Every morning I listen to two albums. Today I listened to Fire Doesn’t Grow on Trees by Brian Jonestown Massacre (thanks Steven Howard) and Ama Gogela by Phelimuncasi. 🎵
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1eU9bsb02aggki4oCJpezi?si=GJPH3IZJR1mTXGOFmISIjg
Sentimental Sandman
I enjoyed Sandman. That’s saying something because I have an emotional connection to that comic book and that time in my life when it was published. I’m amazed that it exists at all. The fact that Sandman is gorgeous and has a fantastic cast is so much icing on the cake.
But I’m not in love with the series. In fact, despite the writing and the cast, the show felt a little flat. But I was entertained, and I would recommend it to anyone I think might appreciate Sandman.
It’s difficult for me to be objective about the series because of my relationship with the comic book. I might have been overwhelmed had I come to Sandman with zero knowledge of the source material. However, the fact that I didn’t hate the Sandman series or cringe at any point says a lot about the show.
Bonus: I got to see my penultimate issues of Sandman on the screen. What a time to be alive.
Every morning I listen to two albums. Today I listened to Harbor by Taylor Deupree and Optometry by DJ Spooky (thanks @Angst_Xiety). 🎵
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1eU9bsb02aggki4oCJpezi?si=GJPH3IZJR1mTXGOFmISIjg
Every morning I listen to two albums. Today I listened to Ma délire - Songs of love, lost & found by Myriam Gendron (thanks Steven Howard) and Born Too Late by Saint Vitus (thanks J.J. Anselmi). 🎵
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1eU9bsb02aggki4oCJpezi?si=GJPH3IZJR1mTXGOFmISIjg
I’m looking forward to watching Prey, but I’m one of those weirdos who enjoyed Predator 2. I hear there’s grumbling online about “The Message” in Prey. I haven’t seen the movie yet, so I don’t have an opinion on that topic yet. I’m just looking for a good story. If there is a “message” and they tell it compellingly, I’m in. But if I’m bludgeoned with the “message,” that might be a dealbreaker.
I’m not concerned about “The Message” in movies. I’m worried about how it’s executed. For example, in Avengers: Endgame, there was the grrrl power shot that occurred in the final fight scene with Thanos. Marvel Studios patted themselves so hard on their back they nearly threw their shoulder out. It was so heavy-handed. There was an equivalent scene in The Mandalorian where a troop of women went to battle. They never drew attention to it and were so matter-of-fact that it wasn’t until afterward that I realized what I had just seen: a group of competent women bravely putting themselves in harm’s way. Same scene, but minus the fanfare. It’s all about the execution.
I want to replace Ulysses with iA Writer and have one less subscription in my life. But I find that for me, Ulysses provides an ideal writing environment. I want to write without getting bogged down with a screen full of markdown URLs.
When I write something shorter where I don’t mind a lot of markdown, I usually do it in Drafts.
Every morning I listen to two albums. Today I listened to I told Bessie by Euclid and The Swan by Nwando Ebizie. 🎵
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1eU9bsb02aggki4oCJpezi?si=GJPH3IZJR1mTXGOFmISIjg
Cerebus Unbound!
When I was a boy, I discovered Cerberus The Aardvark at a comic book shop in Boston. I picked up issue six (“The Secret”) and laughed at the adventures of the barbarian aardvark. The whole thing was ridiculous. But I did not expect the heartbreaking ending.
I was amazed I was reading the comic book at all. At the time, there was Marvel and DC, and that was it. But I was becoming aware that there was a whole culture of underground comic books. It was exciting to see a medium I thought I knew tell different and unexpected stories.
For decades I wanted to read the first few issues of Cerberus. This was before the Internet and eBay. Issue one was beyond my means. Eventually, Cerebus was collected in volume editions which I never got around to purchasing. But then came the pandemic, and I decided I’m a middle-aged man; for crying out loud, I can spend $40 on a comic book! And I picked up volume one, which contains the first 25 issues of Cerebus.
And there it sat on my bookshelf, unwrapped and unread, for over a year.
I love Cerebus, but I was twelve when I first started reading the comic book. I was afraid to go back. I didn’t want my memories tarnished. What if it was terrible? But tonight, I decided to crack the book finally, after all these years, read the first issue.
It wasn’t bad.
I didn’t laugh. I don’t think I even smiled. But writer/artist David Sims told a great yarn. His style, rough as it was, was evident. Cerebus himself hadn’t settled into his final form. His snout is far too long, his face and body ill-defined. He’s wearing a Barry Windsor Conan helmet. But it’s still recognizably Cerebus.
I’m excited to see how he evolves into the aardvark I know and love.
Tomorrow I’ll read issue two.
Every morning I listen to two albums. Today I listened to Kjenslevarulv by Dei Kjenslevare and Jet-Powered, Monkey Navigated by Idiom Creek (thanks @Angst_Xiety). 🎵
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1eU9bsb02aggki4oCJpezi?si=GJPH3IZJR1mTXGOFmISIjg
Every morning I listen to two albums. Today I listened to Avanti by Alessandro Corrini (thanks Steve Power and Hessel Veldman) and In a Few Places Along the River by Abul Mogard. 🎵
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1eU9bsb02aggki4oCJpezi?si=GJPH3IZJR1mTXGOFmISIjg
Every morning I listen to two albums. Today I listened to Speechless by Resina and Midnight Rocker by Horace Andy. 🎵
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1eU9bsb02aggki4oCJpezi?si=GJPH3IZJR1mTXGOFmISIjg
My Pandemic EDC
My EDC has been minimized since the pandemic.
My go bag containing my kit sits unused in the corner of my room (by “go bag,” I mean go-to-work bag).
My handy Victorinox Classic SD is the only pocket knife that has day-to-day utility. It’s perfect for opening mail and maybe filing the odd nail. I recently picked up a WESN microblade, which also functions as a fidget you, now goes everywhere I go.
Other than the WESN and SD, my phone and watch are the only things I constantly carry.
Earlier today, I ripped Toxic Narcotic’s “The Festering” to MP3 and have had it on repeat for the last hour. Toxic Narcotic avoided genres, jokingly referring to themselves as crustcore, but clearly, this song is an homage to Black Sabbath.
Every morning I listen to two albums. Today I listened to I M A M C R U 1 2 by KRS-One and Dubs & Versions by The Yabby You Sound. 🎵
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1eU9bsb02aggki4oCJpezi?si=GJPH3IZJR1mTXGOFmISIjg
