Small Talk: Ughngnggh! Ugghhnnn!

[Irishmaple]

I bailed on it and never looked back. I'm disappointed in that I wanted to like it and learn something from it. All I learned was the show wasn't for me!

I really like Halt & Catch Fire. I wasn't much of a Lee Pace fan prior to the show, given that I did not enjoy Pushing Daisies. I wasn't into computers in the 1980s, being a bookwormy kid, but I remember my late father being really into them. We didn't have a lot of money so he'd go to the electronics store so one of us kids could rent a movie (on VHS!) and he'd play around with the display models. I was impressed as hell when he typed in what looked to me like random crap and then my name appeared all over the screen. He was using DOS. The man left school in 1956 at the age of 15 to go to work and he taught himself computer skills. When I went home to visit a few years back he was rebuilding a motherboard. I know what a motherboard is but we've never been formally introduced.

I posted on the Halt & Catch Fire forum in August after the finale and said I was concerned about Donna going to work with Cameron because it looked like she was being asked to run a kindergarten and be the mom. Donna used both descriptors in the season two premiere! I'm totally taking that as a shout-out. Or, you know, a coincidence.

[nachomama]

Pushing daisies may not have been your cup of tea (it was very few people's tea, it didn't last long but I adored it) but I love love love him. I was put off for a while from watching this becAuse of Cameron's hair being an utter rip off of mary Stuart mastersons hair from "some kind of wonderful" and I thought that meant the whole thing Would be cliche.

I had a weird night. Went to dinner and a movie with friends. We joked thAt I haven't been out of my house in 6 years. So I'm confused now if one of my friends is no longer with his old girlfriend whom I knew and if this new girl is his new gf. There was back rubbing. But the odd part was she looks just like the old girlfriend. I even almost convinced myself it's gf sister and she just couldn't make it tonight but you can't ask! And another guy who I've known of for a long time because we do the same job, he was with his second wife but you can't say "oh I knew your first wife" so I was very quiet this evening. Hee!

Oh! And the movie was BEE-zaaaar!!!! 1994 rom-com-zombie movie with Rupert Everette. He's the cemetery watcher, and when the zombies rise from the dead it's his job to re-kill them. Then he falls in love with a young widow and I don't want to spoil it because I know you'll all run right out and get it ...but there's zombie action bam chicka bow wow. And a head that seems to walk on its own. It's Italian and whoooooo boy it's weird but apparently I will watch anything with zombies.

[kj4ever]

Did anyone watch The Whisperers?  It shows some promise...

[Too Late Kev]

No, it looked creepy to me, and I'm a scaredy-cat.

[AngelaHunter]

But the odd part was she looks just like the old girlfriend.

 

We all have a "type", don't we? I know I certainly do.

[Irishmaple]

I really enjoyed the first episode of Wayward Pines. I enjoyed the oddities, the strangeness and the whole vibe. I read a review that was very critical of Matt Dillon's performance, but I thought he was fine. It's my new Wednesday night show. I paired it with Battle Creek, episode 11. Looks like there are only two more. I wonder why it couldn't find an audience. I liked it, and I don't usually enjoy cop shows. If The Whispers shows up on demand I'll check it out. Hannibal tonight. I'll watch the premiere and then hope that City adds the show to its on demand menu because it's a tough show to watch that late. I need time to digest it, so to speak, before turning off the light. AMC hasn't added Halt & Catch Fire to the on demand menu, which is annoying. I hate staying up late on Sunday night and starting my week tired. The fourth season of Hell on Wheels just appeared there, along with the announcement that the show returns on July 18th.

I absolutely rocked dinner the last two nights. It was my turn to cook last night and today, and I nailed it. Chicken and pineapple fried rice last night, and quesadillas tonight. The best thing is they both used basically the same ingredients so no waste. I made guacamole and a pineapple-mango salsa too because I was on a roll. I think my room-mate's in a food coma right now!

