Biggs' Zone

A Geek's Cogitations, Conjectures and other Cortical Experiences

2022 Goodreads Reading Challenge

By

On January 3, 2023

In Reading Challenge

I just came in under the wire for my 2022 Goodreads reading challenge (I literally read the last page of the last book 2 hours before midnight). If you happened to read my 2021 reading challenge recap I read 16 books that year. You will notice the list below only has 12 books. Why so few? Two of the books on the list combined for a total of almost 2,000 pages. I knew, by reading those books, it was going to affect my total for the year. Therefore I decided to be a little more reasonable with my goal.

Here is my 2022 Goodreads reading challenge list (** indicates a book I’ve read before):

  • Traitor by Clare Farrell
  • Kubrick’s Game** by Derek Taylor Kent
  • To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini
  • Skin Game by Jim Butcher
  • The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
  • Peace Talks by Jim Butcher
  • Cinder** by Marissa Meyer
  • Battle Ground by Jim Butcher
  • Scarlet** by Marissa Meyer
  • The Big Dark Sky by Dean Koontz
  • Cress** by Marissa Meyer
  • Empire Strikes Back From A Certain Point of View by various authors

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2022 Year in Review

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On January 2, 2023

In Year in Review

2022 Year in Review

Another year over (and a new one just begun – John Lennon). I hope everyone had a great Christmas and you survived New Year’s Eve. We will get to “New Years’ Resolutions” in another post. Every year I like to do this post to reflect back on the previous year. It’s a great way to think about goals and intentions for the coming year. I’ll try not to be too verbose as we dive into the 2022 year in review.

I traveled a lot more than normal in 2022 but I visited places I’d never been. Places like Wisconsin, Boston, and Gatlinburg. In fact, I traveled so much that I had to work a little bit while visiting my in-laws for Christmas. I will be returning to Wisconsin again, in February; and I would like to visit Gatlinburg and Boston again (minus the Covid) but probably not in 2023.

Yes, I finally caught Covid, while in Boston. Ironically Boston is the only place where we wore masks a lot and that’s the place where we caught it. It was only a mild case and I was back out running after 4 days.

Let’s get into the rest of the 2022 Year in Review.

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Andor: Luthan Rael and Sacrifice

By

On December 31, 2022

In Andor, Star Wars

Luthan Rael and Sacrifice

I have mentioned, numerous times, how great the Andor series is and I won’t stop. If you struggled to get into the show, keep watching because it’s probably the best series of the franchise. The acting and writing far surpass anything Lucasfilm has ever done even when George was in charge. One of the best moments is the speech Stellan Skarsgård gives in Episode 11. I can keep reading his speech over and over so I’m posting it here. This is Luthan Rael and sacrifice:

Calm. Kindness. Kinship. Love. I’ve given up all chances at inner peace. I’ve made my mind a sunless space. I share my dreams with ghosts. I wake up every day to an equation I wrote 15 years ago from which there’s only one conclusion: I’m damned for what I do.

My anger, my ego, my unwillingness to yield, my eagerness to fight, they’ve set me on a path from which there’s no escape. I yearned to be a savior against injustice without contemplating the cost and by the time I looked down, there was no longer any ground beneath my feet.

What is my sacrifice? I’m condemned to use the tools of my enemy to defeat them. I burn my decency for someone else’s future. I burn my life to make a sunrise that I know I’ll never see. And the ego that started this fight will never have a mirror or an audience or the light of gratitude.

So what do I sacrifice?

Everything.

Luthan rael

While I agree that Diego Luna gave some excellent performances and is deserving of the Golden Globe nomination, I feel like Stellan Skarsgård also deserves recognition.

MTFBWY

Christmas 2022 Recap

By

On December 30, 2022

In General Cogitation

Merry Christmas!

I get so excited for the Christmas season. Sadly it’s always over as quickly as it arrives. As I begin to take down the decorations it feels like I was just putting them up yesterday. However, it is a good excuse to clean and, perhaps, rearrange if the mood suits me. Be that as it may, here is a quick Christmas 2022 recap.

This year we had Christmas in Connecticut (haha) with my in-laws. We made the drive with 3 humans, two dogs, and gifts for 14 people. The weather on the way there was pretty bad. There were three weather-related accidents that caused a backup. Our 10-11 hour drive took us 14 hours, but that was the worst of it.

While I had to work for a little bit during our visit, it was still a fun time. My in-laws know how to serve some delicious food and create a great Christmas atmosphere.

My one regret was that I did not have enough time to put out all of the lights that I wanted to, but there’s always next year 🙂

It was truly a blessed and wonderful Christmas. I hope yours was as well.

Have a Happy and Safe New Year!

MTFBWY

Merry Christmas (2022)

By

On December 25, 2022

In General Cogitation

Wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas (or insert whatever holiday you observe)! I hope your season/day is fantastic and I hope your 2023 is equally as amazing!

MTFBWY

Initial Impressions of Dragonflight

By

On December 12, 2022

In Gaming, MMORPG, World of Warcraft

Initial Impressions of Dragonflight

The latest World of Warcraft expansion has been out for about two weeks. I have reached the new level cap on at least one character (my raid toon, obviously). As I embark on the first raid of this expansion, let me share my initial impressions of Dragonflight.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

I’ve been on a Clint Eastwood kick recently, so I will use the title of one of his best films to break down my initial thoughts.

The Good

I thought about saving “the best for last” but I want you to know all the good things first. The items that fall under “the bad” and “the ugly” are mostly “me things”. You’ll see what I mean if you stick around for that part of this post.

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