Jekyll2023-11-07T09:54:45-05:00http://www.brettchalupa.com/feed.xmlBrett ChalupaCreative dabbler and professional software developerIntroducing Slither2023-01-17T16:38:00-05:002023-01-17T16:38:00-05:00http://www.brettchalupa.com/introducing-slither<p><img src="/uploads/slither-logo.jpg" alt="Slither with eyes and a tongue come out of the s like a snake" /></p>
<p>I’ve been making a little Snake game called <em>Slither</em> as an effort to experiment with hand-drawn, scanned-in graphics in games and to learn how to make games for iOS and Android with DragonRuby GTK. <a href="https://brettchalupa.itch.io/slither">You can play it now</a>, even though it’s not finished yet.</p>
<p>This v0.1 release is my progress so far—just a basic Snake game with custom graphics for web and desktop. The next release, v0.2, will focus on getting it working nicely on touch devices. Then I’ll polish it up and call it done.</p>
<p><img src="/uploads/slither-screenshot.png" alt="Slither screenshot" /></p>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zquhAalc0BU">📺 Watch the gameplay for this release.</a></p>
<p><a href="https://github.com/brettchalupa/slither">👀 View the source.</a></p>
<p><em>Slither</em> is dedicated to the public domain and is an educational freeware project.</p>
<p>Ideas for what I’ll work on next:</p>
<ul>
<li>More polish</li>
<li>Tutorial</li>
<li>Music & more sfx</li>
<li>Mobile builds! (will be free)</li>
</ul>
<p>Anyway, enjoy this little game! I’m having fun making it, and I’m learning, which is what matters most to me right now.</p>
<p><a href="https://brettchalupa.itch.io/slither">Play <em>Slither</em>!</a></p>Destroy All Goblins is Launched2023-01-09T13:09:00-05:002023-01-09T13:09:00-05:00http://www.brettchalupa.com/destroy-all-goblins-is-launched<p>After a month of work, my largest game to date, is finished! It’s called <em>Destroy All Goblins</em>.</p>
<p><a href="https://brettchalupa.itch.io/destroy-all-goblins"><img src="/uploads/destroy-all-goblins-screenshot-1.png" alt="Destroy All Goblins screenshot" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://brettchalupa.itch.io/destroy-all-goblins">Play <em>Destroy All Goblins</em>!</a></p>
<p><a href="https://brettchalupa.itch.io/destroy-all-goblins"><img src="/uploads/itch-badge.png" alt="Available on itch.io" /></a></p>
<p>Or watch the trailer:</p>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/wbu3LSfB68s" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<p><em>Destroy All Goblins</em> is a small freeware game for personal computers. It’s inspired by <em>Super Crate Box</em>, and it uses art assets by <a href="https://pixelfrog-assets.itch.io/">Pixel Frog</a> from the public domain.</p>
<p>I had such a fun time making it, and I learned a ton. I’m looking forward to reflecting and writing a post-mortem after I have a little space from the project. I’m not quite sure what I’ll work on next, but I’ve got a lot of ideas.</p>
<p>For now though, it’s time to take a little break from such focus and relax a little bit!</p>After a month of work, my largest game to date, is finished! It’s called Destroy All Goblins.Creative Roadmap for 20232023-01-03T16:38:00-05:002023-01-03T16:38:00-05:00http://www.brettchalupa.com/creative-roadmap-for-2023<p>As I look forward to the year ahead, I’d like to approach it with a fierce determination to finish my personal creative projects. I’m pleased with what I accomplished in 2022, and I’d like to keep that momentum.</p>
<p>My primary focus is going to be making games because I’m enamored with the art form and love how it combines visuals, audio, design, and player interaction.</p>
<p>Here’s what I’m setting out to accomplish in the new year:</p>
<ol>
<li>Release at least 6 small freeware games</li>
<li>Be competent and confident with the game engine (the code that powers my games) I’ve chosen</li>
<li>Release at least 1 of those games widely on places like the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, Steam, GOG, etc. to get experience with that process</li>
<li>Share my process and projects via my blog and <a href="/newsletter">newsletter</a></li>
</ol>
