My brain is off wandering around somewhere, so this will be short and pointless. As opposed to the normal almost short and pointless.
Re-watched the Daniel Craig Bond flicks. Casino Royale still excellent. Quantum of Solace still not great, but also not horrible.
The Secret World of Arrietty was mostly ok. I thought it started a little too slow, but the last 1/3 or so was pretty decent.
And yeah, that's about it. Vacation looms nigh as does a visit from Dad, so that's grand. I am very much looking forward to it. Hopefully brain will not be so much tapioca...
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Prometheus and other space oddities
As a belated anniversary date lovely wife, some friends and I went to see Prometheus. We opted for the 3D version and I must admit that's probably the first movie where I can say the 3D was pretty dang cool. It offered an amazing sense of depth to the film. As for the movie itself I really liked the Alien nods. And sure, there were some "boy those scientists sure are dumb" moments, but I thought the film was fine. It's a different creature (HA) from Alien and I'm ok with letting it stand on its own like that. There are indeed lots of questions, but if you've been on the internet at all this past week and have any sci fi web surfing tendencies, you've seen lots of debate and answers and interviews that offer thoughts on that sort of stuff. So yeah, good to see Ridley do some sci fi again.
I finished Paolo Bacigalupi's The Drowned Cities. I'm not quite sure what my opinion on that is. You'll see the 3 star rating over there on the sidebar (if you ever look at that thing) but it's really more of a 2.5. I didn't want to go as low as 2, but 3's a bit of a stretch as well. I rather liked Shipbreaker, and this one was set in the same universe, but it just wasn't as interesting. I did get into it enough that I wanted to finish it, but that's about it. I read a preview of the book where Bacigalupi talked about how this book was born out of the current political strife we're going through here in the states (and the setting is an apocalyptic jungles based DC - Drowned Cities, get it?) and that probably should have been more of a warning to me than I took it for. Not that the book is terribly political (at least at a story event level, it's more of a thematic undercurrent) and that might have been part of the problem too. Oh well.
We played Power Grid over the weekend. An interesting little area control game. A little math heavy and it can be quite cutthroat as well. I'm willing to try this one again, but I suspect it's not one I'll feel the need to pick up.
And this weekend is Father's Day. Happy Father's Day to Dad. I am a slacker and have not gotten anything in the mail to him, but he'll be here in a little over a week, so I don't feel that bad. Alas I have to struggle through the Fathers and Sons campout this weekend before I can get any pampering. Whose idea was that?
I finished Paolo Bacigalupi's The Drowned Cities. I'm not quite sure what my opinion on that is. You'll see the 3 star rating over there on the sidebar (if you ever look at that thing) but it's really more of a 2.5. I didn't want to go as low as 2, but 3's a bit of a stretch as well. I rather liked Shipbreaker, and this one was set in the same universe, but it just wasn't as interesting. I did get into it enough that I wanted to finish it, but that's about it. I read a preview of the book where Bacigalupi talked about how this book was born out of the current political strife we're going through here in the states (and the setting is an apocalyptic jungles based DC - Drowned Cities, get it?) and that probably should have been more of a warning to me than I took it for. Not that the book is terribly political (at least at a story event level, it's more of a thematic undercurrent) and that might have been part of the problem too. Oh well.
We played Power Grid over the weekend. An interesting little area control game. A little math heavy and it can be quite cutthroat as well. I'm willing to try this one again, but I suspect it's not one I'll feel the need to pick up.
And this weekend is Father's Day. Happy Father's Day to Dad. I am a slacker and have not gotten anything in the mail to him, but he'll be here in a little over a week, so I don't feel that bad. Alas I have to struggle through the Fathers and Sons campout this weekend before I can get any pampering. Whose idea was that?
Thursday, June 07, 2012
I'm heeeerre
Honestly I never left...
I was saddened to learn that Ray Bradbury passed away yesterday. Something Wicked This Way Comes is still a favorite of mine. As is a lot of his short fiction. I should really get around to reading The Martian Chronicles and Dandelion Wine... I enjoyed his settings and the way he breathed life into seasons and locales.
Watched The Innkeepers last night, Ti West's latest horror flick. It's another slow burn set a little in the past. I enjoyed this one more than his first film, House of the Devil. It wasn't quite as slow as that one and the ending was much better. Plus it was actually creepy in places, something I don't remember the other film really pulling off that well. So little sis and K should check this one out.
Finished reading Spell Bound, the latest Hex Hall book. It was fun. I was a little annoyed at the love triangle in this book as I don't care much for the person she ended up with and I didn't really like the way the author resolved said triangle, but whatever. The rest was still pure silly fun.
