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The World Cup Transportation and Folk Horror Novels
To get to the World Cup - they suggest mass transit. Alternatives include Citibike, Shuttle bus, ride-shares (not recommended), and ferry. Apparently the buses are sold out. I don't know about the transit tickets. They've set up an entrance and kind of passenger tunnel on sixth avenue to Penn Station (it's located near sixth avenue) for just World Cup passengers. There's no parking at the stadium - you have to park across the street at American Dream Parking Garage - and parking spaces are going for about $225 a space.
You can't drop anyone off in front of the Stadium, you have to drop them a mile away. So rideshares are not recommended.
Honestly? Just stay home and watch it folks. Or at the various watch parties scattered across the city. This is a new thing? Watching sports on big screens on the side of builds, in parks, at food courts with about 1000 people. They have a big one in Central Park. The Knicks had watch parties all over the city.
The world cup is being held at Metlife Stadium aka the Meadowlands which is in Rutherford, NJ, just across the Hudson from NY.
I talked to Breaking Bad about it - and he said: it's non-stop this summer, it's going to be a dreadful summer - we have the World Cup, The Ticker Tap Parade, the Shinnock Golf Tournement, the US Open, and the 4th of July Celebration ...it's just one thing after the other. Breaking Bad kind of gives a whole new meaning to the word "curmudgeon". He whined about how NYC is no longer the grungy post-apocalyptic post industrial graffitti ridden cess pool of the 1970s and 80s, and there's no place for the truly dispossessed. I told him, not to worry, there were still pockets here and there.
Today I informed him that the company who supplies our "time keeping system" had been bought.
Breaking Bad: Stop. Please stop.
He does that. I talk to him. He tells me to stop. I leave. Oh well, it could be worse - it has been worse, I could still be reporting to the drill sergeant.
They keep talking about how to get to the World Cup on the news and at work (I've gotten several work emails on it). Also the City's preparations for the Ticker Tap Parade, which Breaking Bad decided to brave - and not worry about. He should be fine - he gets to work at the crack of dawn and leaves shortly after lunch. The parade is from 10 am to noon. He may need to leave slightly later. I am not braving the parade, and staying home to do laundry instead. This thing is going to be huge. They had a meeting with Homeland Security yesterday on that topic. Also the Department of Homeland Security appears to be cracking down on the Statue of Liberty ticket scammers. (Yes, there are Statue of Liberty ticket scammers at the entrance to Battery Park. They even have signs warning people about them).
Currently reading Withered Hill by David Barnett - which is best described as British Folk Horror. It's a psychological thriller that is kind of in the same vein as Harvest Home and the Wicker Man?
I'd tried reading it over a year ago. Put it down. And now have picked it back up again.
Here's the synopsis from Amazon:
" If you find your way here, you’re already lost.
Inside
A year ago Sophie Wickham stumbled into the isolated Lancashire village of Withered Hill, naked, alone and with no memory of who she is.
Surrounded by a thick ring of woodland, its inhabitants seem to be of another world, drenched in pagan, folklorish traditions.
As Sophie struggles to regain the memories of her life from before, she quickly realises she is a prisoner after multiple failed escape attempts. But is it the locals who keep her trapped, with smiles on their faces, or something else, lurking in the woods?
Outside
In London, Sophie leads a chaotic life, with too many drunken nights, inappropriate men and boring temp jobs. But things take a turn as she starts to be targeted by strange messages warning her that someone, or something, is coming for her.
With no idea who to trust, or where to turn for help, the messages become more insistent and more intimidating, urging Sophie to make her way to a place called Withered Hill…
An utterly bewitching, dual timeline folk horror novel, with a truly devastating twist you have to read to believe."
It's not that gory? Although there is gore and violence in it? It's mostly being stuck someplace - reminds me a little bit of From and Harvest Home.
Kind of slow paced, and a lot of jumping about in the timeline. It has a dual timeline narrative, but it jumps about in the timeline, and has departures from the timeline and Sophie's (protagonist) perspective. Most of the book is told from Sophie's perspective. [Sophie is a twenty-something living in London, down on her luck, doing temp jobs, until she eventually lands a job at a mysterious data center - and that's when she begins getting weird messages about Withered Hill.]
At least the author tells you about the departures from Sophie's perspective and timeline. And the point of view is a kind of first person distant, which is my least favorite. Where you have a narrator telling you what Sophie is doing and why, but from a distance - which makes it hard to emotionally invest in the character. It's why I keep giving up on it, I suspect? First person distant doesn't really work for me? Also, I find Sophie a tad on the annoying side. She's kind of passive, lets things happen to her, and an addict. I'm not sure I'm supposed to like her? Which is kind of interesting to me.
At any rate, after reading the synopsis (which I don't remember reading) - I'm reminded of why I picked up the book to begin with - and will most likely plow through.