[walnutqueen]

Funny story about The Whispers. I had no idea what it was about, and was starting to get a creepy scary vibe early in the show (before the premise became clear; now I'm not askeered at all).  During a suspenseful scene, my wanna-be-kitty raccoon did a loud sneeze cough right through the back window and scared the ever-lovin' shit out of me. I must've jumped 2 feet, because I didn't even know he/she was laying in the cat bed watching tv through the window screen with me!

 

Irishmaple - I am watching all the shows you mentioned in your latest post - thank goodness for DVRs and early retirement!   :-)

[nachomama]

Amc is always slow about adding stuff to OnDemand. Not sure why.

I liked battle creek also but I'm used to being the oddball that likes the unpopular shows.

Tomorrow I go consult about the isdom-way eeth-Tay. Im trying not to scare them.

[nachomama]

I been hoodwinked! Bamboozled they got me in here saying 2 teeth and the man is telling me all 4 wisdom teeth gotta come out snd he never even looked in my mouth!!!!!!!!!!!! He's just looking at X-rays from original doctor. And original dr only said 2 teeth but supposedly circled all 4. Rudeness.

[Too Late Kev]

Bummer, nachomama. :(

[Irishmaple]

I know you're unhappy, nachomama, yet it may be best to have all four removed at the same time. Better than waiting for the other two to cause you problems and necessitate a second procedure. I balked at the cost of the procedure until the oral surgeon said he charged on a sliding scale. On my income at that time, he had to slide quite a bit and I got all four removed for $800. My friend paid over $2000 for her son (same surgeon)

I was psyched for the return of Hannibal last night but found myself a bit underwhelmed by the episode. I'm far fonder of poor, tortured Will Graham than I am of Hannibal, even as played by the intense and charismatic Mads Michaelsson, so the episode lacked an emotional core for me. I also found it overly arty. The cinematography was gorgeous but much of it felt a bit overdone and self conscious, and IMO did not serve the plot. I was sometimes more taken with the beauty of the shot to catch the point it was supposed to be making. I did enjoy the unsettling relationship between Hannibal and Bedelia, and look forward to seeing how or if she survives her travels.

[walnutqueen]

Have all 4 out at once, nachomama - then ice packs and pain meds washed down with booze (bleeding be damned,  that's what the bite pads are for).  If you have medical coverage, see if the billing person can code it as major medical (you'd need anesthesia) rather than dental - they cover more that way.

 

Irishmaple - I have to agree about Hannibal.  I am not a particularly visual person, and this episode felt quite self indulgent and almost masterbatory.  I finds Mads repulsive, but enjoy the story.  More Will and his doggies, please!

[Too Late Kev]

EEEK! Don't mix pain meds and booze!

[Irishmaple]

Walnutqueen, I saw you duck and run for cover on the Hannibal forum. I wanted you to know you were not alone in your lack of love for the episode ; )

[nachomama]

It is being billed as major medical. I'll be about $500 out of my own pocket. The whole thing is about $2600. I want them to give me the goofiest goofballs that ever were. Vicodin and those sorts of pain meds make me throw up. But Tylenol with codeine does nothing. Somewhere between is happy land. And I will have movies and shows lined up so I can flail about in my pjs and whine and sniffle pitifully. But I would be quite happy if I was as loopy as those people on YouTube videos that everyone laughs at. Cuz then I'll know I can't feel it. All the time off I've had this year is either my sisters surgery or mine. I'm really tired of my life.

And now I been robbed again! The damn iMax theater won't be showing Jurassic park! >:( wtf?! I guess it's not iMax 3D just imax so they aren't bothering. I already have my ticket for 3d and not tricked by the stupid big D. WHY DOES THE UNIVERSE HATE ME? I would round up a posse and drive to charleston which is the closest but that seems a bit much for a movie. Humph

[Irishmaple]

Don't underestimate the power of Jurassic World. I was chatting to one of the baristas in my local Starbucks about our mutual enthusiasm for the movie and he's planning a trip to LA with his GF in hopes of getting into an event premiere. His GF works in anthropology because she wanted to be Laura Dern's character and that was as close as she could get. Jurassic Park works in mysterious ways!

