fri/20220318

in

(in the sanctum) / 42ºF under sunny skies; high of 70ºF, apparently, by midafternoon. Sirens this morning... something seems to be going on. Probably another new tenant in the cemetery by midweek.

Today's lesson: there are few connectivity problems that can't be solved with a hundred feet of ethernet cable. The music, she skips no more; updates, they take place; the dogchildren livestream from living room to Sanctum is streaming live. Connectedly speaking, then all is well; most everything else, too, I suppose – we still have refrigeration, the first edit of my TSR chat with Buttondown's Justin Duke is complete and on target for a release next Weds, and this space is inching closer and closer to what I want it to be (multiple posts, fewer pictures – these posts don't need images unless they do – and fewer textual explanations that feel as though I'm writing for someone other than myself) – which means that my perpetually open eye is open even wider, CLOCKWORK ORANGE-style, watching that next shoe dangling over my head like that tree did back in December.

Started both THE GREAT ROBBERY OF BRAZIL'S CENTRAL BANK on Netflix – wonder how much of MONEY HEIST was inspired by it? – and Pornshak Picheshote's INFIDEL, his comics debut, after falling head over heels for THE GOOD ASIAN: so far, so very, very good. Pulled Fraction and Charretier's NOVEMBER VOL. 1 from the shelves for reference and have rectified my egregious error of having missed the three subsequent volumes that have arrived since I read and loved Vol. 1.

thu/20220317

in

46ºF, currently, and sunny. High of 71ºF forecast and I am, apparently, older than 64% of the world's population and have 43 years left to live. Go me.

At some point within the next week of those remaining 43 years my car will be in the shop: I don't necessarily consider its visit to the car vet to be among the legion of appliances (WE STILL HAVE REFRIGERATION!) replaced over the last six weeks as it, my car, has been a constant nickel-and-dimer since I arrived back in Ohio from my east-coast decade+/- a decade+ ago which reminds me I need to give the wing mirrors their spring duct tape reattachment.

Finished YAKUZA 4 last night and I'm struggling to decide if it was, indeed, my least favorite of the series (I've been playing them in order from 0 for the last year or so) – or if my months in between gameplay (thanks, HALO INFINITE and FAR CRY 6 - totally worth it, though) made me forget everything I had barely remembered in the first place – like the fighting style and rhythm of each of the four protagonists - and rendered any plot impact inert. IDK. Taking a break from the series to try something else – maybe ELDEN RING or HITMAN 3 – and then will resume my mad dash through the series with YAKUZA 5 which apparently has even more protagonists so I can forget five fighting styles instead of four. Still, YAKUZA remains one of my favorite series: Kamurochō is nothing if not an endlessy intriguing place to call videogame home.

At some point I'd like to get around to assembling and recording intros and outros for the two TSR interviews I have to assemble over the next two weeks, prep for the third, get this abysmal Sanctum internet situation worked out (far more difficult to deal with now that I'm back to a desktop computer, my beloved M1 Mac Mini) and fix the backyard fencing before spring really kicks into gear and I'm beholden to the lawncare needs of the in-oldze for next eight months of the 43 years I have left but hey WE STILL HAVE REFRIGERATION AND IT IS WONDERFUL.

wed/20220316

in

Sweet, sweet refrigeration: little did I know how much I could love the sight of condensation on a clear plastic shelf: what a beautiful thing to behold... returned to MONEY HEIST last night, welcome welcome. Continuing efforts to try new things with this space: vowed to myself that I'd let it become what it was going to become and I suppose it's becoming what it wants to become for now – whatever that is… until it isn’t.

Fantastic conversation last night with Justin Duke, creator of Buttondown, for next week’s SOCIALIZED RECLUSE episode.