(no subject)
Jan. 12th, 2020 06:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkat1. I appear to have been on completely different wave-lengths with people lately. So different, that it is amazing that we are communicating at all. Oh well.
Wales and I both wimped out on the movie bit this weekend, but never fear -- we'll probably do it next weekend. Parasite is coming back to the Cobble Hill Theater on January 17.
Wales: I want to ride on a roller-coaster. But don't know of one near-by.
Me: Coney Island?
Wales: It's not open until the summer.
Me: Well, there are indoor ones in Jersey and the Poconos or so I'm told.
Wales: I'll just have to hunt for one.
Me: Finding one may not be the problem -- it's getting to one.
Wales: New York is impossible -- it's so much easier to get out of Kansas City, just hop in a car and go.
ME: While all you have to do in New York is hop on any number of trains or buses, and there you are. No bloody car required.
Wales: Yeah, I guess, I just miss driving.
Me: You realize you're complaining to the wrong person about this -- right?
Wales: Yeah, I know -- you hate driving.
Me: Yep.
Unless you understand my complete dislike for driving, you probably won't understand my lifestyle choices at all. The people who have known me a long long time, get it.
I don't drive. And if I can avoid it, I don't take cars anywhere.
2. Wandered about today.
Went to church...which well...let's just say it's about as close to an agnostic church as one can get without becoming cultural humanist.
It was an interesting service. Today was Jazz Service -- they basically played African Spirituals with a Jazz accompaniment. You have not heard the song "Go Down Moses...Way Down in Egypt Land, Tell Old Pharaoh, Let My People Go" until you've heard it with a jazz accompaniment. (As an aside, I love the spell check device, because I can't spell "accompaniment" to save my life. Can't spell Pharaoh either.)
And we got the Exodus story -- yet another version of it. It was an interactive version with kids taking various roles in it. Very cute and kind of funny watching the kids run around the church pretending to be chased by the Egyptians.
My church is nothing if not charmingly irreverent. So irreverent that they applaud after the musical numbers, at one point they gave a standing ovation, and applaud sermons.
But as I told the guy next to me, who was born Baptist, I left my previous church (Catholic) because I refused to go to a church that wasn't inclusive. He felt the same way. If you aren't inclusive -- count me out. No support from me. That goes for pretty much everything. One of the reasons I live in NYC -- it's inclusive. We even have homeless people.
Mother: So we've been planning our funeral -- but we have a problem, all the readings have to be done by Catholics. And well..
Me: That's incredibly morbid. I don't want to hear about this.
Mother: And everyone in our family except one person isn't Catholic.
Me: Yes, well...
Mother: OTOH, it may be a good thing. We've been told its not a good idea to ask our kids to do the readings, they may have troubles getting through them.
Me: True. I can promise you right now, I'm going to be wreck. There's no way I'll be able to a do a reading without sobbing during it. I couldn't make it through the reading I did for my grandmother. I tried...but not possible. I cry. It's a thing.
Mother: Yeah, I get that.
Me: You're as bad as MD, she was planning the music for her funeral. I prefer not to think about it. Besides, you'll be dead, why do you care?
Anyhow, after church -- I walked to the promenade and almost got blown over -- it's incredibly windy on the promenade. So walked back to the sidestreets and meandered down to the grocery store, bought stuff, and past the movie theater (note Doctor Doolittle and Parasite were popping up next week -- both movies, I wouldn't mind seeing for different reasons. Robert Downy Jr stars in Doolittle -- and I'd watch that man read the phone book.) And then past Farmer's Market -- where I picked up jersueleum artichcokes and handmade Korean Soy Sauce from a Korean Farmer. (I love New York).
Home. Talked to Wales (see above). She calls me, only to tell me that she has to run off to do errands. I'm thinking, okay, why bother calling me? Run the errands first.
But I didn't say that.
I took another walk and bought more stuff. This time around Ditmass (which basically looks like Greenwhich, Connetitcut or a very nice upscale neighborhood with old trees, gardens and little paved yards and wrap-around verandas...yet in the middle of the city. It's kind of jarring, but in a good way.
Then home. I love where I live. It's convienent, not overly expensive, and pretty.
