Spontaneous Musings

1. Saw Sheep Detectives on Sunday. It was a cute cozy mystery? Reminded me a little of the film "Babe" except as cozy mystery (Babe was much better). It did have a few laugh out loud moments, and I didn't figure out the twist - they fooled me. I was admittedly distracted while watching it though.
( Read more... )

2. The Vestibular Migraine appears to be gone for the time being. How long it will stay gone depends on whether the heat wave triggers my allergies and another migraine. Right now, I'm managing to fend it off with medication (aleve, tynenol, phrenphrinline, and antihistimines). Also staying out of the heat.

3. The heat wave that plagued Europe and the Midwestern US is about to descend on the Eastern US (ie. South Carolina, up through and including Maine, and possibly into Canada) - they are calling a heat dome on the news and weather channels.

In NYC, temperatures are expected to reach the triple digits by Wednesday and Thursday. Or the heat index is expected to. Thursday is slated to be 106 degrees in NYC. If you are headed here on holiday? Try to find indoor venues Thursday through Monday? There are quite a few indoor museums in the city and they aren't that expensive. The MET is always worth a look, since that's suggested donation, as is the American Museum of Natural History (that's fun to go to - just to stare at Dinosaur bones). They are a bit of subway ride, and a walk for the Met, so there is that.

Although it may not be quite as bad near the water. Thunderstorms are slated for the 4th, which may or may not cool things down a bit.
( Read more... )

4. I finished the audiobook version of This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me - it was good. I highly recommend the audiobook version. The narrator was quite accomplished. Listening to audiobooks and Critical Role campaigns, and watch Vox Machina, has given me a whole new appreciation for professional voice actors. Vox Machina is a play on words - it means voice machine, which is basically all the voice actors involved. One of them does about fifty different voices. The same deal with This Kingdom - the narrator does about twenty different voices and five different accents. I know how hard that is - have I mentioned that I've tremendous respect for things I can't do? I cannot do accents or multiple voices. (Actually people who can sing - usually can - it's all about tonal flucuations, just as folks who can sing - probably will do very well with Mandarin or Asian languages, which are very tonal. I'm tone death - so not happening. I accept my limitations.)

Currently listening to Elizabeth Peter's Street of the Five Moons - it's a Vicky Bliss mystery. These are kind of - gothic cozy mystery comedies featuring an intelligent/savvy but somewhat inept twenty-something Assistant Art Museum Curator in Germany, who travels about on the Museum's dime solving mysteries. The romance is with an Art Thief, who she keeps bumping into, and in each of the cases, originally suspects and ends up trusting in spite of herself (it's a slow burn romance running across a series of four-five books). So there's the gothic. It's more adventurous than a cozy in some respects, but has an underlying tongue firmly in cheek dry wit - the book does not take itself seriously and appears to be poking fun at the genre. This one is read by "Barbara Rosenblat" - who is remarkably good. As Vicky - she manages a breathy impression of Kathleen Turner, and as the art thief, a rather decent take on Peter O'Toole meets Lord Peter Whimsy. Also manages a German and an Italian accent. I wasn't expecting much - it's a rather old school audio book, so I'm rather impressed.

Slogging my way through Withered Hill which I'm determined to finish this year. It's British Folk Horror with an allegedly unreliable narrator. So I'm curious. The thing takes place in a village in Cornwall, and in South London. And has a jagged narrative style. We jump between the period of time Sophie is outside Withered Hill and moving towards it, and the period of time she is stuck inside Withered Hill and attempting to escape (initially at least, she eventually gives up). But the pacing is slow, and there is way too much navel gazing and "woe, poor me" (regarding Sophie) for my taste. I don't really care about anybody in the book - the writing style is such - that I find it difficult to invest emotionally in the characters at all? I'm only sticking with it - out of curiosity, but it is a slog.

And moving slowly through the reading of the hard back version of "This Kingdom will Not Kill Me" - which seems to be more detailed than the audio version? Either that or I just pick up more details reading it. I'm enjoying it enough to do both. I wouldn't do this with other books, such as Withered Hill.

5. Finished S4 of Vox Machina, and promptly began to rewatch it from the beginning, also joined one of the fandoms for it on FB. I want to read people's takes on it and get news about it. Plus it pushes the political threads off the page. I've been filling FB and Instagram with movie, television series, and book sites in an attempt to get rid of all of the political posts (it is working) and the health posts (also working).

I was explaining RPG or Dungeons and Dragons to my mother (who vaguely remember my brother attempting to play it and failing miserably). ( Read more... )

I'm fascinated by it. Watching professional theater and improvisational voice actors do this? Is wild. They come up with amazing things. The creativity and character and world building is just - wonderful and twisted in all the right ways. And they are genuinely kind people.

I'm also impressed by how they handled a problematic collaborator who didn't handle the transfer from private home plays and home streaming to public zoom streaming well. Or the shift of platforms. ( Read more... )

In short, I've become enamored by Critical Role and The Legend of Vox Machina, and want more.

