What I watched: I watched the inauguration (amongst tears and an odd patriotism) and have been watching the PBS News Hour at night. The section showing the daily white house press briefing with Jen Psaki is such a welcome dose of competency. (Others have, in other posts, commented on her skill.) I watched/watch both with a growing sense of hope slightly soured by the underlying fear that something terrible is going to happen to sweep away all the progress made in just a few days by functioning, capable, professional adults in positions of leadership. Also still watching the The Frankie Drake Mysteries, it remains an easy show to watch.
What I read: I finished up the other three books in the Lawrence Sanders four-book Deadly Sin series. Last week, I was a little scathing in my opinion about the first book, “It has moved from shocking to gritty noir, and any remaining shock value comes from the ugliness of the era than from any prurience about the crimes.” But the rest of the series went down quickly, and I was not as annoyed by them. Perhaps I caught a case of reader Stockholm syndrome?
I am currently reading Book 6, The Secret Chapter, in Genevieve Cogman’s stellar The Invisible Library series (the link takes you to a very good world and concept review). Book 5, The Mortal Word was a solid addition to the series, focused on a top-secret dragon-Fae peace conference. It expanded upon the Fae need to live as literary archetypes and the cruelty that comes from too much order in the case of the dragons. A few of we DeadSplinterites read these books and enjoy them…you might like them as well.
What I listened to this week: Mixed bag:
Dennis Lloyd – Anxious (just dropped 01/22/21)
Matt Nathanson – Adrenaline
Say Yes Dog – Lies
Klangkarussell – Plastic (just dropped 01/20/21)
So, dearest DeadSplintertarians, are you alright? Hanging in there? It appears that many of us will be on some level of lock-down throughout the summer…I need to woman-up and get my head on straight for another six-plus months of isolation. What have you watched, read, or listened to? Did you do anything fun? Please do let us know what is up with you!
I just started watching the Winx Saga on Netflix. Mindless, entertaining, and fun.
Also, if you like telenovelas, Daughter from Another Mother is on Netflix and also a lot of fun. Campy, soap opera-y, with heart though.
I started both of those last night too! I ended up sticking with Winx because I favor the magic genre over the other.
Anyone watching Mr. Mayor? I was hoping for more of a charming redeemable Ted Danson (I need my Good Place fix). As a show about politics set in California, it’s just too whitewashed and not especially funny to justify watching for me. I only watched the first episode. Maybe it gets better?
I started reading We Free the Stars by Hafsah Faizal. It’s the conclusion to We Hunt the Flame which I enjoyed. It’s a fantasy series set in a magical Arabian world. A team of unlikely allies go off on an quest to find a magic book.
@HammerZeitgeist Tina Fey is the JK Rowling of the USA. She’s unapologetically offensive towards BIPOC and just like Rowling won’t tolerate any criticism. I won’t watch anything she’s involved in.
@hannibal I was wondering what her deal was. I did suspect that she was garbage but I never looked into it and haven’t watched much of her shows/movies. Now I will just avoid her and spread the word. Thanks for the heads-up!
She’s quick to play the it’s a joke card in a very condescending manner whenever she’s confronted about her racism. I used to enjoy her but she’s gotten increasingly less funny and more shrill over the years.
Same. I was a Tina Fey fan, loved 30 rock, but her response to criticism over the last several years has been very disappointing. I enjoyed Kimmy Schmidt… but there were more than a few problematic elements of that show that made me uncomfortable.
I also watched the Inauguration coverage, it was uplifting. Of course Moscow Mitch and the GOP are determined to bring me, us, back down. I also watched the first two episodes of Bridgerton. I hadn’t intended to, I thought it would be too soapy, but my daughter wanted me to watch so we could talk about it. I’m pleasantly surprised at how much I’m enjoying it. It’s very entertaining.
I read lots and lots of news
I listened to The Apology Line podcast. It’s riveting. I can’t wait for the next episode to go up.
I’m also listening to the new single from The Hold Steady’s upcoming release.
