Stuff we're reading / watching / listening to

[Giovanni Schwartz]

I have no idea what we're talking about, but I want to say Godfrey Gao and Edward Sparklepants are two of the best names I've ever heard.

[bobtheenchantedone]

Yesterday I read this in our beloved Daily Herald, and it made me so mad. I was already sad that we lost our "Left in Utah" (liberal) columnist, I was already annoyed that she'd been replaced with a new "Get it Right" columnist (because the paper really needs yet another conservative voice) and then she has the audacity to submit a column that is nothing more than a cutesy made up story about how the government is going to take our guns which will result in the deaths of sweet old grandmas.

THE HELL. This is barely worth being a forwarded email, and they're printing it in a damn newspaper. I mean, I knew DH was a joke, but seriously?

I'm reading the Salt Lake Tribune from now on.

[Portia]

I'm reading the Salt Lake Tribune from now on.

Blessings upon your head.

[Violet]

My younger siblings have been abusing my Amazon Prime to watch Sabrina the Teenage Witch. I laughed along the first few episodes, but that is not a television show to marathon. It's a "watch an episode while folding laundry" show.

[bobtheenchantedone]

Aw, Violet, you just made Marduk sad!

[thatonemom]

yes, those. And the rebuttals. Can you see the sea lion one? https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... nt_count=1

Sadly, no sea lions. Oh well.

I'm reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak for the first time. It's interesting. Not what I was expecting, but I was expecting 500 pages of depressing. So I'm really enjoying it.

[Portia]

I'm reading the Salt Lake Tribune from now on.

Blessings upon your head.

Of course, they just reduced their staff by nearly 20%. :-(

[UffishThought]

I grew up on and loved Diana Wynne Jones, and it seems like a lot of other people did, too. But related in my mind (maybe I discovered her at the same time?) is Joan Aiken, and only my sister talks about her with me. Did anyone else read her?

[Whistler]

no, but you I bought one of her books on your recommendation

[Katya]

Here's a survey that people who read this thread might be interested in: https://surveymonkey.com/s/fandom_and_spirituality

[mic0]

Do you know what level of fandom they mean? I don't really feel like I'm a fandom-y person, but I am pretty aware of (and engage in some of) current "geek" culture?

[Katya]

I think he means any level of fandom. (He lets you rate your fandom level in several questions.)

[Digit]

Contra Jungle Jam! I always got 25 extra lives...

[Digit]

I agree with the comment in the Summer Samba video that it is indeed the ultimate elevator music.

[Whistler]

oh man, if only my organ had an elevator-music stop

[Digit]

Green Onions is another great organ song.

[Tally M.]

For Katya

[Katya]

For Katya

Very nice. (Although I wish they wouldn't repeat the myth about lots of jobs opening up as librarians retire. The ALA and other groups have been saying that for decades, and institutions keep cutting positions instead of rehiring.)

[Portia]

For Katya

Conclusion: become an RN.

[UffishThought]

I've been hearing about Friday Night Lights and how great it is for years, so I thought I'd give it a shot. And I've been hearing about the great relationship between the coach and his wife, too. I'm not sold. It's taken till the fifth episode for him to pay any positive attention to his wife without her having to ask him for it. There was a grudging half-apology about the wrong issue, in the episode before. So far all their great communication and real-life problem solving has just been her gently and kindly reminding him that he's got a family and they deserve some consideration, and him being half absent minded and half rude and lashing out at her, he seems to only show her affection when the team gets a win. So far, he's as fickle to his family as the town is to him, which doesn't endear either to me. Also I'm mad that he only thinks "get a girl in the backseat of your car" is bad advice when he realizes that girl could be his own daughter, and he doesn't seem to care about the player who's constantly drunk, or the fact that the players are having their homework done by other students. Maybe it's that I worked with a head football coach who did his best to motivate his players to do well in school, and tried his best to teach them to respect women, but this guy just infuriates me so far.

So tell me: does it get better? Because I like to finish what I start, but I also don't like being angry at a thoughtless husband/father and a poor mentor.