Insert Witty Journal Title Here

Just a quick update on what I read/watched in 2013.

Goodreads widget says I read 96 books of my ambitious pi in the sky goal of 314. This is really, really pathetic for me. And though I was taking classes, this isn't really much of a change in the busy-ness of my life since 2012. Either I'm watching more or playing more games or... who knows what.

The books I rated 4 or 5 stars in 2013:

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves / Karen Joy Fowler
Contagious: Why Things Catch On / Jonah Berger
Miles in Love (reread) / Lois McMaster Bujold
Cardcaptor Sakura Omnibus 1 & 2 / CLAMP

Bi-Normal / M. G. Higgins
Fortunately, The Milk / Neil Gaiman
If You Could Be Mine / Sara Farizan
The Reason I Jump / Naoki Higashida
Pink and Say / Patricia Polacco
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library / Chris Grabenstein
The Surprise Attack of Jabba the Puppett / Tom Angelberger
Code Name Verity / Elizabeth Wein
The Power of Poppy Pendle / Natasha Lowe
The Ocean at the End of the Lane / Neil Gaiman
Magic Below Stairs / Caroline Stevermer
The Story of Saiunkoku Vol 1 & 2 / Kairi Yura
Doubleblind / Ann Aguirre
The Summer Prince / Alaya Dawn Johnson (even though I gave it 4 stars, I tagged it 'awesome')
Will in Scarlet / Matthew Cody
Squire / Tamora Pierce
The Language Inside / Holly Thompson
School Spirits / Rachel Hawkins
Destiny, Rewritten / Kathryn Fitzmaurice
Doll Bones / Holly Black
Gulp / Mary Roach
A Bride's Story Vol 2 & Vol 4 / Kaoru Mori
First Test / Tamora Pierce
Seraphina / Rachel Hartman
Stranger Here / Jen Larsen
Monument 14 / Emmy Laybourne
Ignore Everybody / Hugh MacLeod
Diplomatic Immunity (reread) / Lois McMaster Bujold
The Millionaire Messenger / Brendon Burchard
The $100 Startup / Chris Guillebeau
Rainbow Man / MJ Engh
Steal Like an Artist / Austin Kleon
Animal Academy Vol. 6 / Moyamu Fujino
Miles Errant (reread) / Lois McMaster Bujold

--- Well, there's one book I forgot to mark down! Because I did read the latest Bujold. It would've been silly to reread them all and then stop! ----

But it looks like I was rating roughly half the things I read as 4 or 5 stars. Maybe I'm getting better at not bothering with the lower-rated books. Of course I say that, but I read all of that Ann Aguirre series.

Let me just wrap this up with things I watched. Just, in addition to keeping up with probably too many shows, particularly reality shows, here's what I watched once we got a good Internet connection:

* All of Eureka
* All of Warehouse 13 so I'm caught up for the final mini-season
* Up to somewhere in season 8 of Stargate SG-1
* Somewhere towards the beginning of season 1 of Stargate Atlantis

I'm trying to watch the Stargates in airdate order, so I'm flipping back and forth now.

New Sherlock tonight!

I had 5 episodes of The Tomorrow People saved up because I knew it would take a certain amount of attention to get into yet another new show. Now I'm kind of sorry I waited so long, because I could have saved the Tivo the effort. After 30 minutes, I'm dropping it. I really don't need to watch another show about a teenaged white boy who's actually 25. And bad guys and good guys and super powers that aren't all that exciting. And yea, basically, it gave me nothing cool. It gave me nothing new.

Which is a shame, because I have a fond memory of the original series. Though 'fond' is about the only memory I do have of it. I don't remember specifics. I never saw all of it, and it was so long ago. I don't know how old I was, since it started airing before I was born, but I was definitely a kid. And there is no way I would've liked this new remake as a kid. Since I don't like it now either! Maybe if they used actual teenagers it would stand half a chance. Maybe if it wasn't CW. CW only knows how to make one kind of show.

So, 5 deletes and a canceled season pass.

And we'll see if Fox ever decides to finally premiere Almost Human.

Witches of East End - I found myself not paying a lot of attention to episode 2.