5. Question a Day Mememage

27. Do you have a favourite pasta dish?

I feel like I answered this? Maybe not? And no, not really? As a kid it was Lasagna. Now? I'd say gluten free spinach and cheese ravioli with pesto and broccoli. Or pea flour pasta with pesto and parmensene cheese and broccoli.

I can't eat mushrooms any longer, beef meatballs are out, as are turkey meatballs. So I do it with veggies.

28. Do you have a favourite morning beverage when you wake up?

Water. I might do tea.

29. If you could restart your life aged 16, would you do anything differently?

Probably not? ( Read more... )

30. Do you shout at bad drivers when you are in the car?

I did when I was driving - way back in my 20s. Although I wouldn't call it shouting? ( Read more... )

1. Well, this is interesting? Lin-Manuel Miranda and Elysa Davis are doing a gender flip musical version of the 1979 film Warriors, except the Warriors are women and its a musical?

"Lin-Manuel Miranda and Eisa Davis’s concept album based on The Warriors, the cult novel and film about warring New York gangs, is to become a Broadway musical next year."

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/jun/24/the-warriors-broadway-with-lin-manuel-miranda-musical

I don't know if anyone else has seen this movie or remembers it? I saw it in the 1980s late at night on television. It's a weird-ass film. "Members of a street gang known as the Warriors must fight their way from the Bronx to their home turf on Coney Island when they are falsely accused of assassinating a respected gang leader." It's basically watching a gang fight their way through the streets of NYC in the 1970s, and it is weirdly compelling? It is the sort of film that sticks with you. It stuck with me, like a fever dream.

Miranda did the thought experiment, what if the Warriors are women and it's still all the gangs in the city trying to get them - most of which are men.

They've already released the concept album.

Here's one of the songs... Survive the Night

Hmmm. I might check that one out. I've been horribly bored by the Broadway offerings of late. Nothing is grabbing me. I feel like I've seen it all done before and much better? I don't need to watch the same Shakespearean plays, Sondheim musicals, and Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice musicals over and over and over again. I swear I've seen them 20 times already. There are other playwrights and musical writers out there. Come up with something new.

And I don't want to pay an arm and leg for it? I'd see Hamilton - but already saw the filmed version of the original cast.

Say what you will about Miranda? At least he's innovative and not boring? And doesn't feel the need to redo Sondheim, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Shakespeare.

2. Miranda has been busy apparently...because while he was working on that, he was working on Octet

( Read more... )

Ah lovely. I like interesting musicals. I'm considering going to the NY Public Library to see the filmed version of the Floyd Collins musical - which they filmed. If you are a culture junkie - NYC is endlessly interesting and kind of ruins you for everywhere else. It's also more tolerant of food issues, and diversity than anywhere else.

3. Cousin who did the Africa Safari - finally posted pictures of birds, there was a lovely blue and yellow one, and a few cranes. She also posted beautiful, professional quality photos of a Hippo, Cheetahs, Lioness, and Zebras racing through a river. (Although to be fair - it is kind of hard to take bad pictures of these animals? But her photography course served her well and she has quite the eye. I was impressed. Her pictures were a lot better than Shapinglights.) I'd share them - but they were her pictures, so no.

Oh interesting tidbit? The female lions hide their cubs, and move about, because the male lions will attack and eat them. Apparently male cats do not make the best father material in the animal kingdom?

She shared this on one of the photos. I don't remember seeing that in any of the nature documentaries that I've watched - although it does explain a lot? Like why I never see any male lions after the cubs are born, or many with the pride.

4. Vestibular Migraine along with the associated hangover - appears to be blessedly gone? I did take Tynenol and Aleve today to fend off a dull headache in the morning - a tension/sinus related headache. I know doctors don't believe sinuses cause headaches? (Despite all evidence to the contrary?) But they do for me.
( Read more... )

***

Okay off to get something to eat.

Did make it to work. I considered that my father had traveled to Montreal on a business trip with an episode, so I could manage to get to my office and back.

For the most part kept in check, mainly with chewable Dramamine tablets, Aleve and Tynenol Arthritis. But it proved troublesome, every time I looked down at my keyboard and up at the computer screen. Unlike my laptop, the keyboard is much further from the computer screen, and farther down. So I have to literally look up from the keys. Every time I did? I'd get a slight wave of dizziness. Also, my neck and shoulders were killing me from last night. I'd managed to sleep for about two and a half hours on two large pillows, but around 2 AM, I awoke to a spinning sensation, as if the room was spinning around me, I felt woozy, got up, took a dramamine, and then spent twenty-thirty minutes stacking pillows so I could sleep sitting up. Slept an additional two hours.

This motivated me to contact the vestibular therapist this morning and see if I could get in sooner than July 13. (I'd managed to get a June 30 appointment on my own - at 8 AM, but I'd prefer one for this week?) I sent an email, and contacted the schedulers - they managed to fit me in for Wednesday at 8 AM. (YAY) I let Breaking Bad know that I had to take Wed as a Personal Day - in order to take care of the vertigo. BB was sympathetic, he's apparently had it too.

