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shadowkatCold today and will be again tomorrow. Also sort of overcast...with ugly gray clouds. Yeah, I'm feeling poetic tonight, can't you tell?
Went to do Xmas cards last night, only to realize I don't have anyone's addresses - well outside of five people. This is horrid. I really really need to get a new address book and log everyone's new addresses in it when I get them or at the very least log them into a spreadsheet on my computer. Instead of keeping them on envelopes and scraps of paper, which I proceed to lose over the course of the year. Most of my cousins and the people on Facebook don't do cards, they just do Facebook greetings - which is all fine and good if you have time to be on Facebook which I don't. I think the folks who spend the most time on Facebook - have an app for it on their phones, or can get on during the work day?
Finished watching my Flashforward marathon this weekend. I was lead to believe from the last episode that that was it for the season until March. But nooo, there's another new episode this week. Thank heavens for DVR's - or I wouldn't have known about it - to tape it.
I don't love Flashforward. But its premise is one of my bullet proof kinks - ie, the old pre-determinist vs. free will argument or are we doomed to our fate or do we have free or is it a little bit of both or free plus fate? I believe it is a little bit of both, otherwise known as free will plus fate. The other thing I like about it is that it plays with physics or appeals to the frustrated physicist inside of me. I swear if I'd been any good at math, I'd have become a physicist like my cousin. Have two cousins who are brilliant mathematicians, they visualize mathematical formulas the way I visualize words and metaphors in six dimensions and multiple angles. One, the one who isn't bi-polar, is a nuclear physicist - for the Navy, and teaches nuclear physics in the Navy. The other has tried to teach applied and advanced mathematical theory at the University of New Mexico or Arizona, can't remember which, but he fell into the black hole of manic depression. His mind basically swallows him whole - that's the best way of describing it, until he shuts down and goes back to simplier tasks and a life that has zip to do with his mind - he nurses an elderly man in California - last I heard. Lovely man. As kids we used to discuss sci-fi. He'd read all of the Foundation novels by Issac Asimov at the age of 6 or 7. Anyhow, long round about way of explaining what it is about Flashforward that is keeping me interested. What Flashforward lacks is a charismatic or core character - Joseph Fiennes is not it. He does not have his brother's charisma. My favorite characters oddly are the supporting ones - such as his partner Demetri, Demetri's girl-friend the attorney, Bryce - the sensitive doc dying of cancer who is hunting for the Japanese robot scientist who has fled Japan to become a musician, and Simon, the snarky and somewhat cruel physicist portrayed by Dominic Monaghan - who has managed to prove his verstality and range. The man is a brilliant actor - almost unrecognizable in each role and capable of bringing a complexity to each. (He played one of the Hobbits in Lord of the Rings, Charley in Lost, and now Simon in Flashforward). I'm somewhat ambivalent of the Iraqui/Afganistan War vet and her Dad, as well as the lead protagonist and his wife and her would-be lover the other physicist named Branford. Fiennes is good in the lead role, he's just not as interesting as everyone else - he's playing a sort of cliche, which may the problem. You know, cop with drinking problem, obsessed with insane conspiracy whose obsession could destroy everything he cares about? I don't know, David Duchnovy sort of killed that trope for me.
Dollhouse was actually quite good last week. Although I am admittedly finding the conspiracy/evil corporation storyline to be a bit tiresome - probably didn't help that I watched six hours of Flashforward after it. Is it just me or has just about every science-fiction series that has aired in the last ten years featured at its center some evil corporation, government agency or secret group or alien org that is controlling or manipulating everyone or at least attempting it? I don't know, but I'm thinking this particular storyline has hit its saturation point. There are only so many verisons of the Manchurian Candidate that I can watch without getting incredibly bored.
That said, everything else about the episode was rather interesting. And I may at some point write a meta on everything else but the evil corporation subplot (this is not a spoiler - if you watched any of Season 1 - the evil corp subplot is rather obvious), which has been done to death in my opinion. I get why they are doing it to death - 9/11 and its aftermath. But to be honest? It was done to death even before 2001. Hello - X-Files! Personally I think BSG, Buffy, and Torchwood Children of the Earth played with that subplot the best and in the least predictable and cliche manner. But mileage varies, and I was admittedly not a fan of the X-Files.
EW went nutty over lists again. EW is an entertainment magazine, which I subscribed to because of a purchase via worste buy. And just never got around to cancelling. I sort of enjoy it and it is cheap. But it does like to torture me with inane covers of Twilight stars.
Stephen King' - top 10 TV shows of 2009 list was a featured attraction in the mag - I only agreed with one of his picks (Lost), not suprising that - King is anything if not predictable in his tastes. He listed one show I'd never heard of, it only aired in the UK, and it concerns a world taken over by zombies - except for a reality tv show - Big Brother House, which the zombies have surrounded. Odd I haven't heard of this one, considering my correspondence list has a lot of zombie loving, sci-fi geek Brits on it. So.... what is Dead Set and why haven't you mentioned it? I'm guessing you didn't care one way or the other about it? I've noticed that people only mention things online that they a)love, or b)revile/hate/despise, and definitely c) don't think anyone will revile/think less of them for loving or hating. The other lists were about the decade. And I thought - "decade??" Wait, we're at the decade mark now? Whoa! Can't we wait until 2011 first? I felt much the same way in 1999 to be honest. I thought it made more sense to wait until 2000/2001. But the world clearly disagrees with me. So who am I to quibble. Haven't come up with my own list, but I blatantly disagree with some of the items on EW's. Agreed with a couple on the top 100 events in pop culture, but not with the ones on the individual lists. Will take a while to devise my own, still working on 2009 - which need I remind you, is not over yet!
