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ed_rexWhere he's been, what he's been up to, what he's thinking now ...
My how she's changed! An infant no more, Baobao takes a step into the future on January 1, 2021.
Well, I paid for another year of this Dreamwidth account (and LJ will be coming due soon: Will I pay for that again as well?), so I damned well better use it, right?
I know that attempting to fully catch-up would be a horrible fool's errand, so I'll suggest you check out PapaZesser.ca if you want to know (some of) what I've been up to, and to see lots of pictures of a very cute baby's remarkable progress.
Also, my publishing company, though there isn't nearly as much that's new there (there are, of course, two really good books available there, though they've barely been selling. Publishing is hard.) I am also in the process of bringing my original website back to life, but it's a slow hobby.
Anyway.
I just checked and see that my last post talked about an apparent offer for child modelling. I did, in fact, reply to the initial message, only to get a generic message in return. Since then, we've had another nibble, but Mama Raven checked out the company and told me it had a lot of negative reviews, so I ignored it.
So much for monetizing my daughter's (undeniable) cuteness.
Onwards. How about some genuine Rexian random gloats?
- Star Trek: Discovery is a terrible, terrible teevee program; Disco makes Star Trek (let's spend the first five episodes doing what your average heist movie does in the first 15 minutes): Picard look like Shakespeare. I dunno if I'll ever write up a proper critique of the thing, but sooner or later I'll post my notes at the very least. It's not Torchwood: Miracle Day bad, but it's bad.
- One of the (many, many!) good things about The Expanse is that it never makes death look cool. Even when millions of lives are lost, it strives to make sure we understand that those deaths matter, that the dead are individual people, not just numbers, and certainly not a first-person shooter's body count.
- Speaking of The Expanse, as a peripheral member of cancel culture, I find it both disturbing and interesting (and maybe, instructive?) that I am more uncomfortable watching scenes that include include Alex Kamal, as portrayed by Canada's own Cas Anvar, who has been accused of sexual harassment and sexual assault by a lot of women (and who, I've now learned, won't be returning for season six), than I am that the show is produced by Amazon and was saved from cancellation by Jeff Bezos himself, a man who has far more blood of far more workers on his hands than women Anvar could ever hope to assault.
Jeff Bezos feasts, just as we all always knew he would.
Whatever it says about me, that I won't buy anything by Orson Scott Card anymore, but that I haven't boycotted Amazon, I'm not sure, but it can't be flattering; - Being a house-husband is the hardest job I've ever had, without any question at all. I threw my back out (not too badly, but bad enough that I spent New Year's Day on prescription muscle relaxants and codeine, and today taking it very cautiously (but drug-free), and I feel as if I am about to return from 10 days in Cuba;
- Being a dad is the best job I've ever had, without question. She bugs me sometimes, but I was made for this shit;
- I know Nalo Hopkinson personally (not that well, but we've socialized), and I am happy that she has been made an SFWA grand-master, but the truth is, I don't think she written enough to warrant the honour.
- I was one of the (relatively few) lucky ones. The year of Covid-19 was a good one for me. I was laid off in March, and so was blessed with the chance to become my daughter's primary care-giver.
- Yesterday's Doctor Who special was all right. Not great (has there ever been a Doctor Who special that was actually, y'know, good? Please let me know in the comments), but it was entertaining.
I won't miss Ryan or Graham much, to tell you the truth, but I'm glad that Yas is sticking around. It's sad how the execrable years with Moffat at the helm make the new regime seem quite a bit more than mediocre.
And maybe that's as good a place to stop as any.
For now.
I've paid my damned money. Let's see if I can make use of it this year!
My daughter is not punching me in the mouth, she is offering me her "empty" sleeve, so that I can blow in it, and so, "rescue" her "missing" hand from its depths.
(no subject)
Date: 2021-01-03 02:15 am (UTC)I love Disco. It's not good good, but it's often great in ways that make up for its myriad flaws.
The Expanse is flawless, though. I cried legit tears through episode 4 and I have read the books so I knew what was coming. But it just captured grief and terror so poignantly, and yeah, didn't glamourize death, and it made it hurt.
I'm sad about Cas Anvar. I adore the character and tbh he looks a bit like a friend of mine who has always been the one that got away. Like dude, what you gotta go sexually assaulting people for? I have my ideas (based on book spoilers) about what should happen on the show but I'd be fine if they just recast him, too.
Nalo is fantastic and I'm thrilled for her.
I was deeply surprised to have enjoyed the latest Doctor Who, given how much I hated the finale and much of 13's first series. But it was fun, it had the kind of stuff I want, the script didn't condescend, and they gave Jodie Whittaker stuff to do for once. I am not particularly attached to any of the companions, but hopefully losing Ryan and Graham means that Yaz will get some character development.
Congrats on the press! Publishing is hard; I am trying to shop my book around and it's weird, having been on the other side of that. I possibly don't have a thick enough skin to weather all the rejection.
She is, she is!
Date: 2021-01-03 08:48 pm (UTC)Ahem.
If and when I publish, I hope we can go at Disco hammer and tongs.
But The Expanse ... "Flawless?" I'm tempted to go looking, but as rhetoric, I'll agree with your characterization. Besides, how often does the media tie-in improve upon the source material? (Hi Drummer!).
I have my ideas (based on book spoilers) about what should happen on the show but I'd be fine if they just recast him, too.
