Rambly rambles about the week that was.
Jun. 15th, 2008 11:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fredericksThe weird flu-like illness seems to be on its way out. I still have a cough that's due more to phlegm hanging around and tickling the back of my throat (look at the stubborn healthcare worker who has *yet* to purchase cough medicine; sometimes I even embarrass myself), but thankfully no more fever and only an occasional touch of sexy hoarseness (please note the sarcasm: my voice is soft enough as is and when you factor in hoarseness, well, it's like a friggin' sign from above that I should refrain from speaking).
My birthday was quiet and low-key. No complaints. I worked my first case out in the field solo (nice patient, friendly family, relatively easy uncomplicated assignment, in and out within half an hour, charting finished in under 20 minutes) and returned with enough time on hand for an extended lunch break with a friend. We grabbed some Korean BBQ from a local restaurant (my first time eating authentic Korean; it was pretty good). When I came home the fam did the usual cooking/cake routine, and then I got too little sleep in time for the next day at work. Being a grownup means all the magic is gone. But that's not necessarily a bad thing.
The bros and I took in the Hulk movie on Friday. I didn't want to go and I told them as much. Then they kept rubbing my pre-Iron Man comments in my face (to be fair I didn't say I *wouldn't* like it, I just said I hoped it wouldn't suck as much as Transformers). I left the theatre post-Hulk not actively disliking the experience, but meh overall. One of the main reasons I was reluctant to watch the movie was because of Ed Norton. The man's monotone completely takes me out of whatever I'm watching. Luckily he didn't do too much talking in this one. There wasn't much dialogue in this movie, and what was there was either instantly forgettable or laughably stupid (the "you wouldn't like me when I'm hungry" bit aside, because that was just cute). Or it was breathlessly delivered by Liv Tyler and made me want to enter the movie and teach her character how to speak from her abdomen (pot/kettle, yeah yeah yeah). It was like the writers and producers did everything they could to move away from the cerebral snorefest that was Ang Lee's Hulk by ignoring character development and motivation and ramping up the smashing shit quotient. Plot holes and wtf moments abounded (how did Ross and Banner get down from that cliffside after the big escape? how'd Banner get from Guatemala to Virginia with absolutely no money? who told Banner jumping from a plane would actually work out?) but things went "boom" alot, so I don't think we were supposed to care. The small bits worked well (Banner looking for pants that were stretchy, the Hulk's quiet exasperation when Abomination just wouldn't stay down), and...shit went boom. So there. And I was happily gobsmacked by the Omar moment near the end, though I felt bad Michael K. only got credited as "Harlem Bystander".
(Btw, if you want to amuse yourself you should spend two hours annoying your siblings with statements like "Hulk stuck in mental conundrum" and "Hulk politically ambivalent". )
I ordered a couple of books from Amazon that I figure to get through within the week: Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan(and as that one got two ringing endorsements from you guys it better be good), Ellen Kushner's Swordspoint, and a short story anthology about vampires that contains a Dresden tale. The more I think about it the more I figure I'll end up sucking it up and buying Butcher's damn expensive Thomas short story. Because I'm obviously nutters and, Jesus, would someone put the Lakers out of their misery already?? Boston's the enemy, sure, but I'll take 'em over LA.
No, I don't get easily distracted...why do you ask?
Hi new folk. *waves* I'm generally not this disorganized, heart's promise. This entry's turned out to be more of a mental dump than I originally thought.
In closing, an interesting Times article: The Science of Sarcasm (Not that you care). It makes sense that people with concrete thought processes have a harder time picking up the subtlety of sarcasm. The article also makes me want to do some research on sarcasm perception in text-based media (is it really possible?).
Okay, too tired to think straight. It's bedtime for the old folk.
My birthday was quiet and low-key. No complaints. I worked my first case out in the field solo (nice patient, friendly family, relatively easy uncomplicated assignment, in and out within half an hour, charting finished in under 20 minutes) and returned with enough time on hand for an extended lunch break with a friend. We grabbed some Korean BBQ from a local restaurant (my first time eating authentic Korean; it was pretty good). When I came home the fam did the usual cooking/cake routine, and then I got too little sleep in time for the next day at work. Being a grownup means all the magic is gone. But that's not necessarily a bad thing.
