Metatalktail Hour: Media Week! February 18, 2017 4:06 PM Subscribe
Happy Saturday, MetaFilter! This week's Metatalktail conversation starter is, What book/movie/play/song/WHATEVER has you excited right now? What popular things are worth our time? What overlooked things have we yet to discover?
As always, share whatever sociable/personal things you'd like to, don't feel like you have to restrict yourself to media consumption! Only politics is off-limits and only because the bouncers are very anti-political-talk.
As always, share whatever sociable/personal things you'd like to, don't feel like you have to restrict yourself to media consumption! Only politics is off-limits and only because the bouncers are very anti-political-talk.
I am big on Poldark right now. (Got hubs Season 2 on blu-ray for his birthday because he's upset it's not streaming yet, so I am looking forward to that next week!) And enjoying my Poirot rewatch!
I read The Nest which was on a lot of "best-of" lists for 2016. I liked it and it was a quick read, but I didn't think it was quite as super-fantastic as reviews led me to believe. Also recently finished The Crimson Petal and the White which MeFi recommends frequently and GUYS YOU ARE CORRECT, it was gripping. Really looking forward to Lincoln in the Bardo, it seems relevant to many of my interests!
Saw Jackie and really enjoyed it, even though I usually like my films a little more straightforward in plot, and not jumping around. Still hoping to see La La Land before the Oscars but haven't had a free day for it yet.
---
In personal gossip, we went to my five-year-old's first gymnastics meet today, which was (to be honest) less boring than I thought it would be. Once it got started, it moved along at a speedy clip! Having four apparatuses going at the same time makes a kiddie sports event much more tolerable. Micro McGee got one blue ribbon (on pommel horse), three red (parallel bars, vault, and rings), and one white (floor). He is very proud of himself.
There were around 60 girls and four boys competing. Of course the big excitement is always the "big girls" (this gym goes to about 14, then they are on high school teams) and they were very good! When we go for class there are always four classes going at once in different parts of the gym, and the fun groups to watch are the littlest kids who are clumsy little tornadoes, and the "big girls" who can do the coolest tricks.
I have no gymnastics background, it is all new to me; we ended up doing this because it's an indoor four-season sports thing for high-energy little kids, and because this gym accommodates kids with disabilities, including sensory issues, which one of my kids has, so we've just had a great experience with them in general.
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 4:33 PM on February 18, 2017 [4 favorites]
I read The Nest which was on a lot of "best-of" lists for 2016. I liked it and it was a quick read, but I didn't think it was quite as super-fantastic as reviews led me to believe. Also recently finished The Crimson Petal and the White which MeFi recommends frequently and GUYS YOU ARE CORRECT, it was gripping. Really looking forward to Lincoln in the Bardo, it seems relevant to many of my interests!
Saw Jackie and really enjoyed it, even though I usually like my films a little more straightforward in plot, and not jumping around. Still hoping to see La La Land before the Oscars but haven't had a free day for it yet.
---
In personal gossip, we went to my five-year-old's first gymnastics meet today, which was (to be honest) less boring than I thought it would be. Once it got started, it moved along at a speedy clip! Having four apparatuses going at the same time makes a kiddie sports event much more tolerable. Micro McGee got one blue ribbon (on pommel horse), three red (parallel bars, vault, and rings), and one white (floor). He is very proud of himself.
There were around 60 girls and four boys competing. Of course the big excitement is always the "big girls" (this gym goes to about 14, then they are on high school teams) and they were very good! When we go for class there are always four classes going at once in different parts of the gym, and the fun groups to watch are the littlest kids who are clumsy little tornadoes, and the "big girls" who can do the coolest tricks.
I have no gymnastics background, it is all new to me; we ended up doing this because it's an indoor four-season sports thing for high-energy little kids, and because this gym accommodates kids with disabilities, including sensory issues, which one of my kids has, so we've just had a great experience with them in general.
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 4:33 PM on February 18, 2017 [4 favorites]
The Four Continents Ice Skating Championship is going on right now. Videos from the competition aren't on youtube, but watching the broadcasts on NBC Sports has reminded me of how much I love the short dance program Alex and Maia Shibutani are doing this year, so here is a video of it from this year's US Nationals.
This weekend is also the Winter Cup Challenge, the first post-Olympic competition for US Elite men, and one of two opportunities gymnasts have each year to make the Senior National Team. A number of past regulars are off the roster, either because they've retired post-Olympics or because of injury. Danell Leyva, who won two silver medals in Rio, is in LA pursuing a modeling and acting career (here he is modeling a swimsuit). Other gymnasts, like Paul Ruggieri, who didn't make the team, have also moved on. This means a lot of opportunity for up-and-comers to show their stuff, and it's been an exciting competition so far.
Sam Mikulak, who has been to the Olympics twice and under-performed both times, and who is the reigning US champ, tore his achilles tendon on his first event, the floor, and is out of the competition. This is not his first achilles tear, and it's the same injury that kept John Orozco, who had been named to the team for Rio, from going, opening a spot for alternate Danell Leyva to go in his place.
Anyway, I follow men's gymnastics so this is exciting for me. The year after the Olympics is a shake-up year, and while I'm sad about certain retirements, I'm excited to see what's coming, too.
You can see routines from the preliminaries on youtube. I particularly recommend taking a gander at Emyre Cole and Donnell Whittenburg. Finals are Saturday night at 8 p.m. central time.
posted by Orlop at 4:33 PM on February 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
This weekend is also the Winter Cup Challenge, the first post-Olympic competition for US Elite men, and one of two opportunities gymnasts have each year to make the Senior National Team. A number of past regulars are off the roster, either because they've retired post-Olympics or because of injury. Danell Leyva, who won two silver medals in Rio, is in LA pursuing a modeling and acting career (here he is modeling a swimsuit). Other gymnasts, like Paul Ruggieri, who didn't make the team, have also moved on. This means a lot of opportunity for up-and-comers to show their stuff, and it's been an exciting competition so far.
Sam Mikulak, who has been to the Olympics twice and under-performed both times, and who is the reigning US champ, tore his achilles tendon on his first event, the floor, and is out of the competition. This is not his first achilles tear, and it's the same injury that kept John Orozco, who had been named to the team for Rio, from going, opening a spot for alternate Danell Leyva to go in his place.
Anyway, I follow men's gymnastics so this is exciting for me. The year after the Olympics is a shake-up year, and while I'm sad about certain retirements, I'm excited to see what's coming, too.
You can see routines from the preliminaries on youtube. I particularly recommend taking a gander at Emyre Cole and Donnell Whittenburg. Finals are Saturday night at 8 p.m. central time.
posted by Orlop at 4:33 PM on February 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
I really enjoyed Z: the beginning of everything because I like pretty costumes and Christina Ricci. Scott comes off like an ass, because he is..... and so does Zelda - but Christina Ricci sells it.
posted by Gyre,Gimble,Wabe, Esq. at 4:38 PM on February 18, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Gyre,Gimble,Wabe, Esq. at 4:38 PM on February 18, 2017 [2 favorites]
Eyebrows, little kids doing gymnastics are great! I love watching the tiny ones at my son's gym. There's some moment when they start looking like gymnasts, however small they are, and a good gauge for that is when their cartwheel stops looking like they're flinging themselves over and looks instead like they're controlling it.
My gymnast kid, now 9, had a meet this weekend. He's a Level 6, but there were also Level 5s at the meet, some of whom were extremely tiny and adorable. My kid had a good meet, bringing home three event medals and a bronze in the all-around.
posted by Orlop at 4:40 PM on February 18, 2017
My gymnast kid, now 9, had a meet this weekend. He's a Level 6, but there were also Level 5s at the meet, some of whom were extremely tiny and adorable. My kid had a good meet, bringing home three event medals and a bronze in the all-around.
posted by Orlop at 4:40 PM on February 18, 2017
I've been watching Sword Art Online II (Netflix link), the follow-up to Sword Art Online (also Netflix link), natch. The whole thing is excellent.
Also, since it's been unnaturally warm out, I've been walking every day whenever possible and taking lots of photos of weird skies and sunsets, as I like to do, and that's been really good.
posted by limeonaire at 5:03 PM on February 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
Also, since it's been unnaturally warm out, I've been walking every day whenever possible and taking lots of photos of weird skies and sunsets, as I like to do, and that's been really good.
posted by limeonaire at 5:03 PM on February 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
Neither popular nor overlooked, but I finally splurged on Pushing Daisies and have been making my way through it again.
Am currently all aflutter because religion came up at the end of my little girl's playdate. It did so via her making a Big Announcement About Her Beliefs, which I was unable to derail. She's managed to hang onto a decent amount fantasyland thinking despite having firmly pragmatic parents, so her beliefs are basically ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE; ARE THERE DRAGONS???? WE DON'T KNOW!!! Greek mythology was also referenced. Her friend's family are über religious as far as I can tell, but it has mostly been a don't-ask-don't-tell situation up until now.
So the family said they were Christian, I said Daughter identifies as agnostic (we've had talks about various religions and that is what she explicitly settled on), and the mom did a bit of subtle conversion talk at her. :(
In happier news, my birthday is coming up and I am looking forward to getting my very own tool set. It replaces the set my husband stole, and which now lives mixed in with a bunch of other tools somewhere at our brewery.
Also I have started my very own Apocalyst and am learning how to arrange flowers. Indoor skydiving is also on my list, but after seeing this (YT) I want to sky dance.
posted by moira at 5:58 PM on February 18, 2017 [3 favorites]
Am currently all aflutter because religion came up at the end of my little girl's playdate. It did so via her making a Big Announcement About Her Beliefs, which I was unable to derail. She's managed to hang onto a decent amount fantasyland thinking despite having firmly pragmatic parents, so her beliefs are basically ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE; ARE THERE DRAGONS???? WE DON'T KNOW!!! Greek mythology was also referenced. Her friend's family are über religious as far as I can tell, but it has mostly been a don't-ask-don't-tell situation up until now.
So the family said they were Christian, I said Daughter identifies as agnostic (we've had talks about various religions and that is what she explicitly settled on), and the mom did a bit of subtle conversion talk at her. :(
In happier news, my birthday is coming up and I am looking forward to getting my very own tool set. It replaces the set my husband stole, and which now lives mixed in with a bunch of other tools somewhere at our brewery.
Also I have started my very own Apocalyst and am learning how to arrange flowers. Indoor skydiving is also on my list, but after seeing this (YT) I want to sky dance.
posted by moira at 5:58 PM on February 18, 2017 [3 favorites]
I've been reading this book about 'action bowlers' [aka Bowling Hustlers]. It's fascinating and an entertaining read. I'm told that my late Uncle Vinny was a good enough bowler that he almost made it tp the PBA tour. I was too young to really remember any of that, but I remember that when we visited his house in Brooklyn (and later Jersey) he had pro bowling on TV a lot. He passed away awhile back, but I would love to have asked him if he did any hustling or even if he knew any of the characters in the book.
posted by jonmc at 6:00 PM on February 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by jonmc at 6:00 PM on February 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
Just finished the new Michael Lewis book, the Undoing Project, after finding it used about a week after it came out. It's an excellent read, and exposed me to a pile of awesome ideas that I hadn't heard of before, and a few that I was vaguely aware of. It's about the work of Kahneman and Tversky on psychological 'illusions' which uncover the ways that people actually make judgements and decisions.
I've moved on to reading Kahneman's 'Thinking, Fast and Slow' which is a much more in-depth treatment of Kahneman and Tzersky's work. Highly, highly recommend.
posted by kaibutsu at 6:00 PM on February 18, 2017 [3 favorites]
I've moved on to reading Kahneman's 'Thinking, Fast and Slow' which is a much more in-depth treatment of Kahneman and Tzersky's work. Highly, highly recommend.
posted by kaibutsu at 6:00 PM on February 18, 2017 [3 favorites]
Oh, Eureka is great!
posted by moira at 6:05 PM on February 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by moira at 6:05 PM on February 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
Eureka is great! Do it! (Also if you haven't seen Eureka, have you also missed Warehouse 13? Because Warehouse 13 is AWESOME.)
"It did so via her making a Big Announcement About Her Beliefs, which I was unable to derail."
My children are Catholic but un-CCD'd because our diocese is terrible, so they had THIS conversation:
Mini: "Well, GOD knows but we can't find God to ask."
Micro: "That's because he probably died when he made the universe in the Big Bang. It exploded a lot of things."
I am FB friends with my parish priest, he has stopped bugging me to send my kids to CCD.
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 6:07 PM on February 18, 2017 [8 favorites]
"It did so via her making a Big Announcement About Her Beliefs, which I was unable to derail."
My children are Catholic but un-CCD'd because our diocese is terrible, so they had THIS conversation:
Mini: "Well, GOD knows but we can't find God to ask."
Micro: "That's because he probably died when he made the universe in the Big Bang. It exploded a lot of things."
I am FB friends with my parish priest, he has stopped bugging me to send my kids to CCD.
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 6:07 PM on February 18, 2017 [8 favorites]
Oh there are dragons. My friend's daughter (4) is one. So she says, and who am I to doubt?
