All my pleasures: guilty (WN31)

Doing

I’ve backported the last of the posts from my old blog! These two were the most involved because they were long and involved creating some new shortcodes (particularly the games one).

• My Top Ten Video Games from the 2010s (2019-11-13)
• My Top Ten Albums from the 2010s (2019-12-20)¹

I’ve therefore cancelled my Digital Ocean droplet² and can stop worrying about keeping a WordPress install up to date. All links to bansheebeat.org should now redirect here. I still love the the domain name and might look for something fun to do with it one day.³

Otherwise, school started back up this week, so that’s been consuming my time. We’re only doing operations and procedures right now, but so far, things are going alright. I’m optimistic it’ll stay that way. I’ve taken a step back from some of my committees and other obligations because I’m adjuncting this semester. Despite the first day of school craze, it’s odd how relaxed everything feels without the extra responsibilities that I typically heap upon myself. And I’m confident in my teaching! I have been for a long time, but this year more than ever. It’s a welcome reprieve from the horrific imposter syndrome I’ve felt around my college class.

At home and at my behest, we have been eating dinner at the dinner table. The entire time Joe and I have been living together, we’ve eaten on the couch while watching TV (unless we had company). Now that we’re back at work, I want to spend actual, engaged time with each other in what time we have. I don’t know how long it will stick, and I don’t know that it will be every night, but I’m enjoying it so far.

I’m typing these notes hastily on Sunday night as I wasn’t good about assembling them through the week. I have this odd sensation that I had some kind of monumental accomplishment or life event occur this week, but I can’t remember what it was. I’ll settle for believing that it’s some kind of illusion, as I’d remember anything as important. Or, perhaps, it can be held for next week. All around, though, being back at work feels like being back with myself — a version of myself that is living deliberately.

Watching

Joe and I finished watching Survivor: Blood vs. Water. We burned through Millennials vs. Gen X after that and are now on Cagayan. I like Cagayan less than I remember it, but it’s important to watch for other seasons.

At Joe’s behest, we also watched Unbreakable (2000). Media Club Plus is apparently covering all of the M. Night Shyamalan movies; Joe wants to listen, but he’s never seen any of the films. He watched Sixth Sense alone (I’d already seen it years ago and remember liking it), but he roped me into Unbreakable, which I watched without knowing anything about. I think it was some of the worst bullshit I’ve ever seen, and I’ve informed him that he will be watching all the rest of the movies on his own. Somehow, Unbreakable is considered one of Shyamalan’s best movies (behind Sixth Sense, obviously). If that’s the best, I have no interest in putting myself through any more.

Playing

A student taught me to play Gin, but I’m pretty sure she was mixed up on the rules. I promised to study up for homework so that we can have a rematch.

Listening

I’m listening to a lot of Trust Fund lately — I’ve listened to songs of theirs for years but never really full albums. I went through all of “No one’s coming for us” (listen to “Sadness,” “Cut me out,” and “Unwieldy Foam”), and I’ve kept on with Don’t Let Them Begin from last week (really feeling “The Coolest Guy” and “Seance”). There’s a kind of mopey indie slacker rock vibe to a lot of these, which I suppose reflects how I’m feeling now.

I listened to Straight Line Was a Lie by The Beths (and bought it on Bandcamp Friday). It was OK — I loved “No Joy,” but I found the rest unremarkable.