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I think I've given up on Gideon the Ninth, made it to the 15% mark, I just can't follow it? I have no idea what is going on or why? I'm confused? It's a busy and harrowing/ugly narrative style, and the way it's written is hard for my brain to make sense of - and this is coming from someone who read and analyzed and wrote a paper on James Joyce's Ulysses and William Faulkner's Sound and the Fury.

The writing style was just irritating me, I think. Here's the first chapter.

How to explain? I think it's the made-up slang? My brain doesn't like made up words or slang laden novels. Examples? Clockwork Orange (couldn't make it through that book either). There are others. Their Eyes Are Watching God, also gave me a headache. Too much slang and dialect.

I don't know if an audio book would be better? It might. Because this book was playing havoc with the dyslexia. (I need poetic prose or sentences to have a certain rhythm to them or my mind won't grasp it.)

I've decided to start reading "Firebird by Susanne Kearse" on the Kindle now, it's only been waiting in the queue for the last five years. We'll see - it's a historical/supernatural romance. I tried it twice before and gave up. Ugh. I like my hard cover novel better.

***

Mental illness has increasingly become a problem in our society - and our media isn't helping matters. It's judgemental of the mentally ill. People are really judgemental of others, aren't they? I guess there are positive aspects of being judgemental - so probably not something we want to get rid of completely.

I keep thinking...there but for the grace go we or I or you. It helps push away the judgement, and superimpose empathy and compassion instead. Emphasis on compassion. Sympathy tends to fall into the trap of judgement. Empathy, often falls into the trap of over-relating, but compassion is just caring for the other person and being mindful of their situation and our own, and trying to not do more harm.

I keep reminding myself that I'm here on this earth, right now, to learn and to help wherever or however I am able (emphasis on able? I'm not always able.). And everything is a lesson. It helps. More than one might think?

***

Wasn't planning on it - but since it recorded instead of General Hospital, I watched King Charles III's speech. I was impressed - he's a good speaker and it was an excellent speech. (Granted the bar was set pretty low with Thing 1 and Thing 2 in the White House at the Moment, but still.) He said, words and actions matter - and made a very strong point about how we need to be careful about the ones we take and honor the past in doing so. Britain may not have wanted him to come - for well, understandable and obvious reasons, but I'm glad he did - because what he said to both houses of the US Congress - needed to be said, and both Houses and both parties for the most part were in agreement with what he stated. Specifically, that we need to fight against tyranny, and honor checks and balances. It's ironic that a British King is kindly admonishing and reminding the United States ( a former colony that rebelled against tyranny) of what it's shared values are - and why it rebelled and won that rebellion in the first place.
Made all the more ironic - by the fact that the King in question is a direct descendant of the one the US's founders rebelled against, and just a few months before the US's 250th birthday. But there you have it.

Maybe the people who needed to hear that - did? Let's hope it wasn't just the choir - but also the congregation? It appeared to be both? Nonetheless, it gave me a smidgen of hope. And the befuddled yet not quite dead historian in me celebrated and did a little dance in my head.

So make of that what you will.

Off to bed, to sleep, or at least I hope. It's been up in the air of late.

I binged the first two seasons of From this weekend and am quarter of the way into the third. It's been renewed for two more seasons, with the fifth as the final season. S4 is currently airing on MGM+ in the US.

Damn thing is good. Each episode ends on a creepy cliff-hanger. I'd classify it as psychological/supernatural folk horror.

M: I thought you didn't like horror?
Me: Depends on the horror. (I'm not a fan of torture porn, gore, or body horror for example? Also slasher and rape horror tropes - I steer clear of. Most of the teen horror flicks - I'm not interested in, and I can't watch 98% of the stuff directed by Wes Craven.)
M: So as long as it doesn't have spiders right?
Me: well among other things. But yes, definitely not spiders.

I need characters that are interesting figuring out a problem, with some modicum of success.

From - does have some issues? It has a couple of annoying characters that I keep wishing they'd kill off - but nooo...instead they keep killing off minor supporting characters that I kind of liked? They can kill off that kid at any time - but alas, I don't see it happening. There's a lot of characters who have temper tantrums, almost every other episode, while other characters attempt to calm them down.

That said, right around the time I start wishing they'd kill someone off - the show makes them likable?

It's the folks lost in a nightmare/Twilight Zone style town, unable to find the way out, and the town keeps playing mind-games with them, and trying to kill them - trope. (See Lost, a lot of Stephen King stories, and there was a sci-fi horror series in the 1970s starring Ike Eisenman and Roddy Dowel about folks who end up on this island in the Bermuda Triangle and are kind of lost, and have nightmarish adventures. I've seen this done a lot - it was popular in the 1960s and 70s.)

The writing for the most part, is rather clever. Blending elements of folk horror with psychological and supernatural horror. Also rather innovative.

Also, for the most part, the main or lead characters are likable. Boyd, Donna, Kristi, and Kenny are among my favorites.

***

Mother called to let me know that her friend loved the book I self-published. The friend loved the cover, the title, and the writing. And wants to know when I'm going to finish writing and will publish another one.

