2023: A Year in The Rearview Mirror

What a crazy year 2023 was. 

It started out with us still living in St. Louis, working from home like usual. Then sometime around my birthday in June, I said we should start looking to buy a house. We'd been kicking around the idea a little, so it wasn't out of left field. We started the extremely frustrating and grueling task of looking for a house and securing a mortgage loan. We had no idea what to expect or how long it would take. 

On my birthday we went to the Anheuser-Busch brewery and met the Clydesdale horses and went on a tour, it was fun, and we got some free beer. For my mate's birthday, we went ice-cream hopping. She decorated our faces with face paint and we dressed all vividly, in vibrant colors and went to a bunch of different ice cream shops and tried different samples and it was a lot of fun. The face paint was a hit.

We didn't really go many places or do a bunch of stuff while in St. Louis. We did see the Indigo Girls perform with the St. Louis symphony which was really cool. We drove to Kansas City to see Patrick Hinds for his book tour and in June, went to a comedy club to see one of our favorite podcast's live show, for I Think Not. Both of these were a lot of fun.

We stayed home mostly and I enjoyed cooking with Hello Fresh. 

In September, my mate came to me and said she'd found a nice house that we should buy. It looked like a pretty nice one and was priced lower than we were looking so we had our real estate agent (who became our friend) check it out, and it was pretty great so we put in an offer. The offer was accepted and we bought the house. We moved our stuff from St. Louis to a storage in Illinois, as a half-way point between St. Louis and our new house in Indiana, and made 3 trips on various weekends. On one occasion, there was a dirty drunk fellow with no teeth who's truck slammed into the back of our Uhaul. That was an adventure. Anyway, most of our stuff was safely in Illinois. 

The stuff that wasn't, was being moved from the apartment, to the storage units below us on the first floor. In the process of moving, we discovered someone, for the third time since moving there, had broken in (or tried; this time we had amazingly difficult locks to break) and stolen everyone's things. They could only get an arm in to one of the units we had, but ended up stealing some rare books that we had in there. Jerks. St. Louis is full of assholes. The theft and subsequent apathy about it is appalling in that city.

We went to closing in late October, and moved in to the house one month later, and now here we are.

It was rather sad though because in early November, late October, our oldest cat Goose started not doing well. We had to wrap him in  a towel, feed him, bathe him, and he couldn't walk or anything, it was not good. So, on our (unfortunately) 14 year anniversary we went to the vet to say goodbye to our little furry buddy. I miss him. He was such a sweet, gentle kitty, and had a big heart. He was my mate's best pal, and she's going to put his ashes in jewelry so she can have him around everywhere she goes. 

All of that made it so that It was a crazy year because there were up and downs both in the events and also in my mood and it made things a little more difficult. And, Let me tell you, this house is IT! So glad to be free of renting, and also, it was such a pain to buy a house. I didn't realize all the steps you had to take. It was insane doing this and that to end up living in it. And we made a cool friend out of it which is great. But wow there's a lot involved!

We are still not exactly settled in, we have a lot more unpacking to do. We have to kind of wait though, because we need to paint the rooms first before we put stuff in them so it's kind of a weird limbo.

So.. 2023. It was rather tumultuous and I think it was a year of transition, definitely. I was disenchanted with St. Louis and felt like I wanted to hurry and get out of there. I'm glad I did. So this wasn't a year of opportunity, or luck, or settling into things, or anything like that. It was a year where we were meant to be in the middle of changing our lives.

If there's one thing I've learned in 2023, it is that I'm an adult, and feel grounded now that I am in our own house. I feel responsible, mature and hopeful again. 

Cheers to 2024.

2023 Top Chill Albums

Top 10 Chill Albums of 2023

Get ready to groove, because here comes the much-anticipated countdown of the top 10 psychill/chill/psybass albums of 2023! This year was an absolute arctic blast for chill music – a real treat for our ears. We've got tunes that are diverse, soul-stirring, and a whole lot of fun, all wrapped up with some seriously awesome production quality (and believe me, I listened to a ton!). So, without further ado, let's dive into the beats!

10. Klaada - The Remixes: A treasure trove of remixes by various artists, and it's got quite the variety. From psybass vibes to Middle Eastern flavors and a hint of dub, this one's a real gem. 

9. One Arc Degree - The Forest and the Milky Way: It's like taking a chill pill while watching the galaxy whirl by. There's a nice blend of ambient and groovy beats here, creating a mesmerizing experience. 

8. Perpetual Loop - SoloChillinInTheBackGardenOfMyMind: Chillgressive with a touch of ambient magic. Dreamy melodies and engaging synths make this a delight! 

7. Spoq - First Contact: This one's psychill with a focus on heavier beats and bass, creating a symphony of pleasure for your ears. 

6. Sundial Aeon - Regenesis: Get ready for deep and immersive sounds. It's a blend of ambient with a psychedelic melody and quick-paced beats. Complex and layered, deserving of a respectable 6th place.

5. Carbon Based Lifeforms - Seeker: If you're into chilled goodness, this one's a treat. It's like a nostalgic trip to the old-school sounds of CBL or Solar Fields. Intricate melodies make it an easy star!

4. Kayla Scintilla - Mumijo: This one's an awesome sonic journey with organic drumming and thick psybass. It's like a whirlwind of loops, synths, and organic instruments that'll take you to another dimension. 

3. Astronaut Ape - Openness: This one's a bit like a slow-burning campfire that grows warmer with each listen. It might not instantly grab you, but it's got those familiar vibes reminiscent of the 2016 album "Unknown Sector." Think lush soundscapes, groovy beats, and other sonic goodies. 

2. Phutureprimative - Mind’s Eye: Chunky basslines, dreamy melodies, and a dash of moodiness make this one a tasty treat. 

and..#1 is:

1. Auratech - Eternity: Delve into deeper psychill, bordering on psybass, with trippy and captivating sounds. Definitely worth a #1 placement. 

Happy New Year!

Open Spotify and Listen to me!

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.