Heavy Covenant
@MegMegMcGee, Winx Saga on Netflix looks spot on for me! And we finished up Frankie Drake last evening, so perfect timing.
Watched: Capitalism: A Love Story. I hadn’t seen this particular Moore film so thought I’d watch and see how it was considering that it came out at the beginning of President Obama’s first term. The funny thing is that I experienced this odd combination of conflicting feelings. On the one hand I was thinking about how this country’s particular brand of capitalism has allowed corporations to keep fucking us over without end. On the other hand I was thinking to myself, “this is nothing compared to the past four years.”
Read: Lots of news stories about the Biden Administration’s first week in office. Ah, sweet competence. Then I saw that bit in Meg’s DOT this morning about the Rolex and the Peloton (which, not for nothing, but if they could figure out how to let President Obama keep his personal Blackberry, they can figure out the Peloton). The mainstream media continues to never learn. They learned nothing from their behavior during Trump’s years, or Dubya’s, or Clinton’s, or Bush 41, or Reagan… This morning I just learned that during Jen Psaki’s first briefing on the administration’s first day she was asked by a NYT reporter if Biden planned to run in 2024. What they are doing is retroactively normalizing Trump’s behavior by going after this nickel and dime bullshit with Biden. Molly Wood said to her media colleagues write-large, “I’m sorry if Biden isn’t providing enough scandal for you, but let’s just report on something else.”
Listened: Loveshaq’s DUAN the other day sent me down a Paulo Mendonca rabbit hole.
@butcherbakertoiletrymaker “Ah, sweet competence. “ Yes Sir!!!!!
Yesss this. Goddammit news media, get your shit together. So much of this mess comes down to the media.
@Hannibal, I hear that: “Moscow Mitch and the GOP are determined to bring me, us, back down.” I hope that Democrats, who came in with a plan, an organization, and immediate actions walk all over his old ways of doing business. It is time to rise up and control the narrative, the playbook, and the results. Mitch doesn’t appear to have pivoted in his thinking, based on his statements, from majority to minority. He can blah blah blah all he wants…impeachment starts next week, and as long as they show live clips of the rabble and the white house encouragement, with time stamps, during the trial I don’t think that any patriotic individual can vote against impeachment. Mitch’s wish to delay was (I think) based on the short attention span of the public and through the passing of time the easement of the horror the coup engendered. Nope nope nope.
Well, these are Republicans we’re talking about.
I have to remind myself that Biden and Harris won’t be able to clean things up overnight, maybe not ever. But I am hopeful that they can make inroads.
…so what I did actually find time to watch this last week was the first season (they call it something else but it’s five or so episodes iirc) of Lupin on netflix…it defaults to an english dub but the original french audio is optionally available & I enjoyed it…the occasional bits that might stretch the bounds of credulity didn’t even bug me because it was just overall kinda charming
…it’s possible I was biased because in my time I’ve also enjoyed the manga/anime Lupin III that started in the 70s & has been rebooted a couple of times since…this is a fairly decent representative sample though
The Castle of Cagliostro
…also…on the reading front…if you like the fae-but-reinterpreted thing you might like the Quantum Gravity books (of which there are five) which are a sort of cyberpunk-ish sort of a thing & quite fun
…or if you have a tolerance for comic books I would seriously recommend Fables
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fables_(comics)
…basically all (or a whole bunch, anyway) of the fairy tale characters like snow white or the big bad wolf or whatever fled their realm & our protagonists have made a glamoured-to-be-unnoticed block of new york their home since it was called new amsterdam…they’re pretty great if you like that sort of thing…there was also a spin off about jack…the conceit being that jack & the beanstalk was the same jack that was the jack in lots of stories with a protagonist called jack & how well read your stories are translates to how hard you are to get rid of so he’s pretty much functionally invulnerable & not particularly given to scruples…but I’m fairly sure you can skip those entirely without missing anything you need to know to enjoy the main series?
