I’m a sucker for injustice. I hate every form of it. But, I’m also from the generation that grew up realizing life wasn’t always fair. There were no t-shirts handed out just for participating. You couldn’t just become a YouTube “influencer” and rake in millions of dollars. I’ve come to learn that when you stop expecting life to make sense, it doesn’t disappoint you when it doesn’t. When you stop expecting people to be rational, you stop being shocked when they’re not. Not everybody is going to be considerate enough to put their shopping cart back in the rack to make it easier for the boy who collects them. And when you realize there are injustices you can’t fix, you stop wasting energy being outraged by those injustices. 90% of the time, there isn't going to be a cop there when the guy in front of you runs through the STOP sign. These monthly mixes are good for me in that they allow me to laser focus my energies for a positive. They continually spark my creativity and broaden my own horizons. And by golly, they're just gosh darn fun to make.
Leave the World Behind on Netflix: One if the most unusual movies I’ve seen in quite a long time, this one falls under the newer but rather strong “apocalypse” genre. It focuses on an America that’s suffered a massive EMP attack as seen through the eyes of two families whose lives converge during the mayhem. Julia Roberts and Ethan Hawke play their parts perfectly, simply trying to make sense of the madness. The freighter coming ashore and the Teslas running mad like mindless automatons are definite highlights. This is a disturbing movie based on a potentiality. It left me thinking what if for days after.
Noggin by John Corey Whaley: A sixteen year old boy is diagnosed with cancer. His body is ate up with it, his brain being the only part cancer free. His head is removed from his body and his head is put in deep freeze. Five years later, through advanced technology, his head is placed on a different body and he’s brought back to life. Five years later, still sixteen, but in a body that’s more athletic and more attractive. Sounds good huh? There’s a catch, however. His girlfriend and all of his friends have aged five years. His girlfriend has moved on and is engaged to someone else, and his best buddy has outgrown him. Young Adult fiction sure has changed since I was, myself, a young adult. This was a bittersweet read that made me think about my own position in this life and made me just a bit more grateful.
Ringworld by Larry Niven: Written in 1970, this book won the
Nebula Award the same year and the Hugo and Locus Awards in 1971. It reminded
me of something Robert Heinlein would have penned. Maybe it’s because both men
wrote the same kinds of things during the same time in history. This book was
met with critical acclaim among reviewers, lauding its inventiveness and grand
scale. I found it entertaining but not remarkable. I discovered this book began
a series. I think I’ll be content simply having read this one.
Civilization V on PC: I’ve been playing this game off and on for over a decade. I finally finished another grand campaign and got a victory! As all Civ games go, this one looks like a lavish board game come to life. It’s one of those games where you can quickly (or rather slowly, actually) get into trouble. Well, it’s two o’clock in the morning. I have to be up for work at 6:00 a.m. but it’s okay. I’ll just take one more turn! And before you know it, it’s 5:00 a.m. So much for sleep. I love these grand strategy type games, though I’m not very good at them.
Warrant Cherry Pie on CD: Formed as a “glam metal” band in 1984, this album was the band’s second release. I picked it up after hearing “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” I was hooked the moment I heard the stellar acoustic intro and the segue into the massive power chords that follow. Although named after the classic novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe, the song has nothing to do with slavery or racism. The song tells the story of the involvement of local police in a double murder. The rest of the album holds its own, but it never reached the heights of the likes of Great White or Motley Crue.
The Mutiny on the Bounty by Charles Nordhoff & James Norman Hall: It’s not often I give a book four stars on Goodreads, but this one definitely garnered that high mark from me. Truly, one of the best sea stories I’ve ever read. I assumed this oft mentioned story would be a bit on the dry side (despite its nautical trappings.) The story's fame just about exceeds its own confines. Centering on the crazed Captain Bligh, whose cruelty to his sailors knows no bounds and eventually leads to him being put in irons and ostracized. Told through the eyes of young Roger Byam, an apprentice seaman who joins the ship for the adventure. The young lad is eventually caught up in the capture of the mutineers and is put on trial for the mutiny. This book set my passions on fire in a manner no book has for a long time. I could almost hear snare drums machine gunning with suspense as I awaited the results of Byam's fate and the outcome of the book. Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall penned this in 1932. Based on a factual account, it's an amazing story.
The Whole Town’s Talking by Fannie Flagg: Another four star review from me on Goodreads. Fannie Flagg is a magician of sorts. She has this ability to transport you to a parallel world filled with wonderful locales and wonderful people. I'm not sure I've ever described any of Flagg's books as "beautiful," but this one qualifies. I lost sleep over this one because I had to see it through to the end, and then I was saddened because the book ended. The book centers on the rise of Elmwood Springs, Missouri founded by a Swedish immigrant and the prosperous town he creates. With more incoming Swedes, the town flourishes, from its first hardware store in the early 1900s to the first Walmart in the 1990s. The only mainstay is the goodness (of most) of the citizens who eventually end up in the town's hillside cemetery, where the fun really begins, and the banter and fellowship never end. It's a book I daresay may make you long for a life in some Midwest town you've never been. (I was even prompted to use a map to see if this place really existed.) But more importantly, it's a book that just might mitigate your fear of death.
Tom Clancy’s The Division on PC: Another game I’ve been playing for years. All of my friends seem to have The Division 2 but have shunned The Division. Despite its stellar graphics (which still hold up nicely today) and the authenticity of the map which makes up the whole of New York City (it’s said you can learn the real life city by playing this game) the game’s enemies were all bullet sponges. And the more people you have playing with you, the more the enemies’ toughness ramps up. I’m level 24 and probably less than ten missions from the credits. I just want to get it checked off of my bucket list.
The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn: A.J. Finn is a fan of film noir thrillers and this book is a clear manifestation of that. There were passages in this book I could hardly keep up with, reading at breakneck speed. It's always intriguing when we are running, struggling to catch breath, being pulled along by a narrator who may not be credible. Yet, I couldn't help but have a little bit of a crush on Anna Fox, a woman trapped in her house by her own devices (suffering from agoraphobia) and using her long lens camera to spy on her neighbors. She ultimately bears witness to something she wasn't supposed to. The ensuing suspense would more than likely meet with Alfred Hitchcock's approval. This was the most exciting book I've read this year.
Velvet Revolver Contraband on CD: This is one of those albums that has hovered in my background for years. If I heard a song on the radio, I would listen to it, but not sure I would have picked up the CD. I recently picked it up and gave it a true spin, listening to it in its entirety. Critics said the album was simply a mishmash of Stone Temple Pilots and Guns N’ Roses. I suppose I can kind of see that. I expect this album will grow on me. I really like “Fall to Pieces,” which of course was the album’s first big hit, but fans seem to like “Slither” the most. It reminds me of a campy 60’s Batman episode theme song, but it is catchy. “Headspace” is also a very fun song bleeding loud energy and showcases Scott Weiland’s vocal range.
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