itsnotmymind: (spike/dru kiss)
 Succession is eating my brain so that is what I have been watching. I'm looking forward to Daredevil: Born Again when I will watch soon.

I'm reading a fun YA novel based on Hindu mythology called Aru Shah and the End of Time. It's about a girl who lights a lamp she has been told is cursed to impress her peers and ends up having to save the world.

I've been listening to Dan Snow's history podcast, which is little bites of all kinds of history. The current episode I am listening to is on Founding Father Samuel Adams.
itsnotmymind: (buffy cross necklace)
I'm reading a book of Emily Dickinson. I'm not a very big poetry person - I don't know why, because I love song lyrics. But Emily's poems are short and sweet and have a lot of words. I don't know if I love them, but I definitely like them.

I'm watching The Last Jedi, the middle movie of the Star Wars sequel trilogy. I liked the first movie, but this one is kind of dragging for me.

I'm listening to the podcast You're Wrong About - their episode on Santa Claus. I hadn't really thought about the relationship between Santa Claus, who has a factory where toys are created, and the industrial revolution.
itsnotmymind: (candy cane)
I got a book from the library yesterday: Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter, by Ben Goldfarb. I found it on the shelf. It had fallen out of my library's catalog and the librarian had to manually re-add it. I haven't gotten very far yet, so I don't have much to say, but I very much approve of a book focused on beavers.

I'm reading the latest of the Sierra Club's magazine. I send them money, they send my magazines. Also they sent me some really nice bags once. They send me a wall calendar, but not until late January, so I have no use for it.

I'm re-watching All About Agatha. Really love it. In some ways I love it more than Wandavision, which struck me as both really creative but also true to how Wanda has been portrayed in the comics over the years. Honestly I don't have a lot of memories of Agatha from comic reading days. I definitely encountered her, mentoring Wanda and so forth, but I don't remember a lot.
itsnotmymind: (ruby text)
I'm reading Who Owns History: Elgin's Loot and the Case for Returning Plundered Treasure by Geoffrey Robertson. I wrote a paper about the Parthenon Marbles back in the day so I'm always interested in reading new books about it. (This one came out in 2019). So far I'm not finding it very interesting. It's not a bad book but doesn't seem to have anything new to say.

(My favorite book about the marbles is The Parthenon by Mary Beard).

I stole* my parents Addams Family DVDs (the 1964-1966 TV show) and am enjoying watching those. I know Wednesday in recent years got her own TV show, but the focus on the 1960s show is clearly more on the adults, especially Morticia and Gomez.

*My mother has made it clear to me that I can take any DVDs from their house I want since they no longer have a DVD player, while my father said, when I told him I was taking the DVDs, "I know you'll bring them back!" I have no intention to being them back so I think this can be described as a theft. Maybe if they get a DVD player I'll bring them back, but I don't think they have any such plans.
itsnotmymind: (buffy flooded)
Well, that was a horrendous week. Not only politically but also with work and family stuff.

So, the media I have been consuming:

I'm reading a biography of Thomas Edison: Edison by Edmund Morris. It's an interesting book because it is written backwards: Each section details a decade of Edison's life, and Morris starts with the final decade and works his way back. The verdict's out on whether this will be too confusing, but I do appreciate the fact that the top of the page displays the current year. I wish more history books did that.

I'm watching and enjoying Agatha All Along. I may have more thoughts once it ends.

The podcast I listen to, You're Wrong About, has an episode on Elizabeth Báthory. It's a historical episode and I am really enjoying it.
itsnotmymind: (buffy/faith)
I am currently reading The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-city Neighborhood, by David Simon and Edward Burns. Yes, the guys who did The Wire before The Wire. This book is nonfiction. The book is very good, although - there is a lot of detail. Human memory doesn't usually work like that. It makes me wonder if bits were made up - and how the writers handled it when they were presented with contradicting stories.

I'm watching The Boy and the Heron. Not as weird as Ponyo, but still pretty weird.

I'm also continually rewatching the scene between L and Light in the rain in the 25th episode of Death Note.

I'm making my way up to the present day in the You're Wrong About podcast. I don't think it's as good as it was before Michael Hobbes left, but I am still enjoying it. The episode I'm listening to now is on Balloonfest ‘86, an event I had never heard of before.
itsnotmymind: (Default)
 I am reading The Dutiful Son: Louis W. Hill by Biloine W. Young with Eileen R. McCormack. Who was Louis W. Hill, you ask? The (second) son and heir of James J. Hill. Who was James J. Hill? A wealthy local railroad director (local to me = Minnesota). Louis W. Hill was also heavily involved in the creation of Glacier National Park.

Yesterday I played the board game Eldritch Horror with friends. It is a complex cooperative game based on the writings of H. P. Lovecraft. We actually won, which almost never happens.

I'm still playing Sims 4. I even bought a baby name book so I could quickly get names for new Sims.

