Small Talk: The Library

[Barphe]

I fell out of the habit of posting, although I keep up with everyone here and in the other place. 

Mostly, things are good, life finally stabilized in re caring for aging and demented relatives, and the kids are happy and healthy (happy being a relative term for my tween--oy! the attitude.)

Love you all.

[Loandbehold]

Hooray for life-stabilizing due to settling of the parental units!

[Erratic]

Checking in.

i miss this place. Stupid Facebook

[trudi-tru]

I'm glad things are going well, Barphe.

[Endeavour]

I'm here as well. I'm still not a Facebooker, so here is it for me. 

Things have started to settle down in one respect - we found a wonderful caregiver for my mom (although she called in sick, so I hope she is back soon) - and are a bit of a mess in another - I'm slowly organizing for a job search. I'm still working, so that allows me the time to prepare. It's something I should have done a long time ago, but I feel better that I'm actively working towards it now - even if it's only teeny steps.  

I'm also still trying to find a balance between all the responsibilities with my mom and carving out some time for myself. That's a toughie.

I'm glad things have settled down Barphe.

Edited June 14, 2016 by Endeavour

[Chyna]

On 6/13/2016 at 11:14 AM, Barphe said:

happy being a relative term for my tween--oy! the attitude.)

*sigh*... *eyeroll*... Jeez, chill out, Barphe. *stomps off in a huff*

[Barphe]

Chyna, wasn't it just yesterday when they were the sweetest little girls? It goes by so fast--insert cliche about fleeting youth and/or feeling old here. Honestly, no real complaints, it is just too easy to make fun of adolescent behavior, and conversely, adolescence is annoying for the one going through it, and the ones nearby.

[Chyna]

Mine hasn't gotten as snotty as some of her friends (I've heard some stories), but oh, the sighing and eyerolling.

[trudi-tru]

Like you have never sighed or rolled your eyes at your mothers :-)

Great news about the caretaker, Endeavour. Best of luck with the job search.

speaking of, are you looking for something Erratic? 

[Chyna]

8 hours ago, trudi-tru said:

Like you have never sighed or rolled your eyes at your mothers :-)

I still might. :D

[Chyna]

I need a show to binge on Netflix this summer. In past summers, it's been Fringe, Arrow, the Flash, The 100, etc. Y'all have recc'd some good stuff. I like fantasy and sci-fi, dystopia is cool but zombies are not (blech). What should I be watching this year?

[Endeavour]

Have you watched any of these - Orphan Black, Humans, Person of Interst, The Returned, Daredevil, The Leftovers? I'm not positive they are all on Netflix, but they're worth a watch. 

Edited June 16, 2016 by Endeavour

[romantic idiot]

Also UnReal, Sense8, Episodes, Jessica Jones, Playing House and Veep. 

And Endeavour thanks for your recs. I've been wanting a few shows to get into. 

On the non fiction side, guys - I've just discovered QI on youtube and am slowly making my way through them. How did I not know this before? Random pieces of information discussed by 4 funny men hosted by Stephen Fry! I'm in heaven!

[Endeavour]

Thanks for reminding me about QI, romantic idiot. The nibling has mentioned this a couple of times and I keep forgetting to check it out. 

[Barphe]

Does anyone else miss the sometimes hilariously weird customized ads from the forum on TWoP? I'm sort of sick of boobs, fake celebrity stories and click-bait lists. 

[Endeavour]

The banner ads? There's probably a collection somewhere. 

ETA: I did a little searching and couldn't find the banner ad war archive but I ran across this: 

TWoP may relaunch?

Edited June 23, 2016 by Endeavour

[trudi-tru]

I don't know how to feel about that. Even virtual moving is stressing.

I definitely do not miss the ad with the disfigured woman who haunted me for months.

[Endeavour]

I agree. I think my home is here now. 

[Darkpool]

With the break in continuity and the mods and fan community all dispersed, TWoP is nothing more than a brand now. Maybe the new owners can create something new with it. But I doubt I'll be hanging out there.

[buffyjunkie]

Meh, my home is where all of you are. You stay;  I stay.  You go; I go.

So, groundhog #2 relocated.   Farmers' market with friends tomorrow.  Pack for DC on Sunday.  Reading Annie Proulx's Barkskins. That about sums up my life of late. Hope you are all enjoying summer. 

[Barphe]

Buffyjunkie by DC you mean District of Columbia? As in my part of the world? If so, will you have a spare moment for a meet up?

[buffyjunkie]

I messaged you Barphe.