In other news, I get all my media from Mefi, so I'm still listening to Splendor & Misery. And I finally started to watch Stephen Universe, which is great for those of us with totally shot attention spans and random insomnia. (Is it 3:30am here yet? well, almost).
posted by nat at 6:23 PM on February 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
In other news, I get all my media from Mefi, so I'm still listening to Splendor & Misery. And I finally started to watch Stephen Universe, which is great for those of us with totally shot attention spans and random insomnia. (Is it 3:30am here yet? well, almost).
posted by nat at 6:23 PM on February 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
Now that it's out in North America I'm reading Substance by Peter Hook, recounting his days in New Order.
Holy crap, the debauchery. Also, so many axes, so much grinding.
But it's interesting to re-listen to all those albums after reading about what was going on when they were recorded.
(not that New Order exactly counts as "overlooked")
posted by GuyZero at 6:32 PM on February 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
Holy crap, the debauchery. Also, so many axes, so much grinding.
But it's interesting to re-listen to all those albums after reading about what was going on when they were recorded.
(not that New Order exactly counts as "overlooked")
posted by GuyZero at 6:32 PM on February 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
The Amazon Original series Sneaky Pete! I've hated Giovanni Ribisi for over 30 years and it's all been forgiven because this show is SO good! I'm on my 4th rewatch right now.
posted by elsietheeel at 6:45 PM on February 18, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by elsietheeel at 6:45 PM on February 18, 2017 [3 favorites]
We just watched Mississippi Grind, which neither of us had ever heard of, but stumbled on in Amazon Prime looking for something else. It was unexpectedly delightful; I could watch Ben Mendelsohn in just about anything, and although I kept waiting for something really bad to happen because of who I am as a person, it never did, so it was double good! Now we're starting The 4400 because everyone keeps mentioning it in press about Mahershala Ali.
I also have to put in a plug for Anne Lamott's Traveling Mercies; I picked it up on Monday from a bookshelf in my living room, wrung out from politics and looking for respite, and was just soothed and buoyed beyond words. I'm not sure if the rest of her spiritual books are as good but I'm planning to find out this weekend.
posted by stellaluna at 7:06 PM on February 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
I also have to put in a plug for Anne Lamott's Traveling Mercies; I picked it up on Monday from a bookshelf in my living room, wrung out from politics and looking for respite, and was just soothed and buoyed beyond words. I'm not sure if the rest of her spiritual books are as good but I'm planning to find out this weekend.
posted by stellaluna at 7:06 PM on February 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
Listening to: Kingdom's Tears in the Club (NPR first listen, thanks to raihan_), and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard's Flying Microtonal Banana (Bandcamp preview), my first album pre-orders in a looong time, with very different sounds (future club / R&B[?] from Los Angeles, and Australian microtonal surf-garage rock). And this week's essential mix by Tube & Berger is a lot of fun.
Watching: Z Nation season 3, because it has fun with zombies, unlike that other rubbish show, of which we won't talk; and really interested in Legion (FanFare episode collection link, no spoilers ... yet), as it's so very un-Marvel, feeling at points like a tribute to 1970s British programs. And I'm sticking with Taboo (FanFare episode collection), even if it's slowly moving towards nothing in particular. Oh, and watching a lot of Samurai Jack, which is gorgeous.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:08 PM on February 18, 2017
Watching: Z Nation season 3, because it has fun with zombies, unlike that other rubbish show, of which we won't talk; and really interested in Legion (FanFare episode collection link, no spoilers ... yet), as it's so very un-Marvel, feeling at points like a tribute to 1970s British programs. And I'm sticking with Taboo (FanFare episode collection), even if it's slowly moving towards nothing in particular. Oh, and watching a lot of Samurai Jack, which is gorgeous.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:08 PM on February 18, 2017
Adam Curtis - Hypernormalisation (film)
Roberto Minervini - The Other Side (film)
Rick Perlstein - Nixonland (book)
Kim Dae-Rye - The Supreme (pansori/shaman music)
Susan Howe - Souls of the Labadie Tract (poetry)
posted by Joseph Gurl at 7:11 PM on February 18, 2017
Roberto Minervini - The Other Side (film)
Rick Perlstein - Nixonland (book)
Kim Dae-Rye - The Supreme (pansori/shaman music)
Susan Howe - Souls of the Labadie Tract (poetry)
posted by Joseph Gurl at 7:11 PM on February 18, 2017
Oh one more
Gabi Losoncy - "Saint Genevieve" (field recording?)
posted by Joseph Gurl at 7:16 PM on February 18, 2017
Gabi Losoncy - "Saint Genevieve" (field recording?)
posted by Joseph Gurl at 7:16 PM on February 18, 2017
"I'm not sure if the rest of her spiritual books are as good "
They totally are!
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 7:17 PM on February 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
They totally are!
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 7:17 PM on February 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
Tigran Hamasyan is a genre-bending Armenian pianist and he's real neat. Some youtube links are: piece from upcoming 2017 album; "What the Waves Brought"; upbeat!; "Road Song".
Just finished The Young Pope, which is a very special TV series and probably in my top ten for creative vision.
posted by sylvanshine at 8:07 PM on February 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
Just finished The Young Pope, which is a very special TV series and probably in my top ten for creative vision.
posted by sylvanshine at 8:07 PM on February 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
Um I don't post in MetaTalk very often, but I just need to tell people other than my friends how Living a Feminist Life by Sarah Ahmed is lighting me on fucking fire right now.
posted by book 'em dano at 8:07 PM on February 18, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by book 'em dano at 8:07 PM on February 18, 2017 [5 favorites]
Currently reading 4 political books at once, so I won't discuss that here....
BUT
In bee news (since I'm not allowed to talk about that on the politics thread), I pulled 50 lbs of honey off of my hive yesterday and I'm going to crush and strain it tomorrow and all of the honey it is mine!
posted by Sophie1 at 8:33 PM on February 18, 2017 [18 favorites]
BUT
In bee news (since I'm not allowed to talk about that on the politics thread), I pulled 50 lbs of honey off of my hive yesterday and I'm going to crush and strain it tomorrow and all of the honey it is mine!
posted by Sophie1 at 8:33 PM on February 18, 2017 [18 favorites]
Rewatching "The West Wing" (based on a comment that I thought was on AskMe but I can't find now). Enjoying living in this alternate universe for a bit. Also amused that I keep thinking, "Where do I know that actor from?" and it's almost always been "ST:TNG." This seems like a weird casting overlap. They also just had a warship named the USS: Enterprise, though, so I guess the writers noticed that, too.
posted by lazuli at 8:40 PM on February 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by lazuli at 8:40 PM on February 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
" They also just had a warship named the USS: Enterprise, though, so I guess the writers noticed that, too."
THREE AIRCRAFT CARRIERS ACTUALLY. (I went to a big NROTC school, seriously half my friends served on the Enterprise upon graduation which AWESOME.)
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 8:45 PM on February 18, 2017 [3 favorites]
THREE AIRCRAFT CARRIERS ACTUALLY. (I went to a big NROTC school, seriously half my friends served on the Enterprise upon graduation which AWESOME.)
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 8:45 PM on February 18, 2017 [3 favorites]
If you haven't seen Hidden Figures yet, arrange to do so at your earliest opportunity. And The LEGO Batman Movie, although entertaining, is no The LEGO Movie. It doesn't play with the LEGO-world reality as much, and it doesn't have any songs as awesome as "Everything Is Awesome."
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 8:46 PM on February 18, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 8:46 PM on February 18, 2017 [4 favorites]
Textbooks. I spent $1700 on textbooks. So yeah, a big fuck you to textbook publishers. It's been a long time since I was a student. I'd forgot that those guys get their own special corner of hell.
Also nine-piece puzzles are my media this week. My two-year-old discovered them. He mixes up four puzzles and then requires his mom or myself watch as he works them out. Watching his little hands and mind work is just lovely.
posted by not_the_water at 8:51 PM on February 18, 2017 [4 favorites]
Also nine-piece puzzles are my media this week. My two-year-old discovered them. He mixes up four puzzles and then requires his mom or myself watch as he works them out. Watching his little hands and mind work is just lovely.
posted by not_the_water at 8:51 PM on February 18, 2017 [4 favorites]
Rookie Agent Rouge (Actually 'Yan Zhi' (胭脂)) [45 episodes]
The Flower in Prison (옥중화) [51 episodes]
posted by ctmf at 9:25 PM on February 18, 2017
The Flower in Prison (옥중화) [51 episodes]
posted by ctmf at 9:25 PM on February 18, 2017
I went to a high school basketball game today. My kids all graduated, but I went to see their former school play. It was an away playoff game. (They won!). I walked into this unfamiliar gym and sat in the stands. I looked around and did not recognize any of the fans near me. Turns out for good reason. I sat in the opposing team's student section. After some good natured ribbing about being both from the visitors team and being too old to sit in that section, I ended up staying. I stayed because these kids turned out to be funny, polite, very into the game, and because they asked me to stay. I left the game thinking that maybe the world isn't going to hell in a bucket. They kids have a future. I was sort of too close the my children and their friends to see that there is real hope in their eyes and hearts. So, if you don't want to read a book or watch a movie, go to a youth sports event. It is uplifting. Now the rest of you kids, get offa my lawn.
posted by AugustWest at 9:43 PM on February 18, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by AugustWest at 9:43 PM on February 18, 2017 [9 favorites]
Found the comment about the healing power of rewatching "The West Wing"! Thank you, JimN2TAW!
posted by lazuli at 9:45 PM on February 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by lazuli at 9:45 PM on February 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
I love this and wish it could be a part of all the cocktail hours.
I started The Man Who Loved Children this morning and so far it is FANTASTIC. So much darker and weirder than I thought it would be.
I am mostly working my way through Bob's Burger's and it is so wonderfully soothing and delightful, but last night I took a break from it to watch Let Us Prey last night - it was good but I started it too late at night so I had to turn it off and I'm not sure if I'll finish it.
I also went on a first date to see Split (he suggested it knowing I was a horror movie fan) and the movie was surprisingly strong (B+) but the kissing afterwards was A++++++.
posted by pretentious illiterate at 9:49 PM on February 18, 2017 [3 favorites]
I started The Man Who Loved Children this morning and so far it is FANTASTIC. So much darker and weirder than I thought it would be.
I am mostly working my way through Bob's Burger's and it is so wonderfully soothing and delightful, but last night I took a break from it to watch Let Us Prey last night - it was good but I started it too late at night so I had to turn it off and I'm not sure if I'll finish it.
I also went on a first date to see Split (he suggested it knowing I was a horror movie fan) and the movie was surprisingly strong (B+) but the kissing afterwards was A++++++.
posted by pretentious illiterate at 9:49 PM on February 18, 2017 [3 favorites]
To cope with work stress and politics stress and just general OMG so much stress, I've been re-watching Mad Men. Not recent, not overlooked, but still great.
Also thanks to this FPP I just spent like the last 5 hours playing Oregon Trail. And yes, I did finally make it to Oregon.
This MeTa also reminded me that I have the Poirot series on my "shows to watch" list.
posted by litera scripta manet at 9:52 PM on February 18, 2017
Also thanks to this FPP I just spent like the last 5 hours playing Oregon Trail. And yes, I did finally make it to Oregon.
This MeTa also reminded me that I have the Poirot series on my "shows to watch" list.
posted by litera scripta manet at 9:52 PM on February 18, 2017
"I love this and wish it could be a part of all the cocktail hours."
It can be! They are conversation starters, not conversation limiters! Report back next week with media updates. (Eyebrows out!)
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 9:52 PM on February 18, 2017 [3 favorites]
It can be! They are conversation starters, not conversation limiters! Report back next week with media updates. (Eyebrows out!)
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 9:52 PM on February 18, 2017 [3 favorites]
My children are Catholic but un-CCD'd because our diocese is terrible, so they had THIS conversation:
Mini: "Well, GOD knows but we can't find God to ask."
Micro: "That's because he probably died when he made the universe in the Big Bang. It exploded a lot of things."
I was thinking CCD meant circumcised and was very confused for a second.
posted by Mr. Yuck at 10:17 PM on February 18, 2017
Mini: "Well, GOD knows but we can't find God to ask."
Micro: "That's because he probably died when he made the universe in the Big Bang. It exploded a lot of things."
I was thinking CCD meant circumcised and was very confused for a second.
posted by Mr. Yuck at 10:17 PM on February 18, 2017
I'm so late to the Moonlight trip but I finally watched it last night, after a particularly lonely day where everyone else had stuff to do and then despite our loose plans to watch it together, they were all too tired and went to bed early. So I'm all weepy on the couch on a Friday night by myself, hoping that good things will finally happen for Chiron. Seriously, everyone in that film was excellent, can't say a bad thing about it. I just wanted to hug everybody.
posted by chococat at 10:27 PM on February 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by chococat at 10:27 PM on February 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
The man who loved children really disturbed me.
Movie: Hidden Figures - it's hardly revolutionary cinema but it's a good story and every part of the production is good quality.
