shadowkat | Entries tagged with book recs

Work and my commute are attempting to take bites out of my good mood, along with a potential rainy weather pattern coming into NYC for tomorrow. But I persevere and the cheeriness continues for the most part.

So too are various areas of the internet at work and at home, but not DW (so no worries).

1. MSN's browser at work throws stories at me - one was the headline: Woman's Hike Through Texas' Big Bend National Park Turns into a Nightmare. Thinking for a quick getaway from people and in nature, in the rarely visited park, a woman suddenly finds herself surrounded by hundreds of tiny animals and stumbles into a nightmare.

Trying to figure out what "tiny animals" would surround you and terrify you, I of course took a peek?

Sigh. I really wish I hadn't.

I'm arachnophobic - so no, I didn't read any more of the article (not because I can't read about spiders) - it had pictures. I can't look at pictures of spiders. They couldn't have written the article without the pictures? No, of course not. It's the internet. I hate the internet. It is doing a really good job of biting into my good mood. Fuck you, internet.

2. I apparently liked a few Buffy posts on FB, so FB keeps throwing all things Buffy related at me. Today it threw an Instagram Post by the guy who played Parker Abrhams on Buffy in S4, and who was also on Dawson's Creek shortly thereafter - he was posting a tribute to the lead of Dawson's who died recently from cancer. The gist? ( Read more... )

3. And MSN keeps throwing the following at me at work:

* how to prepare for retirement with $1M in 401 K or IRA and $2,465 Social Security. (Sigh, if I had $1M in 401K - I'd have retired already.)

* The best small towns or places to retire in every state. (They all have one thing in common? You need a car. I don't drive.)

* If you travel you shouldn't use a hard suitcase with wheels since it is banned in certain European countries, (Apparently for noise pollution and wear and tear on cobblestone streets? Too many tourists wandering about with baggage at all times at night.)

* No, it is better to have one since a back pack or duffel is hard on your back and you can't pack as much. (I wish people would make up their minds.)

* If you travel to these 20 countries - you will need an electronic visa or electronic authorization ahead of time - and provide before you get on the plane. (So what happens if your phone dies en route? Oh, brings up a story mother told me the other day - a man was denied passage on a cruise because he brought the wrong passport. He accidentally packed the expired passport as opposed to the new one. This is after traveling by bus all the way down to Miami, with people from the retirement center. Mother didn't seem to know what happened next, except that he turned down the offer to catch up with the cruise in New Orleans. He needed it for Mexico.)

* TSA has changed its rules and you need to ensure you do these 12 things, and not bring these things...

Sigh. Now I'm afraid to retire and travel. The stupid internet is stressful. I miss the days in which I didn't know all this crap.

***

It's also throwing television shows at me. Netflix has apparently added more shows. And the internet wants me to watch Sharp Objects on HBO, which it has decided is the best and most twisty thriller ever. ( Read more... )

Me and the Internet are at cross-purposes at the moment? I think AI has made the internet worse?

***

What else should I complain about?

I don't know what to read next. That's not a complaint. Right now I'm reading or trying out Illona Andrews latest novel - Inheritance, which they'd initially wrote as a lark or a serialized novella, no more than 12,000 words for their blog. But alas, it's become a two-book series. And they had to add a lot of world building. It reads a bit like a post-apocalyptic survival video game, actually, with banter. I can tell the writers played a lot of video games during the pandemic. Survival video games have become a thing - now. The internet was flinging those at me as well. And I'm admittedly tempted but afraid to put that on my phone or computer. Maybe the ipad? (No, Inheritance is not a video game - I switched tracks in mid-paragraph.)

The book, Inheritance, is about ( Read more... )

I'm hoping I don't regret grabbing Ministry of Time - I didn't know it was about the same thing the Terror television series is about when I purchased it. It doesn't tell you that. Hmm. Oh well, maybe it won't be an issue?

***

Took some long walks yesterday and today - first in a long time - at work location. First was up to the cherry blossoms on Pier 15, turns out they are fake cherry blossoms - so not worth the trip or tickets. (Why fake? I don't know, it's NY? It is odd though - I mean it's not like we don't have actual cherry blossoms in several botanical gardens, parks, and a cemetery in late March/early April? Maybe they got desperate and wanted to do it now?) The green houses are tiny, and claustrophobic, and you couldn't pay me to sit in one of them for dinner.

I have a picture of it - see below and assuming you can see it - let me know what you think?

The other walk will have to wait until tomorrow. Since long past bedtime for me. Good night all.

Disclaimer: As always, good news like humor and beauty is in the eye of the beholder. In short, mileage it varies.

1.A new treatment has shown huge potential for treating spina bifida in the womb, after a trial showed that it improved children’s mobility and quality of life. Spina bifida, a condition in which a baby’s spinal cord is not properly enclosed during gestation, can lead to a range of lifelong disabilities. However, scientists claimed this week to have a promising new treatment, which involves applying stem cells from the mother’s placenta to her baby’s spine while surgeons repair it in the womb.

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)02466-3/fulltext

2.Researchers hailed new prostate cancer treatment
A new immunotherapy drug for treating prostate cancer has shown “remarkable” results in an early clinical trial.
The VIR-5500 drug was given to 58 patients with advanced prostate cancer that had stopped responding to other treatments. Almost half saw their tumour shrink after taking the drug, according to the UK’s Institute of Cancer Research, which led the research. Most patients had only mild side-effects.

3.After surviving breast cancer, Mary Mwangi started crafting handmade prosthetic breasts for those who’ve had mastectomies in Kenya, as an alternative to costly silicone options. She now leads a group of women who have produced over 600 pieces for fellow survivors in need, all while finding a sense of solace in the art itself. “Knitting takes you through a process of healing,” Mwangi said. “Once you are not thinking about your disease, you are positive, and that positive mind helps you, because healing starts from your mind.”

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/breast-cancer-survivor-knits-prostheses-050739235.html

4.Chile has become the first country in the Americas, and only the second globally, to be verified as having eliminated leprosy. Announcing the verification on Wednesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) described the milestone as a “landmark public health achievement” and “a powerful testament to what leadership, science, and solidarity can accomplish”.
Chile’s leprosy-free certification follows sustained public health efforts, including prevention strategies, early diagnosis, improved treatments, and continuous follow-ups. “Chile’s elimination of leprosy sends a clear message to the world: with sustained commitment, inclusive health services, integrated public health strategies, early detection and universal access to care, we can consign ancient diseases to history,” said WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. The first country to be verified as having eliminated leprosy was Jordan in September 2024.

https://worldhealthorganization.com/

5.Indigenous river defenders are celebrating after winning a David versus Goliath battle against the Brazilian government and corporate giants over plans to industrialise an Amazonian waterway.
The Tapajós River faced the threat of being dredged and privatised to boost soy and grain shipments out of Santarém, a small city in the Brazilian state of Pará. But activists had other ideas. They occupied a local grain terminal belonging to Cargill, the biggest privately owned company in the US, forcing Brazil’s government into a policy U-turn.“The transformation of Amazonian rivers into routes for economic exploitation directly threatens Indigenous territories, traditional ways of life, food security, biodiversity and the environmental balance of the entire region,” said the Federation of Indigenous Peoples. Reacting to the U-turn, Maria Leusa, an Indigenous campaigner, said: “This proves that life – the river – has no price. It cannot be sold, it is not negotiable. That’s why we will never back down.”

6.Lawmakers in Vietnam have passed legislation regulating artificial intelligence, making it the first country in southeast Asia to place safeguards on the fast-moving technology. Like the European Union’s AI Act, Vietnam’s law requires companies to clearly label AI-generated content, which is often not easy to differentiate from reality. It will also oblige them to inform customers when they are interacting with a chatbot rather than a human. Internet safety campaigners welcomed the move, but said enforcement will be key for it to be effective.

https://www.positive.news/science/eu-approves-draft-law-to-regulate-ai-how-it-works/

South Korea became the first country to enact an AI law in January (the European Union’s is entering force in phases). It comes amid growing concern about AI firms’ involvement in the military, after the Trump administration demanded that AI companies give the Pentagon unrestricted access to their technology – including for mass surveillance and autonomous weapons. Open AI, the company behind ChatGPT, obliged, signing a deal with the Pentagon this week that will allow its systems to be used by the US military. It sparked a fierce backlash, with millions pledging to quit ChatGPT, resulting in a rapid reversal and Open AI changing the deal. "On Monday OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman said the company would add the language to its agreement, including explicitly prohibiting the use of its systems to spy on Americans." [Proof boycotts work at any rate.]

