Gord’s Comments (group member since Apr 06, 2017)

Gord’s comments from the Vampires, Weres and Fae! group.

Not sure how many people remember Mad Magazine but the cartoonist behind the iconic fold in sections passed away yesterday.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment...

This morning is a hard one to get started. I still have books to read, naps to be had, and snacks to eat. Instead I have to go to work and putter on things while waiting for parts. Anyone feel like covering my shift? It starts in two hours but I usually start in about 1.5 hours from now. No rush or anything.

I was thinking of it but I need this to be good for year round and, from my experience, they are a pain to keep clean.

Congrats!

I have a backpack but there is no side pockets for water bottles. I think the next thing I upgrade will be my backpack.

I wish I had water today for my walk. My mouth was gummy before I even hit the halfway point of my walk and it was a 6.5km walk.

As many of you know I've fallen down the rabbit hole of AR (Antiques Roadshow) and I learned something fascinating. It was an episode from last year in Boise, Idaho and it was at the Idaho Botanical Gardens. Now it wasn't any of the antiques on the show that caught my eye but the gardens themselves. Maybe this is common knowledge or something but it was built on the grounds of an old prison and I just find that so fascinating. I just breaks this image I have in my head of an old prison. When I think old prison my brain defaults to generic horror setting. Run down old building, creepy setting, lots of ghosts, etc. Instead it has been made into this beautiful garden. I love it for some weird reason.

I've seen a lot of discussion around whether forced treatment actually works or not. The basic argument being that if someone doesn't want to rehab then they won't. They might get clean for a week or two and then relapse.

The final day of my vacation and I've got that classic mindset. One part of your brain is like "it has been so long since I was at work. What do I do again?" and the other part of your brain is screaming "we just started the weekend yesterday. It can't possibly be over already."

Most of my adulting is already done for the weekend. I have a walk today but all I really need to do today is get some Starbucks and get some water bottles for my walks. Normally I wouldn't worry about water so much but more walks, longer walks, and things getting warmer it's something I need to start thinking about more. I've had a couple walks where I was little more parched than I should have been and it just adds a level of challenge to the walks that I shouldn't have to worry about. I was going to get a 2.2L bottle but then I remembered that water is heavy and that much water is probably overkill. I'm probably going to get a 1.5L Nalgene bottle and just lug that around with me.

That could be achieved by making it only illegal if you have more than X amount on you. Say, if you have 1-5 grams, or what ever a single user might reasonably carry, it's not a crime but if you have more than that it carries a harsh punishment. While not a perfect system it's more likely to target those that would be distributing the product instead of those using it.

Help! I've found the Antiques Roadshow YouTube channel and I can't escape. It's not just old episodes from what I've seen but compilations of stuff from old shows around a theme. The one I'm currently watching is Did Grandma Lie? and it's about stuff passed from generation to generation. The thing I like is that at the end of the section they have the price when it aired and the 2023 price. Somethings go up, some down, and some stay the same.

It's a little early but I've got a few novels to talk about this week so I figured I'd get it out of the way and then return to my reading.

Triptych -4 Stars
After finishing up the Grant County series I have been eagerly anticipating the start of this series. Having the TV show come out threw a massive monkey wrench into that plan though as now everyone else and their dog wanted to also read it. The wait line for these books are ridiculous. This book was split up into various parts and I'll admit this has a bit of a rough start. I didn't like character we were following and was a little bummed at the thought of having to follow this guy for either some or the entirety of the rest of the book. Then I got to the second part and it was a different character and again I wasn't the biggest fan but something changed. Suddenly I found the pages going by faster, the awareness of the world outside my book slipping, and so on. I was getting pulled into the story as the second part starting to reveal some big things. One being the identity of the killer in a subtle kind of way. This suddenly puts the rest of the book in a whole different light. As the reader you know who the killer is but most of the cast you are following does not. Now this is nothing new but I'm glad that the author didn't do the whole trope of everyone ignoring the super obvious clue until just the right time. Everyone was doing their own investigation and slowly became suspicious about something in their own way. This eventually lead all these different stories to the same point where it all became one story. This made the book a real interesting read watching everyone realize what was going on in their own way. I'm now super excited for the next book even if I have a multi month wait ahead of me.

