Bork Bork Bork

Stuff:

--Recent read: Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky. Really enjoyed this! Space opera with great worldbuilding and A Lot happens with every bit of it. I'm pretty sure I picked this up from a list of 'SF where the aliens are really alien and not just humans with an extra arm,' and it absolutely delivered on that. Characterization was secondary to worldbuilding and plot but there was enough of it that I didn't crave more. If you like big and dramatic and space and aliens, I highly rec this. Note that it's the first of a trilogy and book 2 just came out, so there is going to be a wait before you get the full end of the story. But book 1 stands on its own enough that you won't be screaming at the end.

--Was talking to friends a few nights ago about workplace drama and how conflict-averse I am. And how it genuinely baffles me that a) people get upset about someone saying "good morning" to them every day and b) they would say something about it, even if they were asked. Even if something like that bothered me, I would just deal. Maybe seethe a little, and then probably get over it. We also talked about sending food back in a restaurant which honestly makes me shrivel up inside.

I mean, I absolutely know where this comes from in my psychological history (or whatever you'd call it). And I realize that it doesn't always work in my favor and that sometimes I probably should speak out about things like that. But idk. Can't see it changing.

--Eurovision was very good although supremely stressful during the voting because the jury panels made some bizarre choices (as always). But the popular vote brought us to reality once again. (Sorry, UK.) I didn't really think that Norway would win it, since gimmick songs are fading out in popularity as an actual winner these days. But I was hopeful for several others, and ultimately happy about Ukraine because it is SO my jam. Absolute banger.

Also, Subwoolfer have made a song about Turin using the music to Jolene, and it is magnificent.

Europe, your opinion is wrong and you should have it looked at by the opinion doctor. #swedenwasrobbed

Thank you all for the book recs - I will be checking them out!

Other things:

--Eurovision semifinal one, ( some feels )

--The song All Star as a madrigal

--Someone recommended I watch Forged in Fire, a reality show about forging bladed weapons. I managed to catch some on a plane recently and OMG it is 110% man-posturing and I loved it. I saw an episode that involved military dudes competing for the right to represent their branch of the military in a showdown and it was delightfully Max Bro.

--I went to Grand Rapids recently to see The Who in concert and it was amazing. My mother won the trip so everything was free - airfare, hotel, concert tickets, meals, bonus hotel massage. We did have to take a 4 hour tour of their conference center but even that was super interesting to me because I am a nerd. The trip was absolutely wonderful. The Who put on a great show, doing some of their old hits but also some new stuff that I liked. My mother was thrilled to hear her favorite song and I was thrilled to hear mine. <3 <3 <3

Also Grand Rapids is basically nice. If you like that sort of city, it is an excellent example of that sort of city.

Things:

--I stopped posting because obviously I was going to be posting about how much I am shaking my fist at Portugal in 'old man yells at cloud' fashion re: Eurovision, but that's actually not a very interesting post, so. Just take it as read that I am angry at Portugal and sad for my doomed hipster rap yodeling children, and we can move on.

--Reading: I had to give up on a book because it went from 'quirky YA tropes' into full on horrible teenage bullying shitstorm and it just made me feel like I was wallowing in my own depressing teenage emotions. Even though my teenage life didn't actually involve much bullying. Just a failure of myself to understand how to be a person.

But I did recently enjoy the first volume of the Vinyl Detective series, Hidden in Dead Wax. It is firmly in the genre of cozy mystery and I caught the macguffin considerably before the main character, but I sort of enjoy it when that happens because I get to feel clever. And the coziness didn't seem as cloying as it sometimes does - there was one that I read where the detective was a bookshop owner in a small town and god it was dreadful. Anyway, if you are looking for a lightweight mystery, this is not a bad one to pick up. I'll probably read the rest in the series.

--Writing: I have almost finished the draft of my WIP Big Bang story! It's full on pretentious poetry style, which I always worry that I can't pull off, but I suppose we shall see. This is, of course, an excellent occasion to ignore the rest of my wip list and start writing two other ridiculous things. :/ :/ :/

--Work: continues. Since I've given Umbridge the internet nickname of Umbridge, it occurred to me the other day to cast the rest of the department as HP teachers, but I didn't get very far before realizing that I'm obviously Snape. D: I'd like to think I'm McGonagall, but no.

