Y2/D341...
Feb. 20th, 2022 09:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkatBTW - I think I may end this log at day 365, and not start up year 3. After that we'll go back to our regularly scheduled posting - which is spontaneous and whenever I feel like it.
There's a good quote in Julian Fellows' second episode of The Gilded Age.
Agnes: I’m not concerned with facts, not when they interfere with my beliefs.
Oscar: I give you prejudice in a nutshell.
- the Gilded Age
I can't help but wonder if Oscar is an Americanized version of Oscar Wild.
I finished The Expanse, finally, and have moved on to HBO Max's The Gilded Age (which is okay but I'm only two episodes in - so really hard to say at this point).
The Expanse drug a bit in the later half. Well, it drug if you find ships firing at each other constantly - difficult to follow and dull. If not, more power to you. I don't find sci-fi fight sequences all that entertaining, particularly when everyone is wearing space suits, is in funky space ships (that look alike) and I can't really tell what's happening. "The Expanse" was at its best when it wasn't doing the war/fight sequences.
The last three seasons do however focus more on the female characters. Specifically, Christian, Naomi, Bobbie, Clarissa Mao, and Drummer. Which is a good thing - since they are all more interesting than the male characters.
It's possibly the most diversified series I've seen to date. With a lot of focus on non-white characters. And it gets across classism and racism and nationalism in an interesting manner - focusing more on tribalism. Sci-fi tends to focus more on tribalism than anything else.
There's snippets in this one of the alien technology - which is beyond their understanding, and insanely dangerous, along with how it evolves the life on settled planets in various ways.
The final season is set up for more seasons to follow, but does not end with a cliff-hanger, and has a satisfying conclusion to the main characters arcs. Also it ends well. I recommend it - with the caveat that it drags a bit here and there, particularly when the focus is off the main female characters. Also in the last two seasons, the focus is not on Holden, but on everyone else. It's really just S4 that focuses on Holden and Miller, Miller is completely gone after S4. And he's not in that much of S4...for it to be much of an issue.
The Gilded Age has too many characters. The focus is on two families, the Brooks/Van Ryhns, and the Russell's. Old wealth and new wealth. Much like Downton Abbey, it's more focused on classism than the others. And there's an illicit homosexual relationship in the middle of it - but with two wealthy gentlmen, not two servants.
It needs more focus. Downton focused on the upstairs/downstairs residents of the Abbey. This one focuses on well everyone in New York Society that interacts with the two families. So it's a bit more scattered and harder to follow. Has some nice lines though.
**
Haven't done much today. Facebook didn't carry the Church Live Stream, so I skipped it. Been spending far too much time playing my redecorate video game, it's addictive, particularly since I appear to be good at it - yet not too good. It is slightly rigged though - to spend money. So that's a downside.
I should write, but having spent most of the week writing, I don't want to.
I suppose this is writing - but it's not the same. Doesn't use the same muscle. I just write what ever I feel like it in this thing. It's correspondence, not story telling per se, so easier.
Mother tells me to give myself a break. I've been writing all week long. And my father couldn't write while he was working - he either took time off or did it when he retired.
***
Also been watching Around the World in 80 Days - the David Tennant version via BBC. It's good. Very different than the previous iterations - and very progressive. Passpartoute's role has been significantly enhanced, and he's no longer the comic relief - Fogg is. He's the romantic lead with Fix, who are Fogg's companions. It reminds a little of Doctor Who, except there's no Tardis or science fiction component.
The series is dedicated in loving memory to the actor who portrays the villain, because he apparently died soon after the filming. I know this, because it said so at the end of one of the episodes. In a brief, blink and you'll miss it sort of way. Shame, he was a good actor.
It's rather well done. Tennent never fails to astonish with his acting abilities. And the actor playing Passpartout is rather compelling.
***
Niece reported that the storms weren't that bad in Britain this past week. But she's used to far worse. They apparently had 138 mph winds, while we tend to have 150-160 mph winds with Nor-easters and Hurricanes. In other words, niece considered the Brits to be wimps.
She's off to Barcelona this week. I'm amazed. She's been traveling a lot during this pandemic. To date? She took a plane to Hilton Head, to Virgina, the train back, then a plan to Britain, then one back to the States, then a plane back to Britain, then another plane to Portugal, then one back to Britain, now one to Barcelona, and to Palmero, then back, then a train to Scotland, then a plane home then a plane back, and of course one home again.
I'm exhausted just writing it.
Meanwhile - I had issues going to and from Hilton Head.
Oh well, she's thin as a rail, and only 5'9, not to mention 17. I didn't mind flying about at 17 either - of course I also didn't do it during a pandemic. But whatever.
**
Speaking of said pandemic...Over 60,000 people died of COVID in the US within the last 28 days, and we're over 930,000 deaths. Not that anyone seems to care. On Twitter they are comparing COVID to Cancer again.
I wish they wouldn't.
The two diseases aren't the same - and COVID makes Cancer worse. If you have heart disease or cancer and contract COVID - there's a higher risk of death. So you might survive, one, but not both.
Plus, they are very different in how they attack the body, and are transmuted. Cancer is not contagious, COVID is.
I roll my eyes when people do this. It's like comparing apples and nectarines.
***
Reading Twitter feels a bit like stumbling upon a conversation or catching bits and pieces of other people's conversations. You know that awkward feeling you have - when you catch the tail-end of something - get curious and ask what happened? And people look at you like you're a jerk for asking. That's Twitter.
The internet has made it possible for all of us to actively eavesdrop on other people's conversations or bits and pieces of them. It's highly discombobulating at times and not always intentional.
