RPS

I'll keep an eye out. I read Nimona because my daughter likes it and I read it was queer inclusive. My daughter was like "there is no two boys who love each other in the book". I read it sitting beside her and I showed her why the two boys were in love. It was an aha moment for my daughter. I read Never Let Me Go because my sister in law told me I would adore it. It was an easy read, I enjoyed the mystery and themes but I didn't like the narration done by Kath. It was very strange. I thought the back half of the book made it worthwhile but I made my way slowly through it. I started reading The Vegetarian on Sunday and I'm nearly done. What an incredible read.

I wrote about it before but after the end of season 1 I had zero desire to watch Barry. Great show, great acting, zero RPS desire to keep watching.

Did your wife watch Sex and the City? I feel like the Real Housewives franchises have occupied a space since SatC for many people. It's virtually the same show, just more cock tails being thrown in Housewives and more nudity in SatC.

Who do you like on Beverly Hills?

Thank god he did.

That is an exceptional line up.

I'm going to Imagine Dragons tomorrow.

I don't want metalman to see me, because I don't think he'll understand (my love of Iris).

I just listened to Steve Earle the other day and thought "I bet Cloudy loves this"!

Has anyone seen Cloud Nothings before?

Gimme gimme a stream after midnight.

I went into a music store ala HMV the other day. It was like a journey into two decades ago. It was a bizarre mix of classic rock and safe modern acts (ala Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran).

My son is interested in this game but I have questions How many wrestlers do I have to unlock by playing the game. My son sucks at games but loves the exhibition mode. I really do not want to feel obligated to grind other modes to unlock the characters. We have 2k15 but he only knows CM Punk and Danielson and I can't download any CAWs. Do I have to play anything to unlock anything re the exhibition modes? All matches are unlocked immediately I assume? How many downloadable characters can I have at once?

Prices have plummeted the week of the show. 70$. Getting tempted to buy... I just listened to McLusky. Hot damn are they good.

How do they calculate it?

Overwatch 2. I been back playing Overwatch OG. I got back into shooters because I play Fortnite with my son but I actually find it overly easy - too many bots, no need to change strategies, fairly consistent. I am slowly exposing my son to it before I consider buying a copy of Overwatch on XBOX so we can squad up.

Slay the Spire is great because, if I recall correctly, you can quit midway through a battle and restart it. If you make a tactical error, you can correct. However, you could also just be screwed over because of card choice. I sunk a good 100 hours in probably.

Cool. I'm not really at this stage doing the story just zipping along the map. I think I'm gravitating towards not loving the game because I'm 20 hours in and its way too opaque. I think if they scaled the size down it would be more interesting. But I encounter so much that is useless given my build. I have so many weapons, none of which I can use given my stats. I haven't found a single spell I can use given my current stats. I have found lots of summons, but they are so limited to be interesting. I guess I could look at a guide online but that seems anti what the game is about. I could respec but I would have to find that and also... I'm cruising through most bad guys with my current spells but I would like stronger or different ones....

How do you respec?

Did you watch it?

The pop culture sphere is Tik Tok and Instagram tbh.

Finished How High We Go In the Dark. How poignant and lovely. The last chapter was beautiful. Made me tear up. I just finished Convenience Store Woman. I skipped over y'all recommendations because it was gifted to me by a friend who said I needed to read it. It was certainly a ride. It is a fascinating exploration of conformity and femininity. I won't spoil anything but it's about a girl who appears to be neurologically atypical and who does not really understand human interactions. However, she finds structure and guidance from working at a convenience store. Quick read. I'll have to decide what to read next.

Foo Fighters are a great one. I think they are a tad boring to be classified as fine for me, but a safe rock and roll band is always acceptable listening.

