This is not a Five Things post
But it is in bullet form!
- I've had three birthday meals - birthday tacos, birthday sushi, and birthday French cuisine. I think I'm sated. In fact, I've wrapped myself around a jar of applesauce and some minute-rice to somewhat stave off the intestinal distress this has engendered.
Thanks to all who wished me a happy one -- I do have so many dear friends, and you are, every one of you, weirdly awesome.
- We saw Ryan Landry's "M" on Saturday night after birthday meal #3. It was... interesting. Still not sure what I think. I went in thinking it was a straight-up theater adaptation of the 1931 film noir M, but the playbill made it pretty clear that it, um, wasn't. It took some of the themes, and the general aesthetic, but it also had a film noir-style romance plot and a lot to say about the relationship between the playwright, the cast and crew, and the audience.
Overall, it had some really strong moments, and it was innovatively staged, but there were definitely times where I was saying, "Okay, this has gone on long enough." (Which, for a 90-minute play, is saying something).
- This is the last play of the Huntington Theatre season I'm scheduled to see, and I'm debating whether or not I want to renew my membership. On one hand, they practically give tickets away to under-35s. On the other hand... there's nothing I'm terribly excited about seeing next season. On the other other hand, I could have said the same of this season, but I did always enjoy the experience, the chance to get out of my day-to-day and do/see something I wouldn't otherwise do. And it does give you something very convenient to do when someone comes to visit...
- I have printed and stuffed most of Cracks for Festival. There are a couple of additional plots that need TLC before Friday, but Matt and I are on it. And, alas, I just had a (female) drop, which I am feeling... surprisingly casual about. I'll fill it somehow, I'm sure.
- I've done nothing on my pirate coat for Devil to Pay, and it is unlikely to actually happen at this point. Ah, well.
- Since I pre-ordered RotHC/Makeb (the expansion pack for SWTOR), I have a week of early access, and I decided to start playing a little bit last night -- just enough to get Jjaro to Makeb and do a couple of quests in Frinn Mesa. I don't have too many thoughts yet, but:
- They brought back the giggle Upper Hand procs make! (The Scoundrel passive upon which many of my heals depend). Thankfully, only on the first one in a stack; otherwise it might be unbearable for a healer like me who can get up a three-stack.
Of course, since your party members ALSO hear the noise, Matt is annoyed by the sound. I remind him that it's still better than the horrible gnawing and slurping noises made by the Observer warlock pet in WoW.
- I am guessing it is pretty much inevitable that this will happen to every player on Makeb: 1) open up the taxi map at the spaceport and say "holy fuck" 2) take the taxi to Avesta Plantation, pick up the quest, 3) speeder off to do the quest, follow what looks like a path 4) jump over a cliff to your death.
This is because, you see, Makeb is apparently built on a series of different mesas in an apparent bottomless pit. Okay, maybe not bottomless... but the terrain is very mountainous, and there are lots of things to fall off. And sometimes those things to fall off look exactly like the path you should be taking :(
- One of the things I used to find so disheartening when I played WoW was that an expansion would come out, and all the epic gear you'd spent so much time acquiring would rapidly be replaced by green quest rewards. So far, this is not the case with SWTOR's first expansion - none of the quest rewards have been even CLOSE to replacing anything in my mish-mash set of Columi/Rakata/Black Hole gear. But, it is still early.
- Having dinner with Alison tonight, so we can, I dunno. Bitch about our respective Matts ;)
- I've been missing France today. I think it's because I've been talking to my coworker who's going to Paris next week about my favorite French foods, and talking to Alon about how hard it was living abroad when you're only 16. But what I am missing in particular is the more deliberate approach to food and eating. Even the most hole-in-the-wall restaurant, or the most inept home cook, put together some amazing food.
I need to get back there...
- Airfare to London for Consequences is still Too Damn Expensive. I've got a Kayak alert reminding me every day of the prices. That said, I'm still looking for people to share a lodge with -- so far there are just three of us in Lodge Americana.
- I still have not built my character for Cottington Woods. This is not as dire as it sounds, since the character generator just went live today, and there seems to be A LOT of confusion about CP, how much things cost, updated versions of the rules, etc. So I'm not behind, but maybe John and Michelle are!
