Weekend of Serious Entertainment.
First of all, this weather is freaking crazy.
So there was Rock Band on Friday night until the wee hours of Saturday morning. It was loads of fun. Drums are HARD. But only if you insist on playing the base pedal yourself. LOL, if you have someone else playing the base pedal while you do the drums part, it isn't so bad. ^^; Also, I really prefer the RB guitar over the GH guitar. I like the fret buttons a lot more. I think. I did the usual drive-everyone-home thing, which I don't mind. However, I think I made my cold worse by not having enough rest. I think I went to sleep at around 5:30am. =/
Saturday and Sunday I stayed home re-watching season 3 of House with Maryann. I intended to go to Anna's photoshoot on Sunday, but I was really not feeling well enough to go anywhere. I don't think I stepped foot out of the house almost all weekend. It was actually cool to see it over even though there are a lot of frustrating episodes in the Tritter arc. I don't feel like the writers have made it sufficiently clear whether House has a "dangerous" addiction -- is he taking just enough for the pain? Is he taking more than that? Could he really wean himself off of the Vicodin and try a different painkiller instead? I mean, we see that he's obviously in tremendous pain, but we've also seen Cuddy administer a placebo, and other pains that Cuddy and Wilson have theorized to be psychosomatic (like his shoulder pain in one episode, and his inability to urinate in "Top Secret"). Are they really psychosomatic, or what?
I really loved certain episodes around the middle of season 3. The friendship between House and Wilson is tested and strained and we get a better picture of what their relationship is like, and has been like (and we discover in "House Training" that Wilson's pretty much always been happy to drop everything to help House when House needs it). I love House, and it would be great, but absolutely horrible to be his friend, I think. House is damn lucky that Wilson's crazy (and/or stupid) enough to continue being his friend after all the shit he pulls. Seriously. ^^; Which isn't to say that there aren't a few things that Wilson's done that I don't agree with, but House pretty much has the market cornered in doing things that would alienate his friends.
But in any case, I'm really happy that I got to see those episodes over again. I have also been reading some good House fic occassionally, and so I'm going to have to keep an eye out for good fic about the friendship between House and Wilson (that is, NOT SLASH). While I certainly don't hate it, and I can enjoy well-written H/W slash, it isn't my preference.
Angelica oh-so-kindly gifted me with two books I was dying to read; one of which I read over Sunday and Monday (when I stayed home from work and basically slept and read all day). Captain's Fury by Jim Butcher. Book 4 in the Codex Alera series. Finally, the big secret revealed! To whom, you ask. Well, I'm not going to spoil it for anyone who happens to be reading the series. It was very enjoyable, though maybe not quite as good as the third book in some respects. I enjoyed the plot developments. I think my only disappointment was that there was just not enough of Tavi (the protagonist) in this book. Which is odd, because there was quite a bit from his POV, but I was really left feeling the lack. What we did get of him was very, very good. But it wasn't enough to be satisfying. On the upside, the parts that are other characters' POVs where much more interesting than they have been previously. I may have to just wait a while and then re-read it. I do enjoy where the series is going, and I also love all the secondary and tertiary characters, which continues to prove that Butcher is only getting better.
The other book I read once I was done with Captain's Fury was Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. Now there's a book that I'd been meaning to read since I started reading sci-fi, but had never gotten around to before. I really enjoyed it; it definitely had elements of my favorite type of story-- starting with a young child, going through his progress in some sort of training, add lots of adversity and/or intrigue/secrets/lies. It makes for an interesting plot.
The main character, Ender, is wonderfully developed. However, I do think that while he wasn't written unrealistically, there could have been more to show his age. Kids aren't non-people, but I felt that a lapse in control would have rounded out the character even more. In addition, Peter and Valentine were so two-dimensional and unfinished that it was really quite frustrating for them to even be there. It makes a lot more sense when you understand that this was originally written as a short story. It seems more like a short story with some details more fleshed-out than it does a true full-length novel; there are a lot of loose ends and paths that led nowhere. The ending also feels a bit rushed to me.
There is a sequel, and I'll get around to reading it, but I'm full of mixed emotions about this story. I enjoyed the first two-thirds of it immensely. I fell asleep at around halfway through and had terrible dreams of constantly being tested and judged and having to get past one obstacle after another. It was really a horrible, stressful feeling and an unrestful sleep. But it was also really cool. Yeah, I know I'm crazy. =D But the end was kind of a let-down; my reaction to the big reveal was kind of like, "Oh. So it was that. I didn't think I was going to be right all along."
On the other hand, I have a feeling that had I read this when it was first published I would have been blown away. Maybe. It's definitely the style of story I like, in general. And in comparison to other sci-fi of the time, I certainly prefer this. It's just too bad I didn't read it when I first got into sci-fi/fantasy, instead of after having read so much already. Maybe I would have been able to appreciate it more. You think?
Still reading: Watchmen. Also, Ender's Game has gotten me into a sci-fi mood, so I'm re-reading David Weber's Honor Harrington series (book #1: On Basilisk Station). My original copy is seriously falling apart from how much I've re-read this book. I bought another copy last year, but I think I may have lent it to Will... I wonder if he still has it. Hmm.
