Entry tags:
a film and a book and a lot of youtube tutorials and and and...
I'm doing a short term work-related project this week for a bit of extra pay. This is a rarity, so I'm telling myself that I'm enjoying it. I'm not, although it's mundane rather than actually annoying.
Summer exploratory session has begun! I've been watching youtube videos about embroidery. Maybe an update later this summer if I complete something I like well enough to take pictures and post. But first I have to buy some thread in the right colors for the project I have in mind. And maybe some needles; I need to check the sewing kit before I do any purchases. I do own at least one embroidery hoop, so that's something. (I have vague memories of some kind of lesson in embroidery as a teenager--probably at church.)
Speaking of things to buy: I also need to buy some bike shorts with padding, because OWWW. Is this part of getting older, or am I just more used to the idea now that some people who go cycling wear padded shorts?
So. Media stuff. Netflix's Always Be My Maybe is a very cute rom-com that features actual adults, rather than teenagers! Keanu Reeves has a brief cameo as a version of himself, but the main focus is on our leads, played by Ali Wong and Randall Park. I've watched snippets of Wong's standup shows and was concerned that the movie would keep that tone. (She does a lot of the crass humor that many stand-up comedians use.) So it was a relief that they really did focus on the classic rom-com staple of childhood friends to lovers, minus most of the crassness. It was a PG-13 sort of offering: one character smokes a fair amount of marijuana and there's sex implied more than once.
Ben Aaronovitch is branching out to other characters and possibilities for his Rivers of London series. The October Man is a novella set in Germany, and the narrator is a German cop. Lots of opportunities for world-building in Europe, as well as commentary on our beloved characters in England, which I enjoyed. (Why so many baby rivers recently?! It's a mystery! One that I'm guessing will be relevant in later books.)
I tackled another Mary Balogh romance, in part because it was on sale yesterday. Someone to Wed continues Balogh's exploration of earlier trauma and how it impacts relationships. Slow and steady growth (with occasional hiccups) of characters and relationships seem to be her hallmark; I'm enjoying it. So many romance novel storylines pull in exterior obstacles, but Balogh's writing demonstrates that they're not necessary.
Tumblr is wild about Good Omens of late--a miniseries adaptation made for Amazon Prime. I liked the book well enough; it was co-written by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. Pratchett's work is enjoyable for me, although rarely in the category of personal favorites. (Tiffany Aching is the main exception.) Gaiman's solo work has never really clicked for me. I remember liking Neverwhere, and that's about it. So it's not very high on my priority list of things to watch.
Adria Arjona has a role in it, but it must not be a very large one, alas. Either that, or Tumblr is just doing its usual thing of prioritizing the white male leads.
Summer exploratory session has begun! I've been watching youtube videos about embroidery. Maybe an update later this summer if I complete something I like well enough to take pictures and post. But first I have to buy some thread in the right colors for the project I have in mind. And maybe some needles; I need to check the sewing kit before I do any purchases. I do own at least one embroidery hoop, so that's something. (I have vague memories of some kind of lesson in embroidery as a teenager--probably at church.)
Speaking of things to buy: I also need to buy some bike shorts with padding, because OWWW. Is this part of getting older, or am I just more used to the idea now that some people who go cycling wear padded shorts?
So. Media stuff. Netflix's Always Be My Maybe is a very cute rom-com that features actual adults, rather than teenagers! Keanu Reeves has a brief cameo as a version of himself, but the main focus is on our leads, played by Ali Wong and Randall Park. I've watched snippets of Wong's standup shows and was concerned that the movie would keep that tone. (She does a lot of the crass humor that many stand-up comedians use.) So it was a relief that they really did focus on the classic rom-com staple of childhood friends to lovers, minus most of the crassness. It was a PG-13 sort of offering: one character smokes a fair amount of marijuana and there's sex implied more than once.
Ben Aaronovitch is branching out to other characters and possibilities for his Rivers of London series. The October Man is a novella set in Germany, and the narrator is a German cop. Lots of opportunities for world-building in Europe, as well as commentary on our beloved characters in England, which I enjoyed. (Why so many baby rivers recently?! It's a mystery! One that I'm guessing will be relevant in later books.)
I tackled another Mary Balogh romance, in part because it was on sale yesterday. Someone to Wed continues Balogh's exploration of earlier trauma and how it impacts relationships. Slow and steady growth (with occasional hiccups) of characters and relationships seem to be her hallmark; I'm enjoying it. So many romance novel storylines pull in exterior obstacles, but Balogh's writing demonstrates that they're not necessary.
Tumblr is wild about Good Omens of late--a miniseries adaptation made for Amazon Prime. I liked the book well enough; it was co-written by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. Pratchett's work is enjoyable for me, although rarely in the category of personal favorites. (Tiffany Aching is the main exception.) Gaiman's solo work has never really clicked for me. I remember liking Neverwhere, and that's about it. So it's not very high on my priority list of things to watch.
Adria Arjona has a role in it, but it must not be a very large one, alas. Either that, or Tumblr is just doing its usual thing of prioritizing the white male leads.