Difficult People is one of my favorite shows of the last decade. In it, Julie and Billy, two jaded aspiring comedians who live together in New York City, navigate through their thirties while dealing with their individual careers and personal relationships. (I copy/pasted that from IMDb.) Julie lives with her boyfriend, Arthur, and just about anytime he addresses her, he calls her by some sort of nickname. I recently rewatched the series and, much like noting when the Asian Man said anything in ...

I've watched 25 movies so far in 2023. Title (Year of Release) - Date Watched (ツ) = Re-watch Watcher (2022) - 01/01 The Black Phone (2022) - 01/02 Silent Night, Deadly Night III: Better Watch Out! (1989) - 01/03 Significant Other (2022) - 01/06 Pearl (2022) - 01/08 (ツ) Silent Night, Deadly Night 4: Initiation (1990) - 01/10 Sick (2022) - 01/14 The Lobster (2016) - 01/15 (ツ) A Trip to the Moon (1902) - 01/18 Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker (1991) - 01/24 American Movie (1999) - 01/...

I've watched a few seasons of a few shows so far in 2023. (ツ = Re-watch) Difficult People - S1-3 (ツ) Baking It - S2 Derry Girls - S1-2 (ツ), 3 The Traitors (US) Poker Face Hacks - S2 Survivor - S44 Girls5eva - S2 Fin ...

It took me just a hair over two years, but on Tuesday, February 7, 2023 - or 16th of Sh'vat 5783 - I officially became a Jew. There are a few neat things about this date... While the Gregorian date is easy to remember, the day before my birthday... ...the Hebrew date is easy to remember as well! The 15th of Sh'vat is one of the four Jewish New Years (this one is Tu BiSh'vat, the New Year for Trees), so my conversion date is the day after. The Parsha (Torah portion) for this week is the same as...

I've finished one book so far in 2023. Author/Publisher - Title (Year of Release) - Date Completed Stephanie Butnick, Liel Leibovitz, Mark Oppenheimer - The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia (2019) - 02/09 Currently Reading Rabbi Shai Held - The Heart of Torah, Volume 1: Essays on the Weekly Torah Portion: Genesis and Exodus (Volume 1) (2017) Fin ...

My wife and I did a watch-through of Gilmore Girls a few years back (like, five years-or-so ago). One guy I loved spotting was a waiter at Luke's Diner; an Asian man hustling about, often in the background of other Stars Hollow community events, but was never given any lines. He always added a little something to the scenes in which he appeared. In season 4, something incredible happened and I started taking note: He finally spoke! "Hey Luke, coffee?" (from season 4, episode 15) Hoo-boy! Sma...

My wife and I started watching the 10-episode reality competition show, The Traitors (US version), earlier this week on Peacock. Throughout most of the first episode, we both weren't feeling it; the game was slow, the competitors mostly irritating, and it felt like it wasn't going anywhere. And then we got to the last, I don't know, 10-or-so minutes and everything came to a head. We were hooked. We binged the rest of the episodes before week's end, and I have a few thoughts: That there was a ...

I logged on to Twitter for the first time in a couple of weeks - I'd been doing this for a while now to check on like three people - and the site's a flippin' mess, and so I've pulled the plug and started the deactivation process. Weird to think about how I had that account for roughly a third of my life, but here we are. R.I.P. ERIC ON TWITTER 2008 - 2023 SIC TRANSIT GLORIA...GLORY FADES SAY A PRAYER FOR SURFBOY...WHEREVER HE IS Fin ...

Here's a piece of trivia about me no one will care about: The way I say "Anyways..." is inspired by Deadwood. The times I double it up and say "Anyway...anyway..." is inspired by Deerhoof. Fin ...

I'm not going to call this game stupid - it's actually smartly made - but for reasons too complicated for me to explain right here and now (laziness), I started playing Marvel Snap the other day and it's really quite good, even for someone who doesn't give two figs about Marvel or its properties. So good, in fact, that it has its hooks in me much like Asphalt 9 on the Switch did a few years ago. More like Asphalt 195 hours. I imagine I will eventually stop playing it, but it probably took two ...

To some level of completion, I've played one game so far in 2023. Marvel Snap (Mobile) Fin ...

A 2022 recap in a similar fashion as my 2021 recap? Well, I can certainly try! I continued on my journey converting to Judaism (fast approaching) (and by that, I mean my date, not a day without eating) My wife and I went on a few getaways - some small, some grand - and all were great(!): A weekend in Saugatuck, MI Five days in Santa Fe, NM (stayed at Los Poblanos Ranch, highly recommended) A weekend "up north" (Crystal Lake, MI) A weekend in Chicago, IL, for a wedding Two weeks in France (st...

I watched many seasons of many shows/specials in 2022. (ツ = Re-watch) The Sopranos - S3-7 Love - S3 Al Madrigal's Why is the Rabbit Crying? (2013) Sort of - S1 American Auto - S1 Yellowjackets - S1 Ghosts (US) - S1 Top Chef - S18 Derek DelGaudio's In & of Itself (2020) Love is Blind - S2 Love is Blind: Japan - S1 Veep - S1, 2 (ツ) Severance - S1 Search Party - S5 The Dropout The Great - S2 The Great Pottery Throw Down - S5 Apple & Onion - S1 The Baby - S1 Under the Banner of Heaven Fred...