I'd do a sick day - but it's really hard getting a note or form signed by PT's.

So, I've been fending off wooziness and a sinus headache from hell all day long, compounded by arthritic soreness in hands, knees, neck, back and feet because of the weather. We had the storms from the Midwest hit us, finally.
Not that bad. Most we got was a heavy downpour - and it didn't last long. Now it's drizzling, and supposed to rain tomorrow. We need the rain, haven't had any in a while. NY has a wet semi-tropical climate, it's not dry like the West. Everything is very green and in bloom for the most part.

The wooziness made it hard to think or concentrate. I dozed off doing meditation this morning (at work). I meditate for about ten to fifteen minutes each morning at work (at the start of the day). It centers me and calms me. It's made it so that I don't care about the riff-raff, and don't take things that personally any longer.

***

I've become obsessed with Vox Machina. The whole thing fascinates and appeals to me. ( Read more... )

Also there's a found footage aspect to it? To get the early portion of the campaign or when they all first met - you can go to the comics, or to the actual RPG campaign. So some looking about is required. I like doing that. It's how I got obsessed with the X-men in college - I had to go hunting for the story, digging about in comic book stores. Like a treasure hunt. And since not everything is shown on screen - I can fill in the gaps.

The other thing that attracts me is well-round, nuanced characters. Even the villains are nuanced in this. It's a very character centric story.
I think I can actually replicate some of the animation - or draw some of the characters, which I'll attempt once the vertigo is gone. It's hard to concentrate with it present or be creative.

***

I was pondering this the other day? One of the things that distinguishes humans from other species on Earth, appears to be the desire to come up with new and intriguing ways of telling stories, delivering those stories to as many folks as possible, and using stories to solve problems and communicate beliefs and values.

I love stories. Everyone and everything has one.

**

Discussing Cousin's Safari with Mother, we both decided that we wouldn't want to go on it. (I'd rather do a documentary or just go to the Bronx Zoo). Also it was odd in some small ways? Outside of one picture of an Ostrich, cousin didn't mention nor take photos of any birds. Granted birds are hard to take pictures of, but still. When Shapinglight shared her photos on LJ and DW, she had a lot of birds.

Off to bed, I hope.

Well, I'm convinced that what triggered the vertigo/nausea headache from hell was my eye doctor appointment this week. And the stress associated with it.

I slept sitting up in bed last night. And it's come in waves today, but I was able to make it to the grocery store and back. Just not down to the basement with the recyclables.

Just watched a wonderful movie - Project Hail Mary (it's airing on MGM + now free with subscription (and the subscription isn't all that much) in the US). I loved the audio book (among the better audio books) - it's narrator is amazing. And yes, if push came to shove, I'd say the audio book was slightly better? Although this follows the audio book fairly closely?
We just get more of his life on Earth, and his relationships with the other crew members. Also a little more of the science - and I'm a bit of a science/space geek? Hence the reason I read science fiction.

Ryan Gosling is perfect in it, and they did a rather good job with the alien he meets in space. I was pleasantly surprised. Because when I listened to the audio book - I thought, okay, I'm not sure I can see a film version of this? And dreaded the movie coming out. Why? ( spoiler )

Highly recommend, if you like this sort of thing, it's admittedly not everybody's cup of tea, so to speak.

***

Still loving VOX Machina. It has some great character arcs. I also realized while watching it - that Trump is basically a dragon. ( Read more... )

I like cult television shows that you kind of have to stumble upon. Oh, fair warning? Just because it's animation doesn't mean it's kid friendly? They curse a mean streak. There's also sex scenes, and sexually suggestive scenes in it, and some suggestive kink, also sex jokes. In other words, it's an R-rated animation and for adults. Which being in my late 50s? I appreciate.

I still think they should revive Buffy as anime. And not in high school. But as a continuation of the series, with all the original characters, except the ones who died. Although they probably could capture their voices with a good voice actor, that's what they are doing with Ron Glass on Firefly. Buffy would work well as an anime. People have already done versions of it in the fandom, and they even tried a high school version of it back in the day (they didn't have Sarah's voice for that one).

***

Off to bed.

1.) After watching the Knicks Ticker Tap Parade on the News this morning, and various outtakes on social media - I felt validated for choosing to take today off - and doing a doctor's appointment at 1 pm in Brooklyn.

Babs: Did you go in to work today? (Babs is still in Jamaica)
Me: Nope, and Breaking Bad took the day off too.
Babs: Good. The email said they expected 3 Million Plus.

I woke up a bit on the wobbly side with my equilibrium off, and it wasn't until now that I felt more in balance - due to sinuses (allergies). ( Read more... )

***

Optometrist appointment went well. ( Read more... )

***

My cousin is off on Safari (in Kenya and Nambia, and Tanzania). She's been posting photos of hippos, zebras, giraffs, rhinos, and now a female lion, on FB. ( Read more... )

Speaking of FB/social media - per FB - a few old Victorian Brownstones caught fire and burned - just up the block from my apartment complex. Thankfully, everyone is fine.

