I took a break last month after my
divorcement from Facebook. I guess I miss it at times, but then where does one
draw the line? Force fed fake news from the Russkies, my information being
blatantly sold to third parties, and my online habits being culled unbeknownst
from me . . . all by one site. I’d just had enough. And now watch, I’ll
reactivate my account in a week or so. Spring is finally here. The struggle
will become real, that is . . to stay inside and play or go outside and enjoy
the real world. Speaking of struggles, I engrossed myself in an old Codemaster’s
game this month called Soldiers: Heroes of World War II. Truly, one of the
worst games I’ve ever played, but I couldn’t stop. But when it comes to
computer games I’ve always been a masochist anyway.
1.
Big Wreck Grace Street on FLAC: They simply
get better with each album. I jumped onboard with Big Wreck way back in 1997
with the debut of their first album and I’ve been a fan ever since. I could
listen to any of their albums on eternal auto play and be satisfied. Ian
Thornley has always had a wonderfully distinct voice (reminiscent of the late
Chris Cornell, as a matter of fact he’s been referred to as the Canadian Chris
Cornell, and it’s a sobriquet Thornley’s not fond of.) But it’s his guitar
playing that has blossomed and matured into an incredible thing. I don’t quite
know how to describe this album. It’s bluesy, despite I’m not a blues fan. I
guess mellow rock and roll is the best way to describe it, but oh so
compelling. It’s one of those albums that if you’re not a fan, just hang on
because the album will grow on you like a tumor of happiness.
2.
BladeRunner on Blu Ray: I broke out my 5 disc
ultimate collector’s edition to rewatch this, my favorite movie of all time,
just to hear the commentary by the two screenplay writers and the producer. All
good stuff. As it goes, this movie was released during the summertime in the
time frame of E.T. just as the
studios thought E.T. would be dying
out in popularity. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen, and BladeRunner never got the applause it deserved. And did you know
the most beautiful line in the whole film, the famous “Tears in Rain” speech
was something Rutger Hauer approached Ridley Scott with? Yep, that’s all a
Rutger original. Who would have known that last bit of lines would hallmark the
movie as one of the greatest cult films of all time. I’ve seen this movie
approaching a dozen times, and I could watch it again just as many times over.
3.
Echo Burning (Jack Reacher #5) by Lee
Child: Spending time with my favorite superhero, Mr. Jack Reacher. This time,
he’s accosted by a beautiful young woman who picks him up while he’s
hitchhiking, and she implores him to off her abusive husband. Of course Reacher
declines the offer, and the woman’s husband ends up dead anyway with all
evidence pointing to her as the murderer, but Reacher surmises all doesn’t add
up to be what it seems. And suddenly he’s in over his head (like every other
Jack Reacher novel.) Quite entertaining to the point of page turning intensity,
Child has a knack for this sort of thing.
4.
F1 2016 on
PC: I’m still fighting to not be last place in every race I engage in, and of
course that’s easier said than done. I do okay in the practice sessions,
earning my points to invest in R&D. Every little bit helps, but it’s going
to be a long time before I start placing consistently. Still, I love this game.
Like I’ve said recently, this game made me infatuated with real life F1 racing.
I’ve not missed watching a race since the end of last season. And a little
dream of mine is to actually attend the USA race this year in Austin, TX. We
shall see.
5.
Northern Exposure: The Fourth Season on
DVD: My favorite comedy from the 1990s. In their recent “The 100 Greatest TV
Shows of All Time,” Rolling Stone
Magazine declared this series one of the worst shows of all time. They
describe it as critically acclaimed and the show’s creator went onto formulate
their favorite show of all time: The
Sopranos. But then go figure, this is the most liberal rag in America yet
hosts full page ads of Skoal chewing tobacco. What’s wrong with this picture? I
find myself reaching for a Kleenex tissue about every episode. And I don’t know
if it’s Joel Fleischman’s self discoveries or Chris “in the morning” on the
radio and his wit often borrowed from great lines in poetry or books, but the
show always resonates with me. It makes me want to move to Cicely, Alaska and
take up residence there with these compelling characters.
6.
Elizabeth
Smith’s Fast Track to Japanese in 6 Weeks book/CD: Having lived in Japan
many decades ago I got a nice little firm grip on the language. Well, now I
work at a Japanese company. Who would have ever guessed speaking Japanese would
come into play after all these years? I’m rusty to say the least. This program
has been a Godsend. It’s strange, being an old guy now, it really is more
difficult to learn things. I’m just not as absorbent as I was in my twenties,
but using this program 45 minutes a day like it instructs you to do, I’ve come
far in even the past week and a half I’ve used it. And the beauty of it is, I’m
never going to forget this stuff. I encourage everybody to learn a new
language. If anything it just makes you feel incredibly intelligent.
7.
A Reunion with
my Guitar: Since my brush with death last year (interestingly I just read a
malady with a 95% mortality rate) I’ve discovered each day has become much more
important to me. I’m trying to reinvent myself, hence learning Japanese. I’ve
recently picked up my guitar and blew the dust off it. I’ve committed to thirty
minutes a day. It’s amazing how muscle memory works, and the fact that old
songs have started coming back to me. I just had my axe cleaned and restrung
this month, and coincidentally, HumbleBundle.com is offering a slew of beginner
guitar books. You can pick up the best of them for one dollar. Isn’t it funny
how fate works? My relationship with my guitar, well, I’m like a dinosaur
caught in a California tar pit. I have to really work hard for any little bit I
master. Funny, how it runs in the blood so thick (I come from a family of
musicians) yet I have no natural ability. Oh well, it makes success taste that
much sweeter. . . er . .uh, that’s what I keep telling myself anyway.
8.
Soldiers: Heroes of World War II on
PC: I just beat this game after 96 hours of pure unadulterated rage. It’s a game
in which you use a squad of soldiers to accomplish seemingly impossible tasks
often involving taking over entire towns, undermanned and under equipped.
Remember the old Commandos (1998)? Well, this is like that, except much prettier
graphics and an environment capable of being torn asunder by bazooka and King
Tiger tank blasts. It started out fun, but long in the tooth, and I’m just glad
it’s over now. Man, what a sludge fest! I haven’t had to reload save games like
this since I played Dark Souls. Of course, I handle games like this in one of
two ways. I either rage quit and get the game off my hard drive like an HIV
saturated cloth bandage or I embrace the rage and hold tunnel vision until the
game is defeat me because I refuse to let it defeat me. This one was definitely
the latter. Truly one of the most difficult games I’ve ever played, and guess
what? I played it on medium difficulty. The game goes on sale on Steam quite a
bit for a mere $1.49. I defy you to pick it up and beat my 96 hour stint.
