Edward's May 2016 Mix

 

Since taking the new job I generally have little time off (as I stated last month.) But fortuitously, I got lucky enough to get a four day Memorial Day weekend. Glory be! But here’s the thing: the four days flew by, I got nothing done that I wanted to, and now it’s over. Back to work tomorrow. The depression of having to go back makes me wonder if the extra time off is worth it. Why can’t I just win the lottery and just be done with it? Ah, I guess I shouldn’t complain. I did get some genuine gaming time in, and I got my Vespa licensed and put a few sun filled blue sky miles on it. Summer is here at last! Oh and I rediscovered Pink Floyd.

1.      Pink Floyd: The Wall on CD: Pink Floyd is one of those bands I’ve always admired. I never considered myself a real fan, but then I stopped and thought about it. Their The Wall and Dark Side of the Moon were such influential albums in my youth. I remember a few girls in high school who were pot smokers and  were really into the band. And I was a goody two shoes listening to stupid stuff like The Bee Gees and Leo Sayer on the radio. Doh! But the thing is I liked those girls who liked Pink Floyd, but I was afraid they’d have nothing to do with me. (Ah the predicament of every American boy who wasn’t a jock in high school.) I’d never actually owned The Wall until I found it the other day in a store. I’d only ever heard certain songs which when I hear them now on the radio or online evoke certain memories, a tapestry of memories of my aforementioned high school days. But now I’ve listened to it in its entirety in full CD glory, and it’s a great album. I can now see why Pink Floyd was once the highest paid rock band in the world. The range of this album, and what I mean is the range of music/song types is simply incredible. I remember when it came out in 1979, and now I wish I hadn’t slept through it.

2.      Pink Floyd: A Momentary Lapse of Reason on CD: I bought this almost thirty years ago on cassette, but hadn’t heard it in years. I remember how powerful it was. “Learning to Fly” was one of the most haunting songs I’d heard (and had a stellar MTV video to boot.) But the reason I bought the album was for the song, “One Slip.” I remember playing that song over and over. David Gilmoure’s vocals were so authoritative, and the music of the song was so almost . . overpowering, for lack of a better word. The album isn’t theatrical like The Wall, but you can sense its DNA roots from that album. The CD version blows the old cassette version I had out of the water. Pink Floyd has evolved, and with the exception of Dark Side of the Moon, I think they have gotten slightly better with each album they’ve created. This album is a testament to that.

3.      Pink Floyd: The Ultimate Collector’s Edition by Uncut Magazine: How ironic that I’m on this Pink Floyd kick, and I saw this magazine at a local newsstand. I couldn’t pass it up. In-depth reviews of every album the band has made. Interviews that have spanned the years from the band members, this thing reads like a bible for Pink Floyd. It was a good find, and has really given me some insight (and inside information) on the band and their albums and some of the mysteries behind those records and why they were formed the way they were.  

4.      The Dinner by Herman Koch. Just finished this remarkable novel on my four day mini-vacation. Two brothers and their wives meet at a fancy restaurant in Holland to discuss a heinous act of violence committed by their fifteen year old sons that has launched a police investigation. One brother is about to become Prime Minister of Holland, and the other brother was put on leave from teaching high school because of his violent tendencies. As the couples dine, the meal takes a dark turn as they discuss what to do about their sons and how this could affect their safe insulated worlds. I raced to get to the climax, and it begs the old question, how far would you go to cover something terrible your child did? Koch’s excellent plot and how it intermingles flashbacks and present time with the different courses of the meal is brilliant.

5.      Elizabeth Smith’s Fast Track Japanese: As you all know, I work at a Japanese company. I’m surrounded by the language every workday, and after a certain time of the night I am the only “gaijin” in the office. I lived in Japan for two and a half years back in the 80s Who would have thought that I would ever have need for the language again? But alas! It sure is funny how life works out sometimes. I thought I had forgotten most of what I knew when I lived there, but this self study course is bringing it all back in a wonderful way. I still think my favorite word of all is McDonald’s. I mean, listen to it, just a simple American-Scottish name, right? But say it in Japanese and try not to smile. Makoo-doo-nalah-doh!”