I watched 106 movies in 2022. Title (Year of Release) - Date Watched (ツ) = Re-watch tick, tick... BOOM! (2020) - 01/07 The Matrix (1999) - 01/08 (ツ) The Matrix Reloaded (2003) - 01/08 (ツ) The Matrix Revolutions (2003) - 01/08 (ツ) The Matrix Resurrections (2021) - 01/09 A Quiet Place (2018) - 01/09 (ツ) A Quiet Place Part II (2020) - 01/09 Beanie Mania (2021) - 01/14 Writing With Fire (2021) - 01/30 The House (2021) - 02/03 Chess of the Wind (1976) - 02/05 Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (19...

To some level of completion, I played nine games in 2022. Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair (Switch) Wordle (Browser) Quordle (Browser) Heardle (Browser) Framed (Browser) Actorle (Browser) Box Office Game (Browser) Moviedle (Browser) Posterdle (Browser) ...

I read eight books in 2022. Author/Publisher - Title (Year of Release) - Date Completed Ari Shavit - My Promised Land (2018) - 02/27 Alana Newhouse - The 100 Most Jewish Foods: A Highly Debatable List (2019) - 04/02 Lawrence A. Hoffman - The Art of Public Prayer (2009) - 05/01 Peninnah Schramm - Jewish Stories One Generation Tells Another (1993) - 06/21 Stella Suberman - The Jew Store (1998) - 08/03 Dennis Prager, Joseph Telushkin - Why the Jews? (2003) - 10/02 Mordecai M. Kaplan - Judaism as...

A few years back, I switched from an iPhone (the SE that looked like a 5S) to using a Google Pixel 3a. The phone was so great that my wife also switched (iPhone 6S to Pixel 3a) (it helped that our batteries were on their way out and the trade-in deal Google had was pretty tremendous). Two years ago, I decided to go from 3a to Pixel 5 pretty much for two very stupid reasons to get a new phone: The size (just a smidge taller than the iPhone SE). The color (a beautiful sparrow's egg/sea foamy co...

I don't love that it's called Sugar Cookie Toast Crunch - Sugar Cookie Crunch or Sugar Toast Crunch might be a better fit - but I do love that the General (Mills, of course) captured the flavor essence of eating a sugar cookie in cereal form. Some might find it too sweet, sweeter even than its cousin, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and I suppose the absence of the cinnamon really only shines a spotlight on the sugary sweetness of this one, but I find them equally sweet and equally delicious in their ow...

Questions that came up during Study this morning: What did Jacob wrestle? Did he suffer from impostor syndrome? My head's just been swirling about this all day. Fin ...

If someone with good ears could please confirm or deny that Carly Rae Jepsen's song "The Loneliest Time" samples a small chunk of The Moog Cookbook's cover of Green Day's "Basket Case", that would be great. I'm like 98% sure it does, but I can't tell if my mind is playing tricks on me. Links to the parts I'm talking about: Carly Rae Jepsen - The Loneliest Time The Moog Cookbook - Basket Case "The Loneliest Time" is a jam with a fun video, so even if you can't confirm or deny what I'm hearing, ...

As I was putting together my year in review, The Year That Was: 2022, I was writing little blurbs about each movie I saw this year that I really liked. It got to a point, however, that the list was getting a little too long for a post meant to just wrap-up the whole year, so I decided to cut it from there and put it into this, its own post. With that said, here's a list of all movies that I enjoyed this year presented in the order in which I saw them: Writing With Fire (2021). Directors Sushmi...

I hope that Trip Hawkins has a nice Thanksgiving. Fin ...

A few years back, detailed slightly when I wrote about Signal (please use Signal!), I got a little too deep into the weeds regarding privacy/security. Not that that's a bad thing to be thinking about and take actions to protect, but it also got me to a spot where I started making an effort to try and be less on my phone and more engaged in the moment. And not that that's a bad thing either, but the two together have resulted in me not being on Instagram anymore and me not pulling out my phone as...

Belvedere Vodka's new commercial has Daniel Craig pulling a Christopher Walken, dancing through a hotel (no flying though). A fun watch if you want to see Craig having fun, loving life. Also, it's directed by Taika Waititi. Fin ...

A lovely write up on longtime Coen Brothers collaborator Carter Burwell. The Polymath Film Composer Known as “the Third Coen Brother” by David Owen, The New Yorker Fin ...

Still reelin' from the Ti West, X / Pearl double-feature I did with my good friend Jesse the other night. Both are great-yet-different movies, but also: Mia Goth forever? Fin ...

We bought two 18-count variety boxes of full-size candy bars. We have 12 left. Everyone received a treat this year, so happy Halloween, y'all. Fin ...

This is a story that makes me sad about a restaurant my wife and I enjoyed on our honeymoon. Sounds like she and I made it in just before its decline. I'm happy to have had a good experience and that memory, but it's a bummer to hear about how the past few years have not been so great for the place. The decline of Arpège by Meg Zimbeck, Paris by Mouth Hey, that's my wife you asshole!(Alain Passard, chef/owner of L'Arpège, embraces my wife after our meal.) Fin ...

Some random weekend things: Friday Wife and I had a nice impromptu night out on Friday. Dinner and good drinks at FRAMEbar. Just feelin' it, and it was worth it. Also, I order myself a Pixel 7. More as that develops. Saturday We're back to the beginning of the Torah cycle, and study was a really good time at Temple on Saturday morning. Sunday Good times and joy flew out out the window on Sunday when 17 bags of landscaping rocks were hefted about. The end result looks nice - almost m...

