Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

Usually wrong but never in doubt

One of our two political parties is a cult whose leader admires Vladimir Putin.

Republicans can’t even be trusted with their own money.

The fundamental promise of conservatism all over the world is a return to an idealized past that never existed.

We won’t go back.

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

There is one struggling party in US right now, and it’s not the Democrats.

DeSantis transforming Florida into 1930s Germany with gators and theme parks.

Republican speaker of the house Mike Johnson is the bland and smiling face of evil.

if you can’t see it, then you are useless in the fight to stop it.

Compromise? There is no middle ground between a firefighter and an arsonist.

I also would like a pony to improve my balloon juice experience.

You can’t attract Republican voters. You can only out organize them.

Fight for a just cause, love your fellow man, live a good life.

Too often we confuse noise with substance. too often we confuse setbacks with defeat.

“Can i answer the question? No you can not!”

I’m starting to think Jesus may have made a mistake saving people with no questions asked.

Following reporting rules is only for the little people, apparently.

Republicans: The threats are dire, but my tickets are non-refundable!

They think we are photo bombing their nice little lives.

I’m just a talker, trying to find a channel!

The US Supreme Court is on the ballot in november.

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Reader Interactions

181Comments

  2. 2.

    westyny

    Diva is playing on Kino Now.  Worth signing up for.

    Into season 10 of Midsomer Murders.  Still trying to figure out why it is so enjoyable.

  3. 3.

    Mike in NC

    We are finishing a Finnish cop show on Netflix called ‘Deadwinds’ (it’s OK) and are about to start a French one called ‘The Forest’ set in the Ardennes. Also will check out ‘Away’ soon.

    Started new season of ‘The Boys’ on Amazon Prime. Too gory for the wife.

  4. 4.

    NoraLenderbee

    I just discovered Eric Ambler’s novels. I read A Coffin for Dimitrios and ordered a bunch more. Also read The Human Factor by Graham Greene and am looking for more.

    We don’t watch any series. Serieses.

  5. 5.

    Haydnseek

    I don’t play games or watch episodic TV (mostly movies and some sports) but I read a lot. At present I’m re-reading Confessions Of A Taoist On Wall Street by David Payne. I read it years ago but I don’t think I was quite capable of fully understanding it then. I’ve just started it, and I can already tell that it’s going to be a great ride.

  8. 8.

    Jeffro

    Binge-watching COBRA KAI like a madman these past few days…just amazing!

    (and ‘Karate Kid’ wasn’t even one of my fave movies from back in the good old bad old days, either)

    ?????

  9. 9.

    VOR

    @Mike in NC: I Recently finished Deadwind and I love her hair. I then watched another Finnish series called “Bordertown”. Currently watching Giri/Haji on Netflix.

    Reaganland is freshly downloaded but have not begun. Re-reading “Hollywood Dead” by Richard Kadrey after finishing the latest book in his Sandman Slim series.

  11. 11.

    Another Scott

    Shows: Whatever J has on the TV (US Open at the moment – Naomi Osaka has “Trayvon Martin” on her face mask)

    Books: Nothing recently

    Games: I’m not a gamer

    I’ve been spending plague-time trying to get caught up on over-neglected yard work, chores, etc., while also kinda working (at home and at work).  It will be 6 months this coming Friday…

    Stay safe, everyone.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  12. 12.

    Rosalind

    Reading: “The Blossom & The Firefly” Sherri L Smith

    Watching: “Hard Knocks” HBO

    Listening: “Music on the Run” podcast by ST Paul Peterson (interviews professional musicians on how they keep themselves healthy on the road and connected to family back home. Current ep Sheila E with some great Prince memories)

  13. 13.

    middlelee

    Watching Pie in the Sky, Acorn and

    Waiting for God, BritBox  Both light, all I can handle right now.

    Just finished reading Blitzed, about German military drug use in WW 2

    and My Dark Vanessa, a disturbing novel brilliantly written.

  15. 15.

    Amir Khalid

    I just read this depressing typo in The Guardian’s liveblog:

    India has confirmed 90,632,000 coronavirus cases in 24 hours, a global high for the number of infections recorded in a single day.

    The correct number is three orders of magnitude lower. Tsk, tsk, Grauniad.

  16. 16.

    randy khan

    We just finished Professor T – a Belgian crime series featuring a criminologist with serious mental health issues who consults with the federal police, despite the misgivings of the boss, who is his ex-girlfriend.  It is, nevertheless, mostly not a complete downer.  PBS has 2 seasons online; there’s a third out there but we’re not sure where it is

    We also dug out our DVDs of Jeeves and Wooster – Stephen Fry as Jeeves and Hugh Laurie as Bertie.  Kind of amazing, actually, that the guy who is so good at Bertie’s slack-jawed idiocy also played House.

  17. 17.

    MisterForkbeard

    Reading:

    • Ancillary Mercy – Ann Leckie: I’m surprised at how much I like this series, since I bounced off the first book when it first came out.
    • Just finished Harrow The Ninth. “Lesbian Space Necromancers” aren’t characters I thought I’d like, but the book series is just stupid good. And the profanity is just fucking lovely.

    Playing:

    • WoW (Retail + Classic): Closing up some stuff in Retail before the new Expansion hits.
    • Marvel’s Avengers: The campaign is really, REALLY good. Haven’t gotten to MP yet. They nailed Kamala Khan. Also, I’m thrilled that gamers will know how to pronounce “Kamala Harris” after playing this.
    • Wasteland 3: Great! I’m going to murder robo-Reagan and his cultists.
    • Also just started a game on Skies of Arcadia after I hooked up my retro setup.
  18. 18.

    Brachiator

    For some reason, I just cannot concentrate enough to read a book. There are a few waiting for me.

    I have been hate watching the animated Trek Show, “Lower Decks.” Sometimes it’s mildly funny, but the conceit of a badass ensign who can’t be bothered with rules vs a rigid “by the book” buddy would be unwatchable in a live action series.

    I recently mostly enjoyed the new Perry Mason but, again, can’t really concentrate on series or most movies.

    Watched Black Panther on ABC and felt sadness for the passing of Chadwick Boseman. But I looked at the villain, Kilmonger, as a kind of Trump figure fueled by resentment. It worked.

    Been watching History Guy videos on YouTube and Trevor Noah short pieces on race.

    I watch episodes of the funny BBC panel show QI on YouTube. Very diverting.

    Don’t do games.

  19. 19.

    AnnaN

    WoW – achievements running while waiting for the xpac to drop on 10/26

    DnD Online with family and friends a  few nights a week

    Netflix – ALL the K-Dramas: Hospital Playlist, Stranger, When the Camellia Blooms, It’s OK to Not be OK, Itaewon Class, just all around really great television.

    Reading: Truly, Devious

  21. 21.