<p>My goal is to eventually earn money from making games. That was my dream when I was young, and I’ve never fully given up on it, even 15 years later. The difference between me today and me as a young adult is that I’ve got a lot more experience with finishing complex software projects (from my day job) and a lot more time spent on various creative skills (from my artistic pursuits). I want to combine my technical skills and creative skills.</p>
<p>Why would I aim to release 6 freeware games if I want to try to make money from my projects? I’m being intentional with this decision. I have no illusions that my games will be very good and worth buying from the start. I also want to reduce the pressure on myself and instead focus on getting good at finishing games. Instead of spending three years toiling away on a project and hoping it’s successful, what if I spent three months on a free game and see how it goes?</p>
<p>I’m viewing 2023 as a year for establishing myself. If my freeware games are enjoyed by people, maybe they’ll follow along and become fans. To me, that’s a form of marketing and investment. Like what I made? There’s plenty more to come! I also need to establish my tools, game engine, and workflow when it comes to making games. There’s a real trap I could fall into where I evaluate a half-dozen different technological solutions for a year and don’t actually make anything substantial. I’d much rather have a game engine I know like the back of my hand and can work efficiently in. I’d rather leverage my work from game to game rather than starting fresh with a new game engine each time.</p>
<p>I believe in myself, but I’m also grounded in reality. I can’t work on one game for years right now—I don’t have the fortitude for it. I need to pace myself and think long-term and be intentional with my decisions. I’m okay with taking some risks, but they need to be measured and not a pipe dream.</p>
<p>I’m not at a loss for game ideas, but I also know new ideas will float on by for me to catch. I’m not committed to any projects except those I’ve already started. Finishing things is my main priority!</p>
<p>That’s my plan for 2023. Make and finish at least six small games. Try to distribute one widely. Solidify the tools I use to make games. Share what I learn along the way.</p>
<p>I’m having a blast with my projects so far, and I’m looking forward to sharing them and what I learn.</p>
<p>Thank you <em>so</em> much for following along with my creative journey. Sharing what I’ve been working on can be a bit scary at times, so I’m grateful to be able to share this with ya’!</p>As I look forward to the year ahead, I’d like to approach it with a fierce determination to finish my personal creative projects. I’m pleased with what I accomplished in 2022, and I’d like to keep that momentum.What I Enjoyed, February 20172017-02-28T19:45:00-05:002017-02-28T19:45:00-05:00http://www.brettchalupa.com/what-i-enjoyed-february-2017<p>February, as usual, flew by. I spent most of my time working on my projects, but I was able to enjoy some great things.</p>
<h2 id="books">Books</h2>
<p>I didn’t do too much reading in February. Most of my reading time was spent on the first draft of <a href="/aperture">Aperture</a>. Last month I started <em>The Left Hand of Darkness</em> by Ursula K. Le Guin, but I decided to put it on hold after 50 pages. I was having a hard time getting into the world and grasping all of the concepts introduced. I’d like to revisit it in the future, though.</p>
<h2 id="movies">Movies</h2>
<p>I watched half of <em>Mad Max: Fury Road - Black & Chrome</em>, but I didn’t finish it for some reason. I’m into the black and white visuals, so I’m going to try to finish it soon. Other than that, I didn’t watch any other movies in February.</p>
<h2 id="tv">TV</h2>
<h3 id="girls">Girls</h3>
<p>I started watching <em>Girls</em> with my partner in February, and I’m hooked. I like how each character has their own personality, even though all of them feel a bit extreme. It feels like a modern version of <em>Friends</em>, minus the sitcom aspects.</p>
<h2 id="games">Games</h2>
<h3 id="fire-emblem-heroes">Fire Emblem Heroes</h3>
