JANUARY 2009 ROUNDUP
I wasn't going to do these this year but then I realized I hadn't talked a lot about my pop culture intake lately and this is a (easy) way to do it. I also decided that this year I will count books and comics in the month I read most of them; for example, I started reading a trade yesterday but only read 2 out of the 6 issues collected, so that trade will go on February's log. Okay, blah blah...
I read 2 books in January (Prince of Stories and The Physiognomy). The latter is by Jeffrey Ford, who is one of my favorite writers. It is the first of a trilogy, which was reissued by Golden Gryphon late last year. I liked it, of course, and just a short while ago I started on the next book in the series. Anyway, I'm on a pace for 24 books read this year and it may end up being close to that...we'll see. Last January I read 4 books; my overall average books read in January for the last three years is 2.67.
I read 19 stories in January. Those stories came from the Dec. 2008 and Jan. 2009 issues of Asimov's and the Dec. 2008 issue of F&SF. I also read 19 stories last January; my overall average stories read in January for the last three years is 22.3.
I read 4 comics in January, 3 of which trades (Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes; Fables Vol. 11: War and Pieces; and Scalped Vol. 1: Indian Country). The other was the first issue of Incognito. Last January I read 7 comics, 4 of which were trades; my overall average comics read in January for the last three years is 9 (3.3 trades).
I bought 3 CDs and downloaded 6 more for a total of 9 new CDs in January (the downloads were covered in yesterday's eMusic post; the others were Bruce Springsteen's Working On A Dream; Mark Olson & Gary Louris' Ready For the Flood, and the reissue of The Replacements' All Shook Down). Last January I got 7 new CDs (5 downloads); my overall average of CDs bought in January for the last three years is 8.3 (6 downloads).
I didn't see any movies in the theater in January. I also didn't see any movies in the theater last January; my overall average of movies seen in January for the last three years is .3.
Once again, I've started keeping track of what I'm watching on DVD. I watched all 12 episodes on Flight of the Conchords Season One, all 10 episodes of Battlestar Galactica Seson 4.0, and 6 episodes of Superman: The Animated Series Vol. 3 for a total of 28 episodes. In addition, I watched one commentary (S:TAS Vol. 3), two features (BSG Vol. 4.0 and S:TAS Vol. 3), and the whole of the DVD that came with my deluxe edition of Working On A Dream. That gives me 33 separate DVD viewings in January, more than 1 a day.
I have not kept track of all the TV I've watched In January and won't do so this year. That said, I'll plan on doing a "What I'm Watching" post in the near future.
Showing posts with label DVDs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DVDs. Show all posts
Sunday, February 01, 2009
Sunday, August 24, 2008
PRE-COLLEGIATE PILE
As I've mentioned a few times, I am starting college again this fall. Well, "this fall" is now tomorrow and my first College Algebra class is less than 20 hours away; my first Spanish I class follows about 24 hours after College Algebra finishes. I am already working my new job in the school system and this will be the first full week of school. Luckily, I still have two more weeks before I add in another 6 1/2 hours of teaching swimming lessons at the YMCA. I'm not sure how all this will affect my pop culture intake but I thought I'd jot down some things I still need to read and/or watch, as much to remind myself as anything.
I still have the last 2 books in the Company series to read, Gods and Pawns and The Sons of Heaven. I want to read Lord Tophet and I have Sideways in Crime, an anthology of alternate history crime stories, on my shelf. Coming up in a few months, there will be 4 books from Jeffrey Ford available that I've never read, plus one from Kelly Link. Beyond that, there are tons of books I want to read.
I have 3 trade paperbacks lined up to read - JLA Presents: Aztek the Ultimate Man, Astro City: The Dark Age, and Zot! The Complete Black and White Collection. I still have 2 trades of The Walking Dead sitting in my file at the comics shop and the latest Invincible volume is on the shelves as well. Of course, new single issues keep coming out too and I've demonstrated I can't fully quit those.
The ever-present drawer of SF magazines holds 7 issues at the moment - 3 of Asimov's and 4 of F&SF (and one of those is a double issue). I also have 3 issues of EW that I haven't gone through, plus parts of another, and a new one should arrive in the mail tomorrow. Oh, there's a new issue of Spin too but I usually just flip through those.
What's on the DVD shelves that I haven't gone through? Well, Grant and I are about 2/3 of the way through Superman Animated Season 3 and then we have 2 volumes of Batman Animated and The Simpsons Season 10. I have two seasons of The Venture Bros. and The Darjeeling Limited, not to mention stuff like 30 Rock Season 1 that I've seen most of as it aired but haven't looked at on DVD.
As I've mentioned a few times, I am starting college again this fall. Well, "this fall" is now tomorrow and my first College Algebra class is less than 20 hours away; my first Spanish I class follows about 24 hours after College Algebra finishes. I am already working my new job in the school system and this will be the first full week of school. Luckily, I still have two more weeks before I add in another 6 1/2 hours of teaching swimming lessons at the YMCA. I'm not sure how all this will affect my pop culture intake but I thought I'd jot down some things I still need to read and/or watch, as much to remind myself as anything.
I still have the last 2 books in the Company series to read, Gods and Pawns and The Sons of Heaven. I want to read Lord Tophet and I have Sideways in Crime, an anthology of alternate history crime stories, on my shelf. Coming up in a few months, there will be 4 books from Jeffrey Ford available that I've never read, plus one from Kelly Link. Beyond that, there are tons of books I want to read.
I have 3 trade paperbacks lined up to read - JLA Presents: Aztek the Ultimate Man, Astro City: The Dark Age, and Zot! The Complete Black and White Collection. I still have 2 trades of The Walking Dead sitting in my file at the comics shop and the latest Invincible volume is on the shelves as well. Of course, new single issues keep coming out too and I've demonstrated I can't fully quit those.
The ever-present drawer of SF magazines holds 7 issues at the moment - 3 of Asimov's and 4 of F&SF (and one of those is a double issue). I also have 3 issues of EW that I haven't gone through, plus parts of another, and a new one should arrive in the mail tomorrow. Oh, there's a new issue of Spin too but I usually just flip through those.
What's on the DVD shelves that I haven't gone through? Well, Grant and I are about 2/3 of the way through Superman Animated Season 3 and then we have 2 volumes of Batman Animated and The Simpsons Season 10. I have two seasons of The Venture Bros. and The Darjeeling Limited, not to mention stuff like 30 Rock Season 1 that I've seen most of as it aired but haven't looked at on DVD.
I've got a number of TV shows on the DVR - all 7 episodes of Generation Kill and one each of The Middleman, Californication, Hard Knocks: The Dallas Cowboys, Burn Notice, and Mad Men. And of course, the new fall TV season gets underway very soon.
So, there's plenty to keep me busy in my shrinking spare time and that's not including spending time with my family, being social, and keeping up with my own music. Still, I'm very much looking forward to getting into all of it.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
DV DAYS
Today I finally worked my way through all of G4's coverage of this year's Comic-Con. Kinda fun to look at all the craziness without having to be in the middle of it..not that I've ever been to Comic-Con. Heck, it's been a lot of years since I've been to Wizard World Chicago but maybe I'll take Grant next summer. He might be into it.
Anyway, I still have lots of stuff on my DVR that I need to get to...and watching baseball doesn't help much in getting it watched. Not giving up watching the Sox and Cubs, though. No way.
Here's what I still need to watch...
3 episodes of Generation Kill (new mini-series from David Simon)
2 episodes of The Middleman (one of which is started)
2 episodes of Burn Notice (with a new one coming tomorrow night)
2 episodes of Secret Diary of a Call Girl (Billie Piper!)
1 episode of Mad Men (Season 2 premiere!)
1 episode of Venture Bros. (how did I ever live without this show?)
1 episode of Doctor Who (the penultimate ep of Season 4)
In other news, Grant and I have started on Superman Season 3 and have managed to watch the first 6 episodes. That's faster than we've watched anything in a while. Two really good two-parters, both full of Kirby creations, and two so-so single eps. A commentary and a featurette and then we're on to disc 2!
Today I finally worked my way through all of G4's coverage of this year's Comic-Con. Kinda fun to look at all the craziness without having to be in the middle of it..not that I've ever been to Comic-Con. Heck, it's been a lot of years since I've been to Wizard World Chicago but maybe I'll take Grant next summer. He might be into it.
Anyway, I still have lots of stuff on my DVR that I need to get to...and watching baseball doesn't help much in getting it watched. Not giving up watching the Sox and Cubs, though. No way.
Here's what I still need to watch...
3 episodes of Generation Kill (new mini-series from David Simon)
2 episodes of The Middleman (one of which is started)
2 episodes of Burn Notice (with a new one coming tomorrow night)
2 episodes of Secret Diary of a Call Girl (Billie Piper!)
1 episode of Mad Men (Season 2 premiere!)
1 episode of Venture Bros. (how did I ever live without this show?)
1 episode of Doctor Who (the penultimate ep of Season 4)
In other news, Grant and I have started on Superman Season 3 and have managed to watch the first 6 episodes. That's faster than we've watched anything in a while. Two really good two-parters, both full of Kirby creations, and two so-so single eps. A commentary and a featurette and then we're on to disc 2!