***

Outside of these pesky health concerns, I'm doing okay? I made three bean salad tonight for dinner - basically used the beans for Chili - for a salad instead. ( Read more... )

I am getting tired of all the doctors appointments. But alas, they are necessary to monitor and keep my health in check. ( Read more... )

The barometric pressure seems to have elevated finally? No storms coming our way at the moment. Also the wind has died down, and we just have a slight breeze. (I can tell - I have a lot of trees outside my living room window). I no longer have the sinus headache and dizziness. Or the painful fullness in the ears. I actually had a vestibular specialist verify for me - that that is mainly what is causing my problems. So am relieved. I was worried about getting to and from the knee doctor for my injection tomorrow morning.

****

Rather enjoying VOX Machina - partly because it has an intelligent slow burn romance, more than one. And is for the most part intelligently written ( a rarity with animated films - most of them are like video games, or crude situation comedies).

Also, listened to a podcast interview with a long-term soap/television writer - who goes back to the late 1970s. ( trigger warning about rape ) And damn, television writing is insane? Particularly for soaps? They have no time to correct anything or fix it - they are writing the next script as they finish the last one. And there's a head-writer who structures the story and gives it to the breakdown writer who breaks down the characters, plot, and where everyone is in the story for the script, the script writer who has to keep track of where everyone is in the story, what happened in the last script and continuity, and write the script, then there is the dialogue writer, and then it gets edited, and then looked at by the head writers, and gets notes from the network (sometimes) - and then it is sent to the director and the actors, about five or six hours before it is filmed.

Talk about convoluted collaborative processes. Not only that - it's rare to write for a television series where the network doesn't dictate casting, character, and plot. You can be tripping along happy go lucky with your storyline, and some network or studio head could turn around and drop a nasty bombshell on you out of the blue that derails the entire story or sends it scurrying in another direction. I don't know about anyone else? But that would drive me insane.

I think it's kind of miraculous good episodes come out of that at all (and there are few) but it's not surprising that continuity gets lost in the mix.

Oh - to get a job on this - you need to write a sample script - and it has to demonstrate that you know the pacing, genre, etc of the show. Each show apparently has its own footprint - and you have to demonstrate that you know the foot print. Apparently Steven DeKnight's audition script for Buffy was a Xander centric script - where Xander became the slayer for a day. Television writing isn't easy - it requires writing on demand, in a specific style, and knowing the characters that often someone else created. (I couldn't do it - I'm too much like my father - I write better if its about my own characters. When I write about someone else's it becomes my interpretation of their characters, which feels fake or not truthful somehow - and I can't quite get past that? While I can, when others do it, mainly because I'm curious about their take on the characters. )


Off to watch Vox Machina.

The knee injection went better than expected? I'm icing it now - as ordered. It required an ultra-sound, then an injection. For a bit it felt great, then after an hour of standing and walking - mildly painful (or per usual). I have the next injection on Juneteenth, in the morning. Since I have the day off - this means I don't have to take time off for it. And the one after that - sigh, is a 2:20pm appointment - so I may have to take the day off work for what amounts to a 20 minute doctor visit. Oh, well, maybe I'll visit the book store afterwards (Barnes and Noble is conveniently located three blocks from the doctor, and on the way to and from the doctor) or a coffee shop and read. B&N is selling records and CDs again. Along with journals, art supplies, cards, chocolate, fancy pens, and lovely books. It has a whole section reserved for fantasy. The doctor's office is about a moderately brisk fifteen-twenty five minute walk from the subway. Barnes and Nobel is closer, although it's about a ten-fifteen minute walk to the subway.

So after the knee doctor, I went to B&N (probably shouldn't have - since wandering around a book store for thirty minutes isn't the best for knees).
And bought four large paperbacks, a specialty chocolate bar, and a kind energy bar. Got five dollars off - using my Premium Card. But, that was probably just for the treats.

My hoard includes (honestly, Book Instagram is not good for me - it makes me want to hoard books, and I obviously do not need assistance in that department):

* The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab - this is highly rec'd by Book Instagram.

*The controversial Want by Gillian Anderson.
(Nancy Friday's collections of erotica were controversial as well.)

* The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon - which I think I may have on Kindle, but I've been eyeing the very pretty paperback for some time now - and I think I want to read it in large paperback? It's a doorstop book.

* Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson- he's extremely popular (kind of Fantasy's take on Stephen King or John Scalzi) and it's been optioned for a television series. But it caught my eye because it's about a caper - with the cunning of a brilliant criminal mastermind and the determination of an unlikely heroine: a street urchin who must learn to master the power of a Mistborn.

They are all large paperbacks, with slightly larger print - not the teeny tiny print that only someone who doesn't require reading glasses can read.

