Weekend accomplishments
It's starting to get hot but I'm trying not to take too much notice of it. To people complaining about the heat in Louisiana when it technically isn't even summer for another month I can only say, it's going to get worse before it gets worse.
Saturday I had every type of stupid annoying errand since I wasn't here last weekend. I did manage to watch the 2nd season premiere of Interview With The Vampire, which kind of slipped past me last week. It's a much better show than that awful Mayfair Witches adaptation AMC attempted last year. I only watched the first couple of episodes and I assume it didn't get renewed because everyone seemed to hate it.
My hottest of takes is that Tom Cruise was a good Lestat. He was fine! And Dunst of course was amazing. Brad Pitt is the weak link in that movie, not Cruise, who at least seemed like he was having a good time. Pitt wasn't even trying.
Also come on, the end of that version is hilarious.
"Have you had enough of that? I've had to listen to his whining for centuries."
I went to the pharmacy, CVS, gas station, carwash, and Rouses. Mom and Phil hadn't eaten when I got home and it was too late for a real lunch so I gave them each a yogurt and made them some trail mix with peanuts, raisins, chocolate chips, and crushed potato chips. That last was going to be cornflakes or granola, but the peanuts were very lightly salted and I thought it needed more salt for balance. I was pretty proud of it.
I did some planner stuff while I finished Devolution, which made me decide to read World War Z again. I haven't read it since before Covid, and I find Brooks' story of the world uniting to overcome an existential threat to humanity and (mostly) coming out the other side as a better place for all people to be hopelessly optimistic. But it's still a really good read, packed with original ideas. And he writes the battle scenes really well, which I never particularly noticed before.
When I say this is a Bush-era book, I'm talking about the fact that the American wartime coalition government is headed by President Colin Powell and Vice President Howard Dean. Brooks never gives their names, but that's clearly who he's talking about. He also makes several references to the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan and how long they've gone on; this book was published in 2006. *weak laughter* Yeah, those are gonna keep going on for... a while.
David made fried catfish and hush puppies for supper, and Mom and I split a pint of Bluebell's I <3 Cereal. It's basically Fruity Pebbles ice cream and I've wanted to try it for a long time but I've only ever found it in pints, so finally I just bought one. It was good, but I don't feel like I need to have it again. No shortage of great Bluebell flavors sold in gallons.
After supper I noticed the first 2 seasons of Evil were on Netflix, probably because the 4th (and final) season is about to air, so I decided to watch them again. That is a tragically underrated show, and it has a very weird scary-but-also-funny vibe that I dig. Also fully half of Mike Colter's character personality is "extremely hot guy becoming a priest", which I'm fine with. Father Whatawaste.
Sunday was a belated Mother's Day, since I spent most of last Sunday in a car driving back from Texas. I made waffles and praline bacon for breakfast; changed the bedsheets; did laundry loads of sheets, clothes, and towels; baked a cherry chocolate dump cake; did some dinner prep; made sandwiches with leftover fried catfish and avocado; drank wine and read. Dinner was tomato cobbler with blue cheese biscuit topping, a favorite of Mom's, and hamburger steak with mushroom gravy. I used ground turkey for the steaks but they cook in beef broth, so it was still very rich.
The dump cake I admittedly chose because it's easy, but Mom really does like that cake. She usually requests it a couple times a year.
After supper I watched the new episodes of The Sympathizer and The Jinx. The judge in Durst's trial is the MVP of this round for me; Jarecki knows how to use his painfully diplomatic demeanor to great effect, like when he said he listened to some of the jailhouse phone calls between Durst and a potential prosecution witness who was also a lawyer. Durst's defense team tried to keep him off the stand by claiming he was Durst's lawyer and therefore any testimony he might have would be protected by attorney/client privilege. Cut from a recording of Durst telling him "I took a giant dump this morning" to the judge saying "Clearly these were not professional conversations". This week he was very politely complaining about how long the prosecution's cross of Durst went on: "I have the ability to cut him [John Lewin] off and I did so". He had a point, after the first week of cross, Lewin was just grinding Durst's bones into dust.
I also looked for some northern lights photos. I made this sort of doodle-ish painting in my small book; I wasn't trying very hard, admittedly.
I based this on a photo of the northern lights seen through the sycamore gap tree in Hadrian's Wall, a year before a couple of assholes cut the tree down. I don't think there's ever been a reason given, both defendants have pled not guilty to vandalism charges and the case is still working its way through the system.
