A hot week that may come to an end tomorrow. Saw THE SUBSTANCE. I am not a horror movie fan and this was an absolute gorefest, but I got enough out of it in terms of the male gaze and even the self gaze to be worth it.
Watching the excellent MY BRILLIANT FRIEND (MAX), SLOW HORSES, (APPLE) and PACHINKO (APPLE).
Went to a chamber music concert, which was delightful. I swear there was no one under 65 in the large auditorium. What will happen to these terrific musicians in another decade. Will they play for the emperor?Love the piece they played by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor especially.
Zuill Bailey, cello; Awadagin Pratt, piano
music by Arvo Part, Beethoven, Brahms. Coleridge-Taylor
Reading REAL AMERICANS still and EVERYTHING I KNOW I LEARNED IN A CHINESE RESTAURANT (a memoir) Both are for my book groups.
I went to a lecture on SCOTUS at my senior center. The 88 year old professor was a liberal but he made the absurd statement that women who wanted an abortion could merely hop in a plane and go to a blue state. But after November, that's going to get worse according to Project 25. Does anyone believe Harris is going to win? Give me some hope.
If you would still like to hear what the crime writers think about the election and their books, you can watch it on you tube and other places. It was pretty inspirational. Just google Crime Fiction for Harris. Sara Paretsky was particularly memorable. Cheers to Alafair Burke and Kellye Garrett for putting it together.
40 comments:
That chamber music concert sounds lovely, Patti. I'm glad you had a chance to go. It's funny; I don't really go for horror films, and I'm not one for gorefests, but people keep saying The Substance is a good film. Hmm...
It is really gory. But no jump scares.
I am quite certain, though not bet the house certain, that Harris will win, not least because Trump and Vance are doing their irresponsible/hateful thing to such a degree that they are suppressing their own (marginal, vs. True Red) vote. I don't think there are enough cultists, either of the Trump nor Millenarian varieties, to put the GOP over even given the unfortunate GOP advantage in the ridiculous Electoral College.
As someone who has played chamber music (poorly) on trombone, and slightly younger than your poll of the audience's average age...I suspect various sorts of classical will sustain their comparatively small audiences. No house bets there, either, but pretty certain.
Thanks, Todd. Day to day, I go up and down over the election.
Speaking of horror and CRIME FICTION FOR HARRIS, Tananarive Due is currently pulling together a HORROR FICTION FOR HARRIS similar fundraiser. Pity I haven't published enough to be a good candidate nor even makeweight for the effort.
CRIME FICION FOR HARRIS asked either best selling writers or people of different ethnicity that could offer various reasons to support Harris. Or people whose books addressed issues. All had books, which could be sold at Murder by the Book, which donated a portion of the sale to the campaign.
Harris will win, hands down. The popular vote, that is. As for the Electoral College...for decades the GOP has relied on gaming the system and they will try again this cycle. There, now don't you feel much better about the election?
Happy Vernal Equinox! I love Fall...the riotous color of the foliage, the crispness in the air, the smell of apple cider, the bands of rogue pumpkins lurking in the streets. Wait. I'm in Florida now. Never mind,.
Our AT&T debacle is almost at an end. While everyone else got their new phones when we switched over to high-speed fiberoptics, they have not figured out how to switch mine over, so my phone was still on T-Mobile. then six days ago T-Mobile cancelled my service without telling me. It turn out AT&T finally got my new phone sent and it has been sitting in a box on Walt's desk for the past few days. I finally got the new phone Saturday and got the new phone number yesterday. Now all have to do is move all my information from the dead phone to the live one and contact everyone about the new phone number, knowing I'm going to miss telling some important contacts.
Mark is settling in. He went for a hike this afternoon and came across a four-foot rattlesnake. For Mark, that was heaven. He didn't have any of his snake handling equipment on the walk with him so he just happily observed the snake from afar. Mark also sent us some selfies of him and his King Penguin buddy Julian; Mark was smiling and Julian was regal. Also two of the zoo's penguin eggs turn out to be fertilized so they.ve been placed in an incubator. This is a big thing for the zoo because they have only had one penguin born there before, and that was two years ago.
