Media Update
Argh, blogging. How does this thing work again? I started this post two months ago with the intent of filling you in on some of the various cool media items I've consumed lately. I'm still going to do that, but first, an important "media" announcement.
I've joined Twitter. For those of you that don't know what that is, it's a micro-blogging tool, where your posts have to be 140 characters or less. It's very similar to the Facebook status update. So similar, in fact, that there's a Facebook app that mirrors your tweets (as Twitter posts are called) in your status update, which is what I've done. You can also find my tweets in a box on the right side of the homepage here. See? Right over there? What, can't you see me pointing?
Anyway, I've found that my desire to let the world know about something is better sated by Twitter than by blog posts. That's not to say that I won't continue blogging, but really, don't expect me to get any better at it anytime soon.
So! Onto the media.
Books
- Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke. I've started listening to books on CD during my commute sometimes, and this one was a good candidate. It's extremely long and long books are hard for me to get through these days, but with a book on CD, you just keep putting the next CD in, and before you know it, you're done. Anyway, I highly recommend this one, either audio or paper version. It's about the revival of English magic in the 19th century. Sort of fantasy/historical fiction. Neat.
- Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell. Another book on CD. I basically picked it up because I liked Vowell in the TMBG documentary. She's just as funny and weird in this, except it's about people who shot presidents.
- Stormwatch/Authority by Warren Ellis. I was feeling a need for some good comics recently and ILL'ed some trade paperbacks of one of Ellis' landmark series. Ellis has long been a favorite comic book writer of mine and these didn't disappoint. Truly epic stuff.
- Supreme by Alan Moore. Same idea here. Also very good, in a more intellectually satisfying manner than Ellis. This is not necessarily a good or bad thing, just a difference.
- The Assault on Reason by Al Gore. Also book on CD. My summary: the book should have been titled George W. Bush is a Terrible President. It was interesting to be listening to this during the very end of the Bush administration. While listening to all the terrible things the Bush administration has done to our democracy, I was at alternating intervals ecstatic to think that it might be over, and depressed at the possibility that some of these things might not change with Obama in office. *shrug* I guess we'll see.
Movies/TV (I'm not going to spew my Netflix queue at you anymore, but here's some highlights)
- Battlestar Galactica. I'm addicted, what can I say. But don't talk to me about it! I'm still at the beginning of Season 4.
- Buckaroo Banzai. Here's another one that I somehow escaped high school/college without seeing. I'm glad I finally did though -- it was awesome.
- Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai. I have been meaning to experiment with some Bollywood films for a while now, and one finally came up on the queue. It was great fun to watch -- very colorful and the song & dance scenes live up to their reputations. It was rather long though, and, as is probably the case with a lot of foreign film, I always felt like something was missing in translation. But I'm excited to see more.
- We also managed to actually get out and see a couple of Oscar nominees: Slumdog Millionaire and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Both were very, very good and we are having a hard time deciding which we're rooting for for the Best Picture award.
Music
- Uncle Bonsai - The (In)Essential Uncle Bonsai. This is a clever but somewhat screechy folk/pop trio from the northwest. I enjoy them, of course, but I'm not sure many other people would.
- Mates of State - Re-Arrange Us. Indie pop with guy/girl harmonies. I find a lot of indie pop to be opaque and not very accessible but these guys are nice.
- Mother Mother - O My Heart. This is the clear winner of our latest Cheapo Records haul. A five piece from Canada that sings strange, sometimes creepy and sometimes totally head-bangingly-awesome-rocking pop with three part harmony. We're pretty obsessed currently. Take a listen to the title track and Hayloft.
- We picked up some other miscellany at Cheapo: Kubla Khan's Lowertown, Barenaked for the Holidays (Barenaked Ladies' holiday album, duh), and some other stuff I can't remember right now. But I got the important ones.
What media have you consumed lately, human??