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3rz1nd0egro

7. The UK’s green economy grew by 10.2% in the last year, outpacing the nation’s broader economy, which grew by just 1.3% in 2025.
That’s according to research from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), which comes amid increasing hostility to green industries from opposition political parties.

The CBI’s research shows the green economy to be in rude health, generating around £83.1bn in gross added value. Every £1 it generates, it added, creates an additional £1.89 in the wider economy.

“It is clear, you can’t have growth without green,” said Louise Hellem, CBI’s chief economist. “At a time when the cost of doing business has squeezed appetite for capital investments, and high energy prices are being cited as a drag factor across the economy, investments in clean technologies can significantly bolster competitiveness and productivity.”
The report follows separate research from Carbon Brief, which found that clean energy drove more than a third of China’s GDP growth in 2025. It comes as the war in the Middle East sends oil and gas prices soaring.
“Long-term sustainable growth is unattainable without a future powered by clean, affordable, and secure energy,” said Hellem.

https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-clean-energy-drove-more-than-a-third-of-chinas-gdp-growth-in-2025/

8.Europe’s night train network is set to expand after the community owned rail firm European Sleeper announced a new route between Brussels and Milan. Launching in September, the service will call at Cologne and Zürich, providing an important north–south connection on the continent.
European Sleeper has been a driving force behind Europe’s unexpected night train renaissance, which comes amid growing demand for low-carbon travel. In 2023, the Dutch-Belgian company launched a Brussels to Berlin service, which has since been extended in both directions to include Amsterdam and Prague. European Sleeper is part of Europe’s burgeoning community ownership movement, which has seen regular folk take ownership of everything from pubs and shopping centres to a ferry service. Owned by its readers, Positive News is part of that movement.

https://www.positive.news/society/how-communities-are-stepping-up-to-revive-our-tired-towns/

9.Ireland’s basic income for artists became permanent. A basic income scheme for artists that launched during the pandemic to kickstart Irish culture was made permanent this week. Offering participants a weekly stipend of €325 (£283), the €25m (£21m) pilot helped more than 2,000 artists, although many more applied. According to an independent study, the scheme generated €100m (£87m) in “social and economic benefits” to Ireland’s economy. Elinor O’Donovan is among the artists to have been accepted onto the scheme, which was launched by the Irish government in 2022. “Before I started receiving it, I was working part-time as a receptionist just to be able to afford my rent. I was thinking about moving to a country where I might be able to afford to live a bit cheaper.”
“Now I work full-time as an artist. [The scheme] has given me the flexibility that the job of an artist requires and has allowed me to take risks. I’ve gone into film and I was able to pay other people to work with me on it.” Although limited in scope, it’s the world’s first basic income scheme to be made permanent.

https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-culture-communications-and-sport/press-releases/basic-income-for-the-arts-pilot-produced-over-100-million-in-social-and-economic-benefits/

10.A new law was proposed to crack down on abusive online images
The UK government this week revealed a new law that would require tech companies to remove intimate images that have been shared without consent, within 48 hours. Currently making its way through the House of Lords, the proposed amendment to the crime and policing bill would mean that a survivor only needs to flag an offensive image once, instead of contacting different platforms separately. Keir Starmer, the UK prime minister, told BBC Breakfast on Thursday that this law would mean a survivor “doesn’t have to do a sort of whack-a-mole chasing wherever this image is next going up”. The law would be enforced by fines and other as-yet-undetermined measures.
Janaya Walker, interim director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, said that the proposed law “sends a powerful message that women and girls’ rights and freedoms matter, and should not be threatened by image-based abuse. “This announcement rightly places the responsibility on tech companies to act, because it is they who can stop images from spreading, and that have profited from hosting this harm. We need to see government build on this work by giving survivors more options to take action, and ultimately to prevent this abuse from happening in the first place.”

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz6ed1549yvo

( the rest of the thirty items )

[In personal news, been battling a bit of a weather related headache, the weather is shifting and I think it's finally going to clear in time for my birthday tomorrow. I went to the book store - and picked up three books as a birthday gift to myself - "Ministry of Time"; Amy Tan's The Backyard Bird Chronicles; and The Color Palette ( a journey exploring the history and origins of color), so two non-fiction, one fiction to add to my ever increasing pile of books.

Yes, I'm one of those people who goes to a book store intent on either buying nothing or just one book - and ends up with three. This is pathetic. It's not like I don't have two libraries in walking distance, numerous little libraries, and a massive book depository in the basement laundry room. Not to mention all the unread books in my apartment, and on my kindle. I have enough to last me five lifetimes. Sigh. What can I say? Buying and owning books has always made me gleefully happy. Nothing else does in quite the same way. Well maybe records did when I was a kid - but I no longer own a record player and have an unlimited music account with Apple Music, which is much easier to use than the record player, and takes up less space.]

Hibernating in my apartment (because it is -16 degrees F outside with windchill, that translates to - 26 C (correction - it's now dropped to 6 degrees and is between -12 and -14, so I guess the wind is leveling off at least?), it's 68 degrees inside with radiators). I'm wearing a turtle neck, sweats, and fluffy socks. So I'm warm. Had hot coco earlier.

( Read more... )

I did finish "Buffy S7: Storyteller" - and the ending isn't bad? ( Read more... )

Then watched two episodes of The Pitt S2 - which were excellent. I love this series. (It's a hyper-realistic medical procedural that focuses on one 16 hour shift in an American inner city ER. It's less personal than This is Gonna Hurt or ER, in that we don't see the home lives of any of the characters. The only set is the ER and the immediate area into and out of it. We see Dr. Robi riding his motorcycle to the ER to start his last night shift before leaving on sabbatical, but after that? It's indoors. Medical health care workers - have stated that when people ask them to describe what they do? They point to the Pitt.)

I can relate - I have troubles explaining my profession too - although it's not that, and no one in their right mind would do a television show off of it. The viewers would go to sleep, god knows, I do.

Mother called after the figure skating (partly to apologize for the American's short program being a disappointment - it isn't usually) and to tell me about a comedy sketch she's working on for her retirement center's variety program. The center's self-appointed theater director has grown weary of writing sketches and has asked people to write or develop their own acts to be edited together into one program. They just have to write it about the center and issues involving it. Mother's decided to do a "Who's on First, What's on Second" sketch - except using maintenance workers.
( Mother's skit - well so far )
I wished her luck with it. She's presenting it to her friend (the self-appointed theater director) tomorrow. (Mother is 83 turning 84 this year, and her friend is about four-five years older, I think.)

**

The self-appointed Buddhist expert on FB posted a list of things to do to change your life and become...I don't know? Calmer? More empathetic? A better person? One never knows with self-appointed internet Buddhist experts.

Their list?
( 6 month plan to become unrecognizable.. )

Anywho - the first three aren't bad: Get sun regularly, practice gratitude, practice detachment (unless of course it means becoming a sociopath - in which case? Bad Buddhist, and I do not think that's what Buddhism is about). But the fourth one kind of lost me and I fluttered away after that, arguing with the person who posted in my head (assuming of course it is an actual person? It could be Generative AI or a Digitial auto pilot account, one never knows these days. (And also not very Buddhist. Techie, yes, Buddhist, no.)
( Read more... )
**

Against my better judgement, I caved and made brownies. ( Read more... )

**

I've managed to do my knee exercises or most of them - the important ones at any rate. Not necessarily three times today, but the knee was hurting still from yesterday. I'd stood on it too long - so it wanted to rest. It finally stopped hurting sometime around noon.

***

Memage

4. How old is the oldest book you own?

God knows. It appears to be On the Road with Jack Keroack - 1955. I was going to say my copy of the Hobbit or the Last Hurrah, but On the Road wins. (I don't tend to keep old books - since I'm allergic to the dust and book mold - and I don't have the space, and I can barely read the small print any longer.)

5. It’s the 60th anniversary of the game ‘Twister’ – have you ever played it?

Yes. Although not since the 1980s. I vaguely remember enjoying it a lot in the 1970s as a kid.

6. In 1869, Harper's Weekly published the first picture of Uncle Sam with chin whiskers. Do you know anyone with a beard or a moustache?

Most of my neighbors and male co-workers. My boss has a beard and moustache, his boss does. Most of the young men in the neighborhood do. Most of my male neighbors - next door, across the hall, downstairs, the guy in the basement. It's incredibly trendy at the moment?

7. Is there a subject at school which you disliked, but you would consider learning now?

No. The ones I disliked, I ended up learning in spite of myself, and unfortunately doing for a living and figuring out on my own. So I don't think it matters? There's no avoiding math. It's a fact of life. As is business law, contracts, and property law. Whether you go to law school or not. Same with computers. Can't avoid it.