***
This is a hilarious Satire of the comments to NY Times posted recipes
Good night, good luck and here's a picture..
There's a good quote in Julian Fellows' second episode of The Gilded Age.
Agnes: I’m not concerned with facts, not when they interfere with my beliefs.
Oscar: I give you prejudice in a nutshell.
- the Gilded Age
I can't help but wonder if Oscar is an Americanized version of Oscar Wild.
I finished The Expanse, finally, and have moved on to HBO Max's The Gilded Age (which is okay but I'm only two episodes in - so really hard to say at this point).
The Expanse drug a bit in the later half. Well, it drug if you find ships firing at each other constantly - difficult to follow and dull. If not, more power to you. I don't find sci-fi fight sequences all that entertaining, particularly when everyone is wearing space suits, is in funky space ships (that look alike) and I can't really tell what's happening. "The Expanse" was at its best when it wasn't doing the war/fight sequences.
The last three seasons do however focus more on the female characters. Specifically, Christian, Naomi, Bobbie, Clarissa Mao, and Drummer. Which is a good thing - since they are all more interesting than the male characters.
It's possibly the most diversified series I've seen to date. With a lot of focus on non-white characters. And it gets across classism and racism and nationalism in an interesting manner - focusing more on tribalism. Sci-fi tends to focus more on tribalism than anything else.
There's snippets in this one of the alien technology - which is beyond their understanding, and insanely dangerous, along with how it evolves the life on settled planets in various ways.
The final season is set up for more seasons to follow, but does not end with a cliff-hanger, and has a satisfying conclusion to the main characters arcs. Also it ends well. I recommend it - with the caveat that it drags a bit here and there, particularly when the focus is off the main female characters. Also in the last two seasons, the focus is not on Holden, but on everyone else. It's really just S4 that focuses on Holden and Miller, Miller is completely gone after S4. And he's not in that much of S4...for it to be much of an issue.
The Gilded Age has too many characters. The focus is on two families, the Brooks/Van Ryhns, and the Russell's. Old wealth and new wealth. Much like Downton Abbey, it's more focused on classism than the others. And there's an illicit homosexual relationship in the middle of it - but with two wealthy gentlmen, not two servants.
It needs more focus. Downton focused on the upstairs/downstairs residents of the Abbey. This one focuses on well everyone in New York Society that interacts with the two families. So it's a bit more scattered and harder to follow. Has some nice lines though.
**
Haven't done much today. Facebook didn't carry the Church Live Stream, so I skipped it. Been spending far too much time playing my redecorate video game, it's addictive, particularly since I appear to be good at it - yet not too good. It is slightly rigged though - to spend money. So that's a downside.
I should write, but having spent most of the week writing, I don't want to.
I suppose this is writing - but it's not the same. Doesn't use the same muscle. I just write what ever I feel like it in this thing. It's correspondence, not story telling per se, so easier.
Mother tells me to give myself a break. I've been writing all week long. And my father couldn't write while he was working - he either took time off or did it when he retired.
***
Also been watching Around the World in 80 Days - the David Tennant version via BBC. It's good. Very different than the previous iterations - and very progressive. Passpartoute's role has been significantly enhanced, and he's no longer the comic relief - Fogg is. He's the romantic lead with Fix, who are Fogg's companions. It reminds a little of Doctor Who, except there's no Tardis or science fiction component.
The series is dedicated in loving memory to the actor who portrays the villain, because he apparently died soon after the filming. I know this, because it said so at the end of one of the episodes. In a brief, blink and you'll miss it sort of way. Shame, he was a good actor.
It's rather well done. Tennent never fails to astonish with his acting abilities. And the actor playing Passpartout is rather compelling.
***
Niece reported that the storms weren't that bad in Britain this past week. But she's used to far worse. They apparently had 138 mph winds, while we tend to have 150-160 mph winds with Nor-easters and Hurricanes. In other words, niece considered the Brits to be wimps.
She's off to Barcelona this week. I'm amazed. She's been traveling a lot during this pandemic. To date? She took a plane to Hilton Head, to Virgina, the train back, then a plan to Britain, then one back to the States, then a plane back to Britain, then another plane to Portugal, then one back to Britain, now one to Barcelona, and to Palmero, then back, then a train to Scotland, then a plane home then a plane back, and of course one home again.
I'm exhausted just writing it.
Meanwhile - I had issues going to and from Hilton Head.
Oh well, she's thin as a rail, and only 5'9, not to mention 17. I didn't mind flying about at 17 either - of course I also didn't do it during a pandemic. But whatever.
**
Speaking of said pandemic...Over 60,000 people died of COVID in the US within the last 28 days, and we're over 930,000 deaths. Not that anyone seems to care. On Twitter they are comparing COVID to Cancer again.
I wish they wouldn't.
The two diseases aren't the same - and COVID makes Cancer worse. If you have heart disease or cancer and contract COVID - there's a higher risk of death. So you might survive, one, but not both.
Plus, they are very different in how they attack the body, and are transmuted. Cancer is not contagious, COVID is.
I roll my eyes when people do this. It's like comparing apples and nectarines.
***
Reading Twitter feels a bit like stumbling upon a conversation or catching bits and pieces of other people's conversations. You know that awkward feeling you have - when you catch the tail-end of something - get curious and ask what happened? And people look at you like you're a jerk for asking. That's Twitter.
The internet has made it possible for all of us to actively eavesdrop on other people's conversations or bits and pieces of them. It's highly discombobulating at times and not always intentional.
***
This is a hilarious Satire of the comments to NY Times posted recipes
Good night, good luck and here's a picture..