361 thoughts on “February was a long time ago

  1. If folks here are interested in helping to test the soft Am I Evil? GN backer launch, then please let me know. This page is far enough into the woods that I can probably safely post links right here in the comments.

    • Agreed. Florida is nice because (with the solar heat that I finally got installed on my pool) we have been able to swim in February. On the other hand, I fight a constant battle with mold in my house and every time I get off a plane from anywhere else, I can immediately feel the intense moisture in the air on my hands like I’m some clammy handed jackass (and that’s in the climate controlled airport).

  2. Well the first episode of S3 of The Mandalorian watched.

    It certainly gave my sub woofer a workout.

    After Andor it feels a bit of an anti-climax, still fun though.

    • I’ve already seen some strong reactions. Won’t see this one until next week, so I imagine its secrets will have been spoiled by then.

      • I’m in the cereal = soup camp.

        Isn’t a hot dog a pita?

        If your tea bag breaks, does your tea become soup?

        Is your hot chocolate soup until you’ve properly stirred it? Is it soup if you add marshmallows?

          • I’m assuming that the cereal is soup argument is based primarily off of gazpacho being soup. As gazpacho is neither cooked nor served at a hot temperature, it gives free reign to call anything in a bowl in liquid format a soup. Thus, ice cream is just a liquid at even lower temperatures in a bowl and, therefore, soup. Being, at some point or other, “cooked” before being frozen, it might even have a better claim to being soup than gazpacho.

            All told, I wonder it wouldn’t be easier to just claim that gazpacho isn’t soup than to dicker over what else constitutes soup?

            Disclaimer: After spending a year in Spain as an exchange student, I love gazpacho. It is awesome and delicious.

  3. Off to the city this morning, while the husband takes kitty in to the vet to get her arthritis shot. Kitty loves getting needles

  4. Ok, that first new Mandalorian episode was dumb as shit. Nothing anyone did made any goddamn sense.

    I’m fully in for the season, but come on now.

  5. The husband and I are gonna play some Caverna on line with a friend in BC today. I love modern technology . . . sometimes

  6. Crap joke for the day:

    A woman meets a man in a bar.
    They talk; they connect; they end up leaving together..
    They get back to his place, and as he shows her around his apartment.
    she notices that one wall of his bedroom is completely filled with soft,
    sweet, cuddly teddy bears.
    There are three shelves in the bedroom, with hundreds and hundreds of cute,
    cuddly teddy bears carefully placed in rows, covering the entire wall!
    It was obvious that he had taken quite some time to lovingly arrange them
    and she was immediately touched by the amount of thought he had put into
    organizing the display.
    There were small bears all along the bottom shelf.
    Medium-sized bears covering the length of the middle shelf.
    And huge, enormous bears running all the way along the top shelf.
    She found it strange for an obviously masculine guy to have such a large collection of Teddy Bears,
    She is quite impressed by his sensitive side.
    But doesn’t mention this to him.
    They share a bottle of wine and continue talking and,
    After awhile, she finds herself thinking,
    ‘Oh my God! Maybe, this guy could be the one!
    Maybe he could be the future father of my children?’
    She turns to him and kisses him lightly on the lips.
    He responds warmly.
    They continue to kiss, the passion builds.
    And he romantically lifts her in his arms and carries her into his bedroom.
    Where they rip off each other’s clothes and make hot, steamy love.
    She is so overwhelmed that she responds with more passion,
    More creativity, more heat than she has ever known.
    After an intense, explosive night of raw passion with this sensitive guy, they are lying there together in the afterglow.
    The woman rolls over, gently strokes his chest and asks coyly,
    ‘Well, how was it?’
    The guy gently smiles at her, strokes her cheek, looks deeply into her eyes,
    And says: ‘Help yourself to any prize from the middle shelf.’