Science? No. I hated biology then, I hate it now. Dissection really wasn't my thing. And chemistry - too many annoying formulas and you kind of need to know calculus.

1. So scanning the kindle library, and comixcology, resulted in an impulse purchase - Bloody Fool for Love - A Spike Prequel by William Ritter - I got the kindle e-book, not the audiobook - mainly because I can't listen to anyone but James Marsters read it.

Also found an absurd AU "published" Buffy fanfic - where Buffy is the villain that all the bad guys have to get rid of to save themselves. Big Bad by Lily Anderson

( synopsis )
LOL. No, I didn't get it. But the writing from the audiobook is actually not bad.

I blame my Buffy Rewatch for this. Sometimes fictional characters jump off the screen or page, and refuse to leave my head. Not always. Sometimes.
I never quite know why?

Also, I don't have a type. Because, another character that jumped off the page for me was Cyclops from the X-men, who is the exact opposite of Spike.
You'd think I would love Wolverine? But nooo. I loved Cyclops.

2. Angel rewatch S4 - the Lilah/Wesley romance, Wes's entire arc, and Faith's return are the best things in the season and worth watching just for that alone. Actually it's why I love Angel S4 - I love Wes's arc (helps that Denisof is insanely attractive). Wes and his women. Faith, Lilah, and Fred. Also his interactions with Angel and Angelus are a lot of fun.
( Angel S4 Rewatch Soulless through Salvage )

**

Off to bed again. It's that time. Time gets away from me as I ramble.

1. Batman casting news...apparently Sebastain Stan has decided to be in both the MCU franchise and the DC franchise, and is the latest to appear in both to date. (Christian Bale did the same thing but in reverse - he appeared as Batman in DC's franchise, and Gor: the God Killer in the Thor films in MCU's franchise.)

Stan has been selected to portray Harvey Dent aka Half and Half in The Batman Part II (the Robert Pattinson Batman films). Actually The Batman was pretty good - in that it focused, for once, more on Batman. And it is clearly taken from Frank Miller's run on the comics - aka Batman Year 1.

Go HERE

If you know anything about the character or the comics, that's actually perfect casting. DC is doing a better job of casting their films than expected. I'm actually looking forward to seeing them.

2. I used a cold compress last night on my knee in bed - to quell the pain in the middle of the night - and it apparently tore in the night. I discovered this when I awoke - and ended up with tiny blue plastic beads on the floor and on the bed. Not too many thankfully, but enough to almost undo all the work that the cold compress had accomplished. Also I liked that cold compress - which alas is in the waste bin. So around 4:30 am, I'm cleaning up the little plastic beads from the floor. Took a while to get back to sleep - and ended up getting up around 8:30 am.

Now, icing again, after doing exercises, and robot vacuuming my apartment.

3. Angel S3 rewatch - Episode 13, Waiting in the Wings - which delves into the doomed romances of Angel. It's the companion piece to Buffy. In case you've never watched any of the Whedon series (Buffy, Angel, Firefly) - a word to the wise? Don't ship the romantic or sexual relationships on them. (Platonic, yes, romantic, no.) They won't end well. There is no such thing as a romantic HEA in a Whedon series. The writers of Buffy/Angel are NOT romance writers. I kept trying to tell people in the fandom this - but they wouldn't listen to me, and sure enough they'd get their little hearts broken. I'm a long running serial fan - happy romantic relationships seldom last on serials.
( Read more... )
All in all, the romances on Buffy work better for me - mainly because they aren't love triangles, and the obstacles are more central to the characters, and less contrived misunderstandings.

4. Reading...

* Working my way through Angelica Huston's autobiography on audible:

Finished "A Story Lately Told: Growing up in Ireland, London, and New York"

and half way into "Watch Me" - about her life in Hollywood, mainly with Jack Nicholson, who ironically discovered his mother was his sister, long after both his mother and grandmother died. (Ironic if you remember the plot of Chinatown - which Nicholson starred in.) ( Read more... )

* Also reading "The Botanist's Assistant" in paperback, but not getting that far - because I'm struggling to focus on reading books at the moment.
Don't know why. Could be the commute is too short and disruptive to read? It's only a 19-20 minute train ride, then off, steps, walk, steps, stand, five minute train ride, walk, there. That's kind of difficult to really read during? And the way my brain works - I need at least ten-fifteen minutes to get into any task, be it reading, writing, what have you.

It's good - so not the book's fault. About an ungainly tall middle-aged female research assistant working in a University botany lab, who discovers her boss's body. Refusing to accept that it was by natural causes, she begins to investigate the death. She also cared for the man, and had a serious crush on him.

I'd say Hasta La Vista - but that actually means goodbye and see you later, and I really have no interest in revisiting this nasty tediously painful extraordinarily long seemingly endless year. I plan on forgetting most of it. People wondered in person and online where the year had gone to, and how fast it sped by...not me, folks. I was aware of every stinking hour of it. It drug. And if felt mean.

Bye Bye 2025. Don't let the door smack you on the way out. With any luck 2026 will be more memorable and at the very least? Less painful.

Hopefully your mileage varied in far more positive ways.

***

In 2026, I turn 59, an inch closer to 60, and a couple inches closer to retirement. With any luck it will bring peace and prosperity in its wake.

***

End of the Year Memage:

1. Memorable Television Series of 2025 (I'd say favorite - but it's kind of a moving target at the moment, I'm going with memorable).

( memorable television series )

2. Memorable Films of 2025 (see above)

( memorable films of 2025 )

3. Fandom that you miss

The Buffy/Angel fandom, I'll always miss it.

4. Memorable Books of 2025 (well that I read or listened to in 2025 at any rate, they weren't necessarily published in 2025).

( memorable books of 2025 )

5. Memorable Music of 2025 (not necessarily written in 2025)

* Huddled Masses

* What is the Reason for it by David Byrne from his album Who is the Sky?.

* Just Like That by Bonnie Raitt

* Something Wicked (this way comes) by Siouxie and the Banshees

* Say a Little Word by Ellen McIlwaine

Question a Day Memeage - End of December

28. How much exercise have you had over the last few days?

Bad knee. Been doing knee exercises. Walking a lot - because it's my main mode of transportation outside of subways. I go up and down a lot of subway steps. Averaging 4,000-8,000 steps a day. Today just did knee exercises and a little walking.

29. In 1886, the dishwasher was patented. It was invented by Josephine Cochran, who lived in Shelbyville, Illinois. She constructed the first one and won a prize at the Chicago World Fair (and was used by the restaurant industry). Do you own a dishwasher or wash your dishes by hand?

No. Wash dishes by hand. I rent an apartment and it's not cleared for a dishwasher. Also I'm single - so not an issue.

30. It’s National Bacon Day! What’s your favourite way to eat bacon? Have you ever tried vegan ‘bacon’?

With eggs or with pancakes or waffles. I don't eat it now - it doesn't digest well and it tends to go bad before I eat all of it.

No, never had vegan bacon. Artificial yes - bacon bits. Won't do it again.

31. It’s New Year’s Eve – how would you sum up 2025 on a scale of one to ten? Let’s stay positive - what was the best thing that happened to you this year?

1, maybe 2. No definitely 1. Assuming of course 10 (is best) on this scale.

Moved my work place from Jamaica, Queens to Lower Manhattan, Battery Park, Tribeca/Financial District. Shorter Commute, and nicer area all around. Also have a window. And peace and quiet for the most part.

Happy New Year, hopefully regardless of how you ranked 2025 - 2026 will be a better or more positive year for us all around the globe.

Taking tomorrow and Friday off, and get Xmas Day off of course - it's a Federal and State Holiday in the US.

Happy to have the break at last - work has become infuriatingly tedious of late. Needless to say, I'm burnt out, and desperately need a break from all of it. Also the commute is playing havoc with my right knee, and I've been sleeping poorly as a result.

I hope to do knee exercises, and maybe get some watercolors and writing done. Lately, I've become addicted to Royal Match on my phone. Only one problem with it? It costs money - or I get tempted to expend small amounts for more tries. I need to find a game with no costs and no ads. The Majhong game's pop up ads kept freezing the game and my Iphone. See? This is why I'm not much of a gamer. I should try the board game link.

Pondering Buffy S5 and Angel S2 today - and in my rewatch, I picked up something that in hindsight, is relatively obvious. It's a television trope that I've actually seen a lot since Buffy/Angel aired, but not as much prior. I think the series may have influenced a lot of writers to play with it. What it is - is the bait and switch, or mislead the audience into thinking this is going to happen, but do something else entirely. Otherwise known as the hairpin plot twist. It's hard to pull off well, without annoying the audience. The writers of Buffy and Angel tried to pull it off in just about every episode of the series and in the seasonal arcs.

Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Like I said - it's hard to pull off.
( Read more... )

I keep writing about this because I can't figure out how to articulate my thoughts on it. And keep thinking, perhaps erroneously, that writing it out will help.

**

Working my way through Angelica Huston's Memoir - which I keep forgetting the name of. Ah found it - A Story Lately Told - Coming of Age in Ireland, London and New York. It's well written and narrated. Listening to it on audible.

Gave up on "Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem" and went back to T Kingfisher's novel "What Moves the Dead". I like Kingfisher's writing style (possibly because it's very close to my own and I don't have to work that hard to read it? I've learned recently that reading a writing style that is close to my own style is easier for me to process, than one that is alien to it - or very different from it. Because of what I do for a living, and the amount of legal and technical reading I do - I have a tendency to skim formal writing, and disconnect from it. The more formal it is - the less likely I will be able to remember what I've read, without re-reading it five or six times.) It has a lot to do with dyslexia - I think? Formal writing has a tendency to make my eyes glaze over, and my focus shift away from the text.

Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem - has a formal writing style - in that the writer is trying to copy a formal British style of writing, most likely from the Victorian period. While I respect this choice? I wish they wouldn't. It makes it hard for me to stay focused on their story.

I can actually write in more than one style. I've been trained to do so, and can shift on a whim. I often do in these posts. I just prefer the casual or conversational writing style - it's easier for me to write in and to read. YMMV. People don't process information the same way or read the same way.

***

Off to bed, and hopefully to sleep. I need sleep. Been averaging 5 and a half hours the last couple of nights.

Resting my knee tonight, so didn't do the exercises - did ice it, also did exercises at work. Also took a longer walk than I should have? I wanted to see if Trinity Church, Printemps, and NYSE had been dressed up at all for Xmas. It had, but minimalist in style. The over-blown festive decorations are apparently saved for Dyker Heights, my apartment complex lobby, and Midtown Shopping District. The Financial District is well...not exactly spendthrift when it comes to Christmas decor - and errs on the tasteful and minimalist side of the fence?

( The Financial District, Trinity Church and NYSE at Christmas Time )

After the walk - which included an ill advised journey to Insomiac Cookies, which was alas closed - my right knee/leg was killing me. It was my own fault - if I'd ended it five to ten minutes sooner, I'd have been fine. Plus it was cold outside. ( Would have been nice if Insomina Cookies had warned me that they were closed this week.) And I didn't even get any chocolate chip cookies. I wanted my cookies. Instead I bought a chocolate bar - which resulted in high blood sugar, the cookies were the better bet.

On the plus side (knee wise, at least) - I managed to schedule an MRI for January 4 at the Brooklyn location, and on a Sunday morning, no less. Go me. So not quite as far as the Manhattan one, and less steps. Also a followup appointment with the orthopedist at 2:30pm on January 9 (Friday). I'll probably have to take the day off. Unfortunately. Either that or take two hours of comp time. I only have 10 hours of comp time remaining. Currently have a PT appointment scheduled at 4:30pm after it, which I might cancel or try to reschedule. So got it a lot faster than expected.

2. Gave up on the Larry Silverstein book - the narrator was speaking in a monotone, and I was having troubles following it. Jumped over to Tim Curry's autobiography entitled "Vagabound" - which Curry was reading himself, only one small problem? He'd just suffered a stroke. After about an hour and a half, I gave up. I can't do 10 hours of that - it was painful listening to him. So, I jumped over to Angelica Huston's autobiography/memoir, The Story of Me - which is a two party, and read by Huston, to high acclaim. She has a lovely voice, and it's beautifully written. Also very interesting - since she talks about her parents, the acclaimed actor, film director and writer, John Huston, his wife a prima ballerina, his father, an acclaimed actor, and their friends. It talks a lot about old Hollywood - during the 1950s. I just finished a chapter, where she talks about how her father, along with Edward G. Robinson, Humphrey Bogart, Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, etc - formed an organization supporting the First Amendment - to speak out against the McCarthy Hearings and the infamous Hollywood Blacklist. This also resulted in Huston leaving the US, and filming outside of it, and living outside of it for the remainder of his life. Huston married Angelica Huston's mother when he was 40 years of age, and her mother was 18 years of age, and a prima ballerina at the premier ballet company in the US which later became the NY Ballet.

Angelica Huston doesn't tell so much as show? She relates the facts, and lets the reader figure it out. Reminds me of Paul Newman's memoir in that respect. It's well written.

3. Progressing along in my rewatch of Buffy S5. Some takeaways, after seeing I was Made to Love You and Crush.
( still pondering the contradictions in Crush and in IWMTLY )

I keep flirting with books - and I do not need to acquire any more books.
I have 100s of books on a TBR list as it is.

Latest? The Botanist's Assistant by Peggy Townsend

Blurb: "A murder in the science lab shatters a woman’s quiet and ordered life when she decides she must solve the crime herself in this entertaining and uplifting mystery.
( Read more... )
And this review via Smart Bitches got my attention.

"This is a book about a quiet, steady woman in her 50s who is dogged in her pursuit of justice. Margaret is a research assistant and she’s perfectly suited to the job: she’s methodical, reliable and devoted to science. When her boss dies unexpectedly, it is Margaret alone who suspects murder. In the way of these things, she is dismissed and not believed.

As to that disbelief: the book is frank about how older women who don’t conform to beauty standards are invisible to the greater world. When they are seen, they’re a topic of pity or ridicule, depending on the viewer’s degree of kindness. Margaret is a figure of fun to many of her colleagues. She’s a big boned tall woman and she’s called ‘Big Bird’ as a cruel nickname."

Hmm, I've not really run into that? Or no one has said that to my face? Of course I work for an organization that you could get fired for doing that.
And people aren't "pretty" or "striking" in Civil Service - that's only in the Glamour Industries, High Finance, and Advertising. I didn't think it was true in science or academia, though?

Although this review and the blurb may be enough to talk me into purchasing it. I don't want the audiobook though, I think I want the Kindle? Or I'll hunt it at Lofty Pigeons.

***

Today's Question from Question a Day Meme:

20. How often do you declutter? Is there somewhere you need to declutter, but haven’t got around to it?

Sigh. Constantly. I'm waging a losing battle against paper clutter. Partly due to the insane amount of junk mail that I receive.

Ugh, how do I get it to stop?

Right now, I need to declutter a pantry, and television stand, and a end table.

Woke up, thought all was fine and dandy, made it to work - and dizziness hit. ( TMI health update or ack Vertigo ack )

***

Television and books

1. Watched more of Newman/Woodward doc last night - it does go into their political activities (both were liberal political activists), and into their films - and family dynamics. I'm loving the documentary - because it's not just about Newman/Woodward, but about filmmaking, and how to put a documentary together. The process geek in me - is in heaven.

Takeaway quote: When Camus read the story of Sisphysus, he said, Ah, this is a happy man, he knows his job and is satisfied in it.

Which never really occurred to me, or Ethan Hawk for that matter.

2. "The Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem by Manda Collins" - is a historical rom-com/mystery hybrid, which I think is the Victorian period?
Checks - yes, 1865 (I honestly can't remember when the Victorian Period started, and well, Vertigo issues - so if you know, feel free to fact check.)

The teaser is below. But right now, it appears to be female friendship? We have a newspaper columnist/publisher hooking up with a cookbook author to co-author a column about murders - currently the Commandment Murders. And they decide to investigate murders through their column. Apparently the Inspector investigating the murders in none too pleased (seriously, why would he be?). Much chaos ensues.

( Amazon blurb )

So far it's easier to read than Spinning Silver or Remarkably Bright Creatures - mainly because it is in third person and the point of view is rather clear. And there's, voila, dialogue.

3. Buffy S4 Rewatch - Superstar - sigh, there's a trope in sci-fantasy, where a Marty Stu or Mary Sue secondary character gets center stage. It's targeted towards a certain portion of the audience, which is NOT me. But, it is admittedly very popular - as evidenced by how often its done. I've never enjoyed it - I feel like it takes me away from the action, characters and story, to spend time with the author's stand-in or the author's idea of an audience stand-in (which isn't me). To give Espenson, who wrote the episode, credit - she kind of parodies/satirizes the trope? And makes fun of it. (Not my sense of humor - but I give her marks for detail, even if it's a touch too on the nose.) And she does manage to further each characters arc and relationship along the way.
( cut for length and spoilers for the few out there who never saw this and still want to )

4. Buffy Sequel - Chloe Zhao - the director, and executive producer of Buffy the Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale - has officially stated it is a sequel, and she fully plans on bringing back the original characters.