Television: super late to the party, but u watched the first season Broadchurch this week and really liked it (except a little bit the last episode). The mystery was a little blah but I liked that the story was really ssri much bigger than that: more about the impact a horrible event can have on a community.
Books: the vorkosigan saga by mcmaster-bujold. Holey moley I have been tearing through these at a rate of knots. Supremely enjoyable space opera. I had to make myself take a break.
posted by smoke at 10:35 PM on February 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
Movie: Hidden Figures - it's hardly revolutionary cinema but it's a good story and every part of the production is good quality.
Television: super late to the party, but u watched the first season Broadchurch this week and really liked it (except a little bit the last episode). The mystery was a little blah but I liked that the story was really ssri much bigger than that: more about the impact a horrible event can have on a community.
Books: the vorkosigan saga by mcmaster-bujold. Holey moley I have been tearing through these at a rate of knots. Supremely enjoyable space opera. I had to make myself take a break.
posted by smoke at 10:35 PM on February 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
A few weeks back here at Castle Wordshore, pennies were spent on an Amazon Fire Tablet. This was more of an impulse buy because they are so damned cheap (30 of them are the same cost here as 1 MacBook Pro) and the logic was if it was disappointing then the trade-in price would lose me pretty much nothing. It's not perfect - the Silk web browser is a little odd, the speaker is disappointing and the google play store is a swine to install - but for the cost it's pretty damned good and covers many bases I didn't expect it to.
So, it's being used to learn Norwegian (slowly and badly) through Duolingo, and also to start methodically working through the collection of Boards of Canada tracks that have accumulated on various devices (counts: 177 so far). This may take a while...
+ + + + +
Outside of that - literally, outside - I've gradually cut down on non-work social media for several reasons (it's been mostly half-hearted since the last summer), so online stuff in that realm is mostly now work Facebook and twitter, Flickr and MetaFilter. Instead, it's more satisfying to send - positive - letters and cards to people, which seem to have a beneficial effect. And do the outside thing, which is happily ramped up as here in Albion the weather lurched from cold, grey and damp Winter into surprisingly warm and sun-filled Spring pretty much overnight.
In the last few days I've been to Belton, which has a church with nice doors, and a Maypole that I'll be back to see in use come the start of May. From there, and via a nice though expensive pub, it was a pleasant stroll to the spectacular church at Breedon-on-the-Hill (odd thing - Bree means hill, and Don means hill, so it translates as hillhill-on-the-hill).
And this is one heck of a church, perched on top of half of a hill (the other half having been blasted away for a quarry). As well as being atmospheric (and very cold), the amount of history for such a small church was astounding, even by English church standards. Carvings especially abounded, some more than 1200 years old. Outside, the beacon afforded good views, though I feel the urge to write a stiff letter of complaint about the quality of the notice explaining it.
Other walks the last few days included to a really nice village with a church and stone where I gravitate to sometimes for pub reasons and where spring is pleasantly on increasing display, various long country lanes while I wait for the muddy fields to dry out, and another rural pub I may return to on tuesdays.
posted by Wordshore at 11:10 PM on February 18, 2017 [4 favorites]
So, it's being used to learn Norwegian (slowly and badly) through Duolingo, and also to start methodically working through the collection of Boards of Canada tracks that have accumulated on various devices (counts: 177 so far). This may take a while...
+ + + + +
Outside of that - literally, outside - I've gradually cut down on non-work social media for several reasons (it's been mostly half-hearted since the last summer), so online stuff in that realm is mostly now work Facebook and twitter, Flickr and MetaFilter. Instead, it's more satisfying to send - positive - letters and cards to people, which seem to have a beneficial effect. And do the outside thing, which is happily ramped up as here in Albion the weather lurched from cold, grey and damp Winter into surprisingly warm and sun-filled Spring pretty much overnight.
In the last few days I've been to Belton, which has a church with nice doors, and a Maypole that I'll be back to see in use come the start of May. From there, and via a nice though expensive pub, it was a pleasant stroll to the spectacular church at Breedon-on-the-Hill (odd thing - Bree means hill, and Don means hill, so it translates as hillhill-on-the-hill).
And this is one heck of a church, perched on top of half of a hill (the other half having been blasted away for a quarry). As well as being atmospheric (and very cold), the amount of history for such a small church was astounding, even by English church standards. Carvings especially abounded, some more than 1200 years old. Outside, the beacon afforded good views, though I feel the urge to write a stiff letter of complaint about the quality of the notice explaining it.
Other walks the last few days included to a really nice village with a church and stone where I gravitate to sometimes for pub reasons and where spring is pleasantly on increasing display, various long country lanes while I wait for the muddy fields to dry out, and another rural pub I may return to on tuesdays.
posted by Wordshore at 11:10 PM on February 18, 2017 [4 favorites]
My girlfriend and I are currently watching the 1981 movie Excalibur, which neither of us had seen before, and it's incredible. It's like they decided there wasn't enough acting in movies, and packed as much Act-ing! as they could into it, like they wanted to create an acting surplus in case we ran out at some point. It's amazing.
I've been really down because I applied for an extremely prestigious scholarship and didn't get it, so my girlfriend made cobbler for us tonight. So now I'm watching this movie and going "I THANK THEE!! for this fine gift you have BESTOWED upon me!" in my best Excalibur-esque performance, and it's sort of cathartic to put that much energy into eating cobbler.
As I type this, we just got to the wedding scene, and she suggested we have a wedding just like the one in the movie, complete with the chanting. Man, even the priest is laying it on really thick, and he's literally just saying their vows. This movie is amazing.
posted by shapes that haunt the dusk at 11:32 PM on February 18, 2017 [15 favorites]
I've been really down because I applied for an extremely prestigious scholarship and didn't get it, so my girlfriend made cobbler for us tonight. So now I'm watching this movie and going "I THANK THEE!! for this fine gift you have BESTOWED upon me!" in my best Excalibur-esque performance, and it's sort of cathartic to put that much energy into eating cobbler.
As I type this, we just got to the wedding scene, and she suggested we have a wedding just like the one in the movie, complete with the chanting. Man, even the priest is laying it on really thick, and he's literally just saying their vows. This movie is amazing.
posted by shapes that haunt the dusk at 11:32 PM on February 18, 2017 [15 favorites]
Girlfriend: "Man, even the horses are kind of overdoing it."
posted by shapes that haunt the dusk at 11:34 PM on February 18, 2017 [14 favorites]
posted by shapes that haunt the dusk at 11:34 PM on February 18, 2017 [14 favorites]
Ok, nice one!
1. To occupy my mind in some somewhat rocky times, I read a number of books from the Chief-inspector Armand Gamache series by Louise Penny. Great fun. These books are a good addition to a growing pile of escapist reads I keep around my person.
2. Bedtime Harry Potter readings by Stephen Fry. Huge hit in this household.
3. To keep my mind from droning on about stuff I need to do tomorrow etc. in a time where I have to do a lot of partly new or unknown stuff to do pretty much every day, I have the habit of turning to particular pieces of music, that sort of play themselves more or less automatically in the back of my head while I'm busy. This is something that just happens. One favorite (for unknown reasons) of the last months has been Chopin's third piano sonata (starting at 12:48 in this video), only recently replaced by bits and pieces from Brahms's first piano concerto (audio).
posted by Namlit at 12:39 AM on February 19, 2017 [2 favorites]
1. To occupy my mind in some somewhat rocky times, I read a number of books from the Chief-inspector Armand Gamache series by Louise Penny. Great fun. These books are a good addition to a growing pile of escapist reads I keep around my person.
2. Bedtime Harry Potter readings by Stephen Fry. Huge hit in this household.
3. To keep my mind from droning on about stuff I need to do tomorrow etc. in a time where I have to do a lot of partly new or unknown stuff to do pretty much every day, I have the habit of turning to particular pieces of music, that sort of play themselves more or less automatically in the back of my head while I'm busy. This is something that just happens. One favorite (for unknown reasons) of the last months has been Chopin's third piano sonata (starting at 12:48 in this video), only recently replaced by bits and pieces from Brahms's first piano concerto (audio).
posted by Namlit at 12:39 AM on February 19, 2017 [2 favorites]
Books: the vorkosigan saga by mcmaster-bujold. Holey moley I have been tearing through these at a rate of knots. Supremely enjoyable space opera. I had to make myself take a break.
They are the best. Bujold's fantasy work is also great - check out the Sharing Knife and the Chalion series.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 1:21 AM on February 19, 2017 [4 favorites]
They are the best. Bujold's fantasy work is also great - check out the Sharing Knife and the Chalion series.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 1:21 AM on February 19, 2017 [4 favorites]
The Expanse is giving me life at the moment. Diverse cast, great writing, well placed and plotted, and the visuals are great too.
Also Legion. Like, I don't have any idea WTF is going on, but it's very pretty and I think it's going to have a great payoff.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 1:23 AM on February 19, 2017 [3 favorites]
Also Legion. Like, I don't have any idea WTF is going on, but it's very pretty and I think it's going to have a great payoff.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 1:23 AM on February 19, 2017 [3 favorites]
I endorse Htwrt's suggestion of Bujold's Chalion series, which may fit in the overlooked category, at least compared to her Vorkosigan books. I've read Paladin of Souls three or four times in the last few months. I kept running across characters and events that seemed like I should have remembered them from The Curse of Chalion, but didn't, so I finally checked it out of the library and re-read it several times. I may have to buy a copy.
posted by Bruce H. at 2:01 AM on February 19, 2017
posted by Bruce H. at 2:01 AM on February 19, 2017
Textbooks. I spent $1700 on textbooks. So yeah, a big fuck you to textbook publishers. It's been a long time since I was a student. I'd forgot that those guys get their own special corner of hell.
There was an interesting Planet Money episode (a bit of a tautology; they are all interesting) about the economics of textbook prices.
IIRC, they have to make their total profit from the first cohort of students who buy them because everybody in subsequent years picks them up second hand - especially now that sourcing them online is dead simple - compared with probably only looking in your own university's 2nd hand store many years ago now.
posted by UbuRoivas at 2:34 AM on February 19, 2017 [2 favorites]
There was an interesting Planet Money episode (a bit of a tautology; they are all interesting) about the economics of textbook prices.
IIRC, they have to make their total profit from the first cohort of students who buy them because everybody in subsequent years picks them up second hand - especially now that sourcing them online is dead simple - compared with probably only looking in your own university's 2nd hand store many years ago now.
posted by UbuRoivas at 2:34 AM on February 19, 2017 [2 favorites]
I recently read Daniel Polansky's A City Dreaming, and I enjoyed it well enough to put in on my Hugo ballot. It's an episodic fantasy novel set in contemporary New York City, and its characters and situations sort of remind me of very minor characters and sub-plots of The Sandman--like, mortals and creatures of dream having strange encounters in a world where much more powerful things exist offstage. There's also something in it like the idea of Paradox from the role-playing game Mage: The Ascension, if that helps to place it on the genre map. And I guess the main character is cynical/sarcastic in a way that's fairly common in urban fantasy, though it didn't much feel like other urban fantasy novels I've read. Anyway, it's weird and whimsical and fun.
posted by Wobbuffet at 3:38 AM on February 19, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Wobbuffet at 3:38 AM on February 19, 2017 [3 favorites]
They are conversation starters, not conversation limiters!
Cool! Because in the spirit of last week's Metatalktail Hour, I found a Lemon-Garlic Shrimp & Vegetable recipe via Pinterest of all places, and made it last night and it was GOOOOD. Husband is out of town, and since he neither likes shrimp nor garlic (his good qualities outweigh that) I cook these things when he's gone. I invited my mother over and SHE even liked it, so this is a win for picky eaters AND unconfident cooks.
Because she lives alone, I gave her the leftovers. As she left with a container of shrimp, a bag of raw asparagus, and a book I picked up because I thought she would like it, it hit me how the parent/child roles really do slowly start to reverse when a parent gets older. And then I dug into an Entenmann's chocolate fudge cake and a glass of wine.
I'm also finally, FINALLY, moving my 14 year old blog to another domain name and host. I've been wanting go do it for ages and it seemed impossible. But I've been doing a little bit each weekend and it's not so bad. I just started season 2 of Fuller House (it does me good to see Kimmie Gibbler still being weird and yet the most well-balanced one on the show) and my 44 year old heart is already thumping because I know NKOTB's episode is coming soon! :)
posted by kimberussell at 3:41 AM on February 19, 2017 [3 favorites]
Cool! Because in the spirit of last week's Metatalktail Hour, I found a Lemon-Garlic Shrimp & Vegetable recipe via Pinterest of all places, and made it last night and it was GOOOOD. Husband is out of town, and since he neither likes shrimp nor garlic (his good qualities outweigh that) I cook these things when he's gone. I invited my mother over and SHE even liked it, so this is a win for picky eaters AND unconfident cooks.
Because she lives alone, I gave her the leftovers. As she left with a container of shrimp, a bag of raw asparagus, and a book I picked up because I thought she would like it, it hit me how the parent/child roles really do slowly start to reverse when a parent gets older. And then I dug into an Entenmann's chocolate fudge cake and a glass of wine.