    • This is only our second winter in northern Vermont. Last winter we had snow almost everyday but only about a foot of accumulation overall. This winter we actually had the Christmas snow melt off entirely, but it’s gotta be 2 ft in the yard and over 5ft where the roof snow slides off.

  7. So of course I’ve seen Hellraiser movies (the first 3, at least), but I’d never ready any Clive Barker. The Hellbound Heart – – the novella upon which the movie was based – – is actually damned good. Good storytelling, but excellent writing style. And different enough from the original movie that it isn’t repetitive to get through. It’s also been a long time since I’ve seen any of them.

    Maybe when I’m done I’ll suffer through Hulu ads and watch the Hellraiser reboot.

    • He isn’t shy about sex-related stuff in Hellbound Heart either, but it’s never a distraction. The main point is what you know from the movies: the puzzle box, the cenobites, the human guy who escaped them and is trying to rebuild his body on earth.

      I prefer to follow authors over genres – – I’m definitely willing to try out more Clive Barker. I’ve added Imajica, The Thief of Always, Weaveworld, and The Great and Secret Show to my reading list.

    • Things are not always what the headlines mmake them seem.
      It’s got to do with “Rec Leagues” who tangle with what are in essence semi-pro teams. Even at the grade school level. In fact it is even worse at that age level.
      I tangled with that when my kids played T-ball/Softball.
      To try and make things even and build up the sport, Rec leagues will often try to enforce rules that distribute experience across all the teams. Certain coaches however will find ways to cherry pick the best most experienced players and keep them together Year after year.

      That was the case of the team in the article. They formed outside the Rec league and had played together for several years. They were told that due to not having enough gyms, only city Rec league teams could use the City gyms and there WAS a rule already in place that said if they wished to join the rec league as an already formed and very experienced team, they could but would have to play “up” to keep things competitive. As there was no Girls team there next level up, they were allowed to play in the boys league. Also, they could sit the tournament out or play but they would not be eligible for the trophy. Again, not because they were girls but because they were in essence, an All-Star team.
      They were told all this and they agreed to it before they joined.

      So… not so much the victims here.

  8. Here is today’s useless trivia question.

    What place in pop culture history do the words “heavy early“ come from .

    Somehow I expect Ed to get this without the need of any hints.

  9. The Am I Evil? Graphic Novel has gone public!

    Thank you, everyone. And thanks especially to Ryah, who put me in touch with the cover artist and the first interior artist – – who eventually put me in touch with Kyle, who completed the art interiors.

    • Ah Mittens

      Chess.com changes their AI bots every month. Mittens, in January, seemed to be one of the more interesting.
      This month it’s all famous women in history such as Jane Goodall, Amelia Airheart, etc.
      (The husband plays regularly, that’s how I know this)

  10. I do hope everyone enjoys the Am I Evil? book. It was a lot harder to complete than I’d ever anticipated, but I’m pleased with the final outcome.

    I’m not sure how to promote it, because I don’t currently have a Point of Sale plan, or a way to get it onto comic shop shelves. So I don’t want to do a media blitz and drum up interest, only to have to tell people, “Yeah, thanks, I can’t get you a copy.”

    • Once you have a plan to get it on sale, whether through Ingram or other form, then you’ll have to think about how to promote it. Besides the usual social media blitz, because of it’s ties to the rock world, I would suggest a press release to various rock media (i.e. Rolling Stone, Hall of Fame, some of the better known radios stations, (MTV?) etc.) I would also approach various R & R podcasters to try to get interviews.

      Again, all this would need to wait until you have a marketable version, both print and e versions.

      • Also, for local only, talk to your comic store. I know one or two in Calgary that do consignment based sales so they might be willing to take a few on that basis.

        • Also, see if Diamond Head themselves are willing to promote it on their social media sites and possibly in interviews.

          • Ok, not finally
            Because it’s not available for purchase, promoting it is not really something you can do. I know, for something like the Aurora Awards, it wouldn’t be eligible until it was available to the wider public. (Yes, I checked).

