Monday, October 5, 2020

POTD: Aswan Street Market

From 2019 11 19 Aswan
Today's photo-of-the-day is of a street market in Aswan, Egypt.

Bonus photos after the jump.

Friday, October 2, 2020

Review: The Mirror & the Light

From The Mirror & the Light, by Hilary Mantel:

Open quoteOnce the queen’s head is severed, he walks away. A sharp pang of appetite reminds him that it is time for a second breakfast, or perhaps an early dinner." The Mirror & the Light
Amazon
The Mirror & the Light is the third volume of Hilary Mantel's life of Thomas Cromwell, chief minister of Henry VIII. It covers the four years from the execution of Anne Boleyn to his own downfall, with all the court intrigues in between. It's a masterfully written view of England in mid-1500s. B+

Thursday, October 1, 2020

Random Thoughts: I Can't Wait for the Presidential Debates

Tweets from September, 2020:
  • 2020-09-03: I can't wait for the Presidential debates so I'll finally know who to vote for.
  • 2020-09-03: Radioactive (2020): Biopic of Marie Curie. Rosamund Pike plays an unlikable character, a prickly genius. It crams 60 years into one movie, as well as peeks at future benefits and ills of nuclear energy. You'll learn a lot about history, an amazing scientist and kickass woman. B-
  • 2020-09-07: An American Pickle (2020): Immigrant falls into a vat of pickle brine in 1919 and is rescued in 2019. Just accept the premise. Seth Rogan plays the immigrant and his great grandson. Touching story of reconnecting with family and culture. Not what I expected from Seth Rogan. B-
  • 2020-09-07: When I "hide" an ad on Facebook (hoping FB will quit serving ads of this type to me), it asks me why I wanted to hide the ad, offering choices like "already purchased," "irrelevant," and "repetitive." Why doesn't it offer as a choice, "Insults my intelligence"?
  • 2020-09-08: Neighborhood yard sign poll: 3 Colin Allred signs, 2 Genevieve Collins signs. So with 55 days to go, it's 60%-40% Allred.

After the jump, more random thoughts.

Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Perry Mason (TV 2020)

Rotten Tomatoes
Perry Mason (TV 2020): Gritty back stories for Perry and Della Street, Paul Drake, and Hamilton Burger. Perry is a hothead loser who plays fast and loose with the law. Matthew Rhys doesn't quite have the toughness needed. The resolution of the murder case is kind of messy. B-

Tuesday, September 29, 2020

POTD: Sunset Sail on the Nile

From 2019 11 19 Aswan
Today's photo-of-the-day is from Aswan, Egypt. It's from a sunset sail in a felucca on the Nile River.

Bonus photo after the jump.

Monday, September 28, 2020

Enola Holmes (2020)

Rotten Tomatoes
Enola Holmes (2020): Sherlock's young sister's mother is missing. Enola runs away to find her. Sherlock and Mycroft search for Enola. Mystery and adventure ensue. Suitable for the whole family. Enola is smart, independent, and good with jujutsu. Young girls will love her. C+

Friday, September 25, 2020

The Social Dilemma (2020)

Rotten Tomatoes
The Social Dilemma (2020): Documentary. Former execs from Facebook, Google, Twitter warn us of the threat from the addictive design of social apps, which has led to a spike in depression and suicide attempts by young people. But they struggle in saying what can be done. C+