180 Lunches

Author: Samichez

  • Son on a hat trick

    I hated to see Son leave Spurs this summer, but it was time. He went out on the highest note, delivering the club it’s first big trophy in 34 years. But seeing him move to LAFC and find joy early warms my heart. He reunited with Lloris too, it’s a great story so far. How long can I hold off on getting a Son jersey? We shall see!

  • A Life Well Wasted

    After a 3 year hiatus A Life Well Wasted is back with it’s 9th episode since inception in 2009. A 16 year timeline feels insane, but also like the blink of an eye. Prior to making ALWW, I was a Robert Ashley fan when he was on GFW Radio and then Out of the Game. Like it was yesterday.

    So here it is another Olly Moss cover piece and an excellent episode about the fall of a triple A videogame. The subsequent fall of the studio that made it, the people impact that had, and a reflection on the time, effort, and creativity that go into something that now doesn’t exist.

    Bonus: Chris Plante just put out a new episode of Post Games that includes a behind the scenes with Ashley for his newest episode.

  • Aug 2025 Media Log

    I experimented with a monthly media log on the last iteration of this site and still like the idea. Starting this month I’ve kept a running tab of all of the media I’ve consumed. Minus YouTube, music and podcast, as they’re too numerous and fluid. Let’s see if it sticks.

  • PARADISE – Young Nudy

    Young Nudy has been a name circling the music I listen to for a few years now. The features hit, but there weren’t many solo songs that popped for me. His feature of Little Foot Big Foot is a perfect example from last year. Well, 2025 might be the year for some more solo appreciation, his new record is solid.

  • Mandal

    When we went to DC back in June we saw Josh Johnson who was excellent, but the unexpected treat was Mandal opening for him. I was aware of him from guest appearances on My Momma Told Me and Stavvy’s World. But hadn’t seen his stand up. Now I am seeing his stand up pop up all over. Old and new work with Rob Haze and now interviews with a bunch of great folks at Big Fun.

    I can’t tell between his stand up, podcast, or comedic role as a manager to celebrities, which is his strongest suit. Thankfully I don’t have to. All of it is hilarious and every day he is popping up in more places. More Mandal comedy is all one can ask for right now.

  • Best Games: Lost in Random: The Eternal Die

    After a drought, the Best Games of the 2020’s is back with a new entry, and a chill cat game comes off the board.

    Lost in Random: The Eternal Die (2025) goes on at #39

    The Eternal Die is a sequel to a game by the same title (Lost in Random) from 2021. This late in life it does not surprise me that I hadn’t heard of the original. I am old, busy, and so many games come out now. Also, turns out that didn’t matter.

    The Eternal Die has plot and character ties to the game that spawned it, but gameplay wise it is a naked rip off of Hades (#4). That sounds cruel, but they pull it off. The combat is crisp and challenging, the rouge-like loop stimulates the “one more run” center of my brain, and the graphics/art direction are top stuff. Finally, Hades II is in early access, and already rating at the top of the 2025 critic list. But I’ve been avoiding playing it till they hit retail release, so The Eternal Die gets bonus points for helping me hold the line. It’s on Game Pass too!

    Stray (2022) is slides out of 50th place. It had stellar art and world design, told an interesting story with very little dialogue, and had simplistic game mechanics that largely supported it’s best attributes.

  • Rap x Classical Arabic

    I grew up in a house where my Mom listened to whatever was popular on the radio and my Dad was playing a mix of classical Arabic and Motown. My memories of specific artist and songs on the Arabic side is hazy. Umm Kulthum is an artist that stands out, but most all of it is characterized by a specific sound^ that is imprinted on my mind.

    In the late 90’s when rap started sampling the genre, it was a very specific cheat code that get me onboard early. Jay Z’s ‘Big Pimpin’ epitomizes that era, but it and a lot of other songs rode that wave for a few years.

    Big Pimpin’ heavily sampled Abdel Halim Hafez’s ‘Khosara’. Well it was actually not sampled, but re-recorded. Water and a $100K lawsuit under the bridge later and the original is still the better song.

    This topic all came rushing back to me with the Clipse’s Let God Sort Em Out earlier this year. Specifically the track ‘So Be It’ where Pharrell sampled Talal Maddah’s ‘Maza Akoulou’.

    ^ That sound comes from the oud (pair shaped lute), ney (end blown flute), and darbuka (goblet drum) to name just a few.

  • Primal Planet

    I took a leap on Primal Planet. Once again it was a Besties recommendation, but I usually pair that with OpenCritic for the wisdom of the crowd. In this case that was 5 critic reviews at the time, that didn’t add up to enough consensus for them to score it yet. Regardless, the leap paid off.

    Primal Planet released in late July from SeethingSwarm, a solo developer from Finland. The whole thing clocked in at 6-8 hours, played over the course of a weekend. That wasn’t a complete run, but did see me through the main plot. At it’s root it is a metroidvania lite, but without many of the gear/ability progression gates inherent to the genre.

    Dinosaurs + Aliens as a theme is already a cheat code, but paired with strong platforming and semi-challenging combat is a great start. The pixel art and animation is peak SNES/Genesis and the sound track compliments it well. The upgrades via expanding your village and it’s inhabitants is a little under developed, but didn’t get in the way of progress. All in it was well crafted short game that well exceeds the $20 price tag. A nice high note to the recent wilderness.

  • God Does Like Ugly – JID

    The past 3-4 months has been a crazy run for new music: Freddie, Tyler, Wet Leg, Turnstile, Clipse, Amine, Ovrkast, & Aesop Rock. The album release cup runneth over. I won’t say that JID’s latest book ends that, because honestly let’s keep it going. But if it did, what a high note to go out on. Like Freddie Gibbs, JID is just going to bring the bars every time. All you need is killer production to match him. A tall order, but God Does Like Ugly manages to pull it off.

  • Bonus Eats: Secret Squares & Stock

    The biggest threat to us finishing the ABC challenge is us discovering and wanting to try other new restaurants. That was the point of the whole thing, right? So not the worst problem to have.

    Secret Squares

    The once pop-up only pizza offering is now a brick and mortar in Church Hill. You still have to pre-order 24 hours ahead to ensure you can get these Detroit style sourdough pies. It is worth the effort, to answer our crews collective question post meal. The crispy edges, fluffy bites, and combination of tasty toppings all add up to great pizza. If it was closer and easier to get, we might have problem at our house.

    Stock Bistro & Bar

    Technically we could have used TXTUR as our letter “T” but that would be probably be cheating, as that is name of the furniture store, not the restaurant. We went to shop for furniture and pair it with a cocktail, fell in love with “Kapsalon” (pictured above) and the whole thing turned into dinner. You can turn up to 20% of your meal total into a discount on furniture. So we have a new coffee table and chair now too.