I'm also finally, FINALLY, moving my 14 year old blog to another domain name and host. I've been wanting go do it for ages and it seemed impossible. But I've been doing a little bit each weekend and it's not so bad. I just started season 2 of Fuller House (it does me good to see Kimmie Gibbler still being weird and yet the most well-balanced one on the show) and my 44 year old heart is already thumping because I know NKOTB's episode is coming soon! :)
posted by kimberussell at 3:41 AM on February 19, 2017 [3 favorites]
Oh, as we're talking media and culture, I also caught up on Eurovision. This is the time of the year when many countries select their entry for the grand final in May. There's a post/thread over on the blue from a few weeks ago. Out of those countries who have made their final selection, my favorites (I'm not a fan of power ballads which cuts down my options a lot this year) are so far:
1. Belarus by a long way, as these times need uplifting tunes.
2. Italy.
3. Hungary.
posted by Wordshore at 4:26 AM on February 19, 2017 [3 favorites]
1. Belarus by a long way, as these times need uplifting tunes.
2. Italy.
3. Hungary.
posted by Wordshore at 4:26 AM on February 19, 2017 [3 favorites]
The only new thing I've been consuming lately is Trader Joe's honey butter potato chips. Opinions are divided in our household; I am strongly pro.
posted by Metroid Baby at 4:26 AM on February 19, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Metroid Baby at 4:26 AM on February 19, 2017 [2 favorites]
I have been sucked into YouTube videos about polymer clay, especially making canes. Look at this one! 😍 I don't really have the money or space for a new hobby, but watching videos like this gives my creative energy a boost. I also love the Corning Museum of Glass YouTube channel- they have a really nice variety of videos.
Today I am making two of my favorite recipes from my "Recipes That Work" folder. One is this slow cooker Potato and Corn Chowder (which is lighter than it looks in the picture) and Smitten Kitchen's Spinach Sheet Pan Quiche. I'm trying to eat out less, and these two are tasty enough that I don't mind eating them over and over again. Cooking for one is hard, y'all.
posted by Mouse Army at 5:18 AM on February 19, 2017
Today I am making two of my favorite recipes from my "Recipes That Work" folder. One is this slow cooker Potato and Corn Chowder (which is lighter than it looks in the picture) and Smitten Kitchen's Spinach Sheet Pan Quiche. I'm trying to eat out less, and these two are tasty enough that I don't mind eating them over and over again. Cooking for one is hard, y'all.
posted by Mouse Army at 5:18 AM on February 19, 2017
Just finished rereading all the Sherlock Holmes books and stories. Now embarking on a reread of Dorothy Sayers' Peter Wimsey mysteries. Pure comfort reading at the moment!
posted by peacheater at 5:43 AM on February 19, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by peacheater at 5:43 AM on February 19, 2017 [5 favorites]
I've been listening a lot of Ivy lately. Because the slightly Spring-y weather lately really sets it up. Plus, I kinda need to mellow out a bit because most of the stuff I've composed lately could easily be weaponized.
For some reason, I've decided to watch The Critic. It was never broadcast here to the best of my knowledge, and it's up on Youtube.
Finally, because my Xbox isn't as dead as I've expected, have been replaying some games - Fable II and III, Syndicate, Vanquish and now Just Cause. Because of this, I haven't watched movies lately.
posted by lmfsilva at 5:48 AM on February 19, 2017 [2 favorites]
For some reason, I've decided to watch The Critic. It was never broadcast here to the best of my knowledge, and it's up on Youtube.
Finally, because my Xbox isn't as dead as I've expected, have been replaying some games - Fable II and III, Syndicate, Vanquish and now Just Cause. Because of this, I haven't watched movies lately.
posted by lmfsilva at 5:48 AM on February 19, 2017 [2 favorites]
Not media-related, but Mr. Ant, AntMom and I are going all-in on a 3BR/2BA ranch home on 33 rolling acres in the Great Smoky Mountains. The house also has a 1600 square foot garage and workshop for my Macgyver-like husband. We signed the contract a few days ago, inspections are tomorrow and closing is scheduled for 15 March (as none of us is a Roman emperor, we think there's nothing to fear.)
AntMom is 76 and doing okay, but it'll be easier to manage her care and make sure she's eating properly if we're all under the same roof. So Jessamyn, if you were ever planning to pop by the house again, I need to give you a new address. :-)
posted by workerant at 6:14 AM on February 19, 2017 [8 favorites]
AntMom is 76 and doing okay, but it'll be easier to manage her care and make sure she's eating properly if we're all under the same roof. So Jessamyn, if you were ever planning to pop by the house again, I need to give you a new address. :-)
posted by workerant at 6:14 AM on February 19, 2017 [8 favorites]
"That's because he probably died when he made the universe in the Big Bang. It exploded a lot of things."
I can't stop laughing!!!!
Hmm, no real media consumption here. I continue to be fascinated by history podcasts. I got some really good recommendations in my AskMe, so I guess I will report back once I have an opinion on them myself.
MomFreedom came to visit and we went out to brunch at a local restaurant. They are just starting to offer brunch, so for right now it is once a month and this month's brunch just happened to fall on the same weekend of my mom's visit, so off we went. I had the most delicious vegetarian Eggs Benedict (with roasted eggplant and squash instead of ham and English muffin) with pesto hollandaise. TBH I just wanted to drink the hollandiase straight.
posted by chainsofreedom at 6:27 AM on February 19, 2017
I can't stop laughing!!!!
Hmm, no real media consumption here. I continue to be fascinated by history podcasts. I got some really good recommendations in my AskMe, so I guess I will report back once I have an opinion on them myself.
MomFreedom came to visit and we went out to brunch at a local restaurant. They are just starting to offer brunch, so for right now it is once a month and this month's brunch just happened to fall on the same weekend of my mom's visit, so off we went. I had the most delicious vegetarian Eggs Benedict (with roasted eggplant and squash instead of ham and English muffin) with pesto hollandaise. TBH I just wanted to drink the hollandiase straight.
posted by chainsofreedom at 6:27 AM on February 19, 2017
I know that Baskets, the Zach Galifianakis/Louie CK dark comedy about a clown, isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea but I encourage everyone to try it (S1 is on Hulu, S2 is airing now) because Louie Anderson is giving the performance of a lifetime as Christine Baskets, mother of Chip Baskets (Galifianakis.) Anderson won the Best asupporting Actor Emmy and Critic's Choice Award last year for the role. He brings so much humor and pathos to the role; she's one of my favorite tv characters of all time. (To be clear, Anderson as a woman itself is not played for laughs in any way. Louie Anderson is Christine Baskets.
Sneaky Pete (trailer, FanFare) on Amazon is a really fun show about a con artist. There are long cons, short cons, double-crosses, and Giovanni Ribisi and Bryan Cranston are at their best. I binged it but am going to rewatch more slowly because there's so much good stuff there. Also, Margo Martindale!
Girlfriend's Day (trailer) is a new Netflix "comedy noir" movie written by, and starring Bob Odenkirk as a down-on-his-luck either of romance greeting cards. He finds inspiration when a new holiday, Girlfriend's Day, s announced but that's when the intrigue begins. It's funny and sweet and also has a definite Lebowski vibe.
I continue to cheerlead and rewatch Angie Tribeca (trailer, which doesn't do the show justice, FanFare.) The show pulls of the impossible: it's a rightful heir to Airplane! and Police Squad. There are so many homes that repeated viewing is really required if you want to catch everything.
Also, Pokemon.
posted by Room 641-A at 6:50 AM on February 19, 2017 [2 favorites]
Sneaky Pete (trailer, FanFare) on Amazon is a really fun show about a con artist. There are long cons, short cons, double-crosses, and Giovanni Ribisi and Bryan Cranston are at their best. I binged it but am going to rewatch more slowly because there's so much good stuff there. Also, Margo Martindale!
Girlfriend's Day (trailer) is a new Netflix "comedy noir" movie written by, and starring Bob Odenkirk as a down-on-his-luck either of romance greeting cards. He finds inspiration when a new holiday, Girlfriend's Day, s announced but that's when the intrigue begins. It's funny and sweet and also has a definite Lebowski vibe.
I continue to cheerlead and rewatch Angie Tribeca (trailer, which doesn't do the show justice, FanFare.) The show pulls of the impossible: it's a rightful heir to Airplane! and Police Squad. There are so many homes that repeated viewing is really required if you want to catch everything.
Also, Pokemon.
posted by Room 641-A at 6:50 AM on February 19, 2017 [2 favorites]
I just started reading "The Hummingbird's Daughter" and so far I have been really enjoying it.
There's a lot of birdsong where I'm housesitting this weekend, and I've been enjoying that, too.
posted by aniola at 8:50 AM on February 19, 2017
There's a lot of birdsong where I'm housesitting this weekend, and I've been enjoying that, too.
posted by aniola at 8:50 AM on February 19, 2017
Exciting concoction of the week is:
- 1 pint whipping cream
- 1 banana, chunked
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric (for coloring)
In a mixing bowl, combine everything. Whip with an electric hand mixer on medium speed setting until it turns into a whipped cream or puddingy thing.
Optionally, you can sprinkle vanilla powder (makes it seem sweeter) or cocoa powder on top.
Eat straight from the bowl or serve as a topping. Huge hit with housemates who don't eat refined sugar.
posted by aniola at 9:02 AM on February 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
- 1 pint whipping cream
- 1 banana, chunked
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric (for coloring)
In a mixing bowl, combine everything. Whip with an electric hand mixer on medium speed setting until it turns into a whipped cream or puddingy thing.
Optionally, you can sprinkle vanilla powder (makes it seem sweeter) or cocoa powder on top.
Eat straight from the bowl or serve as a topping. Huge hit with housemates who don't eat refined sugar.
posted by aniola at 9:02 AM on February 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
I really enjoyed Occupied.
I'd never gotten around to checking out the Hamilton soundtrack, but my husband came home one day with tickets from a friend so we were able to see it last week here in Chicago. It was of course wonderful and it's been playing non-stop while I do a deep clean of the apartment.
I'm halfway through Hardcore History's new "Blitz" episode ( it was supposed to be shorter, wound up being 6 hours long) about the early years of nuclear weapons. I'm not sure if I should feel like our self-destruction is inevitable or if I should be optimistic that we haven't obliterated ourselves yet.
posted by ghost phoneme at 9:24 AM on February 19, 2017
I'd never gotten around to checking out the Hamilton soundtrack, but my husband came home one day with tickets from a friend so we were able to see it last week here in Chicago. It was of course wonderful and it's been playing non-stop while I do a deep clean of the apartment.
I'm halfway through Hardcore History's new "Blitz" episode ( it was supposed to be shorter, wound up being 6 hours long) about the early years of nuclear weapons. I'm not sure if I should feel like our self-destruction is inevitable or if I should be optimistic that we haven't obliterated ourselves yet.
posted by ghost phoneme at 9:24 AM on February 19, 2017
I just watched Train to Busan and that was pretty awesome. It's probably the most exciting straight-ahead, no gimmicks or jokes zombie movie since the Dawn of the Dead remake. Santa Clarita Diet was fun, but it's less an actual horror thing than a relationship comedy about two people who really love each other and are going through some shit, and the shit happens to involve one of them being undead.
Legion is the coolest thing going on tv right now, and I pity the people who are blowing it off for being a comic book adaptation. It's nothing at all like any previous comic book show. If you're wrinkling your nose at this one, ignore the source material and consider it another Golden Age of TV creation from Noah (Fargo) Hawley and you'll be closer to the mark. It's trippy and weird and terrific.
And finally, I seem to be the very last person in America to get hipped to the music of Car Seat Headrest. I knew the whole story about the Ocasek legal trouble. And I knew this was a highly regarded millennial songwriter/one man band. But somehow, no one ever bothered to tell me before that this milliennial works almost exclusively from the mid-late 1990s lo-fi playbook, and that shit IS MY JAM, YO. He's like a Ray Davies level songwriter goofing on sounds like it's 1996 and he's going to open for Archers of Loaf or the Grifters as soon as his seven inch comes out. Soooooooooo up my alley. Pity about the band name, though.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 9:27 AM on February 19, 2017 [2 favorites]
Legion is the coolest thing going on tv right now, and I pity the people who are blowing it off for being a comic book adaptation. It's nothing at all like any previous comic book show. If you're wrinkling your nose at this one, ignore the source material and consider it another Golden Age of TV creation from Noah (Fargo) Hawley and you'll be closer to the mark. It's trippy and weird and terrific.