Sunday, June 29, 2008
SUMMER PROJECT UPDATE
Project #1: Start writing a novel
Progress: None whatsoever
Project #2: Work towards recording an EP
Progress: I have written one new song in the last few weeks
Project #3: Reread all 9 volumes of Y: The Last Man in preparation for the 10th and final volume
Progress: Completed, along with reading the last volume (it was fantastic!)
Project #4: Start my wife watching Battlestar Galactica
Progress: We are currently a few episodes into the 2nd season; she is completely hooked
Project #1: Start writing a novel
Progress: None whatsoever
Project #2: Work towards recording an EP
Progress: I have written one new song in the last few weeks
Project #3: Reread all 9 volumes of Y: The Last Man in preparation for the 10th and final volume
Progress: Completed, along with reading the last volume (it was fantastic!)
Project #4: Start my wife watching Battlestar Galactica
Progress: We are currently a few episodes into the 2nd season; she is completely hooked
Sunday, June 15, 2008
MOVIE MADNESS
After seeing no movies in the theater the first four months of the year, I've now seen 4 in the last month-and-a-half. We also have designs to see several upcoming movies as well, so my average should soon climb to one a month. I've also watched a number of movies on DVD over the last several months as well, so here's a quick recap of all of them...
Iron Man - I had hopes for this movie but it exceeded all my expectations. The opening was a textbook example of how to hook people and the rest of it just kept up the momentum. It's such a 21st century movie and I thought Robert Downey Jr. was fantastic. Of course, my geek heart was thrilled, especially with the after-credits bit.
Indiana Jones - We showed Grant the first three movies in prepartion for the new movie and it was fun going back and watching them again. Jill and I had watched Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Temple of Doom when that DVD set first came out a couple years ago but had never gotten around to The Last Crusade until now. I had completely forgotten that movie opened with young Indiana Jones...played by River Phoenix! Anyway, I had fun with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. It is certainly of a piece with the rest of the movies, even if it isn't my favorite of the bunch (which is still Raiders - that first love is deep).
Kung Fu Panda - Speaking of exceeding expectations, how about this movie? The animation was amazing. Amazing. I actually sat and watched all of the credits just for the drawings that accompanied them and therefore was the only person in the theater to see the little coda at the end. The story was a fun one and the action was awesome and I love Jack Black, what can I say? I highly recommend this movie.
The Incredible Hulk - We just saw this today and it was a solid movie. It doesn't reach the heights of Iron Man but it was entertaining. Lots of nods to the old TV show and a very solid performance from Edward Norton. At the end, you also see the Marvel movie masterplan coming together and it makes me a bit giddy. I hope they can keep up the quality.
No Country For Old Men - It's been over two months since we finally watched last year's Oscar winner. I'm a fan of the Coens and I really liked this movie. Heck, I didn't mind the ending either. I got where they were going with it and everything up to that point was great, so why quibble.
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story - I was very disappointed in this one. It seemed set for greatness - a cool idea, John C. Reilly, Judd Apatow, cameos from all sorts of cool people - but it just fell flat. I didn't laugh very much at all. At least we got a lot of the gorgeous Jenna Fischer, so that redeemed it a little.
Juno - This one was pretty much all it was advertised to be - great writing, great performances, and an awesome little movie. If you haven't seen it yet, you should. Soon.
Cloverfield - I was prepared to be disappointed. I wasn't. They took a monster movie and made it into something really cool with the way they approached it. The handheld style didn't bother me at all. At all. Maybe it was worse on the big screen, I don't know. When I first saw the trailer for this movie, it looked like all sorts of awesome. And it was.
Into the Wild - I'm still not sure what I think about this movie. I liked how it was shot and how it was told via flashback and Emile Hirsch had a great charisma as Chris McCandless. I guess my biggest problem was with McCandless himself. Just so stupid and selfish and blind. Which was part of the point, I know. I'm not sorry I saw it, that's for sure.
After seeing no movies in the theater the first four months of the year, I've now seen 4 in the last month-and-a-half. We also have designs to see several upcoming movies as well, so my average should soon climb to one a month. I've also watched a number of movies on DVD over the last several months as well, so here's a quick recap of all of them...
Iron Man - I had hopes for this movie but it exceeded all my expectations. The opening was a textbook example of how to hook people and the rest of it just kept up the momentum. It's such a 21st century movie and I thought Robert Downey Jr. was fantastic. Of course, my geek heart was thrilled, especially with the after-credits bit.
Indiana Jones - We showed Grant the first three movies in prepartion for the new movie and it was fun going back and watching them again. Jill and I had watched Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Temple of Doom when that DVD set first came out a couple years ago but had never gotten around to The Last Crusade until now. I had completely forgotten that movie opened with young Indiana Jones...played by River Phoenix! Anyway, I had fun with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. It is certainly of a piece with the rest of the movies, even if it isn't my favorite of the bunch (which is still Raiders - that first love is deep).
Kung Fu Panda - Speaking of exceeding expectations, how about this movie? The animation was amazing. Amazing. I actually sat and watched all of the credits just for the drawings that accompanied them and therefore was the only person in the theater to see the little coda at the end. The story was a fun one and the action was awesome and I love Jack Black, what can I say? I highly recommend this movie.
The Incredible Hulk - We just saw this today and it was a solid movie. It doesn't reach the heights of Iron Man but it was entertaining. Lots of nods to the old TV show and a very solid performance from Edward Norton. At the end, you also see the Marvel movie masterplan coming together and it makes me a bit giddy. I hope they can keep up the quality.
No Country For Old Men - It's been over two months since we finally watched last year's Oscar winner. I'm a fan of the Coens and I really liked this movie. Heck, I didn't mind the ending either. I got where they were going with it and everything up to that point was great, so why quibble.
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story - I was very disappointed in this one. It seemed set for greatness - a cool idea, John C. Reilly, Judd Apatow, cameos from all sorts of cool people - but it just fell flat. I didn't laugh very much at all. At least we got a lot of the gorgeous Jenna Fischer, so that redeemed it a little.
Juno - This one was pretty much all it was advertised to be - great writing, great performances, and an awesome little movie. If you haven't seen it yet, you should. Soon.
Cloverfield - I was prepared to be disappointed. I wasn't. They took a monster movie and made it into something really cool with the way they approached it. The handheld style didn't bother me at all. At all. Maybe it was worse on the big screen, I don't know. When I first saw the trailer for this movie, it looked like all sorts of awesome. And it was.
Into the Wild - I'm still not sure what I think about this movie. I liked how it was shot and how it was told via flashback and Emile Hirsch had a great charisma as Chris McCandless. I guess my biggest problem was with McCandless himself. Just so stupid and selfish and blind. Which was part of the point, I know. I'm not sorry I saw it, that's for sure.
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
ARRIVALS
It was a big day today, as some boxes of goodies that I ordered with birthday cash and gift cards arrived. Plus, it's a Wednesday - new comics! It's a nice relief to a long day at work. Here's what I got...
Battlestar Galactica Season Three
Big Dipper/Supercluster: The Big Dipper Anthology
The Black Keys/Attack & Release
Booster Gold #8
Michael Chabon/Maps and Legends
Justice Society of America #14
I also would have gotten Criminal Vol. 2 #2 but my shop had a shortage on it, so maybe next week. I love getting new stuff.
It was a big day today, as some boxes of goodies that I ordered with birthday cash and gift cards arrived. Plus, it's a Wednesday - new comics! It's a nice relief to a long day at work. Here's what I got...
Battlestar Galactica Season Three
Big Dipper/Supercluster: The Big Dipper Anthology
The Black Keys/Attack & Release
Booster Gold #8
Michael Chabon/Maps and Legends
Justice Society of America #14
I also would have gotten Criminal Vol. 2 #2 but my shop had a shortage on it, so maybe next week. I love getting new stuff.
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
FRAKKIN' SHADOWS
I just finished reading The Shadow Year by Jeffrey Ford, my 14th book of the year. The novel is an expansion of his novella "Botch Town," which was original to his last story collection, The Empire of Ice Cream. It is very very good and I spent 8 days reading it because I didn't want it to be over, even though I'd read a good chunk of it before. Ford is the real deal and a writer who everyone should be reading; he is adept at both the novel and shorter forms. This year is a big Ford year too, as we will get his third story collection and reissues of a three novel series from Golden Gryphon this fall. Five Ford books in one year that I haven't read? Wow.
I mentioned last week that it took the impending 4th season start of Battlestar Galactica to get me to finally watch Battlestar Galactica: Razor. It wasn't set between the 3rd and 4th seasons but backed up a bit to tell more of the story of the Pegasus, while adding in some teasers and depth for the final season. I liked it and had some fun looking at some of the extras (though not all of them yet).
Friday night was the season premiere and I was all set to watch...but ended up going out to see some friends play. I got half of the episode watched before work Saturday morning and then jumped right back into when I got home. Soooo good. So good. I cannot wait for more. I also saved the ep on the DVR because I want to start Jill on the show and she's willing. Not sure when we'll start but she says we don't have to wait for the summer. Yay.