Broken Homes -5 Stars
Speaking of popular series and multi month waits we have this series. This book came in at the perfect time for me as my last audiobook was a bit of a dud. Both in a story sense and from a narrator sense. The narrator for this series is just amazing and is pure ear candy. He has become this main character in my head and his abilities to change accents is amazing. I have no clue if they are accurate or not but to me they sound right and that's what matters. This book was a bit of a slow burn scattered kind of story as there was a lot of random little things going on at one time but in the end they all came together in one big explosive bang. The book was a solid four for me but the ending took it up a point. We get to see the full capabilities of someone like Nightingale and it is terrifying. You realize that what we have seen up to this point has barely even a party trick. Then there is a shocking twist at the end that just lands perfectly and flips everything on it's head. I'm now waiting for the next one and this one seems to be only a month out instead of the three it took this one.

Dead Voices -4 Stars
This was read to help with a monthly timed challenge and much like the first book I was rather surprised how good of a middle grade horror it was. It takes place in remote snow lodge that gets snowed in and of course ghosts. Turns out the lodge used to be an orphanage/school and yes you kind of have to ignore the blaring question of why someone would build such a building in such a remote location but hey. Since it is middle grade horror it's not that "scary" but much like the first one it doesn't take much imagination to spin it up into something pretty scary. Trapped in a ski lodge, no power, no heat, no communication with the outside world, scary homicidal ghost trying to put everyone to bed. This series has really surprised me and I'm thinking of just fast tracking the third one to see what happens next.

Omens -3 Stars
Before I get started I want to be clear that this is more like a 2.5 that I rounded up to a 3. It would appear that I'm in the minority here and I just wasn't that impressed by this book. I read this for a buddy read and I was excited after reading the synopsis as it sounded super interesting. Everyone else who was participating in the buddy read and even other friends on Goodreads seemed to really enjoy the book which I took as a pretty strong sign. I'm now kind of wondering if I read the same book as everyone else as I was left feeling very underwhelmed by this book. It started almost out the gate as the book seemed to take everyone's reaction to a 15 on a scale of 5. Instead of dealing with the situation with a press conference that could have solved the entire situation in one go we have people running away from each other. Some leaving the country, engagements getting broken off, credit/debit cards getting cut up, etc and I'm left going "but why?". The main character needed to get to Point A though for the story to start so fine, fine, fine lets just let that slide. The whole "but why?" feeling though just never really changed as the MC inserts herself into a mystery that she really has no reason to do so. The story was a slow burn and instead of a strong story pushing me along I spent most of my time wondering what was going on, why it was going on, and just where was I going. Then there was the ending that just felt like the most random, out of left field, mad lib explanation ever. It did shift my question from "but why?" to "but what?". The ending felt very unfulfilling as I felt like nothing got explained, nothing got resolved, and we just had more questions. Oh and there was also a paranormal aspect to the book. It got dragged out of the background every few chapters to do the whole *jazz hands* look at the weird paranormal thing happening in the background that will never get explained, never gets explored, and never utilized in this story *jazz hands*.

Like I mentioned above I really do wonder if I read the same book as everyone else as my reaction was so different from everyone else. For those that did like this book this isn't an attack on you or your taste. I'm just a weirdo who is a little dense at time. I will read the second book to give it old college try but I'm not expecting much honestly.

Kim Reaper, Vol. 1: Grim BeginningsKim Reaper, Vol. 2: Vampire Island -3 Stars
I have been following the author of this series online now for years. She does this little single panel comic about life with her cats and her boyfriend that are just cute. I've known about this series for a while now but never got around to reading it. For whatever reason I tripped over this at the library and remember I had to read it. It's a cute story about a girl dating another girl who has a job as a part time Grim Reaper. It's got the author's identifiable art style, it's got cuteness, it has some horror, and it's just a fun little comic to read. There are some nice little Easter eggs in the series like the authors cats being in the background of a scene. Just a fun little read.

Now, what is next in my reading journey.

Off Kilter I'm focusing in and attempting to close off some really old lingering challenges from back log of challenges. This is a cozy mystery set in Scotland that is hopefully good. After that I am not sure yet. I have some stuff coming in but I might need to find something else to listen to while I wait. Probably something challenge related.

For physical books I've got some manga and comics to get through. Things like Komi, Princess Jellyfish, TMNT, and others.

Alright I finally finished it and yeah that was something. My rating for it somewhere between 2.5 and 3. I didn't hate it but it wasn't exactly an entertaining read either. Nothing against those that did like this book. As I mentioned before I'm going to be in the minority on this one. This book just never kicked into gear for me and I just felt unsatisfied by the end of the book. There was a lot of teasing, setup, etc but it never felt like there was a payoff for any of it. Then there is the ending, spoilers ahead obviously.