I love books. I can fall into a book and forget everything. Also I can't eat while I read. Or do much but read. Unlike television - where my hands get twitchy and I want to snack or eat or do things.

I joined Story Graph a while back - mainly because Good Reads was annoying me? Not that I'm good at keeping either up to date.

***

Oh, per Instagram, my union announced that its members had ratified the most recent negotiated contract by an extraordinary margin. (Basically it passed and I'll get my raise sometime this year. Yay. I'll probably retire before the next one gets passed.

***

Apparently it was New York Flag Day? So, of course to commemorate the occasion, they had a mini parade through the Financial Historic District. (Basically in front of my building to roughly Francis Tavern. ) Complete with bagpipes, a marching band (a small one) and lots of big flags. And they were thrusting flags on folks who passed by. I got one. Not feeling all that patriotic at the moment, but I got one and put it in a drawer - in reserve.

It's not a great photo? But below is a picture of the bagpipers at the end of the parade, standing around chatting in the shade. It doesn't look hot? But it was. It was 92 degrees with humidity - high humidity - so had a heat index of well over 100 (I think that's 35 C?). It wasn't that bad where I worked - we had a breeze and we're near the water. But it was hot on the way to the doctor's appointment, even though that's about ten blocks uphill from the water. (I live and work on a group of islands in New York Harbor with over 8 million other people, most of which appear to be under the age of 30 and didn't exist when I first moved here in the 1990s. People had an insane amount of children between now and then and dumped them all in NYC for some reason.)

I kind of fell down the rabbit hole of Tony Head tributes and clips last night so forgot about doing various memes. Also, we lost two Star Wars alums: Marsha Lucas (George Lucas's wife and his film editor - at 80) and Tom Kane (the voice of Yoda in Star Wars, among others) in May.

( personal health update )

This morning - I woke up with painful right knee. Felt like someone stuck a hot poker into the left side of the right knee. After hobbling about, making the bed, taking a shower, putting cream on it, and taking an aleve, felt better. Also sorted out the rest of the winter-spring attire to make room for the spring-summer attire. (There's a lot of clothing that I need to get rid of. I foresee lugging clothing to the basement in the foreseeable future. I take it down there - it magically disappears on its own. ) Actually standing on it for a bit - helped. I think I moved it the wrong way in my sleep. Oh well, I'm getting the first injection into it - this coming week - so that should help tremendously.

I felt accomplished and slightly better. (Back is just bugging me. Will do exercises shortly. Doing the heating pad first.) After that - it was around 11:30 am and I'd not eaten anything or taken my pills, so that had to be seen to.

But. Just as I was about to make brunch - I saw a wasp crawling along the inside of the apartment window. I stared at it in shock. First wasp I've seen in ...I can't remember how long? And it was a big one too. Cursed. And hunted for something to catch it in. ( Read more... )

After that I tried to make brunch - only to have the two freshly cracked eggs slide down between the stove and the counter top, because they got knocked out of the container I'd put them in when the coconut oil fell from the shelf into the container. I didn't give up. I still made fried eggs, grits and power greens (argula, spinach, and protein pea shoots with lemon juice on the greens).

So a productive morning?

Friday Five swiped from solenne.

1. Do you enjoy reading?

Oh I adore it. Which is kind of strange considering how long it took me to figure out how to do it. It didn't come easily. I'm the sort of person who appears to appreciate the things that don't come easily for me? Once I figured out how to read? I read everything in sight. I devoured books.

2. What is the first book you remember reading?

It was probably the Robin Hood picture book based on the Disney Cartoon. I also read Benji. Most books were read to me - such as the EB White Books, which I adored. The Little House on the Prairie novels that were read to me and I'd read. Ronald Dahl's Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator and James and the Giant Peach. A lot of ghost stories.

But the first I loved was probably Watership Down, followed by Misty of Chinaook Island, Lisa Bright and Dark, Witches of Worm by Zelphia Keatley Snyder, The Westing Game, Escape to Witch Mountain, The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien...

3. Who is your favourite author?

At the moment? It's probably Illona Andrews - who I've read just about everything they've written. They write urban fantasy, sci-fantasy, science fiction romance, and epic fantasy romance. But romance is slow burn and not the main focus of most of their books.

But it shifts a lot, and technically, I don't really have a favorite? My spellcheck doesn't like how folks are spelling favourite - it wants favorite. It's an American English Spell Check.

4. What is your favourite book?

There's too many, and it constantly changes? I mean it would be like picking a favorite pet or child? I've books I've loved and re-read multiple times - such as the Vicky Bliss mysteries, the Kate Daniels series, the Dresden Files, the Hobbit, Dune, Anne McCaffrey's Dragon Rider series, Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion, The Secret History....the Snow Queen by Joan D. Vinge, Storm of Swords by GRR Martin, The Great Gatbsy...

5. What is the last book you read and the first you'll read next?

The Inheritance by Illona Andrews and a reread via audio book of Proven Guilty by Jim Butcher, currently reading This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Illona Andrews (hardcover and audio book), and Wylding Hall by Elizabeth Hand (e-book).