            Ok, I’m really done now.

  11. Okay I’ve seen some reviews of this weeks Mandalorian was visually too dark, didn’t have a problem myself, but I was sitting in a half lit room when watching.

  12. When the story was that R.L. Stine revised his books to be more aligned with the current zeitgeist it was (IMHO) a non story. He has every right and it was likely a good call on his part. However, the new story seems to be that Scholastic made the changes without even letting him know about them. That is an issue. I understand he probably signed away certain rights to his works with the publisher, but to not let the author know when you are making alterations is pretty crappy.

    https://geektyrant.com/news/rl-stein-responds-to-reports-of-goosebumps-book-series-revisions-saying-its-not-true

    • The larger issue: If any artist wants to Lucas-revise their work, then they should always feel empowered to do so. But – – artists need to use the Lucas case as a warning of how your “improvements” can go too far and detract rather than improve.
      Yes, I’d worry about the sensitivity-revisions going too far, but I also think that no kids’ book publisher should push materials that are going to make kids feel bad about themselves.

      This particular story: Fucked up. Whatever the contract, get the creator’s input – – or at least notify them – – if you want to update their works.

  13. We got the Everything Everywhere All At Once DVD from the library and chose that over Mandalorian ep2 tonight.

    This movie is way more bonkers than I expected. Great stuff. It lives up to the hype.

  14. Well…

    What it’s like to be British

    • Worrying you’ve accidentally packed 3 kilos of cocaine and a dead goat as you stroll through “Nothing to declare”

    • Being unable to stand and leave without first saying “right”

    • Not hearing someone for the third time, so just laughing and hoping for the best

    • Saying “anywhere here’s fine” when the taxi’s directly outside your front door

    • Being sure to start touching your bag 15 minutes before your station, so the person in the aisle seat is fully prepared for your exit

    • Repeatedly pressing the door button on the train before it’s illuminated, to assure your fellow commuters you have the situation in hand

    • Having someone sit next to you on the train, meaning you’ll have to eat your crisps at home
    • The huge sense of relief after your perfectly valid train ticket is accepted by the inspector

    • The horror of someone you only half know saying: “Oh I’m getting that train too”

    • “Sorry, is anyone sitting here?” – Translation: Unless this is a person who looks remarkably like a bag, I suggest you move it

    • Loudly tapping your fingers at the cashpoint, to assure the queue that you’ve asked for money and the wait is out of your hands

    • Looking away so violently as someone nearby enters their PIN that you accidentally dislocate your neck

    • Waiting for permission to leave after paying for something with the exact change

    • Saying hello to a friend in the supermarket, then creeping around like a burglar to avoid seeing them again

    • Watching with quiet sorrow as you receive a different haircut to the one you requested

    • Being unable to pay for something with the exact change without saying “I think that’s right”

    • Overtaking someone on foot and having to keep up the uncomfortably fast pace until safely over the horizon

    • Being unable to turn and walk in the opposite direction without first taking out your phone and frowning at it

    • Deeming it necessary to do a little jog over zebra crossings, while throwing in an apologetic mini wave

    • Punishing people who don’t say thank you by saying “you’re welcome” as quietly as possible

    • The overwhelming sorrow of finding a cup of tea you forgot about

    • Turning down a cup of tea for no reason and instantly knowing you’ve made a terrible, terrible mistake

    • Suddenly remembering your tea and necking it like a massive, lukewarm shot

    • Realising you’ve got about fifty grand’s worth of plastic bags under your kitchen sink

    • “You’ll have to excuse the mess” – Translation: I’ve spent seven hours tidying in preparation for your visit

    • Indicating that you want the last roast potato by trying to force everyone else to take it

    • “I’m off to bed” – Translation: “I’m off to stare at my phone in another part of the house”

    • Mishearing somebody’s name on the second time of asking, meaning you must now avoid them forever

