Raithe

Caught the start of Continuum's second season. For the big mysterious "message" that was the end of season one and seemed like a big reveal, this season opener seems quite a slow start and meandered around a lot without really sharing much.

Yeah, I think I found the books a bit too grimdark and rapey to really get into by around book four, then I gave up because I just didn't really give a damn about any of the characters or where the story was wandering around to. But I did see an amusing editorial discussing Game of Thrones on tv the other day, talking about how the "gratuitious sex" in the first season actually added a lot of depth to characters or elements within the structure of the stories being told, and as such made sense. But comparing it to the recent episodes, the sex has become truly gratuitous and actually a little disturbing without adding any real oomph to the storyline or characters, just a reason to throw fresh boobs on screen in various jiggling, swaying ways. I poked a little at work related matters today, but slowly and quite possibly from a distance with a short, pokey stick rather then truly getting enmeshed in it. Establishing a check-list of basic day to day stuff that I'm trying to get through, and slowly ticking things off of that.

I like Fading Suns. Some nice mix of world set up... And Eclipse Phase has a nicely in-depth look at potential transhumanism, and just how distance and science can shape politics and society. (Also, the main rulebook is free for download - although the actual hardback is very nice). Edit: Yep, typo, that's what happens when sleep keeps getting interupted by car alarms and such during the night...

A bit of both? And I guess chemistry between people is important too. Especially if the good people are the kind of "good" that helps the others to unlock their potential. I'd say a good example would be the cast of Firefly. A cast that was a mix of relative unknowns and people who'd been floating around in the industry for awhile but on more of those..minor, back-burner roles. Mixed up together and had great chemistry, with Whedon and a bunch of "off-screen folks" who (from all accounts) turned it into a whole "family/friends" experience and now you've got a group of people who react incredibly well to the fans and seem to be keeping a fairly level head even with all the career successes they've wandered into..

Hm, not sure whether it's still feeling all twisted up timezone wise, but I'm just not being able to find my get-up-and-go for preparing to see about work related stuff this week. After all that time away, and having spent a whole bunch of my savings on that trip, I'm just not sure I'm up for returning to banging my head against that wall. Hopefully after a night's sleep I'll be in a more positive frame of mind.

Sleep got interrupted by car alarms or some such in the wee small dark hours. Really not helping me adjust. I'm half dozing my way through to noon even now. Although had really freaking weird dreams about being hunted for treason while struggling to prove my innocence. And I haven't even been reading or watching any stories in that style, so no idea what brought that on. Heh, while I was away, my sister actually took the mornings off from work to be at home and dealing with the family, helping mom, dealing with her dogs at home, etc. So pretty much the first thing she said to me when I got back was that she was impressed at how well I handled things and that I'd been doing it for the previous x years, also that it was driving her a little insane and she was moving out as soon as she can get a mortgage on a flat...

Since we don't get enough cat jokes on these forums...

Not so much a discovery, b ut an interesting way of showing something.. The distance of the Earth to Mars.. in terms of pixels.. http://distancetomars.com/

... and apparently Joel Silver is producing a remake of Weird Science for Universal. Trying to do a remake of a classic John Hughes 80's film could be dangerous. Although Silver apparently co-wrote the script of the original film, so it might not be as bad. Although they've said they want to make it an "edgier, R-Rated comedy", so I'm guessing that means that this time they want to put some boobs in it rather then just do the teasing about them.

Urg, this Jetlag is kicking my ass. Also, I came back to have my sister tell me she's impressed by what I have to handle in looking after mom and dealing with dad. Also, she's now doing her best to move out of the house and buy a flat within the month....

And society hasn't crumbled? Shocking! And society hasn't crumbled? Shocking!

Trying to catch up on some things and get various tasks dealt with. But good gawd. I keep having total waves of exhaustion hit and nearly passing out into sleep throughout the day. I've never been hit with jetlag like this before.

Most of the time was spent with the bride's family in Taxquena. Although a few side trips out, like the canals of Xochimilco. The wedding itself was a few days at Tepoztlan.

Right, I've landed back in blighty. Unpacked and having a moment to enjoy access to proper English tea. Spent around 15 hours on planes in the past 24, and having that slightly odd "air legs" sensation now that I'm on solid ground again. Mexico was interesting, and certainly had some fun whilst there. The groom, his brother and I went out on one trip that was meant to be grab a taxi to take us 4km down the road to a nice covered market/bazarre, but the taxi driver saw several gringo's and tried to steer us away and go around the houses. No matter that we kept asking him if he actually new where he was going because we knew he was going the wrong way. He kept doing the "si, it's over here somewhere" no matter how much we were doing the "No. It's over there". In the end we had to force the issue of getting him to stop and let us out which he really didn't want to. I guess that's what you can call the Kidnapping-Lite, or the "Diet Coke of Mexican Kidnapping Experiences".