I just finished reading The Shadow Year by Jeffrey Ford, my 14th book of the year. The novel is an expansion of his novella "Botch Town," which was original to his last story collection, The Empire of Ice Cream. It is very very good and I spent 8 days reading it because I didn't want it to be over, even though I'd read a good chunk of it before. Ford is the real deal and a writer who everyone should be reading; he is adept at both the novel and shorter forms. This year is a big Ford year too, as we will get his third story collection and reissues of a three novel series from Golden Gryphon this fall. Five Ford books in one year that I haven't read? Wow.
I mentioned last week that it took the impending 4th season start of Battlestar Galactica to get me to finally watch Battlestar Galactica: Razor. It wasn't set between the 3rd and 4th seasons but backed up a bit to tell more of the story of the Pegasus, while adding in some teasers and depth for the final season. I liked it and had some fun looking at some of the extras (though not all of them yet).
Friday night was the season premiere and I was all set to watch...but ended up going out to see some friends play. I got half of the episode watched before work Saturday morning and then jumped right back into when I got home. Soooo good. So good. I cannot wait for more. I also saved the ep on the DVR because I want to start Jill on the show and she's willing. Not sure when we'll start but she says we don't have to wait for the summer. Yay.
Monday, March 24, 2008
SMASHING
Last Thursday Grant finally had enough money to buy Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii. He's been playing it a lot, obviously, but Jill and I have gotten in the act too. Man, it is a ton of fun. You can fight on a variety of worlds from Nintendo games and as a wide variety of characters. You get to punch and use lightsabers and flip and all sorts of cool things as you try and knock out the other players. Last night I dominated as Mario, cutting way down on getting knocked off and upping my kill power. I love this game.
Yesterday I got a score of 8919 on computer solitaire, which is easily the highest score I've ever reached. I should probably retire, especially since I could be doing more productive things than playing it.
I spent a couple days last week reading through Justice Society of America: The Next Age, which collects the first 4 issues of the relaunched and ongoing series. I read these as they came out last year and liked them enough to get them in a collected edition. Geoff Johns is dealing with the legacy of the JSA, bringing in new characters and tieing into the past. It's the kind of DC comic that I go for and would love to write. Maybe someday.
I watched a cool Doctor Who two-parter ("Human Nature" and "The Family of Blood") over the weekend, breaking my self-imposed rule of watching show off the DVR in chronological order. The Doctor is being hunted by the family and flees to 1913 to hide, becoming fully human in the process. The aliens track him and Martha (masquerading as a servant) isn't sure what to do. It's a look at what it means to be human and what the Doctor sacrifices by being who he is. Really great work by the cast and writer Paul Cornell. This now brings me back to where I came in on the series, as "Blink" airs this coming Saturday. I'll probably watch the end of the third season again, especially now having seen just about the entire series (I missed maybe an ep or two somewhere along the line). Season 4 starts airing in April too, I think.
Speaking of series starting in April, I need to watch Battlestar Galactica: Razor before the final season starts on April 4. Frak yeah. Oh, you can find the cast's appearance on David Letterman doing a Top Ten list on You Tube...in character!
I also watched the first part of HBO's John Adams mini-series yesterday and found it thoroughly engrossing - both for the story and the performance of Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney and John and Abigail. Part two takes John to Philadelphia for the first Contintenal Congress and part three is also on the DVR.
Meanwhile, we're heading to Columbus for a few days tomorrow to visit Jill's dad and his wife. It will be nice to get away for a few days!
Last Thursday Grant finally had enough money to buy Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii. He's been playing it a lot, obviously, but Jill and I have gotten in the act too. Man, it is a ton of fun. You can fight on a variety of worlds from Nintendo games and as a wide variety of characters. You get to punch and use lightsabers and flip and all sorts of cool things as you try and knock out the other players. Last night I dominated as Mario, cutting way down on getting knocked off and upping my kill power. I love this game.
Yesterday I got a score of 8919 on computer solitaire, which is easily the highest score I've ever reached. I should probably retire, especially since I could be doing more productive things than playing it.
I spent a couple days last week reading through Justice Society of America: The Next Age, which collects the first 4 issues of the relaunched and ongoing series. I read these as they came out last year and liked them enough to get them in a collected edition. Geoff Johns is dealing with the legacy of the JSA, bringing in new characters and tieing into the past. It's the kind of DC comic that I go for and would love to write. Maybe someday.
I watched a cool Doctor Who two-parter ("Human Nature" and "The Family of Blood") over the weekend, breaking my self-imposed rule of watching show off the DVR in chronological order. The Doctor is being hunted by the family and flees to 1913 to hide, becoming fully human in the process. The aliens track him and Martha (masquerading as a servant) isn't sure what to do. It's a look at what it means to be human and what the Doctor sacrifices by being who he is. Really great work by the cast and writer Paul Cornell. This now brings me back to where I came in on the series, as "Blink" airs this coming Saturday. I'll probably watch the end of the third season again, especially now having seen just about the entire series (I missed maybe an ep or two somewhere along the line). Season 4 starts airing in April too, I think.
Speaking of series starting in April, I need to watch Battlestar Galactica: Razor before the final season starts on April 4. Frak yeah. Oh, you can find the cast's appearance on David Letterman doing a Top Ten list on You Tube...in character!
I also watched the first part of HBO's John Adams mini-series yesterday and found it thoroughly engrossing - both for the story and the performance of Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney and John and Abigail. Part two takes John to Philadelphia for the first Contintenal Congress and part three is also on the DVR.
Meanwhile, we're heading to Columbus for a few days tomorrow to visit Jill's dad and his wife. It will be nice to get away for a few days!
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
QUICK
I got up this morning and checked the old e-mail inbox as usual. I had a message from The Raconteurs, explaining that their new album, Consolers Of The Lonely, will be out next week. Next week! They just finished the album the other week and wanted to get it out as soon as possible and so that everyone could hear it at once. It's a cool idea and I am really looking forward to hearing it...and how awesome is it I don't have to wait very long?
Last night I read 70 pages of My Revolutions, a full quarter of the book. I should easily be able to finish by the time it's due at the library on Friday. I'm enjoying it so far too.
I managed to watch Torchwood (from 3/8) yesterday but that was all. Right now, the DVR is 26% full. Yikes. By the way, I gave up keeping track of TV shows last week. It just got to be too much to sustain and I couldn't make myself care that much. I also gave on the DVD tally as well, though I could reconstruct that more easily - I've only watched two more episodes of The Simpsons Season 9.
The good news is that it will be a relatively short day at work today. I only have to go in a teach my classes during the day; I put in a lot of supervisor hours the last two weeks so my boss doesn't want me to come back tonight. I can live with that. It's a dreary day out too, which is conducive to reading and catching up on my TV watching.
I got up this morning and checked the old e-mail inbox as usual. I had a message from The Raconteurs, explaining that their new album, Consolers Of The Lonely, will be out next week. Next week! They just finished the album the other week and wanted to get it out as soon as possible and so that everyone could hear it at once. It's a cool idea and I am really looking forward to hearing it...and how awesome is it I don't have to wait very long?
Last night I read 70 pages of My Revolutions, a full quarter of the book. I should easily be able to finish by the time it's due at the library on Friday. I'm enjoying it so far too.
I managed to watch Torchwood (from 3/8) yesterday but that was all. Right now, the DVR is 26% full. Yikes. By the way, I gave up keeping track of TV shows last week. It just got to be too much to sustain and I couldn't make myself care that much. I also gave on the DVD tally as well, though I could reconstruct that more easily - I've only watched two more episodes of The Simpsons Season 9.
The good news is that it will be a relatively short day at work today. I only have to go in a teach my classes during the day; I put in a lot of supervisor hours the last two weeks so my boss doesn't want me to come back tonight. I can live with that. It's a dreary day out too, which is conducive to reading and catching up on my TV watching.
Saturday, March 01, 2008
CONSTANTS
Thursday's episode of Lost was one of the best the series has produced so far and that's saying something. "The Constant" focused on Desmond once again - as he and Sayid flew on a helicopter out to the boat he suddenly became unstuck in time and his consciousness was toggling back and forth between 1996 and 2004 (still the present day of the series). It was sharply written and edited with great performances and cool ideas and it made me wish I could rewatch all three seasons of the show right now (of course, I still don't have Season 3 on DVD). Thank goodness the writer's strike is over and we can get 8 more episodes of this season.
Another TV show I love is almost over. I've been watching The Wire "On Demand," where they have each new episode of the season up the Monday before it airs on HBO. The other day I got around to watching the penultimate episode (and 9th of the fifth, final season), "Late Editions," and I felt sadness. Sadness not only for the fates of characters in the show but the fact that the show will soon be gone. I've said it before and I'll say it again - The Wire is one of the best TV shows ever. Ever. If you've never seen it, do yourself and favor and rent or buy Season 1 and dive in. You won't regret it.
Comics are another constant in my life, as I've been a reader for the last 27 years or so, give or take. I've gone through periods of high involvement and periods of keeping myself at a remove. Right now, I'm in a period of not caring that I love them and love super-heroes. Why? I think the energy of this guy might have helped me remember how much I do care. Why do I mention this, other than to tie in with my post title? I bought a big stack of 11 comics this past Wednesday.