@SplinterRIP Lupin has risen higher on the watch thanks to your review; I have added Quantum Gravity to my reading list. I get 2-3 hours of reading in an evening, after bed at 10PM…which may be too much since I am up between 6-6:30AM. I’ve been known to suffer from a “bookover” as opposed to a hangover.
…I’m stealing “bookover”…it’s a situation I’m certainly familiar with so I expect I’ll get a fair bit of us out of that one…thank you kindly
*use
…damn it
Lupin was indeed breezy and fun with some mild credulity-stretching. The director was the guy who did ‘Now You See Me’ and the Ed Norton Hulk movie, so that kind of set my expectations appropriately.
I really liked that the show presented a lot (A LOT) of racism in a very matter-of-fact way that feels authentic, because most real racism isn’t the mustache-twirling kind. I would have liked the women to be more than constant pushovers, but Omar Sy is magnetic enough as its center that his charisma obscured most of the show’s flaws.
@SplinterRIP I enjoyed the Fables comic and played The Wolf Among Us on Steam. It was fun.
I’m just about to start reading The Mortal Word myself. I got sidetracked with some other stuff instead of starting it right away, but it’s due back at the library soon, so I better get to it!
My friend and I watched Mr. Mayor yesterday and… I don’t know. It’s ok, but not a binge show. An episode or 2 here and there would be better than all at once. It’s a bit much. I do love that the gal who played Kevin Costner’s wife in Field of Dreams is in it. You don’t see her enough in shows. Also she looks almost the same, what, 30 years later? Some people have a portrait in the attic…
@HoneySmacks, oh I think you will like The Mortal Word, it was stronger than the prior book, or maybe just more to my taste?
Um. Don’t mind me. I’ve clearly lost what’s left of my mind. That’s not Amy Madigan in Mr. Mayor… it’s Holly Hunter. She does look (and sound!) uncannily like Annie in Field of Dreams, in my own defense. Anyway. Carry on!
Don’t be too hard on yourself. When I heard that Brie Larson was going to be in “Captain Marvel” I asked, “Trudy from ‘Mad Men’ is going to be in Captain Marvel?” No, that would be Alison Brie.
I watched BBC world news, PBS news hour, beat the press, washington week and bill maher, because evidently I never learn. This week bill ‘interviewed’ Frank Figliuzzi, but never let him finish a sentence. what is it with this guy. last week he let conway trample all over him.
I had to google peloton because I’m so old I do calisthenics, I don’t see what the big deal is, it’s like under 2 grand? That’s walking around money for lots of people.
Last night we had a dusting of snow so I went out and shoveled a bit, while I was out there I noticed the winter jasmine is in bloom! What a great end to a great week!
Excuse the random capitalization, I’m tired today.
I don’t get the big deal about the Peloton bike*, either. It’s expensive, but workout machines generally are unless you get them second hand. If you’re paying 2000 for a Peloton bike, that’s not that much more than a year’s gym membership, depending on where you are, and if that’s what will get used… well, go for it!
*disclaimer: I desperately want to get the Peloton bike and/or treadmill because a) with my terrible joints, I am afraid to walk outside in the winter, especially alone. One slip and I am done for. And b) I probably wouldn’t actually go to a class at a gym (I’ve tried, but my crazy life inevitably gets in the way) but if the class comes to me, that would probably work out a lot better.
You don’t have to shell out Peloton bucks for a decent bike but something better than bottom of the barrel is a good investment for really cold or hot weather. I have a moderate one in front of rhe TV and it has worked well. It’s still going strong and if it somehow burst into flames today it would have ended costing only something like 50 cents a ride.
I do too. I bought mine at Play It Again Sports, which I highly recommend. You can buy basically unused exercise equipment at vastly reduced prices.
The Peloton thing is complete bullshit. There are literally dozens of cyclists in my area who have bicycles that cost at least that much. $2K is basically mid-range purchase price for serious cyclists.
@Sedevilc, we are due for a snow storm early this coming week…with no bonus jasmine, sadly.
