AAAAH I HAVE TO FINISH PACKING AAAAAAAAH.
So… what are you reading and/or watching?
Jaybird
Jaybird is Birdmojo on Xbox Live and Jaybirdmojo on Playstation's network. He's been playing consoles since the Atari 2600 and it was Zork that taught him how to touch-type. If you've got a song for Wednesday, a commercial for Saturday, a recommendation for Tuesday, an essay for Monday, or, heck, just a handful a questions, fire off an email to AskJaybird-at-gmail.com
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on From Semafor: Kamala Harrisā digital chief on Democrats ālosing hold of cultureāI didn't see any "Trump is impossible" takes either. But here we are, in the cold light of morning,…
on Are Republicans Waking Up?Growth, economy, jobs, crimeā¦ that stuff. The Democrats would like a word.
on Open Mic for the week of 12/16/2024Nice, thanks. on Are Republicans Waking Up?I'd look to how Florida is governed and how it's done under his executorship. Growth, economy, jobs,…
on Are Republicans Waking Up?Larry Hogan I could probably live with. Haley is a no from me because of her anti-choice, anti-LGBTQ… on From Semafor: Kamala Harrisā digital chief on Democrats ālosing hold of cultureāI agree on the need for change. I'm distinctly unhappy with the Democratic Party. But I'm not going…
on Are Republicans Waking Up?Delusional would be a better word.
on From Semafor: Kamala Harrisā digital chief on Democrats ālosing hold of cultureāI get that too. But the goal of the party should not be retaking Congress with narrow majorities or… on From Semafor: Kamala Harrisā digital chief on Democrats ālosing hold of cultureāStill not a landslide by any measure. The GOP has a smaller margin in the House then they do present…
on Are Republicans Waking Up?Well, it being stipulated that as a yellow dog Democrat I'd happily pick a dog turd for the office o…
Moving Picture of a Handy Man Around the House
December 17, 2024
Somebody is Always Taking the Joy out of Life
December 16, 2024
December 15, 2024
December 14, 2024
on Are Republicans Waking Up? on Open Mic for the week of 12/16/2024 on Are Republicans Waking Up? on From Semafor: Kamala Harrisā digital chief on Democrats ālosing hold of cultureā on From Semafor: Kamala Harrisā digital chief on Democrats ālosing hold of cultureā on Are Republicans Waking Up? on From Semafor: Kamala Harrisā digital chief on Democrats ālosing hold of cultureā on From Semafor: Kamala Harrisā digital chief on Democrats ālosing hold of cultureā on Are Republicans Waking Up? on Are Republicans Waking Up? on From Semafor: Kamala Harrisā digital chief on Democrats ālosing hold of cultureā on From Semafor: Kamala Harrisā digital chief on Democrats ālosing hold of cultureā on From Semafor: Kamala Harrisā digital chief on Democrats ālosing hold of cultureā on From Semafor: Kamala Harrisā digital chief on Democrats ālosing hold of cultureā on From Semafor: Kamala Harrisā digital chief on Democrats ālosing hold of cultureā
still working on gould’s book of fish. in the meantime, have read a couple more nz fantasy novels and two nonfiction sports books by dave bidini (in addition to being a kickass musician – which I knew – he also writes books! and has been for more than a decade! most exciting discovery of the week.) one is called tropic of hockey and the other one home and away. highly recommended to people who like reading books about sports (i had almost forgotten i was one of you), especially if you like books with a broader social / travel context.
been watching babylon 5 season 1 again. ep. 11 and 12 last night.Report
What do you think of Flanagan?Report
hard to say. i like it. but i do not find it at all immersive about 85 percent of the time. less so than a history textbook. which makes it not-the-most-appealing for me.
but, i like it. i am glad it exists in the world and i am enjoying it. and there are bits of it that are absolutely splendid.Report
It is probably his least… engaging work, though probably his most ambitious and creative. Death of a River Guide and Wanting are much more personal, the latter in particular. I found it incredibly moving, in fact. Plus, it’s about Dickens.Report
I will keep an eye out for Wanting, then.Report
I had been putting off Homeland S3 because S2 made some questionable choices, and the show can be such a downer.
But I caught up last night and it was solid (if, definitely, a downer). So I am looking forward to tonight.
