Monday, November 18, 2024

Monday, Monday

 STILL SICK. But let me know what you are up to. The Paxlovid didn't work for me. Just made me nauseous. Or maybe that's the politics of the country right now.

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13 comments:

Jeff Meyerson said...

So sorry to hear you are still sick. What I've been doing about politics is, mostly ignoring as much as I can. I hate those "what the Democrats did wrong" pieces and just refuse to read them. Mostly I stick to headlines only and what Jackie calls "Daily News stories" - shootings, muggings, fires, hit & runs, etc. - rather than politics. We'll do what we did 8 years ago - skip the Inauguration, State of the Union and any other Trump speeches or press conferences. It makes watching the news a lot faster - just the weather.

It's been a quiet week here (the way I like it). It went from a high of 67 on Monday to 49 on Thursday, back to 63 on Sunday. More ansd more wildfires in the area as the dry spell/drought continues, but they promise major rainfall Wednesday night into Thursday, if you believe them. Fingers crossed.

Sunday is my birthday so we'll go out to our favorite restaurant, as we did for Jackie's birthday in September and our Anniversary last month.

Reading mostly short stories still, but also one book dark enough for Patti - EXPOSURE by Ramona Emerson. Also, finally reading the essay collection MEN EXPLAIN THINGS TO ME, by Rebecca Solnit, which is very good.

We finished THE LINCOLN LAWYER yesterday, which ended on a cliffhanger to set up the next series. One more episode of SWEETPEA to go, but I don't see that one having a second series. We watched the first INSPECTOR ELLIS episode on Acorn. It has a similar premise to the Danish UNIT ONE: the local police force can't handle a major crime so outsiders (in this case, just one outsider) are sent in to take charge and solve the case, leaving the credit to the locals. Ellis is played by powerhouse actress Sharon D. Clarke (who has won three Olivier Awards for performances in the West End) as a non-nonsense workaholic. There is clearly a backstory there - she is another one returning to work after months off, but we don't know if it was a personal issue, a bereavement, trouble on the job, or what. Presumably we'll find out in future episodes (which run 90 minutes each). She is aided in the first case - the death of an 18 year old and disappearance of his girlfriend - by a young Sergeant, who will be her sidekick in future episodes. We liked it.

The first two episodes of the second series of SHERWOOD are also available, but we'll probably wait until at least two more (there will be six in total) before we start watching it. This one is on Britbox. David Morrissey, who played the ineffective lead cop on the Yorkshire Ripper show THE LONG SHADOW, also stars here, but there is a long list of familiar British faces.

Started the new (7th) series of MI-5 (SPOOKS), with the departure of Rupert Penry Jones and the arrival of Richard Armitage. This is one series that never hesitates about killing its characters off. As I remember it, in the next couple of series, most of them end up dead, other than Sir Harry Pearce (Peter Firth).

Feel better, Patti.

6:33 AM
Jerry House said...

You have not been listening to us, Patti, when we told you to feel better soon. Please correct that oversight.

The good news this week is that Matt Gaetz is no longer my U. S. Congressman. The very bad, horrible, no-good news is that Trump, in the early days of his Revenge Tour, has nominated Gaetz to be Attorney General -- a move somewhat akin to putting the polio virus in charge of children's swimming pools. Gaetz is a human toxic waster dump, reportedly (he said, to cover any legal retribution) a sexual predator of underage girls and a drug addict whose bizarre antics tend to make normal persons gag. He may (again, covering my legal butt) have taken bribes, and the marks of his lips are firming etched into Trump's butt. To get close to him is to risk your skin turning green, your face breaking out in pustules, and your hair falling out in clumps. Rather than being one to drain the swamp, I firmly believe he lives ubder a rotten log in the middle of the swamp with his ilk. His sudden resignation from Congress comes just days before a House Ethics Committee was due to release a reportedly very damning report on him. Speaker of the House and Useful Idiot Mike Johnson says there is no longer any reason to see the report made public and that he will do whatever he can to prevent it. I do not like Matt Gaetz, nor do I like Quisling Johnson. We are living in interesting times, dammit.

