Peace the F Out, 2022!!!!!!

 2022 was real shitty. There, I said it. It all started when in late January our landlord in Arizona raised our rent beyond what we could afford. We then moved halfway across the country to a cheaper place. Which took forever, and was so frustrating. Our moving company were a bunch of scammers and thieves. We still were dealing with them in July, and we had finished moving in March.

After a frustrating move, speaking of July, we were witness to a crazy gun battle that ensued just beneath our window where we slept. Someone busted our car window and attempted to steal things. Someone busted into our storage units downstairs in the basement and stole things. A car fire happened within view of our windows. I don't' know how many times this year we called 911, or had the police come out. 

But there were good things that happened too. We had a 4 day weekend in June for my birthday, and had a fun-packed weekend together. We did it again for my mate's birthday in July where we went to see Brandi Carlile in concert in Kansas City. 

The bad outweighed the good this year unfortunately. I think 2023 is starting to prepare us for a better year; a few good things have started happening to us just this month... and I am wearing a necklace with black onyx stone for protection, so that should help too.

As far as "resolutions" go, I don't have any. Mostly because resolutions are typically either impossible to keep or they are pipe dreams you have no intention of keeping up with. A lot of people want to lose weight, or diet, or exercise, or stop smoking, stop drinking, be a better person. 

This coming year I instead made goals. Tangible ones that are something that I can attain. We got our dinosaur rings, and we will do some research to see when the best month and best place and best clothes will be to exchange them with our own little private ceremony. This is a goal of mine. It's also a goal of mine to go to at least one sort of festival, if not more. I may perhaps decide to drink a little less. I will say I have at least one beverage each day, but not to excess, and usually for the most part I tend to stick to light pours, or a beer or two. I don't like to get drunk. 

I also wish to listen to music more this year. I did listen to a lot this year, in order to do my top 10, but I feel like it wasn't enough. I didn't get to "chill" to it, or sleep to it, or relax to it, celebrate it. I did my music listening in a controlled and methodical manner. I'd like to experience it in a more leisurely way.

I would also like to learn a new language. I had been learning German in August and September but I think I actually want to learn Dutch or Finnish. I haven't decided which, yet. And I want to learn to play the Banjolele. I bought one for Laurel, on her birthday, and we need to have fun learning it together. 

Our #1 goal though, is to keep safe. #2 is to save up $$. Both can be done if we play it smart...

So we have some things we need to do, tangible goals that we can accomplish if we try. 

I am really excited for the new year to come. Usually each year I am so tired that I get to sleep before midnight and never 'ring in' the new year. This year I am determined to say goodbye to 2022, and see it go away. So this means an early bedtime and an early awake time!

Dear 2023, you can't come fast enough. Best Regards, Me.

Top 10 Psychill of 2022

 I'm back with another Top 10 list, this time for 2022. This was an interesting year for music. A lot of long-awaited albums came out, and some other surprises from artists we didn't expect. 

I listened to approximately 100 of the new psychill/psybass/chill/whatever albums and EPs released this year, and it was tough to determine who would end up on this list, but I think I got it pegged. I hope you enjoy finding out who was on the top 10!

10. Man of No Ego & Logical Elements - Seen and Unseen

Beautiful guitar effects surround rich soundscapes to envelope you into a peaceful vibration. Blossoming psychedelic melody blends with a slight melancholic feeling that really helps you sit and relax while you listen.

Man Of No Ego & Logical Elements - Seen and Unseen [Full EP]

9. Panda on the Bamboo Tree - Xtradimensional Motions

Bountiful psybass entrances you on this album. With a touch of psydub, the mounting energy and soft blended chanting makes this one stand out.

Panda On The Bamboo Tree - Xtradimensional Motions [Full Album]

8. Annihilation of Self - First Orbit

Reach for the stars. That is the message this album conjures up for me in my head. Slick melodies backing clever bass send you into outerspace. Psychedelic chillout at it's best.

Annihilation Of Self - First Orbit [Full Album]

7. Unusual Cosmic Process - Atlantis

UCP does not usually disappoint, so it is no wonder that this musical enchantment brings about success. With the full scope of synths, melody, bass, and some mid-tempo chilltrance, this album definitely makes us think about Atlantis, the lost underwater city.

Unusual Cosmic Process - Atlantis [Full Album]

6. Klaada - Conjunctio Oppositorum

As one of the most highly anticipated albums this year, it is no wonder it is on this list. Deep and moody, with an ethereal vibe that includes chanting in french, the epic sound on this one takes us on a journey in our minds.