Go HERE

And.. HERE

"Zhao is offering some additional insights on the project and the importance of bringing in original series and new viewers, while sharing how much the original series meant to her during an interview with Variety's Awards Circuit podcast to discuss her film, Hamnet.

"It is not a reboot. It's a sequel. You can never replace these characters. I would never allow that," Zhao made clear regarding the sequel series. "And Sarah's [Michelle Gellar] back. I love my cast, the new cast. We will bring back OG characters for sure. And it is a show that bridges two generations — it's not just about the kids. I think the fandom is so important to us. We want the fandom to see themselves mirrored in the original fandom. And of course, we want new fans to join, and it's very much about both generations."

In previous interviews, Gellar has shared how Zhao's pitch for the new series and the impact that the original series had on her (and could still have on new generations) was a significant factor in her decision to return to the franchise. During the podcast, Zhao revealed how she reacted to the series finale, "Chosen" (S07E22), which aired on May 20, 2003.

"I watched religiously. I was at Mount Holyoke. We would all gather — I think it was every Thursday or Tuesday — and we would watch, because you only get one episode and you're waiting a week. It's such a ritual. I remember the last episode finishing, and we sat there; everyone was crying, and we were all holding hands. I remember looking at the screen, tears streaming down my eyes, and I said, 'Good luck to you, Buffy Summers, good luck to you.' Seeing Sarah in real life was probably one of the most stressful moments of my life."

There is something to be said for fans writing and directing the sequel? [Because often the fans of a show - watch it closer than the creator does, and notice things the creator doesn't.] But isn't it still just published fanfic, and the only reason it got this far is the fan in question has some clout and knows the right people? Also, at the end of the day - we're getting this group of fans take on the series or perspective, which may vary significantly from our own? Since we all see things so differently?

Then again, who am I to complain? I watch a daytime soap and read comic books - also watch Doctor Who off and on, not to mention Star Wars sequels and Star Trek - and that's, well, also fanfic in a way? With varying perspectives on the same thing? At the end of the day aren't all continuations by new writers a kind of fanfic? They are in a way playing with someone else's toys but in their sandbox?

Ponders. Is it fanfic or isn't it? And what exactly is fanfic? [See? This is what happens when Vertigo eats my brain? I ponder existential questions about Fanfic.]

I'm tired and sleep deprived, and it's catching up to me. Through no fault of my own - I keep waking up at 1 or 2 AM in the morning and can't fall back asleep - due to digestive issues. I also had the A/C on low, because of the radiators, which I can't seem to get turned off. The down-side of living in a 77 unit apartment complex, where some areas are freezing and some are warm.

Almost done with Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik - my difficulty with it is the writing style doesn't work for me. Too many changes in points of view, not helped by the fact that they are all in first person and sound the same, and it's about three to four paragraphs into each before I figure out which one I'm actually in. This would be easier to follow, if I weren't sleep deprived, doing what it is that I do for a living, and reading it via the kindle in snatches on subway rides. If it weren't for all those doctor appointments - I'd not have gotten to the 94% mark.

Finished rewatching "This Year's Girl" and "Who Are You" - Faith Episodes on Buffy S4 Rewatch. Who Are You is the better episode - partly because Gellar is a better actress than Dusku. And manages to play Faith without any extraneous mannerisms. And partly because there's no Mayor, not a lot of Adam, and the focus is where it should be on the Faith/Buffy relationship.

I realized recently why I dislike the S3 Faith/Mayor arc so much? ( Read more... )

There are things that save the episodes. But my attention wandered more during these two episodes than previous ones. ( Read more... )

Off to bed.

I felt like doing meme's but not the Question a Day Meme, since I'm all caught up on that already.

This Weeks Friday Five:

1. What’s harder to live without, chocolate or alcohol?

Considering I've given up alcohol, chocolate. I've tried to give up chocolate but have never succeeded.

2. Does the colour yellow remind you of anything?

Childhood (it was my favorite color and more importantly the color of my blanket when I was small child) and now? Spring flowers. Daffodiles, dandelions, and Sunflowers, also the sunshine.

3. Who most annoyed you last week?

Sigh. DOT (Department of Transportation) and the idiots who insist on parking near the orange cones blocking off the construction on the curbs, making it impossible to safely cross the street.

4. Do you have a cutesy romantic nickname for your partner (or previous partners)?

I don't have one. And when I did - no. I don't cutesy nicknames? My parents didn't do them? My brother does them - but he's a lemming, I march to my own drummer.

5. What is your favourite Stephen King movie?

Either Stand By Me or The Shining

I've seen both more than once. Those are the iconic King films.

***

Last Week's Friday Five

( ack politics )

***

Mainly rained today, and was dark, gloomy, and chilly. So I layabout and did little. Work kind of exhausts me, as does the commute, and I had the added joy of doctor's appointments on Monday, Tuesday, and Saturday. I discovered I'm spending more money than usual on health care this year, and may or may not have a heart problem - since I now have an abnormal ECK and have to see a cardiologist every six months. They just don't know what it is. Also, the sciatic nerve running down the right leg, and the fatigue and the eye doctors and the struggle with sleep. Getting older is harder on some bodies than others, or so I've discovered.

I am slogging through Naomi Novik's Spinning Silver. Her stream of consciousness, multiple character first person point of view writing style isn't working for me? ( Read more... )

On the television front? I've finished up to and including Angel S1 Eternity - and I realized watching it, that I've completely forgotten most of the Angel episodes. I didn't watch them as often as the Buffy ones. Although I have forgotten some of the Buffy ones as well.
( Read more... )

But alas, no, a heating pad will have to do.

It's a lovely day, clear blue sky, and in the low seventies, upper sixties. Brisk breeze. Apartment is cool as well - in the low seventies. So no A/C nor fans are required. I do have air purifiers running. But whatever was in the air last weekend beating my sinuses up - is gone now. Thank heavens.

For a moment or two today - I got confused and thought it was Thursday, but no, it is thankfully Friday. Been listening to Juliette Landau's Revamped podcasts on youtube via my smartphone, all day long, along with music here and there. Made it through her re-watch of part 1 of Prophecy Girl, and When She was Bad, also interviews with Nerf Herder (apparently Alyson Hannigan recommended the band to Whedon), and Charles Martin Smith (who directed Welcolme to the Hellmouth and was in American Graffitti, his father was also a Parisian animator, who did the Peanuts animation). I highly recommend Landaus for film and television geeks and nerds. She goes into detail on theater, film, and music bits. At one point she informs the listener that the prop/set designer for Buffy's husband, created the Pirate ship for Pirates of the Caribbean. He was told by the studio/director to go to town on it - spend whatever he wanted - he had an unlimited budget to design the Pirate Ship. The twelve year old child in him was hopping up and down yelling - best job ever! Landau is charming, lovely, and easy to listen to. She is also quite knowledgable about film and theater techniques and how to convey them to the listener. Plus a considerate interviewer. She's won an award for her podcast - and I can see why.

Question a Day Meme - September and October

29. When was the last time you had to take part in a fire evacuation?

Eh, about ten years ago - I think - in Jamaica. We used to have them a lot in the old workplace in Jamaica. Mainly because folks were always setting off the alarm by leaving bagels in toaster ovens. At one point - the fire department took the toaster oven and the microwave away from us. While we understood the toaster oven, the microwave didn't make much sense, and they got a new one.

30. Have you ever owned an electric blanket?

Yes, but it was a very long time ago - in the 20th Century, and possibly the 1980s. So I don't remember it clearly.

OCTOBER

1. It’s National Cookbook Month – do you own many cookbooks, or do you rely on the internet for recipe ideas?

I own a lot of cookbooks. I rarely use them. I rarely follow recipes. I read the recipe - then go off and do my own thing. Mainly because I rarely have the right ingredients or appliances, so have to redefine the recipe to fit my needs. That - and I'm single - and most recipes are designed for a family of five. I don't know why it's five - but it is. Sometimes it's two, but rarely just one person. We live in a society that actively discriminates against single people - it's as if everyone assumes that the vast majority of people are married and have kids.

Uh no.

2. Have you ever made chilli (with meat or vegetarian)? Even if you haven’t, what do you like to have alongside chilli as part of the meal?

Yes. I've made both. I prefer vegetarian. I make it with dark chocolate like my mother does. And usually have it either with a small side salad, and cheese and crackers.

3. Do you have well-organised kitchen storage?

LOL! No.

***

Bonus questions:

Name a television show that you will be a fan of until you die - and know everything about, and seen more than twenty times...and never get tired of re-watching?

Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Sigh. (not sure why exactly - combination of dialogue, snarky self-deprecating sense of humor, and characters - also it features strong women and is among the few series that is female centric and allows women to be strong physically, and take on a traditional male role...subverting expectations).

