Ketchup
Reading: Finished A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness, for the next book club. Thoroughly mediocre. I wouldn't have read it except it was billed as a vampire romance. That wasn't false advertising. But it draaaaaagged, oh my God, and as far as the romance plot thread went, it didn't understand the concept of the building and breaking of sexual tension. Plus its portrayal of the heroine's opinions on her independence, what she wanted out of a relationship, and her desire and ability to use her emerging Mary Sue super-magical powers got all messy and confuddled. The vampire, as perhaps should have been expected, was controlling and aloof, yet they fell all over each other. Without actually consummating anything. Which would have been the sole payoff by the end of the 600-page book. The history geek stuff and the supernatural worldbuilding were only mildly interesting. Will not be reading the rest of the trilogy.
Now about 150 pages into The Steerswoman by Rosemary Kirstein, as recommended by several of you. It's lovely. Rowan is quite likeable in her capability, reason, powers of observation, and flaws, some of which grow out of her personality and others of which are the result of limitations of the land and time in which she lives; and Rowan-and-Bel makes for a great adventuring team. I read a thing somewhere-maybe on Goodreads-that turns out to have maybe been a spoiler? If so, I'm glad of it, as it's making the story more interesting for my own personal tastes.
Watching: I've been making my way through The Fall since alpheratz recommended it. It's engrossing and well-made and plays to some of my personal kinks, although I keep comparing it to Top of the Lake, another meticulously produced mystery miniseries featuring a strong female lead, unfavorably and perhaps unfairly. Gillian Anderson is doing a superb job, and her character is fabulous: cool, competent, smart. The visual and thematic parallels they've been drawing between her inspector and the serial killer are interesting, although I wish they'd push it further. Someone at work who just watched it told me to wait for the end of the second season, so the jury's still out, I guess. Two episodes into S2, the tension has ramped up quite nicely.
As for Jamie Dornan, I wish I'd seen the show before he'd been cast as Christian Grey, because it's coloring my perception of the role and his acting abilities. Mostly he seems like the dead-eyed version of Jude Law, and it doesn't sound like Fifty Shades tested his range.
Didn't get a chance to see Fifty Shades last weekend because of the storm. We're going to try again tomorrow night.
What We Do in the Shadows looks like fun. Happily, MeetUp group is planning to go, and I am planning to tag along. We'll see if weather/transit permits.
Vidding: Muskrat Jamboree accepted one of my vids for the vid show! I need to do a thing and then send it in. Also need to get cracking on a multifandom vid idea I have for Club Vivid (which would also be for Kink Bingo); the end of April, the usual deadline, will come up fast if I'm not careful.
Writing: I discovered that I've posted exactly one fic in the last two years. D: However, I've written 6,500 words in various Mary Sue stories since Jan. 1, and that feels great. One of them is for posting. We'll see how long it takes to get it into shape.
Going: Nowhere, because the city is still broken. However, last night a coworker, fed up as we all are with the rush hour commuting situation, invited me to join her at an after-hours event at the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum rather than sitting on the bus for two hours, and it turned out to be the perfect balm. At night, the museum's usual low lighting felt atmospheric rather than claustrophobic. Despite the icicle stalagmites (yes, from the ground up, I have no idea how they formed) and the pine needle-strewn snow pressing against every window and skylight, inside it was warm and humid. Palm trees and a quiet steel drummer in the sculpture courtyard. Wine, live Arabic/Balkan/gypsy fusion music, chatting, and, of course, art. A local getaway to soothe frayed nerves.
Now about 150 pages into The Steerswoman by Rosemary Kirstein, as recommended by several of you. It's lovely. Rowan is quite likeable in her capability, reason, powers of observation, and flaws, some of which grow out of her personality and others of which are the result of limitations of the land and time in which she lives; and Rowan-and-Bel makes for a great adventuring team. I read a thing somewhere-maybe on Goodreads-that turns out to have maybe been a spoiler? If so, I'm glad of it, as it's making the story more interesting for my own personal tastes.
Watching: I've been making my way through The Fall since alpheratz recommended it. It's engrossing and well-made and plays to some of my personal kinks, although I keep comparing it to Top of the Lake, another meticulously produced mystery miniseries featuring a strong female lead, unfavorably and perhaps unfairly. Gillian Anderson is doing a superb job, and her character is fabulous: cool, competent, smart. The visual and thematic parallels they've been drawing between her inspector and the serial killer are interesting, although I wish they'd push it further. Someone at work who just watched it told me to wait for the end of the second season, so the jury's still out, I guess. Two episodes into S2, the tension has ramped up quite nicely.
As for Jamie Dornan, I wish I'd seen the show before he'd been cast as Christian Grey, because it's coloring my perception of the role and his acting abilities. Mostly he seems like the dead-eyed version of Jude Law, and it doesn't sound like Fifty Shades tested his range.
Didn't get a chance to see Fifty Shades last weekend because of the storm. We're going to try again tomorrow night.
What We Do in the Shadows looks like fun. Happily, MeetUp group is planning to go, and I am planning to tag along. We'll see if weather/transit permits.
Vidding: Muskrat Jamboree accepted one of my vids for the vid show! I need to do a thing and then send it in. Also need to get cracking on a multifandom vid idea I have for Club Vivid (which would also be for Kink Bingo); the end of April, the usual deadline, will come up fast if I'm not careful.
Writing: I discovered that I've posted exactly one fic in the last two years. D: However, I've written 6,500 words in various Mary Sue stories since Jan. 1, and that feels great. One of them is for posting. We'll see how long it takes to get it into shape.
Going: Nowhere, because the city is still broken. However, last night a coworker, fed up as we all are with the rush hour commuting situation, invited me to join her at an after-hours event at the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum rather than sitting on the bus for two hours, and it turned out to be the perfect balm. At night, the museum's usual low lighting felt atmospheric rather than claustrophobic. Despite the icicle stalagmites (yes, from the ground up, I have no idea how they formed) and the pine needle-strewn snow pressing against every window and skylight, inside it was warm and humid. Palm trees and a quiet steel drummer in the sculpture courtyard. Wine, live Arabic/Balkan/gypsy fusion music, chatting, and, of course, art. A local getaway to soothe frayed nerves.