TBT^2: The Joy of Romantic Music II: Bedřich Smetana’s “The Moldau”

One of my favorite pieces of the Romantic period is Bedřich Smetana’s The Moldau, which depicts a musical cruise down the titular river.  I’m not sure why I always reblog about it in January—the piece has a much more springtime feel—but here we are.

I’ve been composing more and more programmatic and Impressionistic music lately, and nothing I’ve written lives up to what Smetana achieves in this piece.

But I said it all best back in 2021—and reblogged it in 2022.

With that, here is 13 January 2022’s “TBT: The Joy of Romantic Music II: Bedřich Smetana’s ‘The Moldau’“:

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Ponty Reviews: Stray (2022)

2024 is in full swing, and Ponty is already pitching in with his hot takes on video games.

His latest review covers the 2022 video game Stray, in which players take control of a feline protagonist in a post-apocalyptic world.

I remember when Stray hit a couple years ago.  The premise seemed intriguing, and gameplay footage and screenshots looked gorgeous.  The Blade Runner aesthetic and MS-DOS-faced robots added another level of charm.

Cats and the Internet go hand in paw, and pretty soon even the most casual of gamers—but the most ardent of cat lovers—were playing the game.  I even recall rumors that the game would be up for Game of the Year, though that didn’t happen for reasons Ponty eludes to in his review.

It’s also a favorite among couples, as most women even loosely associated or familiar with gaming love cats, some to the point of building their personalities around it.  Naturally, these cat moms flocked to the game.

I have not played the game, unfortunately, but I’d like to try it.  I do have to wonder, though—why didn’t somebody think of this concept sooner?  Given the gaming world’s love of cats, it seems like a slam dunk.  In the case of Stray, it really was!

With that, here’s Ponty’s review of Stray:

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Monday Morning Movie Review: Deadwax (2018)

I’ve watched some great flicks lately—and some truly terrible ones.  The holidays hit, and I forgot about them!  I guess the “great flicks” weren’t all that great after all.

My plan for 2024 is to move away from just reviewing weird horror movies, and instead getting into some of the timeless classics (some of which, of course, will be weird horror movies).  I’ve been hankering for some high quality viewing.  Just like food, there’s only so much garbage you can absorb before you’re ready to eat a steak.  Just as my body starts craving real food after a week of eating pathetic sandwiches and bachelor chow-tier spaghetti, so does my mind crave excellence after watching the grindhouse trash on Shudder.

But that’s to come.  Although I’ve nearly exhausted Shudder’s extensive library of the good, the bad, and the terrible (pretty much any horror movie made in the last five years, or any horror flick with Canadian actors), I stumbled upon a series—not a movie—called Deadwax (2018).

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Lazy Sunday CXXXIV: Best Ponty Posts of 2023

After posting my best posts of 2023 last week, it occurred to me that my loyal guest contributors deserved some love.  Ergo, I decided to put together a “Best Guest Posts of 2023” post.

As I began going through the top three most-viewed guest contributions, however, I realized they all belonged to Ponty/Always a Kid for Today, one of the greatest and most stalwart champions of this humble blog.  As such, I’m dedicating this edition of Lazy Sunday to his three best posts of 2023.

Some disclaimers:  “best” is purely quantitative, based on view count.  Of course, Ponty’s work is always qualitatively excellent, too.  Also, the posts had to be published in 2023.  The numbers are based on when I checked them, which was 31 December 2023 (the perfect time to review the last year’s numbers!).

So, without further ado, here are Ponty’s three best posts of 2023:

Happy Sunday—and Happy New Year!

—TPP

Other Lazy Sunday Installments:

SubscribeStar Saturday: The Spirit of 1776, Three Years On

A very Happy Birthday to our dedicated senior correspondent, Audre Myers.  Have a great day, Audre!

Today’s post is a SubscribeStar Saturday exclusive.  To read the full post, subscribe to my SubscribeStar page for $1 a month or more.  For a full rundown of everything your subscription gets, click here.