I'm also still watching Death Note. SPOILERS SPOILERS Death Note SPOILERS )
itsnotmymind: (azula)
 I've started watching Death Note. I read a chunk of the manga years ago but lost interest after (spoilery event). I'm really enjoying it now - amused how in some ways it feels like the movie Catch Me If You Can. Both of them involve a battle of wits between the legal system and a young criminal.

I'm reading a book I picked up cheap at Goodwill: Unlikely Friendships, by Jennifer S. Holland. It's about cross-species friendships between animals. Very cute, not very in-depth.

I'm sticking my toe in into the world fanfiction based Patricia McKillip's Riddle-Master trilogy. Yuletide has a trove. I'm struck by how female-focused it is so far. There are plenty of female character in Riddle-Master, and the middle book is narrated by one, but I wouldn't call it female-focused. After all, the climax of the middle book is a confrontation between two male characters that the female narrator just happens to witness. But the fanfiction is a different story.
itsnotmymind: (darla)
 I'm watching Attack of the Clones, which I am actually enjoying more than The Phantom Menace. Less Jar Jar Binks, for one, but also I more invested in Anakin's character now that he is no longer a child.

I developed a craving for The Sims (I played Sims 1 & 2 as child/teenager), and was happy to discover Sims 4 is available for free. I had some trouble getting it installed, but with help from a friend it is installed and I am now re-familiarizing myself with the gameplay and familiarizing myself with the changes that came with Sims 4.

I'm reading The Throme of The Erril of Sherril, by Patricia McKillip. I love McKillip but I wouldn't recommend this. It's a cute fun little quest story, that's all.
itsnotmymind: (zoe gun)
 I'm reading Over The Edge: Death in the Grand Canyon by Michael P. Ghiglieri and Thomas M. Myers. Exactly as it says on the tin - a record of every recorded death in the Grand Canyon. Very interesting book with lots of anecdotes. On the not-so-good side, I have problems with how they discuss suicide and some of the words they use to describe Native Americans.

I'm still watching the X-Men animated series from the 1990s. I don't know that I'd recommend it, overall, but I am enjoying their takes on various famous comic storylines.

Even after all these months, I'm still listening heavily to tracks from Taylor Swift's most recent album, The Tortured Poets Department.
itsnotmymind: (tara & anya)
 Just got through an unpleasant move and getting settled in my new apartment!

I'm reading Paper Love by Sarah Wildman. This is a nonfiction book about a woman whose grandfather escaped the holocaust, and after his death found out he'd left behind a girlfriend who may or may not have survived. This kind of personal family history is one of my favorite types of history.

I'm re-reading Patricia McKillip's Riddlemaster trilogy (called Riddle of Stars in the printing I own). Out loud. Because it is the kind of book I just love to read out loud.

I watched the X-Men '97, and started the animated series it is a sequel to. I'm in the first episode of the animated series and not impressed yet. I do like the decision to make Jubilee our viewpoint character, but I thought the sentinel running around destroying everything was over the top. I'm hoping I'll enjoy the series more as it finds its feet.
itsnotmymind: (wesley threatening justine)
So I'm watching Taken. Actually I'm watching it for the second and a half time. And I just found out about it last month. I cannot justify this movie. It's very well-done, but the plot is...not good. One detail I'm especially not thrilled with is the virgin/slut contrast between Kim and her friend Amanda.

With the podcast I listen to, You're Wrong About, I'm up to their episodes on Tipper Gore's campaign against Heavy Metal.

I'm reading Under His Very Windows by Susan Zuccotti, a depressing book about what little the Pope did to help Holocaust victims during World War II.

I'm re-reading my Cable and Deadpool trades. This was a Marvel comics series in 2004 that took two very different characters and put them in a book together. Cable is a soldier-from-the-future who has deep ties to X-Men continuity. Deadpool is a brain-damaged mercenary who cracks jokes and can break fourth wall. This leads to a hard-to-describe but very good series.
itsnotmymind: (Default)
 I'm reading a booked about the creation of India and Pakistan, Midnight's Furies: The Deadly Legacy of India's Partition, by Nisid Hajari. I read a lot of history books and most of them are pretty depressing, but this one I'm having a particular hard time for some reason. It deals with the different religious groups in what is now India and Pakistan in the aftermath of India being a British colony, and the violence that occurred between them.

I finally finished Fullmetal Alchemist and for graphic novels am now reading Christopher Priest's run on Black Panther. It was a present from my parents but for some reason they gave me the second volume. I did ask specifically for Priest's writing, but I think the first volume also has him as the writer. Anyway there is a lot of characters and a lot going on. I am somewhat enjoying it but probably won't seek out more when I am done with this volume.

The podcast I listen to, You're Wrong About, is doing a reading and discussion of a book called Michelle Remembers. The book is out of print, but it set off the Satanic panic in the 1980s. It tells of a woman who recovered memories in therapy of what she and the therapist concluded was child abuse by a Satanic cult. Of course it has been completely discredited, which may be why it is now out of print.

I'm watching The Midnight Club, a Mike Flanagan Netflix show that I somehow missed. I'm very intrigued by the story-within-a-story format.