    Steeplejack

    @randy khan:

    Second both recommendations. Professor T. is very good. Caught it on PBS and have been catching up now that I’m a Passport subscriber.

    I have fond memories of that Fry/Laurie series. Always wished they had done more episodes.

  22. 22.

    Doug R

    Harley Quinn, Doom Patrol, Lovecraft Country, The Boys, Stargirl, Star Trek Lower Decks. Loved the ST:Lower Decks show coming out of the closet so to speak about being made in Vancouver with shuttlecraft named “Fairview, Marpole and Kitsilano”. Waiting on new seasons of Archer, and Disenchantment.

    Hoping there’s another season of Watchmen.

  23. 23.

    JoyceH

    A few years back, well, fourteen years ago, there was a miniseries that I watched and I found it so intriguing that I got it on disk and watch it every few years. I bring it up because it’s now available streaming on Amazon Prime. Called The Lost Room. Check it out if you missed it. When everyone was raving about Stranger Things I watched it and thought – it’s okay, but it’s no Lost Room.

  24. 24.

    Brachiator

    OT. Here’s a bit of fun.

    For 15 years, photographer Drew Gardner has been recreating some of history’s most iconic portraits using the subjects’ great-grandchildren.

  25. 25.

    Mingobat (f/k/a Karen in GA)

    @randy khan:

    Kind of amazing, actually, that the guy who is so good at Bertie’s slack-jawed idiocy also played House.

    I think I’m the only person in the world who likes Avenue 5 on HBO.

    Anyway:

    TV:  The Bureau

    Reading: Stories Of Your Life

    Also wrapping up volume 1 of the Christopher Parkening Classical Guitar Method and, per my guitar teacher’s instructions, just ordered volume 2.  Progress!  (Hey, it counts as playing.)

  26. 26.

    Karen S.

    Just finished watching Teenage Bounty Hunters on Netflix. Very entertaining. Also rewatching Leverage on Pluto TV where it has its own channel. Leverage is comfort TV.

    I’m currently reading Under A Painted Sky by Stacey Lee, a fun novel set in 1840s western U.S. Main characters are two teenaged girls, one a runaway slave, the other of Chinese descent who is also on the run because she killed a powerful man in self defense. They disguise themselves as boys to make their way across the country from Missouri to California.

  28. 28.

    Libby's Person

    My husband just finished binging “Norsemen” and found it odd and amusing.  I don’t usually watch much TV and I generally avoid anything violent and tense, but I’ve started watching “The Witcher”; the fantasy element (and, let’s face it, Henry Cavill!) makes a difference.  The last series I watched before that was The Good Place, about as different as you can get from The Witcher!

    I listen to a lot of podcasts.  My feel-good escapes are BBC radio plays, but only the ones that aren’t too tense.  (Tumanbay was excellent but just too much for me.)  A few other podcasts I love are 99% Invisible, Decoder Ring Theater, and a bunch of history and science podcasts.

    I do confess to having gotten addicted to sweet animal videos posted by The Dodo.  I have to be on the evil FaceBook a little each day, and I always watch whatever Dodo video pops up!

  29. 29.

    Avalune

    Watching: Binged Cobra Kai on Netflix. Catching up on Lovecraft Country – HBO

    Reading: Recently finished Children of Time – Adrian Tchaikovsky, 88 Names – Matt Ruff and If It Bleeds – Stephen King. Reading The Death of Truth – Michiko Kakutani now.

    Playing: Remnant from the Ashes, State of Decay 2, and Cities Skylines, depending on mood and whether my kiddo is around to play with me. Contemplating cracking Red Dead Redemption 2 and/or Zelda: Breath of Wild back out since I didn’t actually get around to finishing them previously. I’m a little afraid to check in on my Animal Crossing island because it’s probably overrun with weeds and roaches. I’ve been very neglectful.

  31. 31.

    SFAW

    @Brachiator:

    But I looked at the villain, Kilmonger, as a kind of Trump figure fueled by resentment. It worked.

    Unlike Trump, he actually accomplished a number of things in his life, and was highly proficient at almost every thing he did. And without a father to give him $400M.

    It might also be worth considering that he was, at some level, the other side of the coin from T’Challa.

  33. 33.

    Emma from FL

    I have been doing a lot of Audibles with Stephen Fry as the reader. Just finished Bramah’s The Tales of Max Carrados and I am preparing for a super-marathon  (62+ hours, there shall be pee breaks!) of all the Sherlock Holmes stories. I also have worked my way through Manly Wade Wellman’s paranormal? horror? stories, which are probably the only rural South-centric stories of that genre that do not make me cringe.

    On the print side, I found a very good copy of a dual language edition of the Divine Comedy. Long nights of tea, practicing my Italian, and reacquainting myself with Dante. Sounds perfect to me.

  34. 34.

    Tehanu

    TV: John Oliver, MLB Quick Pitch (highlights), docu on Princess Diana

    Books: just finished a complete re-read of all the Manning Coles spy novels — old-fashioned (pre-Bond) though they are, I still love them. Now I’m reading Tom Holland’s Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic.  In 2 more days, C.J. Cherryh’s latest Foreigner book, Divergence.  And then I may re-read my favorite Manning Coles book of all, The Far Traveller.

    @Emma from FL: The Max Carrados stories are great and so are Manly Wade Wellman’s John the Balladeer stories.

  35. 35.

    James E Powell

    Books:

    Twilight of the Gods: A Journey to the End of Classic Rock – Just finished.
    The Dreamt Land by Mark Arax – Just started.

    Streaming:

    Red Line (Redl) on Amazon because someone here recommended it. NotMax maybe?
    Lovecraft Country & Raised by Wolves on HBOMax

  37. 37.

    Don K

    TV – Outlander, because why not

    Movies – Just watched Machete, and loved it. Previously Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. I was astounded Tarentino kept the carnage under wraps until the end.

    Books – Previously Railroaded: The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America. Now The Republic for Which It Stands. Both excellent histories of the First Gilded Age, The first looking explicitly at the absurdity of the transcontinental railroads in that era, and the second a huge (almost 1000 pages), sprawling general history tying together the failure of Reconstruction, the Indian Wars, the rise of giant corporations, and the beginning of a labor movement. Up next: Nixonland. I lived through it, now I want to have someone explain it.

    Games – I don’t game. I’m 66, ferchrissake! Leave me alone, and get off my yard!

  38. 38.

    Fair Economist

    Computer Games: Tropico 6, Civilization 5 (still), Dawn of Man, wish I could play Imperator: Rome but it keeps crashing.

    Board Games: None. I hate COVID.

    Books: Planetfall, Money from Nothing (good job, Tom!), Calling Bullshit.

  39. 39.

