What's everyone up to right now?

[fredd bear]

Last night I watched the film equivalent of the dime novel.

Netflix 'The First Purge'

In case you're unfamiliar: The Plot; Set in the near future. US cities are badly over populated. Violent crime is out of hand . "The Purge" is introduced: One night a year when no action is illegal. The beginning is a bit tame compared with the other in the series: this is a prequel. It picks up at about the half way mark.

However , a great deal of gratuitous violence.No pretense, it's just a very basic B movie. I liked it a lot.

[Angrboda]

Listening to music. I need to get some reading done for a book club tonight. I've been blowing it off for several days. Thankfully it's a short book.

[Mr.Obvious]

At work. Training my first real intern.

[Rev. Rye]

At my Business Ethics class. I’ve been sweating bullets to see exactly how he thinks of my one page notes, especially since he said he only wants me to restate the facts in the article in my own words, and I do my own research, and relate the specific situations described to other things I remember reading (including quoting Thucydides in one.) Finally got it back, and while he thinks it’s a little scattered, it’s good overall, and he only wants me to rewrite one of them (many of us, he expects us to rewrite all four of them). I think I needed to make clear that the “ethics pledges” article was actually in the book and not something I started to jump off from our college’s Graduation Pledge page.

[Jackalope]

Learned tonight that no way is my roof passing an inspection, so I gotta get someone in here to roof it this week or next.

[Cod]

On my way out to work. Some security duties involved today, two gangs have been fighting on our premises and one of the lads involved had a knife. I either need a pay rise or a new job. I didn't sign up for this shit.

[Rev. Rye]

Well, bad news and good news.

Bad news: my Dad's getting a bad cold and I think I'm starting to catch it. As a result, I'm not going to my writers' group.

Good news: There's a 50% off flash sale at Criterion.com, and I just ordered a Blu-Ray of City Lights. And believe it or not, this film is the reason I decided to break down and buy a Blu-Ray player; or, rather, the fact that, when Criterion finally released it, it was only available in a DVD/Blu-Ray combo pack was. And despite it being over five years since I bought blu-ray players for my basement theater and my room, I only just now bought it because, well, the Criterion Collection is long (or, rather, huge: its most recent release is Spine #963, and many of the films on the list are not only great, but films I really love; when I was trying to narrow it down, I had about two dozen candidates I chose to pick from) and the times they break down and make their movies available at reasonable prices are short.

[Gwaithmir]

I'm watching three big, fuzzy raccoons running around in my front yard.

[fredd bear]

I'm watching three big, fuzzy raccoons running around in my front yard.

Can't match that; there are no raccoons in Oz. We do have possums.

My house is set at the base of a cul de sac, with a linear park running across the back, about 100 metres further down the hill. The park runs along a creek, so there are lots of native birds and animals around.

Kookaburras can be often heard, but I've only ever seen any once;  a pair, about the size of a chicken, perched on a branch outside my kitchen window. (the window has reflective film, so they couldn't see me.) Several kinds of colourful parrots are more common.


I ONCE saw a koala  as I was on a walk along the creek. A large male, sitting in the fork of a tree, staring stupidly at me. ( most Australian native animals make your average sheep seem intellectually gifted)

[fredd bear]

This was meant until I was distracted by raccoons :

Last night, watched "Jupiter Ascending". Reviews were mixed; some critics mauled it, some liked it.

I loved it. Fantastic use of CGI.

Minor quibbles: Thought casting Eddie Redmayne against type didn't quite work. I think it might have been better as a miniseries, but am not for a second suggesting a full series be made.

By the end, I couldn't help but think this is one of those movies best enjoyed with chemical assistance