[Valny]

On ‎6‎/‎15‎/‎2016 at 5:52 PM, Chyna said:

I need a show to binge on Netflix this summer. In past summers, it's been Fringe, Arrow, the Flash, The 100, etc. Y'all have recc'd some good stuff. I like fantasy and sci-fi, dystopia is cool but zombies are not (blech). What should I be watching this year?

Even though it doesn't fall in your categories, I'll chime in with Happy Valley(I've seen it four times!!)  Two seasons only six eps each. So doable! So far, it's been  my favorite series on Netflix.

I love the Australian prison series,Wentworth. Holy crap it's so good. Great characters, writing,storylines and it's just intense sometimes.

Broadchurch really good too.  And the French version of The Returned much better than the American version.

[Endeavour]

22 hours ago, Valny said:

 And the French version of The Returned much better than the American version.

Oh, yes - I definitely meant the French version. Original flavor Broadchurch too. 

Have you been able to keep playing the guitar, Valny? How's it going.

[Erratic]

I just finished Season 4 of 'Orange is the New Black' and holy heck! It was the best season yet. I really didn't enjoy the last two seasons that much, but they redeemed themselves this year. Wow! If, like me, you had kinda given up, I urge you to try again.

[Endeavour]

That's good to hear, Erratic. I just finished ep 2. I almost didn't watch this season. Now I'm very interested to see what happens. 

[dusky]

I don't know how I am going to get through to the election, I work with a group of Fox News watchers who spout opinion based on complete misinformation as fact. They don't seem to understand that not everyone agrees with them. I know it is completely useless to argue with them. I just may cause myself permanent damage if I keep biting my tongue. 

Hope that everyone has a great weekend.

Edited June 30, 2016 by dusky

[buffyjunkie]

Yeah, you have to have bucketloads more Zen than I can scrape up to ask neutral, open-ended questions like, "Oh, yeah why do you think so?" Or, "How would that work?"  Even if I believe that the people who really run things in the government might keep Trump in check (and that's a huge and dangerous if gamble), I can't get past people thinking that an inarticulate bully is the ideal President. 

So, I think I may have mentioned my upcoming trip to our partner church. And how since you can't get there directly from here, three other church members and me were going to fly through and visit Istanbul. Yeah, not so much anymore.  And may I also say that due to some freedom of the press issues there, many in Turkey get their news from social media and they are wondering where is the love for their tragedy. No fancy little overlays on facebook photos.  No ongoing front page news.  Men, women, and children murdered during Ramadan. Effed up world.

So, I'm trying to recuperate from my "travel" cold.  Seems to happen every time I fly for work.   We had a contractor come over to take measurements and give us some bids for house maintenance and repairs.  My sis and niece are back here for a family visit and we will see them Monday at the Lake. 

Dusky, hope you don't have to work all weekend.  May y'all have a long weekend (states folk) filled with your favorite things.

[trudi-tru]

Happy 4th of July!

I heard on the radio driving to work this morning that a student of the University of Madison disappeared in Rome on Thursday. Have you heard about it, buffyjunkie?

Edited July 4, 2016 by trudi-tru

[buffyjunkie]

Whoa, no I hadn't.  Given that state's drinking issues, I would presume intoxicated and fell in water before abduction. My heart aches for the family though.

ETA:Oh crap, sounds like he might have been rolled for his credit cards. Given his brothers' vengeful  "he-man" statements, the young man may not have been the most sophisticated traveler on the planet. 

Edited July 4, 2016 by buffyjunkie

[trudi-tru]

If was just now confirmed that the body found in the river belongs to him. How sad. It sounds like a robbery gone terribly wrong.

[Harvester]

Hi everyone. I've been pretty quiet lately because it seems like the world is full of bad news all day every day. I am still reading and still vibing for you all.

I feel lucky that I just returned from Rome and Barcelona without any serious incident. I am so sorry for that boy and his family.

I did get to enjoy an amazing vacation. One of the highlights was getting a personal tour of Rome from trudi-tru, and she was kind enough to spend an entire evening showing us around. All of the food in Rome was absolutely incredible, and I keep thinking about it. Barcelona is beautiful, but the food is terrible, so it can't quite compare to Rome. We had a marvelous time, and I want to plan another international adventure next year.

I hope everyone here is doing well and enjoying some summer. 

[buffyjunkie]

Wow, how wonderful Harvester!  How can the rest of southern Spain have delicious food but not Barcelona?  Crazy.

[Harvester]

I am sure there is good food to be had somewhere, but with limited time, we were in the more touristy areas where the food was decidedly not good. Everything is very, very plain and fried with thick breading. It was reminiscent of Long John Silvers or something similar.