I really love books. I love reading. I love discussing books. I love analyzing them, I love writing them. As long as books exist, life is good. What I love about NYC is it such a book city. There are books everywhere. And people reading them everywhere. It's a city that loves to read, talk about books, sell books, and write books. It's my type of city.

I'm horribly behind on the Question a Day - April - Meme - so, I'm just going to finish out the month while I have the opportunity. I was going to read more of "This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me" but the vagus nerve associated with my neck is bothering me today - and I'd need to well bend over the book? Had troubles reading on the train for the same reason. It's the weather - which is turning again, and as a result my arthritis is flaring up. (I may go back to audio books - actually, that was why Masq (from ATPOBTVS) started on audio books, back and neck issues.)

22. If you took part in a quiz, what would be your specialist subject?

Probably movies, television, theater and fictional books. I have an insane amount of trivia knowledge in that arena. For some reason or other, my brain holds onto that sort of data? When I played Jeopardy on my phone - every time it did that category - I won. Same with Trivia pursuit.

23. In 1895, Ngaio Marsh, New Zealand detective writer and producer, was born in Christchurch, New Zealand. Have you ever read any of her detective novels? If not, who is your favourite detective novelist?

Yes, a couple. It's been a long time since I read them though - and I get her confused with PD James (who I prefer and have read more of). Neither are my favorite. My favorite is the Master - Agatha Christie. I read all of her books. I did find Peters Vicky Bliss mysteries up to and including The Night Train to Memphis - to be fun and memorable. I always wished those novels had been adapted in a series or movies. But alas, no.

I also loved Minette Walters, another British mystery writer - whose first novel was adapted. Not sure any others were. She would be a close second to Agatha Christie.

24. It’s Barbara Streisand’s birthday – are you a fan of her music or movies?

I didn't realize she was born in April. So is my niece and brother. Fan? Not really? I'm not sure I'd call myself a fan exactly? I enjoy her music and her movies. Like her music better - she has an amazing range. One of the original belters. Her movies are a mixed bag, unfortunately. But I have enjoyed several of them. Her better ones were when she was younger...

She's the same age as my mother and Harrison Ford.

25. When’s the last time you had to use a plumber?

I can't remember? I always call the Super, and they tend to fix the problem if I can't.

26. Do you still have a landline, or do you only use your mobile phone/cellphone?

Yes. Although not sure why - since it's not really a landline but through a cable bundle? Phone, cable and internet. It does make the other two cheaper, but it would probably be cheaper just to have the internet. I just don't want to deal with figuring out how to return the equipment.

27. What sweets/candies do you remember from your childhood? When was the last time you ate some?

Butterfingers, Kit Kats, 3 Musketeers, Big Chew Gum, those sour balls that you can suck for hours and they change flavors and colors, sweet tarts, colored sugar in straws (can't remember the name of it)...

I had a 3 Musketeers about a year ago. The rest, I can't eat any longer - too much sugar or they have gluten. Kit Kats are a thing of the past - I can't have them at all. Butterfingers are possible - but high in sugar, as are all the rest.

I don't know what I did? But sugar got angry at me. So did gluten. And here we are.

28. In 2004, Shrek the sheep from Tarras, Central Otago, New Zealand, was finally shorn live on TV after 6 years of avoidance; the fleece weighed 27 kg (60 lb). Do you own, or have you made anything from sheep’s wool?

There's a sheep named Shrek? Oh that's hilarious. Did they name it after the movie Shrek?

Yes, I have wool - not a lot, I find it itchy. But I have wool sweaters. I even have a knitted wool blanket. At least I think it is wool - it might be alpaca.

29. When was the last time you received a letter (not junk mail)?

God knows. I've no clue. I miss letters. I think it might have been five years ago - from my mother? She has sent me cards - do those count? The rest of the family uses Facebook or Texts.

And my penpals are on social media now.

30. In 2018, Sweden's official Twitter account confirmed that Swedish meatballs actually originated in Turkey. Do you like Swedish meatballs? Ever had them in IKEA?

Yes. My mother used to make them a lot - with rice. But I can't have them now - because they contain gluten. I suppose you could make them without?
But I've also kind of limited red meat intake - because it doesn't agree with me any longer. So, I eat it sparingly, if at all.

***

I should have put that under a cut, but I didn't feel like it. It's been one of those days.

***

Today I finally "attempted" to schedule my X-rays, only to be reminded of why I was procrastinating?

So I call the Trinity location in Manhattan.
( hell is scheduling x-rays )

Oh well, if it doesn't work - I'll try Lennox Hill in Cobble Hill, which has openings on weekends. I just hate their portal and it's difficult to share with other doctors.

I'm worried about my vagus nerve - which apparently affects the gut and the head, and causes all sorts of issues if out of wack.

