Words

Nice coinage: "metrosketchual."  As in, "I saw the pix of Duck dynasty dudes with their families, posing for expensive portraits at a resort in khakis and highlighted hair.  It was fairly metrosketchual."  Or, "Who does Ryan Seacrest think he's fooling.  Totally metrosketchual."  Or something.

Interesting developments afoot

PC makers sidling away from Microsoft, incorporating Android apps, etc., makes for  interesting speculation about the near future for the older pieces in the wide array of gadgets now becoming must-haves.  Shaking things up would be nice.  I had to ditch Vista for Linux because it simply would not work on my machine, which is still purring on Ubuntu.  No love lost for Microsoft's monopoly game here.

This just reads like a shelf of 80s SF novels...

That's a Mpls St Paul airport Delta gate, apparently in a futuristic Bond wannabe phase.

Nice to have a day off

You can almost see our skyline, such as it is, over Lake Hiawatha there.  Lake Nokomis skaters and docks.  Flair's fountain in its usual winter state, frozen except for the burbling top, lit with colored lights.

That was not for a funeral or politics.  It's been a while.  Actually, it just feels like that, cos I went to NC for the GF's marathon in early November.  Oh yeah...  It's nice to lay around instead of traveling, tho. 

Of course, I shoveled twice and ran to the lake, in "laying around."  And helped make some dinner, lots of root vegetables thanks to the CSA I joined this winter.  The dog is slowing down a lot but had fun eating snow, still her favorite activity.

I finished The Shining Girls.  It was a good read, and meticulously researched.  In the end, it's all about a (time traveling) serial killer, though.   Somehow, that's less satisfying by the end than it was in the beginning.  I ended up feeling it was gross and sad but I hadn't really learned anything.  YMMV...  Now I'm on a rampage to finish Reamde by 12/31.  250 pages to go...

Happy holidays

I am too darn busy.  And still reading Reamde.  Along with Lauren Beukes' The Shining Girls.  It's as good as everyone says.  I have so little to say these days.  I did a year end review for Aqueduct, no. 15 here.  In which I tried not to squee too much about Rick Bowes and get put next after his entry...

I had to put the old cat to sleep, afyer 22 years, 20 with me.  RIP, Hazy.  The brat misses you, he's actually being snuggly, for now.  Enjoying it while it lasts...

I'm being snowed on in a bus shelter.  Gotta love it.  Two feet or maybe 3 inches for Christmas, we'll see.

Carrie (2013)

I saw this a while ago but haven't had the time to rave about it like I want.  I will take a brief stab at it for now...

Chloe Moretz is very very good, which is to say creepy, then brutal, yet demanding sympathy.  Julianne Moore is terrifying, even when still and silent.  The script's a little creaky, as the reviews say, but Kim Pierce hits the spots of King's story De Palma did not, and critiques teen movies in the process.  My hope this would be a very queer version was not misplaced.  For instance, fundamentalism, the small town brand of erotophobia, and bullying are linked to claw at the underlying horror of Othering and smothering in concert.  I thought it was semi-subtle and well done.  Brought me back to 80s repression yet mined current trends, at the same time.  More later...

Breaking Glass

Hazel O'Connor stars in this story of a punk/new wave singer's rise to fame in 80s Britain.  The music will bring you back, if you remember.  Selling out, mass consumerism, and conformity as the themes make this a true punk movie.  The film is surprisingly fresh this many years later, due a lot to O'Connor's personality and stage performances.  The hit song will stay in your head for weeks, but it beats that Journey song you heard in the elevator...