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N0T PENNYS B0AT

N0T PENNYS B0AT's Blog (55 followers)

May03
Summer of StorytellingPermalink
I'm away from home, sort of. I moved from Massachusetts to Oregon nearly two years ago so my girlfriend and I would no longer have to be long distance. However, a few weeks ago I came back out to Massachusetts on a... business trip, you could call it. My former boss who, upon my departure, just became my friend, offered me a great deal to come back and help him run his business over the summer while he has his hands full with several projects. He paid for my round trip flight, is paying me very well, and I get to spend my off days with family, they all still live here. So it's a great deal. The only issue is I'm away from my love and our son until the end of September. They're actually coming to visit very soon, but I won't be back living under one roof with them for another five months. It's really tough being away, so thankfully I've been able to commit a lot of my free time to several forms of media. Work affords me a lot of podcasting time, at the gym, on cardio nights, I watch TV on my phone, and when I'm home and not writing, I get to (occasionally) play video games. I've found a lot of awesome content across the various formats I really enjoy, so I thought I'd share this as a sort of list of recommendations

Here's how I've been filling in my first month away from home, which is also "back home":

Video Games

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This first category really doesn't need to be plural. Though it almost was several times. Away from not just my family but my video game consoles, I've been playing on my brothers' Xboxes and have committed to playing The Witcher 3 exclusively. Well, sort of committed. I had to talk myself out of buying other games on more than one occasion. First Mad Max, then AC: Syndicate. I did get the next episode of Hitman, though, because it's just ten bucks. Still haven't played it yet, however. It might literally take me til the end of my stay here in Massachusetts to finish The Witcher, but I'm okay with that. I've been loving it so far.

I've also found that it's much easier to focus on one game when you're forced to.

"Who knew?" he asked sarcastically.

A lot of my games are digital now, but the few games I haven't yet finished besides The Witcher are also the few games I own physically. No Fallout, no Dying Light, no Uncharted 4 until October (*cries loudly*). That means it's just me, Geralt and Triss until the fall. If I do finish it while I'm still out here, I'll likely move on to one of those aforementioned sandbox games. Mad Max I reviewed for PS4 and really enjoyed it despite its flaws. Syndicate I've yet to play but hope to enjoy the story. I say that every year, though.

Movies

I'm not sure I've watched any new movies since coming back out east. I've rewatched a few with my siblings, namely Looper (awesome), The One I Love (inventive) and Observe and Report (meh, decent). I hope to watch The Witch when my girlfriend gets here. We sadly missed that when it was in theaters. Do you guys have any recommendations? Movies are usually last on my list of time-killing entertainment after games, books, and podcasts, but for the right ones, I make time. At some point while I'm here, I have to watch Ex Machina. I'm obsessed with ideas and theories regarding the future of AI, so a story like that will almost certainly be a favorite of mine.

Books

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I vowed to read all of the novels by my favorite author, Shirley Jackson. She wrote seven in her life. I'm early into the third one, though chronologically it was her first, The Road Through The Wall. She has an unsettling, well-honed voice as an author that leaves you feeling uneasy, often for reasons that aren't so easily identified, before culminating in a sort of real-life-horror finale. I can't get enough of her work. Her short stories are, of course, phenomenal as well, as most of you probably read her most famous work, The Lottery, in middle or high school. Today, I also just picked up The Leftovers by Tom Perotta. It's the novel that inspired the HBO series of the same name. I haven't started it yet but I think I'll really enjoy it. Speaking of which...

TV Series

Like most millennials, I hardly watch any current TV as it airs on cable or satellite, and I certainly don't watch advertisements. I remarked when I was coming out this way that I would probably commit a ton of time to watching all the shows I've always wanted to watch but haven't had the time. Without a son to raise, I'd find that time I thought. I was wrong, however. Among constant work, writing for TA, and going to the gym, there's little time left for TV, movies, games, and books. The one series I have committed to, of which I have just two more episodes until I'm current, is HBO's The Leftovers. Say whatever you'd like about Damon Lindelof's storytelling abilities, I'll throw your opinions out the god damn window. I love the guy, love all his stuff -- yes, GASP! -- even the LOST finale and Prometheus. His show based on the aforementioned book and being produced with the original author on his team, has been a remarkable series, quickly becoming one of my favorites. I'm bummed to learn the show was meant to have more than just the three seasons HBO is ultimately allowing it, but at least they know they have an end in sight and can work toward it, even if that means rushing. It's still better than getting cancelled with the story in limbo.

After The Leftovers, I plan on giving a pair of superhero shows a try. First Daredevil, then Gotham. The latter I watched already but truth be told I did so while writing a lot of the time, so I could really use a refresher before moving on to newer seasons. After those, if I'm still here in Massachusetts slow-burning through all this media, I plan on watching Silicon Valley. Eventually, I'll get to Game of Thrones, but I'm in no rush, to be honest.

