Re: 5 Albums

Tue 14 July 2026

I saw Noisy Deadlines' recent post entitled "5 Albums," and it reminded me of fun "getting to know you" viral copypasta posts on social media before social media turned into a pile of garbage 😄.

So, here's five albums to get to know me, based on release date. Note that the last two are religious in nature.

Michael Jackson — Thriller

CD Album cover for Michael Jackson's "Thriller"

This was one of the first albums I ever owned, and I had it on vinyl (before vinyl was cool! 😄). I was a big Michael Jackson fan when I was a kid (before his image was sullied by controversy), and I remember listening to this album a lot. I also remember seeing Thriller on MTV for the first time as a kid, and it was an amazing video. It was the longest music video I'd ever seen (about 14 minutes long), and I remember calling it a "movie" at the time. 😁

Tangerine Dream — Optical Race

CD Album cover for Tangerine Dream's "Optical Race"

I listened to this album a lot in the mid-90s, but I don't think I ever owned it, myself. A couple good friends of mine that were roommates through much of the 90s had it, and I'd hang out with them, listening to it while staring at the lava lamp, because... that was entertainment when you were bored and broke in the 90s!! 😄

RCA Victor — Beethoven's Piano Sonatas — Artur Rubinstein performing

CD Album cover for the RCA Victor release of Beethoven's Piano Sonatas as performed by Artur Rubinstein

I don't remember how I got this album, but I got it in the latter part of the 90s, and I remember listening to it a whole lot (I didn't have too many CDs, anyway). I honestly think Moonlight Sonata gets a bit overplayed, and overshadows some of the other Beethoven Sonatas, which are all pretty amazing.

These recordings gave this (undiagnosed) ADHD Spectrum kid a lot of emotional language and fluency that he was very badly missing. 😄

  • Discogs link
  • (Sorry, I couldn't find this exact CD on Youtube)

Misty Edwards — Always on His Mind

CD Album cover for Misty Edwards' "Always on His Mind"

Here we get into some choppy waters. This was a favorite album of mine for many years, and still holds a special place in my collection, but I honestly couldn't recommend it today without a raft of disclaimers. It comes from a religious movement that was revealed to be rather abusive and cultic, and one which I feel signtificant antipathy towards today. If you ever see anything labeled "New Apostolic Reformation," run, do not walk, in the opposite direction.

Adam Cates — Nights at the Big House

CD Album cover for Adam Cates' "Nights at the Big House"

This is another religious album, but one I don't have any reservations about recommending. It's a really lovely live worship album, if that's your thing, and I've enjoyed it for nearly 20 years.


Next article in the July Reply series

Category: Entertainment
Tags: Beauty   Christianity   Collaborations   Content Warning   Entertainment   Music   Non-technical post  


Quasi-Lucid Ravings

Mon 01 June 2026

I don't understand time.

I don't understand this weird 80-year period of life, bracketed by glory.

I don't understand squinting and sweating under the sun, waiting for our Rescue.

I don't understand the Creator's insistence of running the simulation of humanity on such a flawed and cantankerous scratch file.

I …

Category: Life
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Book mini-review: "Gulliver's Fugitives" by Keith Sharee

Thu 12 February 2026
Note: no substantive spoilers in this review

If you're short on time, you can skip the preamble

Preamble

As you will know from my previous blog post, I've been on a bit of a reading kick lately. I honestly hadn't read too many novels since I was in University last …

Category: Books
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Nietzsche's Heavy Declaration

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Content Warning: this post is a downer. I will be dealing with issues of religious manipulation and existential guilt

Chidi grabs the drug dealer by the hoodie while reciting Nietzsche (AVIF format)
Chidi grabs the drug dealer by the hoodie while reciting Nietzsche

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Category: Philosophy
Tags: Bible   Christianity   Content Warning   Entertainment   Ethics   Life   Loss   Non-technical post   Personal favorites   Philosophy   Polemic   Prose   The Good Place  

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Professor Chidi Anagonye stirring a pot of Marshmallow-Peeps-and-M&Ms chili in class as he rants (AVIF format)
Professor Chidi Anagonye stirring a pot of Marshmallow-Peeps-and-M&Ms chili in class as he rants

Note: Spoilers of Seasons 1-3 of The Good Place follow. Also, a minor discussion of religion.

 

Anyone who follows me on the Fediverse will know that I have been more than slightly obsessed with the …

Category: Philosophy
Tags: ADHD   Bible   Christianity   Content Warning   Entertainment   Ethics   Hobbies   Humor   Language   Life   Non-technical post   Personal favorites   Philosophy   Series: The Scenes that Made Me   The Good Place   Video  

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Blog Questions Challenge: Ten Pointless Facts About Me

Mon 05 May 2025

Thanks to my fedifriend Joel for nominating me for this challenge (after I had pestered him 😄).

Do you floss your teeth

Before I answer this, you must understand something about me: I strongly believe in truthfulness as a core virtue. Inasmuch as I am able, I never lie or purposefully …

Category: Humor
Tags: 100DaysToOffload   Bible   Christianity   Entertainment   Humor   Life   Non-technical post   Philosophy  

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Blog Questions Challenge: TV Shows Edition

Sat 12 April 2025

I keep finding more of these blog challenge questions, and I totally love them.

This one comes courtesy of Andreas' blog.

Like Andreas, I'm not a big TV watcher. I think I formally quit watching TV in 2003. I did watch a few things on Netflix and Amazon Prime over …

Category: Entertainment
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