And finally, I seem to be the very last person in America to get hipped to the music of Car Seat Headrest. I knew the whole story about the Ocasek legal trouble. And I knew this was a highly regarded millennial songwriter/one man band. But somehow, no one ever bothered to tell me before that this milliennial works almost exclusively from the mid-late 1990s lo-fi playbook, and that shit IS MY JAM, YO. He's like a Ray Davies level songwriter goofing on sounds like it's 1996 and he's going to open for Archers of Loaf or the Grifters as soon as his seven inch comes out. Soooooooooo up my alley. Pity about the band name, though.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 9:27 AM on February 19, 2017 [2 favorites]
I'm reading Good Night and Good Riddance by David Cavanagh, which tries to put the John Peel show into the context of what was going on in the UK at the time. I'm really enjoying reading about the early shows and the bands that Peel was playing back in the 60s and 70s - it's inspired me to listen to some of that music (even some prog rock).
posted by crocomancer at 9:43 AM on February 19, 2017
posted by crocomancer at 9:43 AM on February 19, 2017
Mostly what I have been watching this week are youtube videos about fishkeeping and aquascaping (Rachel O'Leary is a favorite, as is Lifewithpets). I've obtained a 20 gallon long aquarium and some hardscaping, and a stand will be arriving tomorrow and I have a week off starting on Thursday to get the tank 'scaped and planted and start it cycling to add fish in a month or two. I think I might do a betta sorority, or I might change my mind and do gouramis. I haven't kept fish since the early 2000s, and it is an entirely different thing now with the internet at hand.
I also finally downloaded Duolingo and took the fluency test for Swedish, surprising myself with a 30% (that would have been slightly higher had I known up front how to type accented characters on my phone keyboard), so I'm going to work on that this year. I learned and used it just for one year, and it's funny running into nouns I never knew or have changed in 20mumble years.
Our comfort-watch these days are the seemingly endless catalog of British 1-hour historical documentary shows made by Lucy Worsley, which can be found scattered around youtube (example: If Walls Could Talk, Ep 1), which are sort of like a pleasant history podcast except with video and the podcast host trying out the tools and tasks of various historical scenarios.
I am, when I need an audiobook break, re-listening to Bill Bryson's One Summer: America 1927. I suppose any given summer, historically, could be equally astounding but 1927 certainly delivers. It was a fun fascinating listen the first time, but this time it has a grimmer tone, thinking about what's coming and how many things about then remind me of now. But on the other hand, we're still here. On the third hand, they didn't have nuclear weapons yet. I don't know, but I somehow find it comforting in a way I don't find current events.
posted by Lyn Never at 9:46 AM on February 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
I also finally downloaded Duolingo and took the fluency test for Swedish, surprising myself with a 30% (that would have been slightly higher had I known up front how to type accented characters on my phone keyboard), so I'm going to work on that this year. I learned and used it just for one year, and it's funny running into nouns I never knew or have changed in 20mumble years.
Our comfort-watch these days are the seemingly endless catalog of British 1-hour historical documentary shows made by Lucy Worsley, which can be found scattered around youtube (example: If Walls Could Talk, Ep 1), which are sort of like a pleasant history podcast except with video and the podcast host trying out the tools and tasks of various historical scenarios.
I am, when I need an audiobook break, re-listening to Bill Bryson's One Summer: America 1927. I suppose any given summer, historically, could be equally astounding but 1927 certainly delivers. It was a fun fascinating listen the first time, but this time it has a grimmer tone, thinking about what's coming and how many things about then remind me of now. But on the other hand, we're still here. On the third hand, they didn't have nuclear weapons yet. I don't know, but I somehow find it comforting in a way I don't find current events.
posted by Lyn Never at 9:46 AM on February 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
There's a Thomas Wilfred exhibit at Yale which includes several of the lumias from my uncle's collection and the clavilux that he and my brother have restored.
posted by brujita at 10:01 AM on February 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by brujita at 10:01 AM on February 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
The other great thing about housesitting is bike jogging the dog. If I walk the dog, I wear me out.
If I hop on a bike, I can let the dog set the pace and wear the dog out. It's one of my favorite activities.
posted by aniola at 10:14 AM on February 19, 2017
If I hop on a bike, I can let the dog set the pace and wear the dog out. It's one of my favorite activities.
posted by aniola at 10:14 AM on February 19, 2017
Enjoying the second season of Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu. It's really excellent, and I got to learn about rakugo, a traditional Japanese form of storytelling.
I've also been slowly adding to my collection of tiny succulent plants.
posted by needled at 10:14 AM on February 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
I've also been slowly adding to my collection of tiny succulent plants.
posted by needled at 10:14 AM on February 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
I'm years out of date on this, but my wife and I just recently discovered The Gilmore Girls.
posted by COD at 10:39 AM on February 19, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by COD at 10:39 AM on February 19, 2017 [3 favorites]
On the music front, I've gotten reeaaaallly into Kevin Morby's recent album. The single he put out (Beautiful Strangers) about the senseless violence of 2016 is powerful, and has been on repeat in my headphones for the last couple weeks.
If you ever hear that gunshot, you may think 'bout what you do but you don't gotposted by kaibutsu at 10:48 AM on February 19, 2017
Say a prayer, think of mother, I am a rock
If you ever hear that sound now
If the door gets kicked in here, they come now
Think of others, be their cover
I am what they're not
Pray for Paris
They cannot scare us
Or stop the music
You got a sweet voice, child
Why don't you use it?
I'm at Gallifrey One, so everything is Who.
posted by betweenthebars at 10:53 AM on February 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by betweenthebars at 10:53 AM on February 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
Superstore is the sitcom America needs, and Glenn is the hero America deserves. He's such a hilarious character, doesn't get most cultural cues or ethics apart from his religion, but earnestly wants to learn, and routinely makes me lose my mind.
posted by General Malaise at 11:01 AM on February 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by General Malaise at 11:01 AM on February 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
Still circling warily around Mantel's Beyond Black out of a suspicious dread that it could be my own private vortext into the Abyss.
And glancing again through Anne of Green Gables -- I kind of already knew Anne is an embodied Nature spirit straight out of Greek myth, but I hadn't realized how completely and with malice aforethought Montgomery intended it to be that way.
posted by jamjam at 11:12 AM on February 19, 2017 [2 favorites]
And glancing again through Anne of Green Gables -- I kind of already knew Anne is an embodied Nature spirit straight out of Greek myth, but I hadn't realized how completely and with malice aforethought Montgomery intended it to be that way.
posted by jamjam at 11:12 AM on February 19, 2017 [2 favorites]
I really enjoyed the first season of Crazyhead, and can't wait for the second. It's basically BtVS set in modern-day England, but including actual people of colour. It's also hilarious.
I've been on a big John le Carre kick lately, which has led me to re-watch Smiley's People on YouTube. Alec Guinness is a genius.
On the anime front, I've been really enjoying Interviews with Monster Girls, which I realized after about the third episode was actually about integrating special-needs kids into Japanese high schools (something they have traditionally not done very well- when I lived in Japan, I taught occasionally at a school for people with developmental disabilities, which was quite nice, but completely isolated from an already highly-streamed school system). Also, one of the characters sounds so much like about four of my former students (from the vocational high school I taught at), it's starting to freak me out a bit.
The second season of KonoSuba! is hilarious and highly entertaining, and if you missed either Flying Witch or Flip Flappers, I highly recommend them. Flip Flappers is weird and gorgeously animated, and reminds me a bit of FLCL, and Flying Witch is an absolutely charming story where a slightly older version of Kiki moves to a village in rural Japan, and nothing really happens, but you don't care.
As far as music goes, lately I've been listening to things that just chill me out completely, and The Weather Station is great for that. Here's them covering Transmission and making it sound like a storm rolling across the prairie.
And of course, it's never a bad time to listen to Belle and Sebastian.
Actually, I've been listening to so much Belle and Sebastian, I'm starting to think I'm a twee British clone who's been raised for his organs.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 11:20 AM on February 19, 2017 [5 favorites]
I've been on a big John le Carre kick lately, which has led me to re-watch Smiley's People on YouTube. Alec Guinness is a genius.
On the anime front, I've been really enjoying Interviews with Monster Girls, which I realized after about the third episode was actually about integrating special-needs kids into Japanese high schools (something they have traditionally not done very well- when I lived in Japan, I taught occasionally at a school for people with developmental disabilities, which was quite nice, but completely isolated from an already highly-streamed school system). Also, one of the characters sounds so much like about four of my former students (from the vocational high school I taught at), it's starting to freak me out a bit.
The second season of KonoSuba! is hilarious and highly entertaining, and if you missed either Flying Witch or Flip Flappers, I highly recommend them. Flip Flappers is weird and gorgeously animated, and reminds me a bit of FLCL, and Flying Witch is an absolutely charming story where a slightly older version of Kiki moves to a village in rural Japan, and nothing really happens, but you don't care.
As far as music goes, lately I've been listening to things that just chill me out completely, and The Weather Station is great for that. Here's them covering Transmission and making it sound like a storm rolling across the prairie.
And of course, it's never a bad time to listen to Belle and Sebastian.
Actually, I've been listening to so much Belle and Sebastian, I'm starting to think I'm a twee British clone who's been raised for his organs.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 11:20 AM on February 19, 2017 [5 favorites]
Lyn Never-- I adored Bryson's One Summer! Oddly enough, I also listened to the audiobook. That was a couple of years ago, pre podcast explosion, when I was really into listening to audiobooks on my daily one hour each way commute. I remember on more than one occasion sitting in my garage waiting to get to a good "stopping place" before getting out of the car. Great book!
posted by bookmammal at 11:20 AM on February 19, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by bookmammal at 11:20 AM on February 19, 2017 [2 favorites]
And of course, it's never a bad time to listen to Belle and Sebastian.
They're touring this summer! So excited! You can tell I'm excited because I'm smiling slightly while staring out at the rain.
posted by betweenthebars at 11:58 AM on February 19, 2017 [8 favorites]
They're touring this summer! So excited! You can tell I'm excited because I'm smiling slightly while staring out at the rain.
posted by betweenthebars at 11:58 AM on February 19, 2017 [8 favorites]
Meanwhile, at chez should, the kitties discover that cable ties (zip ties) make wonderful faux lizzards. Cats are weird.
posted by mightshould at 12:16 PM on February 19, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by mightshould at 12:16 PM on February 19, 2017 [2 favorites]
Yep, Belle and Sebastian stayed at home last year. So I had to go to them. When I was just about to go across from Edinburgh, my friend who I was going to see them with texted me to say that Stuart Murdoch was eating lunch at the next table to him.
posted by ambrosen at 12:29 PM on February 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by ambrosen at 12:29 PM on February 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
The 07 Body Snatchers remake THE INVASION is on Netflix streaming US and I can't believe it was so slept on. Female fronted SF horror analog for fascism! It feels so apt now.
I've also been plowing through the first few seasons of CHEERS on Netflix and it's so damn solid, every line is a gag line and ithey all work. A+ traditional sitcom, perfect for distraction.
Also The Americans s4 has hit Amazon Prime.
Lasso the new season of YOU MUST REMEBER THIS. Has been my go to cooking/cleaning background podcast.
Looking forward to GET OUT on the horror movie side, eeeeevil towns are my favorite subgenre aside from eeeeeevil supermarkets/malls.
Also I'm rewatching a lot of X so I can be an informed podcast guest on XX later this week.
posted by The Whelk at 1:45 PM on February 19, 2017
I've also been plowing through the first few seasons of CHEERS on Netflix and it's so damn solid, every line is a gag line and ithey all work. A+ traditional sitcom, perfect for distraction.
Also The Americans s4 has hit Amazon Prime.
Lasso the new season of YOU MUST REMEBER THIS. Has been my go to cooking/cleaning background podcast.
Looking forward to GET OUT on the horror movie side, eeeeevil towns are my favorite subgenre aside from eeeeeevil supermarkets/malls.
Also I'm rewatching a lot of X so I can be an informed podcast guest on XX later this week.
posted by The Whelk at 1:45 PM on February 19, 2017
I fell down the YouTube rabbit hole. So much Simon's Cat, Crash Course, and Idea Channel.
posted by PearlRose at 3:31 PM on February 19, 2017
posted by PearlRose at 3:31 PM on February 19, 2017
Well I just now got super into the Weather Station. Thanks TheWhiteSkull!
posted by clavicle at 4:18 PM on February 19, 2017
posted by clavicle at 4:18 PM on February 19, 2017
Music:
Rewatched Boy on Netflix the other night, which was a good choice.
posted by Going To Maine at 4:22 PM on February 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
- Midori Takada’s Through The Looking Glass is the best thing I have heard in a long time. If you like ambient percussion music, maybe it will be the best thing you’ve heard in a long time, too.
- Call Super’s new fabric mix dropped on Friday, and it is also excellent.
- Fun Home the musical was pretty darned good, too!
Rewatched Boy on Netflix the other night, which was a good choice.
posted by Going To Maine at 4:22 PM on February 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
Oh - and my poster arrived! Now I need a good, inexpensive frame.
posted by Going To Maine at 4:32 PM on February 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Going To Maine at 4:32 PM on February 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
... vortext ...
