Spontaneous Musings

Spent most of my vacation attempting to quell various aches and pains, brought on by various factors, some known, some guessed at, some not?
( Read more... )

***

The UU Church has a Devotional Poetry Writing Group. I flirted with it. But I'm wary of anything regarding the writing and sharing of poetry. ( Read more... )

UU Church is also featuring a singer/song-writer for tomorrow's service, who is (apparently) popular? I hadn't heard of them before the Church newsletter told me about him - but I'm also not really into religious music? While I have, as you've no doubt figured out by now, widely diverse taste in music, there are few genres I rarely listen to? They are "traditional classical opera", "electronica" (depending on the electronica), "religious music", "gospel", "choral music", "rap" (depending on the rap), and heavy metal (depending on the heavy metal). So, as result, I hadn't come across this person, who I think is trans, and is creating queer religious music and going across the country with it.

Anyhow...I checked them out last night, and their song, entitled Ploushare Prayer by Spencer LaJoye.

Folks, they made me cry? It really moved me. I was surprised.
( Ploushare Prayer Video )
But not sure I can deal with the crowd that will converge on the church tomorrow to hear them play for free. I'll do it on Facebook or Zoom instead. No steps. Sleep in. And better acoustics, not to mention I can see more.

***

Pain and fear of large crowds kept me from participating in the No Kings Day. I hope it went well. More to the point? I hope it accomplishes something?

Ah, it's getting darker earlier now. Sunset was at 6:30. My heart goes out to my brother - whose heating and cooling system has failed him. He's tried to get it fixed multiple times. The first time, they came out, he paid them, they claimed that they fixed it. They didn't. They came out again, claimed to fix it, they didn't. Then they got bought by someone else. Who kept claiming they didn't get my brother's calls or emails, and came out, and then well up and disappeared. So he found a new company - and the whole system has to be replaced. He has a wood burning stove - but it's not going to heat the entire house, and his bedroom is one floor below it, and heat rises? And it gets cold up there? And my brother gets cold easily. [I'm so glad I rent. Let all of that be somebody else's problem. We've had hitting issues - but they tend to get resolved quickly - since there's about 100 people affected.)

****

Television

1. Weirdly I'm enjoying Angel the Series better now than I did way back when I first watched it in the late 1990s. If I was to hazard a guess - I think it would be lowered expectations, and no longer wanting Angel and Buffy to be together - or being disappointed that they aren't? I wasn't in the fandom until roughly 2002 - or midway through S6. ( Read more... ) At any rate - I'm enjoying Angel more now. Partly, because I like Angel, Wes, and Cordelia better now than I did twenty five years ago. I find them a bit more relatable and comforting. They are all a tad lost, and doing the best they can to make things work, while flailing miserably most of the time. The writers dig down into classic noir tropes.

And, I like how most of the writers veer away from the classical hero trope. For all the times, Angel succeeds, he also fails miserably. In the Scourge? The seventh or eighth episode, he attempts to sacrifice himself heroically - but his speeches to Doyle about why he sacrificed his humanity and a life with his one true love to pursue the cause, backfires on him in a huge way. ( Read more... )

Moving on to Parting Gifts - which I didn't like the first time I saw it, twenty five years ago, I do now. It's a great study in characters and contrasts. Also demonstrates how Wes, Cordy and Angel work slightly better than Doyle, Angel and Cordy did. For one thing - they get it across pretty quickly - that there are 0 romantic feelings between Angel/Cordy or Cordy/Wes. ( Read more... ). They also set up each character's skill sets. ( Read more... ) But mainly, within a short period of time - they set up the problem, the on-going villain (WRH law firm in the shadows), and the relationship dynamic between Angel, Cordy, Wes. And I realized while watching that I like all three, and all three actors in spite of myself?

I prefer watching this outside of a fandom superimposing its views onto me?
I can find it comforting and enjoyable on my own. Also, no longer caring who ends up with who, or romantic ships - makes the show more interesting?
I was never much into romantic relationships on television shows? I much prefer the platonic friendships - they are more interesting to watch, and less frustrating - particularly within the noir/horror genre.

2. The Diplomat S3 - this is fun. Want sparkling funny witty dialogue - this is it. Good actors. And excellent political satire. Also, even though the President in this series was responsible for an act of terrorism? I still prefer Allison Janey as President to the one we currently have. I'd rather live in the world of the Diplomat? Sad I know. But here we are. And, sigh, Rufus Sewell is hot. This show just makes me laugh. I'm not binging it this go around - I'm letting it last. Then I may rewatch from the beginning.