When I manage to write one that I think is publishable? The last three weren't.

****

My back and neck have been bugging me today, along with my right knee. I blame the weather, and arthritis. And sitting at a desk all day. And the commute. Oh well, at least I scheduled my lab work. Now, I just have to schedule three more doctor appointments and two x-rays. And figure out where to do it around my schedule.

And try not to worry about the stupid union going on strike. Folks were worrying over it in line to get cookies at Insominac Cookies today. A strike would effectively shut down a good portion of the city and all of Long Island - it would be a nightmare for everybody - which is why I'm against it. The Insominac Cookie Clerk decided I deserved a free cookie and a discount - since I come in every day or every other day. I got three cookies today as a result, one was free, and I only paid $5.58 for all three of the home-made, freshly baked, chewey, warm cookies - and the cookies are medium size. I was in heaven. Insominac has the best gluten free cookies anywhere. I've not had better gluten-free cookies anywhere - the closest I've come to these are Heritage. They are even better than home-made tollhouse cookies and the old Mrs. Fields that I had prior to being diagnosed with Ceiliac. You've not had cookies until you've had these. Yum.

I wish there was a pill or something I could take - to get more patience. I feel I've almost reached my limit?

Mother thinks I've a phenomenal amount of patience.

Apparently folks in the publishing realm and in educational circles have decided that people are writing with AI, if:

* they are using em -- dashes.
* semicolons
* proper word syntax
* coma usage

Yes, we live in a world in which -- if you have learned to write well or know proper grammar usage, you are considered a robot. So, from now on - if anyone checks my grammar or syntax - can I accuse them of being a bot? Yeah, that'll end well.

***

Chloe Zhao was apparently interviewed (prior to the cancellation of the Buffy pilot) on the Buffy ships. (Damn, they must all be very disappointed that the Revival was cancelled - since they marketed the hell out of the pilot.) ( Read more... )

As an aside? I'd rather have a continuation of Buffy in animated form, than a continuation of Firefly. We've enough stuff like Firefly out there, I mean come on - Star Trek, BSG, Farscape, Star Wars, Expanse (which is a lot better by the way), etc... Firefly wasn't that good. I tried a re-watch and thought, damn, this is annoying in places - it may have gotten better. I should try again? I remember enjoying it, but I never really loved it. It was problematic? It kind of took the worst things in Westerns and threw them in the middle of a space opera, that reminded me a touch more of Space 1999 meets Star Wars? I'd have preferred more of Caprica - which was a bit more...innovative?

I don't see myself watching an animated Firefly. I barely watch animated Star Trek or Star Wars, and I liked those better.

Television Re-Watches

I attempted to re-watch Veronica Mars and Firefly - but neither held my interest, and Veronica Mars - sigh, it neither dates well nor holds up. I remember liking this better when I first watched it? Maybe I wanted to like it? The writing and direction just aren't that good. And Bell doesn't quite sell the high school student vibe? The performances are more forced and less natural than the ones on Buffy - there's a scene with Veronica crying in about the seventh or eighth episode, and I don't buy it. Buffy cried - and I bought it. Also, Veronica isn't as likable nor is Keith, none of the characters are - and I think it's a dual problem, writing and direction. I can see why Rob Thomas's work didn't take off and Veronica Mars didn't last more than three seasons, and the revival didn't take off. I may try Firefly, again, not certain, don't really remember it all. I only have a vague memory of most of the episodes.

April Question a Day Memage:

20. Did you sleep well last night?

Not really. I need to go to bed earlier. I've been getting to bed around 10:30, and as a result only sleep a little over 5 hours. Also getting up at 5:50 am. I slept longer, when I went to bed by 10 am, and slept until 6 am.

21. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would that be?

New York City. I really don't want to live anywhere else? It has ease of transportation, my favorite mode of transportation, is near water, has lots of trees, and a temperate climate. Plus lots of cultural pursuits, and is very diverse in population.

I'm a New Yorker, I think. It's going to be very hard to prod me out. NYC has kind of ruined me for anywhere else. You either take to this city and love it for life, or you can't wait to get out of it - and don't stay long. It's often one or the other. Also apparently, you either love Boston or NYC, not both.

Maybe London would work? I remember loving London in the 1980s. I suck at languages, so it would have to be a place that spoke English as the official language. Also, I don't/can't drive any longer (yes, I drove once upon a time - long ago, in a galaxy far far away - it was called Kansas, and it was back in the 20th Century). I like trains. And I need trees.

**

Books

To get out of the reading slump - I've embraced one of my go-to genres, Fantasy. And am exploring all the new fantasy novels out there. I have two favorite go-to genres - Fantasy and Science Fiction. (Then mystery and romance, and horror, and sigh, regular realistic fiction which more often than not tends to bore me? I need more plot and world-building than actually exists in realistic fiction.)

I finished Illona Andrews "The Kinsmen Universe" novellas, Silver Shark and Silver Streak (I think), and stopped short of the soft core porn short story (Illona Andrews isn't that good at sex scenes, and I tend to roll my eyes?). It was good. Not enough plot. But fast reads.