This week is rich with new releases, but also an album of covers, and a delightful re-release! New Archers of Loaf - Reason in Decline Carly Rae Jepsen - The Loneliest Time I listened to the new CRJ album while doing chores and yard work this weekend. I like it! Sloan - Steady I listened to the new Sloan album while driving to and from various locations this weekend. I like it! Taylor Swift - Midnights Tegan and Sara - Crybaby But also Slater-Kinney - Dig Me In: A Dig Me Out Covers Al...

For no particular reason at all, I was thinking about Alps a lot this morning. Love that Yorgos. I have no idea why Coke is calling its normal, everyday line of beverages its "Value Collection." Weird. Fin ...

If you have Hulu and aren't watching Reboot, then I don't know what you're paying for. RIP Jason Voorhees Actor, Ted White Fin ...

Happy 72nd birthday, mom! (she doesn't read this) Fin ...

I remain somewhat of a Signal loyalist, but this news is kind of a bummer. I suppose I understand where they're coming from, but I feel like their explanation is a little weak, and that what they aren't saying is how removing this beloved feature will help with multi-platform app parity down the line. I got my second Covid booster and flu shots on Monday night. I was a little achy Tuesday, but good until a small fever kicked in at night. Today though, I've just been achy and exhausted. Here's...

A few years ago, and not necessarily out of the blue, I became increasingly more aware of how advertisers track us online, how companies use and sell our personal data, and how governments make use of this information as well. Much to my wife’s chagrin, I kinda went off the deep end with it and quickly approached tinfoil hat territory. I’ve since been able to reel it back quite a bit, but there are still quite a few things that stuck with me that I continue to practice and make use of today. Wi...

I'm amused by how the chorus to Prince's most famous song about a style of flat-crowned cap made popular by the French, "Raspberry Beret", is like an audible allusion to the chorus of quintessential French pop classic, "Les Champs-Elysées". Très intéressant. RIP Austin Stoker. As my good friend Jesse said, "Big man’s up top, playing potatoes in heaven." RIP Angela Lansbury. Nothing to add to this one. RIP Getting folks to feel like they should support their local Public Broadcasting a...

Regardless of one's feelings toward "Big Pharma" or the the effects of the commercialization of the products it produces, you gotta hand it to them for one thing: Keeping the commercial jingle industry from flat-lining. I haven't had jingles for anything stuck in my head for quite some time (I admit this could be a result of streaming and paying for the ad-free subscription options in most cases), but Rybelsus and Skyrizi are keeping the dream alive, and both of these are jams. Fin ...

I had one drink too many tonight. Getting older, heartburn is becoming more of an issue. I hate it. A minor struggle I have fairly often is: Which Sloan album is better Navy Blues or Between the Bridges? Shabbat shalom! ...

I am not altogether unaware of how cavalier this will come off as ablest speak, but here I am anyway, pondering the not-entirely-serious elective amputation of my left leg. I've been wanting -- and trying -- to lose weight (20-or-so pounds) for months. I've been watching what I eat (watch me eat just one bowl of cereal in the morning instead of two!), and to tempt myself into doing more indoor cycling, I've been riding while I Veep (I've paired my rides with a re-watch of the show, so watch me ...

Welp! I guess I'm into Quordle now (though, as of July 20, 2022, I will no longer be acknowledging any missed days.) UPDATE: I have mostly retired from playing/tracking this game, but I do thank it for its service. Eric's Quordle Playing February 18, 2022 - August 21, 2022 August 21, 2022: Daily Quordle 209 6️⃣7️⃣ 2️⃣8️⃣ quordle.com ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟨🟨 ⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩⬜🟩⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟩⬜ 🟩🟨🟨🟨⬜ ⬜🟩⬜⬜🟨 🟩⬜🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩⬜⬜🟩⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩⬜⬜🟨 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛...

Welp! I guess I'm into Heardle now. UPDATE: I have mostly retired from playing/tracking this game, but I do thank it for its service. Eric's Heardle Playing March 5, 2022 - August 20, 2022 August 20, 2022: Heardle #177 🔇⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ August 15, 2022: Heardle #172 🔊🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ August 14, 2022: Heardle #171 🔊🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ August 7, 2022: Heardle #164 🔊🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ August 5, 2022: Heardle #162 🔊⬛⬛🟩⬜⬜⬜ August 3, 2022: Heardle #160 🔇⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ July 31, 2022: Heardle #157 🔇⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ July 24, 2022: Heardle #150 🔊🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ Jul...

Like many in 2022, I started playing Wordle. This led to the launch of a number of imitators - some improved on the formula, others put their own spin on it entirely - and to me keeping track of all the ones I've been playing (alphabetically: Actorle, Box Office Game, Framed, Heardle, Quordle) in separate notes. This has worked out fairly well, but starting today (June 19, 2022), I will now keep track by genre instead; Heardle and Quordle for music and words, and Morning Movie Games for all the ...

There was a period of time (2016 and earlier) when I would tweet every year on the fourth of July something along the lines of "Today -- and every day -- freedom is my favorite f-bomb." and I'd smile about that smugly, knowing I've done enough to warrant enjoying the rest of my day filled with liberties and freedoms beyond my wildest dreams. What a ruse. Over the past half-a-dozen years, that switched from sometimes stating "Fuck this great country of ours." (said with hope in my heart) to no...