6.      The Longest Day on Blu Ray: Appropriately, I watched this on Memorial Day. I’d never seen it, but happened across the 3 disc collector’s edition and for the price couldn’t pass it up. Despite its all star cast, and the fact it was directed by Darryl F. Zanuck (who did the venerable 1977 film, A Bridge Too Far) I thought this would look like a high school media arts production who borrowed the school’s Thespian club to do the film. I was wrong. I have to admit, it was on par with Spielberg’s grandiose Saving Private Ryan (1998). This three hour movie depicts the whole invasion and all parties involved from both sides. It includes the British gliders and the US Army paratroopers who invaded from the other side in the middle of the night, and of course the famous D-Day assault. The boots on the ground German generals were shown as being wholly competent but hamstrung by their high command. Hitler was napping after having taken a sedative during the invasion.

  

7.      Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts on PC:  I just beat this series of campaigns that was an original expansion pack for arguably, Relic’s best RPG ever produced, Company of Heroes. The game concerns the liberation of Caen, or as the Axis thwarting Operation Market Garden. It was my second playthrough, having first played it back in 2009. I’m not good at RTSs, but I love them. And Company of Heroes is my favorite RTS of all time. I do play online, but not often, and when I do I get steamrolled by my opponents. Yet, I still find it a hell of a good time.

8.      Assetto Corsa on PC: This game, oh, this game. Coupled with my Logitech G27 wheel/paddle set this game is the best car racing simulation I’ve ever played. It makes me want to go out and buy a new car, a real life depiction of the virtual wonderments I’ve been driving in this game. In all honesty, I’ve been struggling with it. The game has a default setting concerning the stability control assist. I lurked the forums, and discovered by turning the setting off the game sea changed for me. I’m now progressing rather nicely, and I’m 36% through the career now. I just picked up the Japanese pack which adds multiple Japanese street cars, including the Nissan Skyline. Why watch a Fast and Furious movie when you can play one?

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.

Edward's March 2016 Mix

 

Strange month. Strange and frustrating, actually. I found out my wonderful little Vespa scooter is operating with illegal license tags. I was issued off-road tags by the Indiana BMV. They assured me it’s what I needed. I went to ask a question about those tags this year and was informed by a different local BMV worker that not only were my tags illegal, but I had to verify with a police officer that my title matched my scooter! This is all stemming from a screw up on the original title provided by the dealership where the scooter was purchased. I’m in process of fixing it, but of course it’s costing money, money required to be paid so I can lawfully ride my scooter. The BMV worker informed me my new tag which is actually a plate will probably cost me about $55.00. This is more than I pay for my car license plate. Could it become any more ridiculous? Yes, in actuality, I suppose it just did. I completed my Federal Income Tax and discovered since I didn’t have health insurance for five months last year that I’m being fined-- to the tune of almost a thousand bucks. President Obama guaranteed his new health care law would benefit us. I’m just not seeing it.

1.      Lily & Madeleine: Keep it Together on CD: I was driving home one rainy night and FM 92.3 WTTS out of Bloomington played a track I immediately fell in love with. Arriving home, I ordered the CD that same evening. It’s not often music affects me in such a manner, but after a few listens to their other other stuff on YouTube, I realized I had a winner. Lily & Madeleine (Jurkiewicz) are two young sisters from Indianapolis who harmonize beautifully. They sing about Midwestern folksy things, but their sound is somewhat more jazzy. They remind me of the singer, Ivy, or Dido. One remarkable thing about the duo is their enunciation when they sing. As a reviewer noted, you can understand every single word sung. This is almost unheard of in popular music. Give “Something for the Weak” a listen. I think you’ll be hooked.

