Looking back at the second quarter of 2023
This has been an overly busy quarter leaving me less time during the week to explore and work on pursuits I enjoy, such as working on photographs, content for this blog, and reading. Thankfully, I have been able to continue hiking through the woods on weekends with my father, which has helped me hold on to at least some of my sanity. 😀
Though I might feel as if I didn’t have any time for those passions that enrich my life throughout the quarter, I’m happy to say that putting together this look back post helps me realize there has still been time here and there and that I did take advantage of at least some of it. So please take a look back with me at this past quarter. Maybe you’ll find something interesting or new to explore.
Photography
Many of my blog posts have been shorter ones due to the busy quarter, often focusing on a small selection of photos. I’m hopeful I’ll find time in the future to get back to a broader mix of content, but even as things are I’ve been happy with what I’ve been able to create and share. I hope you’ve found some enjoyment with it all, and that you’ll enjoy this look back through the 2nd quarter’s posts and photographs.
Field Notes Updates
My First White Trilliums - Shenandoah National Park
Mostly Photos
Old Town Manassas - June 3, 2011
Virginia Bluebells Along Seven Bends
Dutchman’s Breeches in Early Spring
First Eastern Gartersnake in 2023
South Fork Quantico Creek After the Rain
Leafroller Moth and a Little Green Fringe
Techniques
Trip Report
First Visit to Seven Bends State Park, Virginia
A Walk in the Woods at Widewater
Reading
Have I ever mentioned just how much I enjoy reading? 😃 As always, it was a great quarter for reading. Even though I may not have read quite as much as I’d have liked, I managed to include a range of material, from my typical science fiction and fantasy reads, to translated works, mystery, comedy/thriller, and non-fiction.
The books I consumed this quarter (paper, ebook, and audio).
Here’s the full list of books: Murder Your Employer: The McMaster’s Guide to Homicide by Rupert Holmes, Fugitive Telemetry (The Murderbot Diaries 6) by Martha Wells, Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie, The Hole by Hye-Young Pyun, The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, A Man For All Markets by Edward O. Thorp, Virtual Light (Bridge #1) by William Gibson, Idoru (Bridge #2) by William Gibson, All Tomorrows Parties (Bridge #3) by William Gibson, Marina by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, Critical Role Vox Machina Origins Volume III.
And of those, my favorites were:
This is only the second book I’ve read by Carlos Ruiz Zafón and yet I consider him one of my favorite authors. There is just something so very immersive and touching about his stories. Marina is a beautiful story of first love set amidst a series of strange events and strange people, following young Oscar who is attending a boarding school as he meets and is drawn into the lives of Marina and her father who live in a fancy old house. There are so many moments that resonate and that drew me into their lives. It’s a very personal story, one that brought back memories of my own youth. And of course I also enjoyed the speculative elements, and how the author chose to structure the tale, moving back and forth between the present and then taking us back in time to see the world from the perspective of one of the characters. A beautiful and tragic story, and one I look forward to one day reading again.
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
It seems just about anytime I read a Neil Gaiman book it becomes a favorite. This one was about a young boy growing into adulthood, a boy who’s world is shattered, leaving him to grow up in a graveyard, raised by the ghosts and other creatures that call that place home. A real piece of magic.
Fugitive Telemetry (The Murderbot Diaries 6) by Martha Wells
Another regular amongst my favorites are the books and novellas in The Murderbot Diaries series. Each time I read one I feel as if I’m returning home, to a place I know and love, despite the fact there’s usually some sort of major problem taking place that puts Murderbot deep in the thick of it. This time around they have to work with the authorities to solve the mystery of who committed murder and why.
All Tomorrows Parties (Bridge #3) by William Gibson
I finally read the entire Bridge series, and though I enjoyed all three, this final book in the trilogy is my favorite. It has more of the cyberpunk feel that I enjoyed from some of Gibson’s other stories.
Movies
The movies I watched this quarter.
