Weekend Wrap 11/23/2025
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.
As the temperature drops and Christmas decorations are popping up (earlier and earlier it seems), I worry that, in our haste to push through to the end of the year, and all that brings and means, we forget something pretty important. My quote of the week highlights that.
Some weeks, I really feel like I am struggling to fill this up enough to find it worth posting/sending out. These last few weeks, it almost feels like the opposite: Too much to cover.
Music
War is hell.
It is also a topic that is wholly appropriate for metal, and few bands have embraced this as thoroughly as Ukraine's 1914. They've been around for a bit over a decade now, and every few years we get an album of devastating, vicious, blackened death metal.
2025 is no different, and this year we are graced with their latest opus, Viribus Unitis. As with their previous albums, this is a concept album that deals with the horrors of World War I as seen through the eyes of a single character.
The music is what you would expect if you know blackened death metal. And for those who don't, the guitars are fast and ferocious, the drumming is booming blast beats, and the vocals are harsh throughout.
I've loved every album from 1914, but Viribus Unitis may be their best album ever. That's saying a lot. This is a completely different beast than last week's Stygian Bough Vol II, but no less impressive. Both of these albums will be on my top list of the year.
Games
While I continue to enjoy the Zen-like nature of Power Wash Simulator 2, I also started playing Ball x Pit this week.
And I love it.
Think Arkanoid or Super Breakout, but you are a warrior, firing out these balls to break blocks that are monsters. They'll attack you if you either get too close or they reach the bottom of the screen. Similar to games like Vampire Survivors, you level up, get new passive abilities, and new weapons.
And then, once you die, you go back up to the surface and build a town with the resources you gathered.
It is a blast. Great gameplay, an engaging loop of trying, dying, and trying again, and some simple (so far) town management.
It's also only $14.99.
After a few years where everything seemed like it was shooting for the AAA game space and price, I love the smaller, less expensive, and often better games we are getting these days.
Books
I finished Murderbot this past week, wrapping up books 5, 6, and 7. Yes, there is another on the way, but not out yet.
I continue to enjoy Murderbot, though I was ready for a break. Still, the best parts of Murderbot are when Wells uses Murderbot as a cypher for each of us, as it struggles with its place in the world.
I think we can all see ourselves in that. Where do we fit in? Which of the people around us truly care, and which see us just as a tool to use and then discard? What gives us meaning?
The best fiction asks real questions. I appreciate that Murderbot does that.
Movies
Given I co-host a podcast about pop culture, it seemed I was derelict in my duty if I didn't watch the biggest pop culture phenomenon of the year, K-Pop Demon Hunters. This week, Eden and I decided to remedy that.
It wasn't that I was opposed to the movie, but as an almost 50-year-old man, I hadn't really seen any reason to sit down and watch it. But this week, I did.
And you know what? It's a fun movie.
Given just what a juggernaut this movie is, I may have expected a bit more from it, but that's on me. Do I plan to watch it again in the foreseeable future? Probably not. But the animation was slick, the voice acting is strong, the songs are catchy as hell, and I enjoyed it.
No regrets.
Quote of the week
As I walk through my neighborhood and see Christmas lights glittering every few feet, I can't help but think that in our rush to make it to that holiday, we shortchange an incredibly important one.
Yes, I understand that turkeys aren't nearly as fun a decoration as skeletons and snowmen. But in our rush, we stop paying attention. We stop paying attention to all the things we have to be grateful for.
There is power in gratitude. It impacts our mental and emotional health. It affects our brain's chemistry. It is a simple but powerful tool to make us better, happier people. And we often forget to take time.
So, let's all pay attention. Let's pay attention to the good around us (because there is plenty of bad these days), and I think we will find even more delight in the other celebrations.
What didn't work
My evening journaling habit has slipped. I get to the end of the day, and I'm so ready to go to sleep, to have to start it all over again, that I'm not making time or an effort to write before I go to bed.
In fact, my evening routine has been a mess. This is the time of year to really dial that in. It gets dark earlier, so I have no excuse not to wind down and get ready for bed. Yet, still I find myself rushing.
I am confident this is a change that would benefit me. I need to do it.
Wrapping up
I meant to have another article out this week about the service Readwise. I wrote one, even. But it felt over-stuffed. So I plan actually to split that article into two. Readwise has become an essential service for me, one I use every day. It does a lot, and I do a lot with it.
So next week, I plan to let people know about the service and everything it does. Then the week after, I'm going to dive into why it is an essential service for me. Until then, I hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving.