Ohayocon and other thoughts.

Garth and I had a wonderful time at OHAYOCON this past weekend.  We’ve been attending for years and have always found it to be full of friendly attendees and gracious staff.  We didn’t speak on any panels, which gave us plenty of time at our table for folks to come see us, chat with us, and generally be awesome with us.  The area surrounding the convention center is host to plenty of interesting after-hours spots, my favorite being a grilled cheese bar that had a plethora of vegan options (which I dragged Garth to every night for dinner).  Ohayocon is fast becoming our traditional kick-off to the year’s convention circuit, and we started 2016 with a bang.  We’re looking forward to our next stop, KATSUCON, next month!

I’ve had plenty of time to sit down and digest David Bowie’s latest and final album, Blackstar.  I loved it on the first listen, but many of the songs required more attention to truly appreciate.  After days of listening to the album from beginning-to-end on a loop (I told you I loved it), I can honestly say that I find it to be a perfect album.  Every song is powerfully unique and stands strong on its own, while simultaneously being a vital part of the album’s narrative and flow.  You can’t listen to Blackstar and skip any of the songs, yet if you were to hear a song by itself it would feel like a natural single.  This is a powerfully somber and haunting work, but it’s a beautiful final statement from a truly one-of-a-kind artist.  If only all of us could write the conclusion of our stories so majestically.

Garth and I are going to write a joint review of “Rise of the Tomb Raider” as soon as I get around to finishing it.  Garth already has, but I’m taking my sweet time with the game.  I’m not terribly far but I already find it to be pulse-pounding and thrilling, and perhaps that is why I’m going through the game so slowly.  My poor heart can only take so many nail-biting literal cliffhangers, of which the game has plenty.  Once I muster up the courage and fortitude to forge onward, Garth and I will share our thoughts.