Lefty Side of the Dial

It feels like I haven't done this in a while, so here goes:

1. Bioshock

Despite not having any multiplayer, Bioshock just might be my favorite game of 2007. It is an absorbing story of a man trying to escape Rapture, an underwater dystopia. It is a scary videogame, one that I can only play in short visits. The visuals are amazing, the music is amazing, and the game play is easy to learn and I’m beginning to master. I have never had a video game story engage me in such a way.

2. The Married Gamers Podcast

I love doing this podcast with my wife! I really, really do. I try to organize my week thinking of topics, getting out to dinner once a week for the final discussion on what we want to cover for the week. It is time I look forward to in my week. And now people are starting to listen, our numbers are slowly climbing, and Mrs. Lefty even ran into a listener recently in real life.

3. The Closer

I finally wrapped us this season of The Closer, and I have to say that two-part finale was so dang good! I really enjoyed the Brenda-Fritz fight that really felt real and un-TV-like mature. Once again the series shows why it’s one of my favorite series on television. I can’t wait for next summer!

4. Shadowrun

I am still playing this game way too much. That’ll change with Halo 3 coming out in just a few days. I have only four more achievements to get to have them all, so that compels me to play the game more and more. For now, Shadowrun is my favorite FPS (First Person Shooter).

5. Dune by Frank Herbert

I’ve read this series so many times before, but each time just feels so new to me. I’m only about 100 pages in Dune, but already I just love re-reading it. I imagine I’ll finish off all the Dune books (including the ones not written by Frank) around Thanksgiving.

6. The Immortal Iron Fist vol. 1: The Last Iron Fist Story

Matt Fraction is now a writer I am going to keep an eye on. I never got into his Image book, Casanova, but after reading The Immortal Iron Fist, I just might have to give Casanova another go. I had heard some good things about Immortal Iron First, so I picked up the first hardcover collection. I am so glad I did. The series feels a little like Iron Man, but is injected with an Asian lineage to give it its own special flavor. After reading the book, I wanted to read more. It should also be noted that I also really liked the art on the book (but sadly I forget the names of the artists involved). I highly recommend it.

7. Failing America’s Faithful by Kathleen Kennedy Townsend

The daughter of Robert Kennedy, and a life-long Catholic has written a book that really addresses a big part of my dissatisfaction with the American church. The full title of the book is “Failing America’s Faithful: How Today’s Churches Are Mixing God with Politics and Losing Their Way” So far, much of the book covers Catholicism, but I hope Kathleen expands the focus to the Protestant churches as well. I plan on either podcasting or posting here about the book when I finish it.

8. Brokeback Mountain on HD-DVD

Well I finally got around to seeing Brokeback Mountain. I have to say that Ang Lee has a particular talent for making any scenery look as idyllic on film than any other director I know. Even some of his lesser works like Ride with the Devil or even The Hulk are just beautiful to look at. As far as the movie goes, it was very good.

9. Pump Up the Volume soundtrack

I haven’t seen the 90’s film that this soundtrack comes from, but I’ve heard this soundtrack a great many times when I was Assistant Manager of a Comics & Comix in Fairfield, CA. We had an employee who I despised. He was Goth before Goth was in vogue, and told me one day he wanted to name his first child Satan. He was pasty white and idolized the Vampire Lestat. But he did have one good thing going for him, he would always play this soundtrack. And now 15 years later I picked up the soundtrack used for just a couple of dollars at a record store that used to be a Wherehouse. There are a lot fo cool tracks on the disc, in particular: Concrete Blonde covering Leonard Cohen’s “Everybody Knows”, Bad Brains & Henry Rollins covering MC5’s “Kick Out the Jams”, and a rare Chagall Guevara song “Tale O’ The Twister”.

10. Genesis “Invisible Touch”

When I picked up Pump Up The Volume, I also paid just $5 for a copy of my favorite Genesis album, Invisible Touch. Now before you go ape-shit over me declaring Invisible Touch my favorite Genesis album, keep in mind it’s the only Genesis album I’ve heard from start to finish. I do hereby promise that I will eventually get around to listening to some of the Peter Gabriel-era Genesis if that helps soothes the balm. When we are talking about guilty pleasures, there are plenty of nuggets for me to digest on this album. “In Too Deep” is one of my favorite 80s songs. I still remember listening to the song, and sometimes crying over my lack of finding requited “real love” in high school.