It's been a quiet week here as I try (unsuccessfully) to ignore the outside world. The weather has been sometimes cool, sometimes warm, sometimes wet, sometimes dry. Jessie has a new roof on her house, finally getting her insurance to cover the hole in her roof made by a falling tree limb. Newcat is continuing to avoid me, running away whenever he spots me; I think Erin has been telling him some base canards about me. Yesterday, Jessie and Christina went out for one of their monthly Sister Days. This time they went shopping and much money was spent. Christina got a pair of absolutely hideous Jimmy Buffett-themed Crocs that she loves. Jack was jumping up and down with excitement because the second half of the latest season of COBRA KAI dropped; he watched it in my room while I did my best to ignore it.

This Thursday, Jack has his school band concert. He plays (hah!) the trumpet and the concert is going to be agony. (I like to support Jack and pump up his ego, telling he can be great at anything, but there are limits...) Early Saturday morning we are heading to Albuquerque to spend Thanksgiving week with Mark. We are brining his bed (which he greatly misses) and his three snakes (which he also misses). The daily temperatures in Albuquerque range to at or below freezing to the low fifties. since my entire wardrobe consists of shorts and t-shirts, it should be interesting. Mark has also spent his first few shift on his pregnant elephant watch, but the calf has not yet come, which actually makes Mark a little relieved. He did spend some time with his large striped skunk friend, Boo Boo, though.

Watched DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE, thinking they broken the fourth wall just a little too much. I'm also getting tired of the MCU multiverse. the film was entertaining but way too overlong.

More to come.

6:39 AM
Jerry House said...

Happy birthday to Jeff! Will he be taking the geezer bus to the restaurant to celebrate?

Having problems with my Kindle, which is attached to my computer. I went to read a book on it and that book had vanished (it was there a week ago). It turns out that many of the books on my Kindle have vanished, including some I bought only last week. But my Kindle no has hundreds of books from Amy's Kindle account, basically romantic fantasies which I have no interest in. (I love Amy to death, but her taste in reading is off-putting, and she can say the same about me.) I have no idea of how the Kindle accounts were merged or how to fix it. This could not be part of Trump's Revenge Tour, could it?

As far as books read this week, I continued with my "comfort reading" of John Creasey novels -- eight of them. Five of the books were in the Toff series about and aristocratic adventurer/detective: KILL THE TOFF, DOUBLE FOR THE TOFF, THE TOFF AND THE RUNAWAY BRIDE, FOLLOW THE TOFF, and THE TOFF TAKES SHARES -- all fast, easy, enjoyable, and predictably unpredictable reads. One book in the John Mannering/The Baron series published under the "Anthony Morton" pen name: IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO HESTER (original title, BLACK FOR THE BARON). Mannering is an ex-jewel thief turned international antique dealer. And two books in the Dr. Palfrey series: THE SLEEP and THE FAMINE. Palfrey runs Z%, an international organization dedicated to stopping (mostly science fictional) threats to mankind. I also read A. Hyatt Verrill's BEYOND THE POLE, an early SF novel and my FFB this week. BEYOND THE POLE was included in Forrest J. Ackerman's anthology THE HUGO AWARDS VOLUME ONE: 1926, which I also finished. I read one graphic novel, Doug Moench's BATMAN: HAUNTED GOTHAM, which takes place in an alternate world where literal demons control a city filled with vampires, ghosts, snake people, talking skeletons, and werewolves and other shapechangers. The plot was frentic and I did not care for the artwork very much, and I found the lettering abysmal (the "c"s all looked like "l"s) and difficult to read. Coming up, I have a couple more Creaseys on hand and I'm taking a fistful of Hard Case Crime novels for the Albuquerque trip.

I'll be posting until the end of the week and will be quiet until the beginning of December.

Fell better soon, Patti! And, for what it's worth (very little, I fear) rejoice in the fact that Matt Gaetz is no longer my Representative. Catch you on the other side.

7:07 AM
Margot Kinberg said...

So sorry to hear you're still ill, Patti. Take care of you! I hope you feel better soon.

7:18 AM
Jeff Meyerson said...

