February felt incredibly long this year. It was busy. A good busy. I spent much of it touring apartments and finally signing a lease to a one-bedroom. Here’s to a new season of living on my own for the first time in my life. And my friends gave birth to their first child. New seasons all around.

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This month’s playlist:

Ghost

I grew up only hearing of the infamous pottery scene. Seeing countless parodies. I got the meme of a scene startling early in the movie, but then received an amazing blend of comedy, murder mystery, horror, and romance. This movie is corny one moment and genuinely sincere the next. And the special effects are shockingly impressive. I understand why Ghost has haunted pop culture for so long. It’s great!

Also, loved seeing Whoopi Goldberg again. She was firing on all cylinders in this.

Titanium Court

Match-three games never grabbed my interest. I wanted to like Puzzle Quest. The fusion with RPG combat had promise. But the elements of depth and skill I desired were consistently foiled by RNG.

Titanium Court cracked the code. I was drawn in by the pop 8-bit visuals, but skeptical that the gameplay would hold my interest. But it successfully combined match-three with tactical strategy and an addictive roguelike loop. And a strangely engaging narrative. I only played the demo via Steam Next Fest. I’m looking forward to the full release.

Diana Ratsamee & NTS Radio

My sister put me onto this S.E. Asian DJ who spins classic Thai/Lao music. I loved her set and went searching for what else she’d done. And she was promoting a set on NTS Radio--an ad-free internet radio station dedicated to highlighting music from across the globe. I’ve been aware of NTS for a couple of years but never tuned in. Y’all, I’m hooked. The curation of their stations is top-notch. The diversity of music is giving me a much-desired education. NTS has almost entirely replaced my use of Pandora. Tune in.

Interpreter of Maladies

One of the many benefits of being friends with a high school English teacher is the excellent book recommendations. I’ve been wanting to read more short story collections, and this came from the international module. Not every tale touched me--several did--but I loved the grounded subtlety and gentle subversions. The author has deep insight into the human experience.

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This month, my free time--and for the foreseeable future--was dedicated to searching for a new apartment, packing, moving, and unpacking.