    Raoul Paste

    Just finished watching the six-part Good Omens (available Netflix), the Neil Gaiman production.  David Tennant (of Dr. Who fame) is a hoot as a demon, and its just fun.     Doesn’t have the pace of Marvel’s Avengers, but its so British that you smile.

  40. 40.

    Ascap_scab

    Rewatching Umbrella Academy on Netflix.

    I’m not much into sci-fi series(s), they always seem to fall apart (witness Heroes, Falling Skies). So far, this is good and I am looking forward to season three.

    Pluses and minuses:

    Plus. Great ensemble cast, everyone has great acting chops.

    Plus. Visual effects are seemless. It’s hard to tell where CGI gets melded in.

    Minus. I don’t like time travel as a device. I think it is always a crutch for bad writing / plot direction. This has waaaaaay too much of it.

    Minus. Nerds don’t dance. There is a LOT of dancing. I’m pretty sure this is a way to increase the female viewer base, but come on.

    Minus. Do we really need a talking Chimpanzee (who speaks perfect Queens English, I might add) to play the caretaker Alfred the Butler role? A robot mother is one thing, a talking monkey is another.

    Elsewhere, after a 45 year hiatus, I just bought a a cheap Chinese Stratocaster and am going to take another stab at playing guitar.

  41. 41.

    Avalune

    @Don K: Sometimes I wonder if I’ll still be gaming at 66. I’m already too slow for any of the more twitchy games but I still enjoy playing what I can…I just have to back down on the difficulty sometimes. :D

  42. 42.

    HumboldtBlue

    Book — Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland, Patrick Keefe

    Shows — all sorts, starting with Jeremy Brett’s Sherlock Holmes which came heartily recommended here. British humor on YouTube with 8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and as for Netflix assorted and sundry shows and movies.

    Music — It’s been an Afro-beat summer. That led to Fela Kuti and De La Soul (and a whole catalog of extraordinary music and I haven’t even gotten to Bela Fleck and the origins of the banjo)

    Game — Medieval Total War

    Also, I signed up for NBC’s Peacock streaming service for free content and was pleasantly surprised to find Dave Chappelle’s Block Party

    Oh, and a ton of sports. I’ve been watching live sports daily since the Premier League resumed in mid-June.

    The NBA playoffs and the NHL playoffs (despite the Flyers’ limp exit in game 7) have been compelling drama.

  43. 43.

    oatler.

    Edgar Saltus on the Gutenburg site, His prose is so dessicated  he makes Walter Pater look like a pin wheel.

  44. 44.

    SFAW

    Reading: the second book in the Harry Bosch series (Thanks, Cole, for getting me to check out the Welliver version.)

    Watching: Finished season 6 of Bosch, watching season 1 of Endeavour (which I gotta say, annoys the crap outta me with its deus ex machina endings). Started watching The Mandalorian, and may check out Cobra Kai.

    Gaming: Too old for that shit.

  46. 46.

    Tenax

    TV: Infinity Train (S3). Grace was a great lead for this season. “Well, well, well, if it isn’t the consequences for my own actions” is a good summary.

    Movie: Bill and Ted Face the Music. Excellent popcorn movie. Bill and Ted’s daughters steal the show.

    Games: Spiritfarer. Gosh hecky, this game combines cozy management, making friends (with a dedicated “hug” option), then stabs you in the heart when they have to go away. I cried several times through it. It’s longer than you’d expect, as I put in about 30 hours

    Books: A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking. Ursula Vernon has another strange but fun fantasy, this time focusing on a 14-year old girl who’s only magical abilities involve dough and baked goods. Someone is hunting and killing all the folks with magical talents, though.

  47. 47.

    Avalune

    @Tenax: That an…interesting premise for a book. I’m kind of intrigued now but I have piles of books I’m still working through as is…

  48. 48.

    The Moar You Know

    Just finished: Master of the Senate by Robert Caro.

    Listening to distraction: the few works released by Swedish pop-fusion outfit Dirty Loops (those kids are fucking so good it’s beyond belief) and Tropical Fuck Storm’s latest.

  50. 50.

    patrick II

    I have Youtube TV which carries TCM, so I have recorded and watched “Casablanca”, “To Have and Have Not”, “In the Heat of the Night”, a couple of the Thin Man movies for lighter fare.  It’s tough to beat the classics.

  51. 51.

    opiejeanne

    Watching on TV: Gardener’s World, The Coroner. Joe Biden talking to people and speaking to us all. Watched “Moonstruck” on Tuesday and now I’ve got an ear worm: When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie.

    Reading: Currently reading John Scalzi’s “The Sagan Diary”, which is part of the “Old Man’s War” series, way, way better than I expected, and I liked the series a lot. Just bought “All The Devils Are Here” by Louise Penny, That will cheer me up, I think.
    Had to stop reading “Oryx and Crake”, about 1/2 halfway through, too grim for right now. Will pick it up later.
    Playing: I play the LA Times crossword puzzles (free) NYTimes Crossword Puzzles, which have a lot of free puzzles, some from the archives, some new, but never the current date’s puzzle. For free, I can live with it. An assortment of word and picture puzzles from All Star Puzzles.

  53. 53.

    Ben Cisco (onboard the Defiant)

    Watching: Jimi Hendrix documentary on TCM, Maddow, catching up on Doon Patrol.

    Reading: This blog, mostly.

    Listening; Digging some Bomani Jones podcasts. Google him, dude is straight up.
    Musically, Skinny Hightower straight into my veins.

  54. 54.

    ronno2018

    been playing a fair amount of age of empires II definitive edition and watching the top streamers to learn more.

    still playing team fortress 2 on payload maps.

     

    reading “A Game of Birds and Wolves”

  55. 55.

    Brachiator

    @HumboldtBlue:

    Music — It’s been an Afro-beat summer. That led to Fela Kuti and De La Soul (and a whole catalog of extraordinary music and I haven’t even gotten to Bela Fleck and the origins of the banjo)

    Interesting BBC News article on drummer Olatunji and the Civil Rights movement.

  57. 57.

    Libby's Person

    (I have an innocuous comment “awaiting moderation”; another one never got out of moderation a few days ago.  I don’t know why my posts are getting flagged.  What should I do?)

  58. 58.

    SFAW

    @Suzanne:

    I have a young Spawn. All I get to watch is Daniel Tiger.

    I would think, given your background (if I’m remembering correctly — which is a shaky proposition at best), Bob the Builder would be on the list.

  60. 60.

    WaterGirl

    My sister just sent a photo of their holiday gathering today. 12 people all around the table, having a normal celebration of the holiday. Inside. No masks, no distancing.  Then more photos of everyone hanging out together in the living room.

    Yay! The pandemic is over!

    Wait, what? It’s not over?

  61. 61.

    Avalune

    @opiejeanne: Oryx and Crake is so good! Course I read it before the freaking Trump apocalypse made it a little too on point. Think about when she wrote that thing…and Handmaid’s Tale. It’s a little uncanny sometimes. I really thought The Heart Goes Last was a good one too.