@Elliecoo, now that my jasmine is established it is hell-bent on replicating itself, I’m happpy to pot up some for you, what do you say to a deadsplinter plant swap?
I think thy’re claiming to be worried about hacking the Peleton, but I don’t know that you have to synch it to your other devices. besides they were fine with Jared using What’s App and we know he was hacked on it.
This is more of the same
Gaslight
Obstruct
Project
that they have been doing for ages. I am so tried of these people holding the planet hostage.
@AdabOfOppo It’s exhausting. BTW, you work too hard. Nice to see you. 🙂
Eh. I have a lot of down time at work, like right now. But most of time as of late I have been more concerned that I work with a herd of actual fascists and find it then hard to delve into the days events even on my phone as it just makes me even more irritated.
Sigh. The car business is not a bright spot of enlightenment.
But otherwise I do enjoy my gig and it pays well enough that getting a real job is unlikely.
Also thanks for the kind words everyone. This tiny corner is a warm light in an otherwise dark universe.
I used to work at a dealership and the overt sexism and racism was infuriating and depressing. That industry needs a complete overhaul.
Yup. This is 1 million percent correct.
Disabling the networking is trivial and the NY Times article spent 1% of their article saying so amidst all of the rest of Sheryl Gay Stolberg’s editorializing pretending to be analysis.
The point of that article and the Times sniffing about Biden’s watch is that they don’t believe people from Scranton should have much money or own high end things. They’re representing the upper class in policing what rising people can own, they’re enforcing their own ideas of authenticity, and revealing their own cheap cynicism that strivers are all hypocrites.
Thought I’d drop in and say, Sup.
I haven’t read or watched anything enlightening since forever it seems. I have been letting new episodes of the Expanse collect so I can watch more than one.
I asked for iTunes gift cards for Xmas and with the initial 3-month trial of Apple Music have nearly a full year for free. But I’m still trying to figure out how it works compared to Spotify. I’m not getting the type of music exploration I had hoped for as easily as I expected. So I keep playing my collection of BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix sessions.
I have started to spend the not-inconsequential sum of my car budget I had saved by doing nothing to it for four years. Now that it’s paid for, I am starting to get excited about making it more ‘mine’.
Hope you are all well. Not sure if any of you are on the Discord as well, but I joined that recently and have been glad for the social outlet.
Sorry for disappearing. Work keeps me busy Inc cycles, and after the election I needed to just retreat a bit.
…if by “the discord” you mean LeftofDead I confess that I rarely find my way there…mostly on account of it being hard to keep up with when it’s busy but a little bit because some of the more prolific posters (last time I checked) sort of overran the conversation a little…which might sound a little rich given I tend to be fairly long-winded myself…but when it comes to the social outlet thing I’m increasingly on board with that sinatra quote about being “for whatever it takes to get you through the night” (or the day, for that matter) so I’m glad it’s working for you
…& I confidently predict that you will not be disappointed by the expanse when you catch up with it…that continues to be some of the best sci fi tv I think I can remember…& I have very possibly watched entirely more of that than a self-respecting person should?
…best of luck with the rest of it, too…I’m guessing the ways to spend the car budget will be easier for you to figure out than how to make apple music play your tune(s) but I hope you get some joy out of both
Correct. There are a few over there that do tend to be verbose in their chats.
And I’m caught up on the Expanse. I’m letting a couple of the new episodes drop before I watch them. And you are correct. It is the single best SciFi series ever. And I say that a huge fan of the various Trek series; especially DS9.
I’ll figure out Apple Music eventually I’m sure. Mostly I just haven’t dedicated enough time to really explore how it works.
And the car mods are all ones I’ve been mulling over for ages and just never pulled the lever to purchase. Now that I am less concerned the world will literally end overnight, I find I have the energy and mental capacity to plan these purchases.
“It is the single best SciFi series ever.”
Agreed! Can’t stress this enough.
Also who’s your favourite character and why is it Amos? ….bahahaha I read that somewhere and it still makes me laugh.
Because he’s such an adorable murder-bear of a human. Duh!?
