Weekend Wrap 9/07/2025

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.

Music

I'm sharing two music picks this week. In part, because I didn't have as much time to dive into music as I normally would. Some life things took priority. But these are two recent releases that impressed in early listens, and I'll be coming back to them for sure.

Melodic death metal has become a tricky genre for me. Too often, it leans on the melodic side to the point it loses all bite. That's when it loses me. If I want death metal, it needs to retain that punch, and In Mourning manages to walk that balance well. Many moments are truly beautiful on The Immortal, but it never loses sight of what makes death metal interesting. It's early on, but I think The Immortal is likely In Mourning's best album yet.

Here we go.

If you didn't like "Bring Me To Life" by Evanescence back when it debuted, I think you're a liar. Much of that rests on the strength of Amy Lee's vocals. Courtney LaPlante is currently one of my very favorite vocalists. And Poppy brings an energy and pain her her music that just works.

Bringing those three together for a single? Criminal that it's only one song. Seriously. This rules. The different vocal styles work, the energy is amazing, and the song is a banger.

Need. More. Now.

Quote of the week

This idea has been the very bedrock of my recent habit challenge. I am excited by the idea of tackling these five habits, as well as exploring the apps to see which ones work and which don't. The idea of small changes is also central to this endeavor—self-experimentation, in small doses, leading to meaningful change.

What didn't work

My workouts.

It's that simple. I'd like to place the blame somewhere, and I will admit that an incredibly traumatic experience at work a month ago really threw me off. I've been struggling to move past that and get back on track.

That is why it is one of the habits for this challenge starting now. I need to get back on track.

Wrapping up

My oldest son returned from a 2-year religious mission in Edmonton, Canada, this week. He arrived home on Thursday, and while there are hints of the kid he was, he has definitely grown into a man.

It is wonderful to have him home, and we are so happy and proud of him. It has been the highlight of the week. Next week, I have a daughter getting married. So it has been, and will continue to be busy. Good time to see how I navigate my habit challenge in the midst of all of this.

That's all we can do. Practice, try, and give it our best.