Vacation was nice. I need to arrange a permanent version. Although the kids managed to finish the school year and promptly drove me insane. I have wished lovely wife a decent amount of luck in dealing with them. We managed some games and some ice cream and so on. Just made chocolate this time, but it was quite yummy. I think we've done about 4 gallons of ice cream since just before Mother's Day. Which explains why I need to go back to exercising...
I snagged Assassin's Creed II on the PS3 while it was on sale on PSN. It's an enjoyable game in a wander around Renaissance Italy and kill people sort of way. G and I also managed to make it through Pixel Junk Shooter. It was a lot of fun to play together. We might have to snag the sequel at some point.
Lovely wife has decreed that I am no longer able to make the hamburger patties. Just because I added too much bbq sauce (is it my fault she buys boring bbq sauce and I think it needs more?) and the burgers fell apart while I was grilling them. They may not have been burger shaped by the time they were done, but they were delicious... I need more potato salad.
So Prometheus comes out tomorrow. I think lovely wife and I and some friends will actually make the show this weekend. A late anniversary date. Speaking of, I suppose I should point out that I've managed to somehow put up with her for the last 17 years now. In spite of things like a lack of anniversary gifts and so on. Now, if you listened to her, I'm sure she would claim the lion's share of putting up with over those years, but this is my blog, so I get to color things my way. People continue to point out that this makes us old. Well that and having a kid that's technically going to be a Freshman next year (even if she isn't in the High School yet). Or a certain birthday I have later this year with the numbers 4 and 0 in it. Eh. What do they know? All I have to say is that I've earned every gray hair I've got and I wear them with pride. So happy anniversary sweetie. Even if you are old. And don't get me anything.
A brief list of things that are awesome: blackened mahi mahi fish tacos, my Mom's potato salad, cheeseburgers, kicking my wife's butt at mini golf, ditto for Rivals of Catan, watching her win 250 tickets on the stack 'em game at the arcade (even if she did then spend them on a pirate duck), horror movies.
I was saddened to learn that Ray Bradbury passed away yesterday. Something Wicked This Way Comes is still a favorite of mine. As is a lot of his short fiction. I should really get around to reading The Martian Chronicles and Dandelion Wine... I enjoyed his settings and the way he breathed life into seasons and locales.
Watched The Innkeepers last night, Ti West's latest horror flick. It's another slow burn set a little in the past. I enjoyed this one more than his first film, House of the Devil. It wasn't quite as slow as that one and the ending was much better. Plus it was actually creepy in places, something I don't remember the other film really pulling off that well. So little sis and K should check this one out.
Finished reading Spell Bound, the latest Hex Hall book. It was fun. I was a little annoyed at the love triangle in this book as I don't care much for the person she ended up with and I didn't really like the way the author resolved said triangle, but whatever. The rest was still pure silly fun.
Vacation was nice. I need to arrange a permanent version. Although the kids managed to finish the school year and promptly drove me insane. I have wished lovely wife a decent amount of luck in dealing with them. We managed some games and some ice cream and so on. Just made chocolate this time, but it was quite yummy. I think we've done about 4 gallons of ice cream since just before Mother's Day. Which explains why I need to go back to exercising...
I snagged Assassin's Creed II on the PS3 while it was on sale on PSN. It's an enjoyable game in a wander around Renaissance Italy and kill people sort of way. G and I also managed to make it through Pixel Junk Shooter. It was a lot of fun to play together. We might have to snag the sequel at some point.
Lovely wife has decreed that I am no longer able to make the hamburger patties. Just because I added too much bbq sauce (is it my fault she buys boring bbq sauce and I think it needs more?) and the burgers fell apart while I was grilling them. They may not have been burger shaped by the time they were done, but they were delicious... I need more potato salad.
So Prometheus comes out tomorrow. I think lovely wife and I and some friends will actually make the show this weekend. A late anniversary date. Speaking of, I suppose I should point out that I've managed to somehow put up with her for the last 17 years now. In spite of things like a lack of anniversary gifts and so on. Now, if you listened to her, I'm sure she would claim the lion's share of putting up with over those years, but this is my blog, so I get to color things my way. People continue to point out that this makes us old. Well that and having a kid that's technically going to be a Freshman next year (even if she isn't in the High School yet). Or a certain birthday I have later this year with the numbers 4 and 0 in it. Eh. What do they know? All I have to say is that I've earned every gray hair I've got and I wear them with pride. So happy anniversary sweetie. Even if you are old. And don't get me anything.
A brief list of things that are awesome: blackened mahi mahi fish tacos, my Mom's potato salad, cheeseburgers, kicking my wife's butt at mini golf, ditto for Rivals of Catan, watching her win 250 tickets on the stack 'em game at the arcade (even if she did then spend them on a pirate duck), horror movies.
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