Klaada - Coniunctio Oppositorum [Full Album]

5. Ott - Heads

Psydub at it's finest, Ott is back again with more brain melters. Or should I say Head benders? :)

Dubby basslines and snazzy psychedelic surprises abound on this album, no wonder it is one of the most fun on this list.

Ott - Heads [Full Album] (2022)

4. Solar Fields - Formations

Our good friend Magnus is back with a highly anticipated album. It's been a while since we have held in our hands a copy of a new Solar Fields album, of new material that is.  This album shows us new perspectives of sounds and atmospheres that evoke visions of different moods around different time periods.

SOLAR FIELDS - FORMATIONS (preview) 4K

3. Eelison - Obscurities

Very masterfully crafted minimal psybass. Or at least that is what I would call it. Dubstep beats showing off downtempo sounds. Smooth basslines. This album provides a moody atmosphere. If you like your moody music on the chill side, this is definitely for you.

eelison - Obscurities [Full Album]

2. Kalya Schintilla - Trinkets

We always get what we want with a new Kalya Scintilla album. Chunky basslines, fun beats, and an atmosphere ready for a big psybass party. Melodies abound, this album throws us a beautiful remix of the song "Feelin' Good" by Nina Simone - an unexpected treat.

Inhale Exhale

And are you ready for #1?

1. E-Mantra - Silence 3

As per the usual, E-Mantra doesn't fail to impress with this auditory masterpiece. With a perfect balance of proper chillout and psychedelia, this album is a win. Soothing pads, beautiful synths, just the right touch of fx makes this beautiful album perfect for any winter day.

E-MANTRA - Ode to the Winter Nights (Silence 3 Album)

2022 Blew Butt.

So the year will be over in a few short months... and I can't be any happier about that. This year has been the shittiest in quite a while.

It all started when our landlord in Arizona raised our rent way more than we could afford. 25%! And our job certainly wasn't interested in providing a cost of living wage. So we scurried around to move somewhere else. And then a few days after we started scurrying, I came down with a case of the COVID19 and just ended up sleeping for almost 2 weeks. 

Then it was hard finding a place to live in St. Louis (couldn't find one in Arizona because all the landlords had risen rent to California prices). We finally found a place, and began searching for movers. I was kind of desperate, as we were on a short time table, and I wound up being talked into "a good deal" by a smooth talking sales guy. 

This moving company, I will say their name because I'd like to drag them through the mud, 500 Move, was absolutely horrifyingly awful. They up-charged us because the first sales guy (turned out to be a broker) only put down that we had 27 boxes. 27 boxes?! We were coming from a 2 bed, 2 bath house with a yard! They broke a lot of our stuff, they stored our stuff for 2 weeks instead of taking it right on over, stuff was missing. The staff were incredibly rude. It was a nightmare.

And then the shooting occurred July 30th. Startled us out of bed, and had to dial 911 to report a group of people shooting at each other under my apartment window or thereabouts. And then, in early September, someone broke into our car, busting a window to do so. This is in a gated parking lot, too, by the way. It still isn't fixed because it happens so frequently here that Safelite is backed up. Then, to put a straw on it to break the camel's back, there was a rape/assault in the building. Now we have to go everywhere in two's. 

Just... seriously, fuck this year. Let's hurry and get it over with - hopefully safely - and start a new fresh year 2023. 

 

 

Twitter Apps for Android

 As you know from previous entries, I enjoy reviewing apps from the Play Store on Android. Sorry, I do not have an iPhone so this is just Android.

I wanted to do a Twitter app review because it is interesting to see the different UI, features, layouts, etc on these apps. I have two twitter accounts, and enjoy tweeting my beligerance at the world once in a while. I mean, if something is wrong - tweet about it. I decided to keep my reviews to only 5 twitter apps - 4 of which are 3rd party, and the 5th is the official twitter app.

Albatross

Albatross has a rather clunky interface. This is the 2nd worst UI that I found out of these 5, because it looks like it was made in 2011 or something, and that they never updated it since then. It is cool, though, that you can change your accent colors, and it has a fingerprint lock. The Play store entry indicates the developer is always working hard on making the app great. 3 Stars.