Newcat is getting adjusted to the chaos in the house. He is venturing outside of Erin's bedroom and appears to be quite chill about the dogs and is ignoring the hissing and glares from Sage, the other cat in the house. Walt, who until a few years ago was strictly a dog person, has taken quite a shine to Newcat and likes Newcat to sit on his shoulder while he does his Walt things. Meanwhile, at Jessie's, the kitten is about three months old now and has turned into a fearless battler and spends much of his time cowering Nugget, the five-year-old Carne Corso-Pit Bull mix. And Creme Brulle (aka Wackycat, the one with the neurological issue) is doing well and is scooting alone at high speeds like a train wreck waiting to happen.
To celebrate the first day of Fall, we went beaching. to celebrate the first day of Fall, several dolphins came out to say hi. Great weather and a Green Flag day. The breeze could have been a bit more constant, though.
Part of Jessie's ceiling collapsed this week. Turns out an overhanging branch had scraped a hole in her roof in an area out of sight from ground level and water had gotten in. The hole was covered and Jessie is waiting to work things out with the insurance company. But there is a major storm developing in the Gulf and weather Service predictions have the path of the storm landing smackdab in Jessie's driveway near the end of the week. Sunday, after the beach, we heading to Jessie's house to place a tarp on her roof to mitigate any possible further damage. Walt and Erin worked on the roof in the blazing heat while Christina secured the ladder and the rest of us cheered. At the end of two hours, Walt's shirt was 90% sweat and only 10% cotton, but the roof was protected. Walt and Erin would have earned admittance into the Good Guys Club if they were not already long-standing members. Walt was happy because he used his new truck for the project. Walt really likes his new truck.
More later.
Television adventures: PBS rolling out new-to-US seasons of various crime-dramas, under MASTERPIECE MYSTERY aegis or otherwise, has registered, though I was doing other things during most of their run last night. (WETA in DC and Georgia Public TV in their syndication partnership, rather than PBS, was offering one of them.) THREE WOMEN has started in the last week on Showtime (pilot not bad) and on HBO, THE PENGUIN (the juxtaposition of realistic violence with the accoutrements of BATMAN origins isn't working quite as well as PENNYWORTH as far as the pilot goes, but the cast is certainly worthy). ABC's HIGH POTENTIAL is pretty unimpressive in the pilot, with a dim/unconvincing approach toward what might make a high-IQ savant notable or relatable.
Yikes, Jerry...well, I know what a roof collapse feels like, all sympathy there, and Verizon is trying to force the issue of my giving up our DVR, with hundreds of hours of series and films on it, in favor of their current worse deal, so all sympathies there, as well. Glad your new cat is more sanguine about interaction than our Calico Whiskers has chosen to be. Cat segregation is a drag.
Indeed, and in letting people know of the then-upcoming CF/HARRIS, I received no few How Dare You Speak of Something Involving Electoral Politics Here, even as the posts I sent around were not advocacy so much as heads-up on CF "stars" interaction.
Our seemingly unending stretch of 11 80-degree days ended this morning with some much needed rain and a cold front moving in. Hot Septembers are rare in Western NY.
I'll be heading to the Airport soon to pick up Diane and Carol after their Sisters Weekend in NYC. They loved SUFFS and STEREOPHONIC. Apparently they had some amazing eating experiences in some swanky restaurants, too.
Meanwhile, I packed up 8 boxes of books for various bookstores, libraries, and thrift stores. I'm making progress on reducing my book collection...but it's getting to be Hard Work. Stay safe!
Well, Jackie is convinced she is going to win, but after 2016, I'm not. First of all, once you come to terms with the fact that there is nothing so awful Trump can do or say that will stop people voting for him, it's hard to be positive. Then, there is the woman factor. Unless and until a woman is actually elected, that is a major factor. And what will happen to this country if he does win again? Forget it. As the late Bill Crider so often - and rightly - said: "We're doomed, doomed."