  62. 62.

    trollhattan

    Just finished “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” the Eric Idle autobiography. Tons of fun tidbits about Python, plus his odd postwar childhood and his many famous friends. His “tech support” phone call with Robin Williams is a story for the ages. Nice break from volume 2 of the 3-part T. Roosevelt bio. Next up is “Slouching Towards Bethlehem” by Didion.

    Teevee principally watching MST3K reruns on FX. I cannot get enough of those robots, and that’s precisely how we watched bad (i.e., nearly all) movies back in the day.

  64. 64.

    WaterGirl

    @Libby’s Person: WordPress does not like apostrophes in screen names. So as long as there is an apostrophe in your name, every comment from you will have to be manually approved. :-(

    it’s nothing we can control. That’s WordPress.

    you can try using an asterisk in place of it and see if that works. The first one will have to be approved because it will be your first comment with that name. But if the second one goes through, then you will be good.

  65. 65.

    trollhattan

    @SFAW:

    “Sponge Bob” was sooooo welcome when the kiddo decided she liked it. Enough content aimed squarely at the adults that I didn’t just tolerate it, became a fan.

  66. 66.

    wmd

    tv: ST:DS9, The Boys

    Books: Tim Dorsey Coconut Cowboy, Antonio Damasio The Feeling of What Happens: Body and Emotion in the Making of Consciousness, Herman Hesse Magister Ludi

     
     

  67. 67.

    Avalune

    @WaterGirl: Egads. I skipped a work “we made it through peak” lunch today because they were going to a restaurant and it sounded like too many people even with outdoor seating. I’m as ready as the person to not be doing this anymore but this “it is what it is” and we just have to go on with our lives as if it isn’t happening is just crazytown. It’s stunning what we’re willing to live with/accept in the current timeline. And terrifying to think of what else we’d be willing to just give a pass.

  69. 69.

    Steeplejack

    @Libby’s Person:

    You have an apostrophe in your nym. All of your comments will go into moderation because of that and have to be released by a front-pager. Consider changing to “Libby*s Person.” You’ll get cleared once and be good to go.

  70. 70.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Tenax:

    Movie: Bill and Ted Face the Music. 

    Hehe, I get a kick out of looking at the IMDB for Excellent Adventure and Bogus Journey.

  72. 72.

    NobodySpecial

    Watching – Start watching the Boys S2 on Thursday night. Also need to find time to start watching S2 and S3 of Babylon Berlin.

    Playing – Just bought Crusader Kings 3, the glorious medieval simulator. First attempt at unifying Ireland under my glorious rule, my wife slept with my son and then they murdered me when I found out. 10/10.

  73. 73.

    WaterGirl

    @Avalune: they are all religious so I am pretty sure they think god will protect them.  My other sister has a house full of company also, staying for the 5-day weekend. And now I get to say what the fuck is wrong with these people? Only this time it’s about my family.

  74. 74.

    trollhattan

    @Avalune:

    Right? Didn’t trust my own opinion until seeing the “Crusty Crab Corporate Training” video episode, at which point I realized we growed-ups were probably their main audience all along.

    I never finagled showing it at work, we had to settle for “Office Space.”

  78. 78.

    Avalune

    @trollhattan: Office Space is a pretty decent booby prize.

    I always thought of it like Looney Tunes really – you had the stuff the kids liked but there were layers in there really geared towards adults.

  81. 81.

    Bob Devney

    @Tehanu: OMG, Manning Coles! Loved those books decades back. So you’re saying they’re safe to reread — haven’t yet been visited by the Suck Fairy?

    If you liked The Far Traveler, have you also read Manning Coles’s other ghost stories, about the late but quite lively Latimer cousins: Brief Candles, Happy Returns, and Come and Go?  Also go down very smoothly.

    However, never on any account read The House at Pluck’s Gutter. Written by Cyril Coles after Adelaide Manning died. It’s starkly evident that she took all the charm with her.

  82. 82.

    donnah

    Starting the third and final season of Dark, a German series on Netflix. It’s incredibly layered and complex and I think about a third of it has sailed right over my head. But it’s gripping and different and I’m really enjoying it.

  83. 83.

    trollhattan

    @Avalune:

    I bookend “Rocky and Bullwinkle” watching it as a kid and then as an adult and realizing I got, maybe a third of the jokes back in the day. Plus it’s such a great Cold War artifact.

    Now is to be gettink moose and skvirrel.

  84. 84.

    Aleta

    Watching I May Destroy You, pre, post war and 1950s Japanese directors; Spies in Disguise, and whenever I get too upset to focus on anything, comedic bits from The Office.  Listening to Del Ray’s guitar and uke lessons, The Swallows, Eric Gales, Rahim AlHaj.  A little Nat Cole. Some somatics-type movement work every week since April on zoom has helped physically and mentally, more than I imagined.  Keep meaning  to read books again.

  85. 85.

    Steeplejack

    @WaterGirl:

    Condolences. The Sighthound Hall mob has been pretty safe, especially as Bro’ Man is seeing patients at the clinic, but when the brother-in-law and the kids were at the beach house all summer I think they had some houseguests that I wouldn’t be too sure of.

  88. 88.

    Tenax

    @Avalune: Ursula is usually interested in off-beat sorts of tales. She wrote and drew Digger, a huge adventure comic involving dead gods, a talking statue of a God, shadow creatures, an outcast hyena, and starring a very practical wombat who has absolutely no time for that nonsense. Digger won the Eisener award in 2012. It’s fully online.

    Recently, she’s started writing horror under T. Kingfisher, and I found The Twisted Ones delightfully creepy. It lingered for me for a while. I’m looking forward to The Hollow Places.

  89. 89.

    Marc

    Shows:

    The Boys (my kid likes it, but I just love the complex villains, especially the over-the-top evil of Homelander)

    The Repair Shop

    Books:

    Defeating Lee – A History of the Second Corps, Army of the Potomac (2011)

    Tom Brown’s School Years (1857)

    Games:

    World of Warcraft Classic (I fell in love with WoW when it came out, and again when it came out as “classic”)

  90. 90.

    Kent

    I’ve been binge watching a variety of Scandinavian mystery series.

    Rebeka Martinsson on Prime (Swedish Lapland)

    Bordertown on Netflix (Finnish/Russian border)

    Trapped on Prime (Iceland)

    Valhalla Murders on Netflix (Iceland)

    Young Wallander on Netflix  (Malmö Sweden)

    Occupied on Netflix (fictional Russian occupation of Norway)

    and I’m just starting Borderliner on Netflix (Norway)

    I was led to believe that Scandinavian countries were some sort of happy socialist utopia where crime is low and guns are tightly regulated.  But no, we’ve been deceived   These people murder each other with an intense and creative ferocity that is breathtaking in its scope and pace.  Even small rural Scandinavian towns are dripping in blood and crime.  Hah!!