***

So, I gave up on Firebird and went over to Scalzi's Locked-In (I may go back to Firebird, not sure yet.) John Scalzi is kind of the Stephen King of Sci-Fi writing. ( Read more... )

Book Instagram is odd? Very young. And kind of whiny? Apparently book reviews and book blogging has been replaced with book podcasting?? Where everybody and their mother gives book reviews via podcasts. Some of them are paid to do this? Why? ( Read more... )

Television Re-Watches

I attempted to re-watch Veronica Mars and Firefly - but neither held my interest, and Veronica Mars - sigh, it neither dates well nor holds up. I remember liking this better when I first watched it? Maybe I wanted to like it? The writing and direction just aren't that good. And Bell doesn't quite sell the high school student vibe? The performances are more forced and less natural than the ones on Buffy - there's a scene with Veronica crying in about the seventh or eighth episode, and I don't buy it. Buffy cried - and I bought it. Also, Veronica isn't as likable nor is Keith, none of the characters are - and I think it's a dual problem, writing and direction. I can see why Rob Thomas's work didn't take off and Veronica Mars didn't last more than three seasons, and the revival didn't take off. I may try Firefly, again, not certain, don't really remember it all. I only have a vague memory of most of the episodes.

April Question a Day Memage:

20. Did you sleep well last night?

Not really. I need to go to bed earlier. I've been getting to bed around 10:30, and as a result only sleep a little over 5 hours. Also getting up at 5:50 am. I slept longer, when I went to bed by 10 am, and slept until 6 am.

21. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would that be?

New York City. I really don't want to live anywhere else? It has ease of transportation, my favorite mode of transportation, is near water, has lots of trees, and a temperate climate. Plus lots of cultural pursuits, and is very diverse in population.

I'm a New Yorker, I think. It's going to be very hard to prod me out. NYC has kind of ruined me for anywhere else. You either take to this city and love it for life, or you can't wait to get out of it - and don't stay long. It's often one or the other. Also apparently, you either love Boston or NYC, not both.

Maybe London would work? I remember loving London in the 1980s. I suck at languages, so it would have to be a place that spoke English as the official language. Also, I don't/can't drive any longer (yes, I drove once upon a time - long ago, in a galaxy far far away - it was called Kansas, and it was back in the 20th Century). I like trains. And I need trees.

**

Books

To get out of the reading slump - I've embraced one of my go-to genres, Fantasy. And am exploring all the new fantasy novels out there. I have two favorite go-to genres - Fantasy and Science Fiction. (Then mystery and romance, and horror, and sigh, regular realistic fiction which more often than not tends to bore me? I need more plot and world-building than actually exists in realistic fiction.)

I finished Illona Andrews "The Kinsmen Universe" novellas, Silver Shark and Silver Streak (I think), and stopped short of the soft core porn short story (Illona Andrews isn't that good at sex scenes, and I tend to roll my eyes?). It was good. Not enough plot. But fast reads.

Now? I'm reading Gideon, the Ninth on my Kindle - it's a book about lesbian necromancers in Space. Gideon is attempting to escape a necromancer strong-hold. We'll see. I'm heterosexual - so lesbian stories sometimes work for me, and sometimes don't. It depends on the characters. Actually that's true of heterosexual stories too, so never mind. It came highly rec'd - mainly for the banter and laugh out loud sections, also emotional core. From various social media sources - people here, and random strangers on "Book Instagram" (I finally found "Book Instagram" - which is kind of like Book TikTok but far less annoying, and not quite as obnoxious with the marketing and pimping - not that I'm on TikTock - TikTock irritates me - and that's just from the posts folks throw at me from it on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. It reminds me of the worst of Twitter - but with videos.)

Also making my way through This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Illona Andrews - in hard cover (so I can only read it at home - although, I am debating lugging it to doctor's appointments). This book is a portal fantasy - except into a "GrimDark Fantasy World" (a la Game of Thrones without GRR Martin's abilities - so think a very watered down version of Game of Thrones?). Portal Fantasy is not my favorite fantasy sub-genre?
It's hard to pull off well - and Illona Andrews doesn't quite manage it? So far there are far too many information dumps, and way too much telling and not enough showing. Every time a character shows up - we get a couple of paragraphs, sometimes pages of character backstory, summarized by the protagonist based on her memory of the book's world. It's kind of like having a commentator with you as you read? CS Lewis did a better job with the portal fantasy in the Chronicles of Narnia, as did the guy who wrote The Magicians, which became a series. Long Live Evil - was atrocious, I couldn't get through it.

Also the world, which is GrimDark, is much nicer to the protagonist than it should be. It's kind of a comforting, romantic take on Game of Thrones, while at the same time making fun of Game of Thrones...or the fact that GRR Martin can't finish the series because he wrote himself into a corner and got writer's block as a result. (We're never going to see Winds of Winter.)

***

Doctors...

I've finally figured out why people who see doctors are called patients. I'm surprised it took this long. It's kind of obvious when you think about it.

It was raining most of today - as it turns out, and cold. With a chill in the air. When it wasn't raining, it was misting.