Welp! I guess I'm into Framed now, and starting on June 19, 2022, I will be keeping track of my Framed games in one big daily post for all of my Morning Movie Games. June 18, 2022: Framed #99 🎥 🟥 🟥 🟥 🟥 🟥 🟥 June 17, 2022: Framed #98 🎥 🟩 ⬛ ⬛ ⬛ ⬛ ⬛ June 16, 2022: Framed #97 🎥 🟥 🟩 ⬛ ⬛ ⬛ ⬛ June 15, 2022: Framed #96 🎥 🟩 ⬛ ⬛ ⬛ ⬛ ⬛ June 14, 2022: Framed #95 🎥 🟩 ⬛ ⬛ ⬛ ⬛ ⬛ June 13, 2022: Framed #94 🎥 🟩 ⬛ ⬛ ⬛ ⬛ ⬛ June 12, 2022: Framed #93 🎥 🟥 🟩 ⬛ ⬛ ⬛ ⬛ June 11, 2022: Framed #92 🎥 🟩 ⬛ ⬛ ⬛ ⬛ ⬛ June ...

Welp! I guess I'm into Box Office Game now, and starting on June 19, 2022, I will be keeping track of my Box Office Game games in one big daily post for all of my Morning Movie Games. June 18, 2022: September 6, 1991 ❌ 0 ✅ 160 ❌ 0 ✅ 120 ✅ 120 🏆 400 June 17, 2022: November 22, 2002 ✅ 160 ✅ 160 ✅ 120 ✅ 120 ✅ 160 ➕ 200 🏆 920 June 16, 2022: March 23, 1990 ✅ 120 ✅ 160 ✅ 120 ✅ 85 ✅ 45 ➕ 160 🏆 690 June 15, 2022: September 6, 2019 ✅ 120 ✅ 80 ✅ 80 ✅ 160 ✅ 80 ➕ 200 🏆 720 June 14, 2022: November 29, 1...

Welp! I guess I'm into Actorle now, and starting on June 19, 2022, I will be keeping track of my Actorle games in one big daily post for all of my Morning Movie Games. June 18, 2022: Actorle 94 4/8 🟨🟨⬛🟩 June 17, 2022: Actorle 93 1/8 🟩 June 16, 2022: Actorle 92 3/8 🟨🟨🟩 June 15, 2022: Actorle 91 2/8 🟨🟩 June 14, 2022: Actorle 90 1/8 🟩 June 13, 2022: Actorle 89 1/8 🟩 June 12, 2022: Actorle 88 1/8 🟩 June 11, 2022: Actorle 87 1/8 🟩 June 10, 2022: Actorle 86 2/8 🟨🟩 June 9, 2022: Actorle 85 3/...

Updated: 04/03/2022 This originally started as a love letter to Peacock. As much as I love Peacock (and I do!), it turns out that I didn't actually have a lot to say about it, so then I thought "Why not just say a few words about all the services I currently subscribe to, suggest a few exclusives on each that I enjoy, and then give the services a rating" and so now here we are. While I'm generally a big supporter of rating things on a scale from 1 - 10, for some reason the letter grade scale s...

Welp! After a little over two months of Wordle fun, I've decided to put this daily game to bed. As more games of similar ilk were released (see Quordle, Heardle, and Framed), it just seemed like maybe there was one game too many. Since I personally find Quordle to be a more enjoyable word challenge, and since the other two are music and movie focused, Wordle ended up taking the fall. Farewell, Wordle. You swept the hearts and imaginations seemingly of all of society and inspired many an imitato...

Updated: 01/15/2022 Something took over me earlier in the year, even before I was thinking about how great Peacock is, where I started really thinking hard about the music streaming services available. Sure, I was thinking about the quality of what I was hearing, but also about how well the service treats the artists themselves. I tried to find information (and asked a few friends who'd put out albums) about how good the payout is from the various services, but didn't really come away with anyt...

Overall, 2021 turned out to be as interesting a year if ever there was one. In recap: The year started with a bunch of shitheads storming the U.S. Capitol, all in the name of the biggest shithead of them all. A week later, I started talking with a rabbi about converting to Judaism. (The two events are completely unrelated, just painting an accurate timeline.) In May, three weeks after being fully vaccinated, my wife and I took a much needed vacation down to Mexico (Tulum). In August, we went t...

I've watched many seasons of 37 shows in 2021. Midnight Diner - S1 His Dark Materials - S2 Crazy Ex-Girlfriend - S1-4 The History of Comedy - S1, 2 The Great - S1 Selena + Chef - S1 Search Party - S1-4 Escape to the Château - S1-4 Blown Away - S1, 2, Christmas Waffles + Mochi Mare of Easttown Hacks - S1 Detroiters - S1, 2 Kim's Convenience - S5 We Are Lady Parts - S1 Rutherford Falls - S1 Making It - S3 Girls5eva - S1 I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson - S2 Tattoo Redo - S1 The Great P...

