A bit back to normal this week although, as you can see, I've been busy!

Work

I'm headed back to our Philadelphia HQ next week for some training, but the past few weeks have been about as normal a few weeks as I typically have. My main focus being keeping the team of contractors I'm working with busy and getting our application ready for a database upgrade.

Movies

  • Godzilla: King of the Monsters is something I may like to see again, this time on an IMAX screen. The bigger the better. I've loved Godzilla as a kid and this film is the closest any non-Japanese entry in his filmography has come to capturing the feel of those films.
  • The Perfection wasn't on my radar until I read something about some pretty squeamish scenes in it which made me curious. It's a bit tone down from what I've seen in other films, none better than Taskashi Miike's Audition.
FP2: Beats of Rage
  • FP2: Beats of Rage is the sequel to The FP which was loads of fun. The sequel is a worthy follow-up. It's a cyberpunk-fantasy epic made for those who grew up in arcades. Where gladiator-style battles aren't done the way they are done with sword and shield, but rather in dance-dance-revolution contests which can have deadly results.

Cirque du Soleil's Crystal

I've loved every Cirque du Soleil show I've ever seen. While my favorites are their arena shows like Corteo and Delerium, what makes Crystal unique is that it's their only show on ice. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but knew it would be great, and it was.

What made it even better was getting directed out of the parking lot behind the entrance area where the event was held and driving past some of the performers who were enjoying a break between shows. Just being able to give our praise for the amazing show they had just put on.

Tiamat's Wrath (The Expanse #8)

The eighth, and I believe second to last book, in the series that started with Leviathan Wakes. That first book as a roller coaster ride of awesomeness. If I have a complaint about the first two seasons of the TV series, it's that it rarely captured that element of the books, focusing on the sci-fi elements rather than the amazing action and pacing the book had.

The previous book's timeframe projected us into the future a bit from where the series first started. The characters are a bit older now, but the stakes are much higher and their notoriety has somewhat forced them to step up.

The protomolecule, which some long-dead alien race left is still the source of trouble, mostly because what it has wrought is more dangerous than ever. But for the first time, some discoveries are made which may help decode the truth of what it's all about.

Just like with most of the other books, huge catastrophic events occur, but the biggest impact comes from the great characters the authors continue to draw on throughout this epic series. If you enjoy reading books at all, whether it's sci-fi or any genre specifically, I highly recommend trying this series out. Even if you've only seen the TV series thus far, because, as with most things, the books are just that much better.

Deck Box Dungeons

This arrived in the mail from it's related Kickstarter campaign. It's quite a small package, literally about the size of a standard deck of playing cards.

This is a simple dungeon crawl. Choose your character, a weapon and talent and you venture into the dungeon. The dungeon cards themselves can make up quite a varying layout and it's well suited for expansion.

Gameplay itself was fine although enemy combat, particularly turn-order was confusing to figure out and I'm still not sure I've got it quite right. Will need to watch some videos.

I just entered the wrong room in Deck Box Dungeons

While there are scenarios you can download from the website, there is a companion app that can take you through those scenarios with the added benefit of adding in a bit of randomness.

While I'll likely play it a few more times, it feels like something I'll get bored of after a few plays. The dungeon layout and character variations do add a bit of variance. But when it comes down to it, the mechanics of reveal-room, battle-enemies, repeat are the same every game and can turn into monotony.