[I'm still watching Poker Face and Rain Maker on Peacock, just slowly.]

The phrase..."they shoot horses, don't they" comes to mind, it's also the title of a film about people killing themselves participating in an insane dance marathon.

To the tune of ... Bad Day by REM...[BTW - there's one too many songs with the title "Bad Day" (and quite a few are NOT to my liking - I do not like David Powters) - it took me forever to find REM's because I forgot it was REM who did the song that I actually liked. I couldn't remember the title nor the band, just that it was about a Bad Day.]

I woke up early this morning with my alarm - after a restless night of bad dreams - only to discover that my right leg just wasn't functioning. It did not want to go to work this morning. At all. [Of course - I ignored it, and dragged it to work anyhow. Because it's better to walk off sciatica then to baby it, or so I'm told. Also, I didn't want to risk getting into trouble for trying to take a sick day prior to vacation. ]

It felt like someone was sticking hot needles in it from the hip to the toes. Frigging Sciatic Nerve - probably the result of constipation/digestive issues or sleeping wrong or throwing things out of alignment...ugh. Frak, Frak, Frak.

( Fighting the Sciatic Nerve All Day )

****

I checked email - only to discover that no, Fed-EX did not deliver the shoes. They ignored my message in the door. Took a picture of it, told me that no one was there, and they required a signature. So blatantly ignored the signed form. I called them, talked to them in person at the FedEX across the street, and even did virtual chat.

( I spent the day futilely fighting with FedEx and my sciatic nerve )

During the Teams Meeting today - I was distracted by sciatic nerve, back pain, and well the Fed Ex issue. So it was hard to focus on what they were talking about. And the meeting didn't go well, or I didn't feel it did? I probably wasn't the best judge.

Outside of that? I was bored out of my mind, and I hurt. So I ate three chocolate chip cookies (one left over from the day they gave me two free ones). I'm turning into the Cookie Monster. Must stop.

Off to make dinner, and maybe lunch? And watch more television. And try not to pray for someone to put me out of my misery.

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 )

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.

28. When was the last time you wore flip-flops (Zories/thongs)?

I don't tend to like them? They hurt my feet. I have high arches (kind of like Barbie), and I live in NYC which just....isn't conducive for thongs. Folks wear them. But city living and thongs don't quite go hand in hand. This is for folks who drive everywhere or live near the beach.

That said, I have a pair. And I last wore it? At the beach in Martha's Vineyard over seven years ago.

29. Do you like mustard? What type, and what do you put it on?

Yes. Grey Poupon or hot mustard. Although depends. I prefer fries with mustard. And mustard on a hamburger, hot dog, or in potato salad. I am not a mayo fan.

30. It’s the International Day of the Potato! What is your favourite way to eat potatoes?

My mother's potato salad, which had some mayo, mustard, and sweet pickles along with onion.

Also fried - either french fries or hash browns

31. It’s Clint Eastwood’s birthday – have you seen any of his films? Do you have a favourite?

Way too many. Hmm...The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, or maybe Two Mules for Sister Sara with Shirley McLaine.

JUNE:
( Read more... )

Now, I'm ahead. Yay.

**

While listening to Schmactors this morning (they were discussing Madonna's music for some reason or other...) and one of the actors loved Madonna's music and the other didn't. And it reminded me of how I'd gotten into fights years ago with people over Madonna. I'm not involve with either individual any longer. One moved away and I barely see them on Facebook, the other, alas is dead (may they rest in peace). We didn't break up over Madonna. So no worries on that front.

Guess which side of the fight I was on?
( Read more... )

Good news, depending on one's perspective? It also shows how the courts check the executive branch or how the system of checks and balances works.

Prior to going into this? A nice little video about how a "bill" becomes a "law" in the US, which shows how the Legislature and Executive Branch interact and check each other. The US is a democratic Republic with a system of Checks and Balances, it's not a Parliamentary System, although the system did borrow heavily from it.

I'm Only a Bill...via School House Rock.

[For those who don't already know? School House Rock along with the Afterschool Special was ABC's response to the Children's Television Act of the 1970s and 1990s, which required American Broadcasting to provide television shows aimed at educating children and were "child" appropriate. And specifically the creation of advertising executive who decided cartoons would be a cool way to teach kids.
( Read more... )

( I'm Only a Bill..Just a Bill )

And a fun little one about our Checks and Balances known as the 3 Ring Circus, it explains in simple terms what each branch of the US government is responsible for:
( checks and balances )
Both are rather oversimplified explanations. It's more complicated than that, and if we add in the State Legislatures, Executive Branches, and Courts, it gets even more so. There's a reason you can't practice law in the US without passing both the individual State Bar Exam and the Multi-State Bar Exam (Federal). Also not every State recognizes every other State's Bar, since the regulations and laws per state vary.

