Goodbye 2018

Normally I don't bother with end of year articles as I find them tacky. Let's be honest though, 2018 was hardly a normal year. Right now it seems impossible the year is over already as there are still so many things to talk about. At the same time I'm relieved to have it over with, and hopeful for a fresh start. For every achievement and bit of enjoyment that happened these last twelve-months there were just as many baffling and frustrating developments so I decided for once we'd take a look at what went down all while taking a look at what's to come.

Real-Life:

Here's the area where everything seems sort of like a draw. I began the year by losing my security job, possibly the only employment that didn't drive me nuts. This created a financial black hole for the entire year but also opened up the option of returning to school. That in itself was a profoundly challenging task but here I am fresh off my first two classes and signed-up for the next four. During those months of set-up I worked towards expanding my online footprint with work for horrornews.net, made great strides in my interest in board game development, made a few home improvements, and had a decent number of adventures like my weird trip to Madison Wisconsin. On the flip side the family had to contend with constant health issues on both the human and animal front. One cat nearly died from bladder blockage while the older one developed thyroid issues. The brother-in-law had some mystery illness that turned out to be a rare dental condition. My mom likewise had hospital stays resulting from a mystery issue that turned out to be an inner-ear problem. If anything We've earned the right to celebrate a new year simply because we survived.

Moving forward my main personal goal is just to get through more school. Of course I wouldn't mind finally finding a spot that will pay me for some written content cause I really do need money. I'm still gonna work on board game development and novel writing when I can. I'd like to upgrade my transportation situation as well but that's a bit down the line.

For the first time in probably a decade I have an honest-to-god resolution. It's an achievable one as well. Ya know those big 50 packs of public domain movies? I've got a bunch of em that I've only taken s few bites out of. Starting in January I'm going to make them a regular part of my viewing habits. Even then I'll likely only finish one or two of them, but at least it's a start. This plays into another thing I'm considering which is restarting my cable-access show. There's still a lot to study and work out before this could even be a possibility. At best the show could launch in the Summer. I'm hesitant to bring it up should the project flatline but if it does come to pass then it could crossover into the site and possibly lead to a few improvements on that front.

Gaming:

If nothing else this year offered plenty of opportunities to fit in a lot more video games than usual. In fact a good bit of fun came from furthering my classic gaming interests and fitting in plenty of oldies but goodies like Super Metroid, and loads of old-school beat-em ups. I made time for big modern games as well and few things did more to keep this year on track than Yakuza 6 and Dragon Quest XI.

I don't even want to think about video games for next year as there are already so many from 2018 I've yet to play. And that's on the consoles I own. If I'm ever lucky enough to get a switch I'll likely grow into my chair.

Tabletop gaming was sadly not as much of a draw for the past few seasons. To a certain extent this was due to lacking funds and space but it also felt like companies were getting sort of lazy this year. Sure there were tons of games, too many actually, and some really interesting ones like Keyforge and Azul: Stained Glass of Sintra. By and large most stuff that came out just felt sort of hallow and standard issue with bloated mechanics and boring themes. Honestly the best doses of fun came from titles that came from before 2018 like Yokohama or La Isla. Not sure where this hobby will end up in the coming months, possibly it will quet down even more as school demands more time.

Movies and TV:

There were a surprising number of actually decent films this year ranging from some major Marvel efforts to the first decent Halloween sequel in decades. As usual I've yet to find that one film I'd label as my absolute favorite, far too many still to see before making that choice. Yet of any movie going adventure the most memorable was possibly going to see Solo. Unlike the last few Star Wars movies I saw this one a few days after it's release due to my returning home from the Madison trip. It was still a day or two before getting the kitty back from the emergency vet and a trio of myself, brother-in-law and nephew went to check out the flick on a quiet Monday night showing. Unlike those massive shared experiences of the other films this felt intimate and cozy. Heading to Steak n Shake for fatty intake afterwards made a perfect therapy to counteract the stress of travel and near cat loss. It may not be a beloved film but that night was a solid time at the cinema.

Television was more of a mixed bag with me cutting ties with several shows to save time for school which felt even bigger with Agents of Shield going on an extra long break and The Originals ending. Thankfully there were still a few highlights to warm up too. We're all aware of how much I've enjoyed Lupinranger vs Patranger even if it has wasted too much time on filler. Then there was the excellence of Daredevil season 3, the joys of Hulu picking up King of the Hill after Adult swim lost it. Legacies has so far been a fine continuation of CW's attractive monster universe. And of course there's the best show of the whole year, Joe Pera Talks with You. Can't tell you how long it's been since I've seen a show this wonderful and comforting. It's the sort of thing that helps restore your faith in the world. God, we never got into my fairly recent obsession with Tubi and all the treasure hiding on there.

In the new year I'd like to write more overviews and tributes to old TV favorites along with the Sentai recaps which should finally get a new format. Movie wise I'm looking forward to vast supply of movies tailored to me from the three Marvel efforts, Episode IX, two new Godzilla efforts, Glass, US, gonna be spending a lot of time in theater seats.

Music and Books:

2018 Christmas Haul.

Two areas that suffered a bit this year, one from finances, the other energy. I feel blessed to have the moderate record set-up that I do but I'm beginning to fall behind on releases because they cost too damn much. On the other end of the spectrum I haven't read a book for pure entertainment value since our last Star Wars review. The sheer amount of reading and writing for classes totally removed any urge to crack open a book for fun. Should I be able to return to reading those books I have found a way to keep that feature running. A good thing as I'm intrigued by the oncoming batch of pre Phantom Menace era novels. Hopefully some easier classes and aims for more cash will restore these two hobbies.

Overall:

As I said earlier, this year has been a challenge with a few highlights and achievements but the real excitement is 2019.Perhaps nearing the conclusion of major pop-culture movements like Avengers: Endgame and Star Wars IX along with more serious matters like hopefully getting better leadership will make people work a bit more towards the future. My primary focus is school and getting finances restored but there's a good dozen other projects on the table. That's going to make judging the success of the coming year difficult as there could be anywhere from a couple to a crap-load of changes.

There's a ton to look forward to in 2019. This site will have its sixth anniversary and breach the 300 post mark, I'm gonna try and wrap up as many long-term goals as I can. The hope is not only that I can improve over the year but that this place can grow and continue to bring a little fun to you all out there. And take this opportunity to offer some advice on what sort of content you'd like to see in the future. Are there any items you'd like to see covered? Anything you'd like to see dropped? Whatever the case I'm glad to have you all as a readership. Hope you survived the madness of 2018 and are pumped for everything to come. Happy new year to you all.