Humdrum Places - BlogFlock

🐶 Cliffside - foofaraw

2025-07-09T23:59:15.000Z

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Matt Akos can be found on Behance and on Instagram @mopeygrail

🧙‍♂️ Oddments - A Humdrum Life

2025-07-09T23:01:31.000Z

This one has a fun raw garage rock vibe in the sense that it sounds like it might’ve actually been recorded in someone’s garage, which to me, isn’t a bad thing. I love the kinetic energy of raw, live recordings, but this one just didn’t feel like one of their stronger batch of songs, unfortunately. Still an enjoyable sound, but the songs don’t bring it as hard.

Some absolutely fire album art though.

🧙‍♂️ Paper Mâché Dream Balloon - A Humdrum Life

2025-07-09T20:44:43.000Z

Easily my favorite so far as we’ve made our way through five records. KGLW going no-electric bringing flutes, clarinets, fiddle, and harmonica alongside the accoustic guitar, drums, and keys??? Yes, yes please.

It’s an easy-going KGLW record that still brings a ton of fun and energy with the melodies and hooks. There’s still a hint of jazziness and even r&b, and they go on a tour of non-electric psychedelia reminiscent of the early 70’s.

And now that we’ve gone through five records, here are my rankings to date:

Paper Mâché Dream Balloon
Quarters!
Sketches of Brunswick East
I’m in Your Mind
Changes

📰 The New York Times Had To Work With A Eugenicist So They Didn’t Get Scooped By A Bigot /// Defector - The Independent Variable

2025-07-09T19:54:00.000Z

The Times opinion department loves the occasional provocation for provocation’s sake, but the reportorial side considers itself at a further remove from culture-war concerns, as if it can only just ask questions. Of course, this is bullshit.

Such a weird non-story for the Times to take that really does make you start to question their decision making. Next thing you know, we are going to learn what Mamdani did for his 13th birthday or what he asked Santa Claus for Christmas when he was seven.

🧺 The Nuggets Are In A Standoff With Jonas Valanciunas And It Somehow Matters /// Defector - The Independent Variable

2025-07-09T19:50:00.000Z

For basically the entirety of the Nikola Jokic era, the Nuggets have not had a backup center who could be described as a functional basketball player capable of setting screens, grabbing rebounds, playing out of the pick-and-roll, and putting the ball in the basket.

The Nuggets have made a ton of great moves this off-season, adding Cam Johnson, Bruce Brown, Hardaway Jr., and of course Valanciunas, who feels like the last piece that turns them into a real title contender again.

💸 Polymarket Rules ‘No’ on $237M Controversial Bet Over Zelenskyy’s Suit /// Decrypt - The Independent Variable

2025-07-09T19:42:00.000Z

On June 24, Zelenskyy appeared at a NATO event in the Netherlands wearing a black jacket, matching trousers, and a collared shirt, an outfit described by numerous media outlets as a suit.

This kind of thing doesn’t surprise me and the fact so many people are willing to participate in an illegal and unregulated market like this is wild. The folks behind it have access to so much data and you have no idea if and where they are wagering their own money and how that may influence decisions like these.

🏎️ Apple bids for Formula 1 rights in US following success of Brad Pitt film /// FT - The Independent Variable

2025-07-09T06:00:00.000Z

Analysts at Citi have previously estimated that F1’s next US broadcast deal could be worth $121mn a year, although that was before the release of the F1 film. Its total global media rights revenue grew almost 8 per cent to about $1.1bn in 2024.

It makes sense that it’s a sport Apple would want, but I’m surprised they are the only ones looking to snag this from ESPN. I wonder if they’ll do a similar arrangement with Sky or if they’ll want to control the entire broadcast. Also crazy that the US makes up 10% of the broadcast revenue given its relatively young popularity here.

📱 TikTok’s ‘ban’ problem could end soon with a new app and a sale /// The Verge - The Independent Variable

2025-07-09T03:14:00.000Z

Earlier today, the Wall Street Journal reported that the General Services Administration says Oracle has reached a new agreement with the federal government that “is the first of its kind that provides the entire government with a discount on cloud infrastructure,” with a 75 percent discount on licensed software.

It’s weird when government deals start to feel this sketchy.

📚 Small Press SFF Might Sometimes Be Harder to Find — But It’s More Than Worth the Effort - Reactor /// Reactor - The Independent Variable

2025-07-09T03:14:00.000Z

They are the classic underdog, and I feel like SFF readers could do a little more rooting for them. It’ll take a little effort on our part. It’s effort well worth making.