Oh, back to work, I see a 7-month old gagging on the pink hair of her doll. Better get to that before the mango and yogurt comes back up.

[nachomama]

Watched Spy today. Very fun. Now I'm watching the Tonys

[walnutqueen]

I watched The Judge and Begin Again on my movie channels last night ... enjoyed them both.  I would not visit a movie theatre again unless I was paid big $$$s to do so.  :-)

[nachomama]

Going to the movies isn't my idea of fun. I went to see if I could wrangle some idiots to go see Jurassic World with me. GOOD NEWS! :D My Imax is going to show it and I'm already set up. Squeeeeee! I think Fandango was lying to me or they hadn't yet gotten the website updated. Very odd, Fandango was showing me out of town Imax theaters that couldn't sell me a ticket but not the local one, I get that they wouldn't help non-fandango theaters advertise if they get nothing out of it but they were showing me non fandango just not MY LOCAL non fandango. Either way, I'm not a dumb sqwiwwel! I gets my tickets like I gets my nuts! I pounce! RAwwwr

[Nashville]

Sorry to be out of the loop these days, but I am currently taking a week off from reality and exploring the exquisite Southern decadence which is Savannah, Georgia. Phenomenal town. Planning on doing the Haunted Pub Crawl in the next evening or so, weather permitting. :)

[mandolin]

Enjoy! We did a "boos and brews" while we were there a few years ago.

[nachomama]

/me hides* there's a guy with a chainsaw drinking beer in my 'hood! 

[Irishmaple]

I've always wanted to see Savannah. It sounds like a beautiful city. When my sister next crosses the Atlantic, we plan to visit some cities in the US south. Her vote is New Orleans, while I want to see Savannah and Memphis, mostly to eat BBQ and also due to a show I used to watch called Memphis Beat. The show apparently didn't shoot in Memphis but I liked the vibe anyway.

I was very frustrated with myself this morning. I'm always tired and, while most of it is due to the demands of my work, I am often my own worst enemy. Last night I was late home from work, too tired to cook and in need of an early night. I watched an episode of Between and turned off the TV. I was going to have an early night. Until I didn't. I haven't watched the current season of Game of Thrones as I don't have HBO any more. I've read all the books and watched the previous seasons religiously. Anyway, I heard about Sansa Stark's current storyline and immediately went "wha?" It seemed too unlikely to be true, a major deviation from the books and, Sansa being one of my favourite characters, horrible. I went to the GoT forum, which I've avoided all season, and confirmed that the storyline was actually happening. Then I read some more and some more and then I played a few games of Free Cell (found an app). Then it was 12.40 am and I'm kicking myself. Of course I was exhausted this morning and dragged my ass through the day. I've never been very disciplined about a night time routine. When I was a kid, my mother was always busting me for reading under the covers. I've decided this must finally change. I need to develop some healthier habits in order to wind down and get a decent amount of sleep. I'm instituting a No TV after 10.30 rule, now that both Hannibal and Halt & Catch Fire are available on demand. I will only allow wiggle room for shows not available on demand, but I'm hoping neither Defiance nor Dominion air at 10pm (of course they'd going to, just to screw with me!) Next I need to think on some ideas to get my brain from TV to asleep at 11pm. Alcohol is out, due to probability of hangover. I thought of an Oprah-like gratitude journal but I suck at journaling.

[Too Late Kev]

If you find something that works, Irishmaple, be sure to let us know.

 

I have the same problem. I've always been a night owl, and then morning comes too early. There are many reasons I stay up too late though -- the TV, the computer, a book (even if I've already read it so I know how it ends), or even "Oh, I should load and start the dishwasher, hang up the clothes from the dryer, and set up the coffee for the morning before I go to bed"...or all of the above.

[car54]

If you like doing any kind of handwork--sewing, knitting, needlework, try doing that while your show is on.   I find that having my hands occupied, I watch my show, but it lets my mind wind down from my day, and by the time the show is over, I am ready to go to sleep.

