1. "Gonna Leave You" - Queens of the Stone Age
   This video of Nick Oliveri helped me learn. Fun song. The line, "This is the end. No more pictures, we ain't friends" reminded me of someone from my past (see my post from earlier [friends-only]).


2. "Beware of Darkness" - George Harrison
   I love George! I think this is my favorite song of his. It's got some cool chords.


3. "Californication" - Red Hot Chili Peppers*
   I can now play the solo somewhat well, which was the reason I wanted to learn it in the first place. I can play the main riff, but not up to speed with accuracy.

1. Gunbird 2 seemed intimidating, so I hesitated when my dude wanted me to try it. Generally, I'm not too fond of shoot 'em ups and hectic games with lots of objects on screen. But it was so much fun! And I didn't do too badly (though I was on "baby" mode, LOL).
   
   Since I was playing on a Sega Dreamcast, I could choose the "?" option upon character selection for a randomized surprise. I got the bonus character, Morrigan, on my first try! What luck! I love her. ♥





2. Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo seemed like more my style, especially having played a similar game, Puyo Puyo 2 many times. It's a fun lil' puzzle game with Capcom characters (including Morrigan!). I like to play as Sakura, though.

IMPORTANT! The audio quality improves after the first minute or so!

I watched this earlier today, and it was so good, it'd be selfish not to share it. It's Elliott Smith live, solo acoustic, at his absolute PEAK! The set list is great, every song is fire! His singing and playing are on fucking point! It's perfect. I love his response when he's taking requests and someone shouts out "Wonderwall!" (he says, "Please." LOL!)

It honestly put tears in my eyes because like, damn... He was the best songwriter of our time, and he was gone way too soon. I'll never forget the day I woke up to the news. It was the celebrity death that shook me up the most. The timing, the circumstances, his young age. And my young age.

I had the pleasure of meeting him and shaking his hand in 2001. I wasn't old enough to get into the show (though I had seen him perform before, when he played an all-ages show), but my sister was going, and we'd seen him play together once before. Anyway, he was a mensch. And I still have his autograph. ♥

1. I watched You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah with my mom. Adam Sandler and his family (wife and two daughters) are in it and it mostly centers around his younger daughter, who's turning 13. Sarah Sherman plays a Hebrew school teacher and I thought her wacky sense of humor added a lot! Overall, it was worth watching, but I wouldn't watch it again. Check it out on Netflix if you want.



2. Todd Barry: Domestic Shorthair, I watched with J later that day. Now this was more my speed! I was howling with laughter at points! Todd Barry is so fucking funny. He has a great comedy style, a sort of dry sense of humor that I love. It's free on YouTube, it's less than an hour, and you're guaranteed a giggle, so check it out:



Watch on YouTube

I'm watching Big Top Pee-wee in honor of Paul Reubens. It's not nearly as watchable as Pee-wee's Big Adventure, but it's a comfort movie for me, and hey it's free to watch (Amazon Prime).

Paul Reubens... What a loss. Like many other folks my age, I grew up watching Pee-wee - especially Pee-wee's Playhouse. He had a big impact on me. He was like a light in a dark world. It may sound corny, but it's absolutely true.

“Aging is an extraordinary process where you become the person you always should have been.”

— David Bowie