Fenix 2

The interface is kinda basic, a little boring. Ugly UI. But you can change the font, which is cool. I was unable to change to dark mode, however. It may have just been a glitch. But no one wants a glitchy app. It has an interesting type of "conversation view" where you can see all the comments under a tweet, just by clicking onto that tweet. This allows you to see who said what, and when. 3 Stars

Official Twiter App

It seems like eventually everyone migrates back to the official app for some reason. Some of these 3rd party apps don't have the capability to send/receive DM's, and there may be other features you can only get with the official app. Now that Elon Musk has bought twitter, maybe we can see some improvements. Hopefully it's not going to be the other way around... I mean, he could probably afford to remove the intrusive ads right? 4 Stars

Harpy (free version)

Harpy has a very unique and beautiful UI. The free version gives you 3 really nice looking themes to choose from. Paid gives you more. There is no DM capability yet, and you can't use an @mention. I was told you used to be able to @ people but the capability is broken. So even though this twitter lacks a lot of features, it is currently in a Beta release for the pro version, and will likely include these things in a future update. Therefore, I give it 4 Stars.

Owly

This one is my favorite of the 3rd party apps. It has a very nice, clean UI that uses Material Design, and is easy to use/figure out. Pro version is just $2.99 one time fee which is so much better than having to pay for a subscription. As a result, I used some Google opinion rewards from surveys, to purchase the full version. it gives you themes and colors, as well as some other decent features that you may not find in some others. 5 Stars

In conclusion, I highly recommend Owly if you do not like using the official app. The official app is the best one for nearly every feature that is possible with Twiter, except for themes/colors. You're stuck with the UI of twitter's official app which means "suggested" tweets/users, and ads (if you dont have an ad blocker).. Fenix2 and Albatross were ok but nothing truly special. Navigation on these 2 were a little cumbrous. But you can't beat the UI of Harpy. When Harpy is able to offer more features, I feel like it will be the best one. I am unsure at this time, as to when they will update it. 

FREEZE: Don't Move!

 

In January of 2022, our landlord increased the rent to the point where we could no longer afford to live there - or anywhere in the state of Arizona. So we decided to move to St Louis, MO. I immediately began looking for a moving quote, and most places wanted us to pay $4500 or so for the move. But Home Safe Transit quoted me $2800 after going room by room and describing everything we owned. I told him it was a 2 room house and we had a lot of items. Kenneth was a real smooth talker, and we settled on the deal with him. When the movers came on March 11, we discovered it was a different company, 500 Move. Home Safe Transit was just a broker, apparently. The 500 Move guy said the broker put down “27 boxes” and since we had more like 300, it was going to be “thousands and thousands and thousands more”. We were between a rock and a hard place. Our lease expired at that house the next day, and utilities were being shut off. If we weren’t in St. Louis in person on the 14^th of March, our lease would lapse and we’d lose the deposit. If we haggled or tried to negotiate, this foreman seemed like he was going to just take his crew and leave. So we forked over almost $10,000 to move our things.

We told them we’d like them to be there on the 16^th with our items. Kenneth at Home Safe Transit had said this could be done, and just keep in communication with the driver to arrange a date of delivery. That was not the case. We kept calling to get a status on when the truck would be here and got the run-around from Lisa, the lady who answers the phone no matter what option you press on the phone tree.

We were told our items were being stored in a warehouse, on their property, until the truck was available. Did they not own their own truck? Did they only have ONE truck??? So they finally arrived with our things on the 27^th of March. From the 14^th - 27^th we had basically nothing.

When the truck arrived, it was 2 old men with COPD obviously out of shape, in an 18 wheeler with several other people’s items, as well.

My Significant Other did the majority of the moving of boxes and rubbermaid bins. It took 6 hours to unload the truck. As items came in, I was doing inventory check. We are missing several items including the most important ones: Her specially made quilts from her scrubs (she used to be a Veterinary Assistant) and a quilt made frm her cheerleading and graduation gown clothing items. We are also missing her pants. There’s probably about 60-80 pairs of pants and now she has no pants to wear. As you can believe, that is quite a problem.

When my Significant Other was helping unload the truck, she saw her quilts in the box on the sidewalk. She tried to take them but the box was way too heavy. She assumed one of the men had put it on a dolly and brought it up. It didn’t make it up to the apartment, so we assume somehow it was put back on the truck.

The company does not seem interested in finding the items. They keep telling us to just file a claim, but we actually want our items back. They declined to give us any contact information for the people who delivered before and after us. They stated they looked for the items and called the other customers and no one could find anything.

We’ve contacted the BBB, FTC, Move Rescue, the Glendale AZ police, the St Louis Police, the FCMSA, the Attorneys General of Missouri and Arizona, and abc15’s Let Joe Know. We really don’t want anyone else to have to go through this.

This has been the most stressful, horrible experience.