I've watched 68 movies in 2021. Title (Year of Release) - Date Watched (ツ) = Re-watch Arrival (2016) - 01/01 (ツ) For Your Eyes Only (1981) - 01/07 (ツ) Jojo Rabbit (2019) - 01/18 Goldfinger (1965) - 01/22 (ツ) From Russia With Love (1964) - 01/31 (ツ) Ford v. Ferrari (2020) - 02/06 Whiplash (2014) - 02/09 A Serious Man (2009) - 02/13 (ツ) Licence to Kill (1989) - 02/16 (ツ) Hotel Mumbai (2019) - 02/20 Dora and the Lost City of Gold (2019) - 02/21 The Man With the Golden Gun (1974) - 02/28 (ツ) Comi...

I more or less completed three games in 2021. Picross S2 (Switch) Picross S3 (Switch) Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Happy Home Paradise DLC (Switch) ...

I read seven books in 2021. Author/Publisher - Title (Year of Release) - Date Completed The Jewish Publication Society – The Torah: The Five Books of Moses (1999) – 01/03 Anita Diamant - Living a Jewish Life (2009) - 02/01 Rabbi Daniel B. Syme - The Jewish Home: A Guide for Jewish Living (2017) - 02/14 Martha Wells - Network Effect (2020) - 03/14 CCAR Press - Honoring Tradition, Embracing Modernity: A Reader for the Union for Reform Judaism’s Introduction to Judaism Course (2017) - 05/26 Abra...

Just testing out a few thingsAnd this is one such thingNeat?Neat! [ ] chicken [ ] soup Hi  ...

I watched many seasons of 22 shows in 2020. Broadchurch - S1-3 High Seas - S2 The Repair Shop - S1-3 Living with Yourself I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson - S1 Columbo S1-3 Unorthodox The Nanny - S1 Schitt’s Creek - S6 Married at First Sight S9 Fleabag S1, 2 Community - S1-6 I Know This Much is True Somebody Feed Phil - S3, 4 The Stranger Kim's Convenience - S3, 4 Unsolved Mysteries (2020) - S1 Indian Matchmaking - S1 The Umbrella Academy - S1, 2 The Haunting of Bly Manor The Queen's...

I watched 42 movies in 2020. Title (Year of Release) - Date Watched Little Women (1994) - 01/01 Little Women (2019) - 01/04 1917 (2019) - 01/11 Parasite (2019) - 01/19 You Were Never Really Here (2018) - 01/20 Good Time (2017) - 01/25 Honey Boy (2019) - 02/08 Oscar Shorts (2019) - 02/15 The Secret Garden (1993) - 04/25 The Founder (2016) - 04/30 The Raid: Redemption (2011) - 04/30 Midsommar: Director's Cut (2019) - 05/09 What We Do in the Shadows (2014) - 05/12 The Raid 2 (2014) - 05/17 Dogto...

I more or less completed three games in 2020. Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Switch) Mario’s Super Picross (Switch) Picross S (Switch) ...

I read 15 books in 2020. Frank Herbert - Dune (1965) Charlie Mackesy - The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse (2019) Malcolm Gladwell - Blink (2006) Malcolm Gladwell - David and Goliath (2013) Malcolm Gladwell - Outliers (2008) Becky Chambers - The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (2014) Malcolm Gladwell - Talking to Strangers (2019) Malcolm Gladwell - The Tipping Point (2000) Marcus Aurelius - Meditations (180) Simon Winchester - The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity and...

What a wonderfully exhausting journey I went on. I watched the latest Charlie Kaufman film, I’m Thinking of Ending Things, a while back. Like the films that have, so far, meant the most to me in my life, I couldn’t stop thinking about it days afterward. It left me in this weird space feeling alone, and to process it in a way that I haven’t had to process things for a while. Part of it is because I’ve ended things before, and another part of it because I’ve also thought of ending things. The mo...

I watched many seasons of 25 shows in 2019. # Show Season(s) 1. Travelers 1-3 2. The Good Place 3, 4 3. Somebody Feed Phil 2 4. Black-ish 5 5. True Detective 3 6. Stand Up and Away! with Brian Regan 7. Russian Doll 1 8. Schitt's Creek 1-5 9. Ray Romano: Right Here, Around the Corner 10. The Office (U.K.) 1 11. Catastrophe 4 12. Lorena 13. I'll Have What Phil's Having 14. Killing Eve 1, 2 15. Veep 7 16. Santa Clarity Diet 3 17. The Zen Diaries of Garry Sh...

I listened to more than eight albums for the first time in 2019, but these are the ones I kept track of... # Artist Album Year 1. Deerhunter Why Hasn't Everything Already Disappeared? 2019 2. Weezer Weezer (Teal Album) 2019 3. Turtlenecked Springtime in Hell EP 2018 4. Khruangbin Con Todo El Mundo 2018 5. Rodney Dangerfield No Respect 1980 6. Ladytron Ladytron 2019 7. The Lemonheads Varshons 2 2019 8. Broken Social Scene Let's Try the After (Vol. 1) EP 2019 ...and then I g...

I watched 24 movies in 2019. # Movie Year Viewed 1. Too Funny to Fail: The Life & Death of the Dana Carvey Show 2017 01/24 2. Can You Ever Forgive Me? 2018 01/28 3. Snowden 2016 02/02 4. Destination Wedding 2018 02/02 5. Glass 2019 02/03 6. Oscar Nominated Shorts 2019 2018 02/10 7. Rebecca 1940 03/09 8. Abducted in Plain Sight 2017 03/12 9. Anastasia 1997 03/13 10. My Cousin Rachel 2017 03/15 11. Pyaasa 1957 04/07 12. A Futile and Stupid Gesture 2018 04/13 13. V...

