Note: The bulk of the following article
was written weeks ago before being sidelined. Recently there was a
loss in our extended family due to a rather horrific accident. This
event makes the following abundance of shiny baubles seem a bit less
interesting and possibly even tasteless. That being said, I began
this site with the intention of it being a fun place to look at
different topics, and provide an escape from the stresses of the
world, not to go on long winded speeches about loss or the meaning of
life. As the recent tragedy effects the time available to work on
posts, I'm finishing this one in order to keep the site updated for
you fine folks while the family deals with the loss.
Way back when I was a wee lad, mail
was an incredible novelty to me. Most kids get very little in the way
of mail to begin with but once you factor in a lack of subscriptions,
zero pen pals, and nearby relatives that offered up birthday and
Christmas cards in person, I swear mail of my own was a yearly event
at best. Maybe that could explain why nowadays I occasionally order
too many items at once resulting in an embarrassing showcase of
materialism or as I like to call it, Tuesday. All things considered,
I'd say this makes a fine excuse to revive the long dormant show and
tell feature.
In all fairness, such a monstrous
bounty all at once was not planed. All these items had different
origins be that long gestating pre-orders, late birthday gifts, or
board game trades made in an attempt to downsize my collection.
Universal law seems to dictate however, that if multiple packages are
on route, all shall be delivered within the same day.
The Warlock Collection from
Vestron Video collection is one of those items that seems too good to
be true. The first film is an over the top mix of adventure, fantasy,
comedy, and witchcraft which wormed it's way into my horror loving
heart upon first viewing. Problem was the DVD was some hideous,
fullscreen only abomination, a mistake I've waited years to see
corrected. This set surpasses that meager dream by including the
extra nutty second installment, along with a third I've yet to
witness. As someone who tends to their horror collection as others
would a rose garden, there was always a hole where these films should
have been. Now that vacancy has been filled. Time to continue my
efforts of convincing someone to release Pin, Split Second, Eyes
of Laura Mars, and Full Circle.
Time Stories is one of the
biggest titles from board game publisher Space Cowboys. They're one
of very few companies to have actually earned brand loyalty from me.
Given they're track record it's no surprise. From Favorites like
Splendor and Black Fleet to innovative and frustrating
titles like Unlock, and even fun shoot the shit games like Hit
Z Road, these guys are responsible for some of my favorite board
gaming memories. While this is a more complex title, there was no way
I'd let one of their productions slip past. The added bonus of
trading off two older titles means I'm maybe 1/49th of the
way towards my goal of culling an overgrown game collection.
The Secret History of Twin Peaks
was part of a duo of late birthday presents. I've heard mixed things
about the book, including some complaints that it fails to properly
mesh with the timeline of the series while potentially
oversimplifying some of the key mysteries. Seeing as I'm no master of
the franchise I didn't always catch the inconsistencies with
established lore, though a couple still stuck out. What really struck
me as unique is that I learned some honest to god real history from
this collection of conspiracy theories and spooky stories. It's not
unlike the old monster or UFO books I used to scare myself with as a
kid, only with a sprinkling of legit educational value.
Then there's records, so many records.
Disintegration comes curtsy of my sister as yet another belated gift.
Barely had a chance to touch it yet though it oddly ties into current
events as Lovesong is supposed to be a primary theme at the upcoming
funeral. Certainly a coincidence though it's still strange how events
tie together.
The other three LP's come from
Collector's Choice Vinyl. One reason for the order was simply to try
them out as they had some spiffy pricing and flat rate shipping which
is a luxury when it comes to vinyl. The other reason is their
exclusive variant of The Fly soundtrack. There is another mass market
version but this green black mix was just too spiffy to ignore and at
only 750 piece I made sure to jump on it as soon as possible. Part of
my plan since getting into records is to enhance different times of
the year and horror soundtracks will be a key element in to the
Halloween season from now on, a practice that starts right here.
Also in the order are Neon Indian and
Big Freedia, each of which are solid albums. So far, my record stash
has become an invaluable relaxation tool with one downside. Like any
new hobby, there's always that rush of excitement to catch up,
meaning it's easy to go overboard. While I am of the opinion that
money is better off spent, ya have to draw the line somewhere, which
usually comes when you realize half a check went to LP's.
As noted above, I'm finishing this
post during a week when nearly every conversation involves death
which usually makes people think about their legacy or connections to
others rather than mere objects. I've always been materialistic, yet
looking at these items I see something more than just the newest
acquisitions. Each of these helps to improve upon life, even if just
a bit. Really that should be the goal of any purchase. Simply
grabbing something because it's neat isn't enough. An item should add
to our moods, minds, and relationships. True, these
are all just objects, but they're also the tools I use to make life a
bit better. And when mortality is the topic of the day, having
something to improve our time here is pretty much priceless.
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