I still had some of my Christmas (and Valentine's) cash and why not go ahead and use it up two months later? I bought the new Action Comics, the fifth part of the story with the Legion of Super-Heroes. I bought the 100th issue of Nexus and the first issue of Kick-Ass. I grabbed JSA Classified, which started a storyline about Wildcat written by my friend B. Clay Moore, and the last 5 issues of Justice Society of America, which I've missed reading. Criminal relaunched with a new #1 and there was a new Astro City Special about Beautie. It was a lot of good reading and I loved having a big stack like that. Of course, I can't afford to do that on a regular basis but that makes this week all the more sweet.
This week also saw the release of a new DC animated movie, Justice League: The New Frontier, which is based on the 2004 mini-series by Darwyn Cooke. The movie retains his cartoony, clean line style and does a good job encapsulating the story in a mere 75 minutes. Yes, there was a lot that was cut out but the story still worked. Grant had never read the comic but he really enjoyed the movie. There are a bunch of extras to get to, as I bought the 2-disc deluxe edition (which came with a Green Lantern figure).
Thursday's episode of Lost was one of the best the series has produced so far and that's saying something. "The Constant" focused on Desmond once again - as he and Sayid flew on a helicopter out to the boat he suddenly became unstuck in time and his consciousness was toggling back and forth between 1996 and 2004 (still the present day of the series). It was sharply written and edited with great performances and cool ideas and it made me wish I could rewatch all three seasons of the show right now (of course, I still don't have Season 3 on DVD). Thank goodness the writer's strike is over and we can get 8 more episodes of this season.
Another TV show I love is almost over. I've been watching The Wire "On Demand," where they have each new episode of the season up the Monday before it airs on HBO. The other day I got around to watching the penultimate episode (and 9th of the fifth, final season), "Late Editions," and I felt sadness. Sadness not only for the fates of characters in the show but the fact that the show will soon be gone. I've said it before and I'll say it again - The Wire is one of the best TV shows ever. Ever. If you've never seen it, do yourself and favor and rent or buy Season 1 and dive in. You won't regret it.
Comics are another constant in my life, as I've been a reader for the last 27 years or so, give or take. I've gone through periods of high involvement and periods of keeping myself at a remove. Right now, I'm in a period of not caring that I love them and love super-heroes. Why? I think the energy of this guy might have helped me remember how much I do care. Why do I mention this, other than to tie in with my post title? I bought a big stack of 11 comics this past Wednesday.
I still had some of my Christmas (and Valentine's) cash and why not go ahead and use it up two months later? I bought the new Action Comics, the fifth part of the story with the Legion of Super-Heroes. I bought the 100th issue of Nexus and the first issue of Kick-Ass. I grabbed JSA Classified, which started a storyline about Wildcat written by my friend B. Clay Moore, and the last 5 issues of Justice Society of America, which I've missed reading. Criminal relaunched with a new #1 and there was a new Astro City Special about Beautie. It was a lot of good reading and I loved having a big stack like that. Of course, I can't afford to do that on a regular basis but that makes this week all the more sweet.
This week also saw the release of a new DC animated movie, Justice League: The New Frontier, which is based on the 2004 mini-series by Darwyn Cooke. The movie retains his cartoony, clean line style and does a good job encapsulating the story in a mere 75 minutes. Yes, there was a lot that was cut out but the story still worked. Grant had never read the comic but he really enjoyed the movie. There are a bunch of extras to get to, as I bought the 2-disc deluxe edition (which came with a Green Lantern figure).
FEBRUARY ROUNDUP
There was an extra day to try and cram in as much pop culture as possible this year...and I spent last night not doing much of anything. Heck, I didn't even manage to get this post done. Ah well.
I read 4 books in February (The Dragons of Babel; Inside Straight; Like You'd Understand, Anyway; and Hunter's Run). I actually read those books in a 20 day period, from the 3rd to the 22nd. That brings my total on the year to 8, which keeps me on pace for 48 in 2008. Last February I only read one book and part of another, so I was much more productive this year.
I read 16 stories in February. The stories came from the Jan. 2008 issue of F&SF and Like You'd Understand, Anyway, a short story collection by Jim Shepard. I read 3 fewer stories this month and my year's total is 35. Last February, I read 22 stories, so I was a bit less productive this year.
I read 14 comics in February, of which only one was a trade (Captain America: Winter Soldier Vol. 1). This doubles my January reading and gives me 21 comics read on the year (5 trades). Last Febrauary I read 17 comics (2 trades and 1 OGN included), which isn't too much more than this year.
I bought 3 CDs and downloaded 5 more, for a total of 8 new CDs in February. I also downloaded two songs, both by Tokyo Police Club ("Your English Is Good" and b-side, "Swedes in Stockholm"). That brings my total on the year to 15 CDs and 3 songs. Last February I got 6 new CDs, so I'm at about the same pace.
I did not see any movies in the theater in February, which marks the 7th straight month that has happened. I didn't keep accurate track of when I saw movies until later in the year but I don't think I saw any last February (Zodiac was in March, wasn't it?).
I had 4 separate DVD viewings in February - 2 movies (The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters and Justice League: The New Frontier) and 2 commentaries (from The Simpsons Season 9). That's about 1 viewing a week and brings my year's total to 14 viewings. I did not keep track of DVDs last year.
I watched 62 episodes of TV shows in Feburary (4 that ran for 2 hours; 34 that ran for 1 hour; and 24 that ran for a half hour). Again, I do not keep track of sports and news. Those episodes came from 12 different shows (Mad Men; Life on Mars; Friday Night Lights; Doctor Who; Torchwood; The Simpsons; Biggest Loser; Breaking Bad; Lost; The Wire; In Treatment; and Girls Next Door). The show I watched the most episodes of was In Treatment, with 21 (it helps that it's on 5 nights a week). I watched about 2 shows a day on average and more than doubled my January viewing. I did not keep track of TV last year.
There was an extra day to try and cram in as much pop culture as possible this year...and I spent last night not doing much of anything. Heck, I didn't even manage to get this post done. Ah well.
I read 4 books in February (The Dragons of Babel; Inside Straight; Like You'd Understand, Anyway; and Hunter's Run). I actually read those books in a 20 day period, from the 3rd to the 22nd. That brings my total on the year to 8, which keeps me on pace for 48 in 2008. Last February I only read one book and part of another, so I was much more productive this year.
I read 16 stories in February. The stories came from the Jan. 2008 issue of F&SF and Like You'd Understand, Anyway, a short story collection by Jim Shepard. I read 3 fewer stories this month and my year's total is 35. Last February, I read 22 stories, so I was a bit less productive this year.
I read 14 comics in February, of which only one was a trade (Captain America: Winter Soldier Vol. 1). This doubles my January reading and gives me 21 comics read on the year (5 trades). Last Febrauary I read 17 comics (2 trades and 1 OGN included), which isn't too much more than this year.
I bought 3 CDs and downloaded 5 more, for a total of 8 new CDs in February. I also downloaded two songs, both by Tokyo Police Club ("Your English Is Good" and b-side, "Swedes in Stockholm"). That brings my total on the year to 15 CDs and 3 songs. Last February I got 6 new CDs, so I'm at about the same pace.
I did not see any movies in the theater in February, which marks the 7th straight month that has happened. I didn't keep accurate track of when I saw movies until later in the year but I don't think I saw any last February (Zodiac was in March, wasn't it?).
I had 4 separate DVD viewings in February - 2 movies (The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters and Justice League: The New Frontier) and 2 commentaries (from The Simpsons Season 9). That's about 1 viewing a week and brings my year's total to 14 viewings. I did not keep track of DVDs last year.
I watched 62 episodes of TV shows in Feburary (4 that ran for 2 hours; 34 that ran for 1 hour; and 24 that ran for a half hour). Again, I do not keep track of sports and news. Those episodes came from 12 different shows (Mad Men; Life on Mars; Friday Night Lights; Doctor Who; Torchwood; The Simpsons; Biggest Loser; Breaking Bad; Lost; The Wire; In Treatment; and Girls Next Door). The show I watched the most episodes of was In Treatment, with 21 (it helps that it's on 5 nights a week). I watched about 2 shows a day on average and more than doubled my January viewing. I did not keep track of TV last year.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
A WALL
Yup, I hit a wall. A reading wall. Last Friday I finished reading Hunter's Run (a fine SF novel by Gardner Dozois, George R.R. Martin, and Daniel Abraham) and had started in on Stephen King's latest, Duma Key. That start was fine enough, not hooking me instantly but not turning me off either, but I had a problem. I was a bit burned out on books and was feeling a bit overwhelmed. I had read 4 books in 20 days and had a bunch of books piled up and coming due at the library (you can't renew if other people have requested them, which was the case for a few I had) and just felt like I needed a break. So, I stopped the King and returned it along with a number of other things from my pile. That's what happens when you request a bunch of books that all come out at the same time. Anyway, I will get to most of those books...I just needed to feel a bit of control and to take a break.
What did I do instead? Well, I watched a lot of TV. The good news is that I got pretty well caught up on shows on the DVR. As of right now, I have only 6 things on the DVR that I haven't watched and there's a new ep of The Wire I could watch On Demand as well. Not bad, considering.