I more or less completed 11 games in 2019. Super Mario Maker 2 (Switch) Gato Roboto (Switch) Nine Parchments (Switch) Overcooked (Switch) Celeste (Switch) The Jackbox Party Pack (Switch) Crypt of the NecroDancer (Switch) Cuphead (Switch) Mutant Mudds (Switch) Ring Fit Adventure (Switch) Asphalt 9: Legends (Switch) ...

I read 29 books in 2019. Jeff VanderMeer - Acceptance (2014) Paul Tremblay - The Cabin at the End of the World (2018) Lee Israel - Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2008) William Gibson - Neuromancer (1984) John Grisham - The Whistler (2016) William Gibson - Count Zero (1986) William Gibson - Mona Lisa Overdrive (1988) Neal Stephenson - Cryptonomicon (1999) J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer‘s Stone (1997) J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (1998) Various Writers - McSwee...

In the commentary track for the Coen Bros.' movie The Man Who Wasn't There, Billy Bob Thornton states (jokingly?) that the Coens wanted him for the role of Ed Crane (main character) and that the brothers pitched the film to him as a story about a barber who wants to become a dry cleaner. There is so much more to it than that, but a reductionist could make the case that that about sums it up. Similarly, the song "My Mother Was a Chinese Trapeze Artist" by The Decemberists is so much more than wh...

I watched many seasons of 21 shows in 2018. The West Wing S2 Black Mirror S4 The Good Place S2 Black-ish S1-4 The Alienist S1 Mr. Robot S1 The Americans S6 Santa Clarita Diet S2 Dark S1 Evil Genius The Chalet The Handmaid’s Tale S2 Sharp Objects GLOW S2 Casual S4 The Haunting of Hill House Castle Rock S1 The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina S1 The Final Table Salt Fat Acid Heat Somebody Feed Phil S1 ...

I listened to 67 albums for the first time in 2018. HÅN - The Children (2017) Sufjan Stevens - Tonya Harding: Single (2017) Dr. Dog - Easy Beat (2005) Dr. Dog - Live at a Flamingo Hotel (2015) Belle & Sebastian - How to Solve Our Human Problems, Pt. 2 (2018) Belle & Sebastian - How to Solve Our Human Problems, Pt. 1 (2017) First Aid Kit - Ruins (2018) The Go! Team - SEMICIRCLE (2018) Field Music - Open Here (2018) Darius - Utopia (2018) MGMT - Little Dark Age (2018) Belle & Sebasti...

I watched 65 movies in 2018. I, Tonya (2017) Molly’s Game (2017) The Post (2017) Phantom Thread (2017) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Pt. 1 (2010) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Pt. 2 (2011) Fantastic Beasts ...

I more or less completed three games in 2018. Alto’s Odyssey (iOS) Thumper (iOS) Donut County (iOS) ...

I read six books in 2018. Stephen Hawking - A Brief History of Time (2011) Ian Bogost - Play Anything (2016) Glenn Greenwald - No Place to Hide (2014) John Carreyrou - Bad Blood (2018) Jeff VanderMeer - Annihilation (2014) Jeff VanderMeer - Authority (2014) ...

I watched many seasons of 23 shows in 2017. Veep S2-6 Black Mirror S2, 3 The Good Place S1 The Path S2 Michael Bolton's Big, Sexy Valentine's Day Special Santa Clarita Diet S1 The Americans S5 Big Little Lies S1 Fargo S3 Catastrophe S3 The Handmaid's Tale S1 Master of None S2 Flaked S2 Casual S3 Orphan Black S5 GLOW S1 Difficult People S3 Dirk Gently S1 Stranger Things S2 Mindhunter S1 Ghosted S1 The West Wing S1 Godless ...

I listened to 101 albums for the first time in 2017. Neil Cicierega - Mouth Moods (2017) Cloud Nothings - Life Without Sound (2017) The Flaming Lips - Oczy Mlody (2017) The Regrettes - Feel Your Feelings Fool! (2017) Dungen - Häxan (2017) of Montreal - Rune Husk EP (2017) Fred Thomas - Changer (2017) Elbow - Little Fictions (2017) Surfer Blood - Snowdonia (2017) The Orwells - Terrible Human Beings (2017) Ken Fowser - Now Hear This! (2017) Old 97's - Graveyard Whistling (2017) Dirty Projectors ...

I watched 40 movies in 2017. The Lobster (2016) Hidden Figures (2016) Manchester by the Sea (2016) Split (2017) Children of Men (2006) Midnight Special (2016) I am Not Your Negro (2016) Lion (2016) Get Out (2017) Logan (2017) John Wick (2014) Moonlight (2016) Beauty and the Beast (2017) Nocturnal Animals (2016) Crimson Peak (2015) Raw (2016) Kedi (2016) Wonder Woman (2017) It Comes at Night (2017) The Beguiled (2017) Baby Driver (2017) It: Chapter One (2017) Home Again (2017) Dunkirk (2017) Ot...

I more or less completed four games in 2017. Hearthstone (iOS) PinOut! (iOS) Inside (PS4) Overcooked (PS4) ...

I read one book in 2017. The Complete Privacy & Security Handbook Vol. 1: Digital (2016) ...