<p><em>Fire Emblem Heroes</em> is a strategy game on iOS that I’ve been playing and somewhat enjoying. It’s part of a long-running series of games, which I have played a few of. It doesn’t have the depth of its predecessors, but it scratches an itch. It’s free to play and not too in your face about microtransactions, which I appreciate.</p>
<h2 id="music">Music</h2>
<h3 id="forget-by-xiu-xiu"><em>Forget</em> by Xiu Xiu</h3>
<p>The latest Xiu Xiu album <em>Forget</em> came out at the end of February, and I think it’s a very good album. It feels distinct from the other Xiu Xiu albums I’ve listened to but still familiar.</p>
<p>My favorite songs on the album thus far are “Get Up,” “Hay Choco Bananas,”
and “At Last, At Last.”</p>
<iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 42px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3989667233/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=635045112/transparent=true/" seamless=""><a href="http://xiuxiu.bandcamp.com/album/forget">FORGET by Xiu Xiu</a></iframe>
<h3 id="fabulous-muscles-by-xiu-xiu"><em>Fabulous Muscles</em> by Xiu Xiu</h3>
<p>In preparation for <em>Forget</em>, I bought <em>Fabulous Muscles</em> at the very beginning of the month. It’s a solid album, but I think I’m enjoying <em>Forget</em> more. A song from the album named “Bunny Gamer (B)” is regularly stuck in my head, although “Clowne Towne” is my favorite.</p>
<iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 42px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=872368713/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=3428123323/transparent=true/" seamless=""><a href="http://xiuxiu.bandcamp.com/album/fabulous-muscles">Fabulous Muscles by Xiu Xiu</a></iframe>
<h2 id="podcasts">Podcasts</h2>
<h3 id="5by5-movies-glengarry-glen-ross"><a href="http://5by5.tv/movies/2">5by5 Movies: Glengarry Glen Ross</a></h3>
<p>An in-depth analysis by two of my favorite podcasters, Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin, about a great movie, Glengarry Glen Ross. If you’ve seen the movie before, it’s worth the listen. It made me appreciate the film in a new way.</p>February, as usual, flew by. I spent most of my time working on my projects, but I was able to enjoy some great things.Minimizing Distractions2017-02-21T19:30:00-05:002017-02-21T19:30:00-05:00http://www.brettchalupa.com/minimizing-distractions<p>When I’m writing I do everything I can to eliminate as many distractions as possible to keep myself from being interrupted. Not being interrupted means I can maintain my focus longer, which leads to higher quality writing. This may all seem a little bit “no shit, Sherlock,” but I find myself thinking about it often.</p>
<p>First, I silence my phone and put it in my drawer. Out of sight, out of mind. When I’m writing, I’m writing. I don’t want to be interrupted by phone calls or text messages. Those can wait until I’m done writing. If for some reason I am expecting a call, I turn off all notifications aside from phone calls. While phones are useful tools, they seem to be more often used for distraction than creation.</p>
<p>With the phone away, I close all of the applications and websites I don’t need open while writing. This means no social media or email. By having only the necessary applications I need open, I don’t find my mind drifting to check what else is going on in the world. A nifty little feature in MacOS is the ability to mute notifications within the operating system. Pressing the Alt key and clicking on the icon of the three lines in the upper-right corner of the menu bar will prevent the notifications from being displayed.</p>
<p>Once all of the digital distractions are quelled, I clean off my desk to remove any visual distractions. If there are others home with me, I let them know that I’m writing. All that’s left is to make my writing app fullscreen and get to it.</p>
