I just finished watching the season two finale of House of the Dragon. No spoilers here, but it was nothing like what I expected it to be.
I will say this though… as cliffhangers go… it sure was one. Cliffhangers on top of cliffhangers on top of cliffhangers. The worst part is we’re probably going to have to wait another two years before we get any resolution. Here’s hoping the break between seasons two and three is shorter by far than the break between seasons one and two.
Oh boy, is this a bummer.
It’s Monday. Vacation is over. It is time to get back to the week day routine. Crud.
I tried very hard to close all three of my activity rings over the course of the vacation. Unfortunately, on Thursday, our last park day, I hit a level of exhaustion that I don’t think I’ve ever hit before. I lost the ability to focus my eyes. It was scary. My stand and exercise rings were closed, but my activity (calorie) ring had quite a ways to go. It couldn’t be helped. I was thinking I was at the start of another migraine so I got into bed, buried my eyes under the pillow, and went to sleep with my third ring still open.
My success streak had come to an end, and over the next two days we were going to be in the car all day. I made the choice to just not worry about it until we got home. Then when we got home I was so out of sorts that I decided to take the weekend off too. Well, the weekend is over. It’s 6:48am and my exercise ring is closed. I jogged (pronounced “yog”, with a soft “J”) in place for 31.5 minutes which closed the exercise ring and 64% of the move ring. I plan to start lifting the hand weights a little again today too. I fell off that wagon months ago and it’s time to start that up again.
A couple of other points on this random Monday morning. Last night I watched the first episode of The Last of Us and HOLY CRAP was that good. So good. I am absolutely riveted. I never played the game so all I know of the story is from the trailer, but that was enough to know that the first half hour of the show was leading us directly to something gut wrenching and boy did it ever. I am so psyched for episode two next week. I am going to find every podcast covering the show that I can and queue them all up today. I am 100% on board with the hype.
I placed an order with the film lab I’ve been using, Old School Photo Lab in Dover, NH, on Saturday but I haven’t had a chance to drop the film in the mail yet. I was thinking of doing it this morning, but we got a little snow last night and I just don’t want to deal with it. Tomorrow will probably see me starting my work day super early, so maybe at lunch time tomorrow? Maybe at lunch today if the ice from last night melts a little. I haven’t checked the forecast yet. We’ll see. I have six rolls from Disney World and I want to see how they came out. I also have two rolls of black and white from around christmas that are going too. Once all of that is back I am going to slow down on the film for a while. I have a roll in progress in Dad’s camera that I would like to finish, and a roll in my camera that I haven’t taken the first shot with. That roll is going to sit there for a few months, I think. Once Dad’s roll is done I will take a couple of months off again.
Okay, it’s almost 7:00am. Time to go upstairs and start the day for real. My two week vacation is over. Pity me.
Please, The Last of Us, live up to the hype, m’kay? We’d all be much obliged.
I’ve watched at least 10 videos on YouTube that walk through Nikon Z5 settings and menus. There was one question I had that none of them answered. How do you set the camera so that you can use the little joystick to set your focus point. While doing today’s faux-jog (pronounced faux-yog, with a soft “J”) I watched this one, which I think answered the question. I’ll check once my legs start working again.
Ever since the camera obsession was reborn back in June, YouTube has been a huge help to me, a source of Gear Acquisition Syndrome (what is this medium format of which you speak?), and it’s more or less replaced my constant television streaming. 95% of what I’ve watched is film related, but there are a bunch of digital folks that I have obsessed over too.
Of course January will bring us a new Star Wars show (The Bad Batch season two) and a new HBO show that I can already tell is going to be appointment viewing (The Last of Us), and there is more Star Wars and Marvel (I think?) and Walking Dead not too far behind that. TV will take back a lot of my time during faux-jog (pronounced faux-yog, with a soft “J”), but I think photography YouTube might be here to stay for a while.
For now though, let’s go see if the autofocus joy stick thingie can be switched on via the back display screen.
ADDENDUM: Okay, so I can’t embed the video. Sigh. You get the idea anyway, right? Here’s a link.
We just got off the call with Dad’s rehab facility. Good news all around. There are a couple of things they will follow up on and get back to us. He’s not ready to go home yet, but he is at a point where they can bring his assisted living facility staff into the discussion to see if they can handle his needs.
My stomach still feels like sh-sh-sh-shite. I haven’t eaten anything today and it’s not the kind of thing where I am wondering if I am sick or just hungry. Nope, I’m just sick. Harry had a stomach bug on Sunday. I’m wondering if that’s what I have now. Not so much a couple of meals gone wrong, but just a bug.
I left work at 2:00pm. I wanted to try to stick it out for the day but my boss let me off the hook. I probably should have left earlier. I was no good to anyone. I’m already questioning whether I will be able to pull off work tomorrow. It’s starting to look like a good thing we cancelled the New York plans. I need to be over this before Sunday when we go to Bellana’s concert in Vermont.