If that's a typo, it's a remarkably evocative one, on par with "cow orker" and "untility"
posted by Bruce H. at 4:33 PM on February 19, 2017
If that's a typo, it's a remarkably evocative one, on par with "cow orker" and "untility"
posted by Bruce H. at 4:33 PM on February 19, 2017
I was making up a bunch of team names so that I didn't have to just refer to student teams A, B, C anf D for this class I'm TAing, and decided C was for Chupacabras. Which reminded me of that goofy, kinda punk Super Furry Animals song, which I've been listening to on repeat because it makes me smile.
posted by deludingmyself at 5:26 PM on February 19, 2017
posted by deludingmyself at 5:26 PM on February 19, 2017
I don't think I have anything in common with us.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 5:58 PM on February 19, 2017
posted by Joseph Gurl at 5:58 PM on February 19, 2017
I've also been watching Legion, and Season 2 of The Expanse. In addition, I've been catching up on Younger, and thank god John Oliver is back on HBO. Courtesy of PBS, I just saw the very good but very sad documentary Tower, about the 1966 shootings at the University of Texas Austin, which I am still thinking about.
Thanks to the many Little Free Libraries in our area, I've been reading Maisie Dobbs.
Mr. gudrun and I were wandering around our neighborhood in the warm non winter weather yesterday afternoon and overhearing snippets of conversations. The highlights were a woman about to go into Whole Foods who turned to her companion and said "You want to get some overpriced guac.?", and the guy on his cell who was saying "No, I know, it's exhausting doing nothing."
posted by gudrun at 6:08 PM on February 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
Thanks to the many Little Free Libraries in our area, I've been reading Maisie Dobbs.
Mr. gudrun and I were wandering around our neighborhood in the warm non winter weather yesterday afternoon and overhearing snippets of conversations. The highlights were a woman about to go into Whole Foods who turned to her companion and said "You want to get some overpriced guac.?", and the guy on his cell who was saying "No, I know, it's exhausting doing nothing."
posted by gudrun at 6:08 PM on February 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
OMG we saw Hamilton in Chicago last night and I previously had no experience with the songs or anything (just what I'd catch the 16-year-old and her friends singing and of course I know the plot, etc.) but OH MY GOD IT WAS AMAZING. Seriously, the hype is true. The ending (not what you're thinking!!) DESTROYED me. King George? NO WORDS.
Best part? The tickets were FREE. A friend had already bought hers when one of her vendors told her he had three comped tickets if she wanted them. YES PLEASE!
Seriously. It was as good as everyone says, and better. It's coming to my town in 2018 and you bet yer butt imma see it again.
posted by cooker girl at 6:29 PM on February 19, 2017 [7 favorites]
Best part? The tickets were FREE. A friend had already bought hers when one of her vendors told her he had three comped tickets if she wanted them. YES PLEASE!
Seriously. It was as good as everyone says, and better. It's coming to my town in 2018 and you bet yer butt imma see it again.
posted by cooker girl at 6:29 PM on February 19, 2017 [7 favorites]
I started the book I'm totally going to finish this year: Psychotic Reactions & Carburetor Dung, from which I'm quickly gathering that my life would have been a bit different if I'd read this in 1988 when it came out, because I would have leapfrogged the microsocial evolution of dorm-y florid pontification. I mean, I love it as a griot, but Lester was the originator so I'd have been able to make fun of people for aping him instead of nodding my head sagely.
We are limping along over in the Deadwood rewatch, which is a nice long-term thing to have going from week to week. I've also recently discovered Adam Curtis (for some reason my brain had always interpreted the name as one-time MTV VJ Adam Curry), so I'm going to be going through his stuff as the months turn over. That guy sure doesn't blanch at throwing 3 hours of footage together.
I'm going to go see 20th Century Women on Tuesday. Mike Mills is a hero, an all-time favorite forever, and the cast looks AWSUM.
posted by rhizome at 6:49 PM on February 19, 2017
We are limping along over in the Deadwood rewatch, which is a nice long-term thing to have going from week to week. I've also recently discovered Adam Curtis (for some reason my brain had always interpreted the name as one-time MTV VJ Adam Curry), so I'm going to be going through his stuff as the months turn over. That guy sure doesn't blanch at throwing 3 hours of footage together.
I'm going to go see 20th Century Women on Tuesday. Mike Mills is a hero, an all-time favorite forever, and the cast looks AWSUM.
posted by rhizome at 6:49 PM on February 19, 2017
"Superstore is the sitcom America needs, and Glenn is the hero America deserves . He's such a hilarious character, doesn't get most cultural cues or ethics apart from his religion, but earnestly wants to learn, and routinely makes me lose my mind."
I looooooove Superstore and I love Glenn! Dina stresses the shit out of me, though -- I think she subconsciously reminds me of some terrible retail manager I once had. (And the actress is so lovely and charming in interviews! It's just the character! GAH!)
"And glancing again through Anne of Green Gables -- I kind of already knew Anne is an embodied Nature spirit straight out of Greek myth, but I hadn't realized how completely and with malice aforethought Montgomery intended it to be that way."
If you haven't, check out the Oxford Annotated Anne, put out for its 100th anniversary, which has lots of notes from LMM's notes and revisions, lots of discussion of the deliberateness of the symbolism, etc. I have waxed rhapsodic before.
---
Family Feast this week was Beef Stroganoff, apple-celery-and-walnut salad in honey mustard dressing, green beans, and cherry ice cream. And I have a very exciting thing! One of my kids has a sensory processing disorder, and one of its manifestations is problems surrounding food textures (especially when novel), like he'll yell with distress if a "gross" food is on his plate and can't stop crying until it's removed. We finally asked his occupational therapist for some help with this (it was a lower-priority issue because he's frankly a good eater in general), and YOU GUYS, they're called experts because they know shit. She gave me a bunch of handouts and materials and I read through them and then I went through the steps with my kid (who's very bright and motivated and LOVES FOOD so wants to not be so distressed by it) and OH MY GOD IT IS WORKING. For this week the goal was to do the step where "'gross' food is on child's plate and child eats preferred foods without upset" so he could learn that the "gross" food can't hurt him (and he can like eat at school or parties or restaurants where they put weird shit on the plate without having a meltdown about it), and we talked about putting the gross food there and him letting it sit there, and he did GREAT at it, but every night he progressed to the next step, which is "touching and mashing the gross food and playing with it" and the NEXT two which are "sniffing the gross food" and "licking the gross food." Today he was super-grossed-out by the apple-celery-walnut salad, which is exactly the kind of food that he hates and was the first time I've made it, but he calmly let it on his plate and poked it a few times, and I told him everything that was in it (all foods he likes in isolation) and suggested he might lick an apple and see if he liked it, and he DID lick it, and then HE ATE THE SALAD.
I never thought I would be so excited about a kid eating a salad but there you go. And I am dying for the next AskMe question on "my kid is weird about food" because THEY GAVE ME HANDOUTS. But honestly, stepping back from some of the "traditional" American child-rearing strategies around food and trying the official scientific strategies basically immediately ramped down the drama and increased my kid's ability to cope, it has been like magic, I should have asked months ago.
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 6:57 PM on February 19, 2017 [24 favorites]
I looooooove Superstore and I love Glenn! Dina stresses the shit out of me, though -- I think she subconsciously reminds me of some terrible retail manager I once had. (And the actress is so lovely and charming in interviews! It's just the character! GAH!)
"And glancing again through Anne of Green Gables -- I kind of already knew Anne is an embodied Nature spirit straight out of Greek myth, but I hadn't realized how completely and with malice aforethought Montgomery intended it to be that way."
If you haven't, check out the Oxford Annotated Anne, put out for its 100th anniversary, which has lots of notes from LMM's notes and revisions, lots of discussion of the deliberateness of the symbolism, etc. I have waxed rhapsodic before.
---
Family Feast this week was Beef Stroganoff, apple-celery-and-walnut salad in honey mustard dressing, green beans, and cherry ice cream. And I have a very exciting thing! One of my kids has a sensory processing disorder, and one of its manifestations is problems surrounding food textures (especially when novel), like he'll yell with distress if a "gross" food is on his plate and can't stop crying until it's removed. We finally asked his occupational therapist for some help with this (it was a lower-priority issue because he's frankly a good eater in general), and YOU GUYS, they're called experts because they know shit. She gave me a bunch of handouts and materials and I read through them and then I went through the steps with my kid (who's very bright and motivated and LOVES FOOD so wants to not be so distressed by it) and OH MY GOD IT IS WORKING. For this week the goal was to do the step where "'gross' food is on child's plate and child eats preferred foods without upset" so he could learn that the "gross" food can't hurt him (and he can like eat at school or parties or restaurants where they put weird shit on the plate without having a meltdown about it), and we talked about putting the gross food there and him letting it sit there, and he did GREAT at it, but every night he progressed to the next step, which is "touching and mashing the gross food and playing with it" and the NEXT two which are "sniffing the gross food" and "licking the gross food." Today he was super-grossed-out by the apple-celery-walnut salad, which is exactly the kind of food that he hates and was the first time I've made it, but he calmly let it on his plate and poked it a few times, and I told him everything that was in it (all foods he likes in isolation) and suggested he might lick an apple and see if he liked it, and he DID lick it, and then HE ATE THE SALAD.
I never thought I would be so excited about a kid eating a salad but there you go. And I am dying for the next AskMe question on "my kid is weird about food" because THEY GAVE ME HANDOUTS. But honestly, stepping back from some of the "traditional" American child-rearing strategies around food and trying the official scientific strategies basically immediately ramped down the drama and increased my kid's ability to cope, it has been like magic, I should have asked months ago.
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 6:57 PM on February 19, 2017 [24 favorites]
Wow, great Metatalktail topic!
I had the immense good fortune to see Fun Home this week at the newly restored gorgeous old Curran Theatre (which somehow I did not know was being renovated, and did not know this was the first show they've mounted since the renovation) and the theatre is lovely and the show was wonderful. The kids were especially amazing - so much energy! - and the stage design and the lighting were terrific and all the performances were great.
And I came home from the library with a bunch of books I am sure I requested due to AskMe recommendations:
The Love Letter by Cathleen Schine
Stir-fry: A Novel by Emma Donoghue
Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson
Scales of Gold by Dorothy Dunnett
And today's City Arts & Lectures guest on KQED was Colson Whitehead, which, how had I never heard of him before? I mean, I've heard of The Underground Railroad, but I had NOT heard of The Intuitionist which now I can't wait to read, except the library only has three copies (?!?) and they're all checked out, so I shall have to wait, but it's okay because I have those other four books I get to read in the meantime.
And I also got to see the entirely delightful Jump Tomorrow, which I just loved every bit of.
So, yay! I am happy to live in a world where smart creative interesting talented people are telling wonderful stories in wonderful ways and I get to appreciate them.
posted by kristi at 7:15 PM on February 19, 2017 [2 favorites]
I had the immense good fortune to see Fun Home this week at the newly restored gorgeous old Curran Theatre (which somehow I did not know was being renovated, and did not know this was the first show they've mounted since the renovation) and the theatre is lovely and the show was wonderful. The kids were especially amazing - so much energy! - and the stage design and the lighting were terrific and all the performances were great.
And I came home from the library with a bunch of books I am sure I requested due to AskMe recommendations:
The Love Letter by Cathleen Schine
Stir-fry: A Novel by Emma Donoghue
Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson
Scales of Gold by Dorothy Dunnett
And today's City Arts & Lectures guest on KQED was Colson Whitehead, which, how had I never heard of him before? I mean, I've heard of The Underground Railroad, but I had NOT heard of The Intuitionist which now I can't wait to read, except the library only has three copies (?!?) and they're all checked out, so I shall have to wait, but it's okay because I have those other four books I get to read in the meantime.
And I also got to see the entirely delightful Jump Tomorrow, which I just loved every bit of.
So, yay! I am happy to live in a world where smart creative interesting talented people are telling wonderful stories in wonderful ways and I get to appreciate them.
posted by kristi at 7:15 PM on February 19, 2017 [2 favorites]
> I had the immense good fortune to see Fun Home this week at the newly restored gorgeous old Curran Theatre (which somehow I did not know was being renovated, and did not know this was the first show they've mounted since the renovation) and the theatre is lovely and the show was wonderful. The kids were especially amazing - so much energy! - and the stage design and the lighting were terrific and all the performances were great.
We saw it last night, and it was amazing! And the theatre is so, so beautiful - they did a fantastic job with the renovation. And we all agreed that now we have to go back and re-read the book.
I have to go back and re-read The Intuitionist now too, because I remember how wowed I was by it and I want that feeling again.
posted by rtha at 7:41 PM on February 19, 2017
We saw it last night, and it was amazing! And the theatre is so, so beautiful - they did a fantastic job with the renovation. And we all agreed that now we have to go back and re-read the book.
I have to go back and re-read The Intuitionist now too, because I remember how wowed I was by it and I want that feeling again.
posted by rtha at 7:41 PM on February 19, 2017
I recently finished Mieville's Embassytown, which gave me a new word for what I prefer to do, and also finished Death in Yellowstone, which contains two valuable lessons:
First, sometimes no matter how well prepared, trained, planned and supplied you are, events will conspire and align to kill you.
Second, all that work makes it a hell of a lot harder for said events to succeed.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 7:49 PM on February 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
First, sometimes no matter how well prepared, trained, planned and supplied you are, events will conspire and align to kill you.
Second, all that work makes it a hell of a lot harder for said events to succeed.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 7:49 PM on February 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
Right here, going crazy over This Immortal Coil (no, not This Mortal Coil) - reinterpretations that Peter Christopherson called "The most extraordinary, beautiful, and moving reinterpretations of Coil I have ever heard!"