I didn’t watch all that many movies this quarter but had a pretty good time with what I watched.
The Menu
The first movie I watched was The Menu, from 2022. It’s a dark but interesting look at obsession taken to the absolute extreme, from the perspective of high-end foodies. I enjoyed it, but looking back I don’t feel any strong desire to rewatch it.
Krull
Then I decided I wanted to relive my youth, so I chose Krull, a cheesy but classic fantasy movie from 1983 with trace elements of science fiction. Perhaps a bit melodramatic at times and following very well trodden plot lines of prophecy, the hero’s quest, the gathering together of a rag-tag group of societal cast-offs to save the day, etc. Despite all this, I still enjoyed it, even if mostly for nostalgic reasons.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
I loved playing D&D when younger but have been disappointed with most of the media attempts related to it. But I’d heard good things about the recent Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023) and enjoyed some previews and interviews I’ve seen, so I gave it a try, twice! Finally, they’ve created a decent D&D movie with some good acting, an interesting storyline, good special effects, and some great comedy mixed in with the action and fantasy. A perfect movie for the mood I was in both times I watched it, and I could easily see myself watching this again.
Music
I tried to limit myself to sharing no more than four songs this quarter, as I usually do, but this time I failed. There ended up being five songs I kept returning to, so I hope you’ll forgive me, and I equally hope you’ll find something below that appeals to you.
One Voice Children’s Choir - Cover of My Immortal (by Evanescence)
My goodness. What an incredibly powerful and moving cover of an already amazing song. This is my first exposure to this group of young musicians and I was very moved by their performance. It gave me the chills. This choir is part of a nonprofit whose mission is to inspire the world through the power of childrens voices, and if this song is any indication they’re doing a fabulous job.
MAN WITH A MISSION x milet - Kizuna no Kiseki
Two Japanese artists I’ve featured previously, MAN WITH A MISSION (the wolves) and milet, collaborate to create an incredibly upbeat song full of energy. It’s one of those songs where I can’t help but feel better after listening to it, so I’ve been listening to it quite a lot lately. Apparently this is the theme song for the third season of the Demon Slayer anime.
Versengold - Tod und Trommeln
I’ve listened to a few songs from Versengold now and I’m always left looking forward to whatever they create next. This one is sung in German and I’ve not looked for a translation yet so I don’t know what the song is about, but I love the feel of it and the transition from a soft opening to a great drum beat and vocal harmonies.
The Dark Side of the Moon feat. Fabienne Erni - New Horizons
Not every metal band has a harp in the lineup. This group is a supergroup of sorts, being artists from other groups I follow (Feuerschwanz, Amaranthe and Ad Infinitum) who decided to collaborate, and I’ve very much enjoyed the music they’ve created. For me, this particular song has a very classic sort of feel to it in the best possible way.
Ad Infinitum - From the Ashes
Ad Infinitum is back with their third album, Chapter III - Downfall, one I absolutely plan to purchase from bandcamp, just as I did their previous album. I’m completely taken in by their songwriting, storytelling, musicianship and Melissa Bonny’s vocals. And it doesn’t hurt that I really enjoy their music videos, as well.
Life
Last quarter I mentioned noticing more changes while out hiking. I thought about that again this quarter when hiking along a creek I enjoy but hadn’t hiked for some time. It has changed quite a bit, with several trees fallen into scenes that had once been very pleasant but are a little less so now. Eventually the trees may break down enough that they blend into the scene and become part of it, but for now they just feel like noise. This has been another reminder to create photographs NOW. Don’t wait, thinking you can always return to photograph the scene later, because later the scene may be drastically different and your opportunity lost. What was it they said in that old Robin Williams movie? Carpe diem. Seize the day. Perhaps this is a very simple example of that, but I think it still holds.
Well, I think that’s about it from me. I hope you’ve enjoyed this little look back. And I hope you’ve had a great 2nd quarter. Tell me a little about it in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you. Thanks much, and have a great start to the 3rd quarter of 2023!
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