Enjoyed reading this as I continue to slowly build out the print side of Foofaraw Press. Support small presses!

🎥 Danny Boyle Calls Out “Cultural Appropriation” in ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ /// World of Reel - The Independent Variable

2025-07-09T03:05:00.000Z

Ah yes, nothing says progressive growth like retroactively throwing your own Oscar-winning film under the bus and implying it shouldn’t exist in today’s industry — the same film that launched careers, won over audiences across the globe, and let’s not forget, netted 8 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director (that one had your name on it, Danny).

This kind of thing is just weird. Why are we even talking about it? I get the idea of wanting people to be able to tell their own stories that they can relate to, but we should also have room for people to tell stories they are passionate about, even if they don’t reflect that culture themselves. And at this point, it’s more revisionist history than anything. This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be pushing for more diverse films from diverse filmmakers, but I fail to see how telling a story like this is cultural appropriation.

🖼️ Moe-dern Art — “Do The Artman” by David Cooper /// David Cooper - The Independent Variable

2025-07-09T03:01:00.000Z

Just stunning. Truly stunning. Huge fan of the Mark Rothk-Moe and Hayao Moe-yazaki.

😈 The devil is in the details - foofaraw

2025-07-08T20:58:39.000Z

a new recurring series of short stories by Sarina Dorie

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😈 The devil is in the details

by Sarina Dorie

“I assume you want to make a deal,” the devil said to me.

“Um...” I stared in disbelief at the apparition that appeared before me in my cramped craft room.

The devil wasn’t red with horns and a pitchfork. She looked a bit like my Aunt Susy, plump and motherly.

“You used the magic words,” she prompted with her friendly smile. “You said, ‘I would give anything to be Miss Belly Dance USA.’ ” Then she reached into the pocket of her apron and withdrew a ticket to California where the competition was happening.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Am I dreaming?”

The devil walked over to my sewing machine, scrutinizing the green metallic fabric. Stretch satin had been a struggle to work with; I had somehow sewn the waist closed. It was going to take more than a seam ripper to undo what I’d destroyed. It was expensive fabric too.

The devil’s lips stretched tight across her face. “You also said, ‘I would make a deal with the devil if only I could win the Belly Dance World competition.’”

“So you’re the devil?”

She puffed herself up to her full five feet. “Of course, dear. But just between you and me, that costume isn’t even going to get you to the semi-finals.”

“My costume?” My mind was still reeling from the appearance of the devil.

She removed a wand from her apron pocket and waved it over the green fabric dotted with blood from when I’d accidentally sewn my hand two days before. I still had the bandages over my thumb. As the devil worked her magic, my costume transformed into the vision I imagined, a mermaid-like skirt with rhinestones and beadwork covering the belt. The bustier on the table beside it looked like a completed costume from Egypt that would have cost at least a thousand dollars. Just as I hoped, the green fishnet and spiky headpiece gave the ensemble a hint of tribal fusion aesthetics.

I gazed at the perfect tribaret costume in wonder. “You’re kind of like a fairy godmother.”

“That’s right. And I really don’t ask for much in return.” She batted her eyelashes innocently. “It’s nothing more than what I charged Cinderella.”

“Wait? Like the fairy tale Cinderella?” I was suddenly rewriting the entire fairy tale in my head. Had that fairy godmother actually been the devil?

She waved me off like it was nothing. “Do you really think I would give that girl a Prada dress and turn a pumpkin into a coach without asking for something in return?”

“What did that cost her?”

“The usual,” she said with a shrug. “Just her immortal soul.”

Dread settled in my belly like a lump of ice. That was what being an award-winning belly dancer was going to cost me if I took the easy way to live my dream. Or I could slave away and work myself to the bone at the local competitions until I had enough prize money and titles—and still I might not reach my dreams.

A crash came from the living room. I hesitated for a moment, not wanting to leave a supernatural being unattended, but when I heard cursing, I ran to see what had caused the commotion. The nightstand I was using as an end table, and the potted vase on top, had been overturned. A guy in a leather jacket had fallen onto the wooden floor. It looked like he might have tripped over the sword I accidentally stabbed into the couch earlier and hadn’t been able to free.

Just another one of my epic failures. Those barrel turns with swords could be lethal. At least it was only my couch that suffered a casualty this time. Last week, my fan veils had somehow managed to wrap around someone’s neck in the restaurant where I’d been performing.