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy (one of my favourite artists) covers Ostia (one of my favourite songs), transcending the sum of the already awesome parts.
posted by UbuRoivas at 7:58 PM on February 19, 2017 [2 favorites]
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy (one of my favourite artists) covers Ostia (one of my favourite songs), transcending the sum of the already awesome parts.
posted by UbuRoivas at 7:58 PM on February 19, 2017 [2 favorites]
Dina stresses the shit out of me, though -- I think she subconsciously reminds me of some terrible retail manager I once had. (And the actress is so lovely and charming in interviews! It's just the character! GAH!)
Totally! She's a great actress! I love to hate the character because, while at first she seemed like she was going to be a female Dwight, much in the same vein that in Parks and Rec Leslie started as a female Michael Scott, she was allowed to be her own character, and goddamn if it isn't a real character, and definitely somebody I've come in contact with in an earlier life in retail.
posted by General Malaise at 8:21 PM on February 19, 2017
Totally! She's a great actress! I love to hate the character because, while at first she seemed like she was going to be a female Dwight, much in the same vein that in Parks and Rec Leslie started as a female Michael Scott, she was allowed to be her own character, and goddamn if it isn't a real character, and definitely somebody I've come in contact with in an earlier life in retail.
posted by General Malaise at 8:21 PM on February 19, 2017
I'm listening to The Sports Hub (sports radio in Boston) - the Bruins are winning hockey games. Actually, they won a game just now. There are other games that they have recently won that are not the game they won just now. The Bruins winning hockey games is a thing that is happening here.
posted by Verba Volant at 8:36 PM on February 19, 2017
posted by Verba Volant at 8:36 PM on February 19, 2017
I'm deep into a re-x10-watch of The Wire. Because, duh it's The Wire. And bonus also reading the FanFare commentary.
posted by soakimbo at 9:15 PM on February 19, 2017
posted by soakimbo at 9:15 PM on February 19, 2017
Tomorrow (Monday), we have the good fortune of going to a (multi-hour yikes) premier at the Castro of Dustin Lance Black's ABC miniseries When We Rise, a docudrama about the gay rights movement beginning with Stonewall. A friend of gingerbeer's is being played by Mary-Louise Parker, and we have been regaled during the production of the show by stories from Roma about getting calls from MLP asking her about stuff like what kind of cup did she drink her coffee out of in 1975. The premier should be quite a Scene. I am still kind of amazed that it's going to be on regular broadcast TV.
But at the moment I am rewatching Miss Fisher because with the world as it is, how can I not.
posted by rtha at 9:48 PM on February 19, 2017 [5 favorites]
But at the moment I am rewatching Miss Fisher because with the world as it is, how can I not.
posted by rtha at 9:48 PM on February 19, 2017 [5 favorites]
Kristi you know that scales of gold is midway through a very intense and detailed series, right? Like, you'll probably get something out of it, but you'll get immeasurably more if you start with niccolo rising and progress to it.
posted by smoke at 9:51 PM on February 19, 2017
posted by smoke at 9:51 PM on February 19, 2017
I have found myself with a group of people who're doing a full Yuri on Ice rewatch every Saturday night, and it's been really, really good for me. Well--last week Rabbit (a service that allows you to watch streaming stuff with friends) died very late in the season and that was frustrating, but generally it's been very good. This has led me down a rabbit hole (haha see what I did there) into a bunch of silly anime, but I'm feeling so much better for the escapism into worlds that aren't trying to be Dark Gritty Realism.
Discovered this weekly marathon through getting back in touch with an old friend--as in someone I've known for like twenty years but hadn't talked to for the past two--who also turned out to be mad about YOI. And the side effect of all of this was a conversation several drinks in that went along the lines of...
Her: "How can anybody be that dense about telling that someone likes them?"
Me: "I dunno, I've discovered several times now much after the fact that someone had a huge crush on me that I was completely oblivious to."
Her: "...true. I was crazy about you back when we did that trip together in 2001."
Me: "WHY DOES NOBODY TELL ME THESE THINGS UNTIL TOO LATE." (Words may be paraphrased but I'm pretty sure the caps lock was indeed how I felt inside.)
Her: "Um, it might not be too late."
And, reader, this was how I discovered that I am a moron, and that anime romances get at least a few things right, and that I have now acquired an unfortunately-long-distance girlfriend. But if she could keep being interested in me through roughly two decades of my thinking I was one of her less-interesting friends, maybe it's going to be okay.
posted by Sequence at 9:53 PM on February 19, 2017 [25 favorites]
Discovered this weekly marathon through getting back in touch with an old friend--as in someone I've known for like twenty years but hadn't talked to for the past two--who also turned out to be mad about YOI. And the side effect of all of this was a conversation several drinks in that went along the lines of...
Her: "How can anybody be that dense about telling that someone likes them?"
Me: "I dunno, I've discovered several times now much after the fact that someone had a huge crush on me that I was completely oblivious to."
Her: "...true. I was crazy about you back when we did that trip together in 2001."
Me: "WHY DOES NOBODY TELL ME THESE THINGS UNTIL TOO LATE." (Words may be paraphrased but I'm pretty sure the caps lock was indeed how I felt inside.)
Her: "Um, it might not be too late."
And, reader, this was how I discovered that I am a moron, and that anime romances get at least a few things right, and that I have now acquired an unfortunately-long-distance girlfriend. But if she could keep being interested in me through roughly two decades of my thinking I was one of her less-interesting friends, maybe it's going to be okay.
posted by Sequence at 9:53 PM on February 19, 2017 [25 favorites]
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy (one of my favourite artists) covers Ostia (one of my favourite songs), transcending the sum of the already awesome parts.
...this is relevant to my interests. How did I not already know about it?!
posted by ubersturm at 10:40 PM on February 19, 2017
...this is relevant to my interests. How did I not already know about it?!
posted by ubersturm at 10:40 PM on February 19, 2017
I have no idea. Only came across it today. Apparently only 1000 CDs + 1000 vinyl released...?
posted by UbuRoivas at 11:24 PM on February 19, 2017
posted by UbuRoivas at 11:24 PM on February 19, 2017
I drove my SO to the train station so she can spend the day with her sister. It was before dawn, and we agreed the moon and clouds were a bit spooky, which led to improvised verses of "under the spooky moon", when horrors shamble, when dreams turn to dust, etc.
I realized I was singing to the tune of September Song and so that was stuck in my head all day. I think Sara Vaughan's versions are the purest because they cut off all the crusty-old-man-pickup-line garbage. September Song has two beautiful parts that could just go A & B forever, bouncing between "we're not dead yet," and "NOVEMBER COMIN". (not political, mods pls.) That's all you need.
But there's no perfect version of it....
posted by fleacircus at 5:05 AM on February 20, 2017
I realized I was singing to the tune of September Song and so that was stuck in my head all day. I think Sara Vaughan's versions are the purest because they cut off all the crusty-old-man-pickup-line garbage. September Song has two beautiful parts that could just go A & B forever, bouncing between "we're not dead yet," and "NOVEMBER COMIN". (not political, mods pls.) That's all you need.
But there's no perfect version of it....
posted by fleacircus at 5:05 AM on February 20, 2017
Steven Universe!
If you don't mind american cartoons and therefore the occasional humor-directed-at-children, it's a fantastically positive show with some amazing world building. It's also got a (mostly) linear storyline and deals with some tough stuff.
It's more Avatar: The Last Airbender than Spongebob/90's nick cartoons.
posted by INFJ at 6:45 AM on February 20, 2017 [2 favorites]
If you don't mind american cartoons and therefore the occasional humor-directed-at-children, it's a fantastically positive show with some amazing world building. It's also got a (mostly) linear storyline and deals with some tough stuff.
It's more Avatar: The Last Airbender than Spongebob/90's nick cartoons.
posted by INFJ at 6:45 AM on February 20, 2017 [2 favorites]
and then I stared off into space for a bit, wondering how it's possible that I've been alive that long
We took the kids to a pizza place, and "Electric Avenue" was on, and I realized that it was the time-shift equivalent of a big-band song being on in a pizza place when I was a kid.
posted by Etrigan at 7:13 AM on February 20, 2017 [5 favorites]
We took the kids to a pizza place, and "Electric Avenue" was on, and I realized that it was the time-shift equivalent of a big-band song being on in a pizza place when I was a kid.
posted by Etrigan at 7:13 AM on February 20, 2017 [5 favorites]
A friend of gingerbeer's is being played by Mary-Louise Parker
Be an incredible person with your life; get portrayed by Mary-Louise Parker: in this topsy-turvy world, this is something that seems fair to me.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 7:34 AM on February 20, 2017
Be an incredible person with your life; get portrayed by Mary-Louise Parker: in this topsy-turvy world, this is something that seems fair to me.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 7:34 AM on February 20, 2017
"Superstore is the sitcom America needs, and Glenn is the hero America deserves . He's such a hilarious character, doesn't get most cultural cues or ethics apart from his religion, but earnestly wants to learn, and routinely makes me lose my mind."
I looooooove Superstore and I love Glenn! Dina stresses the shit out of me, though -- I think she subconsciously reminds me of some terrible retail manager I once had.
Superstore obviously has a lot of The Office is its DNA (Dina is often like the awful lovechild of Michael and Dwight) but it's also got the good soul of Parks and Recreation deep in its core, which is why I love it.
And speaking of NBC sitcoms you may be missing, THE GOOD PLACE gets my strongest recommendation.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 7:50 AM on February 20, 2017 [4 favorites]
I looooooove Superstore and I love Glenn! Dina stresses the shit out of me, though -- I think she subconsciously reminds me of some terrible retail manager I once had.
Superstore obviously has a lot of The Office is its DNA (Dina is often like the awful lovechild of Michael and Dwight) but it's also got the good soul of Parks and Recreation deep in its core, which is why I love it.
And speaking of NBC sitcoms you may be missing, THE GOOD PLACE gets my strongest recommendation.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 7:50 AM on February 20, 2017 [4 favorites]
I belatedly fell in love with the most recent Grimes album, Art Angels, which reminded me a lot of '80s college radio--"Flesh Without Blood" could be dropped into one of the Enigma Variations comps without anyone noticing. I also have found myself going back and listening to a lot of Jonathan Richman, because his stuff is so comforting.
posted by pxe2000 at 8:04 AM on February 20, 2017
posted by pxe2000 at 8:04 AM on February 20, 2017
I'm about four years late to the bandwagon, but music-wise I stumbled on the song Taro by alt-J this week, and I have been listening to it on constant repeat for about six days now.
It's about the death (via land mine, in '54) of war photographer Robert Capa and being reunited in death with his late partner & lover, Gerda Taro (another war photographer, who died in a battlefield accident in '37). It was the first I'd really heard of either of these people and I am just fascinated by their lives, and the song is so gorgeous.
posted by castlebravo at 8:13 AM on February 20, 2017
It's about the death (via land mine, in '54) of war photographer Robert Capa and being reunited in death with his late partner & lover, Gerda Taro (another war photographer, who died in a battlefield accident in '37). It was the first I'd really heard of either of these people and I am just fascinated by their lives, and the song is so gorgeous.
posted by castlebravo at 8:13 AM on February 20, 2017
I've been watching High Maintenance for the first time, and though I'm only a few episodes in (wait, just realized I'm only a few episodes in to season 7, though I haven't seen any earlier season), I keep being so impressed by how sophisticated and non-tokenistically diverse it is. There are long stretches in Cantonese and Urdu! I wonder how these scenes get written--are the writers themselves diverse and culturally literate enough to give these the nuance that makes them so successful, or are they bringing in outside writers and consultants?..
Also I ordered Lucia Berlin's A Manual for Cleaning Women after reading it last year and deciding it was the (my) best book of the year.
posted by tapir-whorf at 10:38 AM on February 20, 2017
Also I ordered Lucia Berlin's A Manual for Cleaning Women after reading it last year and deciding it was the (my) best book of the year.
posted by tapir-whorf at 10:38 AM on February 20, 2017
Last night while making pizzas I finally watched the first video of the PBS (YouTube-only) series called "Crash Course - Astronomy" and it was pretty great. There are a bunch of them, so I might use them as my falling-asleep program for a while.
And the CD "Bad Self Portraits" by the band Lake Street Dive is very, very good and makes me happy. (Here is a link to the YT video of the title track.)
posted by wenestvedt at 10:43 AM on February 20, 2017 [2 favorites]
And the CD "Bad Self Portraits" by the band Lake Street Dive is very, very good and makes me happy. (Here is a link to the YT video of the title track.)
posted by wenestvedt at 10:43 AM on February 20, 2017 [2 favorites]
smoke, I did know my Niccolo book is right in the middle of things but I kind of lazily stubbornly decided not to care, but thanks to your reminder I decided to bring it back and start with Niccolo Rising. Thank you!
castlebravo, there's a pretty great documentary about Robert Capa, In Love and War, and it looks like you might be able to watch it on Youtube.
wenestvedt, I watch a bunch of PBS stuff but I had never heard of that astronomy series and I'm very excited about it. Thanks for mentioning it!
posted by kristi at 11:40 AM on February 20, 2017 [2 favorites]
castlebravo, there's a pretty great documentary about Robert Capa, In Love and War, and it looks like you might be able to watch it on Youtube.
wenestvedt, I watch a bunch of PBS stuff but I had never heard of that astronomy series and I'm very excited about it. Thanks for mentioning it!
posted by kristi at 11:40 AM on February 20, 2017 [2 favorites]
It's totally worth it, you're in for a heck of a ride!
posted by smoke at 12:02 PM on February 20, 2017
posted by smoke at 12:02 PM on February 20, 2017
Slowly working my way through the box set of Ella Fitzgerald's Songbook albums. It is a lot of music! Fifteen and a half hours!