Of course I'm listening to the new Taylor Swift album, The Tortured Poets Department. On a song-by-song basis I really like it, but as an album - well, that's a lot of tortured poets songs. It's a double album, so we are talking 31 songs here.
itsnotmymind: (xander)
 I'm watching Miyazaki's Castle in the Sky. I might just end up watching every Studio Ghibli film, we'll see.

I'm in the last volume of the Full Metal Alchemist manga. I'm as satisfied with the ending as I remember from watching the anime.

I'm reading Death of a Generation: How the Assassinations of Diem and JFK Prolonged the Vietnam War, by Howard Jones. I'm interested in seeing the arguments for this, but I'm currently over one hundred pages in and neither assassination has occurred yet.

I'm still listening to the podcast You're Wrong About. I've gotten far enough along that they are doing lengthy, multi-episode topics. I'm torn between finding it interesting to get a lot of detail, and feeling like they spend a lot of time on topics that I'm not that interested in. I am interested in the upcoming Princess Diana episodes.
itsnotmymind: (matt murdock)
 I finished the live action AtLA - I liked it a lot, and hope it does well enough to continue the story. I have to admit it doesn't stick with me as much as the original did, but I never expected it to be as good as the original.

I am now watching Marvel's Echo. I am definitely enjoying it. It's a little darker than some Marvel stuff since Maya Lopez is more anti-hero than hero, at least at this point. Alaqua Cox does a good job although I don't think she's been in any other TV shows or movies - not many roles out there for a Native American woman who is deaf and an amputee (I don't think Echo was an amputee in the comics, but in movie world she is).

I just started reading A History of the Hmong, by Thomas S. Vang. This is a book that came out in 2008.
itsnotmymind: (azula)

 It's been awhile since I've done one of these posts!

I'm currently reading Emperor of Rome by Mary Beard. This is a history book that does not look at each emperor chronologically, but instead has different chapters dealing with different subjects related to the emperor.

I'm almost done reading the Fullmetal Alchemist manga.

I'm watching the Avatar the Last Air Bender live action - of course. I haven't finished the first episode yet. 

Not really spoilery, but cutting to be safe )


The podcast I listen to, You're Wrong About, has several episodes on the O. J. Simpson trial. This is not a topic I would have deliberately sought out, but I am finding the episodes interesting.

itsnotmymind: (rorschach)
 It turns out Spider-Man: No Way Home isn't on DisneyPlus at this time. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to wait and see if it shows up, or try to find it some other way. In the meantime, I'm finally watching The Queen's Gambit, which is more intense than I expected it to be.

I'm back to making my way through Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler, and I'm still working on the Fullmetal Alchemist manga.

The podcast I listen to, You're Wrong About, is addressing the murder of Kitty Genovese. This is the first time I've ever gotten any sense of who Genovese was as a person - I didn't even know she was a lesbian. One thing that bothered me about how her story was used in Watchmen was that I felt like Alan Moore really had no idea how she would feel about the dress her fictional counterpart rejected. It's not that I'm opposed to the fictionalization of real people - but I guess I feel differently when it is someone who is famous only for being murdered. 

I've been listening to Tori Amos - I really like some of her stuff.
itsnotmymind: (Default)
 I watched The Polar Express because my neighbors said it was a great movie (I haven't read the book). It is not a great movie. It is a decent movie. It's lack of greatness was particularly noticeable because I rewatched My Neighbor Totoro recently, which is also a children's movie but is legitimately great.

I am now watching Spider-Man: Homecoming. It's fun so far.

I'm reading a book entitled Yokohama Burning, by Joshua Hammer. It's about an earthquake that devastated Japan one hundred years ago. I'm on Fullmetal Alchemist volume 21. I remember plot points from the Brotherhood anime in bits and pieces.
itsnotmymind: (candy cane)
 I'm watching We Own This City. It's a miniseries about an investigation into corrupt police in Baltimore. It's an heir to The Wire: Some of the same people behind and on screen, some similar themes.

I'm almost done with Remembered Prisoners of a Forgotten War. Until reading this book, I was not aware that Korean War POWs had a bad reputation. According to so-called experts, they weren't as tough as POWs in other wars, due to being pampered and possibly domineering mothers. You can imagine how thrilled the survivors of harsh POW experiences were to hear that.
itsnotmymind: (Default)
 My sister gave me the Octavia Butler novel, Parable of the Talents, for my birthday. This is the sequel to Parable of the Sower, which she had previously given me. I really enjoyed Sower (although it gets really dark), so I am excited about Talents.

I'm about to start reading Remembered Prisoners of a Forgotten War, by Lewis H. Carlson. It is an oral history of American soldiers who were taken prisoner during the Korean War.

I am rewatching My Neighbor Totoro. The dub is different from the one I remember from my childhood - Satsuki is called Satski.

The podcast I listen to, You're Wrong About, is dealing with the custody struggle over the Cuban boy Elián González. I couldn't possible be wrong about this because I never even heard about it before. I guess I was just young enough to have not been aware of the news when it happened.

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