Weeknotes 2 Sep 2019

The Labor Day weekend is coming to a close. Figured I'd catch up on the flicks and the book I just finished.

Work

There likely won't be much work-related news until I travel up to our headquarters in Philadelphia in a few weeks for our annual Women's Summit. I'll talk about that once I've experienced it.

Movies

• Ready or Not seemed like it was going to be a fun movie, and it was. Absolutely loved Samara Weaving in the main role. Just realized I'd seen her in The Babysitter previously and while the film itself was okay, she's definitely the standout in it. Someone to watch out for in upcoming films.
• Angel Has Fallen is the third film in this series which has been fun to watch although so full of plot holes and stretches of the imagination you'd think it be intolerable. If you've enjoyed the previous films you'll definitely enjoy this one. If not, this one wouldn't give you a reason to start now.
• The Dark Crystal is a film I haven't seen in a very long time. I recall seeing it in the theater back in 1982 when it was originally released. It stands up, particularly with how much of a world was built around this. Remains impressive and I'm prepped now to watch the new series on Netflix.
• Good Boys isn't a film I was planning to watch, but I needed something to fill a few hours while I waited on my wife who was attending a yoga event in downtown Dallas. I ended up laughing quite a bit throughout the film which is the best review I can give it. Not a kids film.

Nightwise by R.S. Belcher

R.S. Belcher's Golgotha series, a horror/western trilogy, started with The Six-Gun Tarot. Each book in that series got better and better making me a fan of the author.

Naturally, I was interested in his other series. Nightwise is set in modern times about Laytham Ballard, who is a legendary magic-user. In this world, magic is centered in your chakras or in deals with demons.

While it has some interesting concepts I felt it was just okay. I wasn't quite as blown away with this book as I was with the Golgotha series. I listened to the audiobook and being read by Brosnan Pinchot, who's one of my favorite narrators I'd have thought it would have been even better than reading it myself. It definitely wasn't due to Pinchot's delivery. I think it was primarily that I didn't really care that much for the main character.

I may give the second book in the series a shot after some time. I just started a different Belcher series, The Brotherhood of the Wheel, also narrated by Pinchot, which is set in the same universe, but has started out a bit better.

Trekking The National Parks

I think I've posted about this game previously. This one will likely get out on the table again as my wife enjoys it. Maybe because she's beaten me every time we've played so far.

Robinson Crusoe Adventures on the Cursed Island

It's been a while since I've played this. There are few games that immerse you so fully within the theme of the game that it truly feels like you are really there.

Robinson Crusoe Adventures of the Cursed Island is scenario based. While there are 6 or 7 scenarios in the box, I've only ever played the introductory one because I've never won it.  This time around, I finally did. But barely. If that winter storm had just been a tad bit worse, I'd have succumbed to starvation and exposure. Plus, one of my characters had been bitten by a viper and I was in a race to produce medicine before his time ran out.

The scenario involves staying alive and collecting wood for a bonfire big enough to alert an approaching ship once it gets close to the island you're stranded on.

You are constantly striving to find food, build a shelter, explore the island and build tools. It's impossible to take care of everything so you're going to suffer. You're constantly faced with deciding if you're going to starve one night or risk having your shelter blown down in bad weather. A careful balancing act which results in a tough game to win.

I always go into this game assuming I'm going to lose. It's just so immersive that it makes it a fun experience whether you win or not. So many decisions that looking back you see what you could have done differently and determine to go a better path the next time around. Maybe next time I'll try a new scenario.