August in Review
Books Acquired:
Property Values by Charles Demers
Books Read:
Sailing Alone around the World by Joshua Slocum
If We All Spat at Once They’d Drown by Sam Wallman (Editor)
This was a bit of a weird month for me. I read a single comic/art book, listened to one audiobook, and played almost no games. I just couldn’t focus on anything this month. I did turn 36, so maybe my mind is starting to go.
To celebrate my deteriorating mental faculties, we decided to spend a week in Oahu. On the flight over, I was unfortunately packed in with a crowd of screaming children. I was fine for the first half of the trip, but the diseases eventually took hold, and I spent the last day or so in our rented condo becoming increasingly invested in Kids Baking Championship.
I signed up for a motorcycle safety course before leaving, so once I was home and on the road to recovery, I immediately started obsessing over potential bikes to buy and instructional YouTube videos. My girlfriend is an instructor, so we’ve been out a few times already, and I’m loving it. Even just zipping about through cones in a parking lot is a lot of fun!
The obsession will be in full force for the rest of this month, and then hopefully I’ll pass the road test and settle back a bit.
Movies watched:
Now You See Me 2 (2016) – Sometimes you just want a mindless movie, and having seen the first Now You See Me, I knew that this was exactly that. It did not disappoint in that regard. This one was definitely worse than the first, but I suppose it was entertaining. It was just so silly, though, and the cast was somehow so star-studded. It makes you wonder if people even read scripts or just take the cheque.
Justice League (2017) – I watched four movies on planes this month, and this is the only one I can remember at the moment. I hadn’t seen Batman v Superman, so I was a bit confused at the beginning, but it didn’t really matter. This one was also pretty bad, but I like to watch bad movies on planes. I feel like it’s not quite right to watch a great movie on a tiny screen.
TV watched:
Somebody Feed Phil:: Season 2 (2018) – I’m still surprised I like this show, but Phil has grown on me. They really do a great job with this. Fantastic food and an interesting look at each city.
Queer Eye: Season 2 (2018) – More of the same, but still interesting to watch. This season seemed less emotional, which was a nice break.
Games played:
N/A – I’ve been playing some games here and there, mainly Octopath Traveler and Dead Cells, but none are really grabbing me right now.
Come say hello:
What have you been reading/watching/playing this month?
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8 Comments
Red Metal
Funny you should mention that because I actually watched Caddyshack for the first time on a plane to China five years ago. I thought I wouldn’t like watching it on a tiny screen, but it turned out just fine. I ended up laughing several times to the befuddlement to the person sitting next to me. For that matter, I’ve cleared a game on a plane at least once.
Rob
I have watched great movies on a tiny screen before, and it’s been a good experience, but I’d usually rather use the time to catch up on the trashy movies I’ve been curious about, hah. I did play a bunch of Dead Cells too on the flights. The Switch is perfect for that.
Ola G
Congrats on turning 36! And don’t get your hopes high for Batman v Superman 😉
Rob
Thank you! And I do have realistic expectations for that one, hah.
Bookstooge
So, any bikes in mind yet? And how serious are you about getting one? New, used? Chain or belt driven? What size engine? I’m curious 😀
Since your gf is an instructor, I feel no need to pontificate and give you wise advise. Bookstooge-sensei knows when to butt out.
As for being over the hill, welcome to the club. I have found that with your mind going, every day is a new experience, hahahahaa 😉
Rob
I want to start on a smaller engine for the first couple of years, and right now I’m eyeing a new 2018 KTM 390 Duke. It’s light, easy to maneuver and corner, and of all the smaller engine displacement bikes it looks like the most fun. Almost every review I’ve seen, especially video reviews, the reviewers seem to get really excited about how much fun it is to ride. It also just slips under the 400cc mark, which means cheaper insurance here, and I have a dealer nearby.
There are some reliability issues with them, but I’m going to talk to the dealer about that and the warranty and such soon and have a sit on it. Not sure I’ll be able to demo, but I’ll check on that too. I’m still keeping an eye on the used market, but I’ve become pretty focused on this little Duke, haha.
And I am happy to take advice from anywhere!
Bookstooge
How’s your back? I ask because I just looked at pix of the ktm and while not a rice rocket, definitely reminds me of a dual on/off road dirtbike and it looks likeyou’ll be doing a bit of leaning over.
What is traffic like where you are at? Is 400cc going to be enough to give you the power you need to accelerate?
As for advice, act like every car is going to try to kill you and drive mega-defensively.
Rob
From what I’ve read, it sounds like your legs are sitting semi-agressive while your top half is actually fairly upright, but that’s a good point. I’ll make note of how I am when I sit on it later, as I don’t want to be very forward leaning.
I live on Vancouver Island where even the highways are slow. I think it’ll probably be alright for small trips we have planned around here. In a few years I’d like to pick up a larger bike and do a bit more distance touring.
And yeah, I plan to ride like I’m invisible. We’ve had a rise in rider deaths here this year, so it’s definitely on the mind…