Signal Wave

rf-signal-wave-hi.png

This is what I've been listening to lately.

"Ooooh, I'm gonna get over you!
I'll be all right
Just not tonight...Someday."

Yes, it's poppy, but it's fun. Be sure and watch to the end, or you'll miss the joke.

I might end up being a Sara Bareilles fan. Turns out she's been around for 11 years, but hey, better late than never.

I think this may be the fru-fru girlie version of Signal Wave, because in addition to the bouncy pop breakup song above, I just finished reading a novel which, well, would make good summer vacation reading for a woman in her middle years (it's like something I would read on a train, albeit only after I took some Dramamine, motion sickness being no fun). As you all know, I usually favor detective stories, mystery fiction, science fiction, and fantasy, with a large helping of historical fiction on the side. But I've taken over the care of my aged aunt lately, which involves a twice-weekly trip to the library, so I've been checking out a lot more books than usual. One of these is the 2018 novel The Summer Wives, by Beatriz Williams.

summer wives.jpg

It's a sort of romance with a murder mystery kind of woven into it, but I wouldn't call it mystery fiction; it's much more about the relationships. It's set on Winthrop Island, not far from Long Island, which I gather is a made-up place (sorry to all New Yorkers, but I've spent very little time in your fair city--less than I would have liked, actually--so I don't know much about your local geography). Anyway, Winthrop Island is a very snooty place, with a collection of old-money families who summer there, and a bunch of fisherman, a few small merchants, and a lot of people who serve the old-money families during the summer. Of course, there's a social wall of sorts between the two classes, exacerbated by the fact that most of the lower class are Portuguese and Catholic, while most of the upper class are, of course, WASPs.

People fall in love across class barriers, and difficulties ensue, culminating in a murder.

There are three timelines that run concurrently throughout the book, which is probably one reason I like it: I really like bouncing back and forth between timelines and waiting to see the connection that integrates the whole. In this book, the stories of the summer of 1931, 1951, and 1969 are told, bit by bit, and eventually come together.

It was a bit predictable, but well-crafted.

I'm still absorbed in Lucifer, but I can't watch it as often as I'd like, because I'm watching it with Kate, my partner, and I consider it a point of honor not to get too far ahead of her. I'm up to my third Turkish tv show, having watched Subat and The Magnificent Century and just having finished the first season of Resurrection: Ertugrul, so of course another Turkish tv show popped into my Netflix queue: The Protector.

I've only watched one episode, so I don't know if I will like it or not. It's a fairly standard story of a guy destined to be the protector of a city, with an ancient order waiting for his return and magical artifacts to help him in his quest. I like Chosen One stories because they make for good stories with drama and scope, though I try to keep aware of the obvious political and moral pitfalls that can come with such stories.

The magical artifact in this series is a t-shirt. That tickles me.

How are you all today?

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orlbucfan's picture

Hope you are enjoying the cool down in north central FL today. We got some much-needed rain in O-ville but no violent stuff-thank gawd! I don't do video so know zilch about TV/movies. I do know great stories written in books. Just finished one that you would like (I think). It's called Bearskin by James McLaughlin. It's an ecological mystery story with a heavy mystical bent. Beautifully written and researched--it was recommended in an article by the NYT Review of Books. If you read it, let me know what you think. It's a very timely written story, needless to say.

A little classic Dave Matthews tune--hope you enjoy it. You take good care and stay safe! Rec'd!!

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Inner and Outer Space: the Final Frontiers.

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@orlbucfan

I'll make sure to look it up on my next trip to the downtown library!

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"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

Pluto's Republic's picture

...you have. I really like plots about the "chosen one" too. I would probably watch the Protector. The trailer pretty physical and gritty, and I rather prefer a cerebral slick approach. But it is a trailer after all, and they are cut to the chase, so to speak. The exotic overlay of Turkey is a plus.

Summer Wives sounds richly moody and evocative. Interesting structure to the timelines. Libraries are great for happening across unlikely books. Now I'm inspired to drop into the local branch and see where that takes me. Fiction is what I need.

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____________________

The political system is what it is because the People are who they are. — Plato
Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@Pluto's Republic

anybody's ever said to me.

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"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

The frozen shoulder I got from sitting too long in one position while sick with the flu (can you believe this?)--well, I got it worked on yesterday, and I have a little more range of motion, but putting my elbow down is really painful. So sitting at my desk is really painful. More painful than before I went to the massage therapist, which I hope doesn't mean that was the wrong thing to do.

Anyway, sorry for not being around. I hope y'all have a great day, and if you have any positive thoughts to send my way, I'd appreciate it.

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"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal get better soon.

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dfarrah

@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal I feel ya, ouch. My neighbor is also recovering from one over the past few months. The first one I got long ago from a bone chip left floating around after arthroscopic surgery. Therapist kept insisting it was all in my head, the screaming out loud post-surgery work. After six months I finally got an x-ray that found the chip, but then had to have manual manipulation surgery. Don't even look it up, too gruesome.

The other side froze a few years later, from a minor sports mishap, and I practiced yoga and had acupuncture to get it better. It worked. My neighbor is healing through yoga too, kundalini yoga. patience grasshopper Love and healing, namaste.

peace

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In Step Toward Joining EU

The Republic of Macedonia cleared its biggest hurdle to membership in NATO and the European Union by passing an amendment to change its name and solve a decades-long dispute with Greece.