It’s been three years since the New Epiphany Rising (the original Epiphany Rising was in 1400), when Americans protested the outcome of the 2020 election.  We’re now staring down another presidential election in just ten months.  Where are we now?

To read the rest of this post, subscribe to my SubscribeStar page for $1 a month or more.

The Ponty Christmas Special

Yes, yes—we’re already into 2024, and at this point, Christmas 2023 is a distant, fuzzy memory.  But as I’ve pointed out in other posts this holiday season, Christmastime traditionally runs through Epiphany, on 6 January.  So, why not keep the Christmas spirit alive just a bit longer—eh?

In reading Ponty’s Christmas missive, you’ll get a sense for how much he loves the intimate coziness and spirit of Christmas.  Even more, it’s hard to miss how much he loves the intimate coziness and spirit of Tina, his beloved girlfriend/common-law wife/soulmate.  Whatever they are, they are meant for each other, just like the characters in the Hallmark movies Ponty endures each December.  Nothing says, “I love you” like letting your significant other own a hotel on Boardwalk in Monopoly.

I share something of Ponty’s resigned pessimism for the future.  Like Ponty, though, it does not stem from a place of hopelessness, but rather inspires me to dedicate myself more to the people in my life.  There’s precious little I can do about national politics (or a bunch of stoner judges in Colorado), but I can do a great deal to help those around me—even if that means losing a few games of Monopoly.

With that, here is Ponty sharing about his and Tina’s wonderful Christmas and New Year’s plans:

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TBT^2: The Hermit’s Life

Well, it’s back to classes today for yours portly, and the glorious wonder of Christmas Break has officially ended (it technically ended yesterday with a teacher workday).  Yours portly is wondering why we couldn’t have a proper Christmas Break and head back to work next Monday, but I don’t get to make those decisions.

This cold, dark time of year often makes me want to hole up with hot food and old movies.  It also seems that I come down with some manner of respiratory illness, but here’s hoping that’s not the case this year (I’m writing this post super early).  The combination means I spend a lot of time loafing around with my dog.

It’s never been clear to me if I am an extrovert or an introvert.  I am gregarious at parties and love laughing and having deep conversations.  But family members will also note that, at large gatherings, I’ll typically disappear at some point, usually to some forgotten, quiet nook of whatever house or venue we’re at, reading a book or taking a nap.  My younger brother jokes about how I manage to disappear at family get-togethers.

I’ve read that some people have a certain amount of social energy, and they need to let it restore itself.  That tracks with my experience:  after a certain point, I am ready to be home.  That said, I think my meter refills quickly—I have quick “mana regen,” in JRPG terms.  A lazy weekend is usually enough to restore me to take on another never-ending week.

Whatever the case, I think we could all use some quiet alone time now and then.

With that, here is 5 January 2023’s “TBT: The Hermit’s Life“:

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It is My Birthday, Again

Today is my birthday.  I’m thirty-nine today, drawing ever closer to forty.

Last year I was sick on my birthday.  At the time of writing (around three weeks before my birthday—I’ve really been working ahead) I might be coming down with something again, but if I did get sick, let’s hope it’s cleared up by today.

Also like last year, I am back at work today.  I’m used to that, as I frequently went back to school on my birthday growing up.  Thanks to 2024’s leap year, my fortieth birthday will fall on a Friday, but from looking at my school’s 2024-2025 academic year calendar, I’ll be back at work that Friday, 3 January 2025 for a teacher workday.  I can’t win!

Of course, when you get to my age—I write as though I am ancient—a birthday is just another day.  I’ve never been one of those people who takes a day off for his birthday (although I might next year out of principle), and I’m happy to celebrate it with friends and family at whatever time is convenient.  Indeed, I like it a bit better that way:  I end up getting several weeks of various celebrations.  Mwahahahaha!

Hmmm… perhaps I care more about my birthday than I let on.  Whatever the case, I’m thankful for another year enjoying God’s Creation.

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