#1 - WHAT IS THE ONE ALBUM (OR EP OR SONG) THAT YOU THINK SHOULD BE THE VERY NEXT MUSICAL THING THAT EVERYONE PRESSES PLAY ON THE NEXT TIME THEY FIND THEMSELVES THINKING “WHAT SHOULD I LISTEN TO NOW”?

Oh man, this is such a loaded question! Since autumn is officially here which means cold weather and darker nights, I’d suggest people listening to Ocelote Rojo’s track, “Untitled 1” as a way to enjoy the season.

From the textures drifting in the background to the rhythm of the song, it’s an absolute must.

#2 - WHAT IS THE ONE MOVIE OR TV SHOW THAT YOU THINK SHOULD BE NEXT IN EVERYBODY’S NETFLIX QUEUE (OK, DOESN’T HAVE TO BE NETFLIX, WE’RE ALL INTERNET ADULTS HERE AND KNOW HOW TO FIND ANYTHING ONLINE, ONE WAY OR ANOTHER)?

One series I’ve been incredibly obsessed with is the FX show, What We Do In The Shadows. The show centers around a few vampires living in modern day New Jersey and how they have to interact with the modern world.

The humor is incredibly dry, it’s filmed like a mockumentary and any fan of The Office will appreciate the show as it has a similar feeling – except with vampires! It’s also worth noting Mose from The Office (Dwight’s cousin) plays one of the vampires featured in the show.

#3. I (AND BY “I” I MEAN “THE PERSON THAT IS READING THIS”) AM GOING TO THE LOCAL BOOK STORE (OK, MAYBE THE LOCAL LIBRARY FIRST) TO FIND THE VERY NEXT BOOK THAT I WILL BE PUTTING SOME EXTREMELY VALUABLE ‘ME-TIME' ASIDE FOR. WHICH BOOK WOULD YOU GET, IF YOU WERE ME (AND, I SUPPOSE, YOU HADN’T ALREADY READ WHAT YOU’RE ABOUT TO SUGGEST)?

I’d recommend any of Austin Kleon’s books because they’re perfect for creatives out there who need that extra push to finish a project or to organize their thoughts.

The books are quick and easy reads and serve as a nice boost of motivation to get over whatever hurdle you’re currently facing with any creative endeavors.

#4 - WHAT IS THE ONE WEBSITE (OR JUST ANY OLD INTERNET THING: APP, GIF, SERVICE, WHATEVER) THAT YOU WOULD GET REALLY DOWN IN THE DUMPS ABOUT IF IT WERE TO SUDDENLY GO AWAY?

I’d be devastated if reddit ever went away! Some of my favorite subs are r/entrepreneur, r/amitheasshole, r/mycology and r/askreddit. The best part is naturally the replies and comments to the posts – it’s so easy for me to dive into those discussions and have a great time reading about other people’s perspectives and experiences.

#5 - AND FINALLY… PLEASE GIVE ONE COMPLETELY UNAIDED RECOMMENDATION THAT YOU THINK EVERYONE SHOULD START DOING / USING / WATCHING / EATING / THINKING / QUITING / ETC-ING TO MAKE THEIR LIVES A LITTLE BIT MORE BETTER AND/OR BEARABLE.

Alright, this suggestion might be an odd one but it’s something I think more people (especially us younger folk) should be doing. Go talk to your parents and grandparents and learn from their life stories.

I never really thought much about this until I moved to Scandinavia and found myself spending hours chatting with my girlfriend’s grandparents and hearing about what life was like growing up during World War II in Sweden and Finland. It was this interaction that further propelled me to chasing stories from my own parents and learning about my mom’s life changing road trip in 1969 or how my dad arrived in Arizona with only five dollars to his name.

OK folks, there you have it. Things that Amparo thinks you should consider incorporating into your day/life. Before you log off and go start calling all your older relatives, make sure to follow Amparo on the Facebook / Instagram / Twitter and then also give ‘Toska’ a listen below…

…and if you like what you’re hearing, go do some further amparo-flavoured audio exploring over on the Soundcloud / Spotify.