[editorgrrl]

I need to develop some healthier habits in order to wind down and get a decent amount of sleep.

I listen to guided meditations for sleep (MP3 or app).

Google "sleep hygiene." I use a sleep mask and two white noise machines, and never scrimp on mattresses or bed linens. Melatonin gave me nightmares.

[nachomama]

I don't think I could sleep with a mask on, my sleep is all screwed up from my schedule. I have overnight job on weekends, regular 8-6 on weekdays. There's no hope for me but I haven't slept right in 25 years why start now? The evil teeth torturers told me to start sleeping with a mouth guard and it hasn't been impossible but takes some getting used to. Who knew I had so much rage in the night that I fight like Evander Holyfield in my sleep and grind my teeth into stumps? 

 

Hopefully dinosaurs will blow my doors off tonight and it'll be my excitement for the year. 

[editorgrrl]

I was totally skeptical about the guided body scans for sleep, but they work like a charm. It took trial & error to find what works for me—I love English, Irish, Scottish & Welsh accents best.

I started here: http://marc.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=22

And really like these: http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/help-information/podcasts/

Putting in my appliance is part of my bedtime routine. (Fellow grinder!) Having a routine is an important part of sleep hygiene.

[walnutqueen]

Pot. 

[nachomama]

I vote pot! That's a breathing excersize. :D

[Irishmaple]

Pot makes me sick so that's off the list. I can't handle white noise machines; I've had a couple of completely sleepless nights because of a former housemate's machine. I live downtown so noise doesn't bother me at all. I can tune anything out - except for white noise machines! - including the smoke alarm. Luckily it was just burnt toast but I slept through it.

I'm going to give the guided meditation a shot. That seems like something I might like. the iPad sleeps nearby anyway. I swear, I love this thing so much, it might as well be attached by an umbilical!

[nachomama]

The dinosaurs didn't get me! Very close though. I'm not a good runner.

Reminded me of the last time I ever attended a sold out show. E.T. When I was a kid. It was the re-release. My mom packed the neighborhood kids up in the station wagon and threre weren't enough seats for us to sit together. So I'm way on the edge and at the end when the kids were escaping on their bikes the very last kid gets grabbed by the chasers and I screamed. Thank goodness no one knew it was me. ;)

Edited June 12, 2015 by nachomama

[Irishmaple]

I was really looking forward to Jurassic World, but it's going to be at least a week before I get to see it. Apparently I don't need time off anymore. My scheduled Saturday morning is stretching into the afternoon and I'm on again on Sunday from noon till 5. I need some Norma Ray to come along and unionize the shit out of my job, because this is getting ridiculous.

I tried the guided meditation last night and I liked it, although I'm going to try something other than a body scan this time. That was dispiriting. The only sensation I was aware of was tension. So much of it. I could feel it stretching across my cheekbones and locking up my jaw, my shoulders are a lost cause and down to my toes were tense. It would take dynamite to get through all of the tension in my body. I think I'll wait a lifetime or two before doing another body scan.

[walnutqueen]

IV Valium.

 

Seriously - I have all that tension, muscle spasms, TMJ, yada yada yada.  Some years back I had to have a minor bladder thingy, and the urologist gave me something in an IV.  Suddenly every bit of tension in my whole body left me and I had NO PAIN (first time in years).  I said what the hell is that stuff, it's great!  He told me it was just some mild valium to relax me.  I'm amazed I didn't go straight out and try to score more, because it was totally awesome.  It didn't make me too loopy or sleepy, and I didn't feel any side effects, either. 

 

Also, they have all sorts of marijuana oils and edibles that don't have THC, which may be what makes you sick.  It might be worth some research.

[Irishmaple]

The drug the oral surgeon gave me to remove my wisdom teeth was IV Valium. It caused my blood pressure to crash. I am one of those people who can't tolerate anything stronger than the basic OTC painkillers. A second glass of wine makes me nauseous!

