Review: The Need

From The Need, by Helen Phillips:

Her desperation for her children’s silence manifested as a suffocating force, the desire for a pillow, a pair of thick socks, anything she could shove into them to perfect their muteness and save their lives."
	Amazon

Molly, young mother of two, hears an intruder's footsteps. Molly, paleobotanist, discovers very odd objects in a dig. Is it a sci-fi novel about parallel universes? Is it a psychological thriller about the anxieties of motherhood? Mostly the latter.

POTD: Pyramid of Djoser

From 2019 11 17 Ancient Cairo

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Step Pyramid of Djoser, near modern Cairo. Dating to the 27th century BCE, it predates the more famous pyramids at Giza by a century. "Djoser's step pyramid is astounding in its departure from previous architecture. It sets several important precedents, perhaps the most important of which is its status as the first monumental structure made of stone."

The Lovebirds (2020)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Lovebirds (2020): Rom-com plays more like a buddy cop comedy. Chemistry and banter between Nanjiani and Rae are worth watching as they investigate a crime to keep from being arrested themselvs. Silly plot played silly but just seriously enough to overlook its silliness. B+

Country Meadow Duck Pond

For the last couple of years, I have tried to get the City of Richardson to do something about the standing water in the street in front of my house. So far no luck. In summer it breeds mosquitoes. In winter it's a slip-and-slide ice rink. I've reported it via the "My Richardson" app; my report disappeared from the list of open issues; no work was ever done. I was told that the issue is "closed" when it's passed on to the appropriate city department. Not when it's actually resolved, just when the buck has been passed to someone else. So maybe my issue is sitting somewhere in the system and will be addressed by someone, sometime. Or not. There's no way to tell from the app. In the meantime, the ducks seem to be enjoying themselves on my city-owned and unmaintained duck pond. So there's that.

Bonus photo after the jump.

"Texas Woman Accused in Beating of State’s Former Lieutenant Governor"

Heavy.com

The headline says "Texas Woman Accused in Beating of State’s Former Lieutenant Governor." If that made you think of Stefani Carter, you should be ashamed of yourself. Either that or you know way too many details about the inside baseball of Texas politics. The woman in the headline is Leslie Ann Caron. If that made you think of Leslie Caron the movie star, well you'd be wrong again. But it would prove you don't know way too much about the inside baseball of Texas politics. Our woman of interest, arrested for "injury to an elderly person" (ouch), is Leslie Ann Caron, a political fundraiser. There is a connection to our Stefani Carter. Patience. We'll get to it.

Upload (TV 2020)

Rotten Tomatoes

Upload (TV 2020): On death, people choose to upload their consciousness to a CGI afterlife. Much of this explores what that's like (not always smartly), but there's also a love story and even a murder mystery. Still, writers didn't have enough material for a whole season. C+

The Edge of Democracy (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Edge of Democracy (2019): How Brazil's fragile democracy was overthrown "legally" by right wing authoritarians. I thought this stuff happened in "banana republics," not in America, but the same script is now playing out here. Constitutions can be subverted everywhere. B+