Weekend Wrap 11/16/2025
Each weekend, I like to pause, reflect, and look back on the past week. This isn't a deep dive or grand reflection—just a quick review of a handful of things that brought me joy, made me think, or challenged me.
It was odd being back. Not bad odd. Just odd. Things felt off this week. I think it is the inconsistency of the last couple of weeks bleeding into things. Either way, all that can be done is to carry on.
Music
There is funeral doom, and then there is Bell Witch.
I became aware of the band with their 2017 release, Mirror Reaper. The cover art is one of the greatest album covers of all time, but I was intimidated by the fact that it is a single, 82-minute-long song. One night, home alone, I put it on, dimmed the lights, and just listened for those 82 minutes.
It was transcendental.
Stygian Bough Vol II is not nearly as intimidating. This second collaboration with Aerial Ruin is four whole songs! Ranging from 11-19 minutes each! Much more accessible.
In truth, it really is. It is also beautiful, haunting, and moving. It has only been out since Friday, but I can't stop listening to it. It is a triumph of modern music, blending doom and neo-folk into something special.
Games
Some games are perfect Zen games. The original Power Wash Simulator was one of those games, and the sequel, so far, seems to improve on the original in every way. You take jobs and power-wash the scum from a whole variety of objects and buildings.
It is the perfect game to play while listening to podcasts, audiobooks, and music. You don't need to pay attention to anything other than cleaning the grime off whatever is dirty. I spent hours this past week just relishing in the simple act of making things shine.
Our world is chaos. Work is chaos. This brought a sense of order, even if it was digital and artificial.
Books
I continue to work on Murderbot. This week I made it through books 3, 4, and am halfway through book 5. I continue to enjoy the exploration of what it means to be human through non-human characters.
We all recognize that sense of feeling lost, not knowing who we are, at different times in our lives. I love that science fiction and fantasy can use their fictional worlds to hold up a mirror to our reality.
Quote of the week
Don't ever discount the value of repetition. It doesn't matter what it is; if we want to be better at it, we need to do it. Over and over again.
There are a lot of aspects of my life where I need to remember this better. It was a good reminder and a kick in the pants to have this quote surface this week in my review.
Don't be afraid to do the thing. Doesn't matter what it is. Get out there and do it. Get better at it. Reps are the key.
What didn't work
My sleep.
There is ample evidence that all the little lights that surround us can disrupt our sleep. Based on this, I've been on a crusade to rid my bedroom of those lights. Then come those things you can't control.
These are my across-the-street neighbors. Good for them. I'm glad they are so excited about Christmas; they have decorations up already.
But the damn lights are on. All. Night. Long. They never turn off. And while I have long, blackout curtains over my windows, there is a small, half-circle one at the top I've never needed to do anything about. It is generally dark enough that it doesn't cause an issue.
Until now.
I've tried two different sleep masks, but it is still so damn bright. I have to figure something out.
Wrapping up
My other article for the week talked about how I'm struggling to find the ideal task management system. It has been a struggle for years. One of these days, I will admit I just need to adapt one system and stick with it.
But for now, I continue to struggle with what works best for me. All we can do is keep trying.