Some more opinions:

--Eurovision semifinal 2: I liked Bulgaria and Belgium best, so I'm happy that they both made it through. (Actually fun songs!) Also pleased about Ukraine, which is surprisingly raw for Eurovision. It might do people good to see it. I want Poland guy's coat desperately but everything else about that act was immensely naff.

Other songs I liked: Israel (still not Europe) and Australia (still really really not Europe). Also Belarus, which was basically Moon Moon Sings.

The bad: Switzerland's dance move was just bending her knees so it looked like she was repeatedly poo-ing. Slovenia's dress was awkward about the tits area. Lots of boring stuff.

It's clear that weird shit is out - it was already on the way out last year, and France made a valiant attempt to hold up the side with that mustache song, but it wasn't weird enough and sank without a trace. I feel kind of sad about that, I must say. We have enough serious music competitions in the world!

--Today at work my boss idly asked me for "a list of all the courts in the country" which, if you are not aware, is fucking thousands. She does this sometimes, just throws out these bizarre, massive requests and then when I say, "What is the context? What are we planning to do with this information?" she acts like I'm being an unreasonable killjoy.

--I recently read a Jack Reacher short story, and it got me thinking about why this series is so appealing. They are in some ways rather horrible - the attitude towards violence is one that I find disturbing - but they also really hit the spot in some ways because... Reacher never hesitates. Everything he does is deliberate, even if it's a deliberate randomness. It's competence kink extended to its ultimate reach. You never think that maybe he doesn't know what to do next - yes, things go wrong and people behave in unexpected ways and there's suspense, but it's all external instead of internal. It's man vs. world. And I have to admit that I find that soothing. It's restful to inhabit the mind of someone who doesn't dither, who always knows what to do, who doesn't panic. It's so different from what happens in my own head.

And it's also that the stakes are low. Reacher has nothing to lose in these stories, no family and no job and no money that he can't replace. No belongings. You never feel like things might go catastrophically wrong. In the same way that, reading an Agatha Christie mystery, you never feel like maybe the mystery won't get solved. You have ultimate faith in Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot, because that is the unstated assumption of the genre, that they will solve the mystery in the end. With Reacher, there's the unstated assumption that he'll come out on top. That he won't be fooled. That he's the biggest, baddest guy there, and he's going to win, however winning might be defined under the circumstances.

Right now I need that kind of certainty in my life, I guess.

Things in my life:

--I'm realizing I never posted about the Eurovision final here, but anyone who is following me on Twitter knows that I was beyond thrilled with Austria's win. In addition to it being highly affirming to have Conchita win, it was also my favorite song of the batch. So, yay!

--I appear to have started writing another Edwardian Farm fic. This one is not particularly tied to the Edwardian aspect of the show but is, instead, basically just pouring unfiltered from my id. Look, Peter is really very attractive. Anyway, I'm hoping to get that into shape soon so I can go back to my other fic project.

--Did anyone watch the first ep of Penny Dreadful? What did you think? I've been looking for new TV to take up and that seems mildly intriguing, but the premise isn't exactly new. I'm afraid it's too gory for A, too, and I don't really want to pick up something that she can't watch with me.

--In non-fannish news, I am getting reeeeeeally close to done with my shawl! I think I have like ten more rows to go. This is very exciting as I've been working on it for about a year, on and off.

--It's Wednesday so I should post about books, but all I have to say is that I read about 75 pages of Sheri Tepper's The Gate to Women's Country and then got SO MAD that I had to put it down. Just, I should have known it would be filled with gender bullshit just from the summary, but it was even more filled with gender bullshit than I thought. There's a (very small) part of me that wants to power through in the hopes that something interesting happens to upend the BS, but it seems extremely unlikely based on what I've read so far and I don't think I have the patience. So: nope.

Here are my extremely fragmentary thoughts on the first Eurovision semifinal!

( Basically just as I typed them while watching. )End note: I totally have a little crush on Pilou Asbæk now. Apparently he's in Borgen? Is he any good?

I should just give up and have a Eurovision tag, at this point. So I will.