- I've had three birthday meals - birthday tacos, birthday sushi, and birthday French cuisine. I think I'm sated. In fact, I've wrapped myself around a jar of applesauce and some minute-rice to somewhat stave off the intestinal distress this has engendered.
Thanks to all who wished me a happy one -- I do have so many dear friends, and you are, every one of you, weirdly awesome.
- We saw Ryan Landry's "M" on Saturday night after birthday meal #3. It was... interesting. Still not sure what I think. I went in thinking it was a straight-up theater adaptation of the 1931 film noir M, but the playbill made it pretty clear that it, um, wasn't. It took some of the themes, and the general aesthetic, but it also had a film noir-style romance plot and a lot to say about the relationship between the playwright, the cast and crew, and the audience.
Overall, it had some really strong moments, and it was innovatively staged, but there were definitely times where I was saying, "Okay, this has gone on long enough." (Which, for a 90-minute play, is saying something).
- This is the last play of the Huntington Theatre season I'm scheduled to see, and I'm debating whether or not I want to renew my membership. On one hand, they practically give tickets away to under-35s. On the other hand... there's nothing I'm terribly excited about seeing next season. On the other other hand, I could have said the same of this season, but I did always enjoy the experience, the chance to get out of my day-to-day and do/see something I wouldn't otherwise do. And it does give you something very convenient to do when someone comes to visit...
- I have printed and stuffed most of Cracks for Festival. There are a couple of additional plots that need TLC before Friday, but Matt and I are on it. And, alas, I just had a (female) drop, which I am feeling... surprisingly casual about. I'll fill it somehow, I'm sure.
- I've done nothing on my pirate coat for Devil to Pay, and it is unlikely to actually happen at this point. Ah, well.
- Since I pre-ordered RotHC/Makeb (the expansion pack for SWTOR), I have a week of early access, and I decided to start playing a little bit last night -- just enough to get Jjaro to Makeb and do a couple of quests in Frinn Mesa. I don't have too many thoughts yet, but:
- They brought back the giggle Upper Hand procs make! (The Scoundrel passive upon which many of my heals depend). Thankfully, only on the first one in a stack; otherwise it might be unbearable for a healer like me who can get up a three-stack.
Of course, since your party members ALSO hear the noise, Matt is annoyed by the sound. I remind him that it's still better than the horrible gnawing and slurping noises made by the Observer warlock pet in WoW.
- I am guessing it is pretty much inevitable that this will happen to every player on Makeb: 1) open up the taxi map at the spaceport and say "holy fuck" 2) take the taxi to Avesta Plantation, pick up the quest, 3) speeder off to do the quest, follow what looks like a path 4) jump over a cliff to your death.
This is because, you see, Makeb is apparently built on a series of different mesas in an apparent bottomless pit. Okay, maybe not bottomless... but the terrain is very mountainous, and there are lots of things to fall off. And sometimes those things to fall off look exactly like the path you should be taking :(
- One of the things I used to find so disheartening when I played WoW was that an expansion would come out, and all the epic gear you'd spent so much time acquiring would rapidly be replaced by green quest rewards. So far, this is not the case with SWTOR's first expansion - none of the quest rewards have been even CLOSE to replacing anything in my mish-mash set of Columi/Rakata/Black Hole gear. But, it is still early.
- Having dinner with Alison tonight, so we can, I dunno. Bitch about our respective Matts ;)
- I've been missing France today. I think it's because I've been talking to my coworker who's going to Paris next week about my favorite French foods, and talking to Alon about how hard it was living abroad when you're only 16. But what I am missing in particular is the more deliberate approach to food and eating. Even the most hole-in-the-wall restaurant, or the most inept home cook, put together some amazing food.
I need to get back there...
- Airfare to London for Consequences is still Too Damn Expensive. I've got a Kayak alert reminding me every day of the prices. That said, I'm still looking for people to share a lodge with -- so far there are just three of us in Lodge Americana.
- I still have not built my character for Cottington Woods. This is not as dire as it sounds, since the character generator just went live today, and there seems to be A LOT of confusion about CP, how much things cost, updated versions of the rules, etc. So I'm not behind, but maybe John and Michelle are!