Resolutions Status Update

We're about a month into 2016, so let check in on what I've accomplished as far as resolutions go.

Resolution 1: Listen to 52 music albums I've never listened to before.

I'm a little behind on this one, but I should be able to catch up pretty easily. To reach 52 albums at the end of the year I'll need to listen to one new album each week. We're currently on our fifth week, and I've only listened to four new albums so far:

From All Sides by Vince Guaraldi and Bola Sete: an instrumental album that's pretty chill. Guaraldi is probably best known as "the Charlie Brown guy," and it's certainly true that Charlie Brown music is pretty great. Guaraldi was a prolific jazz musician long before he started working for Peanuts. So, if you're down with Charlie Brown, I recommend giving some of Guaraldi's other work a listen. You can kind of hear the music begging to be used as the background music for a movie or TV show. Recommended track: A Taste of Honey.

Blackstar by David Bowie: my second Bowie album ever. It's pretty weird, but fascinating. Listening to the lyrics, it's pretty clear that this album was basically a farewell letter to the world. Probably won't end up in my rotation, though. Recommended track: Dollar Days.

Alone in the Universe by Electric Light Orchestra: Apparently Jeff Lynne is still making music, as this ELO album came out just last year. It's pretty ELO, as albums go, which is a good thing I'd say. I need to give it a few more listens before I can really give an opinion, though. Recommended track: When I Was a Boy.

College Dropout by Kanye West: this album surprised me. I think I need to give it another few listens, but I'm pretty sure this album is going to inspire a full blog post. Short version: it's a very deep album, with a lot to unpack. I appreciate how the subject matter isn't all about drugs and clubs, but you might not know that by my recommended track: We Don't Care.

Resolution 2: I will read 12 new books this year.

Doing bad at this one. I'm sitting on 2010: Odyssey Two, but I haven't read a single page yet. I've set aside my 3DS now, though, so I'm sure I'll be tearing through it pretty soon.

Resolution 3: I will attempt 12 new recipes this year.

On schedule. I believe I've successfully recreated my mom's spaghetti. I'm planning to give it another go this weekend, taking pictures through the process. If everything goes well, I may transcribe the process here in the blog, complete with pictures for reference.

So, doing well, all things considered! As a final note, my not-a-resolution: we're 34 days into 2016, and this is my 34th blog for the year. Woo!