    As for books, I have a ton of stuff on nonfiction stuff on religion and racism that I’ve bought and downloaded to my kindle but I’m having a hard time getting to it right now.  I read few pages at night before falling asleep but that’s about it.   I do listen to a lot of podcasts when walking the dog.  Mostly environmental, politics, and finance stuff.

  91. 91.

    mayim

    Lots of podcasts: Fiber Nation [from Interweave ~ the episode on the clothes found on Gunnison Man was fascinating], Dark Poutine [true crime and other dark bits of Canadian history], and way too many other true crime series.

    Reading: stuff for work [library science and genealogy], mostly, plus some favorite comfort reads [Catherine Aird’s cozy mysteries are perfect comfort reads for me ~ almost a parody of the genre: long suffering detective, bumbling constable, overbearing superintendent, set in a fictional English county].

    TV: Time Team [British archaeology show], Pointless [British quiz show ~ Jeopardy combined with an inverse Family Feud; correct obscure answers the best].

    If I can’t go to Scotland this year, my book and TV consumption can at least make me feel like I did ;-)

    I’ve also been fostering kittens ~ an excellent way to ignore the current state of the world.

  92. 92.

    e julius drivingstorm

    @Ascap_scab:

    Elsewhere, after a 45 year hiatus, I just bought a a cheap Chinese Stratocaster and am going to take another stab at playing guitar.

    I had a Korean Strat and had to file the frets to get low action . Then I had to file them again and again before I went and got a real one. But I’m going through about what you are. The internet is fun when it comes to instruction. Go to Justin Guitar for Sultans of Swing lessons (LOL).

  95. 95.

    Old Dan and Little Ann

    My wife and I were 10 when The Karate Kid came our 1984.  I pur on Libra Kai the other night and season 2 here we come.  It’s a nice trip down mid-eighties stupidity lane.

  96. 96.

    Viva BrisVegas

    @trollhattan: Plus it’s such a great Cold War artifact.

    Everything old is new again. Boris and Natasha now work in the White House.

    For crime buffs, there is a new series of Strike.

  98. 98.

    The Oracle of Solace

    Books: In fiction, I finished reading Titus Groan, by Mervyn Peake. That must be my all-time favourite novel. In non-fiction, for researching an upcoming video, I’m reading Mikael Klintman’s Knowledge Resistance.

    Games: I have gone back to playing City of Heroes. Goodness, how I missed that game. I also wrapped up a game of Imperator: Rome tonight, and am looking forward to a game of Hearts of Iron IV.

    TeeVee: Tonight I started on the second season of Legion. I never thought a Marvel property could be so…good. And so full of surprising developments and visuals.

  99. 99.

    TS (the original)

    If you’re interested in the British TV series Vera (We just finished the last series on ABC TV Australia), someone has loaded many episodes onto youtube. Previously they have been deleted so it’s best to be quick if you want to watch them there.

    We’ve also just finished watching series 5 of  Shetland . Three series were on Netflix last time I looked, I don’t know if they can be seen elsewhere in the US.

  104. 104.

    e julius drivingstorm

    Recent Netflix subscriber here. Don’t get me wrong…I enjoy the pilots and early subsequent episodes of quite a few series but soon I ask myself when was it this series actually jumped the shark. The dramas seem to be competing to see which can weave the most tangled web.

    Think I’ll take up golf again if the course is open, may even watch college football ’til they shut it down.

  105. 105.

    mvr

    Read the two latest Don Winslow novels, Mega-novels, The Border and The Cartel. Not as escapist as I would like but really well done (Trump figures under a pseudonym in the latter as does failson-in-law) . If I was as good at what I’m supposed to do as he is at what he does . . .

    But his earlier books are gentler.

    OK, so I can’t spell or figure out how to delete the link on my attempt to spell . . .

  106. 106.

    joel hanes

    Books:
    Currently bogged down in E.L. Doctorow’s The March (Gen. Sherman)

    Most fun recently: Gibson’s Peripheral and Agency
    (I am amazed that I didn’t read the first when it came out in 2014)

    previously
    John LeCarre’s Agent Running In The Field
    I read everything he writes.

    Bujold’s Penric series, set in the Five Gods world of the Chalion books

    Pratchett Sourcery

  108. 108.

    Mary G

    Just finished Tom Levenson’s Money for Nothing, full of famous people being stupid about stocks. Binged a bunch of Deborah Crombie’s mysteries. Can’t find a TV show that holds my attention. Don’t game much, except I have a multiple year effort on Candy Crush that I play without spending money to see how far I can get. On level 2579 right now.

  110. 110.

    Steeplejack

    @Benw:

    Another one that I don’t watch without the kids, but which is actually very good, is Masha and the Bear. Just zany slapstick, but very well done.

  111. 111.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Tenax: Ah, I didn’t know that. T Kingfisher is a pseudonym that I really like – the Clocktaur War (and stories set in the same universe) are really excellent, if short.

  112. 112.

    Cowgirl in the Sandi

    Books: I’ve been re-reading John MacDonald’s Travis McGee series and comparing it to Randy Wayne White’s Doc Ford series. Lots of similarities. Also in a completely different direction, Elizabeth Berg – Arthur Truluv and Night of Miracles because everyone is just so nice.
    TV: Ha – Ina Garten the Barefoot Contessa. I never have to worry about anyone getting shot or beat up (except for eggs) and her recipes are great.

  113. 113.

    Mary G

    @Avalune:

    @Tenax:

    Ursula and Scalzi won Dragon Con awards tonight for best horror and sci fi respectively.

    CONGRATULATIONS URSULA
    — John Scalzi (@scalzi)

    CONGRATULATIONS JOHN
    — Kingfisher & Wombat (@UrsulaV) September 7, 2020

    href=”https://twitter.com/scalzi/status/1302791909274980352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>September 7, 2020

    They are both good follows on Twitter, Ursula does gardening and animals.

  116. 116.

    Steeplejack

    @Cowgirl in the Sandi:

    I really like Ina Garten. Her recipes are no-nonsense and almost always great. I confess that I am a little suspicious of Jeffrey. He has a whiff of the smug philanderer about him, and Ina seems so needy around him.

  117. 117.

    Mary G

    I’m beginning to wonder if America deserves Twitler; so many of us are idiots:

    CAL FIRE Law Enforcement has determined the El Dorado Fire, burning near Oak Glen in San Bernardino County, was caused by a smoke generating pyrotechnic device, used during a gender reveal party. The fire began at… https://t.co/w62ZRuBdNJ
    — CAL FIRE BDU (@CALFIREBDU) September 7, 2020

  119. 119.

