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Still dwadling along..somehow...
Sigh, I continue to collect doctors. Price of growing older, I guess? Now, I've added a rheumatoid arthritis doctor to the list. Primary care thinks the source of the gastric reflux and dizziness is a tight neck. I'm out of alignment as feared. So, she wants x-rays of my thorax and neck. Lovely. But she forgot to put it in the chart or it's not there yet - so I can't schedule the x-rays. I sent her a message - as a reminder. In any event - it will mean more PT, I finish the knee PT (keep up with the exercises) only to add the vestibular and the back PT. I've asked for a place closer to where I work (so I can do it at lunch time). Finish one, get another. But at least primary care listens to me and is thorough. She also wants me to ditch the backpack for two bags, which is impossible to carry on and off trains and up and down steps. I'm ignoring her on that one. I honestly think what's causing the most problems is looking at my phone or bending over it too much during the day.
Books...
I'm making my way through two Illona Andrews books, one in hardcover, This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me - which is lovely (in that I'm really enjoying it - the heroine is clever, strategic and not a killer and it has engaging characters and banter - if a touch pedestrian in the description department. I prefer good dialogue to description anyhow, so not an issue. And right now, the brain doesn't want all that much description.) but I've little time to read it? I can't cart it with me to and from work. Too bulky.
And..."The Silver Streak?" I think that's the name of it? It's the second novella in the Kinsmen series. More science fiction than fantasy. It has a neat subversive take on the personal assistant/powerful boss romantic trope. The set up is: after her superior officer takes out her entire team, psycher, Claire, finds out that the War they've been fighting on her planet has ended, and her superiors want everyone who fought in intelligence, dead. She kills her superior, and manages to hide her talent - and become a refugee assigned to a flower planet, with warring families who either have bio or combat enhancements or born with talents. She only gets on the planet, by hiding her talent, with some difficulty. And manages to get a job working for a powerful psi as his personal assistant, and she's talented enough to hide that she's a psi from him. (She's more powerful or better trained than he is - since neither he nor anyone else figures it out.) He's also hot. But doesn't make any plays for her, much to her considerable dismay (he's hot). All is going well - until her fellow refugees (who she is indebted to for reasons explained in the book) - request her help in fixing a problem - which involves journeying into the bionet (or psi-network).
I like Andrews - partly because their novels remind me a little of ones I've written or stories I've told. Not exact, but similar vibe.
Andrews is also more into weird nerdy details than the mere description of interiors. They briefly state what everything looks like - kind of like, okay now I have to tell you what they are wearing and where they are - done - off to the more interesting bits - such as how does one buy or rent a house in this place? Or how does a bio-network work. While other writers give you specific details on clothing, attire, and scenery, but skimp on how you rent a house or get into an Inn.
The Silver Streak provides details on the job. I'm a fan of books showing me what folks do for a living and how they do it - and I prefer jobs that aren't glamour (fashion, magazine editor, novelist, singer, chef) or educator. (Too many writers write about professions they've done, and folks - after the fourth book - student, professor, writer, editor - gets really boring. I'd rather read about a pilot or an intelligence officer.) Books that skimp over that sort of thing, tend to annoy me.
***
The result of International Buffy Day? Hard to say. We live in a very noisy world? I mean there's at least ten separate protests going on every single day somewhere in NYC and LA. I think 20-30 people if that showed up for the Buffy one. Which isn't bad...I guess, and I think that was NY? LA was a lot less - because, well, LA and NYC? People protest more in NY, it's more fun and easier to do. Also, I think there is a bigger theaterical LGBTA community of students with zip else to do on a Tuesday afternoon.
I'm annoyed because we have too many Malcolm in the Middles, Scrubs, Private Dicks, Criminal Procedurals (there's over a million), Bachelor/Bachelorette style reality series, Game Shows...Bored Now. You know you aren't mainstream - when you avoid all of the above like the proverbial plague.
It's not that I want a Buffy style show exactly? I want a Buffy, Spike, Willow - continuation. Those were the three characters I wanted more of, also possibly Giles (but he's too old).