I also read one of the trades I'd picked up at the sale the previous weekend - Captain America: Winter Soldier Vol. 1. It collects the first 7 issues of the ongoing series (#35 comes out tomorrow, so I'm still over 2 years behind), of which I read the first when it came out. The creative team for this series is Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting (with flashbacks drawn by Michael Lark, who is also my second cousin) and they do a great job with a mix of action, history, and mysteries. I kinda wish I had bought more trades of the series at the sale. Oh well, I'll get to them at some point.
To add more to my stack of pop culture, I went out to Best Buy and used up the last of my gift cards and some of my cash still left for Christmas to pick up Justice League: The New Frontier and The Darjeeling Limited. I had planned on rereading Darwyn Cooke's DCU: The New Frontier series in preparation for the former but still haven't gotten to it. As for the latter, I didn't see it in theaters but I can't pass up a Wes Anderson movie.
That's about it.
Yup, I hit a wall. A reading wall. Last Friday I finished reading Hunter's Run (a fine SF novel by Gardner Dozois, George R.R. Martin, and Daniel Abraham) and had started in on Stephen King's latest, Duma Key. That start was fine enough, not hooking me instantly but not turning me off either, but I had a problem. I was a bit burned out on books and was feeling a bit overwhelmed. I had read 4 books in 20 days and had a bunch of books piled up and coming due at the library (you can't renew if other people have requested them, which was the case for a few I had) and just felt like I needed a break. So, I stopped the King and returned it along with a number of other things from my pile. That's what happens when you request a bunch of books that all come out at the same time. Anyway, I will get to most of those books...I just needed to feel a bit of control and to take a break.
What did I do instead? Well, I watched a lot of TV. The good news is that I got pretty well caught up on shows on the DVR. As of right now, I have only 6 things on the DVR that I haven't watched and there's a new ep of The Wire I could watch On Demand as well. Not bad, considering.
I also read one of the trades I'd picked up at the sale the previous weekend - Captain America: Winter Soldier Vol. 1. It collects the first 7 issues of the ongoing series (#35 comes out tomorrow, so I'm still over 2 years behind), of which I read the first when it came out. The creative team for this series is Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting (with flashbacks drawn by Michael Lark, who is also my second cousin) and they do a great job with a mix of action, history, and mysteries. I kinda wish I had bought more trades of the series at the sale. Oh well, I'll get to them at some point.
To add more to my stack of pop culture, I went out to Best Buy and used up the last of my gift cards and some of my cash still left for Christmas to pick up Justice League: The New Frontier and The Darjeeling Limited. I had planned on rereading Darwyn Cooke's DCU: The New Frontier series in preparation for the former but still haven't gotten to it. As for the latter, I didn't see it in theaters but I can't pass up a Wes Anderson movie.
That's about it.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
STATUS UPDATE
Here's what I've accomplished the last three days...
I read around 170 pages to finish my 5th book of the year, The Dragons of Babel by Michael Swanwick. Swanwick is one of the finest writers working today and this new novel is proof. In fact, that only problem I had with it is that I had read large parts of it in short story form. A small problem, obviously, when you get a world that has magic and fairies and Joe Louis and cars and anything you could think of and a story that tracks a boy from being forced to obey a dragon to...well, getting there is the fun. All fans of fantasy should read this one.
I am also over 50 pages into the next book and may increase that number before going to sleep tonight.
I finished the issue of Wizard I was working on. This is now the second month in a row that I've picked up the mag, which I've read off and on for over a decade. I miss reading comics on a regular basis when I read the magazine and that's not a bad thing. I'm figuring out ways for some monthly comics to make their way into my budget. Comics are meant to be fun, after all, and I love them.
I watched 10 episodes of TV in 3 days, 9 on the DVR and one On Demand. Not bad. However, I recorded (or will yet record) 6 more episodes by the end of tonight. A net gain of 4 episodes then. I am only about a week behind in my watching now, though. 5 of those episodes were In Treatment, the new HBO shows that airs 5 nights a week with each episode focusing on a different person in therapy with Paul (who sees someone else on the 5th night). It's very interesting so far and I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes; my favorite night after one week is "Alex," which stars Blair Underwood. Man, he's good. So is Gabriel Byrne as Paul. The other five episodes were from 5 TV shows and they were all enjoyable.
And no, I didn't go see a movie. And I did send back Ocean's Thirteen unwatched. Didn't watch Battlestar Galactica: Razor either. And that's about it.
Here's what I've accomplished the last three days...
I read around 170 pages to finish my 5th book of the year, The Dragons of Babel by Michael Swanwick. Swanwick is one of the finest writers working today and this new novel is proof. In fact, that only problem I had with it is that I had read large parts of it in short story form. A small problem, obviously, when you get a world that has magic and fairies and Joe Louis and cars and anything you could think of and a story that tracks a boy from being forced to obey a dragon to...well, getting there is the fun. All fans of fantasy should read this one.
I am also over 50 pages into the next book and may increase that number before going to sleep tonight.
I finished the issue of Wizard I was working on. This is now the second month in a row that I've picked up the mag, which I've read off and on for over a decade. I miss reading comics on a regular basis when I read the magazine and that's not a bad thing. I'm figuring out ways for some monthly comics to make their way into my budget. Comics are meant to be fun, after all, and I love them.
I watched 10 episodes of TV in 3 days, 9 on the DVR and one On Demand. Not bad. However, I recorded (or will yet record) 6 more episodes by the end of tonight. A net gain of 4 episodes then. I am only about a week behind in my watching now, though. 5 of those episodes were In Treatment, the new HBO shows that airs 5 nights a week with each episode focusing on a different person in therapy with Paul (who sees someone else on the 5th night). It's very interesting so far and I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes; my favorite night after one week is "Alex," which stars Blair Underwood. Man, he's good. So is Gabriel Byrne as Paul. The other five episodes were from 5 TV shows and they were all enjoyable.
And no, I didn't go see a movie. And I did send back Ocean's Thirteen unwatched. Didn't watch Battlestar Galactica: Razor either. And that's about it.
Friday, February 08, 2008
STATUS REPORT
I had planned on a couple more posts this week - one on the Super Bowl and Super Tuesday and the debut of my long-planned "Midweek Music Review" (on the new Drive-By Truckers album) - but things have been busy and I've been quite tired. I've also been trying to catch up on my pop cutlure intake.
I'm about 150 pages into the book I started reading on Sunday. I like it a lot so far but I just haven't been able to get to it as much as I'd like. I have another book from the library that is due tomorrow and will have to be renewed. Yesterday I picked up 4 more books from the library as multiple requests all arrived at the same time. Yikes.
I still have 2 issues each of F&SF and Asimov's stacked up. I have the 7th trade of Walking Dead sitting in my file at the comics shop and I'd like to reread DC: The New Frontier before the DVD adaptation comes out on the 26th. Oh, and there's a big sale at the comics shop a week from tomorrow and I have my eye on several more trades. I'm still reading Entertainment Weekly from 2 weeks ago and I'm not even halfway through the Wizard I bought last week.
I have 16 episodes of TV shows to catch up on between the DVR and On Demand. 2 more shows will be recorded tonight; 2 again tomorrow night; and yet 2 more on Sunday night (plus another that we'll watch live). I've had Ocean's Thirteen sitting around for about 2 weeks from Netflix and it's probably time to give up on watching it for now. A friend keeps asking me if I've watched Battlestar Galactica: Razor yet...I haven't.
Yep, I'm behind. And coherent blog posts will probably be sparse for a while. The good news is I'm not on call this weekend and we have nothing on our schedule. I am thinking about catching a movie, though. Maybe Juno or No Country For Old Men?
I had planned on a couple more posts this week - one on the Super Bowl and Super Tuesday and the debut of my long-planned "Midweek Music Review" (on the new Drive-By Truckers album) - but things have been busy and I've been quite tired. I've also been trying to catch up on my pop cutlure intake.
I'm about 150 pages into the book I started reading on Sunday. I like it a lot so far but I just haven't been able to get to it as much as I'd like. I have another book from the library that is due tomorrow and will have to be renewed. Yesterday I picked up 4 more books from the library as multiple requests all arrived at the same time. Yikes.
I still have 2 issues each of F&SF and Asimov's stacked up. I have the 7th trade of Walking Dead sitting in my file at the comics shop and I'd like to reread DC: The New Frontier before the DVD adaptation comes out on the 26th. Oh, and there's a big sale at the comics shop a week from tomorrow and I have my eye on several more trades. I'm still reading Entertainment Weekly from 2 weeks ago and I'm not even halfway through the Wizard I bought last week.
I have 16 episodes of TV shows to catch up on between the DVR and On Demand. 2 more shows will be recorded tonight; 2 again tomorrow night; and yet 2 more on Sunday night (plus another that we'll watch live). I've had Ocean's Thirteen sitting around for about 2 weeks from Netflix and it's probably time to give up on watching it for now. A friend keeps asking me if I've watched Battlestar Galactica: Razor yet...I haven't.
