There’s a local radio station out here called the SoCal Sound. It’s an independent station, one that I’ve found plays a little of everything. There’ll be 80s standards one moment, contemporary hits the next, and then Mexican indie after that. It’s an eclectic assortment and it’s fun to have someone else pick from a variety… Continue reading Terrestrial Radio
Cup of (Spice) Tea
It’s science-fiction anathema to say so, but I’m not a huge fan of Dune. Oh, I can certainly appreciate the book. I reread it again a couple months ago and my opinion on it hasn’t changed too much from the first time — it’s a great and compelling story set against a vast and imaginative… Continue reading Cup of (Spice) Tea
Streaks
This is my 626th post on this blog. This blog’s been around for twelve years and I’ve almost never missed a Saturday (even if they are copouts now and then). At this point, this streak is a long one and like many streaks, I don’t want to break it. My current streak on the New… Continue reading Streaks
Back To The Battlefront
Speaking of rereleases, the two original Star Wars Battlefront games just got rereleased for the PS5. They didn’t get a makeover (besides adding a few things that had been PC and Xbox-specific way back when), they’re just straight-up ported to a modern console. Which means that, once again, this is becoming a blog where a… Continue reading Back To The Battlefront
Corridors, Again
The Phantom Menace was on my mind last week because the video game based on the movie got rereleased and I decided to see how the game felt over twenty years later. I played The Phantom Menace sometime around when it first came out in 1999 and my father bought it for my brother and… Continue reading Corridors, Again
In Defense of The Phantom Menace’s Opening Crawl
The opening crawl to The Phantom Menace is decidedly dull. Where the crawls to the original trilogy spoke of civil war, the dreaded Imperial Fleet, and a second Death Star, The Phantom Menace opens with a discussion of the taxation of trade routes. Maybe the crawl gets interesting later on? Nah. There’s no evil Galactic… Continue reading In Defense of The Phantom Menace’s Opening Crawl
Game Movie
My first interaction with Final Fantasy VII was through the movie Advent Children. It’s not a great introduction to the game (and its many spin-offs); it needs you to be super familiar with the story of the game and makes no attempt to ease you into the world at all. But it looked cool, with… Continue reading Game Movie
Desert After Dinner
It’s a long weekend and I’m finally making good on a long-delayed plan to check out Death Valley and go on some hikes (I bought a compass). So today’s been a day of driving and getting our bearings, tomorrow will be a day of adventures and not getting lost (again, I am the owner of… Continue reading Desert After Dinner
Combat Evolved Evolved
I’m continuing my playthrough of the Halo games, picking up with Halo 2 after finishing Combat Evolved about a year ago. I’m not as familiar with Halo 2 as I am with CE, 3, or Reach, having only played its campaign once back in the day to catch up with the story before diving deep… Continue reading Combat Evolved Evolved
Legends and Legends
I’ve started reading The Silmarillion. Well, re-reading, since I read it for the first time twenty-odd years ago, not long after finishing The Lord of The Rings but before reading The Hobbit (I’m not sure if there’s a wrong way to read Tolkien’s books, but that order doesn’t feel like the right one). The Silmarillion,… Continue reading Legends and Legends
Essays, Not Rants! 