1. Hee -- Jon Snow emails 23&Me for DNA and then proceeds to argue with them about his results - from McSweeny's.
2. Apparently Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are adapting Rivers of London for Television
3. Hmmm...I'm beginning to wonder if putting off seeing Endgame to May 18th was wise? The media has gone nuts. Can't see it this weekend in any event -- getting tv.
Flist has a million articles on Endgame -- okay, granted they are mainly only two or three people. The majority of my flist doesn't post -- only about five people do continuously. Everyone else, lurks.
Co-worker: When you get new television on Sat, you can binge-watch Television shows.
Me: Yep, I can binge watch all those Avengers flicks I recorded.
He looks at me oddly.
What? They are highly re-watchable.
Co-worker (frustrated English Lit Major): So, I'm reading Faulkner's As I Lay Dying, it's amazing. Have you read it?
ME: No, I don't like Faulkner.
Co-worker: But it's amazing.
Me: Read two books by Faulkner, that was enough.
Co-worker: But you haven't read this one, it's about four sons and one daughter putting to rest their dying Matriarch.
ME: Eh, I'll pass. Not a fan of the writing style. I learned a long time ago not to waste time reading stuff I don't like. Life is too short.
And seriously? No one cares.
My kitchen sink keeps making weird grumbling noises. It does that from time to time, I'd think it was possessed -- but I don't believe ghosts reside in kitchen sinks.
4. Television
* Killing Eve
Me: So someone online decided that Killing Eve was basically Buffy and Dru going off on a wild affair, while Angel and Darla oversee them. Buffy is skipping out on her hubby Riley.
Mother: Don't see it. The shows are completely different. It's comparing an apple to an orange. No similarities at all.
Me: Well, some people like comparing apples and oranges.
Mother: And get garbage.
Sigh. I actually can see it -- although I think it's more Giles and Ethan, hanging out in the background. With Xander (Nikko) flirting with the Teacher (Anya) in the background. But I admittedly think differently than my mother does.
I give my mother a pass, she is recovering from a bad cold. My father is better though. So there's that. He's enjoying his art classes and wandering about with a cane. Which, hmmm, could be dangerous, now that I think about it.
Anyhow back to Killing Eve. I'm enjoying it, but I do find the plot hare-brained at times.
* I gave on Riverdale finally. Just didn't appear to be really headed anywhere.
* Still enjoying 9-1-1, is anyone watching this but me?
5. Books
Gave up on Wake of Vultures -- too dark and depressing, not to mention graphic. And went back to fluffy romance. I have to read the news every day and deal with crazy-ass workplace, I've got my limits.
Picked up some comics -- via comixology (which is as dangerous as the Kindle for similar reasons -- it was better when I had to go out of my way for the things). Intended to just get The Uncanny X-men issue 16, but ended up picking up Boom!Comics Angel 0, along with Prisoner X #3. Still haven't read Issue #2 of Prisoner X.
I got curious about Angel 0 -- the description is the vampire with a soul discovers that he can get his humanity back if he kills a certain vampire slayer (who he hasn't met), will he? And I'm thinking...okay..wait...WHAT? And also WTF are these crazy writers doing with this series? First they create a weird ass monster vampire bat whose purpose in life is to kill vampires and support the slayer (they put it back in it's jar -- because honesly we can't let humongous vampire bats fly about damaging property and hurting innocent people.) Then they have Dru turn an infatuated Xander into a vampire. And now, introduce Angel as a vampire with a soul trying to good deeds to right all the wrongs he's done -- but a quick fix is to kill Buffy and get his humanity back? Alrighty then. I'm curious to see how wacked this really is. The Boom Comics group seems to have no problems at all rewriting the history of the Buffyverse. I was thinking it was more feminist take on the verse, but now I'm not so sure?
Also picked up another Kindle Daily Deal -- this one isn't a romance novel, if anything it's the opposite. It's a mystery novel, entitled "The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massy. (It's no longer on sale, sorry. I got it for 1.99, but it's back to 9.99...you have to be quick. Hence the reason I have 622 books I haven't read, I keep clicking on Kindle Daily deals. Yes, I'm nickle and diming myself to death with book deals.)
Anyhow..
Perveen Mistry, the daughter of a respected Zoroastrian family, has just joined her father's law firm, becoming one of the first female lawyers in India. Armed with a legal education from Oxford, Perveen also has a tragic personal history that makes women's legal rights especially important to her.
Mistry Law has been appointed to execute the will of Mr. Omar Farid, a wealthy Muslim mill owner who has left three widows behind. But as Perveen examines the paperwork, she notices something strange: all three of the wives have signed over their full inheritance to a charity. What will they live on? Perveen is suspicious, especially since one of the widows has signed her form with an X—meaning she probably couldn't even read the document. The Farid widows live in full purdah—in strict seclusion, never leaving the women's quarters or speaking to any men. Are they being taken advantage of by an unscrupulous guardian? Perveen tries to investigate, and realizes her instincts were correct when tensions escalate to murder. Now it is her responsibility to figure out what really happened on Malabar Hill, and to ensure that no innocent women or children are in further danger.