I don't want to live anywhere else. Besides wherever you go there you are. (Basically you can never leave yourself behind.)
3. Still watching Emergence -- anyone else still watching Emergence? It's gotten better...and there's about two or three episodes before Season finale. Remember when all these series ended in May? Well, those days are gone. Now we have series ending in January and news starting up in January and February.
Emergence didn't have that many episodes ordered apparently. My gut says it won't see a second season, but I could be wrong.
It's gotten kind of convoluted plot-wise. And I still like the cast. But I'm not sure the plot works.
4. I'm thinking of giving up on the Romance Genre. It's becoming tiresome. I'm beginning to need more than...I think he loves me, I think she loves me...oh this is impossible, oh maybe not...oh, oh...lots of hot and somewhat ridiculous sex...maybe he loves me, maybe she loves me...more sex...conflict about either a nasty former suitor, brother, father, etc...misunderstanding...he/she doesn't love me how can they!...forgiveness...maybe they do?...hot sex...I love you, I love you...resolved with either a baby or a wedding, the end.
Wales and I both wimped out on the movie bit this weekend, but never fear -- we'll probably do it next weekend. Parasite is coming back to the Cobble Hill Theater on January 17.
Wales: I want to ride on a roller-coaster. But don't know of one near-by.
Me: Coney Island?
Wales: It's not open until the summer.
Me: Well, there are indoor ones in Jersey and the Poconos or so I'm told.
Wales: I'll just have to hunt for one.
Me: Finding one may not be the problem -- it's getting to one.
Wales: New York is impossible -- it's so much easier to get out of Kansas City, just hop in a car and go.
ME: While all you have to do in New York is hop on any number of trains or buses, and there you are. No bloody car required.
Wales: Yeah, I guess, I just miss driving.
Me: You realize you're complaining to the wrong person about this -- right?
Wales: Yeah, I know -- you hate driving.
Me: Yep.
Unless you understand my complete dislike for driving, you probably won't understand my lifestyle choices at all. The people who have known me a long long time, get it.
I don't drive. And if I can avoid it, I don't take cars anywhere.
2. Wandered about today.
Went to church...which well...let's just say it's about as close to an agnostic church as one can get without becoming cultural humanist.
It was an interesting service. Today was Jazz Service -- they basically played African Spirituals with a Jazz accompaniment. You have not heard the song "Go Down Moses...Way Down in Egypt Land, Tell Old Pharaoh, Let My People Go" until you've heard it with a jazz accompaniment. (As an aside, I love the spell check device, because I can't spell "accompaniment" to save my life. Can't spell Pharaoh either.)
And we got the Exodus story -- yet another version of it. It was an interactive version with kids taking various roles in it. Very cute and kind of funny watching the kids run around the church pretending to be chased by the Egyptians.
My church is nothing if not charmingly irreverent. So irreverent that they applaud after the musical numbers, at one point they gave a standing ovation, and applaud sermons.
But as I told the guy next to me, who was born Baptist, I left my previous church (Catholic) because I refused to go to a church that wasn't inclusive. He felt the same way. If you aren't inclusive -- count me out. No support from me. That goes for pretty much everything. One of the reasons I live in NYC -- it's inclusive. We even have homeless people.
Mother: So we've been planning our funeral -- but we have a problem, all the readings have to be done by Catholics. And well..
Me: That's incredibly morbid. I don't want to hear about this.
Mother: And everyone in our family except one person isn't Catholic.
Me: Yes, well...
Mother: OTOH, it may be a good thing. We've been told its not a good idea to ask our kids to do the readings, they may have troubles getting through them.
Me: True. I can promise you right now, I'm going to be wreck. There's no way I'll be able to a do a reading without sobbing during it. I couldn't make it through the reading I did for my grandmother. I tried...but not possible. I cry. It's a thing.
Mother: Yeah, I get that.
Me: You're as bad as MD, she was planning the music for her funeral. I prefer not to think about it. Besides, you'll be dead, why do you care?