Music

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Music-wise, I haven't been listening to a lot of new stuff. Normally I do my Spotify discovery sessions late at night in bed or during overnight shifts at my Oregon job, but now my time spent in bed has been devoted to sleep and sleep alone because before I get to bed I'm too busy, and once I get there I'm too tired. When I do play music, usually if I don't feel like podcasting (pretty rare) it's been a lot of The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die -- yes, that's their name -- as well as some Pinegrove, and, in preparation for the upcoming concert my girlfriend and I will be attending, Say Anything and mewithoutYou. I've also found I have a love for 50s-70s bluesy music, like Etta James, Quiet Elegance, and a lot of "oldies" like that. When I'm at work or writing and in the need for something non-lyrical, my go-to is The Leftovers season one score, replacing the Child of Light score as my oft-repeated keys and strings music that helps me think.

Podcasts

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Here's a category that feels like the plural form just won't cut it. I need a next level form that doesn't exist just yet. Unlike games where I've been focused solely on one title, my podcasting time, a lot of which is afforded to me by my job, has skyrocketed. I've discovered and binged a lot of new stuff. I'm going to make a separate blog full of my complete podcast recommendations soon, but as far as the newest stuff goes, I've found and really enjoyed Lore, Astonishing Legends, and as of today, Unexplained. The first and last of that short list are identical in presentation. Hosts with scripted segments detailing greatly the history behind local legends or unexplained phenomena. If you're into that sort of stuff, these are both very atmospheric shows that delve deep into the facts while teasing some of the more unbelievable things and leaving it up to you to decide how much more you'd like to believe.

Astonishing Legends is a longer, more conversational show hosted by two baby boomers with an affinity for a lot of similar stories to the other two, but the rabbit hole runs very deep with them. Whereas the other two shows run about 20 minutes per episode, Astonishing Legends devotes 45 minutes to two hours per episode on a topic, and often times multiple episodes on a topic, too. They're currently tackling perhaps my favorite mystery of all, The Somerton Man. Other things they've discussed are Polybius, Amelia Earhart, various ghost stories, and Oak Island. I love their approach because you can tell they are skeptical but hopeful, just like me, and they do a ton of research. I want to believe in stories of cryptids, ghosts, aliens, and the like, but I simply don't. Still, I'm obsessed with the subject matter and always have been.

All in all, I subscribe to over a dozen podcasts, rarely miss an episode of any, several of which I've never missed an episode, in fact. I'm always looking for more. So send your suggestions to me and look out for my full blog on the medium at a later date.




And so this is my summer. Mass consumption of media of all forms in between long bouts of work. I like it that way though. I'd much rather have my girlfriend and son around, but since I can't, my introversion loves diving head first into a range of stories like I have been. It's much preferred to -- ugh -- talking to people. In any format, as much as possible, I seek out superb narratives, and I've found so many already in just a month. This season should be pretty rewarding in that regard.

Additionally, I have to just tease that we have a lot of awesome stuff in the works on the TA news team. A lot of editorials, top fives, all those weekend reads so many here seem to really enjoy, we're booked up on those items til around July right now, with more ideas always being ironed out. The team has really been putting our heads together and we've come up with what we hope will be pieces you'll really like reading.
Posted by N0T PENNYS B0AT on 03 May 16 at 23:07 | Last edited on 03 May 16 at 23:54

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imaidiot19 To me, Shirley Jackson's best work is the Haunting of Hill House. Enjoy your summer!
Posted by imaidiot19 on 03 May 16 at 23:31
N0T PENNYS B0AT That was her first book I read, but so far my favorite is one I referenced in a recent editorial, We Have Always Lived In The Castle. It's like a haunted house origin story.
Posted by N0T PENNYS B0AT on 03 May 16 at 23:48
imaidiot19 Cool. Only one I've read is Haunting. I went on a haunted house spree a few years ago...but missed the others. I read Hell House, which is really good as well, and a few others.
Posted by imaidiot19 on 03 May 16 at 23:58
N0T PENNYS B0AT Oh yeah, I've always wanted to read Hell House as Bradbury is maybe my third favorite author. It was heavily inspired by Jackson's story, too, though most say it's scarier.
Posted by N0T PENNYS B0AT on 04 May 16 at 00:00
imaidiot19 Yeah, it is pretty messed up. Hell House is by Matheson, who also wrote Stir of Echoes, I am Legend, etc.
Posted by imaidiot19 on 04 May 16 at 00:04
N0T PENNYS B0AT Oh sorry, that's who I meant. Richard Matheson, yeah. He was one of the three main contributors to The Twilight Zone, so I love his stuff too. Somewhere in Time, I Am Legend, all his short stories, etc.

For some reason I get that one confused with Something Wicked This Way Comes.
Posted by N0T PENNYS B0AT on 04 May 16 at 00:08
MattQuin89 Looking forward to your podcast recommendations :)
Posted by MattQuin89 on 04 May 16 at 05:04
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