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S2 Ep. 7- JULY

Welcome back to Thrak Attack! What's your adventure? This month we had lots of new adventures to go on including a game, some travel destinations, a movie, and a bunch of albums! So as you know, I've been traveling and due to that I did not have access to my PS4 so no Ghosts of Tsushima on this list but it will be on the end of the year Top 10 lists for sure! So with all of that out of the way, let's get into the Top 8 Adventures of July!

8. Paper Mario: The Origami King
Paper Mario™: The Origami King for Nintendo Switch - Nintendo Game ...
This game was very intriguing to me. I've never played any of the other Paper Mario games but I was aware of what they were. I love the design of the game and the battle system but I just felt no reward or joy in playing through the game. Like once you won a battle you just got more coins and I had a bunch of coins. I just felt like there was no weight to this game and didn't care enough about it to push through the rest of the story. It's only on here because this month was a little slow.

7. "Legends Never Die" by Juice WRLD
Juice WRLD: Legends Never Die Album Review | Pitchfork
I will give credit where credit is due, Juice WRLD is a fascinating artist and the fact that he had this music backlogged before his untimely death makes it all the more impressive. Although I'm not really a hip-hop fan I did not mind this album coming up on shuffle once in a while. Some tracks to look out for are "Conversations" and "Titanic". 

6. Philadelphia
Visiting Independence Hall - Independence National Historical Park ...
I have been to Philadelphia many times but I never mind going back. There's just so much to do and so much history to see! This time around we explore Independence Mall and it's surrounding area including Elfret's Alley which is the oldest residential street in the country. We also had lunch at Jim's Steaks on South Street (which was delicious! Best steak in Philly!) and some beer at the Independence Beer Garden. It was a nice day!

5. "Such Pretty Forks in the Road" by Alanis Morissette
Such Pretty Forks in the Road by Alanis Morissette Reviews and ...
This album came out on the last day of the month so that's why we're pushing this blog back a few days but I'm glad I waited. It's not the album or the year or even on the top ten list for me but I enjoyed my few listens I had while working in my classroom. It's a great passive album that does have some depth to it if you want to dive in. Some tracks to look out for are "Smiling" and "Diagnosis"

4. "Folklore" by Taylor Swift
Folklore (Taylor Swift album) - Wikipedia
Aside from listening to this album the first time while driving through Oklahoma at 5 in the morning (it was putting us to sleep), it's a really great album! I would argue one of her most unique and possibly her best. I'm usually only a fan of Taylor Swift in small doses but I did enjoy this album from start to finish! It's a testament to her musicianship being successful in all of her style shifts. Some tracks to look out for are "Cardigan", "Seven", "Hoax", and my personal favorite "The 1".

3. "Gaslighter" by The Chicks
Gaslighter (album) - Wikipedia
Again, this style of music is usually out of my wheelhouse and I'm not truly a fan of it but this album shocked me on how much I enjoyed it! Lots of great statements about our culture and where we're at in today's world. I understand why they changed their name and it's such a different sound from their old material, and they made that jump very successful! Tracks to look out for are "Sleep at Night", "My Best Friend's Wedding", and the song that might make the top 10 songs of the year list "For Her".

2. Hamilton
Hamilton (2020 film) - Wikipedia
This was my first ever viewing of Hamilton. The only song I listened to before this was "Alexander Hamilton" so I was coming into this masterpiece completely fresh. It was a lot to take in and I understand why people keep going back into watch it because there's just so much content that you miss a lot on your first viewing. I will probably go back into it a few more times just to make sure I picked up everything! Thank you Disney+ for making this available!

1. Oklahoma City
Staffing, funds in place to maintain Scissortail Park
Last time I stopped in Oklahoma City we got to the hotel, ordered pizza, and then played magic the gathering until we fell asleep.... I am very mad at myself after this trip. We had an amazing time! Oklahoma City is up and coming and is ready to rock! The roads don't make any sense but if you can find your way into the downtown area, it's amazing! We walked around Scissortail Park which is an amazing public space and an urban engineering marvel, dinner and drinks at Social Capital which was fantastic, and a solemn yet beautiful experience at the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial. Don't sleep on this city people! If the education system was such crap, I would consider moving there!


Well there you have it! The Top 8 of July! it was an eventful month but not a whole lot of content. Hopefully August will have more! I will post the "August Look Ahead" post soon! But in the meantime, keep going on adventures!

                                  All the Best, Ross 

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