Last week’s Eastbound & Down was out of control. That show tickles every juvenile funnybone I’m deeply embarrassed to own.
Rewatched the first 4 eps of Hannibal with friends, and continued to marvel at the production and sound design details. A character in the first ep has a wrought-iron headboard whose shape strongly resembles antlers.
No time for reading this week šReport
As you seemed to be enjoying “Island Of Doctor Death…” I dug this little nugget up for you:
http://www.sfsite.com/fsf/2007/gwng0704.htm
Neil Gaiman on reading Gene Wolfe. Oh, stop watching so much TV, then you can read more šReport
It’s surprisingly hard to hold a book while changing a diaper or administering a bottle; but TV watches just fine.Report
This is why I keep a bluetooth glued to my ear*. You can do a lot of things while listening to an audiobook.
* – Let us pretend that I didn’t have it glued to my ear before the baby, shall we?Report
I finally saw the 4th ep of Hannibal (the one they pulled the week of Sandy Hook). I can see why they pulled it. It had some interesting bits, but overall was no big loss to have missed (tho, Molly Shannon!)
The bit I liked most, was the tea Lecter made for Abigail Hobbs – for one, we see explicitly that Lecter has an, ah…unorthodox approach to therapy; also, that same tea provides a thematic link back to the mushroom episode, and its ideas of mind connection.Report
I’ve been watching Archer. That show is hilarious. I need to find season four somehow.Report
Re-watched Looper on DVD. That’s a seriously good movie – I’m still annoyed that it didn’t get some Oscar nominations, as it was easily better and more creative than some of the other nominees (e.g., Silver Linings Playbook).
Also finished Season 1 of Babylon 5. I’d forgotten how impressive the season finale is.Report
@katherinemw – OK, before I ask these Looper questions, let it be known that I was extremely tired and buzzed and I may have dozed a teeny bit when I watched it. So maybe these glaring plot holes were explained.
But:
1.) Gur ragver cerzvfr bs gur zbivr vf gung va gur shgher, zheqref ner uneq gb pbzzvg & obqvrf ner rkgerzryl uneq gb qvfcbfr bs fheercgvgvbhfyl. Urapr, tbvat gb gur gebhoyr bs gvzr-geniry. Lrg, Oehpr Jvyyvf’ jvsr va gur shgher vf xvyyrq ol gur zbo, jvgu nccneragyl ab ercrephffvbaf. Fb…JUL ner gurl tbvat gb gur gebhoyr bs gvzr-geniry ntnva?
2.) Jbhyqa’g vg znxr zber frafr gb pybfr gur ybbcf ol “pebffvat gur fgernzf”, fb gb fcrnx? Qba’g fraq Byq Uvgzna N onpx sbe Lbhat Uvgzna N gb xvyy (fvapr gurer’f nyjnlf gur punapr bs fbzrguvat tbvat jebat, yvxr Lbhat N erpbtavmvat naq ershfvat gb xvyy Byq N); fraq Byq Uvgzna N onpx gb Lbhat Uvgzna O (naq, fraq Byq Uvgzna O onpx gb Lbhat Uvgzna N). Jbhyqa’g gung or pyrnare naq yrff evfxl?
V yvxrq gur zbivr BX, naq jbhyq npghnyyl yvxr gb frr vg ntnva, ohg gurfr 2 guvatf ohttrq zr dhvgr n ovg. Gurer jrer bgure guvatf gbb, ohg gurl jrer gur abezny fbeg bs cnenqbkl gvzr-geniry fghss lbh nyjnlf trg va gurfr zbivrf.
Ohg gur gjb nobir ernyyl qba’g unir nalguvat gb qb jvgu gvzr-geniry.Report
Gurer’f abguvat va gur zbivr gung nqqerffrf gubfr dhrfgvbaf qverpgyl. Zl orfg thrff sbe #1 jbhyq or gung vg bayl nccyvrf gb “jryy-xabja” uvgf, gung gurl jbhyq unir na boivbhf pbaarpgvba gb. Gur jvsr unq ab zbo gvrf, naq fvapr ure uhfonaq qvfnccrnerq jura fur qvrq, gur nhgubevgvrf pbhyq rnfvyl nffhzr ur xvyyrq ure naq syrq. Gurl zvtug cynl gung fbeg bs tnzr jvgu gurve bgure uvgf, gbb. Xvyy fbzr eryngvirf, gura “qvfnccrne” n yvxryl fhfcrpg vagb gur cnfg.