Once Upon a Time in Wonderland - Pretty good for a pilot. Interesting. Also a bit strange, but I suppose it is Wonderland. I want Alice to acquire a harem. Two boys and a rabbit isn't enough. Give her a couple more. :)

Ironside - Watched two episodes. Not bad, but it's a cop show. I usually need more of a hook in a cop show.

Tomorrow People - Recorded, not watched yet.
Sean Saves the World - Season passed, but it hasn't managed to record an episode because of other conflicting things, so not seen it.

So far my new recommendations are: Sleepy Hollow, Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, Mom, Michael J Fox Show (which I have trouble catching).

SHIELD is just not cutting it. And I thought Sleepy Hollow was going to be the dud!

Still to come - Dracula, Almost Human

I was reading through this lengthy article about women in science and I was finding it interesting and informative. Until I got to page 3 and her discussion of Big Bang Theory.

I will readily admit, and could even be induced to rant, about the sexist.. everything in Big Bang Theory. I do not disagree that that show has problems, as entertaining as it may be. (And it's more entertaining when it's doing geeky things and not relationship crap, btw.) But WOW! WOW! For an article that's supposedly about how we should have more women in science, she is incredibly harsh about the women on Big Bang Theory!

"For proof of the stereotypes that continue to shape American attitudes about science, and about women in science in particular, you need only watch an episode of the popular television show “The Big Bang Theory,” about a group of awkward but endearing male Caltech physicists and their neighbor, Penny, an attractive blonde who has moved to L.A. to make it as an actress. Although two of the scientists on the show are women, one, Bernadette, speaks in a voice so shrill it could shatter a test tube. When she was working her way toward a Ph.D. in microbiology, rather than working in a lab, as any real doctoral student would do, she waitressed with Penny. Mayim Bialik, the actress who plays Amy, a neurobiologist who becomes semiromantically involved with the childlike but brilliant physicist Sheldon, really does have a Ph.D. in neuroscience and is in no way the hideously dumpy woman she is presented as on the show. “The Big Bang Theory” is a sitcom, of course, and therefore every character is a caricature, but what remotely normal young person would want to enter a field populated by misfits like Sheldon, Howard and Raj? And what remotely normal young woman would want to imagine herself as dowdy, socially clueless Amy rather than as stylish, bouncy, math-and-science-illiterate Penny?"

The men are 'awkward but endearing'. And one isn't a physicist by the way, but an engineer and an astronaut. And dude, he is not particularly endearing. He's kinda gross. Also, two of them aren't Penny's neighbor.

Penny is 'an attractive blonde'.

Bernadette speaks not just in a 'shrill' voice, but one with a metaphor attached.

Amy is only 'semiromantically involved'? And Sheldon is 'childlike'. Presumably because he's asexual and their relationship hasn't progressed much in sexual directions, it gets characterized as 'semiromantic' and Sheldon as 'childike'.

Amy is then described as "hideously dumpy"! Which is not at all like what Mayim Bialik looks like, by the way, in case you were worried!
Amy is then additionally described as "dowdy" and "socially clueless".

She really has it out for Amy! I assume because she couldn't find anything to say about Bernadette's appearance.

Look. Bernadette has her quirks, because they ALL DO. Her voice is a minor thing compared to Raj's inability to talk to women or her husband's lecherousness. Amy has her unique style of dress, again, because they ALL DO. I could show you the outfits of any character on the show, devoid of their actors, and you'd know who wore them. They're so distinctive that I NOTICED. The only other time I noticed something like that was Smallville's color scheme.

Why is she giving the men a pass? Why are they "endearing" in their awkwardness, but Amy isn't?

I guess geeks and myself included are not "remotely normal", because I see myself and fellow geeks in the characters on Big Bang Theory. It's lacking diversity -- someone overweight, someone not-straight, someone older, someone with a beard, someone disabled, more non-white people, etc etc. But I could readily imagine all of them at a local con and not being surprised by how they appear, how they act, or how they speak.

But I ALSO wouldn't be surprised to see Penny! She is geeky in her own way, and interested enough in what her friends are doing to try to learn more about it. Would I be surprised to see her alone at a con? Probably.

