The newsletter is a (sometimes) monthly post in which I take a look at what I've enjoyed as of late in pop culture. The following is volume 1, issue 3.
Hello friends. Welcome back.
It's been a bit longer than thirty days since I've sat down to do a newsletter. This is partially because I've been putting a lot of focus into finishing the first draft of The Blue Gem. It is also due to the fact I've written about other stuff over the past few weeks and the newsletter is partly used as a way to still write when other topics are eluding me.
This is not to say I don't have something brewing. Hopefully coming later this weekend, I will once again travel back to the late 90's to examine some very important movies from that time.
As it is, I spent way too much of any free time watching stuff I've seen before. I've mentioned once or twice, but even with more than a handful of great stuff being made out there, I find myself stuck watching t.v. shows I've seen, listening to music I've memorized, or thumbing through books I've already read.
I promise I am doing my best to break the cycle. A balance of new and old is probably for the best. That being said, there were a few new things I had a chance to get into since we last spoke.
Watch
To probably no one's surprise, I watch Game of Thrones. Up until season five, I was always a season behind. I'm glad I made the choice to stay on track, mostly do the sheer amount of spoilers crawling across the internet.
Two episodes into season 7 and I will say this: I'm a little disappointed. I realize the show is winding to it's conclusion, but there's been a lot of TALK (stuff you think would have been done on long boat rides across the sea). And where once a sprawling world was conceived, even other lands seem all within a mile of each other.
Minor gripes, I know. The final scenes of the first two episodes have had me wanting more so I suppose the creators are doing something right.
I also started watching Big Little Lies, also on HBO. It's a seven-episode season and I'm currently three episodes in. The performances by all five lead actresses are outstanding, probably the best thing I've seen Reese Witherspoon in since Election. The construct of it is interesting, though a few of my guesses on things have come true so I'm a little leery of where the path leads. We'll see.
I haven't been to the movies in ages. I am going to remedy that and will keep you posted.
Read
Were you aware A Feast for Crows is a long book? I was and am still surprised.
Needless to say, I am about 60% through it.
This is also due to the fact because I start other books at the same time. I've added a few more of The Walking Dead graphic novels to my belt. And I've also started Finest Hour: The Battle of Britain. I am a sucker for history books centered around World War II. And knowing a lot of the U.S. history, I decided to venture out into the world.
Listen
I'd like to be able to tell you I've discovered some hip new music that everyone should go listen to.
I haven't.
Outside of the songs already on my iPod and listening to film scores on YouTube or Pandora, no new music has been heard. I might be the one person left who still hasn't heard Despacito.
...So I went and listened to some new music. This Ringo Starr fella seems like he's gonna go places with this other guy named Paul.
Podcasts have been in the same boat. I have a nice collection I listen to throughout the week, but do have a few suggestions for new ones I'm looking at. Here is a sampling of those currently on listening rotation (all currently available on Stitcher):
- The Fall Line: a true crime podcast
- Pod Save the World
- With Friends Like These
- Pod Save America
- Literary Disco
- That Baseball Show
- You Must Remember This
- Thin Air Podcast
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Be bold. Be kind.
"Doubt thou the stars are fire
Doubt that the sun doth move
Doubt truth to be a liar
But never doubt I love."- Hamlet
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