Last week was Jackie's birthday, and by happy coincidence the ELO (more properly, Jeff Lynne's ELO) Farewell Tour came to Madison Square Garden. We saw them once before, 6 years ago, and the change in Lynne in six years is startling. He barely spoke - someone else did the band introductions, he looked frailer and weaker, and he just played rhythm, leaving the lead guitar parts to others. But they sounded great and we had a good time. We also stayed at a nearby Marriott and ate BBQ at Hill Country Barbecue. We have two more concerts in the coming weeks - the next is next week at Carnegie Hall, Graham Nash and Judy Collins.
There has only been ONE day with any rain this month, which is nice, though of course we can use some rain. Wednesday is the best chance. And it has been pretty warm, still. No weather complaints here. My sister in Scottsdale just went through 113 straight days of 100 degrees plus, 61 of them over 110. As she put it, it's a dry heat, but so's an oven.
Still going through Cara Hunter's books. The fourth in her DI Adam Fawley series, ALL THE RAGE, is pretty dark. Patti, you might like these for that reason. Plus, they're well written and really fast reads. I got #5 but will take a break first with something else. I liked Sloane Crosley's memoir, GRIEF IS FOR PEOPLE, too.
We don't binge watch shows, as a rule, but when we get to the end, Jackie likes to watch the last two episodes together. We finished several shows this week - TRIGGER POINT (series 2), TROPPO (series 2), BREATHLESS (Spanish), THE DIPLOMAT, ISKANDER (series 1; French Guiana), KAOS (man, Jeff Goldblum was evil as Zeus, but so perfectly cast), FAT FRIENDS (series 2). We added THE BAY (Britbox; series 5). Still watching SUITS, BREAKING BAD, SIX FEET UNDER, UNIT ONE (series 3), CANDICE RENOIR (series 10). Plus, Jackie watches stuff alone in the afternoon - currently PREACHER and DEXTER and A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES.
The Tigers are really on a roll as the season ends. They are now the #2 Wild Card team with a week to go. The Yankees currently hold the #1 seed (they can clinch the division if they beat the Orioles tonight), which would give them home field advantage throughout the playoffs, not to mention a first round bye. The Giants even won their first game.
My brother's ex-wife June was in a serious car crash - she fell asleep at the wheel and drove into a ditch, breaking her leg - but she's lucky to be alive. As they say in the Subaru ads: "She lived." Her current husband died suddenly a couple of weeks ago and they had his memorial service Saturday, and a lack of sleep and not eating obviously caused this.
Back again.
The flooring for the redo of Mark's room should be in this week. I'll probably be moving in there this weekend. While they move on to my room. First job in my room ill be to tear up the carpet, which is sure to raise a lot of dust and allergens. I've been told to mask up and double up on Claritin. If all goes well, I should be able to move back into my spanking new bedroom when we get back from visiting my brother in October.
Amy is about to go to war with her insurance company. She had sent in her Cobra payments and the Cobra people forwarded the money to the insurance company but forgot to include paperwork. With no paperwork, the insurance company cancelled Amy's policy, forcing her to pay out of pocket for needed medication. Now, pure logic will tell that the insurance company really needs the money and Amy doesn't, but she doesn't see it that way. Amy claims that she never used to be fierce, but she's learning. This is a base canard because Amy has always been fierce, as the insurance company will soon learn. I pity them.
Been watching a bit of television: keeping up with ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING, and started on AGATHA ALL ALONG (interesting so far) and PENGUIN (can Colin Farrell be the new Lon Chaney/Man of a Thousand
Faces?). I made the mistake of streaming THE GOOD SHIP MURDER, a pedestrian British series lacking in character, plot, logic, and decent acting. (I kept expecting Captain Stubing, Isaac, and Gopher to show up.) It's your basic "homicide cop turns turns cruise ship singer" show and seems to exist only as an ego trip for the star, a popular British singer and X-FACTOR winner whose major acting credit was a long run on CORONATION STREET (the romantic interest was also a CORONATION STREET veteran); each episode ends with the lead doing a Vegas-style song number. Avoid this one at all costs. Also watched the late night comics, because how else could I get my news? With Jack, I watched INSIDE OUT; pretty good and made even more bearable with the presence of Lewis Black and Richard Kind.