Yep, I'm behind. And coherent blog posts will probably be sparse for a while. The good news is I'm not on call this weekend and we have nothing on our schedule. I am thinking about catching a movie, though. Maybe Juno or No Country For Old Men?
Thursday, January 31, 2008
JANUARY ROUNDUP
I don't want to sound like an old person...but where the heck did January go? Wow. Anyway, I'm keeping track of my pop culture intake once again this year with a few new categories. Let's get to the numbers...
I read 4 books in January (Gentlemen of the Road; Dreamsongs: Volume II; Zeroville; and Bridge of Sighs). Actually, I had read those books by the 23rd and have spent the time since reading other things. The 4 books puts me on pace for 48 read this year, which is my goal. So far, so good. By way of comparison, I read only 2 books last January.
I read 19 stories in January. These stories came from Dreamsongs: Volume II; the Jan. 2008 issue of Asimov's; the Jan. 2008 issue of F&SF; and the Dec. 17, 2007 issue of The New Yorker. By way of comparison, I read 29 stories last January.
I read 7 comics in January, 4 of which were trades (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Vol. 1: The Long Way Home; Ex Machina Vol. 6: Power Down; The Walking Dead Vol. 6: This Sorrowful Life; and The Brave and the Bold Vol. 1: The Lords of Luck). By way of comparison, I read 16 comics (of which 3 were trades) last January.
I bought 2 CDs and downloaded 5 more, for a total of 7 new CDs in January. I also downloaded one song ("Ladies of Cambridge" by Vampire Weekend). By way of comparison, I got 9 new CDs (7 downloaded) last January.
I did not see any movies in the theater in January, which makes this the 6th straight month without going out to the movies. I didn't keep accurate track of the dates I saw movies until later in the year in 2007 but I know I saw one movie last January.
I have decided to start keeping track of DVDs again, a stat I didn't stick with last year. I had 10 separate DVD viewings in January - 5 movies (The Bourne Identity; The Bourne Supremacy; The Bourne Ultimatum; Runnin' Down A Dream - on two discs; and 3:10 to Yuma), 1 concert (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: The 30th Anniversary Concert), 1 episode of The Simpsons Season 9, and 2 commentaries with delted scenes (also on The Simpsons Season 9). That's about 1 every three days.
I have also decided to keep track of my TV viewing, though I have not kept track of any news, sports, or combinations of the two (which basically covers stuff like The Sports Reporters). I watched 30 episodes of shows in January (4 that ran for 2 hours; 19 that ran for 1 hour; and 7 that ran for a half hour). Those episodes were from 13 different shows (Biggest Loser; Doctor Who; Life on Mars; The Wire; Friday Night Lights; Amazing Race 12; Girls Next Door; 30 Rock; The Simpsons; My Name Is Earl; Chuck; Breaking Bad; and Lost). The show I watched the most episodes of was Biggest Loser, with 5 episodes. I watched about one TV show a day. I do have shows on the DVR going back 11 days; I watched the shows live, recorded on the DVR, and On Demand.
I don't want to sound like an old person...but where the heck did January go? Wow. Anyway, I'm keeping track of my pop culture intake once again this year with a few new categories. Let's get to the numbers...
I read 4 books in January (Gentlemen of the Road; Dreamsongs: Volume II; Zeroville; and Bridge of Sighs). Actually, I had read those books by the 23rd and have spent the time since reading other things. The 4 books puts me on pace for 48 read this year, which is my goal. So far, so good. By way of comparison, I read only 2 books last January.
I read 19 stories in January. These stories came from Dreamsongs: Volume II; the Jan. 2008 issue of Asimov's; the Jan. 2008 issue of F&SF; and the Dec. 17, 2007 issue of The New Yorker. By way of comparison, I read 29 stories last January.
I read 7 comics in January, 4 of which were trades (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Vol. 1: The Long Way Home; Ex Machina Vol. 6: Power Down; The Walking Dead Vol. 6: This Sorrowful Life; and The Brave and the Bold Vol. 1: The Lords of Luck). By way of comparison, I read 16 comics (of which 3 were trades) last January.
I bought 2 CDs and downloaded 5 more, for a total of 7 new CDs in January. I also downloaded one song ("Ladies of Cambridge" by Vampire Weekend). By way of comparison, I got 9 new CDs (7 downloaded) last January.
I did not see any movies in the theater in January, which makes this the 6th straight month without going out to the movies. I didn't keep accurate track of the dates I saw movies until later in the year in 2007 but I know I saw one movie last January.
I have decided to start keeping track of DVDs again, a stat I didn't stick with last year. I had 10 separate DVD viewings in January - 5 movies (The Bourne Identity; The Bourne Supremacy; The Bourne Ultimatum; Runnin' Down A Dream - on two discs; and 3:10 to Yuma), 1 concert (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: The 30th Anniversary Concert), 1 episode of The Simpsons Season 9, and 2 commentaries with delted scenes (also on The Simpsons Season 9). That's about 1 every three days.
I have also decided to keep track of my TV viewing, though I have not kept track of any news, sports, or combinations of the two (which basically covers stuff like The Sports Reporters). I watched 30 episodes of shows in January (4 that ran for 2 hours; 19 that ran for 1 hour; and 7 that ran for a half hour). Those episodes were from 13 different shows (Biggest Loser; Doctor Who; Life on Mars; The Wire; Friday Night Lights; Amazing Race 12; Girls Next Door; 30 Rock; The Simpsons; My Name Is Earl; Chuck; Breaking Bad; and Lost). The show I watched the most episodes of was Biggest Loser, with 5 episodes. I watched about one TV show a day. I do have shows on the DVR going back 11 days; I watched the shows live, recorded on the DVR, and On Demand.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
VARIETY
Jill and I watched 3:10 to Yuma last night and we liked it a lot. Russell Crowe and Christian Bale are excellent as two men on opposite sides of the law who see themselves in the other and there is a lot of great Western action - gun battles, horses, and so on. But as I thought about how I would review the movie for the blog, I instead started thinking about why I love pop culture. I love the variety.
It's not just the variety of the medium either, it's also the variety within those mediums. I don't understand people who stick to certain types of movies or books or music, people who will dismiss out-of-hand certain genres or say TV is a waste. Why would you want to cut out so many possibles or seeing or hearing and reading something new, something that could speak to you in a whole new way?
If I look at the pop culture I've ingested since the start of last weekend to right now, I find...
* Short stories from fantasy to SF to horror
* A four hour documentary on one of the great rock bands
* A trippy super-hero comic
* A show about teams racing around the world
* A show about Hugh Hefner and his girlfriends
* A book about a man obsessed with movies who discovers a secret about Movies
* A show about teams trying to lose as much weight as they can
* A super-hero comic about time travel, friendship, and the DC Universe
* Another comic about super-heroics and politics and an incursion from an alternate world
* A show about a cop who may have time-traveled to 1973
* A Western that is as much about character as about good versus evil
* A book about a man in upstate New York that I'm still sinking into
And that doesn't even mention the music, new and old. How can one resist? How can one not think about the possibilities of pop culture to come? I know I have a comic about zombies and more short stories and a bunch of new albums coming up in the very near future. I love pop culture. I love the variety. Man, I love the variety.
Jill and I watched 3:10 to Yuma last night and we liked it a lot. Russell Crowe and Christian Bale are excellent as two men on opposite sides of the law who see themselves in the other and there is a lot of great Western action - gun battles, horses, and so on. But as I thought about how I would review the movie for the blog, I instead started thinking about why I love pop culture. I love the variety.
It's not just the variety of the medium either, it's also the variety within those mediums. I don't understand people who stick to certain types of movies or books or music, people who will dismiss out-of-hand certain genres or say TV is a waste. Why would you want to cut out so many possibles or seeing or hearing and reading something new, something that could speak to you in a whole new way?
If I look at the pop culture I've ingested since the start of last weekend to right now, I find...
* Short stories from fantasy to SF to horror
* A four hour documentary on one of the great rock bands
* A trippy super-hero comic
* A show about teams racing around the world
* A show about Hugh Hefner and his girlfriends
* A book about a man obsessed with movies who discovers a secret about Movies
* A show about teams trying to lose as much weight as they can
* A super-hero comic about time travel, friendship, and the DC Universe
* Another comic about super-heroics and politics and an incursion from an alternate world
* A show about a cop who may have time-traveled to 1973
* A Western that is as much about character as about good versus evil
* A book about a man in upstate New York that I'm still sinking into
And that doesn't even mention the music, new and old. How can one resist? How can one not think about the possibilities of pop culture to come? I know I have a comic about zombies and more short stories and a bunch of new albums coming up in the very near future. I love pop culture. I love the variety. Man, I love the variety.
Monday, January 14, 2008
RUNNIN' DOWN SOME DREAMSONGS
I took advantage of Jill and Grant going to see a movie on Friday night (the new Veggie Tales movie) to crack open one of my Christmas presents - the Peter Bogdonavich documentary on Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Runnin' Down A Dream. It's a four hour movie split into two discs - I watched the first one on Friday and the second Saturday afternoon because I didn't want to wait to watch the rest. It's a fascinating look at Tom and the group, full of pain and truth and humor and a shitload of great rock music. If you're a fan of the band, I think you'll want to watch this documentary. If you're not a fan, I'm not sure if we can be friends anymore. Seriously, it's good music. The best part? I still have another DVD in the set that has the full homecoming concert in Gainsville that provides the spine for the doc as well as a CD of rarities. The worst part? Mike Campbell's hair in the concert and interview footage. Yikes. One of the most underrated guitar players in the world, though.
