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Sep. 5th, 2017 08:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkat1. Mother is worried about Hurricane Irma, which at the moment is clocked as the strongest and most powerful hurricane to ever be spotted in the history of weather reporting in the Atlantic (the media does like to over-hype things, doesn't it?). Apparently just calling it a Category 5 Hurricane didn't feel strong enough. Less put some extra weight behind it. And tell people that it could hit Miami, Tampa, Orlanda, rocket up the coast like Matthew and decimate the Carolinas, or just wipe out the Caribbean. Because it's not like we don't have anything to worry over or be anxious about at the moment.
This is going to be a LONG-ASS hurricane season. Note Hurricane Season begins roughly in August and lasts until November. Sandy hit NY in late October. Matthew hit before Columbus Day.
Meanwhile, the northwest is on fire. And by on fire, I mean everywhere from Montana clear up to British Columbia..due to extreme heat, dry temperatures, and wild fires. And India is apparently being flooded by torrential rains. Far worse damage in India than in the US.
Gotta love Mother Nature. OR the media for freaking out over Mother Nature. Personally, I think 2017 is just determined to show us how much worse it can be than 2016. You think 2016 was rough? Just wait1
2. Sci-fi geek co-worker felt the need to discuss television today, and complain about all the people he's run into who love Twin Peaks. "How can anyone in their right mind love this show?" He rails at me.
Co'worker: You wanna know who else loves Twin Peaks? My nephew. He hates Marvel shows and despised Guardians of the Galaxy but he loves that pretentious nonsense??
Me: Sounds like he takes himself a bit too seriously? Also what's he doing?
Co'worker: He's an editor for a Biographical mag and bored out of his mind.
Me: Well, there you go. We have mind-numbing jobs that utilize our brains, he doesn't. Has to use it somewhere. Hence the dislike of the Marvel films. Although I do think he needs to lighten up a bit.
(after lunch)
Co'worker: I've found two more people who adore Twin Peaks! Two co-workers!
ME: Most everyone on my social media pages adores Twin Peaks, this is hardly surprising.
Co'worker: They were bummed it's over! Seriously...(It should be noted that one of the co-workers he mentioned has read all the James Joyce novels, and a biography on Joyce and wrote a fan letter to James Joyce's descendant.)
Me: Well, you didn't watch the original. It's sort of hard to appreciate it unless you watched and enjoyed the original. And to my knowledge only die-hard fans of the original, who were willing to re-watch it, loved the Return.
Co'worker: I don't know about that.
Me: I've been using our discussions as examples to folks online of how it's possible for someone to have a completely different take on something they love. And that you can't force people to love or like something...it's not possible. They aren't going to see it the same way you do. Also, it's so bloody subjective.
Co'worker" Very true.
Me: It's why I don't bother fighting over it any longer -
Co'worker: Complete waste of time.
Me: And most of the time you don't even know why you're drawn to something or why you love it or why it suddenly turns you off. I have shows that I was completely into at one point. Got into something else. They are taking up space in my DVR. I tried to go back to...and it just doesn't grab my interest any longer for some reason. I don't know why. While I'll get obsessed with another show, and I can't figure out why that is either.
Co'worker: Completely agree. (At this point we went into a subtangent about why Will didn't work for either of us. And for me to let him know if I found anything interesting on tv this coming season. I haven't yet...but you never know.)
The problem with other people is they have this annoying habit of not liking or loving the same things I do in the same way. (sarcasm face)
3. I finished The Windflower by Laura London and absolutely adored it. And now, miss it. Ever have this feeling after reading a really enjoyable book? That once you've finished it...there's this weird sense of loss. Sort of similar to eating a scrumptious desert. Wait, there's no more? I want more. Dang it.
Best romance novel that I've read in ages. (Will not state best I've read ever...since that's a sliding scale that changes as the wind blows. I don't really have favorite books, I have a lot of books I love at various points.) But I've been on a bit of a reading slump of late and this book was the first one that had me sitting for hours curled in a chair escaping via word pictures into another world.
The characters are so well developed. The plot tracks all the way through. There's a hint of historical realism. It contains a self-deprecating sense of humor and a dry wit. It's subversive and does the exact opposite of the trope. And is unpredictable as a result.
And I bloody well don't care if anyone else likes it. This is a classic that has been out of print for twenty-five years, and has just recently come back into print as a cheap Kindle e-book. Prior to that you had to spend $100 to get a copy or hunt it down in a used book store. Issues were stolen from library shelves due to its scarcity. I can sort of see why...it's a precious gem in an unfortunately somewhat paint-by-numbers genre.
Note to romance novelists and the publishing industry? Guidelines aren't your friend. Kick the guidelines to the curb and have a bit of fun. These guys did.
I already miss the book.
Up next is "Her Every Fear by Peter Swansen" which is a mystery thriller that I'm reading for a book club that I discovered via meetup groups online. They are meeting at a Korean restaurant near Penn Station at 6:30PM on Sept 19. I'm working up the courage to go to it. We'll see if I do and don't talk myself out of it at the last minute.