…bobby draper is pretty cool…& avasarala too but more so in the books where she was always kind of a foul-mouthed delight in a way that wasn’t always true in the show
…but at the end of the day amos might be the most endearing sociopath ever & does kind of win the favorite badge… partly I think it’s that he’s just the most interesting character in a lot of ways because there’s so much going on with him in a backstory kinda way…but I think a lot of it is that he’s paradoxically idealistic (for want of a better description) & honest in a way that I’m guessing few people could match…honest enough with himself to try & be around people who keep him on the right track but also honest about how things work in his experience…which makes him quick to act but slow to judge & that’s kind of a fascinating combination
[…I don’t know why I’m trying to think this through out loud when we all know the murder bear answer is way better than mine?]
Bobbie and Avasarala are also interesting characters. Shoreh Agdashloo was perfectly cast for that role. Though I can only ever hear her as Lakshmi from Future War Cult in Destiny “War is the only constant, Guardian.”
Bobbie could have been so much better in the series had they given more time to her. What’s there isn’t really deep enough but is solid. Amos just works because I think Wes is such a fan of that role and he just nails it.
If you haven’t, watch this interview.
Going to a mental health expert to research your role is dedication and it clearly has paid off.
@AdabOfOppo, lovely to see you! Might you want to share a bit of what you are doing to your car, and what kind of car? My son is a car guy, or would be if life and expenses didn’t get in his way.
Oooooo I LUV chatting cars. ❤️
I have a 2016 GTI SE 6MT with the Performance package. And while the GTI is rather excellent at being a daily driver, it is a bit joyless unless pushed to the limit; which I am increasingly reluctant to try on public roads. Guess I am getting old.
So, to make it a bit more fun I have purchased a new steering wheel. The stock wheel is just simple black leather and I much prefer perforated leather to make it have more grip. So I found a company that will mod my wheel with that. I got black matte carbon fiber on the top, center (spokes) and bottom, perforated leather on the sides, and red stitching.
I also have ordered front and rear sway bars to tighten up the handling and make the car rotate more easily. This should significantly improve turn-in response at lower speeds so the car will be more fun on my commute without going to prison for speeding. Stock the GTI tends to understeer. Which is not fun.
And I am also researching some upgrades for my shifter since the stock one is a bit notchy. Not sure if I will just upgrade my bushings, or if I am going to go further with a better linkage bracket. (6MT means 6-speed manual, for those not hip to the lingo)
Over the last 5 years I have already upgraded my headlights to HIDs, changed my shift knob for a better one, had a better boost cut-off valve installed along with something called a turbo muffler delete (it makes my car have more Choo-Choo noises) and removed the clutch delay valve for more immediate clutch response. Along with dedicated summer wheels and tires.
So once the new mods are installed I will be much more excited about driving my car. Even if it is only to work and back.
@AdabOfOppo I will share the with my son, who will probably drool on my phone. Here’s to your enjoyment of your upgrades!
Still making my way through Barry Lopez’s “Horizon”, which I am enjoying.
Listened to The Waterboys a lot this past week. College-days music.
@MemeWeaver, l have always liked the Waterboys. Their music has aged well.
Isn’t it weird suddenly feeling very patriotic? I always have been to some extent, but that patriotism has almost always been in the form of protest and activism to change the country. An anti-nationalist patriotism. Not getting teary at the national anthem type patriotism, which is what I’ve been struck by since this coup attempt.
Anyway, we’ve finally started Netflixing again. We finished the last season of The Good Place (that last episode really made me cry), and next will be either Bojack Horseman or Disenchantment. On my own, I started watching Supernatural again. Season 13, so I have a few seasons ahead of me.
@BigDamnHeroes that is it exactly regarding forms of patriotism. And it was a surprise to me to feel allegiance during the anthem, as opposed to during peaceful protest.
PSA Star Trek Discovery is on Hulu w/o the CBS add-on…has been since December but I just found out.
I’m watching Birds of Prey and I don’t know if I like it or not but I’m still watching it.