But, I think there's a lot of upheaval at Disney at the moment (there's upheaval everywhere.) They laid off a ton of folks across divisions, only Pixar and the evil marketing folks were safe.
I'm glad I work for a State Agency, and not for the Federal Government or the Entertainment or Tech Businesses. I help people and I have job security, plus free transportation.
A spot of ...good news? Apparently it is illegal for anyone "living" to appear on a US coin, postage stamp, currency of any kind, bond...
Trump Commemorative Coin Spurs Portland Man to Act - it Bugged Me
"When retired lawyer James M. Rickher heard on the news last week that a federal arts commission had approved a 24-karat gold coin bearing President Donald Trump’s image, his legal radar went off.
“I thought that couldn’t be right,” said Rickher, 56, who now lives in Portland after a career that included more than two decades working for the federal government.
He did a quick search of federal law and found an 1866 statute that bans portraits of living people on U.S. currency. It says: “Only the portrait of a deceased individual” may appear on U.S. currency and securities."
[This isn't the first time a US President tried to do this. The last attempt was made by President Calvin Coolidge, in 1926, and it was quickly pushed back. Be curious to see what happens this round. They also stopped the construction on the ball room - apparently he's not allowed to do that either. And they're taking his name off the Kennedy Center - because he's not allowed to do that either. I wish someone would take away his power to declare war and bomb things. (I know, I know, So say we all.) ]
(Most of the article is distressingly beneath a pay wall. And no, I refuse to subscribe. I'm having issues getting rid of the subscriptions I already have.)
Oh by the way... The Rook by Daniel O'Malley was turned into a television series - adapted by Stephanie Meyer (Twilight - yes that one) of all people - but she left after two episodes due to creative differences.
There was only eight episodes and it was Starz in US and Virgin TV Ultra HD in the UK, until Starz cancelled it in 2020.
I'd like to find it - but it may be impossible. It got mixed reviews.
Good acting, bad pacing. (Which was actually my difficulty with the book - interesting characters and world building, bad pacing.)
***
The heat affecting the rest of the country, finally caught up with NYC this week. We've been in the upper 80s and made it to 90 degrees in some areas (mainly mid-town Manhattan and upstate) over the past three days. It only made it to 83-85 degrees in my area - I'm near the water. Still hot though.
But I didn't mind it that much. My knees didn't hurt as much. When it's warmer, I don't hurt. Which most likely means cold climates may be out for retirement? I won't be able to move without pain.
Books...
I'm making my way through two Illona Andrews books, one in hardcover, This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me - which is lovely (in that I'm really enjoying it - the heroine is clever, strategic and not a killer and it has engaging characters and banter - if a touch pedestrian in the description department. I prefer good dialogue to description anyhow, so not an issue. And right now, the brain doesn't want all that much description.) but I've little time to read it? I can't cart it with me to and from work. Too bulky.
And..."The Silver Streak?" I think that's the name of it? It's the second novella in the Kinsmen series. More science fiction than fantasy. It has a neat subversive take on the personal assistant/powerful boss romantic trope. The set up is: after her superior officer takes out her entire team, psycher, Claire, finds out that the War they've been fighting on her planet has ended, and her superiors want everyone who fought in intelligence, dead. She kills her superior, and manages to hide her talent - and become a refugee assigned to a flower planet, with warring families who either have bio or combat enhancements or born with talents. She only gets on the planet, by hiding her talent, with some difficulty. And manages to get a job working for a powerful psi as his personal assistant, and she's talented enough to hide that she's a psi from him. (She's more powerful or better trained than he is - since neither he nor anyone else figures it out.) He's also hot. But doesn't make any plays for her, much to her considerable dismay (he's hot). All is going well - until her fellow refugees (who she is indebted to for reasons explained in the book) - request her help in fixing a problem - which involves journeying into the bionet (or psi-network).
I like Andrews - partly because their novels remind me a little of ones I've written or stories I've told. Not exact, but similar vibe.