    • Leaving it too late to correct someone, meaning you must live with your new name forever

    • Running out of ways to say thanks when a succession of doors are held for you, having already deployed ‘cheers’, ‘ta’ and ‘nice one’

    • Changing from ‘kind regards’ to just ‘regards’, to indicate that you’re rapidly reaching the end of your tether

    • Staring at your phone in silent horror until the unknown number stops ringing

    • Hearing a recording of your own voice and deciding it’s perhaps best never to speak again

    • The relief when someone doesn’t answer their phone within three rings and you can hang up

    • Filming an entire fireworks display on your phone, knowing full well you’ll never, ever watch it again

  15. I was supposed to get a shingles vaccine yesterday but doctor’s office was out and didn’t call me to reschedule. It’s a good thing I was in the city anyway with the husband or I would have been rather upset.

  16. CW: The Mandalorian S3E2

    Just doing a test by rewatching the episode on my old 4K tv that doesn’t have HDR. Apart from the colours being less vivid it still looks very pretty, you really don’t miss much watching it in SDR.

    Oh and I’m watching it via Roku streaming stick+ which is still getting updates years after Panasonic stopped releasing firmware updates for the TV.

      • My father in law had shingles and it broke him. I’m not quite old enough to get the vaccine yet but I’m getting it as soon as I can.

  17. Watched the Edward Norton Incredible Hulk
    1) it’s better than I remembered
    2) it ties into She Hulk more tan I would have though5 had I not watched it
    3). The end sequence makes it more cannon then I remembered

  18. So dug out my old chromecast, the first one that google released. Still works but boy does it get toasty after a few minutes of use, I could warm my hands on the dongle.

  19. Crap joke for the day:

    I was arguing with a guy at a bar. He said he was a big pop star in the 80s.

    I didn’t believe him, but he was adamant…

  20. Hubby decided to stay up late last night. We have things to do so I’m getting him up in half an hour. I expect a grumpy husband today

  21. It’s -20 tight now. There’s something to be said for ignoring the day and just crawling back into bed with the husband

  22. Oscar Isaac
    Oscar the Grouch
    Oscar Meyer
    Oscar De La Hoya
    Oscar Wilde

    These are the Oscars.

    (We no longer mention Oscar Pistorius, who may be paroled next month.)

        • I wouldn’t recommend a straight watch through. Season 1 was a little different and (IMHO) not as good. It’s not like it had any great story arcs or anything and the plot of the show is simply explained in the opening credits.

          • This was one of my absolute favorites in late-night reruns, but thinking back, it really can’t have aged well.

            IIRC, a bunch of season 1 episodes were just recreations of parts of the movie.

            And IIRC, at some point, it became just a silly excuse to have early 70s celebrity guest stars.

  23. So recently been playing a lot of Last of Us part 2.

    The shock was spoilt before the game released but bloody hell I’m enjoying the Abby segments. Making me look forward to S2 of the tv series.

    I just hope they don’t copout and actually find an actress who is jacked so to speak.

    • So you got over your initial objection? I remember you were so mad about a particular plot point that you swore you’d never play the game.

      I’m glad you are playing it. It is an incredible game. And the end is as impactful as the first part. I really hope there will be a part 3 that wraps things up.

      • Yeah, it was on offer on the PSN store and I thought I should really give it a try. Glad I did.

        That bit I objected to was still shocking, but story was more nuanced than I was expecting.

  24. The cat is having trouble getting the hang of this whole time change thing. Her feeding schedule is quite off according to her.

      • I read sixty. Considering some of them were series (i.e. Dragon Riders books), it counts as more than that in actual numbers.

    • I only managed 50 on that list. Several I’ve got on my “to read” and quite a few that I just have no interest in.

      And, of course, many things I’ve read that didn’t make that list, though any list like this has to be finite.

    • 54. I’m more of a science fiction reader. Speaking of which, there were an awful lot of what I would consider hard core SF books on that list of Fantasy novels.