    Royston Vasey

    Shows
    The Boys (Amazon)
    Lovecraft Country (HBO)
    Raised By Wolves (HBO)
    Clone Wars S04 (Disney+)

    Sport – Formula 1 – Italian Grand Prix

     

    Movies
    Mulan (2020 Disney+)
    Bright (2017 local)
    Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020)

    AudioBooks
    Mythos, Stephen Fry
    The Silmarillion, JRR Tolkein

  121. 121.

    Tenax

    @Mary G: Very cool! I’ll second following both authors, as they are consistently entertaining.

     

    @MisterForkBeard: There are other books set in the same world. Swordheart and Paladin’s Grace take place there.

  122. 122.

    Amir Khalid

    @trollhattan:

    We can all resist Gear Acquisition Syndrome if we remember to wear welder’s gloves, socially distance ourselves from guitar stores, and wash our hands.

  123. 123.

    Calouste

    Book: Ninety Degrees North. About the attempts to reach the North Pole. The circumstances are cold, dark, and pretty brutal, as most attempts included at least one winter in the pack ice.

  125. 125.

    Mike in DC

    Watching the Boys and random stuff on YouTube.

    Playing War Thunder and a game called Control, kind of a psychic horror action game.  If you liked the game FEAR you’d like this one.

  126. 126.

    senyordave

    Shows:

    Silent Witness    British medical examiner show

    Farscape             SciFi

    Father Ted          Maybe funniest sitcom I’ve ever seen

    The Outpost       Cheesy sciFi/Fantasy, but Jessica Green is in it

    Books (authors)

    Jeannette Walls

    Kate Atkinson

  127. 127.

    aliasofwestgate

    Book: Alternately working my way through.  Mercedes Lackey’s Elemental Masters series

    Anne Leckie’s Imperial Radch series, which i’m enjoying immensely but damn it’s intense!

    Kevin Hearne’s Iron Druid is also keeping me laughing while i find ways ot decompress mentally from the last 3 years of hell and dealing with everything going on now.

    Jay Kristoff’s’ NeverNight has been interesting, and i’m going to get back to Gideon The Ninth at some point.

    R S Belcher’s Golgotha trilogy is on the immediate to be read list as well. Because in addition to everything else? Weird Wild West is a MUST to read at this point.

    My ‘to read list’ is pretty much endless. 

     

    Movies:  Bill and Ted trilogy is to be watched very soon. I’ve been a fan since i saw the first one at 12 in 89 and the sequel as an official teen in the 90s.  Face the Music was just a matter of time to happen for me to watch.

    TV:  The Great Pretender anime on Netflix, looking for a rewatch of Avatar: The Last Airbender and Legend of Korra at some point.

    Infinity Train and Watchmen on HBOmax.

    Gargoyles, The Mandalorian, and possibly Clone Wars on Disney+, and any of the old Disney animated films i want to watch as comfort watching which are MANY. *grins

  128. 128.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Amir Khalid:

    wear welder’s gloves, socially distance ourselves from guitar stores, and wash our hands. 

    1. Welder’s gloves, eh?  Is South East Asia’s answer to  Compressorhead in the works?

    2. The Internet exists. ?

    3. Thank you for keeping safe.

  129. 129.

    Original Lee

    Watching:

    Clone Wars – Disney+
    Boston Legal – Hulu

    Brother Cadfael – BritBox

    Reading:

    Uprooted, by Naomi Novik

    The City of Brass, by C.A. Chahkraborty

    Women in the Kitchen, by Anne Willan

    Playing:

    Animal Crossing Pocket Camp

    Super Mario Bros.

  130. 130.

    Amir Khalid

    What am I watching on YouTube? Cooking videos in German. Lectures on the New Testament by Bible scholar Bart Ehrman; Prof Ehrman’s analyses of the NT and its many inconsistencies are fascinating. Avation videos, which are currently full of gloomy industry news. PBS Spacetime, a YouTube show hosted by Aussie astrophysicist Matt O’Dowd.

  131. 131.

    piratedan

    TV Shows: hit a couple of old anime titles in binge mode:

    Bakuman, Oremonogatari, Yowamushi Pedal

    also hit some Brit crime procedurals, DCI Banks, Endeavor and trying to decide on what is next

    Books: working my way thru the Flashman series again (h/t Frosty) after finishing up Scalzi’s Emprox series, have a fair number of titles in the queue but leaning towards re-reading old titles… more comfy in these trying times..

    Music: picked up the new Satriani and trying out new bands that hit my mercurial moods, so far enjoying the Dum Dum Girls and The Hives and Material Issue (may not be new to everyone, but new to me)…

    hope you are all finding the respite you need in the culture of your choice…

  132. 132.

    Craig

    If you do a trial of Peacock/NBC they have tons of old Johnny Carson Tonight Show episodes. Wow. Different world then. Almost everybody is coked up, Qualifed, drunk, or combo. Pretty amazing show.

  133. 133.

    Yutsano

    @Amir Khalid:

    Avation videos, which are currently full of gloomy industry news.

    Well on the positive side, the 737 MAX may yet return to the skies. This is important especially in Europe where shorter flights are more important. I could see the retirement of a bunch of older models that they have flying right now for this.

  134. 134.

    Groucho48

    @The Oracle of Solace:

     

    Loved the Gormanghast trilogy. Steerpike has to be one of the creepiest villains in fiction. In my games, I generally have a female character names Fuchsia.

     

    I’ve dabbled in the free shard City of Heroes, recently, too.  Lots of fun flying around! Mostly, though, I play DDO (Dungeons and Dragons Online.

    Recent interesting stuff. Rereading A Dance To the Music of Time. Love the way people move in and out of the story. And, the writing! Recently read The Storm Before the Storm, about the history leading up the the end of the Roman Republic. Some parallels to today. The Romans had a mostly excellent form of government, but, a lot of it depended on norms, not laws. Sound familiar?

    Just finished binging an AMC series, now on Netflix. Halt and Catch Fire. Follows four rather disparate but intertwined computer folks from the mid-80’s to the end of the 90’s, as they start out trying to develop a successful IBM clone, then, move on to gaming on the Commodore and progress through all the major upheavals in computing in that time. Lots of fun computer stuff and the characters are richly drawn and interesting. Soundtrack is great, too.

    Other recent binge worthy shows. An Italian Nero Wolfe series. Takes an episode or two to adjust, but, really entertaining. Foyle’s War, a British series set in WW2 and after.

    The Brokenwood Mysteries. A New Zealand series. Typical British-type detective series done with a light hand.

  135. 135.

    NotMax

    @VOR

    So much intriguing Nordic noir available. If you liked Bordertown, humbly suggest giving Fallet on Netflix and Roba on Prime a glance. Also will mention (although Czech, not Nordic) Mamon on Prime. Also the (French) Spiral on Prime.