2.      Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition on PC: I bought this game on Steam way back in 2012 during a summer or winter sale. I’d heard how difficult it was over the years, but oddly, these complaints were followed with one simple statement: “It’s the best game I’ve ever played.” PC Gamer Magazine stated the game was their favorite game ever made. My cousin played the game and rage uninstalled at the first tutorial boss. This frightened me because I knew if my cousin couldn’t get past the first boss I was just wasting my time and money with this game. But with Dark Souls 3 on the near horizon, I thought I’d at least give the original a spin. Yes, it’s extremely difficult, it’s dark and grainy dismal and gloomy. But I beat the first boss on my third attempt. Talk about inspiration! I bragged about my feat to my cousin and my boasting even prompted him to reinstall and readdress the game (he has since passed me up.) But as OCD as I can be in enduring the punishment factor of certain games, I actually believe I can defeat this game.

3.      Train Simulator 2016 on PC: I’m still chipping away at the London – Faversham route pack. The DLC pack contains five routes, and there are Steam achievements associated with each one. Unfortunately, the final achievement is bugged. It requires an engineer to travel 875 miles in the course pack. Only one single course recognizes any distance traveled for the achievement. Talk about frustration! I basically have to run the same route over and again for about ten times. I’ve finally whittled it down to about 120 miles. We’re looking at about two more full length trips. And all of that for a lousy virtual badge. A junior G-man badge toy surprise plucked from a box of Cracker Jacks would be more tangible. But that doesn’t matter to me. OCD is a harsh master.

4.      If Morning Ever Comes by Anne Tyler: This makes probably the tenth book I’ve experienced by the lovely Ms. Tyler. I first fell in love with her The Accidental Tourist (which was a great movie as well) two decades ago. This particular novel concerns a young man away at college who feels his family back home doesn’t function particularly well without him, so on a whim he takes a night train home for a surprise visit. The book began slower than I like for a Tyler novel, but it did pick up speed and blossom into another great Tyler work of art. She has the wonderful ability to describe characters and write dialogue stolen from real life. I was surprised to see she wrote this book in the early 1960’s. I hadn’t realized she’d been writing for so long. Next time you’re in the library pick up The Accidental Tourist or Searching for Caleb, or A Patchwork Planet. You’ll be made a fan.

5.      Hell on Wheels: Season Three on Netflix: I just finished this superbly done Western season. The fictional character, Cullen Bohannon and his trials, spoils, triumphs and misadventures are carefully woven into real events surrounding the building of the transcontinental railroad. Each season thus far has ended with a properly amazing cliffhanger, and this one is no different. We find Bohannon making restitution to a Mormon deacon whose son he had hanged for an alleged murder of a lawman. Bohannon is kidnapped by the deacon and about to be hanged, himself. He escapes his demise by marrying the deacon’s daughter. And as beautiful as she is I would probably consider my adventuring days over with and hang my hat. But Fate, she sure likes to have fun with Cullen Bohannon. I’m eager to see what season four has in store.

6.      Star Trek: Season Three on Blu Ray: Fans state the first season of this remarkable series weathered the pangs of birth, and the second season endured growing pains but began to find its place. If this is the case, then the third season was its blossoming into adulthood. I’m only on about the twelfth episode, but so far my favorites are “The Bonding,” in which one of the Enterprise’s children loses his mother as she is killed during a mission accident. And then an energy being mimics the boy’s mother, come back to life. As Picard explains to the boy that this “being” isn’t really his mother, I felt so sympathetic to the boy’s plight and the struggle he underwent to believe Captain Picard. And “The Hunted,” in which a band of specially trained super-soldiers are banished to a penal colony when the war they were created for comes to end, simply because their creators fear them and want them controlled for safekeeping. This was a sort of homage to the soldiers who fought in Vietnam. The lead prisoner/soldier Roga Danar, puts Worf’s combative skills to the test more than once in this episode. It’s fun to watch. .