Film series?

Star Wars. (Not sure why - it may be a combination of the world building, dialogue, characters, and the sense of hope...)

Book series?

Kate Daniels Magic Series by Illona Andrews ( I have no idea why - I think it's the dialogue and sardonic sense of humor? Also features a badass female lead who can take on the male leads, excellent sword-fighter, and is equal to the male romantic lead. And I'm partial to the idea of lions - a shapeshifter who is a lion as opposed to a werewolf is appealing to me.)

Sorry, it's been a while, and I don't know about anyone else? But I've found the news to be a bit tiring. And have emotionally distanced myself from it for the most part - for my own mental and emotional and physical health. Every time I look at it - I feel like I'm watching an absurd ping pong match to the death, between all the States, Federal Courts and Social Activists vs. the corrupt and ineffectual wannabee fascist Federal Government & their cronies. But hey, it is entertaining from a Civics/Student of Government perspective, also if you are a litigation attorney specializing in constitutional law and civil rights law, and anyone who is into political satire and not currently living in the US or affected by its policies. Basically if you are living on a remote island in the China Sea, and in which case, you're probably clueless.

Anyhow, despite all that, here's a list of good news items that I've found.
As always, keep in mind good news is in the eye of the beholder, and mileage may well vary on the below.

Good News Report from the Resistance and their Global Allies

( 100 Good News Items )
***

Quotes

* " “If something really matters to you,” Beverley Fehr, a University of Winnipeg psychologist, told me, “there’s a vulnerability in sharing it with someone else.” When we declare a favorite book, movie, or album and introduce it to others, Jeffrey Hall, a communications-studies professor at the University of Kansas, told me, “what we’re doing is saying, ‘This is an aspect of my identity that I’m willingly putting out there in order for other people to know me. And if you reject this thing, you reject me.’” Tom Vanderbilt, the author of You May Also Like, said that recommending something to someone can be like giving a gift, in that “it says something about you, but you’re also trying to anticipate what they might like.”
- The Atlantic

*“When things go wrong, don’t go with them.” – ELVIS PRESLEY

* "Hike your own hike." - Sleep Story (Calm).
***
Lusting after a Vacation

Ah, something to lust after: Skillcations to exotic places...such as photography in Uganda, Knitting in Iceland, cooking in Italy...
***

Nice News Book Rec: The Call of the Honeyguide: What Science Tells Us About How to Live Well with the Rest of Our Life by Rob Dun

( brief description )

***

Music Rec

In 1975, “Bohemian Rhapsody” became an instant classic. While countless covers (from The Muppets to Glee) have paid tribute to what’s considered one of rock’s most enduring anthems, Queen has never authorized a translation of the song — until now. Fifty years after the single was released, a new version is delighting fans, this time in the Zulu language and performed by South Africa’s acclaimed Ndlovu Youth Choir.
( Read more... )
We’d say mission (above and beyond) accomplished: Watch the music video to decide for yourself.

https://nicenews.com/culture/queen-bohemian-rhapsody-zulu-version/

( Music Video of Zulu Translation of Bohemian Rhapsody )

I tried to take a walk this afternoon - but only made it around the block, the air was thick with an almost invisible orange tinted haze. It was like the sky had a slight orange tint to it - barely visible. And I found it hard to breath - as if the air was slightly dusty. (I may be more sensitive to allergens since my last bout with COVID? ) So I kept it short, and did floor exercises on the bed when I got home.

Read a bit this morning - making headway through The Rook - whose sense of humor, somewhat absurdist and witty, I appreciate. Overall I'm enjoying it. Although I edit various technical, financial and legal documentation for work, so I pick up on all of the writing and structural errors, which most people probably wouldn't pick up on. For example - it doesn't have clear transitions from one scene to the next. Also way too much reliance on italics. I kept thinking - how did this get published? And where the heck is the editor? Sleeping? I think that a lot reading traditionally published books that have been published within the last twenty years. Pre-21st Century Books seemed to be...I don't know, better edited? Smoother? There were exceptions of course - sigh best selling writers.

Talked to mother who is enjoying her stay in Seattle, with her cousin.
They hope to make it up to Mt Rainer tomorrow - mother's never been.

Catching up on memage:

25. If you plan a trip away for leisure, what would be your ideal itinerary?

[I stole slaymesoftly's because honestly, it sounded appealing at the moment, with a few tweaks]

Comfortable transportation (preferably not involving flying, but....), interesting places to see, nice weather, pleasant company. A Viking river cruise maybe or Train Expedition either across Canada or the US or in Europe if I could get to it without hours spent in airports and on crowded planes. Actually, I've been flirting with US or Canadian train travel lately, also European. I like trains - it's my favorite and preferred mode of transportation. I can sleep, eat, drink, read, and write on trains without much difficulty, and no jetlag.

26. Have you seen any good TV drama series lately? What’s the last thing you watched?

Yes. I have a lot of streaming services and widely eclectic taste. So finding something is never an issue.

Today I saw Adolescence on Netflix and it blew me away. It's a British mini-series - only four episodes long, and each an hour in length - and damn. Gotta to give the Brits credit - they know how to tell a good story in a brief space of time.

I'd read about it, but for the most part went in blind. It's very intense, and each episode is a single camera shot. There are no cuts. I highly recommend it.

( Read more... )

Also weirdly, White Lotus S3 - was much better than expected, and will haunt me as well. It's also hyper-realism. And no, you don't have to see the previous seasons to understand it. It's a black comedy, but I didn't find it funny? However, it kind of moved me at times.

And... The Bear on Hulu and F/X - S4 blew me away. S1-4 are all streaming on Netflix, they aren't long seasons, just 8-10 episodes each, I think. And very character focused. I find comforting and stressful at the same time - it's about a NYC chef who returns to Chicago after his brother's death to take over the family restaurant and turn it into a premiere Chicago establishment.

So, Ozzy died. People just posted "Ozzy died" and I thought, okay, I'm guessing this is Ozzy Osborn, and not another Ozzy. It was stunning - because he'd just finished a concert tour. I last saw him about a year ago judging Dancing with the Stars. (Assuming there is another one out there.) I can't say I was a fan, exactly? I saw him in things of course, and I grew up in the 1970s and 80s, so, yes, I've heard Black Sabbath. Metal, I'm on the fence about. Although I was listening to it today and yesterday at work and finding it weirdly comforting as white noise. It definitely blocks out all other noise. (Listening to it on my Bose headphones, so great sound by the way.)

Here's the new music that Apple Music has been sending me all day (I got bored and clicked on one of the browsing new music options):

Living Dead by The Pretty Wild
RAGE by President
Level High by Cyanide Summer
Night Driving - Max McNown
She Explains Things to Me - David Byrne and the Ghost Orchestra
IAMWHATIAM - Tiga
Kholat - Paradox
The Spell - Mammoth
Burnpile - Pecos & the Rooftops
Nuclear - dead7
We are Love - the Charltans
Clarity - The Amours
Superman - Galatic Empire

Among others. It's kind of a mix of indie rock, country, metal, rap, hip hop, and electronica. Some worked for me, some didn't.

Like I said I'd gotten bored of my music library and wanted to listen to something new. Also I've been in the mood for metal lately. I used to go to sleep to the soundtrack of The Crow.

Here's Paranoid by Black Sabbath (fronted by Ozzy Osborn).
****

Making my way through the Rook (on the Kindle) - it's...how to put this? There's a lot of info dump. And while it is entertaining in places. It is a lot of info dump. And the writer is building a complicated world. Which would be fine - if I weren't relegated to reading it in twenty minute snatches on a subway, or briefly at night. Also if I weren't skimming and reading information all day long for work. This is urban fantasy. Think Torchwood but for the supernatural and paranormal, and a lot older and a lot more organized.

I can tell the writer has watched and read certain things - since he borrows heavily from them. But, again on the other hand, maybe not? Ideas are readily available to all. As Rubin states in The Creation of Art as Being (I think that's what it is called - I cannot remember the name of that book to save my life) - ideas are out there for anyone to grab. The Universe or God or the Source channels the ideas to as many as possible - hoping someone will create something to convey the message. In copyright law - it's simple - there is no such thing as an original idea. It's how you decide to use that idea that is original. Example? A female vampire slayer is not an original idea. But a valley girl from Southern California, who is small, blond, and former cheerleader, who becomes the slayer, and speaks in slang, and has a single Mom, and is called Buffy - that is original. It's all the trappings that make the idea copyrightable and original, not the idea.

And don't worry - just because you couldn't do anything with an idea, doesn't mean someone else won't - they just won't do what you would have done with it - because we are all unique individuals who do not think alike.