I've spent the last 10 days reading my 2nd book of the year, Dreamsongs: Volume II by George R.R. Martin. I liked the first volume so much that I didn't want to wait too long to get to the second half. This volume is just as big but doesn't have as much material; what it does have is longer material, which isn't a bad thing in this case. The first section has two stories about Haviland Tuf, an ecological engineer who travels the stars with a gigantic ship left over from another age. He's a bit of a bastard and doing business with him won't turn out the way you want but the stories are very readable.
The next section contains some samples of his TV work (he was a big part of the show Beauty and the Beast, of which I was a big fan). There aren't any scripts from that show but a story from a later iteration of The Twilight Zone and the pilot for a series he was going to run called Doorways, which has some similar ideas to Sliders, another show of which I was a big fan.
Section three (or eight, when counting volume one) has some stories that he wrote for the shared super-hero series Wild Cards. Guess what? I was a big fan of those books - they started coming out when I was in high school. I now wish I had picked up the reissues several years back but they are now out of print. Sigh. Anyway, "Shell Games" is about the redemption of Doctor Tachyon and the rise of The Great and Powerful Turtle; "From the Journal of Xavier Desmond" is the tale of a fact-finding mission undertaken by a variety of people affected by the "wild card" and is told by a Joker (who were dealt mutations). Good stuff.
Finally, the last section puts it all out there. "Under Siege" brings back some of the story from "The Fortress" but uses time travel and an alternate world and turns it into something even more powerful. "The Skin Trade" is about a P.I. and a werewolf trying to discover secrets about various deaths. "Unsound Variations" is an uncomfortable look at success and failure through a lens of chess and time travel. Death abounds in "The Glass Flower." We get a prequel to his series A Song of Fire and Ice in "The Hedge Knight," which I loved. Guess I have to start reading that series now. Finally, "Portraits of His Children" is a chilling tale of a writer who chooses his work over his life.
I am completely sold on George R.R. Martin and I am going to read as much of his work as I can. It's great to discover a wrier who is new to you, though a bit disheartening when you realize you could have been reading them for years. Ah well, better late than never.
I also found some time to read a comic over the weekend, Teen Titans Lost Annual #1. It's a story written by Bob Haney, who wrote the Titans back in the 60s. Unfortunately, he died a couple years ago (the comic was held up for a few years). I've never really read his work but if this comic is any indication, it was unique. The plot has the Titans traveling to an alien world after Robin realizes President Kennedy has been replaced by a duplicate. He was brought to this world in order to defeat The Violaters, a savage race that has been warring with the Ullustrans for centuries. The Violaters aren't so bad though - Wonder Girl falls in love with one of them. Meanwhile, Robin has a plan to save the day and Kid Flash and Speedy quip wise and run fast or shoot arrows. Aqualad? He stays behind on Earth to hold the fort. Like I said, unique. The art is done by Jay Stephens (pencils) and Mike Allred (inks) and it is fantastic. Of course, they are two of my favorite artists but this issue shows why. Clean lines, kinetic action, and a sense of vibrant fun. I guess that's why this comic is. Vibrant fun. They don't make them like this anymore and I wouldn't want to see all comics be like this but as a change of pace, it's a blast.
I took advantage of Jill and Grant going to see a movie on Friday night (the new Veggie Tales movie) to crack open one of my Christmas presents - the Peter Bogdonavich documentary on Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Runnin' Down A Dream. It's a four hour movie split into two discs - I watched the first one on Friday and the second Saturday afternoon because I didn't want to wait to watch the rest. It's a fascinating look at Tom and the group, full of pain and truth and humor and a shitload of great rock music. If you're a fan of the band, I think you'll want to watch this documentary. If you're not a fan, I'm not sure if we can be friends anymore. Seriously, it's good music. The best part? I still have another DVD in the set that has the full homecoming concert in Gainsville that provides the spine for the doc as well as a CD of rarities. The worst part? Mike Campbell's hair in the concert and interview footage. Yikes. One of the most underrated guitar players in the world, though.
I've spent the last 10 days reading my 2nd book of the year, Dreamsongs: Volume II by George R.R. Martin. I liked the first volume so much that I didn't want to wait too long to get to the second half. This volume is just as big but doesn't have as much material; what it does have is longer material, which isn't a bad thing in this case. The first section has two stories about Haviland Tuf, an ecological engineer who travels the stars with a gigantic ship left over from another age. He's a bit of a bastard and doing business with him won't turn out the way you want but the stories are very readable.
The next section contains some samples of his TV work (he was a big part of the show Beauty and the Beast, of which I was a big fan). There aren't any scripts from that show but a story from a later iteration of The Twilight Zone and the pilot for a series he was going to run called Doorways, which has some similar ideas to Sliders, another show of which I was a big fan.
Section three (or eight, when counting volume one) has some stories that he wrote for the shared super-hero series Wild Cards. Guess what? I was a big fan of those books - they started coming out when I was in high school. I now wish I had picked up the reissues several years back but they are now out of print. Sigh. Anyway, "Shell Games" is about the redemption of Doctor Tachyon and the rise of The Great and Powerful Turtle; "From the Journal of Xavier Desmond" is the tale of a fact-finding mission undertaken by a variety of people affected by the "wild card" and is told by a Joker (who were dealt mutations). Good stuff.
Finally, the last section puts it all out there. "Under Siege" brings back some of the story from "The Fortress" but uses time travel and an alternate world and turns it into something even more powerful. "The Skin Trade" is about a P.I. and a werewolf trying to discover secrets about various deaths. "Unsound Variations" is an uncomfortable look at success and failure through a lens of chess and time travel. Death abounds in "The Glass Flower." We get a prequel to his series A Song of Fire and Ice in "The Hedge Knight," which I loved. Guess I have to start reading that series now. Finally, "Portraits of His Children" is a chilling tale of a writer who chooses his work over his life.
I am completely sold on George R.R. Martin and I am going to read as much of his work as I can. It's great to discover a wrier who is new to you, though a bit disheartening when you realize you could have been reading them for years. Ah well, better late than never.
I also found some time to read a comic over the weekend, Teen Titans Lost Annual #1. It's a story written by Bob Haney, who wrote the Titans back in the 60s. Unfortunately, he died a couple years ago (the comic was held up for a few years). I've never really read his work but if this comic is any indication, it was unique. The plot has the Titans traveling to an alien world after Robin realizes President Kennedy has been replaced by a duplicate. He was brought to this world in order to defeat The Violaters, a savage race that has been warring with the Ullustrans for centuries. The Violaters aren't so bad though - Wonder Girl falls in love with one of them. Meanwhile, Robin has a plan to save the day and Kid Flash and Speedy quip wise and run fast or shoot arrows. Aqualad? He stays behind on Earth to hold the fort. Like I said, unique. The art is done by Jay Stephens (pencils) and Mike Allred (inks) and it is fantastic. Of course, they are two of my favorite artists but this issue shows why. Clean lines, kinetic action, and a sense of vibrant fun. I guess that's why this comic is. Vibrant fun. They don't make them like this anymore and I wouldn't want to see all comics be like this but as a change of pace, it's a blast.
Monday, December 31, 2007
DECEMBER ROUNDUP
Yes, it's time for the last roundup of 2007...or is it? I'm actually going to talk about December now and will do a full breakdown on the year a little later. A little two for the price of one action on New Year's Eve. I've been reading magazines for the last few days, trying to catch up a bit, so I know these numbers are set in stone (the DVD watching is still not complete for the year but I wasn't keeping strict track anyway).
I read 4+ books in December; I finished Remainder (of which I'd read about 90 pages in November) and also read Hartsburg, USA, Dreamsongs: Vol. 1, Slam, and The Spiral Labyrinth.
I read 29 stories in December, a total which includes the whole of Dreamsongs: Vol. 1 and the Dec. 2007 issue of F&SF.
I read 8 comics in December - 6 of them single issues (3 each of Action Comics and Booster Gold), 1 OGN (Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together), and 1 trade (Jack of Fables Vol. 2: Jack of Hearts).
I bought, downloaded, or received 11 CDs in December as well as downloading a single song ("Surf City Eastern Bloc" from Arcade Fire's No Cars Go single). Hmm, when was the last time I did an eMusic download update?
I didn't see any movies in the theater in December.
As far as DVDs go, I know that I watched The Squid and the Whale and Once. Grant and I watched some more of The Simpsons Season 9 and I watched most of The Simpsons Movie with him on Christmas Day. Jill and I have gotten through most of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Seasons 1 & 2 and will probably finish it this evening (except for a commentary...maybe). She's also talking about watching Superbad, so that will most likely happen tonight as well. That's about it.