[mandolin]

I'm the opposite...my body adjusts really quickly to meds, especially oral. They all become like sugar pills after a while. If I don't take something for a long time, it will be effective again, but then I'll adjust again, and nothing. Whenever I've had surgery, they've had to keep me on IV pain meds because the oral ones didn't do jack! 

 

PS. Ambien tastes bad when it's chewed. :-\ And then even that quits working. :P

[walnutqueen]

Wow - you really do have it bad, Irish.  I mentioned the marijuana oils (actually, hemp oil) because I just saw an episode of 20/20 where parents were using a particular strain for their kids' seizures, when nothing else had worked.

 

mandolin - I'm the same as you.  And I used to love the taste of chewed Vicodin in the morning.   ;-)

[Irishmaple]

I know! People are always disappointed to hear I don't drink to meet their expectations of an Irish person.

I went to the ER a couple of years ago with an irregular heartbeat and the attending physician offered me Vicodan. I wasn't in any pain but I had my choice of Vicodan or Percocet, apparently just because I was in the ER. I had no idea it was that easy to get my hands on them. I passed, figuring an irregular heartbeat didn't need meds I can't tolerate anyway.

Because the Universe currently hates me, I'm still at work hanging out with an eight month old so flexible she has her body folded forward with her head resting between her feet. If I tried that, I'd be in traction for months. She hasn't noticed I'm on the iPad because she is busily chewing on her toes. Defiance surprised me by airing at 9pm tomorrow night. Yay, I thought, sleep. Then I noticed it was a 2-hour premiere. The Universe laughs at my attempts at sleep hygiene. Oops, busted, back to Barnyard Dance before she tries to chew my iPad!

[editorgrrl]

Defiance surprised me by airing at 9pm tomorrow night. Yay, I thought, sleep. Then I noticed it was a 2-hour premiere. The Universe laughs at my attempts at sleep hygiene.

There are lots of free iPad apps you can try to help you sleep. I like Relax Melodies: http://www.ipnossoft.com/app/relax-melodies/

Select sounds and melodies that you like and combine them to create a mix. Adjust the volume of each sound individually for better results. Lay back, listen, and enjoy falling asleep. It's that simple and it works.

A friend swears by Calm: http://www.calm.com

[nachomama]

I hope I get what walnutqueen got. I wish to remember nothing. They can molest me if they wish it'll be the most action I get.

I owe, I owe so off to work I go. Evil Susan will be arriving at 5 am so I'm going to work ever so slowly so that I'm backed up by the time she gets there. So she can't throw in extra stuff for me to do. According to her I don't do enough and yet she's asked if I have any other days off from my other job she'll give me more days. Hell-to-the-no! And she comes in at 5 because it's inventory time. And that means she has not ordered anything. So when she complains I don't do enough...it's because I have nothing to do it with. You can't point the finger at me saying I don't do anything when you supply me nothing. Just because you don't want to count once a month. Then she orders like 5 trucks of supplies and takes 2 days off so someone else has to put them away. Can't go ballistic and get fired before my teeth. They gotta pay for it :D

[Nashville]

Back from Savannah - deadheaded it back today/tonight. Fantastic town. Unfortunately, you have to drive through Georgia to get there.

[walnutqueen]

nachomama - the stuff was supposed to make me loopy, but I was lucid and chatting with the urologist the whole time and remember everything; it just worked as a muscle relaxant for me.  But then, I have a very high tolerance to stuff and thangs.

 

Once when I was having a root canal under nitrous gas, a key piece of equipment broke.  While the dentist and his assistant were discussing how to move me to another room, I stood up (firmly clasping the gas mask to my nose) and walking into the other room, pulling the gas machine behind me.  They were stunned.  :-)

 

Nashville - Savannah sounds like a beautiful place, but I've never had much interest in visiting the South, for some reason.  Not that I could afford to visit anywhere, these days I'm an armchair traveler!.  ;-). 

