1.Read books. Started at 19 this month. Bought but haven't read the Night Vale novel. Will probably end around 20 for the year.
2. Buy no more than six videogames this year. I was at six, but I canceled my Rock Band 4 preorder, so with Battlefront next month, I'm still at 5.
4. 24 More Boardgames. Started at 31, then played Epic and Biblios, so I'm up to 33 for the year.
5. Eat! - Two I want to revisit: Estancia Churrascaria, and Texas Chili Parlor. On my "need to try" list: Bullfight (Spanish tapas on Airport, eating there early November), Porter Gastropub, and Southern's at PBK,
LISTS:
Best Week of Comics This Month:
October 7th (Amazing Spider-Man, Darth Vader, Doctor Strange, Paper Girls, Plutona, Spider-Island, Star Wars, We Stand on Guard)
Top Five Favorite Comics This Month:
- Ms. Marvel #19
- Amazing Spider-Man #1
- Paper Girls #1
- Star Wars #10
- Doctor Strange #1
- Amazing Spider-Man #1-2
- Astonishing Ant-Man #1
- Black Magick #1
- Captain America Sam Wilson #1-2
- Chew #51
- Civil War #5
- Contest of Champions #1
- Copperhead #10
- Darth Vader #10
- Darth Vader #11
- Doctor Strange #1
- Grayson #13
- Jughead #1
- Kanan the Last Padawan #7
- Ms. Marvel #19
- Paper Girls #1
- Plutona #2
- Sex Criminals #13
- Spider-Gwen #1
- Spider-Island #5
- Spider-Man 2099 #1
- Star Trek/Green Lantern #4
- Star Wars #10
- Star Wars Journey to Force Awakens #2-4
- Switch #1
- The Fade Out #10
- Twilight Children #1
- Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #1
- Usagi Yojimbo #149
- We Stand on Guard #4
- Star Wars The Marvel Covers HC
- Quantum & Woody Must Die TP
- Graphic Ink: DC Comics Art of Darwyn Cooke
- Battling Boy: Fall of the House of West
- Shaft Vol 1 TP
- Two Brothers HC
- Revival Vol 1 HC
- Southern Bastards Vol 1 HC
TV I Watched This Month:
This is mostly for me so I can keep better track of favorite moments, best and worst episodes and do a little less homework in prepping for my "Best of the Year" list next year.
- You're The Worst "All About That Paper" (Janet Varney is excellent at playing terrible. The two improving Nathans. The pretentious author is fantastic. The texting between Jimmy and Gretchen was great. The rap feud promises to be entertaining. The sperm in the microwave is one of the most messed-up things this show has done, which is really saying something.) "We Can Do Better" (Jimmy's adventure with a pretentious writer, the texting back and forth.) "Side Bitch" (Jimmy's running NCIS: LA thing just keeps getting funnier. Lindey's inability to pay bills. And learning to walk. Janet Varney and her video was weird and funny. 6969 safe combination. Vernon is unexpectedly sweet. The return of the MUSTACHE disguise.) "There is Not Currently a Problem" (Hakuna Matata. The dancing. Vernon and Lindsey. Gretchen's depression issues and talk with Lindsey. Rocket ship to Heaven.)
- The League "Deflate-gate" (The "juices" discussion, condoms, Sabbath goy, and Frank "The Body" Gibbiati) "The Bully" (Choad Juggler, Little Eskimo Brothers, Taco draws his own porn because of course he does, the child-endangering EBDB, Ellie's sex ed book and the teacher's utter disdain for Ellie and her parents.)
- Rick and Morty "Look Who's Purging Now" (Rick & Morty plus The Purge - as fun as you'd expect.) "The Wedding Squanchers" (Jerry and Beth at the wedding, Tiny Earth. The death of Bird Person. Earth for space tourism. Great use of the song "Hurt.")
- The Leftovers "Axis Mundi" (The new opening sequence, combined with the cavewoman sequence, was pretty harrowing. Miracle, Texas is instantly engaging. I love the new characters, there's a nice undercurrent of menace and mystery.) "A Matter of Geography" (Nora buying a house and selling a house, Kevin's hallucinations, Jill and her brother, more of the Miracle National Park, Kevin's father off to Australia.) "Off-Ramp" (Laurie running a support group to rescue Guilty Remnant.)
- Brooklyn Nine-Nine "Funeral" (Vulture as captain is as terrible and entertaining as I thought it would be. One drink dancing Terry. Bagpipe playing Jake. Terry's mango yogurt.) "Boyle's Hunch" (Fun episode, Boyle being creepy is always funny, no Vulture.) "The Oolong Slayer" (Captain Vulture pays dividends. Jake, Holt and Gina working a case in secrets. The Terry gets fat story was unfortunate. Gina's proper entrance.)
- The Flash "The Man Who Saved Central City" (Cisco at CCPD. Atom Smasher costume and effects were pretty good. Professor Stein naming Atom Smasher, and the subsequent hug. Joe and Barry continues to be a fantastic relationship. The Flash light. And the first appearance of Jay Garrick. Not really buying the reason Henry Allen has to leave, though.) "Flash of Two Worlds" (So... many... Easter Eggs! Multiverse! Earth 2! Jay's origin! Joe's amused befuddled reaction to multiversal theory. Kind of love Patty Spivot immediately. Weird that all of the JSA are bad guys on Earth 2. Stein and Cisco working together is amazing. Jay as a depowered mentor of Barry is a neat role. The visual Flash of Two Worlds teaser was a little cheesy... and a little cool. Vibe. 52 breaches. Stein clearly still needs a fusion partner. And Harrison Wells of Earth 2.) "Family of Rogues" (Iris and Flash working together is awesome. Always fun to see the Snarts back. Joe and Iris... Jesse L. Martin continues to be the MVP of this show. I love the Cisco/Golden Glider flirtation.)
