So last year, I started a playlist for the blog and Facebook page, but I didn’t create it until…ah, late summer or early fall. Which means when I did my Top 30 of 2022, I had missed a lot of music.
Well, I created a playlist in January and have been adding new releases every week. I know I’m missing songs, but I am keeping up with as many bands as I possibly can (though I’m leaving out the big names, such as Asking Alexandria, The Smashing Pumpkins, Avenged Sevenfold, etc.; they get enough promotion). I am dividing this year’s singles into three separate playlists, each encompassing four months’ worth of releases, because otherwise the sheer number of songs – and the running time – will become overwhelming.
If you’re interested in checking them out, here are the links. It would be cool if you gave them a listen, or even just shared them. I want to help all these amazing bands/artists to be heard!
I spent last week in Colorado. Trinidad, to be exact. I flew out to visit my brother and sister-in-law, and to enjoy five days far away from my job.
We didn’t plan things to do, we just did them. My brother smoked burgers and ribs because I love his cooking. We traveled highway 12 and ventured up to Simpson’s Rest, neither of which we’d managed during my previous trips due to the weather. He took me down to New Mexico, over the Raton Pass, through Carson National Forest, and into Eagle Nest. On my last full day, we drove to Rye and checked out Bishop Castle. I climbed to the second highest level there, but was too chicken to go to the top (especially since it was raining and the stairs and rails were wet).
Other than that, I had downtime with family. We ate good food and watched a lot of Netflix and Hulu. I convinced my brother to sit through the Fear Street films (he actually didn’t mind them), and I think I got him hooked on “Outer Banks.” Oh, and I was introduced to my newest furry nephew, Lucifer.
I could go on and on. However, I’ll just tell my story in pictures. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, after all.
(The cats get uploaded as individual images. I’ll group each day trip into a gallery.)
LuciferLucifer again ❤️HanzoFishers Peak, taken from Simpson’s Rest The sis-in-lawMy brotherSimpson’s Rest North LakeCuchara Cuchara Cuchara Cruising Highway 12New MexicoBishop Castle Double rainbow coming down out of San Isabel National Forest Lake IsabelRandom things
Hello, all! I hope this post finds you well. I just wanted to jump on here and give y’all an update on things.
I have four interviews in progress, though one seems to have stalled out because of circumstances beyond his control. I’m really looking forward to sharing them, Carbonstone’s in particular. I have also been receiving emails from various promoters requesting that I share singles and tour dates for bands they represent. I was followed on Facebook by Paul Crosby Management, which is cool (and if you’d like to follow too, here’s the link 😉).
I have almost finished yet another book for my Goodreads reading challenge, so keep an eye out for my next update post about that.
As for the bad news, I had to miss the Alter Bridge show in Nashville because I was too sick to go. I went to my doctor yesterday and he put me on an antibiotic and a medicine meant to break up congestion and help keep my lungs clear. I was gutted to skip the concert, but there is a bright side. I should be well in time to enjoy my brother’s visit this weekend! And we may have missed Alter Bridge, but I’m taking Mom to her first Shinedown show in April so… I guess we’ll recover. Haha.
Thank you to everyone who even acknowledges this blog. Drop a comment if you’d like, telling me something good – or bad – that has happened lately, or just how you’re doing today!
I’m not going to call this a review, but I just had to post about this film. I said I was gonna write more about movies this year, after all.
I had to let the movie percolate for a couple of days, and now I’m ready to share my thoughts. (No spoilers, I promise!)
For those of you who don’t know, here’s a short synopsis of the film from IMDb.
“A young couple travels to a remote island to eat at an exclusive restaurant where the chef has prepared a lavish menu, with some shocking surprises.”
When I saw the preview, I was intrigued. I love Ralph Fiennes, first and foremost, and I could easily picture him in the role of a creepy – perhaps murderous – chef. Plus, I had my own assumptions of what the twist would be once the trip went horribly wrong, as it so clearly was going to. Even believing that it was going to be semi-predictable, I still wanted to watch it.
I’ll start by saying up front that my assumption was wrong. I was actually pretty far off. However, and I mean this humbly, my semi-predictable idea would have been better than the reality.