Now? I'm reading Gideon, the Ninth on my Kindle - it's a book about lesbian necromancers in Space. Gideon is attempting to escape a necromancer strong-hold. We'll see. I'm heterosexual - so lesbian stories sometimes work for me, and sometimes don't. It depends on the characters. Actually that's true of heterosexual stories too, so never mind. It came highly rec'd - mainly for the banter and laugh out loud sections, also emotional core. From various social media sources - people here, and random strangers on "Book Instagram" (I finally found "Book Instagram" - which is kind of like Book TikTok but far less annoying, and not quite as obnoxious with the marketing and pimping - not that I'm on TikTock - TikTock irritates me - and that's just from the posts folks throw at me from it on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. It reminds me of the worst of Twitter - but with videos.)

Also making my way through This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Illona Andrews - in hard cover (so I can only read it at home - although, I am debating lugging it to doctor's appointments). This book is a portal fantasy - except into a "GrimDark Fantasy World" (a la Game of Thrones without GRR Martin's abilities - so think a very watered down version of Game of Thrones?). Portal Fantasy is not my favorite fantasy sub-genre?
It's hard to pull off well - and Illona Andrews doesn't quite manage it? So far there are far too many information dumps, and way too much telling and not enough showing. Every time a character shows up - we get a couple of paragraphs, sometimes pages of character backstory, summarized by the protagonist based on her memory of the book's world. It's kind of like having a commentator with you as you read? CS Lewis did a better job with the portal fantasy in the Chronicles of Narnia, as did the guy who wrote The Magicians, which became a series. Long Live Evil - was atrocious, I couldn't get through it.

Also the world, which is GrimDark, is much nicer to the protagonist than it should be. It's kind of a comforting, romantic take on Game of Thrones, while at the same time making fun of Game of Thrones...or the fact that GRR Martin can't finish the series because he wrote himself into a corner and got writer's block as a result. (We're never going to see Winds of Winter.)

***

Doctors...

I've finally figured out why people who see doctors are called patients. I'm surprised it took this long. It's kind of obvious when you think about it.

1. My workplace's browser (MSN) shot an article at me today on the renewed, cancelled and still waiting television series. I'll see if I can find it?

Well I found it HERE on Scary Mommy (sigh don't ask) (does it by network and streaming channel) and via Rotten Tomatoes (does it alphabetically),
and Tv Line and Metacritic (which is more up to date than Scary Mommy, not surprising in the least).

Interesting, albeit not surprising, sidebar? Paramount is cancelling all the Star Trek in favor of all of the Taylor Sheridan modern (also uber violent) Westerns. (I'm feeling validated for cancelling Paramount and boycotting CBS. Honestly, people were willing to unsubscribe to Disney for Jimmy Kimmel, but not unsubscribe from Paramount for Star Trek and cancelling Colbert? People? Really?)

Gone are the days, I can just list them. There's too many. It would take me hours.

2. Listened to a podcast - with Juliet Landau interviewing David Greenwalt.
Landau is great at interviewing folks. She barely talks and just lets them talk, with various targeted questions that spur them to say more about the business, and she, for the most part, avoids problematic topics.

Take away? Greenwalt's reward for doing Buffy was supposed to be - joining the writing and producing team for the X-Files. But Greenwalt states that he couldn't write for the X-Files. He just couldn't write that type of television series. When Landau asked why, he said that he needed an emotional arc or an emotional core - that his writing was more character based and emotion based. He said that while the X-Files is brilliantly written - it has no emotional core. It's just not there, and he couldn't write for it because of that. The network apparently wanted Mulder and Scully to kiss in the first episode, and the writers fought against it and won. Which was the right decision - it wouldn't have worked at all.

X-Files is plot based, not character based. You literally could put anyone in it and it would for the most part work - a skeptic and a true believer.
That's actually a hard format to pull off well. Emotion based is easier.
Plot based can get redundant and old fast. X-Files had good writers: Tim Minear came from the X-Files as did Vince Gillian.

I didn't like the X-Files that much - for two reasons? 1) I don't really like hyper-realistic horror. I like my horror unrealistic. Also alien invasion/government conspiracy stories irritate me - it's most likely a side effect of being forced to watch a lot of 1950s, 1960s and 1970s sci-fi alien invasion/government conspiracy series/ and B movies as a child. My best friend at the time loved that shit. 2) It's a by the books, plot procedural with no emotional base - and I'm a bit like Greenwalt, I need the emotional arc. I get bored or my attention starts to wander if I don't have that. I'm more character than plot oriented, most people tend to be one or the other? Some are both. I preferred Fringe? It was less hyper-realistic scary, and had more of an emotional core.

3. Listened to Nerd Subculture - which is an Australian Podcast Series on well, American television series? It's not very good. FB kept throwing snatches of it at me. So I gave it a try. They lost me in their analysis of Beneath You. (It's a couple, one has seen the series, one hasn't.)
( Read more... )