I haven’t seen the 70’s original, nor have I read the book, so I'm left wondering if Sofia Coppola’s take on The Beguiled might be better on subsequent viewings. Reason being is that the trailer led me to expect a paranoid, erotic psychological thriller period film. And I suppose the film is kinda that, but only in the very lightest of senses. Expectations had me waiting and left me wanting for something more. What was on screen was still some great acting from the three female leads, and Colin...

I watched many seasons of 18 shows in 2016. Masters of Sex S3 Transparent S2, 3 Penny Dreadful S1-3 House of Cards S4 The Americans S4 Catastrophe S2 The Path S1 Casual S1, 2 Orange is the New Black S4 Difficult People S2 The Night of Orphan Black S1-4 Flaked S1 Good Girls Revolt Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life Masters of Sex S4 Black Mirror S1 Veep S1 ...

I listened to 51 albums for the first time in 2016. Pink Floyd - The Wall (1979) Les Gordon - Atlas EP (2015) Field Music - Music for Drifters (2015) Young Rival - Interior Light (2015) Bad Religion - Stranger Than Fiction (1994) Van Morrison - Moondance (1970) Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon (1973) The Moody Blues - Days of Future Passed (1967) Kevin Drew - Darlings (2014) The New Pornographers - Together (2010) Dr. Dog - The Psychedelic Swamp (2016) Field Music - Commontime (2016) Fau...

I watched 36 movies in 2016. Earth Girls Are Easy (1988) The Big Short (2015) Anomalisa (2015) The Big Sleep (1946) The Boy (2016) What Happened, Miss Simone? (2015) Hail, Caesar! (2016) To Catch a Thief (1955) The VVitch: A New-England Folktale (2015) Blind Malice (2016) 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) Hello, My Name is Doris (2016) Beauty Shop (2005) Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) Paper Towns (2015) The Imitation Game (2014) Captain America: Civil War (2016) The Nice Guys (2016) Now You See Me (2013) ...

I more or less completed 9 games in 2016. Alphabear (iOS) Alto's Adventure (iOS) Progress to 100 (iOS) Dragon Hills (iOS) Super Stickman Golf 3 (iOS) Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (PS4) Gone Home (PS4) Ziggurat (PS4) Guitar Hero* (PS4) ...

Ziggurat is the best Heretic-esque, Binding of Isaac-ish, first-person roguelike I have ever played. It is also the only one — that’s what makes it so compelling. The story is nonsense, sitting backseat to the real reason to play: leveling up while fighting through ridiculous baddies and bosses in randomly-generated catacombs. With seven floors to complete per playthrough — each more challenging than the last — I can usually complete two before dying. The rooms that makeup each floor treat you...

Let the Right One In is set in cold, dark Stockholm — a fitting locale where one can imagine a tale filled with a vampiric terror taking place. This story, however, is less a terror than a tragedy. The immortal Eli (eternally age 12), and the mortal 12-year old Oskar (eternally bullied), befriend each other over a Rubik’s Cube. They end up falling for and supporting each other through the darkest of thick-and-thins. I love the subtle implication that Eli's been through this before. We needn’t ...

The VVitch is slow and the dialog is, at first, difficult to take in. Viewers can thank first-time writer/director Robert Eggers’ strict attention to detail and adherence to realism for that. Taking place in the 1630’s, viewers follow a religiously pious family as they are shunned out of their new-world colony and forced to settle elsewhere. Their sanity slowly dissolves as an unknown force infiltrates their lives and they try to start anew; they suffer tragedies, experiencing loss of crop, fam...

I watched many seasons of 16 shows in 2015. Fargo S1, 2 Gilmore Girls S7 True Detective S2 House of Cards S3 Masters of Sex S1 Transparent S1 Catastrophe S1 Difficult People S1 Olive Kitteridge Mad Men S7 The Americans S1-3 Orange is the New Black S3 The Wire S1-5 Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp Hannibal S1-3 Master of None S1 ...

I listened to 19 albums for the first time in 2015. Future Islands - Singles (2014) Battles - La Di Da Di (2015) Deer Hunter - Fading Frontier (2015) Destroyer - Poison Season (2015) Palaxy Tracks - Wilderness (2015) Stranger Cat - In the Wilderness (2015) Sufjan Stevens - Carrie & Lowell (2015) Surfer Blood - 1000 Palms (2015) Tame Impala - Currents (2015) X Ambassadors - VHS (2015) The Chemical Brothers - Born in the Echoes (2015) Mac Demarco - 2 (2012) Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit...

I watched 29 movies in 2015. Inherent Vice (2014) Force Majeure (2014) Pain & Gain (2013) Chef (2014) Foxcatcher (2014) It Follows (2015) The Babadook (2014) While We're Young (2014) Jurassic World (2015) Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015) Ant-Man (2015) Inside Out (2015) The Skeleton Twins (2014) The Visit (2015) Mistress America (2015) Feardotcom (2002) Meet the Patels (2015) Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011) Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (2011) Fargo (1996) Junun (2015)...

I more or less completed seven games in 2015. Limbo (iOS) Monument Valley + Ida's Dream + Forgotten Shores (iOS) Jetpack Joyride (iOS) Canabalt (iOS) Lines (iOS) The Room (iOS) Mario Kart 8 (Wii U) ...

I read three books in 2015. Ernest Cline - Ready Player One (2011) Stephen King - The Shining (1977) Thomas Harris - Red Dragon (1981) ...