<p>There will always be distractions I can’t control, <a href="http://www.brettchalupa.com/dear-upstairs-neighbors">like noisy neighbors</a>, but I do my best to control what I can. The time I dedicate to writing is my time to do just that. I want to do it the best that I can and make the most of my time.</p>When I’m writing I do everything I can to eliminate as many distractions as possible to keep myself from being interrupted. Not being interrupted means I can maintain my focus longer, which leads to higher quality writing. This may all seem a little bit “no shit, Sherlock,” but I find myself thinking about it often.A Beginner’s Guide to Twin Peaks2017-02-17T22:00:00-05:002017-02-17T22:00:00-05:00http://www.brettchalupa.com/a-beginners-guide-to-twin-peaks<p>I unabashedly love <em>Twin Peaks</em>. It’s my favorite television series, and it occupies a good chunk of my mental energy. I’ve been thinking a lot about why it’s so special. While doing so, I thought it would be a fun idea to create this: a spoiler-free beginner’s guide to <em>Twin Peaks</em>.</p>
<p>If you’ve never watched the show and are interested in what all of the hubbub is about, this is for you. Heck, if you’re already a fan, then you may enjoy this too.</p>
<p><img src="/uploads/twin-peaks-guide.png" alt="Twin Peaks Beginner’s Guide with Owl Logo" /></p>
<h2 id="what-is-twin-peaks">What is <em>Twin Peaks</em>?</h2>
<p><em>Twin Peaks</em> is first-and-foremost a television series. It tells the story of Dale Cooper, a handsome and just FBI agent, who travels to the quaint town of Twin Peaks in northeast Washington to investigate the murder of Laura Palmer, the local high school sweetheart whose body was found washed ashore.</p>
<p>It’s a drama through-and-through, with a unique mixture of darkness, quirkiness, and humor.</p>
<p>The show’s original run consisted of two seasons in the early ‘90s. After the series ended, a prequel film titled <em>Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me</em> was released. A third season was recently announced and is set to pick up where the second season left off. It premieres on May 21, 2017. I’m beyond excited.</p>
<p><em>Twin Peaks</em> was co-created by David Lynch and Mark Frost. If neither of those names ring a bell, here’s a little primer: David Lynch is an auteur who has made many films over the decades, including but not limited to <em>Blue Velvet</em> (my favorite film), <em>The Elephant Man</em>, <em>Wild at Heart</em>, and <em>Mulholland Drive</em>. David Lynch’s films are usually dark, abstract, and beautiful. He has a very distinct style, and it is infused in <em>Twin Peaks</em>. Mark Frost is a writer and producer who has worked on a variety of television series and films. Together they make a great team.</p>
<p><em>Twin Peaks</em> has a loyal following of fans, and I think it is safe to say that the original series and film have stood the test of time very well.</p>
<h2 id="what-makes-it-special">What Makes It Special</h2>
<p>So much about <em>Twin Peaks</em> is special to me. I don’t want to dive too much into the characters, as I think it’s best to go in with as little information as possible. I’ll just say this: It’s hard to pick a favorite.</p>
<p>The aspects of Twin Peaks that feel most present in today’s pop culture—the coffee, cherry pie, donuts, Dale Cooper’s thumbs up—are a testament to the characteristics of the show that are so memorable.</p>
<p>The show has an other-worldliness that is dark and mysterious and engrossing. It shows restraint and leaves it to you, the viewer, to explore what it could all mean. I think it’s something that David Lynch does so well. The setting of the Pacific Northwest, my current home, is its own character. The breeze in the wind, the trees, the rain. It fits so well.</p>
<p>To top it all off, the music by Angelo Badalamenti is absolutely beautiful. It’s unique and powerful. I find myself listening to the soundtrack regularly.</p>
<h2 id="where-to-start">Where to Start</h2>
<p>Start with the first episode of the show. The pilot episode is just over 90 minutes long and wonderfully done. It’s directed by David Lynch and is Twin Peaks at its purest. I think it is safe to say that if you enjoy the pilot, keep on watching the first season. It’s all Grade A television.</p>
<p>Season 1 is 8 episodes long, which I think is just the right amount of episodes. If after the first season you’re not into it, that’s totally fine. There’s not much that’ll grab you beyond that.</p>
<p>Season 2, which is 22 episodes long, is a bit more of a mixed bag compared to the first season. It flounders and drags on after episode 9, but I still recommend watching it if you’ve enjoyed it up until the point. Some episodes are worse than others, but there’s still some solid character moments. It’s all worth it for the season finale, which, like the pilot, is one of the all-time great episodes of television. Season 2 ends on a very strong note.</p>
