How we're spending our leisure time.
Everyone has a bit of quiet downtime once in a while. Whether you're sitting quietly at home or trying to relax on a plane or just giving your busy mind and hands a break, it's important to relax.
A good way to do that is to read a book, listen to some music or watch a movie or show. See what's caught our attention for the week of January 5th.
Tom Westrick
My New Year's Eve was significantly less exciting than previous years: I spent pretty much the entire night wrapped up in my warm blankets watching Futurama. It was far too cold to actually go outside, and staying underneath blankets is cheaper than cranking the heat up in my apartment. So, blankets and Futurama it was.
Music-wise, I've finally given Lorde's new album, Melodrama a listen. I like it a lot, and I'll probably buy it after hearing it a few more times. Finally, I purchased an Xbox One X since the Microsoft Store had a compelling trade-in offer for those moving from the One S. It's hooked up to the same 1080p projector my One S was, but I can already notice smoother frame rates and load times. Combined with the super stealthy black paint job, it was definitely worth the upgrade.
Ara Wagoner
Previous winters, I've had the delightful musical fantasy-comedy Galavant to fill January's chill with whimsical wizardry and magical Menken music. Alas, Galavant has been off the air two years, and while Netflix has the episodes now, I still find myself pining for more. Thankfully, I have Galavant: The Complete Collection to keep me howling with laughter as I struggle through these howling winter winds. The main cast's signing is excellent, and there are guest stars like Weird Al Yankovic to bring extra flair when needed.
Seriously, though, try keeping a straight face through "A New Season" or "Serenade". It can't be done. Also, as midterm election primaries start up, "Build A New Tomorrow" is a cheery reminder of how medieval gerrymandering and voter suppression tactics feel.
Daniel Bader
If you haven't been watching the new season of Black Mirror, you're … probably sleeping better than I am.
Seriously, though, Bl, ck Mirror's fourth season is as dark and depressing as previous ones, and while it's a bit more uneven — there are a couple of episodes that don't land, either due to recycling of ideas or poor acting — on the whole it's an excellent showcase of what can go wrong when powerful technology is misused.
If you can't stomach the idea of going to sleep with a knot in your stomach, I would stick to just two of the six new episodes, USS Calister, which is a take on the Star Trek genre, and Hang the DJ, which looks at the evolution of dating apps. I wouldn't call them light, but there's charm and humor that the rest of the season sorely lacks.
If you're more in the mood for a podcast, may I suggest Alone: A Love Story. Brilliantly written and produced by Canadian Michelle Parise, the story follows the complicated story of her separation from unfaithful husband and the ways she dealt, or didn't deal, with the situation. It's heavy at times, and so sad, but it owns those emotions, and is more beautiful for it.
Marc Lagace
I just got back from a much-needed vacation that allowed me to masterfully avoid the ridiculously cold arctic vortex that made my hometown colder than Mars. I picked up a great book for reading on the beach, Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow. Written by historian Yuval Noah Harari, it's a very interesting read that takes everything we know about how humans have evolved and overcome incredible societal challenges as we march forward towards a future where humanity may achieve immortality and divinity.
I downloaded some some Netflix content for the flights (side note: I learned that even though a show is available in your home country and successfully downloaded to your device, the content still needs to be available in the country you're visiting even though it's sitting there downloaded on your tablet.)
I was really surprised how much I loved Bright, which really got going once the film was through with all the heavy handed exposition to set up this crazy mash-up between the high fantasy and buddy cop genres. I didn't realize how much I missed seeing Will Smith kicking all sorts of ass as a badass cop, and I'm genuinely excited for the sequel that's in the works.
Joe Maring
I'm usually not one for binge-watching television shows, but I've got no shame in admitting that that's exactly what I've been doing this past week with Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Tina Fey's writing shines through with the odd, offbeat humor that made 30 Rock so fantastic, and the relentlessly optimistic Ellie Kemper is is just what we need going into 2018 as world leaders boast about who's got the biggest red button.
On the gaming front, I finally got to play the equally hilarious Gang Beasts. The game was just released for the PS4 earlier this month, and while there are still quite a few technical bugs to wade through, they can't hold back the sheer amount of fun to be had here. Gang Beasts is a beat 'em up in which everyone plays as a gelatinous character that can be customized to look like, Santa, Morty, and anyone else in between. The main goal is to be the last one standing as you throw your opponents in a meat grinder or toss them off a moving truck, and while it's enjoyable on its own, Gang Beasts is a true riot when played with a group of friends.
Hayato Huseman
I've been trying to stay home as much as possible to avoid the cold, which means when I'm not working, I'm holed up watching The Office on Netflix. It's been a few weeks since I started the show (yes, this is my first time), but I'm almost finished — I'm halfway through season eight now, which means I've already fought back plenty of tears during the season seven finale.
It's not the most exciting thing in the world, but I've been watching dozens of videos on credit repair and credit card reviews lately. One of my New Year's resolutions was to bring up my credit score after making some dumb financial decisions in my late teens, and I'm already making great progress thanks largely to two YouTube channels, The Credit Shifu and Ask Sebby.
Your turn
What are YOU reading, watching, or listening to this week? Let us know in the comments!
Update, January 5, 2018: Happy new year! This is a weekly series where we tell you what we're into, so check back every Friday!
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