Do I want to be her? No. I don't want to be a waitress, or an actor, or a blonde, or a sports fan, or more of a slob than I already am. Oh, wait, you mean Penny has personality traits beyond "stylish" and "bouncy"? *gasp!*

I guess the author of this piece wants her female scientists to be pretty, stylish, "normal" women. All others need not apply.

Sorry, Bernadette, you didn't work your way through school in a lab like any respectable scientist would. And you talk funny. You're out.
Sorry, Amy, you don't dress pretty enough, and you didn't spend enough time socializing with the right people. You're out too.
Penny, you're in! Just apply yourself harder to that math and science you don't like all that much!

Sleepy Hollow - There's enough good in it to keep me watching, but it's opposite some sitcoms I like.

Mom - One of said sitcoms. Not bad. It's on after 2 Broke Girls, so like, no reason not to grab it. On the other hand, if Sleepy Hollow gets better, I'd drop it without a second thought. (And watch 2 Broke Girls some other way.)

The Goldbergs - Bad. Horrible. It's got annoying narration a la The Wonder Years and the rest is just people yelling at each other.

Lucky 7 - Potentially interesting. I'll have to see where it goes. It has no skiffy content. And despite one of the characters looking kinda like the gay guy from Warehouse 13, it's not actually him.

Survivor - I was excited to see Rupert. And yet he may not last much longer. I was anti-excited to see the bigoted, racist, ableist, classist gay guy who is the worst guy on that show ever and they shouldn't have brought him back in a million years and how did he ever manage to get a fiance? And OH EM GEE YOU GUYS but watching it on cbs.com is the most annoying thing ever! There's like 4-5 commercials in every normal commercial break. I only needed to watch the last half hour (because America's Got Talent finale was on), and of course the last half hour is packed with the most commercials. Fox.com running Sleepy Hollow commercials IN THE MIDDLE OF SLEEPY HOLLOW was a much more enjoyable experience in comparison.

Oh yea. SHIELD - I found it boring. I found the characters boring. It'd better get good fast.

Well, not really reviews. I was going to watch Revolution just so I could post about how much it sucked and in exactly which ways it sucked. But it was opposite other, more important things, so the Tivo has yet to record an episode. And it wanted to do it I think this weekend, but it didn't tell me what episode #. I wasn't going to watch random episode and it seems like it's always going to be opposite something Way More Important. So yea, haven't watched it, guess I don't plan to now. Will remove the season pass once it annoys me sufficiently by trying to record random eps.

I'm happy I got to watch 2 Broke Girls. That situation may not last, but it's right after HIMYM, so as long as I keep getting HIMYM, I'll keep getting that. I have to nab Bones from my roommate. If it turns out a third cool thing is on then, then I'll have to grab both Bones and HIMYM from their Tivo and then I won't get 2 Broke Girls.

Tivo grabbed Bob's Burgers! Was disappointed it was not a new one yet! And now the new one is going to be opposite _something_. I think maybe Once Upon a Time? Sigh.

I did watch the new sitcom Partners. It was kind of meh. I like the relationship, but the 'sit' and the 'com' part need a lot of work. And David Krumholtz should totally be the person stealing the scenes, but he wasn't. Not only is he not gay, but he wasn't even the curly-haired guy! He came off as boring. He should not come off as boring! Maybe if the gay guy toned down the flaming part about a billion degrees. (Hey, that wasn't even a mixed metaphor!)

I'll keep watching as long as the Tivo keeps recording it, but I won't go out of my way to watch it if the Tivo decides I should watch something more important.

Oh, they were also totally ripping off Psych, with shots of childhood showing how long they've been friends, etc. (Which I guess in turn was ripping off that show on Lifetime whose name escapes me.)

This will have spoilers, but as it's already aired twice, I'm not going to hide them behind a cut.

I just started watching the new Thundercats. I've finished the first three episodes. I had to stop to rant at Lion-O's stupid decision! I don't know how the cats rose to be the strongest race/society on this planet if this is how they think.