Anyhow, after church -- I walked to the promenade and almost got blown over -- it's incredibly windy on the promenade. So walked back to the sidestreets and meandered down to the grocery store, bought stuff, and past the movie theater (note Doctor Doolittle and Parasite were popping up next week -- both movies, I wouldn't mind seeing for different reasons. Robert Downy Jr stars in Doolittle -- and I'd watch that man read the phone book.) And then past Farmer's Market -- where I picked up jersueleum artichcokes and handmade Korean Soy Sauce from a Korean Farmer. (I love New York).
Home. Talked to Wales (see above). She calls me, only to tell me that she has to run off to do errands. I'm thinking, okay, why bother calling me? Run the errands first.
But I didn't say that.
I took another walk and bought more stuff. This time around Ditmass (which basically looks like Greenwhich, Connetitcut or a very nice upscale neighborhood with old trees, gardens and little paved yards and wrap-around verandas...yet in the middle of the city. It's kind of jarring, but in a good way.
Then home. I love where I live. It's convienent, not overly expensive, and pretty.
I don't want to live anywhere else. Besides wherever you go there you are. (Basically you can never leave yourself behind.)
3. Still watching Emergence -- anyone else still watching Emergence? It's gotten better...and there's about two or three episodes before Season finale. Remember when all these series ended in May? Well, those days are gone. Now we have series ending in January and news starting up in January and February.
Emergence didn't have that many episodes ordered apparently. My gut says it won't see a second season, but I could be wrong.
It's gotten kind of convoluted plot-wise. And I still like the cast. But I'm not sure the plot works.
4. I'm thinking of giving up on the Romance Genre. It's becoming tiresome. I'm beginning to need more than...I think he loves me, I think she loves me...oh this is impossible, oh maybe not...oh, oh...lots of hot and somewhat ridiculous sex...maybe he loves me, maybe she loves me...more sex...conflict about either a nasty former suitor, brother, father, etc...misunderstanding...he/she doesn't love me how can they!...forgiveness...maybe they do?...hot sex...I love you, I love you...resolved with either a baby or a wedding, the end.
no subject
Date: 2020-01-13 01:59 am (UTC)But sometimes, I wonder why.
We seem to have morphed from Evil Corporation builds next-phase artificial intelligence to possible infiltration by alien cybernetic colonists(?). Better? Worse? Lateral move?
The showrunners brought Enver Gjokaj from Dollhouse to play Fed, but kind of like James Marsters on Without a Trace, he's not as interesting in the buttoned-down suit. (I hope there's no romance angle with Jo...)
With Piper split off from the household, the family dynamic has suffered a little. I like that they're giving Donald Faison stuff to do, but I feel they should be exploring his strained relationship with Jo, and why they couldn't stay together.
And honestly, even after all this time, I'm not sure why Jo is completely obsessed with Piper. (It's not like she doesn't already have a daughter.) Does she identify with Piper since they were both abandoned children (kind of)?
(Why do I get the feeling Jo's mother will pop up at the end of the season, like Irina Derevko on Alias?)
Well, anyway, I'm still in this for Alison Tolman, and I haven't been scared off yet. Let's see how they wrap up the year.
no subject
Date: 2020-01-13 03:19 am (UTC)And...there's only two or three episodes left.
But yeah, the plot doesn't quite work. And a lot of the ideas feel kind of been there done that, and far better elsewhere.
As for Jo and the FBI guy -- I agree, no chemistry there. He's pretty on the eyes, but there's not a lot there. She had more chemistry with the journalist. It feels like the brought in the FBI guy because there wasn't enough chemistry with the journalist. The problem is Tolman doesn't really generate physical/romantic chemistry. I'm struggling with imagining her and Donald Faison together. She had chemistry with Hanks in Fargo, but no one really here. Although I like the character and actress -- she looks bewildered most of the time. (Not that I blame her, I'd look bewildered too.)
I can see why Jo is somewhat obsessed with finding Piper. Her daughter, Alex, got really close to Piper. And to a degree, Jo took responsibility for Piper and emotionally adopted her. Granted the actress hasn't really shown that -- she just looks bewildered. But that is what the script is telling me, even though the actors all well -- look bewildered, including the great Clancy Brown (I actually started watching for Clancy Brown).