Jerry, I wish you wouldn't be so reticent in telling us how you really feel about Matt (Slug) Gaetz. Apparently, even Republican colleagues (sic) are repelled by him and his behavior, which (they say) included proudly showing videos of him having sex with underage girls. And let's guess how many of them will vote for him anyway. He's just the lowest (with the possible exception of RFK Jr.) of a hideous bunch -Tulsi (I Love Putin) Gabbard, Elon (Me! Me! Me!) Musk, Pete (Yes, I Paid Off the Woman I Sexually Assaulted) Hegseth.

7:36 AM
Jeff Meyerson said...

Jerry, thanks. The restaurant is only a mile or two away and I think I can drive that far.

Be careful in Albuquerque. Between Walter White and the ghosts in the Ramona Emerson books, it sounds scary. And her latest does make the weather there sound frigid.

I meant to add that we also finished THE MARLOW MURDER CLUB last night, which used a gimmick that has become common (think Highsmith) lately. Still, it was pleasant light entertainment, the scenery was beautiful, and the women were the stars.

7:40 AM
Jerry House said...

Not to mention the reptilian Stephen Miller, Jeff, nor the Medicare scam artist Rick Scott, fox-in-the-chicken-coop climate change denier Chris Wright, uber-toady, UFC veteran, and man voted most likely not to get a date Steven Cheung, presidential immunity lawyer Dean John Sauer, hush money lawyer
jay Clayton, other hush money lawyer Emil Bove, Don Jr's business partner Sergio Ged, "Little Marco" Rubio, campaign director James Blair, MAGA Inc. super PAC director Taylor Budovick, former NIA director who claimed Hillary was behind rumors of Russian interference for Trump John Ratcliffe, puppy-shooting Kristi Noem, believer that Israel will play a key role in the long-for End Times Mike Huckabee, and useless puppet Elise Stephanik. Others being seriously considered include the bad taste in your mouth that just keep coming back Betsy DeVos and hunk of protoplasm who wants her vocal stylings to ring through the halls of the Senate Lara Trump. I weep for our future.

9:25 AM
Todd Mason said...

Well, to be obvious, seek out new medical advice, Patti...I should determine what cocktail of drugs was in my infusion, which knocked the larger part of C19 out of me in about two days. And feel better.

Happy imminent birthday, Jeff.

Jerry, your district's loss is our hellscape's gain. Wonder what sort of fool DeSantis gets to appoint, if he does, to fill the a-hole. I enjoyed the typo that you're brining bed and snakes to your younger kinsman...not sure he wants either preserved quite thus.

9:47 AM
Todd Mason said...

As even watching my old favorite film THE CANDIDATE depresses me a bit (it's on demand at Turner Classic Movies), I have been thoroughly enjoying catching up with HBO's making-of-comic-book-films comedic drama THE FRANCHISE, which will drop its season or series finale later this week. WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS also helps.

9:53 AM
Diane Kelley said...

Patti, hope you feel better soon. Happy Birthday Jeff!

Western NY is celebrating the Buffalo Bills win over the KC Chiefs.

I'm with Todd on WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS. I'll be sad when the final episode airs.

The weather remains abnormally warm here. If it doesn't snow by November 22, a new record will be set for the First Snowfall in Western NY. Stay safe!

10:37 AM
Todd Mason said...

Alice, as a Mahomes idolator ("liar head!" she accuses from the kitchen) was glum after the game.

11:25 AM
TracyK said...

Patti, I am also sorry to hear that you are still sick.

Jeff, have a Happy Birthday.

I should have commented last night or this morning, before my appointment at the eye doctor. All was fine with my eyes but I am super dilated and can't type too much. We haven't been doing much, watching the usual shows. I will catch up next with what we have been reading.

4:02 PM
Kevin R. Tipple said...

I was hoping you were on the mend, Patti. I'm sorry. I had heard that that drug does not often work on the new variants that are cruising through these days.

A belated Happy Birthday to Jeff.

I'm ignoring politics as much as possible and hiding in books. Current read, via NetGalley, is the new one coming from Steven F. Havill due out next March.

9:56 AM

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