“Who are you?” I asked.

The man lifted himself to his feet and dusted himself off. “I’m a devil here to make your wishes come true—for a price.” He was tall and slender, his hair and leather jacket reminiscent of James Dean—but the piercings on his face gave him a modern appearance.

I looked to the fairy godmother devil who ran into the room behind me. “But I thought she was the devil.”

“A devil,” the man corrected. “We’re from the same agency.”

She lied to me. Not a good sign for someone I intended to make a bargain with.

“Curse you, Brutus!” the she-devil said.

“Excuse me. This is my client,” Brutus said with a British accent. “How dare you try to claim this prospective soul before me.”

“You snooze, you lose,” my fairy godmother-devil said. “I already told the agency I was taking on this client to help her become Miss Belly Dance USA—assuming she agrees to sign my little black book with her blood.”

My stomach churned at the weight of what that meant. Did I really want to sell my soul to the devil—or a devil?

Brutus turned to me, his voice cloying. “Forget about Miss Belly Dance USA. You could be Miss Belly Dance World, right? I can do that for you. With my help, I can give you the fame you deserve. Only I can ensure you have the best shimmies and belly rolls you need to win.”

I considered his offer. “I can already dance. I just can’t afford the ticket, costume, time off work, or the entrance fees. Also, I don’t have the cleavage to fill out my costume.” Or the time to practice. I would give anything to become a professional belly dancer.

“I see the problem.” He rubbed his chin knowingly. “You need a boost of confidence.” He crossed in front of the first devil, looking like he was attempting to casually block her from view.

The she-devil grabbed my sword from where it was wedged in the couch and yanked it out. She aimed it at Brutus, who edged away from her.

“Back off. This soul is mine.” She turned to me and smiled sweetly. “We’ve already established I have the ticket and can assist with the costume. I can also help you with your cleavage and confidence.” She cast a dirty glance at her rival. “And she doesn’t need your help with her skills. She’s already an incredible dancer.”

“Is that the spin you’re going to try to sell her on?” He snorted. “You’re going to claim I don’t appreciate her natural ability, and I want to change her style and skills, so I’m the bad guy? Did you already give her that cheesy fairy godmother spiel? Now you just want to give her money, breast implants, and a costume—and pretend that’s all she needs to win.”

A third devil exited from my coat closet and strode into the room. They wore a pink feather boa, bangles, harem pants, a sequin-covered bustier and a beard covered in glitter. “Did someone say they would give anything to become a professional belly dancer?” They winked at me.

“No! Get out of here, Yamil!” Brutus said.

Yamil sauntered over to me. “Honey, we need to go studio hunting so you can open up your own business. You want to teach classes each night instead of working in a stuffy ad agency during the day. Am I right? Plus, I have a list of restaurants and events where you can get paid to dance.”

“No, she doesn’t want that,” the she-devil said, brandishing my sword. “Back off!”

“We can’t divide her soul into thirds.” Brutus crossed his arms, his leather jacket creaking. “I got her wish from the agency first. This soul is mine.”

They all started shouting at once. I had made three wishes—but gotten three different devils to bargain with. I was pretty attached to my soul, but if I did sell it, I had no idea how to tell who was offering the best service.

“I’ll make you rich!” Yamil said.

“I’ll make you famous!” Brutus said.

My fairy godmother shouted over them both. “You’ll win the most awards by signing my little black book!”

With all their bickering and attempts to impress me, I could see I was the one with the advantage. I fully planned to exploit that, and I didn’t feel bad about it either. These devils took advantage of people’s desperation and longing to give them a fleeting wish—that would end when their life did.

“If I’m going to sell my soul to the devil—or a devil—I want to make sure I’m getting the biggest bang for my buck. I need to get a sample of each of your services and test your powers out at the local competitions to see who I want to make this bargain with.”

It obviously was a seller’s market, so I was the one with the power. Just because I asked for a sample, didn’t mean I needed to sign a contract.

Sarina Dorie has sold over 200 short stories to markets like Analog, Daily Science Fiction, Fantasy Magazine, and F & SF. She has over one hundred books up on Amazon, including her bestselling series, Womby’s School for Wayward Witches. When she isn’t writing, she teaches and performs belly dance, though she has no intention of competing or selling her soul to any devils.

A few of her favorite things include: gluten-free brownies (not necessarily glutton-free), Star Trek, steampunk, fairies, Severus Snape, and Mr. Darcy. She lives with twenty-three hypoallergenic fur babies, by which she means tribbles. By the time you finish reading this bio, there will be twenty-seven.