Saturday I had every type of stupid annoying errand since I wasn't here last weekend. I did manage to watch the 2nd season premiere of Interview With The Vampire, which kind of slipped past me last week. It's a much better show than that awful Mayfair Witches adaptation AMC attempted last year. I only watched the first couple of episodes and I assume it didn't get renewed because everyone seemed to hate it.
My hottest of takes is that Tom Cruise was a good Lestat. He was fine! And Dunst of course was amazing. Brad Pitt is the weak link in that movie, not Cruise, who at least seemed like he was having a good time. Pitt wasn't even trying.
Also come on, the end of that version is hilarious.
Click to view"Have you had enough of that? I've had to listen to his whining for centuries."
I went to the pharmacy, CVS, gas station, carwash, and Rouses. Mom and Phil hadn't eaten when I got home and it was too late for a real lunch so I gave them each a yogurt and made them some trail mix with peanuts, raisins, chocolate chips, and crushed potato chips. That last was going to be cornflakes or granola, but the peanuts were very lightly salted and I thought it needed more salt for balance. I was pretty proud of it.
I did some planner stuff while I finished Devolution, which made me decide to read World War Z again. I haven't read it since before Covid, and I find Brooks' story of the world uniting to overcome an existential threat to humanity and (mostly) coming out the other side as a better place for all people to be hopelessly optimistic. But it's still a really good read, packed with original ideas. And he writes the battle scenes really well, which I never particularly noticed before.
When I say this is a Bush-era book, I'm talking about the fact that the American wartime coalition government is headed by President Colin Powell and Vice President Howard Dean. Brooks never gives their names, but that's clearly who he's talking about. He also makes several references to the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan and how long they've gone on; this book was published in 2006. *weak laughter* Yeah, those are gonna keep going on for... a while.
David made fried catfish and hush puppies for supper, and Mom and I split a pint of Bluebell's I <3 Cereal. It's basically Fruity Pebbles ice cream and I've wanted to try it for a long time but I've only ever found it in pints, so finally I just bought one. It was good, but I don't feel like I need to have it again. No shortage of great Bluebell flavors sold in gallons.
After supper I noticed the first 2 seasons of Evil were on Netflix, probably because the 4th (and final) season is about to air, so I decided to watch them again. That is a tragically underrated show, and it has a very weird scary-but-also-funny vibe that I dig. Also fully half of Mike Colter's character personality is "extremely hot guy becoming a priest", which I'm fine with. Father Whatawaste.
Sunday was a belated Mother's Day, since I spent most of last Sunday in a car driving back from Texas. I made waffles and praline bacon for breakfast; changed the bedsheets; did laundry loads of sheets, clothes, and towels; baked a cherry chocolate dump cake; did some dinner prep; made sandwiches with leftover fried catfish and avocado; drank wine and read. Dinner was tomato cobbler with blue cheese biscuit topping, a favorite of Mom's, and hamburger steak with mushroom gravy. I used ground turkey for the steaks but they cook in beef broth, so it was still very rich.
The dump cake I admittedly chose because it's easy, but Mom really does like that cake. She usually requests it a couple times a year.
After supper I watched the new episodes of The Sympathizer and The Jinx. The judge in Durst's trial is the MVP of this round for me; Jarecki knows how to use his painfully diplomatic demeanor to great effect, like when he said he listened to some of the jailhouse phone calls between Durst and a potential prosecution witness who was also a lawyer. Durst's defense team tried to keep him off the stand by claiming he was Durst's lawyer and therefore any testimony he might have would be protected by attorney/client privilege. Cut from a recording of Durst telling him "I took a giant dump this morning" to the judge saying "Clearly these were not professional conversations". This week he was very politely complaining about how long the prosecution's cross of Durst went on: "I have the ability to cut him [John Lewin] off and I did so". He had a point, after the first week of cross, Lewin was just grinding Durst's bones into dust.
I also looked for some northern lights photos. I made this sort of doodle-ish painting in my small book; I wasn't trying very hard, admittedly.
I based this on a photo of the northern lights seen through the sycamore gap tree in Hadrian's Wall, a year before a couple of assholes cut the tree down. I don't think there's ever been a reason given, both defendants have pled not guilty to vandalism charges and the case is still working its way through the system.