I have spent a lot of time pottering about - reading a
little, watching a bit of a boxset or two, listening to (and buying) music,
feeling a bit sick/under the weather – and occasionally looking for a job.
Since my last post there have been three new comicbook days:
So lots of good new reading ahead/had.
Henchgirl (https://www.darkhorse.com/Books/30-872/Henchgirl-TPB) was a great read and I highly recommend it.
Henchgirl has a Scott Pilgrim/Buffy flavour, with the characters and the world
feeling real and relatable, even though people have superpowers, there are
serums that turn you evil and there are carrot people! The volume ends of a cliffhanger, kinda like the Angel cliffhanger, which
leaves you both wanting more and feel satisfied (that you’ve read a complete
story that you can continue in your mind/daydreams/etc.).
Lazarus ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lazarus_%28comics%29) has been a really gripping story with a fresh spin
on the post-apocalypse/big disaster future, I’m surprised that a TV company
hasn’t snapped it up. Forever is a great hero/protagonist, with her certainty
about the world starting to crumble, can’t wait to read what happens next.
I also went to a friend’s retirement drinks, we’d worked
together for over eight years, so it was good to toast him on his way (and to
catch up with everyone else – it seems that the DH is not coping so well with
having cut staff by 30%, with many of those who stayed applying to work in
other Departments). One downside was that my hangover lasted for the best part
of three days! Which wasn’t helped with a pay day pint (or two) the next day with other
friends!
It was a good couple of weeks for TV. <SPOILERS>
The Walking Dead season 7 finale both had loads of action
and a few twists, but also felt a bit dragged out – Negan is still in charge of his
gang and the real fight with the Saviours hasn’t started! – the while season
was building up to the “final” fight between Rick and Negan and we’re left with
a ‘…to be continued next year’! (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Walking_Dead_(season_7))
The new season (season 3) of iZombie (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IZombie_(TV_series)) started and the first
episode has kept up the high standard of seasons 1 and 2 (which I think is down
to the episodes per season being kept down, so there is no need to pad out to
meet the 22 episode standard for US TV. Although the great writers, actors,
directors, etc. do play a role in this excellence!!!)
The first episode picks up, more or less, straight from the season
2 finale and sets up the rest of season 3 really well. It’s great that Clive is
now in on the secret and that it’s strengthened his relationship with Liv, it’s
sad that Ravi is losing Payton (although it’s good for the drama) and Liv &
Major seem to be happier/settled with
where their lives are (although I’, sure that life/the writers will test this). The second episode keeps the excellence train rolling with flashbacks to Clive's past (while we see Clive embracing GoT, we don't learn the fate of Clive's mustache).
And the new season (season 8) of Archer (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archer_(TV_series)) started. Archer is
probably may favourite show (tied with iZombie) and I hope that it’s on British
TV soon (come on Netflixs!!!).
I saw the Ghost In The Shell live action film, which looks
really go in 3D, when the camera glides through the city I did feel a little
sick (as I can’t really do heights)! I would give the film 7 out of ten and
while there has been a lot of controversy about ‘whitewashing’ I think some of
the criticism has been unfair/nit picking and kinda ignores the film's in-story reason for why an Asian character is now Western. However, the film doesn't really explore this reason and what it means for the characters and thier family and friends, which kinda reinforces the claims of ‘whitewashing’.
I also watched the director's cut of The Island of Doctor Moreau (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Island_of_Dr._Moreau_(1996_film)), starring Marlon Brando,
which was much better than some reviews would make you think (although the reviews are of the non-director's cut version, so maybe that version is terrible?). I haven’t read
the novel (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Island_of_Doctor_Moreau) but the film has a decent story and is well acted, although the
documentary about how it was made, Lost Souls, makes me question if the
characters who were dicks or crazy were portrayed this way by the actor's
ability or if it was down to the fact that the actor was a dick/crazy!
As it’s the 20th anniversary of Buffy (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffy_the_Vampire_Slayer) I’ve
been rewatching the series (along with Angel) and it’s as good as I
remember. I’ve only watched up to the last ¼ of season three so far as one of
the discs has got a nasty scratch on it which stops it from working (so I’ve
had to buy a second hand copy of season 3 from amazon), but it’s been fun see
little jokes/asides which link to future storylines/character development –
Willow, after meeting her vampire doppelganger, saying that she might be a
little gay, or Buffy telling Xander that it’s all fun and games until someone
loses an eye (which he does in season 7).
I’ve also started to watch 11.22.63 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/11.22.63), which so far has been
really good and compelling, although there’s plenty of episodes left for it to
go tits up!
Stand out music for me was the Whitey albums Great Shakes
Vol. 1 and 2, great post-punk-discoy indie kinda music, covering all the bases
from straight up dance cuts to mellow reflective pieces. Highly recommended (https://njwhitey.bandcamp.com/). And Moon Rocks Vol.4
which is full of beautiful (and modern) ambient music (https://throneofblood.bandcamp.com/album/moon-rock-volume-4)
Last Monday (the 10th) I went to GPs about my
fainting/collapsing episodes and to discuss the heart and blood pressure tests
I had had. Basically, the tests said that a had slightly low blood pressure,
that there was nothing wrong with my heart and that I should loss a few stones
and cut down on the alcohol. Which has led my GP to think that I may have an
inner ear problem or vertigo, so I’ve been prescribed Serc for three weeks to
see if that helps/solves the problem (so far it is helping, so fingers crossed
that when I go back to the GP everything is sorted).
As I was waiting to pick
up my prescription there was a customer picking up some syringes, citric acid
and other harm reduction equipment, which was slightly weird, as in my eight
and half years working in drug policy I’d never seen this happen “in the real world”. The
pharmacy staff handled it as nothing special and it felt good see a real life
application of the policy work I used to do. Also, as a treat I brought Rouge
One on DVD and it’s as good as it was in the cinema and is probably my
second/third favourite Star Wars film.
Got my haircut ready for when I get an interview (hopefully
soon) and now it’s Good Friday, so chocolate to look forward too.
Also, I
brought this cat to brighten up the place:
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