Weekly Musings #1 - Week of July 12th
I experimented with doing week notes over at weblog.lol for a while, and after reflecting on them, I've decided to make a few changes:
I'm going to integrate them back into my main blog here, so I'll be posting these weekly notes moving forward.
I'm calling them "Weekly Musings" because I like the way it sounds and that's kind of what these are to me, looking back and musing on the week before.
Instead of trying to include every piece of media I consumed throughout the week, I'm only going to mention highlights. I find it particularly hard to include all the games because I play a lot within a week. I'd rather just write a bit about the ones I especially enjoyed and want to recommend.
I'm including a "listened to" category for songs I've had on repeat. I listen to music all the time and love sharing it with others.
These will be posted on Sundays covering the week before. If I miss a Sunday, I'll just move on and try to post the following week. I'm not going to be too hard on myself with these, as it's not always easy to keep up with them, but I do like writing these notes when I can.
General Life Stuff
I met my new supervisor at work, and she's great! I still miss my old supervisor a lot, but I had my first one-on-one meeting with my new boss and it went really well. We bonded over thriller books, and she sent me a couple of recommendations. She's also a fan of video games! Her favorites are nostalgic platformers that I grew up with, like Spyro and Crash Bandicoot.
I was graciously invited to the Web Writers Collective by James. I've very much enjoyed being part of the Signal group, meeting new writers, and seeing the collective creativity of the group. It's a lovely part of the indie web!
Watched
Ghostwatch - A mockumentary from 1992 that was originally broadcast on the BBC and apparently fooled a lot of people into thinking it was all really happening live. It's shot like a news broadcast and shows an intense haunting in a family's house in suburban London as it gradually progresses throughout the night. I think it's an impressive watch even today, very effective at subtle horror and building dread, although the ending goes a bit too hard.
Obsession - I watched this again with my husband. It was his first time seeing it, and he was thoroughly creeped out. It unsettled me just as much the second time. One of the most brilliant horror films ever made, but I need to be careful with how much I watch it because it really has a disturbing effect on me that stays with me for a while.
Played
Donut County - I finally got around to playing this indie game from 2018, and I'm so glad I did! In a town run by raccoons, including the Trash King overlord, you control a hole in the ground, using physics-based puzzles to swallow up all the town's trash. The raccoons have a very loose definition of "trash," however, and pretty much everyone and everything gets swallowed up, leaving them trapped underground. It's charming and funny, with simple but satisfying puzzles.
Hades - I've been playing this quite a lot lately. I won't say much about it because it's pretty well-known as one of the best roguelikes of all time, with a great story to boot. I'm really enjoying decorating the Underworld with all my rewards. 😋
Left 4 Dead 2 - Playing this with my husband and my cousin. A classic multiplayer first-person shooter that still holds up so well. I don't play many first-person shooters because I tend to get motion sickness from them, but I haven't had any issues with this one. I love that it's set in nearby Atlanta, and the characters' dialogue is entertaining, adding a lot of flavor to the game.
Read
Contra Amatores Mundi by Graham Thomas Wilcox - I already wrote about this in a previous blog post, but I can't stop thinking about it. I would read a 1,000-page book about Walpurga the witch-nun.
Listened To
A few songs I've had on repeat (with links to YouTube):
- "Sleepless Nights" by Novelists
- "Megaliths" by Ben Prunty
- "The Dark" by Chelsea Wolfe
- "Juracan" by Novumora
- "The Trace Outlives" by Tarja
- "Winding Roads" by SOHAOYING
- "Unknown" by JJ
- "Drekafljóð" by Eivør
Blog Posts, Articles, and YouTube Videos
How I keep track of my gaming - Joel wrote a great post about tracking his gaming using various tools. It's something I've wanted to try to do more seriously myself.
Bones and feathers as home decor - Absolutely adored this post by Karin about her homemade decor using pieces she found while exploring outdoors. It all looks amazing and has inspired me to try something similar in the future.
On Loving a Senior Dog - Jedda wrote a heartbreaking rumination on loving her older dog, Cocoa. This really touched me, especially when she described Cocoa as her "soul dog" and wrote, "The thought of mortality doesn’t just feel like a heartbreak. It feels like imagining a part of my soul being torn away." I can't help but think of my Ranni, who's still young but is absolutely my soul dog. I've been giving her extra hugs lately, while my thoughts are with Jedda and Cocoa.
The King of Fruits - A glimpse into the daily life of Li Tian, a Chinese ex-IT professional who moved to Laos to run a durian farm. He's become an influencer in his native China, where the durian has become so popular that there are influencers for it.
Balatro by adef for Games Done Quick - I've been watching the videos from Summer Games Done Quick 2026, and I loved this Balatro run by adef. Games Done Quick is one of the most wholesome parts of the gaming world, which can often feel way too toxic. It's lovely to see all the trans rights shoutouts, the friendships between the runners and their couches, and everybody coming together for a good cause.