’ve acquired the claymore sword, a wicked weapon best used with a forward thrust. I have the Hydra in my sights, but so far she’s laid me to waste. Like any other boss I’ve encountered thus far I will take her down. It might take me 30 times, but she won’t best me. I just bought into the Dark Souls Boardgame on kickstarter. I can’t give up now.  

3.      Train Simulator 2016 on PC: I picked up the Donnor’s Pass DLC pack. I’ve only played one scenario in it in which I have to verify the integrity of the pack during a winter snowstorm. Honestly, traveling along at a 30 mph speed limit gets old very quickly, but hey, I accomplished the task with perfection and got the achievement. I look forward to playing summer scenarios so I can really see the beauty this DLC pack has to offer.  

4.      The Dinner by Herman Koch. Recommended by my daughter, I found this novel slow to start, but wow, does it take off! Two couples in Amsterdam meet at a fancy restaurant to fellowship and dine. Each couple has a fifteen year old son who are friends with each other united by a single horrific act that has shattered the comfortably insulated world of each family. I’ve read so many books that have been translated into English from other languages, but none so aptly translated like this one. Gillian Flynn who wrote the novel, Gone Girl, said it best: “Chilling, nasty, smart, shocking and unputdownable.” Read this book.  

5.      Nautica: Voyage cologne. I’ve written about it before on here. I am a discerning man when it comes to colognes. I prefer musks for night ventures and wintertime, and fruity citrusy colognes for the office or for summer and spring excursions. A one cologne fits all is just out of the question, for me at least. I recently picked up a bottle (albeit expensive) of Nautica: Voyage. It’s as if someone captured a beautiful day at sea on a yacht and put it into a bottle. It cost me $65.00, and it was well worth it

6.      Sixteen Candles on Blu Ray: Okay, I recently had the flu. Bored. I had picked up this John Hughe’s film for el cheapo and chose this time to watch it. John Hughes had his fingers on the pulse of youth. His films embody the 80’s and 90’s so well. And he filmed most of his movies in the midwest around the Chicago area because he wanted to appeal to mainstream America. This movie was no Ferris Beuller’s Day Off or The Breakfast Club, but Michael Anthony Hall’s performance makes this one a keeper.





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