Inspired in part by the woman who made history as India's first female attorney, The Widows of Malabar Hill is a richly wrought story of multicultural 1920s Bombay as well as the debut of a sharp new sleuth.
What can I say? It looked different.
2. Apparently Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are adapting Rivers of London for Television
3. Hmmm...I'm beginning to wonder if putting off seeing Endgame to May 18th was wise? The media has gone nuts. Can't see it this weekend in any event -- getting tv.
Flist has a million articles on Endgame -- okay, granted they are mainly only two or three people. The majority of my flist doesn't post -- only about five people do continuously. Everyone else, lurks.
Co-worker: When you get new television on Sat, you can binge-watch Television shows.
Me: Yep, I can binge watch all those Avengers flicks I recorded.
He looks at me oddly.
What? They are highly re-watchable.
Co-worker (frustrated English Lit Major): So, I'm reading Faulkner's As I Lay Dying, it's amazing. Have you read it?
ME: No, I don't like Faulkner.
Co-worker: But it's amazing.
Me: Read two books by Faulkner, that was enough.
Co-worker: But you haven't read this one, it's about four sons and one daughter putting to rest their dying Matriarch.
ME: Eh, I'll pass. Not a fan of the writing style. I learned a long time ago not to waste time reading stuff I don't like. Life is too short.
And seriously? No one cares.
My kitchen sink keeps making weird grumbling noises. It does that from time to time, I'd think it was possessed -- but I don't believe ghosts reside in kitchen sinks.
4. Television
* Killing Eve
Me: So someone online decided that Killing Eve was basically Buffy and Dru going off on a wild affair, while Angel and Darla oversee them. Buffy is skipping out on her hubby Riley.
Mother: Don't see it. The shows are completely different. It's comparing an apple to an orange. No similarities at all.
Me: Well, some people like comparing apples and oranges.
Mother: And get garbage.
Sigh. I actually can see it -- although I think it's more Giles and Ethan, hanging out in the background. With Xander (Nikko) flirting with the Teacher (Anya) in the background. But I admittedly think differently than my mother does.
I give my mother a pass, she is recovering from a bad cold. My father is better though. So there's that. He's enjoying his art classes and wandering about with a cane. Which, hmmm, could be dangerous, now that I think about it.
Anyhow back to Killing Eve. I'm enjoying it, but I do find the plot hare-brained at times.
* I gave on Riverdale finally. Just didn't appear to be really headed anywhere.
* Still enjoying 9-1-1, is anyone watching this but me?
5. Books
Gave up on Wake of Vultures -- too dark and depressing, not to mention graphic. And went back to fluffy romance. I have to read the news every day and deal with crazy-ass workplace, I've got my limits.
Picked up some comics -- via comixology (which is as dangerous as the Kindle for similar reasons -- it was better when I had to go out of my way for the things). Intended to just get The Uncanny X-men issue 16, but ended up picking up Boom!Comics Angel 0, along with Prisoner X #3. Still haven't read Issue #2 of Prisoner X.
I got curious about Angel 0 -- the description is the vampire with a soul discovers that he can get his humanity back if he kills a certain vampire slayer (who he hasn't met), will he? And I'm thinking...okay..wait...WHAT? And also WTF are these crazy writers doing with this series? First they create a weird ass monster vampire bat whose purpose in life is to kill vampires and support the slayer (they put it back in it's jar -- because honesly we can't let humongous vampire bats fly about damaging property and hurting innocent people.) Then they have Dru turn an infatuated Xander into a vampire. And now, introduce Angel as a vampire with a soul trying to good deeds to right all the wrongs he's done -- but a quick fix is to kill Buffy and get his humanity back? Alrighty then. I'm curious to see how wacked this really is. The Boom Comics group seems to have no problems at all rewriting the history of the Buffyverse. I was thinking it was more feminist take on the verse, but now I'm not so sure?
Also picked up another Kindle Daily Deal -- this one isn't a romance novel, if anything it's the opposite. It's a mystery novel, entitled "The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massy. (It's no longer on sale, sorry. I got it for 1.99, but it's back to 9.99...you have to be quick. Hence the reason I have 622 books I haven't read, I keep clicking on Kindle Daily deals. Yes, I'm nickle and diming myself to death with book deals.)
Anyhow..
Perveen Mistry, the daughter of a respected Zoroastrian family, has just joined her father's law firm, becoming one of the first female lawyers in India. Armed with a legal education from Oxford, Perveen also has a tragic personal history that makes women's legal rights especially important to her.
Mistry Law has been appointed to execute the will of Mr. Omar Farid, a wealthy Muslim mill owner who has left three widows behind. But as Perveen examines the paperwork, she notices something strange: all three of the wives have signed over their full inheritance to a charity. What will they live on? Perveen is suspicious, especially since one of the widows has signed her form with an X—meaning she probably couldn't even read the document. The Farid widows live in full purdah—in strict seclusion, never leaving the women's quarters or speaking to any men. Are they being taken advantage of by an unscrupulous guardian? Perveen tries to investigate, and realizes her instincts were correct when tensions escalate to murder. Now it is her responsibility to figure out what really happened on Malabar Hill, and to ensure that no innocent women or children are in further danger.