Nf sbe #2… znlor fbzr fbeg bs pbqr bs ubabe jbhyq cerirag gurz sebz qvfzrzorevat na “vaabprag” ybbcre orpnhfr nabgure bar fperjrq hc gurve wbo.Report
Regarding Question 2, Rian Johnson considered having Abe complain that the future bosses are too set in their ways, and should replace the current system with the system that you mention. I think Johnson ultimately just didn’t want to take up too much of the movie expositing over any plot inconsistency people could find, and preferred to focus on telling the story. The way things are set up has better symmetry.Report
I have avoided watching ahead on B5. I like the viewing to be fresh when the recap comes up. It is also interesting watching with a pace more akin to how it would have been viewed initially, instead of tearing through an episode or two every night.Report
Just got back from another wonderful day traveling the back roads and listening to the Pack win another one. I see I left a bunch of points on the bench again this weekend. Such is life.Report
Reading Gene Wolfes “Peace”, and I have recorded the first two episodes of Young Doctors Notebook.Report
I finished Season 2 of Homeland. It’s not the series I wanted it to be. I wanted it to be more like Rubicon. Suspenseful, understated, more cerebral/psychological. Then again, Homeland is on its third season and Rubicon was cancelled after one, so I think they made the right choice.Report
I have made it through 3 episodes of The Wire. I think I mentioned it before, but I am watching more slowly, since I am giving the show my full attention. The show definitely has my interest. I have a feeling D’Angelo’s little chess lesson is going to turn out to be an encapsulation of the first season, if not the entire series.
On the other hand, I tore through several episodes of Supernatural and the entire Season 1 of Parks and Recreation while occupied with other things.Report
If you’ve made it through S1 of Parks, you’re in for a treat, because now it gets good.Report
That is good to hear. I enjoyed it, but I was not blown away.
Does Leslie Knope become less of a Michael Scott clone and develop more of her own personality?Report
RR,
I’d say so. (not that I’ve seen the Office, so…).
Apparently after the first season, they got a lot of feedback that caused them to make Leslie less ditzy and more competent.
Also: you know that girl who wrote up twenty page backstories for her D&D Characters? Retta’s was actually fabulous enough that they ran with it (she plays Donna).Report
To me S1 was a bit of a slog. The writing and actors/characters really started to gel in S2 (plus they really start making Pawnee into a Springfield, where there are all these minor oddball recurring characters and bits of weird history).
Never watched the American Office so I can’t compare to that, but they usually mine more comedy from Knope’s relentless positivity/desire to do good, than from her being selfish/inappropriate or anything (I’m thinking of David Brent).Report
@reformed-republican
Absolutely. Her character really shines on a number of levels and is one of the more fleshed out female characters on TV.Report
Am reading Soon I Will Be Invincible, which is pretty delightful brain candy; am also reading Jonathan Letham’s Dissident Gardens, which is pretty brilliant brain veggies.
Have started to watch the TV show Revolution on Netflix, which is to the Tea Party what the X-Files was to alien abduction conspiracy theorists. The good guys are simple country folk who are the real Americans, fighting against a tyrannical government run by a charismatic but evil man who looks to take away his citizens’ guns so he can create a brownshirt army armed with drones that mostly attacks his own citizenry. It doesn’t say who the President was when the United States conspired against its people so and made the USA a totalitarian nightmare, but you get the feeling that of course it was Obama.
Like the X-Files, Revolution shows that even if they make lousy public policy, conspiracy theories make for really entertaining storytelling. I’m really enjoying it in all of its campy, JJ Abrams-ish fun.Report
That’s a really… weird reading of the show. I’ll have to think on it further, but at first glance it makes me as… a stretch. How far into it are you?Report
Almost done with season one.Report
So you’d describe Sebastian Monroe as charismatic-but-evil? Evil, perhaps, but not charismatic at all. Or are you referring to Randall Flynn? Tom Neville?
I actually think that Monroe’s lack of charisma (or any traits that one would expect a leader of his tature to have) to be one of the weaknesses of the program. I just can’t imagine that guy being in charge. Neville, yes. Miles Matheson, yes. Georgia’s president, surely. I found it hard to accept Monroe, though.Report