  25. I noticed that I’d only read the first novel for a significant percentage of the seriesiesies…ies. I got 82 with another 72 that I want/intend to read.

  26. Crap joke for the day:

    A man called home to his wife and said, “Honey I have been asked to go fishing up in Canada with my boss & several of his Friends. We’ll be gone for a week. This is a good opportunity for me to get that Promotion I’ve been wanting, so could you please pack enough Clothes for a week and set out my rod and fishing box, we’re leaving from the office & I will swing by the house to pick my things up” “Oh! Please pack my new blue silk pajamas.”

    The wife thinks this sounds a bit fishy but being the good wife she is, did exactly what her husband asked. The following Weekend he came home a little tired but
    otherwise looking good. The wife welcomed him home and asked if he caught many fish? He said, “Yes! Lots of Salmon, some Bluegill, and a few Swordfish. But why didn’t you pack my new blue silk pajamas like I asked you to Do?”

    The wife replied, “I did. They’re in your fishing box!”

  27. I watched the first 3 available episodes of the Odd Couple. To turn a phrase, it’s odd. There’s no real intro to the characters or even to the show. It just… Starts.

    Felix. In the 2000s, he’d have been flaming. Now, they’d do something clever with intentionally crossing stereotypes. But here, he is just a divorcee who likes home ec and tidiness. It’s kinda refreshing.

  28. Speaking of flashbacks…

    Last night I caught an episode of the X-Files.
    Probably haven’t seen any of this in over a decade. Still excellent in its ability to set a mood.

    This particular episode “Drive” is the one that featured a Bryan Cranston and was written by Vince Gilligan. Years later when he was casting for Breaking Bad he remembered Cranston in that role and was so impressed with him that he stuck to his guns about hiring him even that the network was firmly against putting a “goofy, comedic actor” in the role of a chemistry teacher gone wrong.

  29. Unrelated, I think my Dell is well and truly done now. Thankfully, I (think) I got everything essential backed up, and I am on a new laptop.

    Still a drag. And if I can help it, the end of my relationship with Dell.

    • Reading the article, I don’t think that Nolan is claiming that he invented the “reboot”, just that the concept of “reboot” wasn’t firmly established when he created his Batman series. To paraphrase “I had to find my own way to reimagine Batman, as it wasn’t common practice at the time.”

      • He may not be claiming to “invent” it, but his language is pretty clear: “there was no such thing conceptually as a ‘reboot.’ That idea didn’t exist when I came to look at Batman. That’s new terminology.”

        Even if it wasn’t a common term, the “concept” of remaking a film series was well established by 2005. Examples include Godzilla (1985) and Planet of the Apes (2001). I will give him that the majority of films considered a reboot of a film series (not even tackling reboots of TV series as existing terminology) are after 2005. So it may not have been common. I still think he was overstating the situation at the time.

        Disclaimer: I really like Nolan as a director and he has made some absolutely groundbreaking movies that really have been game changers (such as Memento). It’s only in this case that I don’t agree with him.

  30. Today’s episode of The Mandalorian was the best of the season so far. But it was the story line without The Mandolorian that was the best of the episode

  31. They are expecting another stupid hot summer this year so we got a quote to have AC installed in the house.
    The hoops you need to go through when you live in a townhouse. Hopefully we’ll get board approval soon.

  32. Latest Picard through quite a few gut punches.

    There’s a Gizmodo article about it that was fascinating, but I’m not posting the link. While the article title preserves the spoiler….the frickin’ link itself has as part of the link text. You had one job!

    Anyway, there’s all kinds of reason I shouldn’t be enjoying this season of Picard, especially after the first two seasons, but I can’t help but enjoy it anyway and it’s clear that’s thanks to Terry Matalas.

  33. The husband is expecting an Amazon delivery today. Now, every ten minutes I get “is it here yet?”
    Does anyone want a slightly used husband?