- Agents of SHIELD "Purpose in the Machine" (Intriguing opener... wish they'd set it in 1602 for the Easter Egg factor. Mockingbird working with Fitz secretly is good. Sending Hunter out to kill Ward also good. Always fun to have Peter McNicol, even if his character isn't great. Bringing in Werner Von Strucker good, though Andrea & Andreas would have been better. Glad they didn't drag out Simmons being missing. I still don't care about random handsome Inhuman guy. Or most of the Inhumans stuff.) "A Wanted (Inhu)Man" (I don't care about random handsome electric Inhuman. This was his focus episode. The May/Hunter stuff is a little more interesting. I do love pretty much everything about the adversarial/flirty relationship between Coulson and the woman hunting down Inhumans.)
- Grandfathered "Dad Face" (I think Paget Brewster is far and away the best part of this show. Although the baby mama throwing drums in the ocean and busting out a butterfly knife was pretty funny.)
- Scream Queens "Haunted House" (Chanel-o-ween was hilarious. The pumpkin carving contest. Grace seems really eager to accuse everyone of being the killer. The reveal that the baby was a girl. I love the security guard in every minute she's in. Chad is a hilarious character, and his graveyard interlude with Hester was a lot of fun. The hag on Shady Lane. The "Mad About You" sorority beatdown. The haunted house with Chad and Hester was even better. And the mystery of who's doing the killings, while ultimately irrelevant, is so insanely complex that I love it.) "Pumpkin Patch" (Chad's clueless bravado makes him one of my favorites. Chanel's insanity makes her another. The scheming of the Chanels and the talk between the Dean and the security guard are both bonkers. Zayday's escape, and the reveal of who's in league with the Devil.) "Seven Minutes in Hell" (The frat guys continue to be my favorite part. Did not see that coming. Charles Manson's daughter's lesbian non-fling. Truth or dare.)
- Arrow "Green Arrow" (Good job establishing Dahrk and his scary forces. Disappointed that they're still doing flashbacks. Dig and Oliver at odds is pissing me off, and I wish they'd quietly swept it under the rug instead of deciding to focus on it. The fight with Dahrk's men and Team Arrow was a great action scene. The new Green Arrow costume looks pretty good. Captain Lance being in with HIVE is not encouraging. Neither is the "is Felicity dead?" teaser. Because if she is, I'm done, and if she's not, it's unnecessary angst.) "The Candidate" (Cool to see Team Arrow working well together. Always good to see Jeri Ryan. Like the new Holt. It's really damn cool seeing Green Arrow and Red Arrow together on screen. And Ollie running for Mayor is great. Plus they're taking Sarah to Nanda Parbat. Lots going on this episode, and I like a lot of it.) "Restoration" (Glad they're moving faster this season. Dig/Arrow feud being yelled at by Felicity, Sarah being raised in Nanda Parbat... and nice if obscure nod to DC continuity with Double Down, who was a not-super-impressive villain who missed a lot, but lead to some nice action sequences and of course the Dig/Arrow feud ending. T-Spheres!)
- iZombie (Case of the week interesting enough, as always, but the Max Rager/Major tie-in, Major's new zombie-detecting power, Blaine's new job and especially the reveal about Liv's new roommate show an even more promising story arc for the season.) "Zombie Bro" (Liv's frat boy personality. Ravi and Major on Utopium. Blaine's dad. Zombie victim turned zombie turned drug addict? Man, Major has it rough.) "Real Dead Housewife of Seattle" (Seeing the killing up front is different. Liv as housewife is fun, as are all her personas. Poor Major's zombie hunting and corporate life are terribly depressing. Love the relationship between Von Du Clark and Liv's roommate. The stylist was a really, really obvious killer, though. Glad Peyton is back, and glad everybody knows about the zombie thing. Except Babineaux, who may be the worst detective ever if he hasn't noticed Liv's personality changes. Max Rager's zombie subbasement.)
- Casual "Pilot" (Michaela Watkins is killer in this. I like everyone, but it's definitely her show. The awkward dates, the fitness-obsession and paleo diet scorn.) "Friends" (I really like Leon, and I love that he and Alex get into trouble so easily. I also love Valerie with the 20-somethings, reminds me of a similar thing they did on New Girl.) "Animals" (The opening sex ed sequence was great. The house hunting is a lot of fun.) "..." (Alex's interview at the bar, the crazy girlfriend of the patient, Alex's fuck-up with the blogger.)
- Fargo "Waiting for Dutch" (Killer opening with the Ronald Reagan movie, love the introductions of the various characters, the fashions and looks of '79, as good as engaging as season one) "Before the Law" (Finding the murder weapon, the Gerhart family struggles, Mike Milligan everywhere, but especially facing down Hank on the road, that scene in the butcher shop with Lou and Ed)
- Rebels "The Lost Commanders" (Using the head of an old droid was a neat trick, love that the Clone Troopers were on an old Republic tank. Hunting sandworms. Rex snipering the probe droid. "Relics of the Old Republic" (Rex trash-talking the Empire. The clones vs. AT-ATs. The new inquisitor.)
- Fargo
- You're The Worst
- The Leftovers
- The Flash
- Casual
- Devil
- The Taking of Deborah Logan
- Babadook
- Chi'Lantro (x3)
- Hoodie's Subs
- Noble Sandwich (x2)
- Popeye's (x2)
- Mambo House
- Michi Ramen
- Jack Allen's Kitchen
- Korean Grill
- Alamo Drafthouse
- Frank
- Peached Tortilla
- Shogun
- Tropicana Cuban
- Frank
- Gus's Fried Chicken