Andrews is also more into weird nerdy details than the mere description of interiors. They briefly state what everything looks like - kind of like, okay now I have to tell you what they are wearing and where they are - done - off to the more interesting bits - such as how does one buy or rent a house in this place? Or how does a bio-network work. While other writers give you specific details on clothing, attire, and scenery, but skimp on how you rent a house or get into an Inn.
The Silver Streak provides details on the job. I'm a fan of books showing me what folks do for a living and how they do it - and I prefer jobs that aren't glamour (fashion, magazine editor, novelist, singer, chef) or educator. (Too many writers write about professions they've done, and folks - after the fourth book - student, professor, writer, editor - gets really boring. I'd rather read about a pilot or an intelligence officer.) Books that skimp over that sort of thing, tend to annoy me.
***
The result of International Buffy Day? Hard to say. We live in a very noisy world? I mean there's at least ten separate protests going on every single day somewhere in NYC and LA. I think 20-30 people if that showed up for the Buffy one. Which isn't bad...I guess, and I think that was NY? LA was a lot less - because, well, LA and NYC? People protest more in NY, it's more fun and easier to do. Also, I think there is a bigger theaterical LGBTA community of students with zip else to do on a Tuesday afternoon.
I'm annoyed because we have too many Malcolm in the Middles, Scrubs, Private Dicks, Criminal Procedurals (there's over a million), Bachelor/Bachelorette style reality series, Game Shows...Bored Now. You know you aren't mainstream - when you avoid all of the above like the proverbial plague.
It's not that I want a Buffy style show exactly? I want a Buffy, Spike, Willow - continuation. Those were the three characters I wanted more of, also possibly Giles (but he's too old).
But, I think there's a lot of upheaval at Disney at the moment (there's upheaval everywhere.) They laid off a ton of folks across divisions, only Pixar and the evil marketing folks were safe.
I'm glad I work for a State Agency, and not for the Federal Government or the Entertainment or Tech Businesses. I help people and I have job security, plus free transportation.
A spot of ...good news? Apparently it is illegal for anyone "living" to appear on a US coin, postage stamp, currency of any kind, bond...
Trump Commemorative Coin Spurs Portland Man to Act - it Bugged Me
"When retired lawyer James M. Rickher heard on the news last week that a federal arts commission had approved a 24-karat gold coin bearing President Donald Trump’s image, his legal radar went off.
“I thought that couldn’t be right,” said Rickher, 56, who now lives in Portland after a career that included more than two decades working for the federal government.
He did a quick search of federal law and found an 1866 statute that bans portraits of living people on U.S. currency. It says: “Only the portrait of a deceased individual” may appear on U.S. currency and securities."
[This isn't the first time a US President tried to do this. The last attempt was made by President Calvin Coolidge, in 1926, and it was quickly pushed back. Be curious to see what happens this round. They also stopped the construction on the ball room - apparently he's not allowed to do that either. And they're taking his name off the Kennedy Center - because he's not allowed to do that either. I wish someone would take away his power to declare war and bomb things. (I know, I know, So say we all.) ]
(Most of the article is distressingly beneath a pay wall. And no, I refuse to subscribe. I'm having issues getting rid of the subscriptions I already have.)
Oh by the way... The Rook by Daniel O'Malley was turned into a television series - adapted by Stephanie Meyer (Twilight - yes that one) of all people - but she left after two episodes due to creative differences.
There was only eight episodes and it was Starz in US and Virgin TV Ultra HD in the UK, until Starz cancelled it in 2020.
I'd like to find it - but it may be impossible. It got mixed reviews.
Good acting, bad pacing. (Which was actually my difficulty with the book - interesting characters and world building, bad pacing.)
***
The heat affecting the rest of the country, finally caught up with NYC this week. We've been in the upper 80s and made it to 90 degrees in some areas (mainly mid-town Manhattan and upstate) over the past three days. It only made it to 83-85 degrees in my area - I'm near the water. Still hot though.
But I didn't mind it that much. My knees didn't hurt as much. When it's warmer, I don't hurt. Which most likely means cold climates may be out for retirement? I won't be able to move without pain.
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