So, its not just a check and balances between the Executive (enforces the laws), the Legislative (creates the laws), and the Courts (interprets the laws and determines if the newly created laws or their enforcement contradicts the US or State Constitutions and are invalid, and how they should be enforced) - it's also a checks and balances between the States vs. Federal, States vs. States, and States vs. Local, and add to all of that other countries or what is known as International Law, and International Trade and Treaties. This type of law is practiced and taught under Administrative Law (which has various regulations and policies in place to enforce the laws), and Constitutional Law, also Civil Law, Criminal Law, and Procedural Law.

Hopefully the above will give anyone who wasn't taught all of this in law school or civics courses or isn't a legal professional working with administrative laws and regulations daily - a simplified road map towards understanding what is currently happening? (shrugs)

Now, for the good news, or a demonstration of how all of this is actually working to beat back fascism and uphold our civil rights in a peaceful and non-violent manner. [As always, mileage may vary on whether this is good news and it's in the eye of the beholder.]

1.A federal court temporarily blocks the president’s unconstitutional executive order attempting to require proof of citizenship to register to vote.

https://www.votebeat.org/2025/04/24/trump-executive-order-elections-preliminary-injunction/

2. Mohsen Mahdawi, a college student arrested by ICE following his citizenship interview, is released from detention by order of a federal court while his immigration case proceeds.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/lawyers-columbia-student-detained-ice-seek-release-case/story?id=121317902

3.19 states and Washington, DC sue the Dept. of Health and Human Services and its leadership over the unconstitutional dismantling of various federal programs vital to Americans’ health.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/05/health/states-sue-trump-administration-hhs-rfk

4.A U.S. district court rules that the presidential administration cannot use an 18th-century wartime law to deport people from Venezuela living in the U.S. ( explanation of what is happening here )

5.Colorado passes a bill to uphold public school students’ access to diverse reading materials.

https://coloradonewsline.com/briefs/colorado-limit-school-library-book-bans/

( the rest - not just court cases )

"Since day one of the new administration, We The People have fought in the courts, legislatures, and the streets to defend our civil rights against any attack:
( Read more... )

As stated earlier in this post - the US does have things already in place and historically embedded over 200 years, that enable us to fight back and to do so peacefully.

Another School House Rock Ditty... No More Kings - which I think explains the American character rather well, even if it leaves a lot out, unfortunately.

Also these:

* Electoral College - Send Your Vote to College

* The Constitution - the Preamble

* Declaration of Independence - Fireworks

And finally, a new protest song by Joan Baez and Janis Ian:

1. Tonight is the The Met Gala, which is always the first Monday in May, where the rich and famous dress up in outlandish and pricey outfits and strut their stuff like large peacocks up a green carpeted stair case, while photographers snap photos. Once inside, it's just a huge party, where they wander about the Museum in all their finery. (Some take it off and change into something else, or so I've been told.) Food is served. Entertainment provided. And Journalists for Vanity Fair, Vogue and Elle write everything down, but no photos are taken inside the Museum for understandable reasons. Each year has a different theme - that everyone is supposed to follow, or strongly encouraged to (they don't have to and some don't dress up at all) - this year's theme is ""Superfine: Tailoring Black Style". Here's the photos from Parade. The Gala is an invite only benefit to raise funds for the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Zendanya showing how it is done, strutting herself in tailored white.



And no, I've never been - nor have I gone to watch the red carpet. Tonight? It's raining.

This is Celine Dionne in the rain...
( Celine )

( more iconic photos )

Each year there are chairs - who put it all together, and review the theme - this year it was Anne Wintoure (of Vogue Magazine - basically the inspiration for the Devil Wears Prada), and her co-chairs, Colman Dolman, and Pharrell Williams, Colman is shown below.



For more? Go HERE

2. In other news, my church played a remastering of this song by George Harrsion, which I found comforting. George Harrison may be among the most underrated of the song-writers out there - his songs are simply beautiful.

( lyrics )

Paul McCartney Singing the Song

George Harrison playing it

Remastered version of George Harrison singing the song

The song basically says it's temporary, be grateful and let it go, all at the same time. Reminds me a little of Let It Be, in tonal quality.

3. Another song for a rainy Monday ...

Rainy Days and Mondays...by the Carpenters - this song kind of fit me today. It's how I'm feeling today.