[I went back to edit because I realized that I've developed the highly annoying habit of skipping over words as I type. Weirdly the word "the", and "this". I have no clue why my brain is doing this. IT just is.)
This is going to be a LONG-ASS hurricane season. Note Hurricane Season begins roughly in August and lasts until November. Sandy hit NY in late October. Matthew hit before Columbus Day.
Meanwhile, the northwest is on fire. And by on fire, I mean everywhere from Montana clear up to British Columbia..due to extreme heat, dry temperatures, and wild fires. And India is apparently being flooded by torrential rains. Far worse damage in India than in the US.
Gotta love Mother Nature. OR the media for freaking out over Mother Nature. Personally, I think 2017 is just determined to show us how much worse it can be than 2016. You think 2016 was rough? Just wait1
2. Sci-fi geek co-worker felt the need to discuss television today, and complain about all the people he's run into who love Twin Peaks. "How can anyone in their right mind love this show?" He rails at me.
Co'worker: You wanna know who else loves Twin Peaks? My nephew. He hates Marvel shows and despised Guardians of the Galaxy but he loves that pretentious nonsense??
Me: Sounds like he takes himself a bit too seriously? Also what's he doing?
Co'worker: He's an editor for a Biographical mag and bored out of his mind.
Me: Well, there you go. We have mind-numbing jobs that utilize our brains, he doesn't. Has to use it somewhere. Hence the dislike of the Marvel films. Although I do think he needs to lighten up a bit.
(after lunch)
Co'worker: I've found two more people who adore Twin Peaks! Two co-workers!
ME: Most everyone on my social media pages adores Twin Peaks, this is hardly surprising.
Co'worker: They were bummed it's over! Seriously...(It should be noted that one of the co-workers he mentioned has read all the James Joyce novels, and a biography on Joyce and wrote a fan letter to James Joyce's descendant.)
Me: Well, you didn't watch the original. It's sort of hard to appreciate it unless you watched and enjoyed the original. And to my knowledge only die-hard fans of the original, who were willing to re-watch it, loved the Return.
Co'worker: I don't know about that.
Me: I've been using our discussions as examples to folks online of how it's possible for someone to have a completely different take on something they love. And that you can't force people to love or like something...it's not possible. They aren't going to see it the same way you do. Also, it's so bloody subjective.
Co'worker" Very true.
Me: It's why I don't bother fighting over it any longer -
Co'worker: Complete waste of time.
Me: And most of the time you don't even know why you're drawn to something or why you love it or why it suddenly turns you off. I have shows that I was completely into at one point. Got into something else. They are taking up space in my DVR. I tried to go back to...and it just doesn't grab my interest any longer for some reason. I don't know why. While I'll get obsessed with another show, and I can't figure out why that is either.
Co'worker: Completely agree. (At this point we went into a subtangent about why Will didn't work for either of us. And for me to let him know if I found anything interesting on tv this coming season. I haven't yet...but you never know.)
The problem with other people is they have this annoying habit of not liking or loving the same things I do in the same way. (sarcasm face)
3. I finished The Windflower by Laura London and absolutely adored it. And now, miss it. Ever have this feeling after reading a really enjoyable book? That once you've finished it...there's this weird sense of loss. Sort of similar to eating a scrumptious desert. Wait, there's no more? I want more. Dang it.
Best romance novel that I've read in ages. (Will not state best I've read ever...since that's a sliding scale that changes as the wind blows. I don't really have favorite books, I have a lot of books I love at various points.) But I've been on a bit of a reading slump of late and this book was the first one that had me sitting for hours curled in a chair escaping via word pictures into another world.
The characters are so well developed. The plot tracks all the way through. There's a hint of historical realism. It contains a self-deprecating sense of humor and a dry wit. It's subversive and does the exact opposite of the trope. And is unpredictable as a result.
And I bloody well don't care if anyone else likes it. This is a classic that has been out of print for twenty-five years, and has just recently come back into print as a cheap Kindle e-book. Prior to that you had to spend $100 to get a copy or hunt it down in a used book store. Issues were stolen from library shelves due to its scarcity. I can sort of see why...it's a precious gem in an unfortunately somewhat paint-by-numbers genre.
Note to romance novelists and the publishing industry? Guidelines aren't your friend. Kick the guidelines to the curb and have a bit of fun. These guys did.
I already miss the book.
Up next is "Her Every Fear by Peter Swansen" which is a mystery thriller that I'm reading for a book club that I discovered via meetup groups online. They are meeting at a Korean restaurant near Penn Station at 6:30PM on Sept 19. I'm working up the courage to go to it. We'll see if I do and don't talk myself out of it at the last minute.
[I went back to edit because I realized that I've developed the highly annoying habit of skipping over words as I type. Weirdly the word "the", and "this". I have no clue why my brain is doing this. IT just is.)
no subject
Date: 2017-09-06 04:16 pm (UTC)The Weather Channel tends to do the exact opposite and just be factual or understated. You're right, it's hilarious.