2011 Albums Nicolas Jaar - Space Is Only Noise: Nicolas Jaar is obsessed with noise and how it can be used to the full benefit. On Space is Only Noise, Jaar is obsessed with the notion of space and how it can be used. There is a sonic depth to each song that scratches an itch. By taking a minimalist approach, Jaar can explore that space. Sounds move closer and further away from you. Nicolas Jaar’s often distorted vocals weave in and out throughout the entire album, often times in unexpected times. Nothing here resembles pop. They are brief snippets into a world crafted by Nicolas Jaar, contemplating how he can push the audio experience in different ways, but never in a way to challenge the audience. Not to be dismissive, but a lot of avant garde music can be interested in pushing the audio experience, but in ways to challenge or overwhelm their audience. Jaar does not set out to overwhelm his audience. Instead, he will inject a small idea into a song and think about how he can utilize that idea for maximum benefit. Take Space is Only Noise If You Can See It - the song is all about echo. Jaar’s voice echoes, but so does that synth and the drum. Every instrument in some way echoes and reverberates throughout the song, creating depth and the experience. Jaar does this every single track and sometimes spans several tracks. How can he manipulate the audio on each song to create a space for them to listen and enjoy the album? I imagine that lots of musicians and artists have the same expectations as Jaar, but it is his attention to detail and minimalist intentions that allow him to thrive where others fail. St. Vincent - Strange Mercy: What is a terrible shame is that it took me this long to get into St. Vincent. God damn. There are just so many unexpected moments throughout this album. There was this moment on the song Northern Lights where everything goes off the rail in the song, just becoming chaotic and aggressive noise. There was lots of artist who wanted to recreate rock music with electronic music and vice versa, but St. Vincent is in a category in her own. Destroyer - Kaputt: What an experience. I remember when Destroyer was quite big and getting all of this attention, I listened to an earlier album and proclaimed to my brother - “This is boring”. I can definitively say that Destroyer is not boring. Songs PJ Harvey - “The Glorious Land”: The first time I listened to this song, I was taken aback. When I listen to albums, I don’t typically stop and relisten to a song. But I had to relisten to the Glorious Land again, because I was so curious about so much. The bass is low-key incredible in this song and gives it almost foreboding and sinister vibe. A+ St. Vincent - “Cruel”: I can’t even name my favorite thing about this song - it is all so great in every single way. Destroyer - “Bay of Pigs (detail)”: Eleven minutes of indie rock jazz warmness. Tune-Yards - “Bizness”: I have probably heard this song before, but what a bizarre and engaging sound. Jai Paul - “BTSU (Edit)”: It is kind of sad that someone leaked all of Jai Paul’s debut album in demo form and he seems uninterested, because he would have hit super high peaks if not for that. Danny Brown - “Die Like a Rockstar”: Emo rap. Real Estate - “It’s Real”: The whole album was just lovely and instantly listenable indie rock, but this song is a stand out. Rihanna ft Calvin Harris - “We Found Love”: I have listened to a lot of music at this stage and here is what I will say - this is the perfect pop song. But it is also imperfect, because it so clearly shifted the trajectory of pop music and therefore made it much more uninteresting. Everyone is chasing that final drop that Rihanna gives you at the finale. Playlist: Hidden Gems: I had never heard the Destroyer and St. Vincent albums before this - god damn were they great. Tune-Yards are great and I will go back and listen to this discography after this is all done. If you can find the Caretaker album An Empty Bliss Beyond This World - listen to it on YouTube. It was a really interesting album. Unfortunately he does not stream his music. I actually listened to a Fleet Floxes album and while I thought I disliked them, I actually enjoyed Helplessness Blues. I had not listened to Real Estate in years and checked them out - really good music. I listened to a Foo Fighters album and thought it was fine. The EMA album was great experimental pop. I listened to the album by Girls this year - really good stuff. 2011 Grade: A-. Great albums by St. Vincent, Destroyer, Fucked Up, Tune-Yards, Nicolas Jaar, Jay Z/Kanye West, Lady Gaga, James Blake, Fleet Floxes, Bon Iver, PJ Harvey. Seriously most of everything released this year was outstanding.

Wow. That is definitely a song I listened too. It sounded like they completed half of a song and just gave up.