The show doesn't work. I'll be surprised if it survives to a second season. Although Manifest did, then again Manifest had better ratings. [ETA: I don't know if Emergence has good ratings or not...it's 45 out of 50, in between Evil (which I find unwatchable -- really not my genre) and Prodigal Son (which I enjoy for the relationship drama and am ignoring the rest).
Jo's mother will probably be one of the cybergenic creatures -- which is why Clancy Brown's character has Cancer. And she'll be the trick to curing him. God, I hope they don't do that.)
no subject
Date: 2020-01-13 05:52 am (UTC)Oh my God, Jo's mother will be Emergence's version of the Borg Queen. Sadly, I think that's something this show would do.
And yes, Manifest got renewed. Somehow. We are still watching. But at this point, my wife has transitioned from a) intrigued by the puzzle box mystery; to b) irritated by the puzzle; to c) bored by the characters; and finally to d) actively hating the characters. She wants to shoot the police detective who's all over Michaela--and she doesn't even LIKE Michaela.
I don't know if hate watching is enough to take up precious DVR space. We have a Breaking Bad rewatch coming, after all....
no subject
Date: 2020-01-13 01:41 pm (UTC)Oh my God, Jo's mother will be Emergence's version of the Borg Queen. Sadly, I think that's something this show would do.
Certainly fits with the whole mother thematic going on. Either that or she's Emily's mother who made a quick appearance and disappeared.
And yes, Manifest got renewed. Somehow. We are still watching. But at this point, my wife has transitioned from a) intrigued by the puzzle box mystery; to b) irritated by the puzzle; to c) bored by the characters; and finally to d) actively hating the characters. She wants to shoot the police detective who's all over Michaela--and she doesn't even LIKE Michaela.
Apparently it had great Nielsen ratings last season. (shrugs). I doubt it'll get a third season. Co=-worker who loved it the first half of last year, stopped watching it. His wife hates it. And well, I've lost interest as well. I don't feel compelled to watch the next episode. And like you said there's only so much room on the DVR. I agree with your wife -- I went from the point of finding the narrative structure//puzzle and the characters intriguing to just being annoyed and irritated with the whole thing.
They really need to stop approving these convoluted sci-fi shows...
no subject
Date: 2020-01-13 03:11 am (UTC)Yep, still am, still mostly liking it, although as with most SF work I have to handwave a number of technical issues. Fortunately, unless the writers are truly dumb, that doesn't bother me much, I just compartmentalize it.
But, there's still decent acting, and I'm more than willing to wait until the season ends and whatever big reveal they make gets made, which will either work for me, or not.
If I was writing this? The big reveal would be that Piper and the other beings like her will turn out to be "real", and everyone else is existing in a Matrix-like AI reality. The reason they didn't want Piper to be revealed wasn't about protecting her from realizing what she is, but a "safe mode" or error loop that was triggered by the plane crash, to avoid the Matrix denizens... the town? The state? The country? The entire world?? from finding out that they don't really exist outside of an enormous machine program written by extremely advanced beings.
no subject
Date: 2020-01-13 03:30 am (UTC)They won't do that. But it would be kind of interesting if they did.
I just don't see it tracking with the current plot-thread. I'm handwaving a lot of it as well -- and just watching for the cast and well, like I told cjl -- I got curious after they revealed that the journalist wasn't human.
I do like the characters. The cast is rather good -- even though they all look bewildered most of the time (not that I blame them, so would I if I were them, the plot is bewildering).
Also, I admittedly would watch just about anything with Alison Tollman and Clancy Brown involved. The guy playing the FBI guy and Donald Faison are good additions.
We'll see where it goes. Only has two-three episodes left. And I'll be surprised if it gets another season. Then again who knows...it's apparently just below Evil in the ratings and just above Prodigal Son at 45 out of 50 Network shows. But I'm not sure if anyone cares about the Nielsen's any longer...
no subject
Date: 2020-01-14 05:05 am (UTC)Not too much Steven King, but old science fiction? Ohh, yeah, between my late pre-teens and late 30's, boatloads.
As I've mentioned before, Isaac Asimov, Harlan Ellison, Ursula LeGuin, Philip Jose Farmer, Robert Silverberg all were big influences on me. Interestingly-- all of the above had widely different styles, but they were all masters of the craft, and I delighted in that diversity of imagination.