Here we are, crossed the half-year mark. Beginning of May we flew to Paphos, Cyprus to catch some proper sun, and recharge. The beginnings were slightly rough (windy with a bit of rain), but each day it was getting better, and better. We came back properly rested, with some breathing room in the tank. When June knocked on the door and we celebrated my wife's and daughter's birthdays, we turned our anticipation to the next big thing: Madrid was calling, and we went there fully hyped. The BTS performance at the Metropolitano Stadium made a lasting impression on me, I think I'll keep these memories for the rest of my life. I still can't believe we managed to see them live! Setting minor logistic issues aside, the trip turned out exactly right. And now that we are back, we are counting days marking our first year after moving countries. So far so good.
📚 Reading
“Odyssey” by Homer (Emily Wilson's translation)
The classic work I chose to immerse myself in this year. Initially I tried to read a translation in my mother tongue, but I died by million cuts in the footnotes. I was advised to reach for Emily Wilson's modern English take, and off I went. The flow of this translation is excellent, and I'm halfway through and haven't once needed to look anything up. I must have read it before, somewhere in primary or high school, but it's landing very differently now that I'm forty... One of the reasons I chose “Odyssey” is also the upcoming movie adaptation by Christopher Nolan—I'm really pumped to see this in the cinema soon!
🎮 Playing
TRIANGLE STRATEGY
I had to put FF VII Remake on hold, with the latest Dragon Age joining it on the bench, as it’s a little too graphical to play with the kids bouncing around next to the screen. One of our Switch Pro Controllers gave in, so I replaced it and also grabbed two extra Joy-Cons. That finally let us properly dig into Super Mario Party and later Super Mario Party Jamboree. Pure joy 😅 For my own pleasure, I reached for TRIANGLE STRATEGY. I haven’t had much time with it yet, but the opening, I’m about 40 to 50 minutes in, looks very, very promising!
📺 Watching
The Pitt
Well, Stranger Things turned out to be mostly disappointing. I really need to rewatch the first season, because it feels like a completely different show. It’s always a bit sad to watch something good lose its plot and depth as it goes on, I’m looking at you, Lost and GoT. Kate and I switched gears and picked up The Pitt and... holy shit, this is so good! I’ve been sitting on the edge of the couch through every episode. I’m not even sure why exactly, but it feels incredibly immersive. Each episode is so packed I start reconsidering my entire life, it genuinely seems like these characters have more happening in a single hour than I do in a whole week 😂 We flew through season one in no time, and season two is already queued up!
🎧 Listening
ARIRANG
BTS is back, baby 😎 I've been listening to their latest album on and off, watched their Netflix live show, then took my wife to the cinema for the start of their world tour—the day-two Goyang broadcast. And the best part didn't stay a plan: we saw them live at the Metropolitano in Madrid in late June, and and boy did they deliver! It's a solid album, and my favorites remained unchanged: Like Animals, Into the Sun, and the vinyl/deluxe special Come Over—which I also saw live in Madrid. More...