1. Yesterday was the last Local Youth Orchestra concert for Tabitha, as she heads off to college next year, and the first for Lauren, who joined this past spring. They did a really nice job – seven well played pieces, with Tabitha on viola and Lauren bouncing around from one percussion instrument to another as needs dictated. These are lovely times, sometimes.
2. Suddenly: August. It snowed here two weeks ago, but for much of this week it was in the mid-80s Fahrenheit, which is … um … really uncomfortable in Centigrade. I do not like this at all. As far as I am concerned it need never get above 63F (17C). And yet here we are.
3. I don’t like paying bills in May because that’s when the insurance comes due and it drains my bank account something fierce and I stare at the numbers with a Sad. Oh well.
4. I am slowly making progress on putting together a family tree, though there are plenty of things I don’t know and I’m pretty much conceding the idea of One Big Tree unless I can solve some fairly involved graphic design problems. There’s a reason I stick to words and not art, though.
5. It’s fun going on a binge for a particular author, because then you can follow all of the characters as they evolve over the various books – even the standalone novels, because they’re set in the same world and they refer back to each other. I read all of these when they came out, and I missed a lot of the references when there were months or years between books. If you are looking for a really good writer in the SF/F genre, you should read Joe Abercrombie. All at once.
6. My world is even more covered in paper than usual right now, which is partially due to the time of the semester and partially due to the fact that space is at a premium these days.
7. It’s been a long time since there was a blanket fort in my living room. They make ‘em bigger than they used to, you know.
8. I made a special trip to Home Campus today to listen to a lecture on linguistics given by a friend of mine, because that’s just how I roll.
9. Every now and then I think about how quickly the calendar is moving this year, in some ways, and then I try not to think about that again for a while.
10. There are so many good shows on television these days. Sometimes I wish I could sit through them.
1. Lovely times, indeed, in a melancholy sort of way. My wife recently had to correct me. Our daughters are both now in their mid 40’s. Time is weird.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zWq8hEsVlc
2. I’m with you! 60°F Great. 70°F not good. 72*F miserable. Friday 6:00AM: 32°F; 3:00PM: 87°F
Precisely who’s idea of a joke is that?
3. Actually, I have to admit that I don’t like paying bills in May, either. (and June) (and July) (ad infinitum).
4. I gave up on our family tree. I think I’ve developed some sort of allergy to nuts.
6. The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980 (Pub. L. No. 96-511, 94 Stat. 2812, codified at 44 U.S.C. §§ 3501–3521) [as infinitely revised] has finally reached its ultimate parody of itself in my business. They have replaced most of the paper with electronic devices,
It used to take me +/- 15 minutes to document everything I did during my day. Now it takes that long just to login on the three electronic devices before I can even start my truck.
I would sincerely appreciate a return to the paper.
9. Time is indeed weird. The future is far away. The past recedes at a phenomenal pace. Present moments can take seconds or hours to pass. That ad on TV where the guy says “I’m closer to retirement than college” drives me absolutely batshit crazy. Dude! You’re closer to dying than being born. Time being weird seems to be a theme of ours in these days of future past.
10. I see no empirical evidence in support of your claim about the quality of programming.
Quite the contrary, IMHO*.
YMMV, as is appropriate in this circumstance.
Lucy
*Possible exception: The Rachel Maddow Show. However, ‘one’ does not a ‘many’ make.
1. Time is definitely weird. I'm a professional historian. I know this. It's amazing how children grow up and grow older while we remain the same, right? Right? Sigh.
ReplyDelete2. I KNOW! I'm seriously thinking of retiring to Scotland.
9. Time being weird seems to be a theme of ours in these days of future past. I see what you did there... :)
6. I find that attempts to reduce paper by moving everything to electrons just create more paper because everyone prints out their own copies of everything. If we just stuck with the paper, it would be faster and easier all around. Plus I'm a historian - paper is my medium.
10. Here's a couple of shows that were objectively good that I've managed to sit through a few episodes of but still made me jumpy sitting there:
Game of Thrones. Broadchurch. Killing Eve. Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. American Gods.
And a few that people have told me are good but which I have never managed to see:
Breaking Bad. Lost. Downton Abbey. Twin Peaks (either series). Better Call Saul. The Great British Bake-Off. Rachel Maddow.
I'm sure there's more.
10. Empirical |əmˈpirik(ə)l|
ReplyDeleteadjective
based on, concerned with, or verifiable by observation or experience rather than theory or pure logic
Lucy
Well, the first few I've empirically observed, though whether that counts as empirical for you is a matter of, um, theory.
ReplyDeleteKim likes all the other ones, and you say that Rachel Maddow is one. So the same as above only with the chairs switched, I suppose!
My brother and sister-in-law work in television. They tell me about some good things too, including things they have created, and I say in all sincerity, "Yes! I will watch that!" and somehow I never do. I'm hopeless.
I offer in evidence the following top-rated shows of yesteryear:
ReplyDeleteGilligan's Island
The Brady Bunch
Knight Rider
The Partridge Family
Laverne & Shirley
Here we go again - Yesterday's dreams, are tomorrows sighs.
One man's treasure, and all that. I find my tastes in entertainment more amply satisfied on PBS or MSNBC. I don't believe I've enjoyed a weekly show since M*A*S*H or All In The Family. And I've all but given up on the whole drama thing. Got enough drama in my life to last two lifetimes.
I have a niece who writes for shows that appear on Discovery and TLC.
"Reality TV"
I'd rather be tied down on an ant hill.
Lucy
(I seem to be acting rather dark and contrary today. Gonna have to look into that ...) 😎
Ya know, looking at that list, I think I need to remove Gilligan's Island.
ReplyDeleteEspecially since I bought the DVD collection of the whole series.
😜
Lucy
Well, Gilligan's Island was ART.
ReplyDeleteI'm not saying that there isn't a whole lot of dreck out there, because there most surely is and there always has been. But there's some good stuff in there too.
I just find that I have a hard time sitting through any of it regardless of quality - it just makes me antsy and I have to get up and walk away, and I'd rather just skip the process entirely most of the time.
I think the last weekly show that I enjoyed on a regular basis was Northern Exposure. Still has the best line in all of television history as far as I am concerned. :)
I believe my mail order pharmacist has never heard of the Paperwork Reduction Act. I get 15 pages of good 24# paper for every prescription, yet you're right that we print out everything that is sent to us electronically. And then throw it in the recycle bin. At least I don't use the 24# paper. Usually.
ReplyDeleteDon't even get started on the pharmacy receipts you get at the actual brick-and-mortar store - you could paper your living room with those.
ReplyDeleteAt least those are cheap paper. Win?