<p>The reason for the decline of the quality in season 2 is debatable, but my take on it is that the lack of David Lynch-directed episodes combined with the sheer number of total episodes was too much to sustain.</p>
<h2 id="beyond-the-show">Beyond the Show</h2>
<p>If you watch the show and are craving more <em>Twin Peaks</em>, well lucky for you there’s still more to explore.</p>
<p>The film I mentioned earlier, <em>Fire Walk with Me</em>, is a very good film. The intro features a new set of characters and some memorable scenes. It then shifts gears and gives a look a the life of Laura Palmer before her murder. It’s darker and less humorous than the television series, which I appreciate. I’ll take the dark side of <em>Twin Peaks</em> over the quirky side any day.</p>
<p>After <em>Fire Walk with Me</em>, the other media related to Twin Peaks is pretty middling. It’ll add more context to the show, characters, and setting, but I don’t think of them as necessary.</p>
<p>Around the time when the television series was airing, <em>The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer</em> by Jennifer Lynch was released. It’s good, but nothing spectacular.</p>
<p>An audiobook titled <em>“Diane…”: The Twin Peaks Tapes of Agent Cooper</em> was released and is 45 minutes of narration by the actor who plays Dale Cooper. It’s cool, but it’s not required listening.</p>
<p>In 2016 a book titled <em>The Secret History of Twin Peaks</em> by Mark Frost was released. It is a well-designed book meant to mimic an FBI dossier, but I didn’t find the content of it particularly gripping.</p>
<p>There are some other books and related media, but I haven’t checked those out.</p>
<p>If after all of that you’re looking for something similar to Twin Peaks, I’d suggest diving into David Lynch’s filmography. Twin Peaks is a great gateway. Start with <em>Blue Velvet</em> and go from there. You’ll notice at least a familiar face or two in most of his films. After <em>Blue Velvet</em>, I’d go with <em>Mulholland Drive</em> and <em>Eraserhead</em>.</p>
<p>I’ve still got a few of his films I haven’t yet watched (<em>The Straight Story</em>, <em>Dune</em>, and <em>The Elephant Man</em> as of writing this). I’ll get my way through them soon enough.</p>
<h2 id="diane-its-time-to-go-watch-the-series">Diane, it’s time to go watch the series.</h2>
<p>I’ve got a real hankering to go watch <em>Twin Peaks</em> now, so that’s what I’m going to do. If you’ve decided to give the show a try, <a href="https://twitter.com/brettchalupa">I’d be thrilled to hear your thoughts</a>.</p>
<p>I’ll see you in the trees. :evergreen_tree:</p>I unabashedly love Twin Peaks. It’s my favorite television series, and it occupies a good chunk of my mental energy. I’ve been thinking a lot about why it’s so special. While doing so, I thought it would be a fun idea to create this: a spoiler-free beginner’s guide to Twin Peaks.New Story: Lunar Space Colony2017-02-12T17:00:00-05:002017-02-12T17:00:00-05:00http://www.brettchalupa.com/new-story-lunar-space-colony<p><img src="/uploads/lunar-space-colony-cover.png" alt="Lunar Space Colony horizontal cover" /></p>
<p>This week’s new story is “Lunar Space Colony.” It’s about a mechanical engineer named Bri who starts a new job on a space colony that orbits the Moon. She soon discovers something is a bit off.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.brettchalupa.com/lunar-space-colony">Read “Lunar Space Colony”</a></p>
<p>I also created a narrated version of the story (with music by <a href="http://gahlorddewald.com">Gahlord Dewald</a>):</p>
<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/307416036&color=1d1d1d&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false"></iframe>
<p>“Lunar Space Colony” was originally written for an <a href="https://ello.co/ellowrites/post/hyhu30ulxwgdfydrcg81jq">@ellowrites challenge</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Create a utopia. We mean it. No dystopias masquerading as utopias. Both fiction and essay welcome.
