Q2 Update
I became a dad in May. You could say it’s been a pretty big couple months. I’ll never forget that feeling of the first time I held her.
April was a nesting and prepping month, May was a monumental adjustment: waking up every two hours to help feed and change the baby was a bit taxing on the old noggin. As June rolled in the nights started getting easier and easier. I had a month off from work and will take more time in the Fall when my partner’s leave concludes. (I’m bitterly jealous of my German colleagues with 1 or 2 year parental leave options. I’m also grateful we get anything at all.)
Here’s a few bits of media I squeezed in. As you can see it’s quite a bit less than Q1!
Games
My relationship with gaming is probably going to look a lot different going forward now that I have a kid: you rarely have two hands free for a controller with a newborn (let alone the time). I’m so glad my phone can be a Pokémon machine now and being able to steal a few minutes away or play one-handed while I hold my sleeping kid is such a joy.
- I’m almost done playing through Pokémon Crystal (well, technically Polished Crystal) in Delta and have published a couple custom controller skins. Having a go-to game on your phone is a sure-fire way to stay off social media.
- Played a little of Hades 2 in early access (it’s phenomenal) on my Steam Deck and am looking forward to diving in again.
- I picked up Paper Mario: Thousand Year Door remake for the Switch and have been slowly working my way through it. (For context I just stared Chapter 1.) I played the original a long time ago and have fond memories.
I also modded my Gamesir G8 controller to work with my new iPad. It’s a glorious combination.
Music
Been enjoying new music from Vampire Weekend, Iron & Wine, Hovvdy, Decemberists, Billie Eilish, and of course Taylor Swift.
Looking forward to new Bright Eyes and Coldplay in Q3. Speaking of Coldplay: I think they played their best concert ever at Glastonbury. It was an incredibly special performance with a lot of heart. Knowing 100k people were there in-person seeing what I was seeing at the exact save time was awe-inspiring.
Movies & TV
- Bad Batch (season 3) went out with a bang. Love a good star war.
- 30 Rock (seasons 1–3) is sublime. To me it’s like a live-action cartoon and I am always here for the zaniness. Blink and you might miss three jokes. I just love Tracy Morgan, Jack McBrayer, and everyone in the cast. (Some jokes haven’t aged well but that’s kind of how comedy works.) ★
- My wife is rewatching Modern Family and I’ll catch a few episodes here and there. Holy hell. That show deserve all its Emmys, it’s such a treat.
- Fargo (season 3) was good but nothing like seasons 1 and 2 (which were outstanding). We watched an episode of season 4 and kinda bailed on it. I like Fargo for the relatable characters — not the organized crime.
- The last season of Curb Your Enthusiasm (season 12) was fantastic. They nailed the finale. Pretty, pretty good.
- Chernobyl (2019) was a rewatch for me. My wife never saw it and I was itching to rewatch it. It’s an amazing feat of film and one of the all-time greats.
- Demetri Martin: Demetri Deconstructed was humorous and surreal. Interesting editing and pacing of a live standup session.
- BlackBerry was excellent and such a funny and amazing “true story” movie. It makes you realize how far our current technology has come (and how amazing the iPhone is). I’d love to see Glenn Howerton in more serious roles going forward. ★
- Dream Scenario was a classic A24 film and Nic Cage was great. While I liked it I couldn’t help but think that I was just watching an extended version of the trailer. It’s all in there, weirdly enough.
- Conan O’Brien Must Go was a great laugh. Always been a fan of him and it’s fun seeing him have fun. ★
- Little Women (2019) was great. I’m not sure why we watched this now — it might have been suggested in Hulu or something — but it’s a delightful movie. I was in a stage adaptation of this in high school (I can’t remember who I played) so I’ll always have a soft spot for this tale. (It was also interesting watching this after seeing Barbie since it was Gerwig’s previous project.)
- Castle in the Sky is a masterpiece. Watching this made me realize how much Zelda borrows from Ghibli’s humor and style — everything from the nature, creatures, music, and floating cities were all just sitting there.
- Unfrosted felt like an odd halfway between a kid’s movie and something for older audience. Not sure who this movie was for…? Just a big sugar-high mess of cameos. (Jack McBrayer and the Mad Men scene make it worthwhile in my book.) If this didn’t have Seinfeld attached there’s no way I would have watched it.
- Clueless (1995) I think I had seen this once before but not sure. It was a fine romcom. Not sure how Paul Rudd still looks the same.
As always I want to thank Shawn Hickman for making Sofa. I use it to queue up media and log when I’ve watched/played it.