Category: Blog

Okay, so, the original six movies — Lord of the Rings and Hobbit — were fine to watch with my kids, and the first FIVE HOURS of Rings of Power were fine too… but now we’re graphically gouging out eyes and having them drip all over and other egregious violence?

Not loving this.

I can handle violence in shows, but just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should, and this level of violence in Rings of Power was out of tone with everything that preceded it. Continue reading “Suddenly Violence”

The first episode of the Quantum Leap revival was clearly made by people who love Quantum Leap a lot.

I’ve been burned by things I love a lot before… but… my damaged heart is cautiously optimistic. Continue reading “Quantum Leap Reboot”

Me: “It’d be like if you put your fist in a box, and you didn’t know if you’d punched yourself or not until you opened it. Like Schroedinger’s Self-Punch.”

The 15-year-old: “You mean… like Russian Roulette?”

Me: “Oh yeah, I guess that does already exist.”

Home Economics is not a great show, but I do enjoy watching Topher Grace be a struggling novelist. And it’s nice to have another sitcom to look forward to each week, along with Abbott Elementary and the new Reboot (Rachel Bloom! Keegan-Michael Key!).

Sitcoms are so important. Continue reading “Writers in Sitcoms”

Me: “Time to write!”

My brain: “Let’s look up collie puppies that are available in Oregon.”

Me: “That’s not… I mean… fine.”

The horrible clattering sound of a cat knocking down an entire container of pushpins and them scattering everywhere…

Followed, of course, by the sweet, angelic mew of a perfectly innocent baby who wants you to know she could never, ever, ever do anything wrong.

That is all.

You know the scene in Roger Rabbit where no one in the bar gives Roger up to Judge Doom, because he made them laugh?

Because he made them laugh, they cared about him.

This is why stories need humor, even if they’re not comedies. It makes the audience care.

Robot Weekend continues today with plans to watch more silly 80s robot movies — “Making Mr. Right” and “Electric Dreams”.

Also, here’s a cute little robot story on Deep Sky Anchor (originally published in Analog Science Fiction & Fact), newly illustrated by Midjourney. Continue reading “Making Mr. Right, Electric Dreams, and DARYL”

Let Robot Weekend commence with the watching of Short Circuit!

We’ve been meaning to do a Robot Weekend for a long time, but always get stuck on the question of what thematic food would be… Finally, we mostly just gave up on that question and are starting with some chex mix. Continue reading “Re-watching Short Circuit”

I’m currently reading 3 books—one as part of a race with my 9-year-old; one alongside my 15-year-old for their Gothic Lit class; and one just for me.

I’m interested in and enjoying all three. But I just got to spend an hour reading the one for just me, and it was really nice.