1. I'm glad I'm not flying anywhere at the moment. Newark has had several plane collisions in the last few months, and on Sunday, Laguardia (LGA) in NY had a fatal plane collision with a Fire Truck. Air Canada and a Fire Truck collided.

LGA Air Canada and Fire Truck Collision.

I woke up this morning - turned on the news - and there it was as the lead story. It happened late Sunday night, they shut down the airport and evacuated the terminal - the news broadcasters told us that nothing was flying in or out of LGA until 2pm.

And if you were catching a flight before then - to contact your airline because it was probably cancelled and the airport was closed. This was at 6:30 am this morning.

( what happened as far as we know... )

( how many flights were canceled )

Art History Major aka Busy Bee - is off to Florida on Wed. ( TSA and ICE not the best mix for travel )

God, how did we get here? We all agreed that we wanted the thing in the White House gone. And when it happens? We'll flood the streets, hold impromptu celebrations, dance in the street, kiss each other on the cheeks, and hold a big street party. We'll be united in glee. Another rendition of ...the classic 1941 ditty, When that Man is Dead and Gone - which is both tragically and ironically valid today

Mother, I, AHM's boss, and Breaking Bad have all decided we're not flying anywhere any time soon. I'm hoping this sorts itself out by at least May or June. But not holding my breath.

2. I'm frustrated with My Doctor's Office/Health Care Provider. So the PT wanted me to schedule an appointment with his buddy - the vestibular therapist on Tuesday, but alas my primary care gave me a referral to a therapist who can't see me until May and isn't the vestibular therapist the PT introduced me to and wanted me to see this week.

I went online, and after a lot of maneuvering in their site - managed to find the PT that I wanted.

So I asked if I could choose my own or switch to the other one. Primary Care agreed - and if they don't allow it, let her know and she'll send a new referral.

So I call the physical therapy scheduling office and after an hour on hold and, it doesn't exactly go well?

( talking to healthcare provider schedulers requires far too much patience... )
[I'll got talk to the schedulers tomorrow in person. Maybe I'll get somewhere. Unlikely, I'm going in with low expectations? With Healthcare Providers - it's best to go in with low expectations - that way you don't get disappointed.]

See? This is the reason that I've done nothing about the vestibular/vertigo issue. By the time, I actually see the guy, the problem will be gone.

3. There's been a lot of "problematic" famous people dying lately? James Vander Beek, the guy who shall not be named - he was a political guy, and Nick Brendan. Of the three JVB was probably the least controversial and easiest to deal with - and considering he was against vaccines, and a Trump supporter, that's kind of saying something?

Nick Brendan portrayed a problematic character on Buffy (who I consider complicated and was actually quite likable towards the end of S3 and through S7 for the most part. Being a well-rounded and 3 dimensional character - he had plenty of flaws, but that made the character memorable. Also, beloved and relatable to many. Perfect characters or goody two shoe characters are not relatable or beloved. We tend to forget about them. Yes, he was a bit of a jerk in S1-3, but also an adorable goof-ball, and he saved Buffy's life three times). He was troubled and problematic man in life, far more so, actually than most of the characters he portrayed or at least the most familiar of them.

I stumbled upon Nick Brendan's last post on FB - where he takes questions from his devoted fans, and ....I felt for him, while at the same time, was horrified at what he'd become and what his fans, unwittingly enabled. There's a lesson for us all in there somewhere? ( discussing a dead man feels so morbid but here we go... )

The internet scared me today - because I looked up what ailed him. It's "Cauda equina syndrome (CES)" which according to the Orthopedic Centers of Colorado is a rare, medical emergency involving severe compression of nerve roots at the base of the spine, requiring immediate decompression surgery—ideally within 24 hours—to prevent permanent paralysis, incontinence, and sexual dysfunction. Key symptoms include severe low back pain, saddle anesthesia (numbness in groin/buttocks), and sudden bowel/bladder dysfunction.

The internet loves to throw symptoms at you that you think you have and don't. Technology is turning me into a hypochondriac.

( back to discussing Brendan's demons )

4. Stumbled upon this disturbing article about being a young professional screen actor and dealing with the toxicity of social media.

Barry Keoghan Says Online Abuse Means He
Doesn't Want to Go Outside Any More

"Oscar-nominated actor Barry Keoghan has said online abuse about his appearance is affecting his life, to the point that he now does “not want to go outside”.

The Irish actor, who is playing Ringo Starr in Sam Mendes’ upcoming Beatles tetralogy, told SiriusXM host Ben Harlum that though he left social media in 2024 due to online abuse, it was still so bad that he was “shying away” from the public eye – and it was making him want to retreat from acting.

Asked about his fans, Keoghan acknowledged that some “people are so lovely out there”, but added: “There’s also a nasty side of it. And I’ve removed myself from online, but I’m still a curious human being that wants to go on. And if I attend an event or if I go somewhere, you want to see how it was received. And it’s not nice, you know?”
( my two cents )