Author: Seth

Easy; Listening

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Sometimes you just want to listen to something familiar to make it through your day.

I feel the strongest tug at nostalgia and remembrance today, but that may be due to abandoning FB/IG the day before my birthday.

C’est la vie!

Here, then, are the tunes rolling around in my head, unrolled onto the blog. Please enjoy them in the spirit in which they are offered.

That last one never fails. It always gets me in my soft, creamy center.

Many years ago he
Looked out through a glassless window
All that he could see was Babylon
Beautiful green fields and dreams
And learn to measure the stars
But there was a worry in his heart

He said
How could it come to this?
I’m really worried about living
How could it come to this?
Yeah, I really want to know about this

Is it like today?
Then there came a day
It moved out across the Mediterranean
Came to western isles and the Greek young men
And with their silver beards they laughed
At the unknown of the universe
They could just sit and guess God’s name

But they said
How could it come to this?
We’re really worried about living
How could it come to this?
Yeah, we really want to know about this

Is it like today?
Then there followed days of Kings, Empires and revolution
Blood just looks the same when you open the veins
But sometimes it was faith, power or reason as the cornerstone
But the furrowed brow has never left his face

He said
How could it come to this?
We’re living in a landslide
How could it come to this?
Yeah, we really want to know about this

Is it like today?
Then there came a day
Man packed up, flew off from the planet
He went to the moon, to the moon
Now he’s out in space
Hey, fixing all the problems
He comes face to face with God

He says
How could it come to this?
I’m really worried about my creation
How did it comes to this?
You’re really killing me, you know

It isn’t just today
Is it like today?
Is it like today?
Bang!

Many years ago he
Looked out through a glassless window
Didn’t understand much what he saw

Zuckerberg, heal thyself

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I’m not counting on maniacal Mark to make any of the right choices any time soon, so I’ve disabled my accounts on Facebook & Instagram. I haven’t deleted them for good yet but I’m this close.

I’m still on Twitter for the time being but it increasingly feels like some combination of echo chamber/ghetto/dark parody.

As I’ve done countless times before I’m going to blog more here. I hope.

I hope to see you on the Internet. Stay safe out there.

The Secret of NIMH

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Watching The Secret of NIMH tonight with the kids I’m reminded of how wonderful Don Bluth was in the 80’s and just how different – though similar – his stuff was from standard Disney fair. A little bit darker and grittier, though they both have their share of parental death.

I don’t remember many Disney films from my youth, but I can recall The Secret of NIMH for how magical and mysterious it is. The creepy old Owl, the scary cat “Dragon”, the amulet. Still holds up over 35 years later.

I never realized Wil Wheaton and Shannen Doherty did the voices of Mrs. Brisbee’s older kids, so that was a nice surprise to learn.

Watching the movie also reminded me of every trip I ever took to Showbiz Pizza in the 80’s. I must’ve lost countless quarters to Dragon’s Lair and Space Ace – two video games that used LaserDisc and which were produced by Bluth – that are still a little bit ahead of their time in terms of graphics and storytelling.

If you haven’t seen the movie in a while, or if you’ve never seen it, do yourself a favor and watch it.

And if watching it sets you down a path of nostalgic cinema, I’d also like to recommend The Black Cauldron (Disney’s 1st PG animated movie AND one I could’ve sworn was also done by Bluth), Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, The Last Unicorn, and The Dark Crystal. All awesome animated/anime/puppet movies of the early 80’s that really shaped my love for dark fantasy and sci-fi.

On the occasion of turning 42

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42:
The critical angle of rainbows
Jackie Robinson’s jersey number
The answer to life, the universe, and everything

42 feels just fine this morning.

For the first time in a long while – as long as I can remember as a working adult, actually – I’m not filled with anxiety or dread about today.

I’m not worried that time is running out or that I’ll never create the “great thing” I sometimes fantasize about.

I feel happy, content, and confident in a way I haven’t experienced on my birthday in a very long while.

And this is a year in which I’ve had to embrace a bunch of change, primarily in my career, but also in my approach to everything from commuting to childcare to self care.

Needless to say I ought to be a wreck right now and I’m not.

Maybe this is the sense of purpose or peace or calm that I’ve heard other people in their 40’s discuss. (I’ve certainly became almost religious about exercise and sleep while not becoming monastic about the indulgences of beer or good food that I enjoy.)

Maybe this is the balance of age?

Whatever it is I’m happy to greet it with a welcoming spirit.

Happy Birthday to me!

Cheers!

[And if you’ve read this far, you should check out the whole Wikipedia entry for the number 42. Some pretty neat confluences around that number.]

Oktober Beer Blogging

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Since blogging about beer seems to be the only thing I’m capable of sustaining with any level of frequency, I thought I’d update folks with a few items of interest.

First the Brewer’s Advent Calendar which occupied daily beer-blogging last December is now available for purchase at Costco. I snapped it up immediately and I can’t wait to partake again this year.

There are some repeats from last year, but I’m generally very happy with the selection. I may blog about my experiences again, but I doubt I’ll do it daily. Probably just a summary of the delta between 2017 & 2018 with any updates or new opinions about the repeats.

Second I’m very excited for a trip to NYC that Jenn & I are taking next weekend. Not the least of which is because two locations in Manhattan have IHOPS – a Pumpkin Pancake Stout – on tap.

Maybe this sounds gross to you, but it’s absolutely lip-smacking to me. Hopefully I can grab a pint before the kegs run dry.

Lastly here’s a great, brief article in the Wall Street Journal about Women and brewing beer.

If the above links share anything in common, it’s beers that appeal to a broad swath of tastes & palettes.

My hope for beer culture, in light of some recent negative attention that I won’t mention further, is that it retains it’s mass appeal. A drink for everyone and not just the domain of hop-headed, whale-seeking, beer nerds.

Cheers!