I'm on a horror kick at the moment. I prefer horror novels to television shows and films, mainly because I've a visual memory - and once I see something, it's hard for me to forget it? And horror for some reason or other sticks in my head. Plus I have sleep issues, nightmares, and I do not need help staying awake. To this day, I regret letting people persuade me into watching Nightmare on Elm Street. (I knew the plot, my brother had spoiled me on it - already. He'd see horror flicks and tell me the plots, because I found watching them difficult at times.) It's the scene where the bed grinds Johnny Depp into hamburger meat and spits him up onto the ceiling that I'd very much like to forget? I saw it over thirty years ago in 1985, and I still remember it. I also remember all of the Shining, all of Carrie, all of Halloween, all of Aliens...I can rerun the flicks in my head. Most movies live rent free in my brain, in particular horror movies.
Yet, I've a strange curiosity about them? So instead of watching a lot of them - I read the reviews, which isn't very satisfying. Mainly because the plots of horror films tend to be nonsensical or like reading about somebody's bad acid trip. There's a lot you can do with film - that let's face it - cannot be translated to the page.
Oh speaking of films, apparently Ryan Gosling got fired from the Lovely Bones at the age of 27, for putting on weight for the lead role. He gained 60 pounds drinking Hagen Daz ice cream like water to prepare for the role of the grieving father - which he assumed would have gained weight as a result of his grief. But alas, the director, Peter Jackson, completely disagreed, and fired him on the spot. As a result he was unemployed for a bit, and struggling to find roles. His mistake wasn't checking with the director first, although Jackson isn't necessarily known for his communication skills. Jackson said a mistake was made in initial casting, and quickly remedied. They hired Mark Walhberg instead. I've read the book and seen the film - the Lovely Bones, it's not worth the price of admission. Neither are memorable. Both are slow as molasses. And I didn't care about anyone in it. It was a book club pick and I struggled to get through it.
The book is much much better than the film, which kind of dumped everything that worked in the book.
Off to watch Vox Machina, then bed.
Oh picture from today's walk around Battery Park, another NY oasis.
You can't drop anyone off in front of the Stadium, you have to drop them a mile away. So rideshares are not recommended.
Honestly? Just stay home and watch it folks. Or at the various watch parties scattered across the city. This is a new thing? Watching sports on big screens on the side of builds, in parks, at food courts with about 1000 people. They have a big one in Central Park. The Knicks had watch parties all over the city.
The world cup is being held at Metlife Stadium aka the Meadowlands which is in Rutherford, NJ, just across the Hudson from NY.
I talked to Breaking Bad about it - and he said: it's non-stop this summer, it's going to be a dreadful summer - we have the World Cup, The Ticker Tap Parade, the Shinnock Golf Tournement, the US Open, and the 4th of July Celebration ...it's just one thing after the other. Breaking Bad kind of gives a whole new meaning to the word "curmudgeon". He whined about how NYC is no longer the grungy post-apocalyptic post industrial graffitti ridden cess pool of the 1970s and 80s, and there's no place for the truly dispossessed. I told him, not to worry, there were still pockets here and there.
Today I informed him that the company who supplies our "time keeping system" had been bought.
Breaking Bad: Stop. Please stop.
He does that. I talk to him. He tells me to stop. I leave. Oh well, it could be worse - it has been worse, I could still be reporting to the drill sergeant.
They keep talking about how to get to the World Cup on the news and at work (I've gotten several work emails on it). Also the City's preparations for the Ticker Tap Parade, which Breaking Bad decided to brave - and not worry about. He should be fine - he gets to work at the crack of dawn and leaves shortly after lunch. The parade is from 10 am to noon. He may need to leave slightly later. I am not braving the parade, and staying home to do laundry instead. This thing is going to be huge. They had a meeting with Homeland Security yesterday on that topic. Also the Department of Homeland Security appears to be cracking down on the Statue of Liberty ticket scammers. (Yes, there are Statue of Liberty ticket scammers at the entrance to Battery Park. They even have signs warning people about them).
Currently reading Withered Hill by David Barnett - which is best described as British Folk Horror. It's a psychological thriller that is kind of in the same vein as Harvest Home and the Wicker Man?
I'd tried reading it over a year ago. Put it down. And now have picked it back up again.
Here's the synopsis from Amazon:
" If you find your way here, you’re already lost.
Inside
A year ago Sophie Wickham stumbled into the isolated Lancashire village of Withered Hill, naked, alone and with no memory of who she is.
Surrounded by a thick ring of woodland, its inhabitants seem to be of another world, drenched in pagan, folklorish traditions.
As Sophie struggles to regain the memories of her life from before, she quickly realises she is a prisoner after multiple failed escape attempts. But is it the locals who keep her trapped, with smiles on their faces, or something else, lurking in the woods?
Outside
In London, Sophie leads a chaotic life, with too many drunken nights, inappropriate men and boring temp jobs. But things take a turn as she starts to be targeted by strange messages warning her that someone, or something, is coming for her.
With no idea who to trust, or where to turn for help, the messages become more insistent and more intimidating, urging Sophie to make her way to a place called Withered Hill…
An utterly bewitching, dual timeline folk horror novel, with a truly devastating twist you have to read to believe."