I would say I am starting to get into the first season of Pennyworth. I am still not sure though. The whole Aleister Crowley storyline… Crowley died in 1947 so if this takes place in some weird version of 60’s London, then he would have been in his 90’s. There’s a new episode of Titans today that I haven’t watched yet. That’s the better show, I think, but I’m having trouble getting into the new season. Oh, DC on HBO… how you vex me.
In closing, Penguins:
Yesterday I said I was thinking of upping my faux indoor walk game and shooting for a 5k simulated distance instead of just a 30 minute time. Welp, today that’s what I did. It took about 44 minutes to go 3.2 miles. Just about what I was expecting. My legs are beat. Not quite numb, but really tired. I’ll still try to do 15 minutes on the bike later if I can. I won’t stress if I can’t though.
Bellana made it to Germany while we were sleeping last night. Her flight home from there is still showing as on time. It should leave in about an hour. Every finger I have is crossed with every other finger I have in the hopes that she takes off and lands on time. Jen and I are going to the airport to pick her up. I don’t want to have to wait any longer. I want her home!
So television shows. I have started watching season four of Westworld on HBO Max. I’m a few weeks behind, but I’ll catch up. The funny thing here is, I’ve been trying to watch an episode a night while sitting up in bed. I’ve tried twice, and both times I have managed to fall asleep just before the episode ends. Nice, Robert. What are you, some kind of rookie? I started over this morning to make sure I didn’t actually miss anything. With this show, you sort of have to pay a lot of attention. The tiniest detail in episode two can turn out to be the thing the whole series hinges on, you know?
Okay. Going to make myself some scrambled eggs and then punch in to work. Bellana comes home today!
I know it’s only January but I’m trying to decide what The Official Catch Phrase of 2022 should be.
After watching episode four of The Book of Boba Fett I declared the catch phrase would be:
Hit it, Max.
Yes, the perfect catch phrase! I started drafting the legal documents for the official declaration. Before I could finish though, episode five of Peacemaker brought a new phrase into the running:
Eat peace, mother fuckers!
Looks like there’s a new sherif in catch phrase town and he’s dropping the Eff-bomb!
I can’t wait to see how this turns out!
When Disney+ launched WandaVision a couple of months ago I asked my step son if he would watch it with me. He said yes. Jen joined in too. We watched every episode together. The show aired (aired? Streamed) on Fridays and every other Friday he was at his dad’s house. On those weeks we either waited until he came back to our house the following Wednesday, or he snuck over at some point during the weekend and we watched the new episode then.
I asked him about doing the same for the new series, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which debuts today. He said no. He wants to watch the first episode from dad’s house and he said we should watch it too so we can talk about it on Wednesday. 99% of me thinks, bummer. The other 1% of me thinks, bummer but at least I don’t have to wait until Wednesday.
The word on the street is that the first few episodes are really good. I hope the scuttlebutt is accurate.
Meanwhile, I am a a smidge more than halfway through the Snyder Cut. It’s one four hour stream, but it is broken into segments and I’ve been able to watch a segment or two here and there over the last 32 hours or so. I don’t know if it’s better or worse than the theatrical release. It’s more or less the same, just with lots, lots more stuff. It is much less confusing. Everything that has happened so far makes a lot more sense than it did in the first cut. I am having a really hard time forgiving Ezra Miller for The Stand though. Like… every time The Flash is on the screen I just want to slap him for being so bad in The Stand. Bad, Ezra Miller. Bad, bad, Ezra Miller.
Justice League… the Snyder Cut…
It’s here.
I’ve got an hour before I have to punch in to work. Hows about we pick off the first 25% or so?
Kevin Smith said it was good. rottentomatoes has it at a 78% where the theatrical cut was at 40%.
Let’s give her a spin and see how she rolls, eh?
So the Snyder Cut of the Justice League movie is going to be released on HBO Max next week. Thursday, I think.
Should I watch the theatrical version before then to prep for it? Should I watch Batman Vs Superman too? Does that mean I have to watch Man of Steel and the two Wonder Woman movies and Aquaman too? Just to be fully up to speed on all of the DC movies? Oh yeah, and Suicide Squad and Birds of Prey? Birds of Prey is the only one I haven’t seen.
None of these movies are great, with the exception of the first Wonder Woman, but I can’t bring myself to hate on them the way most comic book movie fans do. None of them, again excepting Wonder Woman, hold up against even the weaker Marvel movies, but I don’t hate them. They are all okay.
I had high hopes for Justice League. It didn’t measure up, but it wasn’t the worst thing I’ve ever see. I have transferred those high hopes to the Snyder Cut and I’m sure it too will fail to be as good as I want it to be, but it won’t be terrible.
I’m ready. Let’s just watch the insanely long flick and see how it goes. Thursday, right?
Inside the Red Head's Head 