Inspired in part by the woman who made history as India's first female attorney, The Widows of Malabar Hill is a richly wrought story of multicultural 1920s Bombay as well as the debut of a sharp new sleuth.
What can I say? It looked different.
no subject
Date: 2019-05-02 03:23 am (UTC)I'm not going to see Endgame. Everyone seems pretty happy with it, which is great. It's a lot more fun reading squee than complaints.
As I Lay Dying is a great book but if you don't like Faulkner, I'm not going to change your mind. That's the only one of his books I've read--the others are too long.
The Widows of Malabar Hill does sound good. I'll look to see if my library carries it.
no subject
Date: 2019-05-02 12:30 pm (UTC)Well not everyone liked Endgame. One person complained about the Marvel films not fitting their narrow definition of what makes a good superhero film or story. (ie - If it's not like Buffy or Spiderman, then it isn't a good hero story.)
Sigh.
I studied Faulkner in school. Wrote my thesis on Sound and the Fury and James Joyce's Ulysesses. Joyce was the better writer, less misogynistic, better use of language, and not as whiny. I despise Faulkner. Not worth my time.
no subject
Date: 2019-05-02 01:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-05-02 04:56 pm (UTC)I'm not expecting all that much, but I think I'll probably prefer it to the Long Night. I didn't love the Long Night. It was dark, hard to watch, and not fun. Over half of it, I couldn't make heads or tails of. And the battle sequences? Frankly bored me. While I had to watch some of the Ayra scenes through my fingers. I'm not a fan of zombie horror films. So I knew that would be an issue. Also, I was rather disappointed in the Long Night. All that build up...and...
Endgame... As long as I can tell what is happening, it makes me laugh...I'll be fine. ;-)
no subject
Date: 2019-05-02 08:46 pm (UTC)Part of my problem with Endgame is that I didn't think it was all that funny. YMMV, of course.
no subject
Date: 2019-05-02 09:47 pm (UTC)Also may depend on the brand of television set. Current TV -- old HDTV 32 inch Polariod doesn't do dark scenes well. One of many reasons -- I finally decided to get a new one.
I'll have to wait and see Endgame for myself. To date I've liked the latter Marvel films to the earlier ones. And I loved Infinity War -- also I, as you know, have a dark sense of humor. I thought Infinity War was funny. The Whedon Avenger films disappointed me. I don't think Whedon does big ensemble films with a lot of plot..well.
So far the reviews have been positive generally speaking. Outside of you and one other person (who just hates ensemble Marvel films generally) -- everyone loved it. Rotten Tomatoes gave it a high score.
But until I see it for myself -- I won't know. And I haven't really read the reviews -- only one I read was NY Times -- which had no spoilers. And that critic really liked it.
no subject
Date: 2019-05-03 12:38 am (UTC)Yeah, the HBO broadcast was nearly impossible to see. It wasn't until I re-watched it on HBONOW that I really appreciated it.
My view of GoT is that it's always been less about the overall episodes, or even the overall story (the plot sometimes is… problematic), than it is about individual scenes. I think they do really great individual scenes. Just for example, the scenes between Arya and Tywin in S2 were great, but they didn't make sense given Tywin's character -- he'd have spotted her in a heartbeat. But it was great TV nonetheless because both actors killed it. So I watch for scenes and I thought TLN had a number of great ones, from the Dothraki charge to the dragonfight, to the choreography of Arya on the parapet, to the library scene, to the conversations with Sansa and Tyrion in the crypt, to Dany breaking down at Jorah's death.
no subject
Date: 2019-05-02 02:37 pm (UTC)Understood. There are too many books to bother with those you know you won't enjoy. I am curious as to why you chose to write your thesis on Faulkner? Was the topic pre-assigned?
I'm probably not smart enough to understand James Joyce.
no subject
Date: 2019-05-02 04:51 pm (UTC)No. I had wanted to do it on Ulysses and A Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (a really good writer -- and highly preferable to Faulkner) but alas, I don't know Spanish. So I was told to try Faulkner's Sound and the Fury instead, which was similar in structure to Ulyssess -- it is and it isn't. Sound & the Fury is about three self-absorbed men obsessed with their sister, while Ulysess is about the people in Dublin during the course of one day. How they interact, love, and deal. I compared Caddy Thompson to Molly Bloom and analyzed how the two male writers handled female characters and their inability to handle women - with Jungian and Freudian psychological analysis. I basically went over my own head and my advisors. Both are told in a stream of conscious narrative style -- which Joyce created and Faulkner having read it, decided to use. While Joyce's novel is a celebration of the human condition, gender, etc -- Faulkner's is a misanthropic journey into despair.
If you managed to make it through As I Lay Dying, you can read Joyce's Dubliner's -- it's just short stories, and much better writing, less flowery.