It's not that gory? Although there is gore and violence in it? It's mostly being stuck someplace - reminds me a little bit of From and Harvest Home.
Kind of slow paced, and a lot of jumping about in the timeline. It has a dual timeline narrative, but it jumps about in the timeline, and has departures from the timeline and Sophie's (protagonist) perspective. Most of the book is told from Sophie's perspective. [Sophie is a twenty-something living in London, down on her luck, doing temp jobs, until she eventually lands a job at a mysterious data center - and that's when she begins getting weird messages about Withered Hill.]
At least the author tells you about the departures from Sophie's perspective and timeline. And the point of view is a kind of first person distant, which is my least favorite. Where you have a narrator telling you what Sophie is doing and why, but from a distance - which makes it hard to emotionally invest in the character. It's why I keep giving up on it, I suspect? First person distant doesn't really work for me? Also, I find Sophie a tad on the annoying side. She's kind of passive, lets things happen to her, and an addict. I'm not sure I'm supposed to like her? Which is kind of interesting to me.
At any rate, after reading the synopsis (which I don't remember reading) - I'm reminded of why I picked up the book to begin with - and will most likely plow through.
I'm on a horror kick at the moment. I prefer horror novels to television shows and films, mainly because I've a visual memory - and once I see something, it's hard for me to forget it? And horror for some reason or other sticks in my head. Plus I have sleep issues, nightmares, and I do not need help staying awake. To this day, I regret letting people persuade me into watching Nightmare on Elm Street. (I knew the plot, my brother had spoiled me on it - already. He'd see horror flicks and tell me the plots, because I found watching them difficult at times.) It's the scene where the bed grinds Johnny Depp into hamburger meat and spits him up onto the ceiling that I'd very much like to forget? I saw it over thirty years ago in 1985, and I still remember it. I also remember all of the Shining, all of Carrie, all of Halloween, all of Aliens...I can rerun the flicks in my head. Most movies live rent free in my brain, in particular horror movies.
Yet, I've a strange curiosity about them? So instead of watching a lot of them - I read the reviews, which isn't very satisfying. Mainly because the plots of horror films tend to be nonsensical or like reading about somebody's bad acid trip. There's a lot you can do with film - that let's face it - cannot be translated to the page.
Oh speaking of films, apparently Ryan Gosling got fired from the Lovely Bones at the age of 27, for putting on weight for the lead role. He gained 60 pounds drinking Hagen Daz ice cream like water to prepare for the role of the grieving father - which he assumed would have gained weight as a result of his grief. But alas, the director, Peter Jackson, completely disagreed, and fired him on the spot. As a result he was unemployed for a bit, and struggling to find roles. His mistake wasn't checking with the director first, although Jackson isn't necessarily known for his communication skills. Jackson said a mistake was made in initial casting, and quickly remedied. They hired Mark Walhberg instead. I've read the book and seen the film - the Lovely Bones, it's not worth the price of admission. Neither are memorable. Both are slow as molasses. And I didn't care about anyone in it. It was a book club pick and I struggled to get through it.
The book is much much better than the film, which kind of dumped everything that worked in the book.
Off to watch Vox Machina, then bed.
Oh picture from today's walk around Battery Park, another NY oasis.
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The Governor stepped in, and after fighting with FIFA forever, managed to scale it down to $98 a ticket instead. Meanwhile NY jacked up the prices of the shuttle buses. So that got slashed down to $20 a ticket.
"New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill stated on social media Tuesday night that the price of a NJ Transit train ticket will go down to $98. That comes after the initial price of $150 for a round-trip ticket, and then a reduced price of $105 a few weeks later.
"The fact now that the price has dropped [to] less than $100 shows that people think taking the train for 35 minutes is better than taking another mode of transportation," said NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri.
Meanwhile, Gov. Kathy Hochul said the price for a ride on the bus to the stadium will be slashed from $80 to $20."
https://www.nbcnewyork.com/world-cup/nj-transit-rail-ticket-cost-for-world-cup-games-lowered-again-while-ny-slashes-bus-price/6501314/
"While any and all cuts to the price will be appreciated by those with tickets, it's still a steep price for a ride that typically costs $13, but also significantly less than the initial price.
A spokesperson for Gov. Mikie Sherrill's office previously said that after FIFA refused to contribute funds to provide more affordable public transit options, the governor instructed NJ Transit to "seek private and non-taxpayer dollars" in order to help reduce the fare.
State officials said in March that the upcharge on trains headed to to the stadium was necessary to help offset the transit agency's costs for the games.
The tickets, which are non-transferrable and non-refundable, were available starting May 13. Only ticket holders are able to purchase the roundtrip tickets, which are only being sold on NJ Transit's mobile app.
Despite the price, the transit agency said they did see early demand for tickets. In the first day of tickets being on sale, more than 6,000 rail tickets were sold, according to Kolluri."