Ohhhh…. I wanna try this. But does anyone know how you keep outdoor furniture with cushions from getting all nasty every year?

Been watching this on Hulu. This has been a pretty good show for a big three network sitcom. All the standard tropes apply, but the fact that they admit they are tropes and link them to other shows or movies makes it cuter and more acceptable to me. Decently acted for what it is and good characters (and why not, they are all characters in every other show out there). It’s a good time waster with some really good lines every so often.

You can also see lions in Tanzania. And it’s less ‘splodey and limb choppy than Kenya.

UPDATE: So, apparently I spoke too soon. Good grief, really? A church political rally in Arusha was bombed yesterday. Our first stop is…Arusha. Predictably, the OAM is unfazed. Sigh. The church bombing (article quoted below) was at the beginning of May. I looked up “Arusha bombing” this morning based on the State Dept email I got and the church bombing came to the top searches. The fact that there have now been 2 bombings in Arusha’s history and they both occurred within 45 days of each other does NOT make me feel any better.

Police say a woman was killed but a local priest, Father Peddy, said three people had died on their way to hospital.

“I never expected anything like this to happen because this is not a city – it’s a village,” he told the BBC.

You and me, both, Padre. I have been telling my worried mother that we are in the middle of nowhere which isn’t exactly a target-rich environment. I think I’ll cross my fingers and hope she doesn’t see any news about this.

Inspector Erlendur Reykjavik Mysteries by Arnuldur Indridason. I started with Tainted Blood (also under the title Jar City) and thus far I’ve read that one, Silence of the Grave, Voices, and have started The Draining Lake.  The mysteries are fairly straightforward with sympathetic (if somewhat formulaic) characters who investigate cold cases. What I’m finding most interesting about these stories though is the view of Icelandic society. I don’t know much about Iceland, despite my father having been stationed there when he was in the Navy – never thought to ask him about it, sadly. So I’m actually learning quite a bit about that country and their society through reading fiction. :)

Sea of Ghosts by Alan Campbell is another. Probably fits into the science fiction/fantasy category. The overall story is probably fantasy with a drowning world being home to a massive power struggle involving telepaths and magic. But there are extensive pages on the creation/destruction of matter and lots of theorizing on other pseudo-scientific matters. I like the characters, even though there are pretty much no good guys, just grey guys. Not quite as grey as my current favorite sword/sorcery series, The First Law books, but they definitely aren’t white hats. I really want to read the rest of the trilogy, but unfortunately, there is only the first book so far. Had I realized the trilogy wasn’t yet written I’d have held off on reading this! However, I am interested enough in the author now to give his Deepgate series a try.

A Nameless Witch by A. Lee Martinez is the story of a witch cursed with beauty and nigh-invulnerability. Her mentor is killed and she inherits a bloodthirsty demonic familiar in the body of a duck. Accompanied by a sentient broom and a pure and chaste knight she sets out to save the world. I do like Martinez’ writing style. His characters are good and his dialog is generally witty. I really enjoyed Gil’s All Fright Diner when years ago it became one of the first books I read on a Kindle.

The Beach by Alex Garland. I read this a couple of months ago and had no idea it had been made into a movie back in 2000. I mostly liked the book. A traveler hears about a secluded, unspoiled island around Thailand and makes his way to it with a couple he meets in a hostel type lodging. They get there and things go…awry… after an initial bit of paradise in a communal Eden. I thought it was an interesting depiction of human nature and how we are our own worst enemies. The OAM says he’s seen the movie several times and liked it quite a bit. Not sure how I missed it, but maybe I’m just not remembering having seen it.

The Strain Trilogy by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan. This series further cements the verdict around this house that del Toro can really do no wrong. Whether he’s writing, producing or directing, if he thinks it’s worthwhile to give it his time, chances are good that the OAM and I will both like it. Maybe not love it, but like it. It’s a vampiric post-apocalyptic story and I will admit that I have yet to read the last one. Apparently folks aren’t overwhelmingly satisfied with the conclusion of the trilogy. I’ll read it eventually; probably as soon as I get my fill of Icelandic murder mysteries. This vampire mythology draws heavily from del Toro’s Blade series – which I liked – so if you didn’t like Blade for reasons other than Wesley Snipes, you might have some issues with these vampires. But at least they don’t sparkle. :)

I am still not a Superman fan. He’s just too squeaky a hero for me. I’m more a Batman/vigilante girl. But…

This movie is really, really good. Nolan really seems to get the entirety of these superheroes, not just one or two dimensions. Snyder is just phenomenal at action and bringing a vision to the screen. It looks fantastic, the effects are great and only occasionally do you get action that is somewhat too fluid to be anything other than computer generated. The actors are all good and the casting is spot on. It’s a worthy superhero origin movie. I love the additional info about Krypton at the beginning and I like the way the backstory is revealed throughout the movie in signature Nolan fashion rather than in linear style.

The only bad thing I have to say about the movie is: Seriously? Someone who has lived in Kansas for their entire life says “Hide under the underpass” when the tornado is coming? Seriously?

Except for that, it’s worth full admission price.

The OAM’s take on the movie: Very well done. Good movie. Proves once and for all that it is far worse to have Superman on your planet than Godzilla. When you have Superman on your planet, you need Superman on your planet to defend you from Superman-related problems. When you have Godzilla, every so many years he emerges from the sea, destroys most of a town and some power plants and then goes back to the sea. Far less expensive.

My thought after having some: it’s not jerky, but it’s damn tasty dried bacon.

The only place this isn’t growing like gangbusters is over the crappy wooden fence across the back of the yard. I love that it covers the chain link fences. But it is seriously becoming like the Blob – it’s creeping up over the deck and choking out everything else. Gotta do something about it.

But it smells absolutely heavenly.

Paintings with/on maps by Paul Morstad. Many cool things here. Go ye and see.

Oh, and click each pic twice to embiggen

Craigslist Ad

So the address for the Craigslist ad isn’t billywitchdoctor.com but that’s what I think of every time I see it.  And no, if you don’t already watch the vast and complete stupidity that is Aqua Teen Hunger Force, I seriously can’t recommend you do so. I thought the first episode I watched was so idiotic and pointless that it was probably a year or more after that first show before I watched another. The OAM was watching it in an Ambien haze after I went to bed and he found one he thought was so hilarious he had to share. I was… skeptical. But he must have caught me in the right mood for idiocy and pointlessness. Not every episode is a winner but when they hit, they really hit.

Arise, chicken. Chicken, arise.