Went to do Xmas cards last night, only to realize I don't have anyone's addresses - well outside of five people. This is horrid. I really really need to get a new address book and log everyone's new addresses in it when I get them or at the very least log them into a spreadsheet on my computer. Instead of keeping them on envelopes and scraps of paper, which I proceed to lose over the course of the year. Most of my cousins and the people on Facebook don't do cards, they just do Facebook greetings - which is all fine and good if you have time to be on Facebook which I don't. I think the folks who spend the most time on Facebook - have an app for it on their phones, or can get on during the work day?
Finished watching my Flashforward marathon this weekend. I was lead to believe from the last episode that that was it for the season until March. But nooo, there's another new episode this week. Thank heavens for DVR's - or I wouldn't have known about it - to tape it.
I don't love Flashforward. But its premise is one of my bullet proof kinks - ie, the old pre-determinist vs. free will argument or are we doomed to our fate or do we have free or is it a little bit of both or free plus fate? I believe it is a little bit of both, otherwise known as free will plus fate. The other thing I like about it is that it plays with physics or appeals to the frustrated physicist inside of me. I swear if I'd been any good at math, I'd have become a physicist like my cousin. Have two cousins who are brilliant mathematicians, they visualize mathematical formulas the way I visualize words and metaphors in six dimensions and multiple angles. One, the one who isn't bi-polar, is a nuclear physicist - for the Navy, and teaches nuclear physics in the Navy. The other has tried to teach applied and advanced mathematical theory at the University of New Mexico or Arizona, can't remember which, but he fell into the black hole of manic depression. His mind basically swallows him whole - that's the best way of describing it, until he shuts down and goes back to simplier tasks and a life that has zip to do with his mind - he nurses an elderly man in California - last I heard. Lovely man. As kids we used to discuss sci-fi. He'd read all of the Foundation novels by Issac Asimov at the age of 6 or 7. Anyhow, long round about way of explaining what it is about Flashforward that is keeping me interested. What Flashforward lacks is a charismatic or core character - Joseph Fiennes is not it. He does not have his brother's charisma. My favorite characters oddly are the supporting ones - such as his partner Demetri, Demetri's girl-friend the attorney, Bryce - the sensitive doc dying of cancer who is hunting for the Japanese robot scientist who has fled Japan to become a musician, and Simon, the snarky and somewhat cruel physicist portrayed by Dominic Monaghan - who has managed to prove his verstality and range. The man is a brilliant actor - almost unrecognizable in each role and capable of bringing a complexity to each. (He played one of the Hobbits in Lord of the Rings, Charley in Lost, and now Simon in Flashforward). I'm somewhat ambivalent of the Iraqui/Afganistan War vet and her Dad, as well as the lead protagonist and his wife and her would-be lover the other physicist named Branford. Fiennes is good in the lead role, he's just not as interesting as everyone else - he's playing a sort of cliche, which may the problem. You know, cop with drinking problem, obsessed with insane conspiracy whose obsession could destroy everything he cares about? I don't know, David Duchnovy sort of killed that trope for me.
Dollhouse was actually quite good last week. Although I am admittedly finding the conspiracy/evil corporation storyline to be a bit tiresome - probably didn't help that I watched six hours of Flashforward after it. Is it just me or has just about every science-fiction series that has aired in the last ten years featured at its center some evil corporation, government agency or secret group or alien org that is controlling or manipulating everyone or at least attempting it? I don't know, but I'm thinking this particular storyline has hit its saturation point. There are only so many verisons of the Manchurian Candidate that I can watch without getting incredibly bored.
That said, everything else about the episode was rather interesting. And I may at some point write a meta on everything else but the evil corporation subplot (this is not a spoiler - if you watched any of Season 1 - the evil corp subplot is rather obvious), which has been done to death in my opinion. I get why they are doing it to death - 9/11 and its aftermath. But to be honest? It was done to death even before 2001. Hello - X-Files! Personally I think BSG, Buffy, and Torchwood Children of the Earth played with that subplot the best and in the least predictable and cliche manner. But mileage varies, and I was admittedly not a fan of the X-Files.
EW went nutty over lists again. EW is an entertainment magazine, which I subscribed to because of a purchase via worste buy. And just never got around to cancelling. I sort of enjoy it and it is cheap. But it does like to torture me with inane covers of Twilight stars.
Stephen King' - top 10 TV shows of 2009 list was a featured attraction in the mag - I only agreed with one of his picks (Lost), not suprising that - King is anything if not predictable in his tastes. He listed one show I'd never heard of, it only aired in the UK, and it concerns a world taken over by zombies - except for a reality tv show - Big Brother House, which the zombies have surrounded. Odd I haven't heard of this one, considering my correspondence list has a lot of zombie loving, sci-fi geek Brits on it. So.... what is Dead Set and why haven't you mentioned it? I'm guessing you didn't care one way or the other about it? I've noticed that people only mention things online that they a)love, or b)revile/hate/despise, and definitely c) don't think anyone will revile/think less of them for loving or hating. The other lists were about the decade. And I thought - "decade??" Wait, we're at the decade mark now? Whoa! Can't we wait until 2011 first? I felt much the same way in 1999 to be honest. I thought it made more sense to wait until 2000/2001. But the world clearly disagrees with me. So who am I to quibble. Haven't come up with my own list, but I blatantly disagree with some of the items on EW's. Agreed with a couple on the top 100 events in pop culture, but not with the ones on the individual lists. Will take a while to devise my own, still working on 2009 - which need I remind you, is not over yet!
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no subject
Date: 2009-12-08 10:18 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-12-08 05:45 pm (UTC)I'm guessing it would be far too gorey for me as well. I tend to avoid most zombie flicks largely because of the gore.
Does sound like a fantastic premise though.