If you’d like a target word count, shoot for 2,000, though any length is fine.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>It’ll be collected in <a href="http://www.brettchalupa.com/alder"><em>Alder</em></a> when all of the stories are complete.</p>Introducing Gather Around2017-02-08T21:45:00-05:002017-02-08T21:45:00-05:00http://www.brettchalupa.com/introducing-gather-around<p>As I have been recording and sharing the audio versions of my short stories, I have been wanting to find an easy way for people to listen to them offline and on mobile devices. On Saturday the idea hit me: why don’t I release the stories as a podcast? Well, I decided to go for it. It’s called <a href="/gather-around"><em>Gather Around</em></a>.</p>
<p><img src="/uploads/gather-around.png" alt="Gather Around Cover" /></p>
<p>Each short story is its own episode, which seems fitting. I have two upcoming novel projects where I’ll release each chapter of the audiobook through <em>Gather Around</em> as well. I will continue to do my best to publish a new story every week.</p>
<p>I am going to keep the feed strictly fiction. No ads, just stories.</p>
<p>It was easy to setup since I have <a href="https://soundcloud.com/gather_around">been uploading the narrated stories to SoundCloud</a>. All I had to do was figure out the name, create the cover, and submit the RSS feed to places like iTunes and Google Play Music. Like most of my projects, I am viewing it as an experiment and will see how it goes.</p>
<p>If you’re interested in subscribing, here are the various places it is available:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/gather-around/id1202620594">iTunes URL</a></li>
<li><a href="https://goo.gl/app/playmusic?ibi=com.google.PlayMusic&isi=691797987&ius=googleplaymusic&link=https://play.google.com/music/m/I5ywuf67qsf32qlxmlwstxntk7q?t%3DGather_Around%26pcampaignid%3DMKT-na-all-co-pr-mu-pod-16">Google Play Music</a></li>
<li><a href="http://pca.st/ijkd">Pocket Casts</a></li>
<li><a href="https://overcast.fm/p543419-TwjUJe">Overcast</a></li>
<li><a href="http://feeds.soundcloud.com/users/soundcloud:users:78830547/sounds.rss">RSS feed</a></li>
</ul>As I have been recording and sharing the audio versions of my short stories, I have been wanting to find an easy way for people to listen to them offline and on mobile devices. On Saturday the idea hit me: why don’t I release the stories as a podcast? Well, I decided to go for it. It’s called Gather Around.What Makes a Book Cover Great2017-02-05T14:30:00-05:002017-02-05T14:30:00-05:00http://www.brettchalupa.com/what-makes-a-book-cover-great<p><img src="/uploads/great-book-cover-collage-1.jpg" alt="Collage of book covers pt 1 (1Q84, Uprooted, Morte, The Setting Sun, No Longer Human)" /></p>
<p>As I work on the book cover designs for my own books, I keep asking myself, <em>What makes a book cover great?</em> Over the last few months, I have been saving my favorites to try to answer that question. Here’s what I have come up with.</p>
<ul>
<li>Abstraction — I enjoy more abstract cover images that represent something in the book but can be interpreted in a number of ways. It gives me space to think about what it means, and that meaning may change as I read the book and as time passes.</li>
<li>Setting the mood — The <em>Uprooted</em> cover does a really good job of communicating the atmosphere of the book. The golden colors, typography, and imagery screams fantasy, and it is done so well.</li>
<li>Simple & clean — I dislike covers that are cluttered with text and images. In general, the less there is on the cover the better.</li>
<li>Contrast — Looking at all of these covers together makes it clear to me why contrast matters. The eye focuses on the typography or the imagery first, and then it flips to the other. It there’s no contrast, it’s difficult to comprehend both the imagery and the text. When they both blur together, nothing is distinctive.</li>
<li>Clear title typography — I want the title to be parseable and understandable from a distance. I love it when a book shouts, “Here’s my name!”</li>
<li>Tasteful typography — Picking the right typeface goes a long way. It doesn’t need to be anything fancy or stylized. It needs to fit the theme, be clear, and not clash with the rest of the design.</li>
</ul>
<p>The difference between a great cover and a middling-to-bad cover is huge. What one sees when they pick up the book every time they go to read it is important. Plus, if the book is forward facing at the store, it’ll catch people’s eyes. On digital bookshelves, the cover is what sets a book apart among a sea of others. Cover design shouldn’t be an afterthought.</p>
<p>Here are some more of my favorites:</p>
<p><img src="/uploads/great-book-cover-collage-2.jpg" alt="Collage of book covers pt 2 (The Face of Another, Factotum, The Castle, Reflections, Men Without Women, A Wizard of Earthsea, Spring Snow, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Hobbit, The Silent Cry, Kafka on the Shore, Ico)" /></p>