Also they were made when albums were collections of discrete pieces of music, maybe organized by theme but without much thought given to sequencing. Programming selections so that the result is a scored with distinct start, continuation and finish, managing ebbs and flows of emotion or esthetic impressions wasn't a thing. And it's also the era when the pop charts was dominated by singers technically proficient and artistically gifted, singing other people's music in front of full orchestras in fully equipped studios.
So there's a formality on offer, compared to the dress-casual-and-enjoy-yourself sensibilities of music these days. It's like somebody managed a tie-and-tails dress ball but left the events planning to dice rolls. And if this side of fifties music is a form you're not familiar with (or, worse: it's a musical form you'd previously only encountered by enduring the perpetually treacly "Soft Hits of the 40s and 50s" type radio stations old guys always preferred back in the 1980s), it can feel both moribund and mislead, the first number or two whiffing by and you not getting the point of it.
But one of them is going to connect, you're going to realize how much there is there. "Anything Goes" comes out both giddy and bitter. "Get Out Of Town" is a mad lover's passion, complete with whirlwind weekend, drunken revels, gaslighting the object of affection, and so on. And so basically if you don't dig that these old show tunes could have these layers and that, say, Cole Porter was harboring some really dark shit in the back of his head and processing it in the form of three minute show tunes, I can't think of a greater teacher to set you straight than Ella. I mean for chrissakes holy fuck check this out. And that's right I'm still only on the first Songbook album, I'm taking my time and savoring this. I can't imagine what the Gershwins are going to sound like.
posted by ardgedee at 2:24 PM on February 20, 2017 [4 favorites]
Also they were made when albums were collections of discrete pieces of music, maybe organized by theme but without much thought given to sequencing. Programming selections so that the result is a scored with distinct start, continuation and finish, managing ebbs and flows of emotion or esthetic impressions wasn't a thing. And it's also the era when the pop charts was dominated by singers technically proficient and artistically gifted, singing other people's music in front of full orchestras in fully equipped studios.
So there's a formality on offer, compared to the dress-casual-and-enjoy-yourself sensibilities of music these days. It's like somebody managed a tie-and-tails dress ball but left the events planning to dice rolls. And if this side of fifties music is a form you're not familiar with (or, worse: it's a musical form you'd previously only encountered by enduring the perpetually treacly "Soft Hits of the 40s and 50s" type radio stations old guys always preferred back in the 1980s), it can feel both moribund and mislead, the first number or two whiffing by and you not getting the point of it.
But one of them is going to connect, you're going to realize how much there is there. "Anything Goes" comes out both giddy and bitter. "Get Out Of Town" is a mad lover's passion, complete with whirlwind weekend, drunken revels, gaslighting the object of affection, and so on. And so basically if you don't dig that these old show tunes could have these layers and that, say, Cole Porter was harboring some really dark shit in the back of his head and processing it in the form of three minute show tunes, I can't think of a greater teacher to set you straight than Ella. I mean for chrissakes holy fuck check this out. And that's right I'm still only on the first Songbook album, I'm taking my time and savoring this. I can't imagine what the Gershwins are going to sound like.
posted by ardgedee at 2:24 PM on February 20, 2017 [4 favorites]
I've been listening to an audiobook of Ellison's Invisible Man, and it's so good, infuriating and heartbreaking and... well, a lot like Proust in that, just when I am about to shout "WTF is going on!!!?" Ellison brings it all back around. Well worth a read or a listen. I can't believe I got this far without reading it.
posted by GenjiandProust at 3:24 PM on February 20, 2017
posted by GenjiandProust at 3:24 PM on February 20, 2017
"Last night while making pizzas I finally watched the first video of the PBS (YouTube-only) series called "Crash Course - Astronomy" and it was pretty great."
Excellent find! Watched the first three with the kids this afternoon.
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 3:43 PM on February 20, 2017 [1 favorite]
Excellent find! Watched the first three with the kids this afternoon.
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 3:43 PM on February 20, 2017 [1 favorite]
There are more Crash Courses: literature and one other at least. Totaly worth finding!!
posted by wenestvedt at 6:44 PM on February 20, 2017
posted by wenestvedt at 6:44 PM on February 20, 2017
cooker girl -- you and I have had the same Hamilton experience (except I bought my tickets, but I got them as soon as they went on sale many months ago)! It was SO GOOD. I'm dragging my huz to see it sometime in the medium-term future.
I've been taking Tribal Fusion bellydance classes for the last few months, and it has been a blast. I'm not very good, but it gets me moving for an hour per week and the teacher is amazing. To bring it back to the 'media' theme, here is our warmup/drills of various sorts playlist, which I asked the teacher for because it's so good I wanted to listen to it more than just at class.
No Diggity by Chet Faker
Breezeblocks by Alt-J
Bad Girls by M.I.A
Doing it Way Big by Lil' Kim
posted by Fig at 3:12 AM on February 21, 2017 [2 favorites]
I've been taking Tribal Fusion bellydance classes for the last few months, and it has been a blast. I'm not very good, but it gets me moving for an hour per week and the teacher is amazing. To bring it back to the 'media' theme, here is our warmup/drills of various sorts playlist, which I asked the teacher for because it's so good I wanted to listen to it more than just at class.
No Diggity by Chet Faker
Breezeblocks by Alt-J
Bad Girls by M.I.A
Doing it Way Big by Lil' Kim
posted by Fig at 3:12 AM on February 21, 2017 [2 favorites]
Netflix just released season three of the Chef's Table series. A lot of the show is food and travel porn - gorgeous visuals of food and places you're never going to be rich enough to visit, and interviews with chefs who are sometimes actually interesting and sometimes not really so much. But then I put on the new season without knowing who the first ep would be about and got a huge surprise. Episode one of season three isn't about a restaurant chef at all - it's about a Buddhist nun from Korea, who only cooks for her monastery. Famous chef Eric Ripert is a Buddhist himself and encountered her food while on a visit, and invited her to visit NYC once to introduce more people to her world of "temple food."
The whole episode is really lovely, one of the best explorations of mindfulness and creativity I've seen in a long time.
posted by dnash at 5:57 AM on February 21, 2017 [5 favorites]
The whole episode is really lovely, one of the best explorations of mindfulness and creativity I've seen in a long time.
posted by dnash at 5:57 AM on February 21, 2017 [5 favorites]
They have a Crash Course: World Mythology airing soon, and it's hosted by the guy that does PBS's Idea Channel on YouTube. I may be a lot excited about it -- and now I guess I can check out the Astronomy series while I wait for it.
During our weekend binge, we did the first two Crash Course Literature, some of the Psychology, all of the one on Games, and a couple of the Intellectual Property ones (so odd, yet so useful). There was also some Extra History as well; I'm really digging their current series on Catherine the Great. It was a very good rabbit hole.
posted by PearlRose at 6:55 AM on February 21, 2017 [2 favorites]
During our weekend binge, we did the first two Crash Course Literature, some of the Psychology, all of the one on Games, and a couple of the Intellectual Property ones (so odd, yet so useful). There was also some Extra History as well; I'm really digging their current series on Catherine the Great. It was a very good rabbit hole.
posted by PearlRose at 6:55 AM on February 21, 2017 [2 favorites]
Wait, The Underground Railroad is by the author of The Intuitionist? Ok, it just jumped a few tiers on my to-read list.
But first I have to work my way through The Mind and Heart of the Negotiator because it's an Interlibrary Loan and therefore unrenewable. It seems to be a very mixed bag - some great evidence-based work on negotiation strategies, plus some (apparently) unsupported assertions and poor writing. Thompson has a habit of starting with a thrilling story of some negotiator successfully employing an unexpected strategy and following it with "but that isn't actually a very good idea in most cases, they just got lucky. Instead, you should..." at which point I think, "great, now I have this bad idea anchored in my head by an entertaining anecdote." I look forward to finishing it and returning to Nonviolent Communication and Getting to Yes, both of which seem better-written and more oriented toward collaboration.
posted by sibilatorix at 1:35 PM on February 21, 2017
But first I have to work my way through The Mind and Heart of the Negotiator because it's an Interlibrary Loan and therefore unrenewable. It seems to be a very mixed bag - some great evidence-based work on negotiation strategies, plus some (apparently) unsupported assertions and poor writing. Thompson has a habit of starting with a thrilling story of some negotiator successfully employing an unexpected strategy and following it with "but that isn't actually a very good idea in most cases, they just got lucky. Instead, you should..." at which point I think, "great, now I have this bad idea anchored in my head by an entertaining anecdote." I look forward to finishing it and returning to Nonviolent Communication and Getting to Yes, both of which seem better-written and more oriented toward collaboration.
posted by sibilatorix at 1:35 PM on February 21, 2017
So I needed something over the weekend that reassured me about the state of humanity. And I found it! Pride is about a small group of gay and lesbian activists in London in 1984, who decide to support the miners who are striking all around the country because the Thatcher government was closing mines and the miners were being subjected to the same kind of government and media abuse that the activists were experiencing in their own lives.
It's a funny, heartwarming movie with a great cast -- Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton and Dominic West, among others. Makes you hopeful for the world.
And it's only $3 streaming on Amazon Prime.
posted by suelac at 5:01 PM on February 21, 2017 [1 favorite]
It's a funny, heartwarming movie with a great cast -- Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton and Dominic West, among others. Makes you hopeful for the world.
And it's only $3 streaming on Amazon Prime.
posted by suelac at 5:01 PM on February 21, 2017 [1 favorite]
I watched that Chef's Table episode today (thanks dnash!) and I felt quieter than I have in a while. It was wonderful.
Somebody posted today asking about cerebral sci-fi, and I went in to make sure somebody had suggested Advantageous.
On a completely different note, fork yeah The Good Place. Maybe I'll give Superstore another try.
(Do we get to talk about being in the media? It's super exciting but feels all promotey.)
posted by moira at 6:34 PM on February 21, 2017 [1 favorite]
Somebody posted today asking about cerebral sci-fi, and I went in to make sure somebody had suggested Advantageous.
On a completely different note, fork yeah The Good Place. Maybe I'll give Superstore another try.
(Do we get to talk about being in the media? It's super exciting but feels all promotey.)
posted by moira at 6:34 PM on February 21, 2017 [1 favorite]
We were very kindly featured on "Savor San Diego," a local PBS show in which chef Su-Mei Yu explores eats in the community. Link to all episodes, which are totally worth watching, especially if you are local and can follow up; link to S4E1 (we are saké, right at the beginning).
posted by moira at 9:12 PM on February 21, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by moira at 9:12 PM on February 21, 2017 [1 favorite]
Courtesy of The Guardian saying that it's better than Serial, I'm starting Missing Richard Simmons:
Gear up for the next cult audio obsession
— The New York Times
On February 15, 2014, fitness guru Richard Simmons disappeared. He stopped teaching his regular exercise class at Slimmons, cut off his closest friends, and removed himself from the public eye after decades as one of the most accessible celebrities in the world. Nobody has heard from him - and no one knows why he left. Filmmaker Dan Taberski was a Slimmons regular and a friend of Richard’s. Missing Richard Simmons is Dan’s search for Richard - and the deeper he digs, the stranger it gets.
posted by UbuRoivas at 3:37 PM on February 24, 2017
Gear up for the next cult audio obsession
— The New York Times
On February 15, 2014, fitness guru Richard Simmons disappeared. He stopped teaching his regular exercise class at Slimmons, cut off his closest friends, and removed himself from the public eye after decades as one of the most accessible celebrities in the world. Nobody has heard from him - and no one knows why he left. Filmmaker Dan Taberski was a Slimmons regular and a friend of Richard’s. Missing Richard Simmons is Dan’s search for Richard - and the deeper he digs, the stranger it gets.
posted by UbuRoivas at 3:37 PM on February 24, 2017
I just discovered When Jews Were Funny. It's a very good documentary about the history of Jewish humor, but it's an even better documentary on being Jewish . I found it unexpectantly poignant and have already rewatched it a couple of times. Streaming on Amazon Prime and Netflix and also on YouTube.
posted by Room 641-A at 10:12 AM on February 25, 2017
posted by Room 641-A at 10:12 AM on February 25, 2017
You are not logged in, either login or create an account to post comments
Tonight I will watch some hockey. Go Blackhawks!
posted by bookmammal at 4:22 PM on February 18, 2017 [1 favorite]