Well Maggie has always been a person who really depended on your point of view. She was ruthless about crushing the unions that were behind those fun joys of the 3 day week, the aforementioned unburied bodies, stopped electricity and suchlike. But likewise, in that process she also smashed a few local economies and left a lot of families feelin the hurt. Things that might help a nation don't always help all the areas within that nation. No matter what gets said though, she was influential to the times, and regardless of her policies she did work hard at what she believed in and trying to do what she thought was best. Not everyone will agree with her views, but she certainly didn't have the smarmy attitude of a lot of todays politicians.

Greetins and All. Currently being able to swipe the not-so-broadband connection of one of the sister's of the bride, so I thought I'd drop in and do the whole "I am ALIVE and Un-KIDNAPPED in Mexico!" Managed to get through the weekend of the wedding, and made the speech without too much problems. Although the father of the bride doing the whole "tequilla?" before hand did mean I was suitably relaxed. Yes, seriously, when this guy asks you something you do NOT say no. They definitely appreciated the valiant effort I made at hopefully not butchering their language. Adjusting to the whole altitude and pollution levels hasn't been too much of a problem, although I've ended up spending today chillin out and snoozing with a bad hackin cough thats appeared from somewhere. I'm hoping that's just a minor thing that'll clear up and let me get onto tourist stuff now that the stress and organising of the wedding is done. The bride and groom have gone off for a short honeymoon, so all my duties have been dealt with. It's actually running a mini "Heat-Wave" in mexico-city at the moment, so keeping to the shade is a seriously important thing... Now some people have said that there are no real traffic laws enforced in Mexico City. To those people I say "Nonsense!" the laws of physics, conservation of momentum, and biological reflexes are ruthlessly enforced on these roads. Also, I have to state, I really hate being a principled english gentleman at times. Got to enjoy a mildly flirtatious conversation with one of the cousins of the bride during the reception and then was asked to escort her back to her grandmother at the hotel, en-route she did practically climb all over me. A damn pleasant armful and she was very..smoking hot. But dammiit, although she'd been hitting the tequilla and mojito's, she was in that 16-18 area and I had been asked to escort her safely. So unfortunately, I did have to resist and go by the rules of gentlemanly behaviour. Ah well. C'est la vie. I've got about another 6 days before I'll be back in blighty. Then I'll see how the family handled me being away. Although I did find out that they had to break into the "Emergency Document" I'd left for them about a day after I flew out, so it'll be interesting to see how they survived.

Ran through some more of the last minute things you take care of before going transatlantic journeying.. Dug out the old laptop to take with me. No idea if I'll be able to get easy access to the internet, but better to have and not need.. Plus I'll throw in my old copy of Alpha Centauri. That way if I do get stuck in airports or such I can have options beyond reading from the kindle. Of course, no-one had used that laptop in about 5 months. So I've just spent the afternoon pretty much updating Windows, Norton, and assorted other gubbins on the thing. Anyhow, I'll be oft into the wild blue yonder tomorrow at oh-dark-silly-hours. So if I don't get a chance to peer around here in the next few weeks, stay safe and have fun folks..

And Square Enix continues with it's troubles.. Gamespot - Tomb Raider Fails to Reach Sales Target

Have you seen the stage version? The Thenardiers are pretty much that in most versions. Although I have to admit, Helena Bonham Carter does seem to be making a career out of playing a caricature of Helena Bonham Carter these days... And I have to say, while Anne was decent for her 10 minutes on screen, I really don't get why people were being so "amazed" by her performance or just what was it that made it all.. award worthy. Okay, she had her hair cut off on camera, but.. yeah.

Got woken up early in the am, and ended up laying there dozing in and out. Not quite asleep but not quite awake.. was very hard to actually push myself out of bed this morning. Now I've got a day of figuring out all the small things I've forgotten about that need to be dealt with/picked up before I fly out to Mexico thursday morning..

Well the Smuggler Prologue and Chapter 1 are pretty damned good. Chapter 2 works fairly nicely, and Chapter 3 kind of loses the plot (at least to my mind). The Sith Inquisitor is fairly well-handled throughout all the different chapters. You do get a feel for Sith power plays and betrayal all wrapped up in dark side mysticism. I think it takes about 5-8 hours to get through the starter planet (depending on just how you play) and then the story tends to kick off more beyond the basics.