First, let me get this portmanteau-shaped bug out of my system: Why didn’t Nabisco call them “S’mOreos?” Were they referred to as such internally? I guess we’ll never know. Moving on, if the Cotton Candy Oreo cookies are the lowest-of-low on the Limited Edition flavor ladder (and they really are), then the S’mores Oreo cookies hover around the top. Without being too thick in the frosting department, Nabisco has two layers of flavor in the middle — chocolate and marshmallow — and it seems to be ...

I'm unable to, in my heart, give this movie a pass because the last 30 minutes are awesome (they are). The other 90 minutes are pretty boring, made worse by the fact that the two brothers — sent to the theme park by their folks to vacation with their too-busy-working-at-the-park aunt (Bryce Dallas Howard) — are super-annoying. Ignoring criticisms pitched at the film for failing to provide a realistic portrayal of a strong, independent woman, I found Bryce to be the best part of the film — I'd s...

I watched 30 movies in 2014. Inside Llewyn Davis (2013) This Is 40 (2012) 12 Years A Slave (2013) The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) Blue Is The Warmest Color (2013) Despicable Me (2010) Captain America: Winter Soldier (2014) Drinking Buddies (2013) Detropia (2012) Heaven Is For Real (2014) X-Men: Days Of Future Past (2014) Short Term 12 (2013) Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) Her (2013) Argo (2012) Serenity (2005) Frank (2014) Gone Girl (2014) The American Scream (2012) Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2...

I more or less completed five games in 2014. Tearaway (Vita) Puppeteer (PS3) Entwined (PS4) Fez (PS4) Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack (PS3) ...

I read five books in 2014. J.R.R Tolkien - The Hobbit Cormac McCarthy - The Road Stieg Larsson - The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Stieg Larsson - The Girl Who Played With Fire Stieg Larsson - The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest ...

I watched 30 movies in 2013. Butter (2011) The Do-Deca-Pentathalon (2012) The King's Speech (2010) The Future (2011) Hollywoodland (2006) Gangster Squad (2013) Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011) Timecrimes (Los cronocrímenes) (2007) Django Unchained (2012) Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012) Tron (1982) Tron: Legacy (2010) Safety Not Guaranteed (2012) Mission: Impossible III (2006) Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011) Pocahontas (1995) The Nightmare On Elm Street (2010) Marie Antoinette (2006) ...

I more or less completed 16 games in 2013. Jetpack Joyride (PS3) Jetpack Joyride (Vita) LittleBigPlanet Vita (Vita) Wonderbook: Book of Spells (PS3) Disney's Up (PS3) Guacamelee (PS3) Thomas Was Alone (PS3) Limbo (Vita) Retro/Grade (PS3) Paint Park Plus (Vita) The Last of Us (PS3) Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (PS3) inFAMOUS: Festival of Blood (PS3) Galaga Legions DX (PS3) Proteus (PS3, Vita) Resogun (PS4) ...

I read one book in 2013. J.R.R. Tolkien - The Lord of the Rings ...

I watched 19 movies in 2012. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) Beauty and the Beast - 3D (2012) The Five-Year Engagement (2012) Mansome (2012) Men in Black 3 (2012) Moonrise Kingdom (2012) The Dark Knight Rises (2012) Ruby Sparks (2012) Raiders of the Lost Ark - IMAX (2012) The Master (2012) Looper (2012) The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012) Wreck-It Ralph (2012) Skyfall (2012) Lincoln (2012) The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) Monsters Inc. - 3D (2012) Les Misérables (2012) Silver...

I more or less completed 17 games in 2012. Marvel Pinball (PS3) Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (PS3) Rochard (PS3) House of the Dead III (PS3) The Simpsons Arcade (PS3) Super Stardust Delta (Vita) Journey (PS3) Frogger Returns (PS3) House of the Dead 4 (PS3) Sideway: New York (PS3) Linger in Shadows (PS3) Fez (360) flOw (PS3) Virtua Fighter 5 (PS3) Sound Shapes (Vita, PS3) Mutant Blobs Attack (Vita) The Walking Dead: Season 1 (PS3) ...

Journey is beautiful to look at, listen to, and play. It’s peaceful, melancholic, joyous, and comforting. Journey‘s multiplayer is the best. Make the trek with a stranger you might randomly encounter, or go it alone — either is fine. And seamless! And free of negativity since there’s no voice chat, just the sing-songy chirping of a button press, conveying… something… that someone else will, hopefully, interpret. Journey gives one a sense that there’s something greater, either “out there” or “a...

The introduction of time travel to the Men in Black franchise has done it a surprising favor: it brought the world Josh Brolin doing a spot-on impersonation of Tommy Lee Jones’ Agent K. It also ripped open a giant hole in the fabric of the series, however, and I’m still not sure what to make of it. Will Smith’s Agent J would have had to've been memory-flashy-thingied many times over throughout the course of his life so as to not be aware of Agent K, since K saved J as a kid, right? Hole aside,...

Recently, I learned how closely this movie sticks to the book, and I’m surprised, though I don’t know why. Fincher and co. worked hard to maintain the cold, dark, depressing atmosphere Stieg Larsson created, while keeping the characters true to their written selves, and they thoroughly succeeded! Sweden looks cold and feels dark, all while the characters and their situations remain depressing. Daniel Craig is a spot-on Blomkvist, and Stellan Skarsgård makes an excellent Vanger, but the show bel...