A slow reading week as I continued my Lawrence Bock-a-thon. I read SHADOWS, now a "Jill Emerson" novel by Block. It was his first writeen, third published book, but back then it was STRANGE ARE THE WAYS OF LOVE by "Lesley Evans" (slur the pen name and you will know the book's theme). I also did a quick re-read of Block's first published book, CARLA (originally by "Sheldon Lord") for my FFB post this week. I read Block's anthology ALINE IN SHAPE AND COLOR, in which nineteen authors chose well-known works of art and writer stories around them; an interesting and varied collection with some powerful tales. I dropped everything else this week and plunged into Lee Goldberg's ASHES NEVER LIE when it came in. This w=is the second Sharpe and Walker novel about LA fire investigators and included crossover appearances from Goldberg's Eve Ronin series. I've enjoyed everything I've read from Goldberg (and I've read all of his fiction) and this was no exception. Currently reading LEXIE by F. Paul Wilson, Book Two of The Hidden, an offshoot of Wilson's Secret History of the World. Things keep getting stranger in this one.
I think you should start an Innocuous Bloggers for Harris meme, but even if you don't, I wish a fantastic coming week, Patti. Be well.
Gosh, these were fun to read. Will respond after Limber Up class. (I watched season one of Troppo and will watch 2 soon).
Did I say "vernal equinox"? I'm sure I typed "autumnal equinox." I'm not having a senior moment. Nope. Not me. Nope, nope, nope. (Although it IS the Vernal Equinox south of the Equator.)
I saw Vernal Equinox open for Strawberry Alarm Clock.
Jackie finds it hard to remember what happened in previous episodes of a continuing series when they only show one episode a week, especially with all the other stuff we watch, so we are recording MY BRILLIANT FRIEND, RIDLEY, and MOONFLOWER MURDERS.
Jerry, we are watching THE LOVE BOAT, I mean GOOD SHIP MURDER, for two reasons - Jackie is a sucker for the cruise ship and local scenery - and to see who can guess the murderer first. The second the "Romanian" woman showed up in the "Russian roller skaters" episode, I yelled out "murderer!" And I am still trying to figure out why Jack quit the police force to be a cruise ship singer.
I listened to most of writers for Harris event but was also still reassembling my repaired clothes dryer.
I bailed out on a cozy mystery I was trying out. I kept meaning to get back to the back and refused to start another until I finished the cozy. I came to my senses and began NORTHWOODS by Amy Pease. Pease is local-ish and the book is crime set in Northern Wisconsin. My wife bought me the book when the author spoke at my wife's library.
I finished FIRED ON MARS on HBO. Animated show and OK. Started watching FULL CRICLE on Max with Timothy Olyphant and Claire Danes. Fairly dark story both visually and and content. Part of the story centers on a kidnapping/murder with a rendezvous scheduled at 1AM. Are parks in NYC still well populated at 1AM with people hanging out and buying ice cream?
I have to read a synopsis online with once a week episodes.
Yikes is right. I love the name Newcat. But when a Newercat shows up will she accept the change to Oldcat
FULL CIRCLE is new to me.
Our Grace Hospital book sale began on Thursday and I was there right after opening. All books were priced at $2.00. Managed to find nine on my first trip before I had to leave for an appointment, but went back in the afternoon and spent another $10.00. No outstanding finds. Yesterday I spent a couple of hours handing out t-shirts at the annual Kidney Walk to walkers, who raised at least $100.00. It was beautiful day to be outside in one of Winnipeg's largest parks. We are lucky to have three very large parks located in the west, north and east ends of our city. And speaking about cities, the headline in today's paper states Winnipeg tops charts in violent crimes. That means for Canada. Our FALL Children's Hospital Book Market is Friday and Saturday in one of our largest malls. I'm working in sports on Friday afternoon.
Wish I had gotten to Winnepeg. Only western province was BC. I am assuming this is Kent, right. No name on the comment.