    James E Powell

    Curious to hear what you thought about Red Line. Certainly not the usual type of procedural.

  136. 136.

    Poe Larity

    Audible: Last of Ada Palmer’s series

    Reading: Whatever I can find on land restoration after wildfires, native grass seeding, native brome, assessing fire damage to oaks

    Youtube: Sampson Boat Co and Baumgartner’s latest restoration video. Former is British kid restobuilding a 100 year old wooden boat in Port Townsend. Very addicting. Latter is fine art restoration. Very asmr.

  137. 137.

    Sebastian

    @Amir Khalid:

    Oesterreicher kochen besser als Deutsche. Zu Zeiten der Donaumonarchie hatten die Wohlhabenden in Wien Koechinnen und Hausmaedchen aus Boehmen, Maehren, der Slowakei, und aus Ungarn.

    Aber Wien war schon immer ein kulinarisches Zentrum. Die Franzosen nennen alle Blaetterteigwaren Viennoiserie und generell gesagt sind die Wiener Zuckerbaecker vergleichbar mit ihren Kollegen in Paris oder Bruessel, also Weltklasse.

    Deutschland hat einen sehr schlechten Ruf in allen kulinarischen Dingen wobei man da zwischen den dutzenden Regionen unterscheiden muss. Gottseidank sind die Englaender sprichwoertlich so ungeniessbar sodass die Deutschen in dieser Kategorie mit einem blauen Auge wegkommen.

    Meine Mutter is eine fantastische Koechin. Lass mich wissen falls du Rezepte oder Hilfe brauchst!

  138. 138.

    NotMax

    Watching?

    Season one of The Jack Benny Show (free on Prime until September 30th).

    Decent amount of good stuff queued up on both Netflix and Prime but for the nonce indulging in the (very) guilty pleasure viewing of At Home with the Braithwaites on Prime. Not a single likable character or redeeming trait in the bunch, yet it’s like potato chips (“I’ll have just one more. Okay, and another one.”). NOT a recommendation; merely a mention in answer to the original question posed.

  140. 140.

    prostratedragon

    Streaming tv: Shetland, soon to try I May Destroy You and Rebus (got a thing for British mysteries)

    Books: Calling Bullshit, C.T. Bergstrom

  141. 141.

    Amir Khalid

    @Yutsano:

    From time to time, I see reports of airlines cutting or even cancelling their 737 Max order. There are a lot of A380s and 747s going into early retirement. Even smaller planes are getting mothballed. Aircraft maintenance crews and flight attendants and ground staff are getting laid off by the thousand. Gloomy news.

  143. 143.

    BCHS Class of 1980

    Again proof that Ben Wikler runs a better state Dem party than most, certainly better than here in FL: he is sponsoring a virtual script reading of The Princess Bride on 13 Sept. Any donation to the WI Dems gets you in. Actblue link is here.

    Apparently this is also making Ted Cruz cry. Bonus!

  146. 146.

    Amir Khalid

    @BCHS Class of 1980:

    Poor Ted feels betrayed because the people who made his favourite movie are all Democrats.

    It reminds me of Chris Christie, who is easily Bruce Springsteen’s biggest fan. (I mean, just look at the guy.) But Bruce has never given CC the time of day, except that one time when Obama (and Bruce) needed to persuade him to accept federal relief money for hurricane Sandy. And thanks to Bridgegate, CC is the only fan Bruce has ever publicly mocked.

  147. 147.

    NotMax

    @a href=”https://balloon-juice.com/2020/09/06/what-are-we-watching-reading-and-playing/#comment-7848648″>mrmoshpotato

    101 Ways to Make Pretzels.

    :)

  148. 148.

    sgrAstar

    Reading:

    Insane amount of mainstream media: Guardian, LATimes, WaPo, NYT, New Yorker…and more;

    A pile of books on aerodynamics, a new branch of physics for me. Very peaceful, very enjoyable;

    Latest Louise Penney, Michael Connelly, Jo Nesbo, history of aviation.

    Watching:

    No watching outside of occasional dives into youtube for some podcasts- Andy Stumpf and Vincent Aiello;

    Playing:

    NYT crosswords and the evilly addictive SpellingBee.

    It’s all about distraction, 24/7.

  153. 153.

    MisterForkbeard

    @The Oracle of Solace: I miss City of Heroes. When it first came out, our entire extended college group played it.

    Our characters were all totally ridiculous. Mine was “The Paci-FIST”, an aging hippy and tai-chi master who’d taken some truly weird drugs and transformed into an 8 foot tall muscle-bound dude, using his martial arts in the name of peace. Complete with huge ZZ top beard, tie-dye shirts, ratty jeans and a piece symbol on his chest.

    I think my next most favorite another friend’s character: “The Red Banner”, a robot forged by the hands of Stalin himself to defend communism… and who had been sold to western interests when Soviet Russia fell. And is now forced to defend capitalism.

    That game really was amazing.

  157. 157.

    Sally

    @westyny: I’m with you there. My family make fun of me. I also enjoyed Made in Italy. It’s set in Milan and is funny, with fabulous scenery, clothes and visits to famous homes. The clothes were sourced extensively from original collections. I particularly enjoyed the warm and generous relationship between the two main women characters. History and politics were interwoven throughout,  including the politics of fashion. I am looking forward to the next season. Easy watching. The Italian is fast and furious, so I relied on the subtitles.
    I love the Nordic Noirs. Trapped, Bordertown, Ragnarok, etc.. I thought an old favourite, Borgen, was a very inciteful view of the processes involved in politics. It gave me a lot to think about without judging, showing the art of compromise, and that it is sometimes successful and sometimes not.
    The movie, The Twelfth Man was a compelling true story, though it made me feel very small. Could I be as brave as those farmers? Possibly not. Not easy watching, at least for me.

  159. 159.

    SFBayAreaGal

    TV: Just finished watching The World’s Toughest Race.  Catching up on Supernatural. Looking forward to the new season of The Mandalorian

    Books: Nada

    Games: Candy Crush Soda, Cookie Jam, and Cookie Jam Blast

  160. 160.

    lol chikinburd

    Watching: nothing but the very occasional sportsball.

    Playing: Another vote for Spiritfarer, GOTY favorite.  I’m only two Everdoor deliveries in and I am shattered.  (Haven’t thus far bought CK3; the Imperator: Rome experience has warned me off of it.)

    Reading: just a few pages into Mark Leyner’s novel-before-last, The Sugar Frosted Nutsack.

    But go get Spiritfarer now.  NOW.

  162. 162.

    Citizen Alan

    @JoyceH:

    I adore The Lost Room and am still bitter that Syfy apparently never even considered it as a possible series.

    As for myself, I just binge-watched all six hours of Into the Night, which was quite gripping once you got past the basic absurdity of the premise.