You can find info about her short stories and novels on her website.

The best way to stay in contact with Sarina Dorie, hear about what she is writing, know when she has a new release, or books offered for free on Amazon is by signing up for her newsletter.

🧙‍♂️ Quarters! - A Humdrum Life

2025-07-08T01:08:12.000Z

#2

We are going to go clockwise around the flowchart, starting with the mellower left-hand side, so we can end at the bottom with the heavier stuff.

This is one I really, really, really enjoy and one of the first where they really started to experiment more with form and format as a four song album, all of which come in at 10:01.

A lovely psychedelic soft 60’s-esque kind of rock that meanders through each of the four tracks, but never gets boring.

📺 The Media Guide S6E2 - foofaraw

2025-07-08T00:37:52.000Z

Hello hello hello!

It's a beautiful day outside, the sun is shining, and we've got an excellent week of TV and comics coming at you this week. I just had my first day at my new gig and am feeling ready to go.

Here's to a successful week for all—until we meet again.

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what's new on tv this week

📺 New shows

☀️ It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia S17 (FX) — 9 July

Our friends from Philly are back. My wife and I just did a complete series rewatch last year, which was a complete and utter joy. Charlie and Frank are two of the greatest characters in modern TV and it's going to be a sad, sad day when it eventually has to come to an end—but today is not that day!

👼 Too Much S1 (Netflix) — 9 July

Lena Dunham returns to TV (at least behind the camera) with Too Much. I believe it's semi-autobiographical, similar to Girls in that way, about someone who leaves New York for London after a break-up and then falls in love again. Megan Stalter, aka Kayla from Hacks, plays the lead and is joined by a fantastic cast of character actors and recognizable faces.

🌌 Foundation S3 (Apple) 10 July

Foundation is one of those shows that I really, really, really want to watch, but just haven't gotten around to it yet. I've read the first book and really enjoyed it—although I struggled to imagine it working on screen, but apparently it does!

🔪 Dexter: Resurrection S1 (Paramount) — 13 July

And the third Dexter spin-off series from the folks at Showtime, who never know how to let a good idea die gracefully. I loved the original series and didn't hate the series finale like most people, but never got around to watching New Blood, or the newer prequel series Original Sin.

📝 What else?

Ballard S1 (Amazon) — 9 July
Quarterback S2 (Netflix) — 8 July

days based on streaming availability for the majority of people

Tuesday

Stick (Apple) 1:8
Hell Motel (Shudder) 1:5

Thursday

Poker Face (Peacock) 2:12
Murderbot (Apple) 1:10
Revival (Syfy) 1:5
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX) 17:1-2
Too Much (Netflix) S1

Friday

Smoke (Apple) 1:4
Foundation (Apple) 3:1

Sunday

Rick & Morty (Adult Swim) 8:8
The Gilded Age (HBO) 3:4
Dexter: Resurrection (Paramount) 1:1-2

No new music to report on this week. Try again next week.

this weeks best comic releases

🦸 No. 1's

🌳 Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees: Rite of Spring (IDW)

The follow-up to one of 2024's best comics from writer/artist Patrick Horvath taking place a decade after the events of the first mini-series as the world enters the internet era and it becomes much harder to be a cozy, serial killing bear.

🐗 Wild Animals (Mad Cave)

A gritty crime thriller from the mind of Ed Brisson and art by Andy Kuhn about a guy who's been beaten down by life and is now out for revenge after losing his parents.

🦹 The UnChosen (Image)

The first creator-owned series from David Marquez as both writer and artist. It has some X-Men meets manga vibes going on as it follows a 13-year old dealing with the great powers they can't quite control.

🍀 Fantastic Four (Marvel)

New number one to lead to the new FF movie. Still Ryan North writing, but he's joined by Humberto Ramos on art.

🌕 Fantastic Four: First Steps (Marvel)

A movie tie-in... only including it here because it's written by Matt Fraction...

📝 What else?

The Power Fantasy #10 (Image)
Farmhand #23 (Image)
FML #5 (Image)
I Hate Fairyland #23 (Image)
Uncanny Valley #10 (Image)
Free Planet #3 (Image)
Transformers #22 (Image)
Radiant Black #35 (Image)
Absolute Superman #9 (DC)
Uncanny X-Men #17 (Marvel)

movies hitting the big screen this week

🎥 New movies

🦸 Superman

This feels like a make or break moment for James Gunn and DC Studios. At the early buzz has not been great. First there was the issue with the trailer that seemed weird; Gunn said it was as intended, and then removed it and said it wasn't ready? Then Daily Beast accidentally published their scathing review before the embargo was lifted and subsequently removed it, but it did not sound good at all... Superman is just a hard character to do right and I'm not sure that many people care to see him on screen anymore.