[Irishmaple]

It turns out I sleep really well with minimal wind-down time when I actually turn off the damn lamp and go to sleep. I left my friend's place at 8pm last night which is a bit earlier than usual, but I'd gone there directly from work in clothes dotted with food stains (from food not eaten by me) the show we were watching ended, and her dog was itching to go out. Seemed like a good time to leave. The subway got me home by 8.30 and I was settled in by 9pm. It was early enough that I was tempted to watch some TV or read for a while but I have learned that this is not in my best interest. When I watch a show, I tend to check out the forum afterwards. When I read, I'm a just-one-more-chapter person.. Yes, because my life is that glamourous and exciting, I was asleep by 9.30 on a Saturday night.

Yeah, I wouldn't admit that to just anybody! On the upside, I've had a very productive morning. The laundry's chugging away, the sheets are changed and I'm off to work for the afternoon . Just to redeem myself a bit, it looks like I'll be splitting my summer vacation into two separate weeks and taking two trips this year. My friend has taken on the research end of an all-inclusive to Cuba for mid-August, and my sister wants to visit Iceland in September. All I have to do is pay my share and show up. I didn't travel last summer because my job contract was ending and I wanted to sit on some cash until I got myself situated so I'll be making up for that this year. I wish I didn't hate flying so much!

[editorgrrl]

It looks like I'll be splitting my summer vacation into two separate weeks and taking two trips this year. My friend has taken on the research end of an all-inclusive to Cuba for mid-August, and my sister wants to visit Iceland in September. All I have to do is pay my share and show up.

Have two great trips. Yay, you!

[mandolin]

Back from Savannah - deadheaded it back today/tonight. Fantastic town. Unfortunately, you have to drive through Georgia to get there.

I assume you mean because the scenery is boring, or because the traffic is bad. ;) Because otherwise GA is awesome - TWD is filmed here! (oh, and I live here)

 

Random: My SIL is in Nashville doctoring folks at Vanderbilt, assuming you are there, and that just isn't your screen name!

Edited June 14, 2015 by mandolin

[Too Late Kev]

Iceland is a great place to visit. I don't know how short the days are in September. I went in June one year and it was fantastic. The sun went down, but it never went down far enough under the horizon that it wasn't still light enough to read. It was great for night-owls.

[nachomama]

I've heard that Iceland is awesome. I'm jealous of anyone going anywhere although probly I'd be interested in Cuba right now. I'm jealous of anyone that goes anywhere.

[tennisgurl]

I might be going to Cuba next Spring! I hope it works out, I am ridiculously excited! I have no idea what to expect, but I am up for the adventure. 

 

Favorite place I have ever been? I adore Rome, but my favorite is Ireland. 

[nachomama]

topic whiplash...Pamela Anderson has really toned it down, no? She's almost classy. 

 

There's an evil bush that decided to grow up between the clamp where the drain spout is attached to the support beam for my carport. It's been very rainy so the thing has exploded recently and branches were whacking my car when I park so when I got home last night I went all Tyreese on him. Obviously I did not know how cleverly he had snuck in until I had his corpse under my feet. And of course ants ate my feet.  >;(  So I'm itchy and randomly ouchie.

[Nashville]

I assume you mean because the scenery is boring, or because the traffic is bad. ;) Because otherwise GA is awesome - TWD is filmed here! (oh, and I live here)

 

Oh, I love the state - it's just the drive which bites:

• I-16 is a washboard which makes Kentucky interstates look good.
• Atlanta is where shitty drivers go to die. A wreck on I-75 just north of the I-285 split cost me over 2-1/2 hours delay and about $50 worth of gas. All four lanes of 75 were blocked, so I had to get off 285 and hit the city streets - no fun, especially when truck+RV = ~40 feet. Took almost 2 hours to move 4.5 miles.

Other than the drive, though, the trip was great. Next time I'll just have to figure out a route from Nashville to Savannah which doesn't involve driving through Atlanta. :)

Random: My SIL is in Nashville doctoring folks at Vanderbilt, assuming you are there, and that just isn't your screen name!

My youngest daughter is a grad student at VandyLand. :)