C.E. Murphy's Blog, page 77

Picoreview: Birdman

Picoreview: Birdman: So, wow. That was, so that was a movie.

I’m. Wow. Virtuoso performances from the whole cast. Emma Stone eats the screen alive when she’s on screen, and Edward Norton–it’s always fun to watch actors playing actors, but he’s especially good (I shall detail why behind the spoiler cut). Coming from the theatre background that I do, it was a…it was…it rang true in the same way Noises Off does, except without the farce. Mostly. It was…wow.

And technically, also, wow. The scene ch...

Recent Reads: The Paradox Trilogy

As mentioned in last week’s post, I got Rachel Bach (Aaron)’s military sf/space opera last year on the strength of her Eli Monpress books, and, in my quest to get through my TBR shelf in order, read them this month.

They’re not as easy to fall into as the Monpress books; Devi Morris, the main character, isn’t as charming or delightful as Eli Monpress. Then again, she’s not supposed to be, so frankly that speaks to Aaron’s strengths as a writer. Book one found its footing after a few chapters,...

so many conventions

Argh, there are so many conventions I’d like to go to this year. I’d like to go to EasterCon, because Jim’s going to be one of the guests of honor and it’s the perfect place for seeing UK-based friends.

I’d like to go to WorldCon because it’s West Coast this year and so loads of people I know will be there and so will Daniel Keys Moran, who doesn’t go to cons and who I would really, really like to meet.

And I just found out WFC is in Saratoga Springs again this year. WFC is by far the best pro...

reality collides with perception

I asked for Rachel Bach‘s Paradox Trilogy for my birthday last year, and, in my Read The TBR List In Alphabetical Order quest for 2015, I started reading them this week. I also discovered that my interest in them was a source of great confusion to Ted, who knows I hated Honor Harrington and had extrapolated that I disliked space opera/military SF, which is bonkers. I stared at him in utter astonishment and he said, “Well, they look like they’re up the Honor Harrington alley and you don’t like...

Irish literary bursary awards clinic

Ireland offers bursaries to artists of varying walks of life. Last night I went to a clinic on Writing Your Bursary, which had some interesting information, like, they had €867K worth of applicants last year and were able to fund about €80K’s worth of them. o.O I’m not clear on whether that was for the full year or for each half of the year, but I think it was for the full year.

They have somewhere around 150 applicants per funding period and fund about 15 of them. There were 30 of us in the c...

nap time

I had to wait for a parcel delivery this morning, so after bringing Young Indiana to school I came home and–in a fit of craziness–sacked out on the couch for a nap. Or a rest, because I never got properly asleep, mostly because I kept falling asleep just enough to snore, which I was not too asleep to hear. Turns out hearing yourself snoring keeps you awake just as much as hearing somebody else snoring.

I anticipated the delivery time of the parcel correctly, though, which led to a pretty ideal...

minutia

We finished up s9 Supernatural last night, although the urgency of watching s10 has been alleviated due to the news that they’ve renewed for an 11th season. I still want to get through to the 200th episode before I get spoiled for it, as I have managed (for once) to be spoiler-free thus far. (Note: never ever allow Sarah Rees Brennan to talk about a TV show you’re both watching but you’re behind on. She’s spoiled me TWICE for The 100, and also for another thing but I can’t remember what right...

three things make a post?

I would like to thank Stephen Amell and the dude in the tinfoil hat for making this happen. #laughs

People around here are healing. Ted braved work today and Young Indiana went to school. I wrote 3000 words, which was kind of unexpected. I’ll actually have new MAGIC & MANNERS chapters to post for people this week! Pretty exciting stuff. :)

I…don’t know anything else interesting. Oh wait! Here’s a picture of a bird. :)

We found this bird house at the zoo the other day, a place we’d never been int...

I did not go Into the Woods

Today I did not go Into the Woods, despite the great temptation to do so. I have to say, without having seen it, I cannot help but feel that it was a terrible mistake to split the role of the Wolf and Prince Charming between two actors, since part of the point is the metaness of Charming also being the Wolf. The tiny bit I’ve seen of Depp as the Wolf in the trailers does nothing to convince me that my feeling is a wrong one. Anyway, I’ll see it this week and have more informed opinions, but I...

in sickness & in writing

Yesterday my child, who had been a grumpy cuddlebutt for ages, climbed into my lap and suddenly went to sleep. And after a 90 minute nap, woke up, and went to bed at the usual time and slept for almost 12 solid hours, which never happens.

Still ain’t well around here, sez I.

Other than that…not much. :) I’m re-reading MAGIC & MANNERS in order to start writing on it again, and–faintly to my surprise–it’s charming. I don’t know why I’m always faintly surprised when I read something I wrote and th...