Anyhow, sorry for the subtangent. I like the book, for the most part, and will stick with it, but I wish there was a little less info dump? The writer clearly works for a bureaucratic government agency with lots of pointless meetings (I can relate - I do too), and feels the need to make fun of it here (which I get), but seriously it's a lot of info.

***

Speaking of Buffy? The Reboot is in pre-production. Gellar shared a picture of her name above her character's name "Buffy Summers" on a placard in front of her chair. A script. And her little Buffy action figure on a lap top. Made me kind of want my own action figure.

Also, Charisma Carpenter is doing a first watch of all of the Buffy episodes, because she never watched the series, in a group of podcasts entitled - The Bitch is Back. She has guests from time to time. Why the Bitch is Back? She finds the phrase empowering - due to an episode of Angel entitled Room of One's Own - where Cordelia takes down a poltergeist.

Read through correspondence list. So just to let you know? I read, I just don't tend to comment - because, I can't think of anything to say outside of - oh, that's interesting, thanks for sharing.

What is making you smile these days? Create a top 10 list of anything you want to list or talk about.

( my list )

***

I've thought about it? If I were in charge? I'd arrange for teachers to be paid for the entire year including the summer, with the caveat that they either do summer school for one month or a course or tutoring. They get at least one month off paid vacation. Paid for Spring Break and Christmas.
And have some latitude on materials. And smaller class room sizes.

Allow for creativity. And provide a housing stipend, also pay for transportation. Of course I want this for everyone.

Why can't I have a world where folks have equal access to health care, housing, food, entertainment, work, and love? I'm tired of the Selfish Entitled Assholes Ruling the world - can the Universe kill them off already? [Rhetorical questions - mileage may vary on this - and if it does, I'd rather not know?]

***

July Question a Day Meme

14. Do you enjoy mocktails/cocktails? What’s your favourite?

Not really. Sugar is involved. I avoid sugar. Alcohol will burn off the sugar - but you know, alcohol - which causes other health related issues and drug interactions. So, I don't drink cocktails or mocktails at all any longer.

15. When was the last time you saw any bees?

About two days ago - on the flowers? I've not been walking around the flowers recently as much - because it's been really hot. Today it was 92F/32C.

16. Do you know any sign language? Have you heard of Makaton?

Not really. No.

17. If you enjoy tea, how do you make it – with a teabag, with loose-leaf tea, in a mug or in a teapot?

Usually a teabag, loose leaf requires more work. In a mug, since again teapot is work and mess, and I like easy. Also as far as I can tell there's not a lot of difference. I do have a tea infuser. I take black tea and matcha with milk (usually unsweetened oat or almond/coconut milk). Herbal without.

Right now, I'm into Matcha Lattes, which isn't a tea so much as a powder.
Stronger than green tea, with more curative power.

18. Are you good at arranging cut flowers? Have you ever tried Ikebana?

No, I suck at it. I don't know what Ikebana is? I looked it up HERE - and no. I've not tried it.

I know people who are amazing at it - a co-worker is a floral arranger and florist - she raises her own flowers, and buys cut flowers and creates amazing arrangements, with dyes and everything.

But, I get cut flowers, and I screw it up - I can't figure out the slant, have no patience, and I don't handle plants well? Also I'm allergic to flowers slightly? So I don't tend to get cut flowers that often? And mold really - allergic? And no room for them?

I can photograph and draw and paint them, though?

See?

[Proceed with caution, I'm cranky from lack of sleep and assorted aches and pains. But hey at least the sinus headache is gone. It's been lurking for the last five days, but now, it's finally gone. I think the barometric pressure shifted? It also got colder, so hello radiators. And sigh, overcast again, but we keep getting smatterings of blue sky and sun. The purple roses drooped, so I had to dispose of them, I have two that are hanging in there. Feeling a touch lonely and depressed at the moment, and kind of impotent? Some nitwit just called me to ask for money for "the officers"?
( weird phone call )
Sigh. I feel at times like I'm a nameless and faceless entity living in a senseless world.

Work was well, work.

*****

More April Meme-mage:

12. Do you like playing card games? Which is your favourite?

I'm not into games. I've played card games and actually have done very well at them, then promptly forget the rules. I used to like Solitare and Uno.

13. Have you ever made yoghurt or kefir?

No.

14. What’s your geography knowledge like? If you were given a world map, how many countries could you confidently identify?

Fair to middling? I'm fine to an extent, but there are areas in the world such as ahem, Eastern Europe and the Middle East that like to change their geographical boundaries constantly. As does Africa and Central America.
So I get confused. The geographical map has changed at least five-six times since I was learned it all in junior high.

15. Have you a good sense of direction, or do you rely on maps/online navigation? When was the last time you got lost?

No. I have no sense of direction at all. I rely completely on maps. I rarely get lost, because I rely completely on maps. I always have one. That said - I did get lost once in Greenwood Cemetery, because I did not have a map and had to use the phone to orient myself.

16. Today, in 1850, the French artist Madame Tussaud died. She is known for her wax sculptures of famous figures and for founding Madame Tussaud’s wax museum in London. Have you ever visited the London Wax Museum or any other wax museum worldwide? What did you think of the likenesses of the models?

Yes, I visited Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum way back in the 1980s. It was okay. The models were fairly close in the likeness to what I know of the the actual people - but without having seen any of them in person? It's hard to know for sure. Mainly I found the Museum kind of creepy? Wax museums creep me out. I blame 1960s and 70s schlock horror films.

***

Fandom news...

* Sarah Michelle Gellar Gets a Lead Role in another series ahead of the Buffy Reboot
( excerpt )

In my head - Buffy goes to find help being a Watcher or maybe form a new Watcher Council for the new slayer, because honestly she has better things to do? And hunts down Liam and William running a record store, band, and detective agency out of London.
( Read more... )
*****

Book recommendations

* For those interested in the Crisis in Gaza:

Born Jewish in Nazi Germany, My Journey to Become Anti-Zionist by Suzanne Ross

( synopsis in the words of the author )

* Speculative Science Fiction by Black Women

I'm working my way through Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler, which is actually quite good. Octavia Butler was a speculative science fiction writer during the 20th Century and a more than adept wordsmith and writer. (I read Kindred by her - and it is among the few Time Travel novels that blew me away and worked.) Parable of the Sower was first published in 1993, thirty years ago, but the book takes place in 2024-2025. Yes, it takes place now. It's very odd reading a science fiction novel that is taking place in present time, when it was written thirty years before. I find myself checking to see how close the novel is to real events. (Frighteningly so, in some respects? However no where near as bleak. She's writing about an apocalyptic world that a young fifteen year old girl with empathetic abilities (she literally feels the pain of anyone or anything in close proximity to her as if it is happening to her) works to survive within, along with her family and how she does it.)

Octavia Butler Article in the New Yorker

( Excerpt from the New Yorker Article on Butler and the Novel, Parable of the Sower )

Parable of the Sower is also on the Banned Books list.

* Audio Books

Finished Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo and working my way through the sequel. The Crooked Kingdom. Six of Crows were my favorite characters in the Shadow and Bone series on Netflix. And the audio book is a treat. It has six narrators, actually seven or eight narrators - one for each character's point of view, since the chapters are split by points of view, similar to GRR Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series. ( where I for reasons I don't quite understand compare the two novels... )

It's better than expected. Or I'm rather enjoying it more than I thought I would. I'm on a fantasy/science fiction kick at the moment, having gotten burned out on romance novels. This happens to me. I binge a genre to the point in which I eventually get burned out on it. Then after an extensive break? I may zig-zag back to it. The only genre this has not happened with is the sci-fi/fantasy genres. I'm not quite sure why.

1. Completed my watercolor, which is partially a self-portrait. (I'm the old woman getting robbed, although I didn't - I turned around in time and deposited the glare of death. It had happened in March, the day before my birthday, and the kid looked exactly like the one in the watercolor. My point in the watercolor is the "ICE Agent" is arresting a poor young woman but ignoring the white boy trying to rob the older woman, while a little girl is trying to warn the older woman about both. But she's oblivious.)

I'm branching out a bit with my artwork and trying to tell more of a story, as opposed to just recapturing what I see.

( watercolor and pencil below the cut )

I don't know why, but I've been on a drawing and watercoloring streak since roughly 2022. Maybe it's in response to my father's death? (He was an artist who ached to draw people and never got the chance. Or maybe it's just what is working for me now? I don't know. Rick Rubin states that the Source of us all of all life - that flows around us, sends things to everyone, the most sensitive among us channel it into art to communicate it to others. Or something along those lines in his book Creation of Being, similar to the Artist Way, but less preachy and more meditative. According to Rubin - these messages don't just go to one person, so if you can't do anything with it, someone else will, and everyone will process the same messages differently. A perfect example is Rubin and Julia Cameron, they both got the same idea, but went about expressing it in different equally valid ways.)