    Minor spoiler (revealed w/in the first 10 minutes): A guy hijacks a redeye plane from Brussels to Moscow just before boarding and demands that it take off and flew west. He doesn’t care where as long as it’s west. This is because the hijacker worked for NATO and learned that due to some unexplained plotanium, sunlight is now deadly to humans.

  163. 163.

    Seanly

    My brother & I play Destiny 2 and finally got a buddy to join us so we’ve been playing for a couple of hours each night.

    I never watched Supernatural & all 15 seasons are on Netflix (minus the shows they didn’t finish in the spring). Been burning through those. I’ve been surprised by the show.

    Next on deck is Lovecraft Country & 2nd season of The Boys

  164. 164.

    NotMax

    @JoyceH

    How many hundreds (or thousands) of things must have been tried before someone discovered the wristwatch band cooks eggs?

    :)

    Oh, come to think of it, you might also like the SF movie 41, available on Prime.

  165. 165.

    Sally

    I listen to several podcasts, mainly news and science stuff. One people might enjoy is The Infinite Monkey Cage. BBC with Brian Cox and Robin Ince. The BBC has a wealth of wonderful podcasts.

  166. 166.

    satby

    Well, very late to the thread but I’ll play!

    Watching: My Life is Murder (Austrailian, Lucy Lawless), Lucifer, tried Vera on someone’s recommendation but I don’t like the character’s personality so I bailed for a Nordic noir (Finnish) on Acorn.

    Books: just started Chasten Buttigieg’s book I Have Something to Tell You. I like it so far.

    Don’t game, never really did.

  167. 167.

    jlowe

    Shows: not much these days. Tried to watch Wonder Woman last week. I enjoyed it for awhile but lost interest before the scenery-chewing finale.

    Books: Hannah Arendt, Eichmann in Jerusalem: The Banality of Evil.  Hobbes, Leviathan (studying it more than reading it front to back).

    Games: Steam these days: Civ 6, The Operational Art of War.

    In a bit of a dark mood I guess.

  168. 168.

    the antibob

    Hulu: 12 Monkeys (series),  Netflix: Sex Education, Derry Girls, The End of the F***n World, I Am Not Okay With This [ bye :-(  ].

  169. 169.

    TerryC

    Reading:

    – a book a day, mostly SF, from Kindle unlimited

    – every post and comment in BJ, LGM, and LGF

    Watching:

    – nothing, no patience for video

    Doing:

    – playing disc (Frisbee) golf

    – clearing brush and developing new disc golf courses

  170. 170.

    cope

    Reading and watching a lot of various stuff but the things I recommend are:

    “Nixonland” and “The Invisible Bridge”, both by Rick Perlstein and the two precursors to the “Reaganland” book John mentions at the top and,

    “You’ve Been Trumped” a documentary currently on YouTube about the locals resisting trumps golf course in Scotland.  Plent of trump to hate but also plenty of good guys to cheer on.  It predates 2016 but there is a sequel, “You’ve Been Trumped Too” that is supposed to be on Amazon soon.

  171. 171.

    PaulWartenberg

    Shows/Streaming:
    Black Panther – Disney+
    Big Hero Six series – Disney+
    Daredevil – Netflix

    Books:
    Monstrous Regiment – Terry Prachett
    Various comic books on a weekly basis, mostly Batman titles.

    Games:
    City of Heroes (Homecoming server, it’s back baby and underground until the copyright stuff gets worked out with NCSoft)

     

    Is Wastelands 3 any good?

  172. 172.

    Miss Bianca

    Way late to the party, but…

    Currently reading: The Empress of Salt and Fortune, by Nghi Vo, and Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds, by Charles Mackay, an oldie but (with any hope) a goodie, also Neal Stephenson’s Cryptonomicon.

    Watching: Just finished Season 1 of Deadwood, an annual rewatch. Up next is Season 2 of Halt and Catch Fire, on deck after that is Season 1 of Jeremy Brett’s Sherlock Holmes.

    Not a gamer, so nothing to report on that front.

  173. 173.

    MoxieM

    I fell asleep before thread last night–woah!  But I’ll chime in with Berlin Station.  Nothing like English & Welsh actors playing American spies in a European city– A new, third season came out recently. I like it.  It’s a little different than the usual murder procedural, but lotsa great characters, and character actors (Richard Armitage, Keke Palmer, Rhys Ifans).

  174. 174.

    Sonoran

    Ok, for those jackets still here…

    Books:  Found Jim Butcher’s Dresden series, a modern day wizard and a good follow on for adult Harry Potter fans.

    TV:  Travelers, Blacklist, Happy

    Games:  Bridge (on BridgeBase).  Cerebral game you can play for free.  I encourage everyone to try it.

  175. 175.

    JCNZee

    @HumboldtBlue: Check out Ed Moloney’s “Voices From The Grave”, an oral history of the Troubles, which is far superior to “Say Anything”, I think. Also, Toby Harnden’s “Bandit Country” about the IRA in South Armagh – it’s how I imagine Sicily under the Mafia might be.

  176. 176.

    TheronWare

    Books:Darkdawn by Jay Kristoff, third book of “The Nevernight Chronicle”

    TV: Netflix series Cursed and HBO Plus series The Alienist.

    Games: Soulsborne – what can I say? ha! Also Witcher 2

  177. 177.

    Sean M

    Watching: 3% on Netflix and Ted Lasso on Apple TV + (it’s fantastic)

    Reading: Every dead thing by John Connolly & Hate Inc by Matt Taibbi

    Playing: the last of us 2 and nba2k21

  179. 179.

    The Oracle of Solace

    @Groucho48: 
    @MisterForkbeard: 

    Paci-FIST is a wonderful name. I engaged in some punmanship myself, with character such as the rifle-toting vampyre hunter Blam Stoker; the dark defender Nurse Feratu; the computer-killing electric-powered brute, Colonel Panic. If you find yourself dabbling in City of Heroes again anytime soon, feel free to look me up as @Sollace. Always happy to team with a friendly face.

    As for Gormenghast, Peake was always able to sweep me away with his genius for colourful naming: Flay, Swelter, Sourdust, Rottcodd, Prunesquallor, Nannie Slagg, Lord Sepulchrave…

  180. 180.

    Empress of the Known Lute World

    At the behest of a friend with whom I Zoom regularly, I’m watching a German series on Netflix called Dark.  Boy is it.  The first episode was really harrowing.  Since then it hasn’t been so distasteful, but I’m struggling to see the point.  At the behest of myself and the 3rd member of our Zoom group, he is watching Deep Space 9, which he has long despised after watching only 4-5 episodes.  He finally made it to “The Duet,” which he thought was really good.

    Also, Norsemen is hilarious.  Crude, bloodthirsty Vikings who talk like self-aware cosmopolitans.

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