Six Years

Six years ago today I created this blog. That's kind of a long time. I think when I started it I had the expectation that by the time I turned 20 I'd be a published author with a small, but dedicated, fanbase. At the very least I'd have multiple completed novel drafts that I could look back on, and laugh at my amateurity, before moving on and creating better stories. Little did I know how... little I'd accomplish with my life.

It's funny how different reality is from expectation. In the present time, I'm surprised I'm able to live as productive a life as I do. I have three part-time jobs (the most difficult of which is entirely volunteer), a place to stay with a loving family that doesn't mind helping take care of me, a driver's license (acquired far too recently), and loads of free time. Plenty of people would kill for a life as simple as that, and yet I struggle through each day because of my dysfunctional body and mind.

I spend a lot of time gaming and watching shows. As thus, I get a lot of ideas for projects of my own. Unfortunately, none of them are feasible at this time or the foreseeable future because all of my energy is taken up by living. However, there are those ideas that stick with me, that I keep thinking about and expanding on, that I hope someday, under different circumstances, I'll be able to breathe life into and share for the world. At the current time, however, no progress should be expected.

While I've found much of my life to be quite difficult, I really am thankful for the things that I have. I'm sorry to everyone I've let down, but I am enormously grateful to everyone who still cares about me. You're a large part of what helps me through each day. Thanks for the support, and I pray that one day your faith in me will be validated. Until then, I'll just keep my stick on the ice.

Soundtrack Feature: Stranger Things

Stranger Things is an embodiment of 80s nostalgia, with incredible acting, directing and presentation, told through a 2016 filmmaking style. It's been universally praised, for good reason: It's really good. The soundtrack, based on 80s synth, is critically acclaimed. It's a fantastic score showcasing a wide sense of emotions, ranging from joyful times to deep horror. Having the music evoke feelings of nostalgia is not uncommon.

The soundtrack to the first season of Stranger Things was released in two volumes. You can purchase them digitally from iTunes (Volume 1, Volume 2), or pre-order them physically from Amazon (V1, V2). You can also listen for free on Spotify (V1, V2) and YouTube (V1, V2). The second volume features a 5-minute extended edition of the show's critically-acclaimed main theme.

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My full Soundtrack of the Month series has gone on hiatus and for the time being has been replaced by much smaller soundtrack features, which I am simply calling Soundtrack Features. Yes, it's quite original.