I’m still isolating because my advanced age puts me in a higher-risk category. Just because I feel 18 doesn’t mean I can fool COVID, yeah?
So I’m still bingeing Netflix.
One of the shows I’m running through like fire through dry grass is the new Lost in Space. I didn’t expect to like it, because there were things I didn’t like about the original Lost in Space and things I did like about it, and I was afraid the new one would outrage my memories on both counts.
As it turns out, the new one is different enough and similar enough that I totally love it. None of the kids are annoying. John and Maureen (the parents) become respectful partners, leaning on one another’s strengths. Don West is a hoot. The robot is totally different, but in all kinds of good, complex ways. Evil Dr. Smith is a woman, played by the incomparable Parker Posey, also complex. And grown-up Bill Mumy, who played young Will Robinson, in guest cameos as the real Dr. Smith.
But, look, another part of why I love this show is that I think of it as LOST. In space. I don’t know how much you remember of LOST, assuming you ever watched it, but so far LIS has included an in-flight crash leaving the survivors somewhere beyond their maps, reunification with survivors of the same crash who landed elsewhere, a ship full of a desirable cargo balanced on the edge of an eroding cliff, a raft in a storm, any number of hatches, and a well with a superstructure that collapses, trapping a major character at the bottom. I’m waiting for Evil Dr. Smith (parallel to Ben on LOST) to turn good, which she’s already flirted with doing.
All in all, I’m having fun.
Here are my nails this week. In retrospect, I should have taken the picture before I put air in my tire. That was one of the many things Charlie did for me, so I had to figure out how to turn on the air compressor. Then, when the nozzle didn’t fit my tire valve, I had to figure out that he used a converter. When the converter fit the valve but did NOT fit the air compressor nozzle, I had to figure out how to hold the two together tightly enough to put air into the tire instead of letting it out. I succeeded. I even remembered to turn off the compressor when I was done. I felt like a steely-eyed missile man, bringing Apollo 13 home.
My kids would have done it for me, but I wanted to do it for myself.
ANYWAY, here are my nails:
A WRITING PROMPT FROM ME TO YOU: Someone must do something without help.
MA
Dan Antion
November 9, 2020 at 8:21amI can never see Bill Mumy without picturing him wishing something into the cornfield in the Twilight Zone – “It’s a Good Life.” Shivers…
Marian Allen
November 9, 2020 at 9:19amHeh! He’s a good actor, and always was. He can be so sweet, and he can be so creepy!
Carol Preflatish
November 9, 2020 at 8:34amI had to do the same thing with the lawn mower tires. I grew up with a dad who owned a gas station, so I sorta knew how, but the big compressor was different than the little one I usually carry with me in my car.
I’ve also been binge watching during quarantine. My favorite is The Witcher on Netflix. I’ve binge-watched it twice now, and will a third. I also just started watching The Tudors over the weekend.
Marian Allen
November 9, 2020 at 9:21amThe Witcher looks scary, with monsters and all. I couldn’t watch Stranger Things because it creeped me out.
Holly Jahangiri
November 9, 2020 at 11:29amI enjoyed all three. 🙂 I also loved Ripper Street, Carnival Row, and The Alienist. (I think one or more of those are Amazon Prime, not Netflix.)
Marian Allen
November 9, 2020 at 11:59amRipper Street sounds creepy. I’m pretty squeamish about the kind of violence I can tolerate. Breaking Bad, yes. Three Kings, yes. But that’s about it.
Carol Preflatish
November 9, 2020 at 12:19pmI love Ripper Street. I couldn’t watch Stranger Things. It just wasn’t interesting to me at all.
Marian Allen
November 9, 2020 at 1:19pmThe interwebs tell me that Ripper Street is gritty, sinister, and lurid. And I’m thinking … mmmmmmmmaybe not.
Holly Jahangiri
November 9, 2020 at 10:31pmI hear you. They handled it well. It was – well, historical fiction. So yes, there’s violence. But the focus was on crime-solving, not crime-committing.
Marian Allen
November 10, 2020 at 10:14amThat sounds doable. Thanks!
Holly Jahangiri
November 10, 2020 at 10:27amIt’s dark, but honestly, I just fell in love with the characters.
Barbara B. Greer
November 9, 2020 at 11:21amStranger Things is creepy and scary, but soooo good. The kids are fantastic,
I love the new Lost in Space, too.
Have a good isolating week! BBG
Marian Allen
November 9, 2020 at 11:25amI did really enjoy the acting in the few episodes I watched before I wimped out.
acflory
November 9, 2020 at 5:54pmGah!… Marian, you really do have to join me in ESO! We’re in strict self isolation too, but we’ve virtually stopped watching TV. The Offspring does watch Netflix sometimes, but mostly we both play mmos [different ones!]. They make us feel…’free’. C’mon, take the plunge!
Marian Allen
November 10, 2020 at 10:11amI’ll check out the price. I need all my spare change for nail supplies! lol
acflory
November 10, 2020 at 3:13pmrofl snort rofl!!!! Remember, you only have to buy the ‘game’. You do NOT have to buy a subscription to /play/ the game. The monthly subscription gives you some ‘nice to haves’, but starting out they won’t make any difference to your enjoyment of the game. Free ESO gives you a free room at the Inn – to decorate – plus a free, basic mount very early on. I guess these freebies are to tempt you to want the ‘better’ stuff – more exotic mount, bigger house etc etc. But you really don’t need any of that until you’ve played enough to know how you want to play the game and what things you actually want.
For me, the game is all about exploring [check], gathering [check], crafting [check], owning and building houses [yes, as many as you can afford], and a bit of cathartic mayhem when I feel like it [99% solo].
Anyway, I’ll stop badgering you about it now. 🙂
Marian Allen
November 11, 2020 at 9:07amOkay, I can’t buy it: I don’t have any of the platforms. I’ll check the app stores, but the website only has game consoles, PC, and Mac, and I have Android and Linux.
acflory
November 11, 2020 at 5:00pmOMG…you have Linux? You are my hero! Is it hard to get used to after Windows?
Marian Allen
November 12, 2020 at 8:19amI’ve had Linux on at least one computer for about 15 years. I have Windows on one computer of mine and one of Charlie’s that never went online for fear of viruses. Charlie had a Chromebook that he used for mail, and my desktop and laptop run Zorin Linux. The only things that are hard are that you have to know what kinds of programs you want and go get them, rather than having them bundled with the OS, and the vast number of programs/games that don’t work with Linux. There’s a program called Wine that’s supposed to make it happen, and one called Play on Linux that’s also supposed to work, but my geek-fu isn’t strong enough to get them to actually work.
acflory
November 12, 2020 at 3:57pmI have a confession to make: I’ve hated Windows almost from its inception. Unfortunately, all of my work has been with Windows so I could never justify the learning curve involved in switching to Linux. I’ve heard of Wine so I may try Linux on the old spare desktop. Your geek-fu has given me lots to think about!
Ally Bean
November 10, 2020 at 9:13amI don’t watch many scary shows, but I know they’re on Netflix. I’ve seen some of the new Lost In Space, but not in an organized binge-y way. We, too, continue to self-quarantine here, so I have the time…
Marian Allen
November 10, 2020 at 10:16amI’m watching it again. I’m impressed with the bits that happened in passing early on that turned out to be clues or foreshadowing or something that would resonate later.