Stuffs and Media Report
Mostly I have been flailing, yes, but I've been chipping away at the giant stack of distractions, and trying to get some done. Prepwork for the trip, and doctor's appointments, and some other crunchy chores, and a side-track into the roguelike space exploration game FTL (which is quite good.)
Media, because Google has been assaulting my eyeballs with their new UI, so I have to really limit time there now unless I develop a fondness for migraines; I've been catching up on my reading and watching a lot more video than usual:
Video
Grimm: Season One just came live on Amazon, and my general impression is really good. If Werewolf had been toned and worked like this, I would have been so very much all over it. (Even if it wasn't so much about integration issues, but just built around these themes and power levels.) It's mostly very well-written with the occasional gaffe, and the relationships are really good. Portland is a nice setting even though they get an awful lot of murders (an occupational hazard for cities hosting shows about supernatural homicide, of course.) There are lots of good subtle bits that indicate they thought it through, though that makes some of the gaffes more puzzling. Anyhow, quite enjoyable. We have plenty of other things to watch, though, so we're not going to spring for season two but instead wait and see if we can get it free.
Downton Abbey: Love it! We're partway through season 2.
How To Train Your Dragon: Quite enjoyable, though I was distracted by a super snugglesome dog during a lot of it. The dragons were adorable too. It was no Brave, but it had a lot of fun characters and flying scenes.
True Grit, the Coen Brothers version, which I was just watching idly but after ten minutes I realized that Brad really needed to see it too -- after fourteen-year-old Mattie Ross finished bargaining her way into a stake so she could hire a bounty hunter to chase her father's murderer.
Outnumbered, another thing expiring pretty soon on Prime, a short British sitcom about parenting, mostly. The first show is mostly them trying to leave the house to get to school. I liked it but it's also rather discomforting so I didn't get Brad for this one.
Who's Minding the Store, with Jerry Lewis. Another soon-to-expire. Gender-roleiffic! Women are much better off if they aren't the ones who run things! It still manages to be sweet and funny, because Jerry Lewis is very funny, with a lot of slapstick and a surprisingly funny extended vacuum cleaner run amok scene. His character reminds me of the story of the boy who went forth to learn what fear was. While he's not fearless per se, he has some of the fool's immunity.
Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, with Cary Grant and Myrna Loy. There's a fool in this one, too, but seriously lacking immunity. This has great comedic timing and warm chemistry, and given all of the repairs we had to do last year hit a little close to home....
I also have been half-watching a lot of youtube.
Media, because Google has been assaulting my eyeballs with their new UI, so I have to really limit time there now unless I develop a fondness for migraines; I've been catching up on my reading and watching a lot more video than usual:
Video
Grimm: Season One just came live on Amazon, and my general impression is really good. If Werewolf had been toned and worked like this, I would have been so very much all over it. (Even if it wasn't so much about integration issues, but just built around these themes and power levels.) It's mostly very well-written with the occasional gaffe, and the relationships are really good. Portland is a nice setting even though they get an awful lot of murders (an occupational hazard for cities hosting shows about supernatural homicide, of course.) There are lots of good subtle bits that indicate they thought it through, though that makes some of the gaffes more puzzling. Anyhow, quite enjoyable. We have plenty of other things to watch, though, so we're not going to spring for season two but instead wait and see if we can get it free.
Downton Abbey: Love it! We're partway through season 2.
How To Train Your Dragon: Quite enjoyable, though I was distracted by a super snugglesome dog during a lot of it. The dragons were adorable too. It was no Brave, but it had a lot of fun characters and flying scenes.
True Grit, the Coen Brothers version, which I was just watching idly but after ten minutes I realized that Brad really needed to see it too -- after fourteen-year-old Mattie Ross finished bargaining her way into a stake so she could hire a bounty hunter to chase her father's murderer.
Outnumbered, another thing expiring pretty soon on Prime, a short British sitcom about parenting, mostly. The first show is mostly them trying to leave the house to get to school. I liked it but it's also rather discomforting so I didn't get Brad for this one.
Who's Minding the Store, with Jerry Lewis. Another soon-to-expire. Gender-roleiffic! Women are much better off if they aren't the ones who run things! It still manages to be sweet and funny, because Jerry Lewis is very funny, with a lot of slapstick and a surprisingly funny extended vacuum cleaner run amok scene. His character reminds me of the story of the boy who went forth to learn what fear was. While he's not fearless per se, he has some of the fool's immunity.
Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, with Cary Grant and Myrna Loy. There's a fool in this one, too, but seriously lacking immunity. This has great comedic timing and warm chemistry, and given all of the repairs we had to do last year hit a little close to home....
I also have been half-watching a lot of youtube.