Spoil away here if you want. I've read all the books, too. Funny, because I had recently re-read them, in fact, I spent the first couple of episodes this season feeling just a little bit off, because I knew most of what was coming. But by the third, I'd been swept up by the story again, and knowing didn't matter anymore.
Nalo is fantastic. But not so prolific (probably because it's so fucking hard to make a living just writing books these days, especially if you don't self-publish. Not that self-publishing is easy, but at least you keep residual rights and take home a much bigger piece of the book's income).
I didn't hate Whittaker's first season (is the upcoming one only her second? *goes off to check* Oh. Her third), but (as is now obvious from my previous parenthetical remark) I found both her series pretty forgettable.
Congrats on your book! I didn't realize it was finished. I am more than a little curious about it.
Re: She is, she is!
Date: 2021-01-03 09:15 pm (UTC)Spoil away here if you want. I've read all the books, too. Funny, because I had recently re-read them, in fact, I spent the first couple of episodes this season feeling just a little bit off, because I knew most of what was coming. But by the third, I'd been swept up by the story again, and knowing didn't matter anymore.
What I'd do is instead of Bobbie dying, have Alex die. Which would break my heart but so did Bobbie dying. Then Bobbie gets all of Alex's plots.
I found both her series pretty forgettable.
I found the first insulting. It wasn't everything I dreaded about a female Doctor (thank fuck we got no boob or period jokes) but it was many of the things: softening her character, making her more passive, emphasizing ditzy/caring over intelligence, and basically treating her like a walking wikipedia, all while playing up the older male companion and the show congratulating itself on how #woke it is. The second season improved by leaps and bounds but still had a ghastly finale.
Congrats on your book! I didn't realize it was finished. I am more than a little curious about it.
I'm happy to send it to you if you're interested! Though 90% of the people I've sent it to either didn't start reading it or I guess started reading it and didn't like it.
Re: She is, she is!
Date: 2021-01-04 09:41 pm (UTC)Yeah, depending on they end it, I'm tempted to compare it to The Wire.
I like your idea vis-a-vis Alex and Bobby; as actors go, Frankie Adams has more charisma, too. (And yes, her death made me cry, no doubt about it.)
... but still had a ghastly finale.
Maybe I should re-watch; all I remember is that it had something to do with Gallifrey being destroyed again (or still. Whatever. I am so fucking tired of Gallifrey trauma).
And yes, I'm seriously interested in your novel, please send it to me. I presume you won't no-holds barred feedback? (Also, that you still have my email address.)
Re: She is, she is!
Date: 2021-01-04 10:53 pm (UTC)I'm so over it, plus there was needless "the Doctor is not a Gallifreyan, she is in fact the most special first Time Lord ever whose DNA they used to make Time Lords." Such bullshit.
And yes, I'm seriously interested in your novel, please send it to me. I presume you won't no-holds barred feedback? (Also, that you still have my email address.)
I don't know if I do have it!
Umm, I'm still in Draft 1.5 so slightly scared of no-holds barred, so...some holds barred? But I am looking for the kind of critique that will get it into publishable form—right now, for example, I know it's too long, and some characters/plotlines need to be condensed—and not get me dragged too much on Twitter if it is published.
Re: She is, she is!
Date: 2021-01-04 11:31 pm (UTC)Oh. Right. One-upping Davies' lonely god schtick. I miss the days when the Doctor could put up a shelf.
Maybe I didn't forget because it was boring but because of that. Hopefully, the next show-runner will figure out some way to retrofix it.
As for the serious stuff, some holds barred it is. geoffdow (at) gmail is the easiest route. If you happen to have it in an epub format, i'll take that, but otherwise, I'll just convert it so I can read it on my ereader. (Just not a pdf, please!)
Re: She is, she is!
Date: 2021-01-04 11:36 pm (UTC)I think Chibs has already realized that it's a bad idea because in the special Ryan was like, "so?"
As for the serious stuff, some holds barred it is. geoffdow (at) gmail is the easiest route. If you happen to have it in an epub format, i'll take that, but otherwise, I'll just convert it so I can read it on my ereader. (Just not a pdf, please!)
Alas, I am still in too much draft/restructuring form to have it as an epub. I added you to my Google Drive folder where I'm keeping the files. The chapters with the asterisks next to them have had the major structural edits I've definitely decided on made, so if you read fast, you'll notice inconsistencies later on.
Re: She is, she is!
Date: 2021-01-12 09:22 pm (UTC)Re: She is, she is!
Date: 2021-01-12 09:45 pm (UTC)Re: She is, she is!
Date: 2021-03-09 12:58 pm (UTC)As you now know, almost all of my free time in January and February were spent dealing with my mum's issues, which lead to a very sporadic read of Sleep. Last week, I nearly sent you a write up of my notes and thoughts on that first read-through, then I stopped myself and asked: "Young Geoffrey, are you sure you know what you're talking about? You read the novel over a month and a half in seven minute chunks."
So I decided on a re-read and — qu'elle surprise! — a lot of the "problems" I saw the first time around don't seem to be there anymore. Others are not nearly as serious as I'd thought.
I'm close to half-way through for the second time. So, questions: After all this time, are you still looking for a response? And, if so, do you prefer said response to come in by email, or maybe via a protected post here?
Re: She is, she is!
Date: 2021-03-09 01:31 pm (UTC)So anyway! Yes, I'm still looking for a response, absolutely. Email is probably best. littlemissnegativity at gmail.