Oh! Jim Butcher's next Dresden Files book, Small Favor will be out in April. Can't wait!! =D
So there was Rock Band on Friday night until the wee hours of Saturday morning. It was loads of fun. Drums are HARD. But only if you insist on playing the base pedal yourself. LOL, if you have someone else playing the base pedal while you do the drums part, it isn't so bad. ^^; Also, I really prefer the RB guitar over the GH guitar. I like the fret buttons a lot more. I think. I did the usual drive-everyone-home thing, which I don't mind. However, I think I made my cold worse by not having enough rest. I think I went to sleep at around 5:30am. =/
Saturday and Sunday I stayed home re-watching season 3 of House with Maryann. I intended to go to Anna's photoshoot on Sunday, but I was really not feeling well enough to go anywhere. I don't think I stepped foot out of the house almost all weekend. It was actually cool to see it over even though there are a lot of frustrating episodes in the Tritter arc. I don't feel like the writers have made it sufficiently clear whether House has a "dangerous" addiction -- is he taking just enough for the pain? Is he taking more than that? Could he really wean himself off of the Vicodin and try a different painkiller instead? I mean, we see that he's obviously in tremendous pain, but we've also seen Cuddy administer a placebo, and other pains that Cuddy and Wilson have theorized to be psychosomatic (like his shoulder pain in one episode, and his inability to urinate in "Top Secret"). Are they really psychosomatic, or what?
I really loved certain episodes around the middle of season 3. The friendship between House and Wilson is tested and strained and we get a better picture of what their relationship is like, and has been like (and we discover in "House Training" that Wilson's pretty much always been happy to drop everything to help House when House needs it). I love House, and it would be great, but absolutely horrible to be his friend, I think. House is damn lucky that Wilson's crazy (and/or stupid) enough to continue being his friend after all the shit he pulls. Seriously. ^^; Which isn't to say that there aren't a few things that Wilson's done that I don't agree with, but House pretty much has the market cornered in doing things that would alienate his friends.
But in any case, I'm really happy that I got to see those episodes over again. I have also been reading some good House fic occassionally, and so I'm going to have to keep an eye out for good fic about the friendship between House and Wilson (that is, NOT SLASH). While I certainly don't hate it, and I can enjoy well-written H/W slash, it isn't my preference.
Angelica oh-so-kindly gifted me with two books I was dying to read; one of which I read over Sunday and Monday (when I stayed home from work and basically slept and read all day). Captain's Fury by Jim Butcher. Book 4 in the Codex Alera series. Finally, the big secret revealed! To whom, you ask. Well, I'm not going to spoil it for anyone who happens to be reading the series. It was very enjoyable, though maybe not quite as good as the third book in some respects. I enjoyed the plot developments. I think my only disappointment was that there was just not enough of Tavi (the protagonist) in this book. Which is odd, because there was quite a bit from his POV, but I was really left feeling the lack. What we did get of him was very, very good. But it wasn't enough to be satisfying. On the upside, the parts that are other characters' POVs where much more interesting than they have been previously. I may have to just wait a while and then re-read it. I do enjoy where the series is going, and I also love all the secondary and tertiary characters, which continues to prove that Butcher is only getting better.
The other book I read once I was done with Captain's Fury was Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. Now there's a book that I'd been meaning to read since I started reading sci-fi, but had never gotten around to before. I really enjoyed it; it definitely had elements of my favorite type of story-- starting with a young child, going through his progress in some sort of training, add lots of adversity and/or intrigue/secrets/lies. It makes for an interesting plot.
The main character, Ender, is wonderfully developed. However, I do think that while he wasn't written unrealistically, there could have been more to show his age. Kids aren't non-people, but I felt that a lapse in control would have rounded out the character even more. In addition, Peter and Valentine were so two-dimensional and unfinished that it was really quite frustrating for them to even be there. It makes a lot more sense when you understand that this was originally written as a short story. It seems more like a short story with some details more fleshed-out than it does a true full-length novel; there are a lot of loose ends and paths that led nowhere. The ending also feels a bit rushed to me.
There is a sequel, and I'll get around to reading it, but I'm full of mixed emotions about this story. I enjoyed the first two-thirds of it immensely. I fell asleep at around halfway through and had terrible dreams of constantly being tested and judged and having to get past one obstacle after another. It was really a horrible, stressful feeling and an unrestful sleep. But it was also really cool. Yeah, I know I'm crazy. =D But the end was kind of a let-down; my reaction to the big reveal was kind of like, "Oh. So it was that. I didn't think I was going to be right all along."
On the other hand, I have a feeling that had I read this when it was first published I would have been blown away. Maybe. It's definitely the style of story I like, in general. And in comparison to other sci-fi of the time, I certainly prefer this. It's just too bad I didn't read it when I first got into sci-fi/fantasy, instead of after having read so much already. Maybe I would have been able to appreciate it more. You think?
Still reading: Watchmen. Also, Ender's Game has gotten me into a sci-fi mood, so I'm re-reading David Weber's Honor Harrington series (book #1: On Basilisk Station). My original copy is seriously falling apart from how much I've re-read this book. I bought another copy last year, but I think I may have lent it to Will... I wonder if he still has it. Hmm.
Oh! Jim Butcher's next Dresden Files book, Small Favor will be out in April. Can't wait!! =D