2 Year Birthday Party

This month one of my boys turned two and it was fun!

We threw a block party -- which is apparently just a thing you can do!? Fill out a form, pay a fee, print some signs that say "Road Closed" and you're set!

Apparently we also know somebody that knows somebody that got us a friggen FIRE TRUCK WITH REAL FIRE FIGHTERS to show up. I will never love anything as much as a group of little boys love fire trucks. I spent nearly an entire roll of film just capturing the excitement.

Despite being brutally hot at over 95F -- it was a blast. We had pizza, gelato, and a splash pad. The kids didn't mind it was so hot, and a bunch of people showed up!

Books

When the Moon Hits Your Eye (2025)

When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi

Another very fun Scalzi romp in which the moon turns to cheese and the world goes through an existential crisis.

My favorite part was two short stories toward the end:

The first is about losing somebody you love and saying final goodbyes.
The second is about the pain of creating/writing/etc but the regret of not doing so.

These both stand up on their own for me as solid stand-alone short stories and touch very little on the whimsical premise of the novel.

Fun characters, solid premise, quick read.

How to Talk so Little Kids Will Listen (2017, Audiobook)

How to Talk so Little Kids by Joanna Faber & Julie King

As mentioned above, I am responsible for a two year old boy which is... challenging. Thankfully I have read this book and now I have TONS to tools to help! I recommend this to anybody with, or about to come in long term contact with, a very young person.

The book prioritized recognizing, acknowledging, and leading with feelings which so far has been really effective! Kids are having a tough time, just making sure they feel like you know where they're coming from leads to a lot of good communication.

I have started using this script and it is shockingly effective:

(Kid having tantrum) Dang. You really want to do X. X is really fun and you love doing it! I also want you to do X! The problem is, we need to do Y because of Z. (Kid magically gets better)

Try it out!

Games

Kentucky Route Zero (2020)

After years I have finally finished KRZ and like... wow. I love it.

It's an amazing game in so many ways, but also challenging like a dense novel. The world is rich and imaginative and full of mystical realism. It's clearly crafted with love and feels like a work of art in a way that so few games achieve.

If haven't yet, you should take a trip to The Zero. You won't regret it.

Split Fiction (2025)

On the totally different end of the spectrum we have Split Fiction!

My friend and I played this as part of our co-op games we play every week. If you've ever played a Hazelight game (It Takes Two, A Way Out, Brothers) you know what you're in for: Solid game design, interesting co-op puzzles, and just one or two infuriating platforming levels that I JUST CAN'T GET RIGHT DANGIT!

My favorite part: they saved the best for last. That's right you're going to play an entire amazing game and then they're going to BLOW YOUR MIND in the last 20 minutes. ... not to hype it up too much.

Movies

Superman (2025)

It's solid! Superman fights bad guys, struggles, is superman. Also he's pro-Palestine -- hell yeah!

Godzillas

This month we experienced a HUGE jump in Godzilla between the 70s and 80s Godzilla took almost a 10 year hiatus! But he's back and although the movies feel slightly more modern it's the same Kaiju we love at it again.

Godzilla vs Megalon (1973)

The hi-light of Megalon was the introduction of Jet Jaguar! A character I knew and who felt very familiar thanks to my upbringing on Power Rangers and Beatleborgs. This was a welcome surprise.

Honestly I don't remember much about the Kaiju.

Besides that this movie had bitchin' car chases, a crazy house, and continued the running theme of scientists using million-dollar equipment in their personal time. Science was just different in the 50's, 60's, and 70's I guess.

Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla (1974)

Mechagodzilla is a classic. When I mention Godzilla folks usually say "Oh yeah like Gidorah and Mechagodzilla". That said... this entry was... mid if for no other reason than THE ALIENS ARE MIND CONTROLLING THE KAIJU AGAIN!!! WHEN WILL THEY LEARN!

That said it in the final fight scene Godzilla becomes magnetic and I love that because power creep rocks.

Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975)

This is a totally forgettable entry BECAUSE THE ALIENS CONTROL THE KAIJU -- AGAIN!!

The movie does start with a recap of the ending fight scene from the last movie which I did like. It's a nice way to catch you up on where the story is and makes the movies feel more connected and less like a Kaiju sitcom.

... and then Godzilla (the series) fucked off for 9 years...

Return of Godzilla (1984)

This movie was more confusing than anything for me:

Godzilla is the bad guy? I thought kids loved him! And he fought off the other bad Kaiju!
Wait where are the other Kaiju? Were the last 15 movies even canon??
There is a nuclear threat that just... resolves 20 minutes before the end of the movie.
The magic solution machine made Godzilla sleepy -- wait didn't they already do that?
Godzilla still destroys Tokyo.

It feels like a reboot which I guess it sort of is. The characters mention the original Godzilla movies in the 50s (as events in their world, not movies -- they're not THAT meta) but none of the other stories after that which is fair... it's a lot.