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It's a good day when the local paper quotes The Black Knight. Also too gory to watch, I still love King Arthur's faithful horse Patsy, and the end of the scene where the limbless knight shouts "come back here you coward, I'll bite your legs off!" lol
President Trump’s repeated efforts to derail Obamacare worries Sonoma County health care leaders

“The Affordable Care Act is still very strong, and it’s going to remain strong. I really feel confident about that,” Fuchs said. “These are just little flesh wounds, they’re just little bumps in the road.”

indeed, keep flushing

there’s no real plan for making it all work

said the president of the state Public Utilities Commission about California's transition to clean electric. good times
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Netflix increases prices across all U.S. subscription tiers
First he passes a law saying it's okay to propagandize U.S. citizens, makes lying legal. Then he gets a bigass contract from Netflix to make it so.
f-bombs take me away

Barack and Michelle Obama are among the world’s most respected and highly recognized public figures and are uniquely positioned to discover and highlight stories of people who make a difference in their communities and strive to change the world for the better,” he said. “We are incredibly proud they have chosen to make Netflix the home for their formidable storytelling abilities.”

Enjoy paying Debra Messing's salary? No thanks. And wtf has Netflix ever done for the Bay Area? Nothing good, as far as I can tell. They offered lousy pay for all the those Sebastopol extras, and it's not like the show 13 Ways didn't cause some people around here to just go on and do it why not. Here's your 15 minutes, sorry you didn't get famous.

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orlbucfan's picture

@eyo I hear you, CStMS. My sciatic bad left hip had me up before sunrise today. Did my meds and therapy exercises, and think I'll live. LOL. Being a wrinkle (getting old) is no fun. Sad

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Inner and Outer Space: the Final Frontiers.

@orlbucfan hi! and sorry if I made people feel bad about watching NetFlix, the opposite of what I intended. Was thinking about it as I went grocery shopping in between the raindrops this morning. I first subscribed years ago 'cause they supported Linux, had an account for a long time. I still might watch it for a month, while it's still $13. At least they let you cancel after on month, that's good. carry on

This was on HackerNews this morning, giddyup: Netflix claims Fortnite is now a bigger competitor than HBO
What's Fortnite? never mind don't answer. There are over 300 comments on HN, rantolicious. Here is the original article link, please do not click it : http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/334702/Netflix_claims_Fortnite_is_now...

peace wink
screen time

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Anja Geitz's picture

I knew Sara Bareilles was a talented singer and songwriter but I didn't know she had a sense of humor too. Lol. Here's another one of her songs/videos you might like, along with a pretty cool message..

[video:https://youtu.be/QUQsqBqxoR4]

Book recommendation sounds intriguing. I also like stories where the time line jumps back and forth. Btw, you are correct about Winthrop Island being fictitious. I'm assuming the author wanted to draw similarities to the Hamptons, but since I spent most of my summers on Fire Island and Jones Beach, I'd have to defer to someone who knows better.

Hope the pain in your arm gets better. My sister sometimes suffers from a similar complaint. She finds relief through acupuncture.

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There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier

Deja's picture

I haven't finished it yet because a coworker borrowed it, and it's been sitting in her office ever since, untouched, for over 6 mos. But, it's not a story line I've ever read before. Deanna is a self imposed shut in, for the safety of anyone who might cross her path "outside", and also a live webcam performer.

https://shades0fpaper.wordpress.com/2017/12/23/the-girl-in-6e-by-a-r-tor...

One that my mom found at a garage sale, and gave me when I was laid up for weeks with shingles turned out to be better than I thought it would be. Set near the turn of the 20th century, and fictional with "bits and pieces of [the author's] personal family history woven throughout", and ending in 1947, though there's another book after this one. It starts in Switzerland, in 1901. Her Mother's Hope by Francine Rivers. I thought it would be a religious book, because another book Mom gave me the same day was, and this one has references to hope and faith during some seriously trying times, it's not a 'prayer saves the day' sort of book. What struck me most, was just how hard people worked way back when, and the wishes, hopes, dreams we have for our kids that aren't always appreciated until adulthood arrives, and a new generation ends up having those same wishes, hopes, and dreams, but for yet the next generation, regrets, mistakes, and all.

Hope your shoulder and elbow stop giving you grief!

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detroitmechworks's picture

Dealing with a bunch of personal things, never fun, but had to be done. Sore as hell, since last week was my first time going to Judo three times in one week. (Usually I have 3-4 days to recover. Just sore all over, but feels really good.)

Last night sat up and watched the Original BBC Hitchhikers' Guide To the Galaxy.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNiNRagO2VI]

Funny thing, watching it again with certain things on my mind made me realize exactly how depressed Douglas Adams was while writing it. Nearly everything that happens to Arthur Dent is not at his own volition. He's dragged along, threatened with dissection, murder (Multiple Times), constantly being put down by everyone around him. Arthur to me represents how Adams saw the world. Hostile, cruel, and generally unsympathetic.

But Ironically, it made me feel better. Realizing that the reason the world is portrayed in that manner is quite probably due to Adam's depression, frustration with BBC idiots (He was a script supervisor at Doctor Who while writing it, often uncredited) and large amounts of alcohol. (Write what you know, and the characters in Hitchhikers drink... a LOT.)

Just some random thoughts that are helping me cope. Take care everybody and here's hoping the next week treats you well.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Gd-jNKhTC8]

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I do not pretend I know what I do not know.