7.      Flaked: Season One on Netflix:  Up to the seventh episode now, and despite the show's humor which mainstream viewers (I'm sure) would find funny, it's the characters that have grown on me. Chip, a recovered alcoholic who runs a stool store (he builds them/he sells them)  is the lovechild of Bill Paxton and Kevin Costner. He's full of himself, and he often  makes poor choices which lead to relationship break ups and missed opportunities. He eventually falls for a girl who seeks him out for less than noble motives, which throws in a plot twist I didn’t see coming at all. But the real character in the show for me is Venice Beach where Chip resides. It's Grand Theft Auto V's Los Santos, as seen while on a mellow cruise on a commuter bicycle. Having lived in California, the show resonates on a level that makes me miss the place. 

8.      Assetto Corsa on PC: I finally moved up into the next rank in this, probably the best auto racing simulation I’ve ever played. I’m driving open wheel cars now, and I’m required to earn seasonal points to advance to the next level. The game is turning serious because it’s a one shot deal. There is no redo of races. If you place 6^th then you place 6^th.  The little snappy Tatuus F.Abarth reminds me of something from Skip Barber racing school. But it’s quite fun to drive and seems to be the gateway into the big league levels.

9.      Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window on DVD: I first watched this movie about two decades ago on VHS. Admittedly, the transfer to DVD is nothing less than pristine, despite the film’s medium limitations of the day. This is not my favorite Hitchcock film, but it is wholly entertaining. The film, with the exception of two quick scenes, was filmed entirely from the apartment of the main character, a convalescing professional photographer named Jeffries, confined to a wheelchair. Hitchcock actually used a handheld radio to give instructions to the actors who were wearing flesh colored hearing aids, while standing inside Jeffries’ apartment during the filming. If you want to introduce someone to “the master of suspense!” this is a great movie to do it with.

Edward's February 2016 Mix

It’s the beginning of a new year which usually designates changes. Out with the old and in with the new, right? Upgrades, improvements? Dips into the bucket filled with life challenges? If that is truly the case, my life is undergoing a sea change. I’m poised for a big promotion at work; the biggest promotion I’ve ever had at any job at any time in my life. And my beautiful three year old PC baby has been upgraded this month. I used to use the wonderful website, www.shelfari.com, and they, being owned by Amazon, have been consumed by www.goodreads.com which is also owned by Amazon. I had to do some tweaking to get my book collection over, but I think it’s a good change. Someone said change is the only constant. Hmmm . . . maybe that person was onto something.

1. Def Leppard: Pyromania on CD: I had this on tape cassette back in 1983 and I used to walk the streets of Yokosuka, Japan and jam to it on my Sony Walkman. Def Leppard as a band was young and raw. I think they got better with each successive album, but this is the album where I discovered them. Mutt Lange produced this album which was a great move on Def Leppard’s part, and he produced their seminal “Hysteria,” which played like a greatest hits album. I found this one recently on CD. I’d not heard it for years. Listening to it took me back 30 years.

2. Nvidia GTX 970 FTW/ Corsair Dominator Platinum 16 GB RAM: I upgraded my personal computer this month. I took out my aging Nvidia Geforce GTX 670 and replaced it with a GTX 970. I figured I’d max out the settings on Grand Theft Auto V and that would make it sweat a little. No such luck, and that’s a great thing! I can’t get the fans to spin up for anything. Seems like I did good. I’ve been running 8 gigabytes of RAM in my PC since its inception 3 years ago. It has served me well. I just added 8 more gigs for a total of 16 gigabytes. The difference isn’t night and day, but it’s substantial. Game load levels, start up times, etc. This was a nice upgrade. I think it future proofed me for another 18 months at least.

3. No One Lives Forever OST on CD: I was lucky enough to score a boxed GOTY edition of this wonderful game. I played it way back in 2001, but ended up giving it away or selling it on eBay when  I finished it. Anyway, I picked up a copy of this hella fun game and I’ve been listening to the soundtrack. It’s reminiscent of fast jazz melting into 1960’s rock music. There’s even a hint of 8 bit Nintendo type music that erupts into sparkling trumpets that evokes chase scenes in 1960’s comedy spy films (Our Man Flint). There’s the stair stepping slinky stand up bass tunes as well. This soundtrack is as if Henry Mancini’s twin brother created his own spy soundtrack in the next room while Henry concocted the theme music for “The Pink Panther.”  

