It's never entirely about the apocalypse.
I'm a sucker for post-apocalyptic stories and shows. I have a magnet on my refrigerator that says, "Sometimes I worry about zombies." It's next to the Andre the Giant magnet from the Princess Bride - anybody want a peanut?
The zombie world is multi-layered. I like all the layers. Comet dust, vaccines gone wrong, fungi...fascinating and creative. But it's the societal break-down component that most interests me. If the grocery stores close, how many days could I make it? I haven't done the math, but I'll have a quick go at the calculations - three packages of smoked salmon (thanks, Mom!), seven tins of mackerel (thanks, Mom!), three cans of tuna, a can of lentil soup, udon noodles, and pasta. I love all of that food, but it doesn't scream in it for the long haul. If it's the end of the world as we know it, I hope I get picked by the End captain and not the Re-build captain. (TB cooks amazing feasts and lives a few blocks away. I should keep two bottles of fantastic wine and Irish butter on hand so I could bribe my way into the Apocalypse Dinner.)
Why am I rambling on about zombies? I'm hooked on The Last of Us. The actors are wonderful. Bella Ramsey, Pedro Pascal, Nick Offerman, Murray Bartlett, so many others. I've got some complaints; they're minor. Contrived situations, situations that were understandably necessary but could have been created more plausibly. A very liberal use of deus ex machina. I'll save the rants for when I write something and see it turned into a movie.
I watched the newest episode on Sunday and loved it. I'm anti-spoiler, and there's not really a mechanism for hiding spoilers other than stop reading, so I'll keep it vague. I've never had children, will never have children. So when the writing, the acting, and the cinematography puts you one step closer to understanding what it must be like to want your child to see the world but also be safe? That's powerful stuff. Well done, Pedro, well done.
I'm also watching CB Strike. If you liked Remington Steele (sp?), Moonlighting, or Castle, you'll like CB Strike.
Wait one. Brief Chow Hall Eats interlude. I ate plenty for breakfast and lunch and figured I'd skip dinner. But then I thought I might have a little something. I was eyeing the Progresso lentil soup, but I thought I might add something to it, save half for tomorrow. So I fired up some Choripdong Japanese style udon noodles (made in China) to go with it. Delicious comfort food on a Seattle evening that saw hail, rain, sleet, and snow. The choice of utensils wasn't easy, though.
CB strike. I like the show. I like the chemistry between the leads and the puzzle solving. I have some minor gripes. I always do. The middle seasons started falling into that detective show trap of having to ramp up the ridiculousness. It's unnecessary, don't do it. There's also an expiration date on flirting between the leads, but they've still got some fuel in the tank. It was interesting to learn that the series is based on books that JK Rowling wrote under a pen name.
If I'm going to keep writing about shows, I need to get more organized. I think I mentioned Seburg. I'm 99% sure I mentioned it in a post, but I have a lot of drafts that I've never published, my memory is awful, and I'm too lazy to check. The movie isn't great. It's beautifully shot, and Kristen Stewart makes the most of what she's given to work with, but it falls flat in a lot of places. It's still very much worth watching. That FBI COINTELPRO stuff is terrifying. And if you're like me, you didn't learn about it in high school.
Odds and ends.
I had other things I meant to write about, but I've completely forgotten them. I jot things down in the iphone notes thingmajig, but it's not doing the trick. I need to go back to pen and paper.
I've been meaning to take a photo of my friend Chuck's No Context zines, the whole series, and talk about them. They're laid out on my green grid ruler mat thing that proves to the world that you're serious about creativity. No need to rush, though. I'm going to look through them again. Until then, you should have a look at his collage work. Cool stuff, and the timing was serendipitous. Dan made a reference to Peter Beard in one of his recent posts, so I re-visited Beard's work. An incredible life; I love what he did with diaries/journals. Lots of collage.
I recently did the Phoenix to Seattle drive again. I've done it several times now, and have taken three or four routes. This time I went Las Vegas - Ely - Boise - Yakima - Seattle. I hope to write some more about the trip later, but most of it might be in the rear-view mirror for good. I don't like driving, but I like those trips. People are friendly and kind, making their way in the world the best they can. I've only been to Boise once, but they seemed (friendly x 10). It was a nice place to escape the falling snow. I've always thought it was boyzee, but the folks who live there say more of a boysea.
If anyone knows the opera that's played during the end credits of Banshees of Inisherin, please let me know. I've checked the score/album on spotify. I think the final track on the score is for the music in the movie. Maybe I'm missing something.
