Aeronautic Primates and Other Delights

( Spoilers for The Dresden Files: Changes )

I take that back. There were no actual spoilers, other than emotional ones.

- Latest episode of Doctor Who is made of total win. I kind of want to read some Agatha Christie now. Maybe after I finish my Tour of Sci-Fi in 2010. Donna Noble may be surpassing Martha Jones as my favorite New!Who companion.

- Been watching classic Twilight Zone episodes to research an article for Classic-Horror. Watching Telly Savalas match wits with a creepy doll is kind of unnerving. Watching William Shatner actually act rather than rely on his own sense of self-satisfaction is REALLY unnerving.

- In the world of Harry Dresden, I have finished Summer Knight and have moved on to Death Masks. Summer Knight ended much better than it started. I'm kind of hoping that Death Masks will be the same, although comments from midnightfae don't give me a lot of hope.

- midnightfae warned me that Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation would be a painful experience. I didn't believe that it could approach Orgy of the Dead levels of suffering. I have suffered for my incredulity. The only bright spot is that Matthew McConaughey plays an surprisingly effective psychopath.

- Speaking of The Twilight Zone, I wrote a joke opening paragraph for the Japanese movie Jigoku (Hell) where I mock Sartre and high school students who get their interpretation of Sartre entirely from the last line of No Exit. I showed it to midnightfae because I thought she'd get a kick out of it and then tell me to write something serious. She told me to go with the joke opening because it totally worked. Weeeeeird.

- Indiana Jones cereal is like eating Chocolate Kix with Marshmallows.

- Went to one-half of an Indy marathon at desertwillow's place yesterday. Ending up reading the Gospel of 100 F**king Tacos in my very best Christopher Lee. And got smacked for a comment about "Snakes on a Flame".

- My kitty is getting a tooth out today, as well as getting a lion cut. There will be pictures.

- timjr wrote the definitive squee on Robert Fuest's The Abominable Dr. Phibes. Read it. Love it. It makes me want to wander off and review its immediate sequel, Dr. Phibes Rises Again, which contains an elaborate Henry James joke.

- midnightfae and I kept getting stuck in really painful gigglefits all weekend for no reason we can discern. One of us would start giggling and the other would continue and then we would keep fueling each other. People who were in the condo at Comic-Con last July will remember what this is like.

- Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is eating what remains of my free time. In a way, it's kind of lucky that my girlfriend is in China, because I think this would annoy the crap out of her. I blame hjcallipygian.

- Two months and one week until Comic-Con.

• Write review for Pete Walker's Frightmare (1974)
• Make decision on new applicant's sample review.
• Clean apartment (or parts of it).
• Send Courtney's press credentials to Comic-Con people.
• Finish Neuromancer
• Re-start Summer Knight or begin Alien Blood.
• Pay rent.
• Feed self.
• Feed animals.
• Laundry.
• Clean room.
• Hang posters in room.
• Write second review, title undecided.
• Finish Shocktober spreadsheet (yes, we're really doing prelim work on October this early).

I'm sure there's more. The clean apartment bit has soooo many subsections, which often have their own subsections. Definitely not getting all of this done this week, but it's a goal?

Based on hearty recommendations from, um, everyone, I've ordered the first two books in Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series (thank you Amazon 4-for-3 deal, which totally allowed me to sneak in two DVDs). I'll let you know what I think as soon as I know.

Also, because of incessant teasing from my co-workers, up to and including my boss, I've just ordered Tron on DVD. Apparently, the fact that I haven't seen it only makes me half a geek. I'll show 'em. I'm not caving on The Last Starfighter or War Games, however.

*uses the tin dog icon for the benefit of brightone*