FULL CIRCLE is a limited series directed by Steven Soderbergh. Fairly dark with undocumented people from Guyana agreeing to work for a crime ring. A kidnapping of a teen that is actually a planned murder. Rich people turning amoral. Or showing they are amoral? I don't know yet. Only into 3rd episode.
I am optimistic for the election, yet I was also optimistic in 2016. I cannot imagine how people still vote that the orange buffoon. Those voters cannot be swayed.
I do think Harris is ahead. Not sure how poorly my wife will take it if that incompetent jackape goes back in office. I have a work conference set to start that Tuesday evening. If Harris loses I guarantee the conference will be a major downer for almost every attendee.
Some of us fuddy-duddies haven't managed to get back to Canada since being driven through some of Yukon and a relatively straight line through BC at age four as we moved from Alaska to Mass. via a summer in OK City for my father to get FAA training in Lawton, OK.
On the Cali NoirCon: https://mailchi.mp/090d5be3d6c2/noircon-8-save-the-date-nov-710-2024-thurs-sun-6416638
The sexual and ethnic chauvinism is going to be real for idiots, who are the preferred targets of the GOP ticket, but one thing Harris isn't is an electoral newbie, as Rodham Clinton was, who assembled a team more notable for loyalty than competence. Biden, of course, had all the boxes checked in ethnicity and gender, and aside from his previous presidential runs and the Clarence Thomas hearings, along with too much backroom wheeler-dealing, had a better record of competence than the Felon-in Chief...and the latter hasn't won a popular vote yet, and I think he's going to keep up the failure, as his senescence is harder to miss than ever. Also, polls, moreso than history, are bunk. Even when reassuring bunk.
I forgot it was Monday, woke up in a fog. I am sure I have been free of any real Covid symptoms since the 18th but I still feel fatigued, tired most of the time. So here I am.
I am reading but haven't been blogging or working on the computer. I finished WINTER WORK by Dan Fesperman last night, it was very very good. It is the last book in an espionage trilogy. This one was set in Berlin in the months following the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989. I still want to read more about that subject. I have read a lot of Len Deighton's books about Berlin during the Cold War, but not much about the period following that.
Glen is reading SUSPENSE by Parnell Hall, the 13th book in the Stanley Hastings series. That is one of Glen's favorite fiction series.
Still watching some shows every night. I always feel better later in the day. We are in the middle of the final season of STAR TREK DISCOVERY; have watched a MIDSOMER MURDERS episode and a BROKENWOOD MYSTERIES episode. The third season of MALLORCA FILES, and more MURDER SHE WROTE. We watched all of GOOD SHIP MURDER. I liked the setting on a cruise ship (and the places they stopped) but it was very light.
Tracy, I hope it isn't Long Covid, but even w/o (I think) LC, I had some recuperation to do after my bout with C19...hope you're feeling more yourself over the next week or so.
Sorry such a long recovery, first George and now you. I can't wait to get my booster.
If you like CATASTROPHE- and I know that you do - the NYT recommends the Australian comedy COLIN FROM ACCOUNTS on Paramount +. We just watched the first episode and it was pretty good, and we could see the resemblance.
I saw the first season a year ago and liked it but I no longer have Paramount.
There are just too many shows and too many channels to keep up with everything. George always has Disney+ and Apple+ and Hulu shows that we don't get.
Sometimes I just wonder if we were better off 25 years ago. Swapping streaming channels is tiring.
And in certain markets/areas at least, a whole lot of the most interesting stuff was still over-the-air or on a relative few big-budget cable stations, HBO on over to IFC or Sundance or TCM.
More fodder for mild optimism that the coalition MAGAts depend on might be fracturing: https://archive.ph/qg3Vj (which gets one around the paywalls for this: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/13/us/christian-conservatives-beliefs-election.html ).
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/sep/05/harris-election-allan-lichtman
Heather Cox Richardson's weekly short audio podcast that comes along with her Substack blog: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/september-23-2024-c40
https://geeksforharris.org/
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