Summer shutdown. Yay! Elation! Actually, I feel like as
pressured as I do at work. There are things I MUST accomplish in this time
frame. I spend too much time being lackadaisacal, but isn’t that what vacation
is supposed to be about? I did spend time at the Sweetwater Gearfest 2109 which
was a mini vacation in itself. (Sorry if you don’t live in Indiana!—it’s so
worth it!) This one might be one for the record books: a total of eleven items!
When the Legends Die by Hal Borland. I remember seeing this book
in my high school library, but always passed it up. It’s about an Native
American kid wrested from his parents into the great white world. He becomes a
rodeo star. Here is my review, shamelessly plagiarized from my very own
Goodreads.com review: “A gritty tail of a Ute Indian being torn from his native
ways by having his braids cut, being forcibly introduced to the white man's way
of school, and growing up to be a rodeo star. As his native ways erode and he
embraces his life as a rodeo star, christened Killer Tom Black because
of his reputation for riding rodeo broncs to death, in all out revenge for his
seduction into the white man's world, in a twist of fate brought on by injuries
in the ring, he begins to wrestle with the man he has become, estranged from
his Indian ways, and his desire to return to them. This is a book I passed on
in high school where I first saw it. I recently rediscovered it, and realize
now it would have been remiss had I missed it.”
Magician by Raymond E. Feist: Each time I open my Amazon Kindle and immerse myself in this novel,
I lose contact with the phenomenal world. Memorable characters and a plot as
compelling as superglue binding two fingers together, this is some truly fun
reading. This marks the beginning of a series that spans almost two dozen
books. And yes, I’m probably in it for the long haul.
Car Mechanic Simulator 2014 on PC: Who would have thought a wrench
turning simulator would be so addictive, but alas! It is! Pretty simple
concept, a customer brings in his or her vehicle for a repair, listen to their
complaint, write up a complaint, and fix the problem. Take their remuneration
and upgrade your tools, garage, etc. It’s tedious, but addicting. (But hey, at least you don't get busted knuckles and lose your tools.)
Kards on PC: An addictive free to play WWII collectible card
game. Reviews on Steam are good for the most part, but I am starting to see some
pay to win shenanigans. Still. I’m hooked. And did I say, it’s Free to play? A
team of alienists must have conspired to create this one because it’s got my
addictive personality on fire.
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol on Blu Ray: This one has us
visiting magnificent locales as The Kremlin and the Birj Khalifa in Dubai. We
see Cruise perform his own stunts with hang wires and harnesses outside of the
Birj. There must be a method to Cruise’s arrogance because I know in my heart
of hearts there’s no way I could do my own stunt were it to come to scenes like
this. The man definitely has my admiration and respect. Action scenes
notwithstanding, this movie is full of the typical twisty, windy plot, the
gadgetry and the high level bling of any other movie in the series. This one,
directed by Brad Bird, who we know and love from The Iron Giant. And every bit as over the top.
Dragon Age II on PC: I just hit 60 hours, and like a great
novel I can feel it beginning to wind down. I’m at level 18 and I feel like
I’ve risen from an underling to champion of the world. It’s been a good ride,
but I’m ready for it to end. I still have a few sidequests and companion quests
left. I’ve helped Isabella finagle her way into owning a trader ship, and she’s
asked me to be her first mate. When things are finally settled in Kirkwall,
perhaps I’ll take her up on that, forever chasing the horizon.
Indianapolis by Lynn Vincent & Sara Vladic: This book tells
one of the worst stories I’ve ever encountered. The aftermath of the sinking of
one of the US Navy’s finest cruisers in July of 1945, and the aftermath of the
survivors who weren’t rescued for four days afterward. I’m well into the ship’s
captain, Charles McVay’s court martial, which in typical Navy fashion seems
contrived and totally unnecessary. Words like “fall guy,” and “scapegoat” seem
to be the order of the day. The book
fast forwards to the mid 1990s in which a congressional investigation was
opened into the case with some new light shed on the facts and new admissions
from the US Navy that they aren’t the perfect embodiment of justice, prone to
error like any other entity and an exoneration of Charles McVay, long after the
fact that McVay ended his life by suicide (as did more than a dozen of the
ship’s survivors over the years.)
The Natural on 4K Blu Ray: This was the first movie made by
TriStar Pictures who went on to be a major player in the world of movies.
Starring Robert Redford as an aging walk on rookie in the major leagues in the
1930s with an almost divine ability to play the game, this has been regarded as
one of the best sports films of all time. I hadn’t seen this since its release
back in 1984, and I remember it being impactful. It was every bit as impactful
as it was back then. Based on a novel by Russian immigrant, Bernard Malamud, he
once stated after watching his novelization on the screen come to life, “Now I’m an American writer. Robert Redford
and Barry Levinson (director) made me an American.” The film was nominated for
numerous Academy Awards, including best picture but only garnered one: Best
Original Score. (Which I’m not a Randy Newman fan – too happy go lucky music in
his films, but this one is a humdinger for sure. The 4K resolution was
beautiful; I’ve not seen it compared to the DVD, but there was no graininess
anywhere to be found. Interestingly, they producers asked Fenway Park if they
could use their field to film this movie. Fenway Park said nope. Remember that,
baseball fans!
Sid Meier’s Railroads! on PC: I finished this way back in 2006
when it made its debut, again in 2013 and again last year in 2018. And here I
go again for a fourth play through. I just can’t seem to get enough of it. I’ve
always loved Sid’s Railroad Tycoon strategy games. This one was a big departure
from his Railroad Tycoon 3 released in 2003. Many fans hated the new
iteration, but with its cartoony graphics and light on trading sim aspects, I loved
it. The only thing I hate is there doesn’t seem to be a Railroad Tycoon 4
anywhere in sight. There are a few contenders on Steam, but nothing that
actually compares. I think it’s safe to say this is my favorite strategy game
of all time with Relic’s venerable Company of Heroes running a close
second place.
Thin Lizzy “Dedication: The Very Best of” on
CD: I’ve always enjoyed this band from when I was a kid listening to “The Boys
are Back.” Fronted by Dublin, Ireland bassist, Phil Lynott, this band pioneered
more than a few things. It was one of the first bands to make popular the idea
of two main guitarists. It was a band formed with Irishmen from different
social classes, and Lynott was the first black Irishman to make it big in the
rock scene. They took their influences straight up from Jeff Beck and Jimi
Hendrix. And in turn, they were one of Metallica’s inspirations. This album
scored high marks on the dr.loudness-war site I frequent, meaning no dynamic range
compressing remastering bullcrap! I had no idea before listening to this album
that Thin Lizzy did the song, “Whiskey
in the Jar,” and Metallica only covered it.
Sweetwater GearFest
2019! Ft. Wayne, Indiana: This is a sort of mini NAMM Show promoted by
northern Indiana’s premiere music store, Sweetwater. There is much to see and
do. I can see why local hotels bear No Vacancy signs. There are tents galore
filled with factory representatives from Fender, Gibson, Paul Reed Smith,
Orange, Yamaha and Roland just to name a few. I got to meet Stan Cotey, the
designer/builder of Fender effects pedals. He shook my hand and through talking
to him I was convinced to pick up two new pedals, a chorus pedal and a
distortion pedal. I’ll probably never use my Boss DS-1 ever again. I had
watched numerous YouTube demo vids of Cotey accompanied by former Oak Ridge
Boys guitarist Don Carr and it was like meeting a celebrity. I don’t know if
this will become a yearly ritual for me, but I am definitely returning next
year!