So their palace and city and apparently entire society is destroyed. Lion-O's got two people and a pet with him. So what do they decide to do? Either A) Run off to kill Mumm-ra in revenge or B) go off on a quest to find a book which may or may not exist. Didn't occur to any of them that maybe they ought to look for survivors? That maybe your first priority as king is to protect your people? Find them safety, food, water, shelter? And then start to rebuild?

Of course for all they know (since they didn't look for survivors) and all we know, there are only two female cats left alive on the entire planet. In which case, they might as well go off on whatever fool quest they want, they're doomed anyway. Unless that book is going to tell them how to interbreed with the lizards or fish on the planet.

Even if Cheetara and Wily Kit can have many, many litters, several of the little group are related to each other, so their genetic stock is not very diverse.

Seriously, dude, LOOK FOR SURVIVORS!! You're going to need them!!!

Haven't posted in awhile. So here's a television post.

Been watching Doc Martin DVDs from the library. Just one DVD left. 4 episodes left. (And someone around here screwed up and it got checked out to someone else instead of being put on hold for me, so now I have to wait an extra week! Grrr!) After that, I'll be caught up to the series currently airing.

Doc Martin is basically Northern Exposure. I'd say toss it in a blender with Vicar of Dibley and House and you'll pretty much have it nailed. It's.. compelling, somehow. And I'm mad I can't watch anymore this weekend!

Still have not watched the last episode of Torchwood. I'm kind of afraid to. Given what a mess he made of things in the /last/ series. :P

Last episode of Doctor Who is tomorrow. Kind of want to save that, but won't.

Started recording reruns of Big Bang Theory. Annoyed Community is opposite it. (Cable box won't let me record one and watch one. :P)

2 Broke Girls was surprisingly good, but I missed the second episode because I was grabbing all of the Alphas.

Have only watched a few of the Alphas. It's okay, but so far nothing to write home about. Annoyed they numbered them 101, 103, 102. I watched them in number order, which apparently wasn't the right order!

Anxious for House to start.

Biggest Loser. What happened to the two new trainers they introduced last time? Huh, wha? Also, idiot team chose 5-7am as their workout time. No, bad time!! Sleep is important to weight loss. Why would you screw up your sleep like that?

Random comment, but I wish Comedy Central would realize that women have a sense of humor.

Remember when television was good? I have all of Buffy on DVD and will eventually sit down to (re)watch that.

"America's Got Talent"

America still has more talent and weirdness than (at least this season's) Britain's Got Talent. K has informed me there's an Australia's Got Talent, so I may have to track that down.

That male pole dancer was pretty cool. As Sharon said, there was an androgyny about his act. He wore high heels, but that wasn't it. The way he moved was very feminine. As it's a feminine er.. sport.

Is it anti-feminist to appreciate how he does it and not appreciate much how the women do it? Does it take a man to turn pole dancing into an actual legitimate artform?

"Expedition: Impossible"

This is a Mark Burnett reality show, Amazing Race ripoff. But it was interesting. The teams are teams of 3. And what they're being asked to do is HARD. Hike up a sand dune, cross the desert on a camel, cross the desert without a camel.

Since it's not couples, I expect to hear less whiny shrieking. We'll see.

Nothing too shocking in how well the teams are doing thus far. Although 'underestimating the blind guy' as a theme is going to get old pretty quickly.

It will be interesting to see which teams have stamina. Because this is going to take stamina.

"House Hunters International"

Because what's summer TV without watching mindless reruns of something? K got me watching an episode, then I watched another and another. Then I got a season pass. So my Tivo is exploding a little bit.

Why are there so many rich people?! And why do they get to buy awesome houses in awesome places? (Although Indian bathrooms are scary!)

This lesbian couple worked for the London Underground (which you would expect, here in the States anyway, to be a blue collar, if unionized job, and perhaps pay reasonably, but not generously) and they were like.. yea, we get all this time off. Long weekends, etc. And we'd like to go someplace sunny. And then they're looking at places costing like 400K! Plus, their regular house had 4 bedrooms and they weren't using 2 and were using one as a 'laundry room'! They have 4 bedrooms and don't even know how to use them!! And they need another house!