  34. Happy St. Paddy’s Day, to whomever will be celebrating. Just remember it was the New York Irish who ate corned beef and cabbage, because it was a cheap meat option for its time. Actual Irish will know you’re a tourist if you order it there.
    (So I’m told.)

    • One of the priests at my wife’s church (back when she cared about such things) was from Ireland and he said much the same thing. I’m Irish, but from Northern (Protestant/Orange) Ireland, so my family didn’t really care one way of the other for St. Patrick’s Day.

  35. So, I’m reading a Wolverine Origins book. I’m having a lot of trouble getting my head around how evil these CANADIAN scientists and soldiers are.

  36. So finished The Last of Us part 2 last night.

    It has some sections that could probably have been deleted to make the game shorter without effecting the plot, but great game.

    Didn’t hate Abby, enjoyed playing her segments.

    Oh that ending was well done.

  37. I’ve never looked into it, but I’m curious about how the Penn brothers all became stars. Was it all piggybacking on Sean’s success? Some kinda industry nepotism? Talent and good luck?

    Whatever it was, Michael Penn ended up with a handful of great acousticky songs. No Myth, of course, but also Long Way Down and Walter Reed. Macy Day Parade is aight. (any others?)

  38. Misleading headline:

    “Writers Guild of America Considers Letting AI Write Hollywood Scripts”

    https://gizmodo.com/ai-chatgpt-screenplay-hollywood-writers-guild-1850251985

    The article actually says that the WGA wants to ensure that no software company or AI gets to claim authorship on a script. That’s a good decision on their part, because the use of AI in scriptwriting/editing/refining is inevitable. Like it or not (I’m in the “not” camp, but future generations won’t care).

    • Interesting. Yeah, AI is going to open up a whole pandora’s box of issues, some good, some bad. I was talking to my daughter about writing boring college essays. The possibility exists to say, have ChatGPT create an outline for any subject, then suggest subtopics for each outline heading. One could have it do the hard skeleton of a paper and then you could fill in the blanks. Sort of a hybrid method. I don’t really think of this as “cheating” as the college student is using a technology they will have access to in their future job. On the other hand, what cognitive skills are lost when we let machines do the heavy lifting?

      • Absolutely. If we start letting our kids use calculators in school they will never learn to do math in their heads the way they need to. Oh, sorry, a few technologies behind on that one.

          • I used to know how to get everywhere. If I went once, it was burned into my brain.
            Now, I am completely dependent on online maps to get anywhere.

  39. This is the dumbest Star Wars. The characters’ actions are inconsistent and incomprehensibly stupid. It’s insulting.

    I will say this: Kudos to them for the actor cameo.

  40. Surrendered to the inevitable and ordered a 2TB SSD for my PS5, was getting tired of the shuffle of deleting games so I could install other games.

  41. Saw They Might Be Giants in Nashville last night.
    Brilliantly entertaining show. I forget how clever/funny they are. The banter in between the songs is as entertaining as the music itself.

    • The Wired article: https://www.wired.com/story/brandon-sanderson-is-your-god/

      OK, I don’t think it was as vicious as anyone’s saying, but I can where Sanderson himself might not be pleased. I also didn’t find his portrayal of the family unflattering. . . and is he wrong for noting that a large percentage of attendees at a Fantasy Convention are pasty dudes with body odor? I mean?

      Did he cross a line? Probably, but it’s not as egregious as the general reactions. Kudos still to Sanderson for his classy response.

      • I have two thoughts. I wouldn’t able to be as sanguine as Sanderson, not after sharing my home and family with the writer.

        And the writer, despite protesting he likes fantasy, doesn’t seem to understand that the words are ONLY in service of the story.

  42. New SSD installed and formatted on the PS5.

    Only scary thing was removing the white plastic panel from the bottom of the PS5. It looks easy in the YouTube videos, mine needed a bit more force to shift. Still all done now…phew!

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