The Menu wasn’t bad, per se, it simply…lacked any excitement. The characters weren’t very likable (except, ironically, the “evil” chef), and it was a story that’s been done before numerous times in numerous settings. There were no shocking moments, or perhaps I’m just immune at this point. It became obvious early on who would survive, and I don’t even want to talk about the absurdity of how that happened.
IMDb categorized The Menu as a “horror, comedy, thriller.” It is none of these things. It wasn’t scary, nor even the least bit creepy. It wasn’t thrilling. And the comedic bits fell flat.
As you can probably tell, I was not impressed. This is one I’m glad I missed in theaters; I would have demanded my money back. Lol.
This isn’t a review, but I would rate this film a 2 out of 5, and the 2 can be attributed only to Fiennes and the performance by Hong Chau, who plays Elsa. It’s watchable, I suppose, so I won’t advise against watching it. However, definitely get it on HBO Max or something.
The majority of my posts over the last week have been previously scheduled posts, so I figured I’d give y’all a real time update on my life in general.
We lost my uncle (my dad’s youngest brother) last week. His funeral was Sunday, the 1st, which I hope is not a sign of how our 2023 is going to go. The aftermath has been rough: I won’t pretend I was super close to my uncle, but I wasn’t prepared for that generation of family members to start dying. I mean, my grandmother is still trekking along! And yes, I know that’s not the way the world works; people don’t always pass from oldest to youngest. However, I can tell you that I’ve made my peace with my grandmother’s inevitable death, as she has had health issues for a while now and I have thus had time to accept what’s coming. But my uncle? That one blindsided all of us.
On a positive note: it is now 19 days until my date with Alter Bridge! I have three interviews I’m in the process of wrapping up (and one I just started), so get ready for those. And last, but certainly not least, I have been putting a lot of time and energy into the Facebook page for this blog and it seems to be paying off. I’m gaining followers and my blog views have increased and I’ve been interacting with some really cool bands/artists. If you’re interested, the link to that page is below.
I hope all of you had a Happy New Year, and the first four days of 2023 have treated you well! Be ready for my first Goodreads Reading Challenge update soon!!!
I hope this post finds all of you well. I just wanted to do a little personal blog to say thank-you to everyone who is following me. 2022 has been quite a year for me, and I hope next year is even better! It’s bound to be, really, considering I’m kicking things off with an Alter Bridge show… 😁🤘🏻
I already have two interviews lined up for early in 2023. Be ready for those, and in the meantime, feel free to revisit the ones I’ve already done. I’ll link them below. If you know of any bands I need to check out – or try to interview – leave a comment. I really want to do more song and album reviews next year, and I hope to do a bi-weekly Bands/Artists You Should Be Following post.
I will be participating in the GoodReads Challenge again. I think my goal will be 40 books this year. If you have any author or book recommendations, please share them with me!
Also, my second 30 day challenge begins tomorrow! This time I will be posting about movies. As always, I invite you to play along on your blog or in my comment section.
I never make resolutions, but I do have one for 2023. I’m not going to voice (or write) it at the moment; however, I will be very open once I’m in the process of getting it done. If resolutions are your thing, may you smash them! If not, I hope you kill whatever goals you set for yourself. It’s been a rough few years, and we all deserve a much better 2023.
I actually stumbled across this castle on Google first and thought it looked like something from a fairytale. As you know if you’ve been following this blog, I went through a two year obsession with Rammstein, which in turn led to a fascination with their homeland and its many interesting travel destinations. I’m sure this is not the last post you’ll see about something cool/breathtaking in Deutschland.
I am about to embark on a 30 day challenge. Actually, I’m doing one each month from December to March. I figure this is a good way to ensure I have something to post every day even when I’m struggling for inspiration. The four I found are:
30 Day Song Challenge
30 Day Film Challenge
30 Day Horror Movie Challenge
30 Day Book Challenge
Feel free to do these along with me, either on your own blog or in my comments! I would enjoy the company 🙂
Seeing as music is my main focus here, I’m going to start with the 30 Day Song Challenge. Tomorrow will be day one, so get ready!
Mostly Music 