4. The Martian by Andy Weir: I was introduced to this novel by my old shipmate, Howard King. I’m about 75 pages from the ending. It’s a good read from a contemporary standpoint. Pro reviews laud it for its humor. “I’m a space pirate” I’m just not getting it, but then I find most American media comedy just plain not funny enough to laugh at. The novel is interesting, and compelling simply because I want to see whether or not the main character survives. Weir seems to know his stuff. He presents Mars as we’re discovering its attributes on a fun digestible scale that makes me feel as if I’m learning facts while reading fiction. It’s the same vein as Michael Crichton. And the main character, not a fan. I think he’s a butthead. NASA opens communications with him and they state something he doesn’t agree with. He tells the liaison he communicates to, “Tell NASA their sisters are prostitutes, and their mothers too.” This, the organization pouring millions of dollars into saving his life.

5. T-Model Tommy by Stephen W. Meader: I’m about to confess something I’ve not before to you kind readers. I read books aloud. I read them aloud to my parents. And they love it. We sit around with cups of coffee and I while away Sunday evenings sharing time with them and a good book. We recently finished this book written in 1938 about a young man, recently graduated from high school who goes from a slapped together Model T Ford to build a trucking business. Meader’s books were popular for young boys back in the 1950’s and he wrote a lot of them, but this one happened to be my stepfather’s favorite book of all time. I was so happy to have been able to obtain it and present it to him as a birthday present last year.

6. Assetto Corsa on PC: I play this game daily. It’s the game I boot up every day after work. And it sucks, because I’m going to head toward the end of the year not having finished very many games because of this one. It can be a real mother. I’m still in the Intermediate Class Level 2 driving the Mercedes AMG SLS. I have one track left, Monza, to reach Level 3. I keep trying. I’ve moved from 18% game completion (last month) to 21% this month; I guess that’s some progress, yeah? The AI in the game still needs work. It’s frustrating as hell to get one lap to completion, and get bumped by an AI car. You both spin out, he immediately finds his way back on track, and you are suddenly in last place. Not fun.  

7. Romeo and Juliette (1996) on Blu-Ray: I like to brag about how much I hate musicals. But in a sense I’m a liar. I established this paradigm watching MGM’s Oklahoma! Back when I was a kid and I fell asleep watching it. But then I watched Meet me in St. Louis. I loved it! And then I watched Baz Luhrmann’s modern take on Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliette. The movie looks brilliant on Blu Ray with its larger than life colors and cinematography. I really don’t want to like Leonardo Dicaprio, but I do, and mostly because of this movie. And Claire Danes who plays Juliette, she reminds me of my oldest daughter. So yes, in the chapel scene where she’s lying there infected with the temporary poison that makes her look dead got to me. Then there was the ending; we all know how it ends, but still it was heart rending for me. If you can find the Blu-Ray pick it up, it will make your Ultra HD TV and sound system shine.

8. Platoon (1986) on Blu-Ray: I’ve probably talked about this movie on here before, albeit the DVD version. All aforementioned statements apply herein, but that said, the Blu-Ray version is mucho better. Colors are clearer, the picture is more vibrant and the sound is improved on the Blu-Ray version. Charlie Sheen is great in his role, and this long before he became the Hollywood tabloid poster child. Willam Defoe is brilliant as the “good” sergeant, but the main appeal is Tom Berenger as the “bad” sergeant not because he’s so bad, but because he’s truly in his element (as manifested by the scars on his face.) He’s the kind of guy you follow because you know if you do you’ll stay alive. He’s intolerant of bullshit, and he even in subordinates his lieutenant, and the lieutenant doesn’t even have the courage to stand up to him. He’s drinking Jack Daniels while his opposing counterparts are smoking weed. He was my favorite character in the movie, despite his wickedness.