🇵🇸 To a Land Unknown

To a Land Unknown has been going through the film festival circuit and building up a decent amount of buzz as a nominee at Cannes and TIFF among 40+ others over the course of the last year. It's a movie about two displaced Palestinian refugees who are trying to leave Athens, but get tangled up in some sketchy situations.

🥶 Sovereign

I'm not too sure about this one, but Nick Offerman is in it and plays the lead as someone deep in the sovereign citizen movement who indoctrinates his kid and ends up going head to head with the local police chief.

📝 What else?

🧙‍♂️ I’m in Your Mind Fuzz - A Humdrum Life

2025-07-07T22:44:48.000Z

There’s a reason the flowchart has you start here. It’s a great album that’s pretty early in their discography, but still paints a picture of all the different place they can go in the future. There’s some jamminess the way they play on the mind motif up front and then the jams at the end, and there’s still some lighter fun with Empty and weirder upbeatness with Cellophane.

Coming soon: King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard discography listen - A Humdrum Life

2025-07-07T16:22:20.000Z

So I’ve been a casual fan of KGLW since around 2022; throwing on an album here or there, but mostly sticking to their newer stuff or their more famous albums like Nonagon Infinity. I mentioned their most recent release in Foofaraw and then new internet friend Evan turned me on to the below flowchart of their entire discography. It felt like a great chance to really dive in and listen to everything. So I spent parts of the last two months working my way through the whole thing—and now I’m going to do it again! But this time I’m going to log each one via my Media page, and then at the end, come up with my own ranking of their entire discography.

So now it’s time to listen to I’m in your mind fuzz!

So. Many. Albums.

First day of the next two years of my life - A Humdrum Life

2025-07-07T15:59:57.000Z

Well the time has come… I’m working again!

Since signing the two year contract with my first client as part of my Humdrum Industries LLC, I’ve just felt so much more productive and motivated—even before kicking things off today. Being unemployed got to me a lot more than I realized, I think. Even though I had Foofaraw to keep me busy, not having the external force (and paycheck) to keep things moving really dragged me down. I wasn’t working out, I wasn’t eating great, I was taking "depression” naps, and scrolling far too much—lots of bad habits coming out of that not-so-great mental state.

But I used the last week and a half since signing on to fix a lot of that. Obviously, work will come with its own ups and downs, but having that huge weight off my shoulder has been such a relief.

I also negotiated in my contract that I will bill a minimum of 20 hours a week, even if the client doesn’t have 20 hours of work for me—which equates to what I was making through my previous employer, leaving a lot of upside for me—although I don’t actually think I’ll ever be working less than 30 hours a week for them, it’s still nice to have that safety net. And since I get health insurance through my wife already, there isn’t too much I’m missing out on as a freelancer.

Anyways, since I’m working for an east coast client, I’ve already clocked in 27 minutes and have my first call coming up in 90 minutes.

📺 Dept. Q S1 - A Humdrum Life

2025-07-07T02:18:46.000Z

Part of me feels like I’m only giving this four star because other people seemed to like it a lot and I’ve been giving too many three and three point five ratings today… It was enjoyable and Matthew Goode and Alexej Manvelov were phenomenal, but I never really felt like it really connected for me.

📺 The Bear S4 - A Humdrum Life

2025-07-07T02:10:02.000Z

Hmmm…. I still think this is a really, really good show. But it’s a different show than what I fell in love with. Part of me feels, “okay that makes sense, things evolve and the creators have a story they want to tell.” Which, fine. But part of me feels like there’s so much there they could be exploring if they didn’t get in their own way. So many dynamics that make the show work were ignored for “the plot,” I guess.

The Sydney episode and the wedding episode were both stellar and the filmmaking is great, but this season left me cold, which is a huge dissapointment given how much I adored this show in the first two seasons and how it put a spotlight on the greatest city in the world.

📺 Adults S1 - A Humdrum Life

2025-07-07T02:06:10.000Z

This was actually a lot of fun and I thought they really started to find their stride towards the end of the season. I really hope this comes back for a second and they can continue where they left off. Also, Paul Baker is the best.