u/zkosmosu

When I finally made it to Staromiejski Park, one of my absolute favorite spots in Łódź, I opened the package I'd grabbed earlier from the parcel locker. Inside was Petals for Armor, one of the solo CDs by Paramore's lead singer, Hayley Williams. I already knew the record inside out from Spotify, but it was really important for me to actually own it on a physical disc.

I absolutely love this record for a ton of reasons. It's actually about something. It's authentic and personal, with engaging, well-written lyrics. It's musically fantastic, beautifully produced, and above all, the vocals are just phenomenal.

Interestingly enough, my absolute favorite track is "Taken," an almost funky tune ("If anybody asks, yeah / I'm taken / If anybody wants to know / He is too"). It has this vibe of a bonus track you just throw in for fun, but it turns out to be pure gold. The most kickass tracks also include: the ideological "Simmer," the slightly chaotic "Cinnamon" with its à la Michael Jackson moments, the groovy "Creepin’," the passionate "Sudden Desire," the bitter "Dead Horse," the mood-heavy and gratitude-filled "My Friend," the uplifting disco-marvel "Over Yet," the deeply calming "Roses/Lotus/Violet/Iris," the swaying "Why We Ever," the bouncing "Pure Love," the looping electro-hypnosis of "Sugar on the Rim," the dramatic jazz-electro trainride of "Watch Me While I Bloom," and the electrifying musical master-spell that is "Crystal Clear". Oops, I just listed every single song.

Overall, the album is packed with catchy, funky motifs and echoes of the best Michael Jackson-style pop, just steeped in Hayley’s own personal experiences. It’s impressive how little of Paramore you can actually hear in this solo material; she really managed to find a completely separate musical world for herself.

Honestly, Hayley Williams must be a vampire or have some phenomenal genes. Back when I was 20 and downloading Paramore music videos and live sets via eMule (a peer-to-peer file-sharing program that was massively popular in Poland back in the day), she was one of the most beautiful 19-year-olds and one of my first long-term artist crushes. Now, with me turning forty next year, she’s one of the most attractive women slowly approaching forty herself, looking better than most twenty-somethings. Some dark pact was definitely signed, that much I know for sure.

I rode my Rondo Ratt CF2 bike to Koluszki to visit a temporary video game stand. More on the blog.

I rode my bike to Koluszki to visit a temporary video game stand. I harbored this unrealistic dream that maybe, just maybe, they would have a physical copy of MediEvil for the PSX (since the PS3 version I own lets you play original PlayStation 1 discs). So, when I was digging through one of the plastic bins and actually stumbled upon MediEvil for the PSX, I literally forgot how to breathe for a second.

Then the young guy running the stand walked up to me and said something along the lines of: he could see my excitement, but he had to crush it because it was the entirely German version of the game. I wrestled with my thoughts for quite a while over whether I should just buy the German version anyway. The seller even tried to tempt me by dropping the price from 70 to 50 PLN (about $13). Since I know the game inside out and have played it countless times, it was tempting, but I ultimately passed. I’ll keep hunting for the English release. More on the blog.

Quite by chance, this walk into Łódź took on some rather gloomy tones; I somehow ended up listening to music about the end of the world, exploring an abandoned tenement house, and, in between it all, playing an almost thirty-year-old game about a lonely skeleton trying to wash away his shame. More: https://analognomad.pika.page/posts/medievil-on-rg40xxv-rite-of-the-end-a-bit-of-urbex-in-an-abandoned-tenement-house

I went for a walk to Łódź with my PSP and five new UMDs in tow. The weather was pleasant; perfect for just wandering around. https://analognomad.pika.page/posts/five-new-umds-lego-harry-potter-years-1-4-i-years-5-7-killzone-liberation-star-wars-battlefront-renegade-squadron-the-sims-2-pets

I went for a walk to the Marysinek ponds in Justynów—a quiet village near Łódź in central Poland—just to chill out with that just joined my PSP collection. I really like this spot, probably because it gives me a tiny substitute for the sea I miss so much. https://analognomad.pika.page/posts/three-new-umds-medievil-resurrection-the-sims-2-the-sims-2-castaway

I took all the photos in this post with my Nintendo DSi, an eighteen-year-old handheld console. I absolutely love it when the weather can't make up its mind during a walk; alternating between pouring rain and bright sunshine. Days like this have such an amazing, moody vibe. https://analognomad.pika.page/posts/three-new-ds-cartridges-in-my-collection

I'm thrilled with this device; it's great to have a portable CD player again. https://analognomad.pika.page/tag/Moondrop

I had a single day off squeezed between my morning and night shifts at the warehouse, so I headed into Łódź to hunt down a game for this wonderful little handheld. Honestly, that’s one of the main reasons I love pocket consoles with physical media: you can turn getting a new game into a micro-adventure.

Here are some photos taken with an 18-year-old console—the Nintendo DSi. More photos and info on the blog: https://analognomad.pika.page/posts/i-bought-final-fantasy-iii-for-the-ds