( lyrics )

Music has a lovely way of making me feel less alone, that somewhere out there at this very moment in time, someone feels exactly the same way - and that song resonates for them as well.

Music and art connect us, I think, to each other, and to the world around us.

Listened to the church service today via FB, but didn't manage to get it until almost halfway through - or five minutes into the Sermon. Didn't matter, just meant that I missed a lot of the introductory items and the wisdom story. The Sermon surprised me, because it was from an intern minister who I'd mixed feelings regarding. Her sermon was about reclaiming things like the American Flag and Religion from those who've tainted it.
It belongs to no one, just as God belongs to no one person or religion. Patriotism is protesting and attempting to protect one's constitutional rights. And Jesus? He had a lot of amazing things to say, that maybe we should consider and think about promoting - such as "love one another", "share", "there's enough for us all to share equally", and "treat others as they wish to be treated and as you would wish to be treated with kindness".

It ended with a remastering of the ABBA song Thank you for the Music. It skipped the first lyric and went with the chorus only, kicking all the other lyrics to the curb. (Which I'd have done to, the chorus is lovely on its own.)

I've also been thinking about a random comment on some social media platform - can't remember which one - which stated "where are all the protest songs for this period?"

And I thought, but we have so many already that fit? Today, when she talked about reclaiming the flag - I thought of Johnny Cash's song about the American Flag. Ragged Old Flag It's an odd song - and like most of Cash's songs can be interpreted more than one way. Also thinking about Bruce Springsteen's song Born in the USA which was co-opted without Springsteen's permission by the Regan in the 80s. Listening to that song, I realize it's not at all what Regan and the Republicans twisted it into, but something else entirely. Still Patriotic, still featuring the American Flag, but it is in reality a protest song, with a lot of ironic twists and turns.

Then of course, there's Woody Guthrie's classic song, that he wrote as a counter-point to God Bless, America (which he had massive issues with). Guthrie a folk singer who traveled the breath of the US, often on the back of a rail car, wrote songs on what he saw - as a way of chronicling what he observed and felt about the towns and places he visited. He, like Springsteen, Cash, Mitchell, Young, and Dylan used music to tell stories.
Interestingly enough, Springsteen and Dylan have done covers of this one. As have many others. And I honestly think it should be the rallying cry we use now.

Here's the versions of it, in case you are interested?
( several versions of the song )

( here's the original lyrics )

And then there's this haunting song from the film MockingJay part of the Hunger Games film quartet.

The Hanging Tree

***

There's other songs of course..empowering ones, like 500 Miles or this version 500 Miles, same title, different songs.

And of course, this past week, I've been thinking of Nine Inch Nails - whose songs often feel like primal screams in the brain. They do a rendition of Kristofferson's Hurt (made popular by Cash) - Hurt and of course the one with David Bowie and the original with CASH

Or... American Idiot by Green Day - which screams frustration much like a primal scream, where no one can quite hear you without preaching peace kindness and forgiveness in a whisper.

I often think music says it better than any prose.

Here's Michelle Shocked's song Quality of Mercy. It feels like a protest song in its own right, and is about forgiveness. And Bruce Springsteen's Dead Man Walking,
not to mention the previously linked Amazing Grace, which is the plea of a former slave ship owner for forgiveness from God for his sin of slavery, which to the enslaved is an unforgivable one.

And Harry Belafonte's classic Turn the World Around

I'll leave you with that...I know there are more. But this post is long enough?

It's been an unproductive weekend. Too much time spent arguing with annoying Optimum customer reps. ( methinks it may be time to switch to Verizon? )

***

Talked to Wales today, who informed me that her sister is now a prison guard. I'm guessing at Leavenworth, Penitentiary - since to my knowledge that's the only prison in Kansas.

***

Been watching:

1. A Complete Unknown - the bio-pic about Bob Dylan. It's by no means the first or last one. Bob Dylan is like Elvis, the subject of multiple bio-pics and documentaries. For a bio-pic, this one is actually pretty good. It made me want to watch the Joan Baez documentary, I am the Noise to get her side of things. ( Read more... )

2. I Am the Noise - the Joan Baez documentary clarifies the Dylan/Baez romance. ( Read more... )

Baez had mental health issues that prexisted Dylan - and had nothing to do with him. ( Read more... )

The end of the film has Baez closing her farewell tour, and dancing in the sunshine of the California valley with her dog.

While slow in places - it is an inspiring documentary, and can be found on Hulu and I think Disney Plus.