The bros and I took in the Hulk movie on Friday. I didn't want to go and I told them as much. Then they kept rubbing my pre-Iron Man comments in my face (to be fair I didn't say I *wouldn't* like it, I just said I hoped it wouldn't suck as much as Transformers). I left the theatre post-Hulk not actively disliking the experience, but meh overall. One of the main reasons I was reluctant to watch the movie was because of Ed Norton. The man's monotone completely takes me out of whatever I'm watching. Luckily he didn't do too much talking in this one. There wasn't much dialogue in this movie, and what was there was either instantly forgettable or laughably stupid (the "you wouldn't like me when I'm hungry" bit aside, because that was just cute). Or it was breathlessly delivered by Liv Tyler and made me want to enter the movie and teach her character how to speak from her abdomen (pot/kettle, yeah yeah yeah). It was like the writers and producers did everything they could to move away from the cerebral snorefest that was Ang Lee's Hulk by ignoring character development and motivation and ramping up the smashing shit quotient. Plot holes and wtf moments abounded (how did Ross and Banner get down from that cliffside after the big escape? how'd Banner get from Guatemala to Virginia with absolutely no money? who told Banner jumping from a plane would actually work out?) but things went "boom" alot, so I don't think we were supposed to care. The small bits worked well (Banner looking for pants that were stretchy, the Hulk's quiet exasperation when Abomination just wouldn't stay down), and...shit went boom. So there. And I was happily gobsmacked by the Omar moment near the end, though I felt bad Michael K. only got credited as "Harlem Bystander".
(Btw, if you want to amuse yourself you should spend two hours annoying your siblings with statements like "Hulk stuck in mental conundrum" and "Hulk politically ambivalent". )
I ordered a couple of books from Amazon that I figure to get through within the week: Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan(and as that one got two ringing endorsements from you guys it better be good), Ellen Kushner's Swordspoint, and a short story anthology about vampires that contains a Dresden tale. The more I think about it the more I figure I'll end up sucking it up and buying Butcher's damn expensive Thomas short story. Because I'm obviously nutters and, Jesus, would someone put the Lakers out of their misery already?? Boston's the enemy, sure, but I'll take 'em over LA.
No, I don't get easily distracted...why do you ask?
Hi new folk. *waves* I'm generally not this disorganized, heart's promise. This entry's turned out to be more of a mental dump than I originally thought.
In closing, an interesting Times article: The Science of Sarcasm (Not that you care). It makes sense that people with concrete thought processes have a harder time picking up the subtlety of sarcasm. The article also makes me want to do some research on sarcasm perception in text-based media (is it really possible?).
Okay, too tired to think straight. It's bedtime for the old folk.
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no subject
Date: 2008-06-16 05:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-17 01:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-16 12:51 pm (UTC)Sarcasm is nearly impossible to detect in print, because far too many people are earnest about things that make no sense. It's called the sar-chasm.
no subject
Date: 2008-06-17 01:06 am (UTC)Is that so? Hilarious.
no subject
Date: 2008-06-17 01:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-16 12:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-17 01:19 am (UTC)Swordspoint seems like it's the beginning of a series (at least that's what the front cover hints at). sLong as it's better than Nightrunner I should be good to go. I'll let you know about Privilege if this one goes down smooth. :)
no subject
Date: 2008-06-16 01:02 pm (UTC)Best line ever.
no subject
Date: 2008-06-17 01:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-16 01:29 pm (UTC)And Altered Carbon is DAMN GOOD. Anything with a cameo by Hendrix in it is alright in my opinion.
no subject
Date: 2008-06-17 01:22 am (UTC)And Hendrix as in Jimi? Oh boy. :)
no subject
Date: 2008-06-16 10:15 pm (UTC)Did the Hulk go around saying things like "Hulk Smash!" or "Puny Banner!" ;)
no subject
Date: 2008-06-17 01:24 am (UTC)So I spent the two hours making random Hulk statements, and then the character threw in a "Hulk smash!" near the end. I guess it was supposed to garner applause, but it was a bit of a letdown for us. Because we'd been saying it all along. :)