How do I get a job with the London Underground? :P

Then there's the people who get monthly housing stipends from their employers. Which are 3 times my monthly takehome pay! Yea, I feel so sorry all these kitchens are too small for your rich a---.

*ahem*

But it's interesting seeing all these places in other countries. And occasionally you'll have a young couple looking to move and with a budget of like 100K or 1-2K a month. You know.. reasonable.

Some spoilers for Britain's Got Talent, which just ended the other day. America's Got Talent, by contrast, just started last week.

The judges for this year's Britain's Got Talent were Amanda Holden, who's been a judge since the beginning I think. I had no idea who she was before this, and still have no idea who she is outside of this, except that she's in Shrek The Musical. (No idea why she wasn't an ogre in the musical number they did though.) Michael something, who is a comedian. And David Hasselhoff.

Now The Hoff made a nice change. He's judged America's Got Talent before and this marks the first American on the British version. Whereas when you look at the America's Got Talent judges, you currently have Piers Morgan, Sharon Osbourne, and Howie Mandel. And it's always been skewed towards Brits.

Simon Cowell also joined BGT as a fourth judge for the semifinals and finals. Which was just kind of silly.

The best part of Britain's Got Talent is Ant and Dec as hosts. And AGT just can't compare to that. I mean, seriously, Jerry Springer? And then they brought in Nick Cannon, who I've never heard of. And who I still don't feel is authentic. Ant and Dec are just sooooo much better.

But this season of BGT was pretty rubbish overall. Most of the acts were not that good. There weren't even a whole lot that were hilariously bad. But who the 3 judges (minus Simon, supposedly) put through to the semifinals was just ridiculous. They put 4 or 5 dog acts through! Which, if you have 4 super dog acts, then sure, why not, but most of them were rubbish.

So by the time we get down to the finals, what do we have? 1 woman. 1 person who had nothing to do with music. 1 act that wasn't an individual. If you had said 'I want the young guy who sings/dances to win', well, then you wouldn't be saying anything! More than half the acts fit that description!

It completely failed as a variety show. Even though they _had_ had a pair of bellringers who were good, an awesome a capella group (more singing and more young men, but at least they were a group!), a pretty good magician. And just.. blah. If I wanted to watch a bunch of singers or dancers, there's a billion other shows to watch that on.

Which is why when I finished watching BGT and let myself watch the first episode of AGT, it was a breath of fresh air. Original acts! Women! Girls! People who don't sing! There were some amazing acts in that first episode that would've won BGT in a heartbeat. Because they were just that much more awesome than anything BGT had to offer this year.

Has the UK dried up its talent pool? Is the combo of Hasselhoff, Holden, and Whatshisname just bad at picking acts? I dunno..

I did feel really really bad for Howie at the start of the first AGT episode though. They made him really uncomfortable and then were laughing and making fun of him. I have to applaud him for sitting there afterward. I would've walked out. If you didn't see it, basically what happened was a juggler/unicyclist asked if he'd come up to be an assistant. Howie was told all he had to do was hand the guy his torches to juggle. But then the guy made out like he didn't have his balance on the unicycle, and put his hand on Howie's head to balance himself. And then held him captive that way. And then the torches got lit. So now Howie is not only trapped by this guy, but quite near flaming torches. He was pleading with the other judges for them to hit the buzzers and end it.

Security must've known something, because I don't know why they wouldn't have stepped in. But it definitely did not look like just an act, Howie in on the joke, and all in good fun. He looks seriously freaked out and then quietly steaming/ticked off inside. He refused to vote either way. Probably didn't trust himself to say anything.

It was not at all fun to watch. And if this unicyclist goes through to where I get to vote, he is NOT getting my vote. Can I negative vote him? :P

Things I'd do to improve AGT:

Ditch Piers. He was okay at first, but now I'm so over him. Doesn't he have his own show he should be off doing?
Swap out Ant and Dec for Nick Cannon. Cannon can get an after-show. The 'More Talent' that Steven Mulhern hosts.
Also, two female judges would not break some cosmic law of the universe and cause us all to die a fiery, sparkly death. Seriously. It wouldn't.