[trudi-tru]

Welcome back, harvester! I had blast with you and your friend.

Quote

Barcelona is beautiful, but the food is terrible, so it can't quite compare to Rome.

Score for us! I'm surprised though.

[Barphe]

Personal lesson on the power of assumptions. 

For years good friends of ours have invited us up to their lake house for a summer visit. I never bothered to really think about it, and pictured a pleasant tree lined lake with jetties and row boats and while picturesque, not really my speed. Well, color me idiot. They were referring to a house on the shores of Lake Michigan. As in, soft sand beaches, and water to the horizon, and evening bonfires, and much more than my petty, limited, imagination had come up with. 

This year we took them up on their gracious invitation, drove 10 hours across parts of th U.S. I had ever seen before (and frankly, kind of boring and flat), and we've had a gorgeous few days at the beach. The kids have kayaked, been tubing, dragged a piece of driftwood from the lake and seen teeny worms ooze out, and had a blast. 

I can see Chicago from here (we're in Indiana), so I'm waving to y'all in the Windy City. (Maybe next time, we can take an extra day, or ten, and visit!!)

[Chyna]

*waving back at you*

[Endeavour]

Glad you had such a nice vacation Harvester. I had the opportunity to travel to the same places a few years ago. I would love to go back and spend more time in some of them. Really beautiful.  

Enjoy the rest of your trip Barphe. 

Went to see Secret Life of Pets today. Didn't think it was that good. Did watch Trumbo the other night. I enjoyed that.

[KittenPokerCheater]

Hey everyone!

It's been a kind of weird year (understatement for everyone), and I've been faking it on Facebook a bit.  I'm back, and while losing Sam leaves a big hole, postcards from Rome and other kind gestures from great friends cheer me up beyond the telling.  

Missed you all, and vibes to everyone who might need or want them.  Also, hi Barphe- it's been awhile since you've been 'round these parts.

Sorry to hear Pets was underwhelming.  Did anyone see Zootopia or Finding Dory?  How were they?

[Endeavour]

Hi KPC! I've been thinking about you and am glad you're back. I hope you are doing ok. 

I haven't seen those two movies yet but I've heard from friends/family that they are good. 

[Harvester]

Hiya KPC! It's nice to see you!

[Darkpool]

Welcome back, KPC. I hope you'll feel no need to fake it here.

I saw Zootopia. I recommend it. I thought it was surprisingly good on a number of levels, and with a lot more thematic depth than I normally expect from a Disney feature. One of the folks I follow on Twitter called it one of the best films about racism Hollywood's ever made. I don't know that I'd go that far, but the story did go to some metaphorical places I didn't expect.

Really interesting world-building too. I found myself wanting to see it on DVD just so I could freezeframe and look at all the background details of the fantastic world they created for the film. Also I laughed out loud at

Spoiler

the DMV being staffed entirely by sloths.

Edited July 12, 2016 by Darkpool

[Earl Is Dead]

I saw Finding Dory and I liked it a lot.  Probably not quite as good as Nemo, but it hit a lot of the same notes and it was very funny. 

Sorry to hear of your loss, KPC.  Many coping and cheering vibes to you. 

[trudi-tru]

It's so good to see you here again, KPC! 

You too, Barphe. I'm glad you decided to take the trip and were pleasantly surprised.

Edited July 12, 2016 by trudi-tru

[buffyjunkie]

Hey KPC, I'm glad you're back.  I'm sorry for your loss.

Hmm, Zootopia. It's been a while since I've seen a movie in a theater. 

[Chyna]

I agree with everything Darkpool said about Zootopia. Surprisingly good. Also: Jason Bateman is a fox. Literally.

[KittenPokerCheater]

Hee!  I will have to see them if/when they come to on demand.  

Besides movies, has anyone found any good tv this summer?  I've been watching 12 monkeys and Unreal; both seem to suffering from a sophomore slump.  12 monkeys is holding its own mostly, but Unreal....I never though I'd type this, but I miss Marti Noxon- she brought some balance, I think, to the show.  Who knew?

Wasn't she the one in charge of "Seeing Red" back in the day?

[Barphe]

Ok, going on a trip and need books (hard copy, e-book or audible) to keep me sane. 

 

Please suggest

[romantic idiot]

Been re-reading Nalini Singh. She is awesome - both series. Jim Butcher. Ilona Andrews. Patricia Briggs. 

[trudi-tru]

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry is the first title that sprang to mind.

I really like the Spanish author Javier Marias. 

The Daniel Pennac's Malaussene series is a light and fun read and you don't necessarily have to read the books in chronological order. The main character's profession is "the scapegoat".