(view spoiler)[
Really? MKUltra? We're just randomly adding in Cold War era things on top of all the other things that are teased and never fleshed out. This just didn't sit right with me at all. It just felt too out of left field for me. (hide spoiler)]

I'll keep reading because I heard that the second one is better but yeah this will be my limit. It's either markedly better and I continue on or it's the end of the line for this series.

I'm not sure what happened but I feel off today. Just a constant headache and bleh feeling overall. I'm actually thinking of cancelling my walk today just to hibernate.

This was a legit tough one for me but there was one name that I just had to vote for.

I put this behind a spoiler wall because I'm just venting a bit about the book.

(view spoiler)[

I feel like I might be in the minority here when I say that I'm just not that impressed with this book. I'm a little past 50% currently and it might pick up in the back half suddenly but by this point it has a lot of ground to make up for. I don't think that it's bad I just don't feel invested in anything right now. I can appreciate a slow burn if I'm invested in things but this just isn't giving me anything to work with really. I'm not even 100% sure why the MC is investing herself so heavily into solving what is essentially a strangers mystery to her. What is her stake in this game? I'm not even sure where the mystery is trying to go as I'm not really given any clues, suspects, theories, etc. Then there is the paranormal aspect. Cool, interesting, when it decides to show up for a couple pages every once in a blue moon. I feel like the kid forced to sit in the corner listening to the everyone else playing outside. I know there is something fun happening just around the corner but I'm stuck here watching the paint dry on the wall. Don't get me wrong, I'm not giving up on this book or maybe even the next one but I'm not exactly sold on what the author is trying to sell me. (hide spoiler)]

I'm about 25% of the way into this book or chapter 17 and there is a lot of hints/teasing about things going on but not much is actually happening. Where is things going? What is the point? What is your purpose book? I'm not giving up on it yet but I'm waiting for it do something.

I'm getting back to it this morning and I have nearly a full day of reading ahead of me. I'm on chapter 10 and so far I'm on board with what the book is presenting to me. I do find it odd though that everyone seems to decide to engage the worst possible reaction to the news. Instead of staying quiet for a few days and then releasing a press conference dismissing all of the silliness it's immediately start breaking up, splitting up the family, running away from home. Just what? She was 3 when she was adopted, this is a nothing scandal at best and something that could easily be dismissed. Yes my biological parents were serial killers but I was raised by a loving a caring couple I call my parents. My biological parents have never contacted me and have had no influence on my life. Thank you, have a great day, now fuck off. Maybe I'm just overthinking things here which does happen, occasionally...

It's just shocking how bad some drivers are. One I see all the time is people pulling out of a parking lot. Traffic is coming from the left and so they just look left because nothing could possibly could be coming from the right. They are parked right on the sidewalk and never once look anywhere else but to the left. When you walk up on them from the right they act like you just performed a miracle by appearing out of nowhere and walked on water in front of them. There are also numerous drivers who either don't care about pedestrians or simply refuse to acknowledge we exist. A few weeks back I was walking back to work at lunch. The light turned green and I was about to step off the curb when some idiot just slow rolls through the crosswalk right in front of me running a red light and doing a right hand turn. He had to have seen me as he drove up as I was standing out there on the edge of the curb for a bit waiting for the light to turn. Simply didn't care, I'm driving a truck and I'm the only one that matters.

Sorry for the rant, I get a bit frustrated with drivers at times.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Another day, another close call in an intersection. Middle of the afternoon, bright sunny day, walking across a marked crosswalk on a green light, nearly get clipped by a pickup truck. I swear at this point it's not a matter of if I'll get hit but when.

On a better note I walked a total of 11 km or 6.8 miles today over three walks. I think I'm definitely getting stronger. It feels like not that long ago that walking to and from work would leave me wiped. Now I did all that plus a 30 minute walk at lunch and feel perfectly fine. My legs don't hurt, my feet don't hurt, I just feel normal.

The day is half way done and my work is nearly done. I would have been done this morning but our annual crane inspection had to be done so I had to shelf things for a bit. I also made the weirdest discovery today. There is a tiny Esso gas station near my work and I stopped there to get a snack as all I had today was a wrap. This tiny little gas station has tons of plant based snacks. Even ones I haven't seen in other places before. It was just so weird.