Also on the edgy art front - of social justice is RE "Becky" Burke. Who, you may or may not recall, was the UK woman who got detained by US ICE in Seattle, when she couldn't get into Canada on her Visa. She had a horrible experience with ICE and has chosen to record it in art and comic book format, which she's posting on her Instagram account at the moment.

2. Television

* Finished watching The Pitt on MAX, it has a 15 episode arc, each episode is one hour of a fifteen hour shift. Possibly the most realistic medical drama that I've seen. People are equating it with ER, or the most realistic since ER. ( Read more... )

What reminds me a lot of ...is a series I hadn't gotten a chance to see, but read about. It's a UK medical drama entitled... This is Going to Hurt which is based on "The series is an adaptation by the real-life Kay himself from the author's hit non-fiction book, This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor."
( Read more... )
I bring all of that up - because, Michael Cricton's Estate headed by his Widow is suing Wylie and Wells for creating the PITT, which they consider a clone of ER.

It's not. ( Read more... )

* All caught up on Daredevil (Diseny +) which is very uneven writing wise, although it has always kind of has been? Episode 6 is better than the last handful of episodes. But it could be tighter. ( vague spoilers )

Also, I rather liked Episode 6. ( actual spoilers )

* The Residence not to be confused with the Medical Drama "The Resident". This is the new Shonda Rhimes, mystery-comedy series - that is similar in style/tone to Knives Out verse, except features a Black Female Detective, who is brilliant in much the same way that Daniel Craig's character had been. It's parlor room style mystery - my favorite. Where someone is murdered. It was clearly someone among the guests and residents, and the trick is to figure out who before they all leave. The setting is the White House, sometime in the future, the President is gay, and references are slyly made to how the new President has had to bend over backwards to fix the colossal mess of the last President.

Sample dialogue?

Hollinger: Wait, we have the FBI, CIA, National Park Service, Secret Service, and Homeland Security at our disposal, and you call the MPD? I wouldn't call the MPD to find my dick.
National Park: Ahem, Captain Dokes of the MPD is here.
Captain of the MPD: You can't find your dick?

( spoilers sort of )

That's the first episode. I was admittedly circumventing it because I can't watch things about the White House or the Presidency at the moment? But this isn't really about it? Oh it's satirical, but not in that way? Also the President isn't well nuts.

3. Reading

I gave up on Station Eternity, and whatever I was reading by Cat Rambo, and started Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler in paperback instead. It's much better. (The difficulty with the Kindle - is there's a lot of less than stellar or bargain basement books on it. I think I was getting tired of the writing.) So far it is pretty good, I like the writing narrative style of a dairy.

Finished Six of Crows via audiobooks. The audiobook is quite good. Moved on to the sequel. It's not like the series - so you can read or listen to it without fear of spoilers. The first book ends on a bit of a cliff-hanger. So you kind of need to read both.

Also? I found out that the book "The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies by Allison Goodman" finally got its sequel, The Ladies Guide to Utter Ruin. Goodman is an Australian Author (Melbourne based) and an Academic. (She does tend to write in the formal style of an academic, which may or may not be a selling point for you. It turned me off a bit - but that's only because I read and write exceedingly technical and dry content for a living, and desire a break from it in my pleasurable reading materials.) I'll probably snag the sequel, when I get the chance, her first book was among the few that I finished in the past few months that wasn't an audio book.

Well, the x-rays told me what I pretty much already knew - so I was right about that at least. No pneumonia, heart is fine, I've the mild beginnings of disc degenerative disorder, and mild beginnings of osteoarthritis in the knees, etc.

Kind of already knew that. I knew I was doomed to spine and back and arthritic issues when I was in my teens and twenties, it's why I've done yoga sporadically most of my life. (I despise yoga, it's boring, I'm not flexible, floor exercises are painful and impossible with the curvature that I've got, and I'm six feet tall - and most of that is in my legs, making yoga hard to do - it's not designed for giants. It was designed by cultures that tend to be shorter or smaller in stature.)

Anyhow...more February Memage:

( February Memage )

***

Mother thinks the Dems did the right thing by not shutting down the government, shutting it down would have made it a hundred times worse.

I don't know. I'm Switzerland on this. (Although apparently even Switzerland is annoyed by the Doofus. Honestly, I've been annoyed since 2010, I'm long past annoyed - I want him guillotined already.)

Meanwhile Canadians on Bluesky are telling Americans to fuck off and solve their own problems, they can't be bothered. Well, as much as I hate to break this to the Canadians? Canada is the US's next door neighbor - ignoring the fact that 79 million idiotic Americans decided to set their house on fire by electing the Doofus and his minions or rather the Republicans and their Minion the Doofus (whichever way works for you), isn't possible. Any more than you can ignore the fact that your neighbor set their house on fire. ( Read more... )

Actually this is everybody's problem. If you don't think it is? Now is a really good time to brush up on your history?

I shouldn't joke. Or be wickedly sardonic (particularly since it's really hard to pick up on the internet). But seriously, this whole thing is just patently absurd. If someone told us all this was going to happen a century ago, or even ten years ago? We'd have laughed in their face. I can just imagine getting in a time machine and trying to warn folks, and getting absolutely no where. Heck some idiots don't believe it is happening now.

Mother: I thought you were staying away from all this stuff?
ME: I tried. I can't. I have too much of the social scientist in me -
Mother: No, you have too much of your father in you -
ME: that too.

Then of course there's more evidence coming out that Facebook contributed heavily to Trump winning, and it was deliberate and Zuckerberg was complicit in it, and even had people helping with the campaign, and the marketing. (This shouldn't come as surprise to anyone? I mean if you saw The Social Network - and know the background of FB, you know Zuckerberg is a tool aka evil marketing guy. Actually 90% of the tech billionaires are.)
This is all from a new "tell-all" book entitled Careless People by Sarah Wynn Williams, which Meta tried to stop from being published. (Not sure why, most of us already knew all of this? I guess some people didn't?)

I went to B&N today, discovered I was a member? I apparently am a member of three area bookstores. I'm collecting book store memberships.

Today, I bought Rick Rubin's book The Creative Act - a Way of Being by Rick Rubin. It's a lovely little hardback book with short chapters. Rick Rubin is a music producer and wrote a book about the creative process based on his years in the music industry. But it's not about the music industry per se. Amazon Link to the Book.

I told Wales about it, and she responded: the music producer? Oh he's so cool.

I had no idea who he was. I'm not that knowledgable about art or music, I just do art (the actual act of creating it) and listen to music.

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Page Summary

This. that and fake cherry blossom festival (it's NY)
There was some good news in February appparently?
Brrr-umph. Hibernating on a Saturday...so a long-winded post
Thoughts on Angel S4 Rewatch...among other things
Saturday laying about...
Happy New Year & Good Riddance to 2025
Sleep deprived and off to bed, after doing a bit of a brain dump
Can't think of a bloody title...
(no subject)
Monday is remembering when Vertigo was just a movie
Wednesday just wants to sleep for a week
Sunday is later to bed than it would like...
Friday aches and wants to just relax in a hot tub in the Airondacks..
The "very" belated return of the Good News Report...
Saturday has been too lazy for its own good
Today's Music among other things...
Thursday Memage ...
More April Memage amongst a lot of other things.
Art, Television, and Books..oh my
Friday needs to call it a night and go to bed...

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Style: Sea and Salt for Nouveau Oleanders by branchandroot
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Page generated Apr. 1st, 2026 12:22 am

Spontaneous Musings

from a curious soul

Entries tagged with book recs

This. that and fake cherry blossom festival (it's NY)

There was some good news in February appparently?

Brrr-umph. Hibernating on a Saturday...so a long-winded post

Thoughts on Angel S4 Rewatch...among other things

Saturday laying about...

Happy New Year & Good Riddance to 2025

Sleep deprived and off to bed, after doing a bit of a brain dump

Can't think of a bloody title...

(no subject)

Monday is remembering when Vertigo was just a movie

Wednesday just wants to sleep for a week

Sunday is later to bed than it would like...

Friday aches and wants to just relax in a hot tub in the Airondacks..

The "very" belated return of the Good News Report...

Saturday has been too lazy for its own good

Today's Music among other things...

Thursday Memage ...

More April Memage amongst a lot of other things.

Art, Television, and Books..oh my

Friday needs to call it a night and go to bed...

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Syndicate

Page Summary

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags