POTD: Boats at Rest

From 2019 11 19 Aswan

Today's photo-of-the-day is from a Nubian village on the Nile River near Aswan, Egypt. Just a quiet, peaceful scene, an appropriate image for someone hoping for a quiet, peaceful 2021.

Bridgerton (TV 2020)

Rotten Tomatoes

Bridgerton (TV 2020): 1800s costume drama. Pouts and swoons. No racism in this England, but lots of sexism. Too many singles looking for proper matches. All prigs. A vow of revenge made by the Duke to his dying father proves a barrier to happiness. Who cares? Only the prig. C-

Random Thoughts: A Collision of Two Dump Trucks

Tweets from December, 2020:

• 2020-12-01: When H-P and Compaq merged years ago, someone described it as a collision of two dump trucks. The wreck is being towed back to Houston.
• 2020-12-02: Watching PBS series "The Rise of the Nazis" with this shit happening in Washington is like watching annotations to current events in the US. Enlightening and frightening.
• 2020-12-02: Profile in courage. Not.
• 2020-12-03: Germany wasn't special. America isn't somehow immune. "If [Hitler's] life and career teaches us anything, it is how quickly democracy can be prised from its hinges when political institutions fail."

After the jump, more random thoughts.

2020 Gets Last Licks In

Just when I thought we were through with this annus horribilis, 2020 proved it was still capable of causing mischief. The last week of 2020 brought me some bad news. But it wasn't all bad news. The good news is that by the time my test results came back confirming my suspicions, my symptoms were already disappearing or already gone.

Symptoms, you ask. Symptoms of what? That's the bad news. I've been tested for COVID-19 and the test results came back positive. It was a nasal swab PCR test. It was irritating, but not intolerably so. What was more irritating is feeling that Ellen and I have been good at wearing facemasks, social distancing, avoiding gatherings, etc. And yet I still caught it. It's a nasty disease.

The Midnight Sky (2020)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Midnight Sky (2020): After planetary disaster, the last man on Earth tells astronauts from Jupiter not to come home. Science and space, right? Then why the wolf attack during a blizzard in Arctic? Plot is goofy. Characters forgettable. Connecting element contrived. C+

The Undoing (TV 2020)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Undoing (TV 2020): A whodunnit that will keep you guessing 'til the end. I wanted to yell at Nicole Kidman, "Don't listen to your husband," and "Get your own lawyer." I couldn't believe she'd play the role of a weak woman. Turns out she was stronger than she was revealing. A-

Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)

Rotten Tomatoes

Wonder Woman 1984 (2020): Crystal in museum gem collection grants people's wishes, most of them bad. WW must get people to revoke their wishes before civilization ends. Villains are more like spoiled children than evil masterminds. Not even Gal Gadot can save this bad sequel. C-