Bits and Bobs #4

In the video I recorded for my first post of the year, I said I was only going to post to the blog when I had something to say. I haven’t had much to say lately. On top of that, my partner retired in September 2014, so this is the first spring/summer that she’s home. She’s getting me away from my computer. I expect my blogging to be sporadic during the warm months.

I don’t have anything earth shattering to say today, but I didn’t want to go a month without posting at all, so I figured I’d do a mixed bag post.

Netflix

If you have Netflix, you might want to check out Grace and Frankie. It’s about two wives who find out late in life that their husbands have been having an affair with each other for 20 years. The wives are played by Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda, and the husbands by Martin Sheen and Sam Waterston. Top-notch actors all around. We’ve watched four of the thirteen half-hour shows in the first season and will definitely watch the rest. It’s part drama, part comedy.

What else am I watching on Netflix these days? I missed the X-Files when it was on TV. I don’t like watching TV shows on TV (though I made an exception for the excellent The Walking Dead last season, because I couldn’t wait for it to show up on Netflix). I used to buy DVD sets. Now it’s Netflix. A few months ago, I watched The Fall, a police/crime series set in Northern Ireland. Who played the lead? Gillian Anderson. I liked her so much in the show that I decided to check out the X-Files. I’m on season two and hope to finish watching everything by the time the new X-Files revival releases. Oh, and The Fall is great. Recommended.

Other shows I’d recommend on Netflix:

Last Tango in Halifax has one of the better lesbian relationships I’ve seen portrayed on TV
The Good Wife
Broadchurch
Damages
Covert Affairs
The Walking Dead (I resisted this one for a while because I’m not into zombies, but when I first got Netflix, I decided to give it a try and discovered that it’s not really about zombies)
House of Cards (though I didn’t like season 3 as much as the first two seasons)
George Gently
Line of Duty

Living Off the Grid

Have you ever thought, “I should get solar panels,” or something like that? We sometimes do when our hydro bill arrives. Anyway, I read an article about a BC couple in their mid-fifties who decided to live off the grid in a big way. J. David Cox has written a book about their experience called Our Life Off the Grid: An Urban Couple Goes Feral.

This isn’t your typical living off the grid. He and his wife Sally bought land on a remote island in BC and built their house themselves—and on a slope, to boot. Logs, tools, and equipment had to be hauled up a hill. To get to the mainland, they have to boat to where they can catch a ferry. Not the life for me, but I admire their determination and spirit.

If you’re looking for something different, it’s an interesting read. Some of the humour isn’t politically correct. If you’re easily offended, you’ve been warned.

You can pick up the book here:

Gaming

I’ve been revisiting some of my old favourites. Gog keeps having really great sales. I recently finished Knights of the Old Republic, and now I’m working my way through the sequel. Both games have stood the test of time and are just as fun now as they were over ten years ago. I can’t remember if I finished the second one back then. I’ll finish it this time.

Our cat Zazz watching me play Knights of the Old Republic back in 2003. She loved sitting on the CRT monitor, where it was warm. She’s a creaky old cat now.

I also bought Pool Nation from Steam. I wasn’t sure whether I’d enjoy a pool simulation. It’s fun! Along the same lines, I absolutely love Pinball FX and Pinball Arcade. FX’s tables are all simulations designed for the computer, so they contain cool effects that real tables don’t. For example, people move around the tables in response to the ball hitting something, ships fly, etc. In addition to tables based on new concepts/worlds, there are tables based on Star Wars, Marvel characters, South Park, The Walking Dead, and other properties I’m probably forgetting.

In contrast, all the tables in Pinball Arcade are faithful recreations of real pinball tables. The team has done a fantastic job. If you played (or play) pinball, you’ll recognize many of the tables: the Addams Family, all the Pin-bot tables, Elvira…lots more. You can find a list of tables here.

I enjoy both FX and Pinball Arcade. Sometimes I want to keep it real. Other times I want flying ships, and characters inside the tables cracking jokes.

Suggestions

I’m always looking for game, book, and Netflix suggestions, so if you’ve watched, read, or played anything you’d recommend, let me know and I’ll take a look.

Have a great weekend!