Yes, it's time for the last roundup of 2007...or is it? I'm actually going to talk about December now and will do a full breakdown on the year a little later. A little two for the price of one action on New Year's Eve. I've been reading magazines for the last few days, trying to catch up a bit, so I know these numbers are set in stone (the DVD watching is still not complete for the year but I wasn't keeping strict track anyway).
I read 4+ books in December; I finished Remainder (of which I'd read about 90 pages in November) and also read Hartsburg, USA, Dreamsongs: Vol. 1, Slam, and The Spiral Labyrinth.
I read 29 stories in December, a total which includes the whole of Dreamsongs: Vol. 1 and the Dec. 2007 issue of F&SF.
I read 8 comics in December - 6 of them single issues (3 each of Action Comics and Booster Gold), 1 OGN (Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together), and 1 trade (Jack of Fables Vol. 2: Jack of Hearts).
I bought, downloaded, or received 11 CDs in December as well as downloading a single song ("Surf City Eastern Bloc" from Arcade Fire's No Cars Go single). Hmm, when was the last time I did an eMusic download update?
I didn't see any movies in the theater in December.
As far as DVDs go, I know that I watched The Squid and the Whale and Once. Grant and I watched some more of The Simpsons Season 9 and I watched most of The Simpsons Movie with him on Christmas Day. Jill and I have gotten through most of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Seasons 1 & 2 and will probably finish it this evening (except for a commentary...maybe). She's also talking about watching Superbad, so that will most likely happen tonight as well. That's about it.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
ONCE INTO THE SPIRAL LABYRINTH
About a week ago, I got around to watching Once. It's a musical but a musical in which the music is completely organic to the story. It's about an unnamed musician who works in his father's vacuum repair shop and also busks on the street; he's trying to futher his musical career. One day he meets an unnamed girl who turns out to be a piano player. The story is about their relationship, both real and musical. In fact, the music-making often says what they can't actually say to each other and neither is really in the position to give themselves to the other. It's all done in a subtle way...in fact, it's a really low-key film. The performances by Glen Hansard (the lead singer of The Frames) and Marketa Irglova are very charming and real and the music stays in your head, especially "Falling Slowly" and "When Your Mind's Made Up." I'm not a fan of musicals but I would watch more stuff like this with no hesitation.
On Sunday I finished the last book I'm reading this year, The Spiral Labyrinth by Matthew Hughes. It's another short novel in the Hengis Hapthorn series and the first couple chapters were published earlier this year in F&SF as "Sweet Trap." Hapthorn and Osk Rievor are still dealing with their shared cohabitation of the same body and Rievor is keen to investigate magic. This leads to the two being separated into two bodies and leaves Hapthorn stranded in the future where magic has fully taken over. He has to navigate this landscape and eventually to deal with a future version of a symbiote that has grown in knowledge and capabilities over the centuries. I think if you like Hughes' tales of Old Earth, you'd like this one too. It's readable and fun and a pleasant way to spend a couple days.
About a week ago, I got around to watching Once. It's a musical but a musical in which the music is completely organic to the story. It's about an unnamed musician who works in his father's vacuum repair shop and also busks on the street; he's trying to futher his musical career. One day he meets an unnamed girl who turns out to be a piano player. The story is about their relationship, both real and musical. In fact, the music-making often says what they can't actually say to each other and neither is really in the position to give themselves to the other. It's all done in a subtle way...in fact, it's a really low-key film. The performances by Glen Hansard (the lead singer of The Frames) and Marketa Irglova are very charming and real and the music stays in your head, especially "Falling Slowly" and "When Your Mind's Made Up." I'm not a fan of musicals but I would watch more stuff like this with no hesitation.
On Sunday I finished the last book I'm reading this year, The Spiral Labyrinth by Matthew Hughes. It's another short novel in the Hengis Hapthorn series and the first couple chapters were published earlier this year in F&SF as "Sweet Trap." Hapthorn and Osk Rievor are still dealing with their shared cohabitation of the same body and Rievor is keen to investigate magic. This leads to the two being separated into two bodies and leaves Hapthorn stranded in the future where magic has fully taken over. He has to navigate this landscape and eventually to deal with a future version of a symbiote that has grown in knowledge and capabilities over the centuries. I think if you like Hughes' tales of Old Earth, you'd like this one too. It's readable and fun and a pleasant way to spend a couple days.
Monday, December 17, 2007
BACK TO BOOSTER AND OTHER STORIES
A couple months back I wrote about the return of Booster Gold to the ranks of monthly comics. I liked the series a lot but only read the first two issues when we realized we needed to watch our spending a bit more closely. In the past couple months, I've figured out how to work the entertainment spending a little bit (see my recent post about Action Comics) and went to the store to pick up Booster Gold #5.
The cover catches the eye immediately - the Joker is pointing a camera and reflected in the lens are Booster and Batgirl (the original Batgirl, Barbara Gordon). It's a take on Batman: The Killing Joke, the one-shot from the late 80s where Alan Moore had the Joker cripple Batgirl. And that's the time period Booster travels to in this issue; Rip Hunter sends him back to save her from the bullet. Booster fails. And has Rip send him back again and again and again, trying desperately to defeat the Joker. In the end, he finds out that Rip is trying to make a point - not all time can be changed, some things are fixed points. It's a testament to Booster's determination and heroism that he keeps trying and it makes for a strong issue. And that's not even touching on the villainous trio of Ultra-Humanite, Per Degaton, and Despero, or the ending. I know the comics shop has #4 still on the shelves and I'm gonna have to try and find #3 as well. This is what makes me love super-hero comics and the DC Universe.
Last night Jill and I finally got around to our latest DVD from Netflix, The Squid and the Whale. It's the story of a family going through a divorce - the narcissistic father, the mother desperate from attention, and the two boys trying to figure out who they are by which parent they're like. None of the characters are particularly nice and it's a fairly depressing story. However, it is watchable - not only for the performances of Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney (and the kids) but for the way it's shot and the way the music works with it. This was Noah Baumbach's first film; his second, Margot at the Wedding, is out now.
Speaking of DVDs, Grant and I are once again making progress on The Simpsons Season 9 with only two episodes left on the second disc. It's interesting watching these episodes because this may be the first season we've watched where I haven't seen most of the episodes multiple times. There are some here I've seen maybe two or three times before if even that.
Today I have the day off - the first day other than a Sunday that I've not had to go into the Y since early September, not counting Thanksgiving break. Classes are done for three weeks. I will be doing some lifeguarding shifts over that time period but nothing at all today or Wednesday (and just a short time tomorrow). I'm going to use the time to catch up on my DVR and try to finish the two books that are due this Wednesday (I'm about 60 pages into the one). I'm also caught up with my Entertainment Weekly reading, ready to start the issue that arrived on Saturday (other magazines...not so much). Oh, and some last stuff for Christmas. I'm looking forward to it.
A couple months back I wrote about the return of Booster Gold to the ranks of monthly comics. I liked the series a lot but only read the first two issues when we realized we needed to watch our spending a bit more closely. In the past couple months, I've figured out how to work the entertainment spending a little bit (see my recent post about Action Comics) and went to the store to pick up Booster Gold #5.
The cover catches the eye immediately - the Joker is pointing a camera and reflected in the lens are Booster and Batgirl (the original Batgirl, Barbara Gordon). It's a take on Batman: The Killing Joke, the one-shot from the late 80s where Alan Moore had the Joker cripple Batgirl. And that's the time period Booster travels to in this issue; Rip Hunter sends him back to save her from the bullet. Booster fails. And has Rip send him back again and again and again, trying desperately to defeat the Joker. In the end, he finds out that Rip is trying to make a point - not all time can be changed, some things are fixed points. It's a testament to Booster's determination and heroism that he keeps trying and it makes for a strong issue. And that's not even touching on the villainous trio of Ultra-Humanite, Per Degaton, and Despero, or the ending. I know the comics shop has #4 still on the shelves and I'm gonna have to try and find #3 as well. This is what makes me love super-hero comics and the DC Universe.
Last night Jill and I finally got around to our latest DVD from Netflix, The Squid and the Whale. It's the story of a family going through a divorce - the narcissistic father, the mother desperate from attention, and the two boys trying to figure out who they are by which parent they're like. None of the characters are particularly nice and it's a fairly depressing story. However, it is watchable - not only for the performances of Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney (and the kids) but for the way it's shot and the way the music works with it. This was Noah Baumbach's first film; his second, Margot at the Wedding, is out now.
Speaking of DVDs, Grant and I are once again making progress on The Simpsons Season 9 with only two episodes left on the second disc. It's interesting watching these episodes because this may be the first season we've watched where I haven't seen most of the episodes multiple times. There are some here I've seen maybe two or three times before if even that.
Today I have the day off - the first day other than a Sunday that I've not had to go into the Y since early September, not counting Thanksgiving break. Classes are done for three weeks. I will be doing some lifeguarding shifts over that time period but nothing at all today or Wednesday (and just a short time tomorrow). I'm going to use the time to catch up on my DVR and try to finish the two books that are due this Wednesday (I'm about 60 pages into the one). I'm also caught up with my Entertainment Weekly reading, ready to start the issue that arrived on Saturday (other magazines...not so much). Oh, and some last stuff for Christmas. I'm looking forward to it.
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