<p>I also created <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/brettchalupa/great-book-covers/">a Pinterest board</a> where I’ll be adding new ones as I come across them.</p>What I Enjoyed, January 20172017-01-31T21:30:00-05:002017-01-31T21:30:00-05:00http://www.brettchalupa.com/what-i-enjoyed-january-2017<p>January 2017 was an unfortunately busy month for me. It was the kind of busy that threw off my balance, and I’m working on trying to find it again. Outside of work, I spent most of my time working on my personal projects, with some book reading and television watching mixed in.</p>
<h2 id="books">Books</h2>
<h3 id="a-wizard-of-earthsea-by-ursula-k-le-guin"><em>A Wizard of Earthsea</em> by Ursula K. Le Guin</h3>
<p>I read <em>A Wizard of Earthsea</em> mostly while riding the bus. It felt fitting to be on the move while I followed along with Ged’s adventure. I enjoyed <em>A Wizard of Earthsea</em> quite a bit, so <a href="http://www.brettchalupa.com/a-wizard-of-earthsea-review">I wrote a full review of it</a>.</p>
<p>I started <em>The Left Hand of Darkness</em> by Ursula K. Le Guin after finishing <em>A Wizard of Earthsea</em>, but I’m still early on and am not ready to share my thoughts yet.</p>
<h2 id="music">Music</h2>
<p>January was a pretty low-key music month for me. I continued to listen to the <em>Blade Runner</em> soundtrack a whole lot, which gets better with each listen.</p>
<h3 id="meat-is-murder-by-the-smiths"><em>Meat is Murder</em> by The Smiths</h3>
<p>I decided to buy <em>Meat is Murder</em> by The Smiths, since I really enjoy their self-titled album and <em>The Queen is Dead</em>. I don’t think <em>Meat is Murder</em> is nearly as good as them. “That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore” is the standout song on the album for me. “Well I Wonder” is another highlight. The rest of the songs fall flat and don’t do much for me. Maybe the album will grow on me with time? I’ll continue to slowly work my way through The Smiths’ discography.</p>
<h3 id="disintegration-by-the-cure"><em>Disintegration</em> by The Cure</h3>
<p>I had never intentionally listened to The Cure until last month. My friend Gahlord <a href="https://twitter.com/gahlord/status/822636140373151745">gave me a recommendation</a> to listen to <em>Disintegration</em> first. Wow, what an album. There’s not a song I don’t like. It’s 72 minutes of fantastic music. The album has such a special atmosphere and mood.</p>
<p>It was difficult to choose my favorite songs from the album, but here they are:</p>
<ul>
<li>“Untitled”</li>
<li>“Disintegration”</li>
<li>“Closedown”</li>
</ul>
<p>I’m not sure which The Cure album I’ll go for next, but the bar has been set pretty darn high.</p>
<h2 id="movies">Movies</h2>
<h3 id="la-la-land">La La Land</h3>
<p>My partner and I went to see <em>La La Land</em> in theaters, which was a nice evening. I enjoyed the music and Ryan Gosling’s character’s obsession with jazz. I thought Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone’s performances were pretty good. I don’t think the movie is by any means incredible, but I think it’s worth a watch.</p>
<h2 id="game-of-thrones--a-song-of-ice-and-fire">Game of Thrones / A Song of Ice and Fire</h2>
<p>To my surprise, I fell down the <em>Game of Thrones</em> rabbit hole in January. My partner had never watched <em>Game of Thrones</em>, so we started the series. The last season I had watched was season four, so I picked up where I left off and have been watching season five and six in parallel with the earlier seasons.</p>
<p>I dislike the extremely graphic depictions of violence in the show, but the plot and world are so engrossing. There’s also some questionable direction for the action shots in some episodes, and some of the storylines have begun to drag in the later seasons. Overall the show is well done.</p>
<p>To my surprise again, I began listening to the audiobook of <em>A Game of Thrones</em>. I started reading <em>A Game of Thrones</em> in 2015 and got halfway through it, but I never finished it. The audiobook seemed like a nice change of pace, and I’ve never listened to one before, so I decided to go for it. The narration is pleasant, even if a few of the narrator’s character voices sound ridiculous. The audiobook format works well while on the bus and taking walks. If I continue with the novels, I’m not sure if I’ll keep listening to the audiobooks or switch to reading. Time will tell.</p>January 2017 was an unfortunately busy month for me. It was the kind of busy that threw off my balance, and I’m working on trying to find it again. Outside of work, I spent most of my time working on my personal projects, with some book reading and television watching mixed in.