3. Somebody Somewhere S3 - this is the final season of the series on HBO MAX, it's a lovely hyper-realistic series about a middle-aged woman who had left school to care for her sister (who died of cancer), and is now trying to find her way in Manhattan, Kansas. She does it via her friendships with various people, a gay man, a transgender man, her sister, and others. It's a heartwarming story with a cast of folks who don't look alike and look like most of us. Not like they jumped off the cover of Vogue magazine.

4. Daredevil Born Again - it's an uneven season? One episode has Matt defeating a bank heist, the next he's going after and defeating a serial killer. I could have done without the serial killer. (Honestly, why does Hollywood feel the need to insert serial killers into all noir detective stories? Isn't Fisk enough.) Weirdly the folks in the fandom preferred the episode about the serial killer. Makes me wonder about folks mental health.

5. The Pitt - this is this seasons' The Bear. The critics can't stop talking about it. It's by far the best medical drama that I've seen, and Noah Wylie (of ER and Falling Skies fame) blows the roof off, with a powerful performance as Doctor Robby, who is running an ER during a difficult and somewhat traumatizing fifteen hour shift. Each episode is another hour of the shift. There are fifteen episodes in all. The first thirteen are intense moments of drama. It takes hyper-realism to the next level. The drama never leaves the ER. It's focused in the ER. We don't go elsewhere in the hospital or follow the doctor's home. All we see of their lives is in the ER.

Outside of Wyle, the cast is rounded out with Dr. King (portrayed by Bryan Cranston's daughter), and Doctor McKay (portrayed by Brad Douriff's daughter, and Dourif is scheduled to appear as the character's father).

If you like medical drama's and hyper-realism? I highly recommend.

***

I can't seem to read a book at the moment. I try and give up halfway through. I can do audio books and graphic novels. Mother thinks it is because I'm reading dry material at work, and editing, and analyzing and keeping track of a lot of information, so my brain is tired. Possible.

I gave up on Station Eternity. It kept jumping around, and I didn't care about anyone. I need a good action/romance/thriller. That doesn't require a lot of thought and has good banter. I don't know if I can find it.

Having more success with audio books. Currently listening to Leah Bardoch's Six of Crows. Heavy with Russian mythology, and language. I'm enjoying it.
It's part of the source material for the Netflix series Shadow and Bone, which I wish had continued. I'd have preferred a Six of Crows series to Wheel of Time or Rings of Power or additional seasons of the Witcher, but alas that's just me.

The audiobook has five different narrators, and is kind of fun.

***

RIP Richard Chamberlain, the King of the 1970s-1990s television miniseries. Chamberlain was in: Centennial, Shogun, The Thorn Birds, Bourne Identity...

RIP Richard Chamberlain who dies at 90

He was known for his range and an excellent actor, with a large body of work behind him. I actually preferred him as Jason Bourne to Matt Damon.

***

I'm taking a break from the insane political tug of war in the US and the world at the moment. Death to Fascists! Sigh, don't worry, they won't die, they are like cockroaches...but hope springs eternal that a killer meteor strike will wipe them out.

Sunday came in and left, cold, grey and dreary. Although in my apartment - it seems rather warm, and I have a fan, an A/C, and two windows open, and it is still 76 degrees. I did the peddler. I filed my taxes (finally! Basically I panicked for *cough*reasons*cough* and stopped procrastinating and did it. Wales and I debated not doing it - just to see what happened, but I want the refund.) Paid medical co-payments. And watched church via Zoom.

Watching SNL Concert at Radio City Music Hall which aired Friday night on Peacock. I decided to purchase a year of streaming for Peacock at $29, which was a huge markdown from $79.99. I want to check out Poker Face, along with seeing a lot of films that are exclusively streaming on Peacock, such as Wicked towards the end of the month.

Did not know the B-52s were still alive. ( Read more... )

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American Political Situation aka the Stinky Elephant in the Room which we can't seem to dislodge - it just won't leave

Regarding US (or American) politics? This is what I told someone else today and I think it's worth posting here as well? The national news and the media on American Politics is basically endlessly reporting on the stinking elephant in the room. And I get it - if your profession is to study that or analyze that and you can't do a total news blockage? But for those of us who happen to be living inside the stinking elephant and don't need to watch the news to know what is happening? We have to step out of it for a bit to maintain what's left of our sanity. ( Read more... )

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Found out the Minister who helped me a great deal in 2010-2015 or thereabouts, and I joined the church partly because of their sermons, passed away this week. So sad.

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Read more on the Buffy Reboot? ( Read more... )