tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63142492024-03-15T21:09:22.195-04:00Very Much SoSt. Mary's, Hofstra, Queens College...That Gerald SoGerald Sohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03571407711439433431noreply@blogger.comBlogger4339125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314249.post-29516580263600602482024-03-04T12:30:00.013-05:002024-03-04T13:03:25.529-05:002024 Robert B. Parker Continuations<b>© by Gerald So</b> | <a href="https://geraldso.blogspot.com/2024/03/2024-robert-b-parker-continuations.html" title="permanent link">12:30 PM</a><br />
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<div class="separator"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Robert B. Parker headshot" border="0" data-original-height="256" data-original-width="256" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxso_9nphFl9x-dBnACOaS7cMYSOZiUt8y4ECrxM6LGXVBYkjv2LT2Bw6g1gD9azNvqDF2xSUzBaH6WwAQpJ0bBPNw1dt2RjHFKMxL-Nlgbsl936nMkMOdEblug1f0V4QAbUIOfNt8ViLe5XVBtFWA2D-KDlI1-csu_fKUFEsZyjJGnwOYJemi/w200-h200/RBP-NPR-Trace-256.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="150" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by John Earle</td></tr></tbody></table></div>This year's Robert B. Parker continuation titles were recently posted to the Penguin Random House website. Due September 10 is Alison Gaylin's second Sunny Randall, ROBERT B. PARKER'S BUZZ KILL, and due November 26 is Mike Lupica's second Spenser, R0BERT B. PARKER'S HOT PROPERTY. Only the Spenser book's synopsis has been released so far. I break it down on my book review blog <a href="https://chatterrific.blogspot.com/"><i>So Much to Talk About</i></a>.Gerald Sohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03571407711439433431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314249.post-22933196202592909692024-02-28T06:00:00.019-05:002024-02-28T07:04:22.312-05:00CAGNEY & LACEY<b>© by Gerald So</b> | <a title="permanent link" href="https://geraldso.blogspot.com/2024/02/cagney-lacey.html">6:00 AM</a><br />
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CAGNEY & LACEY first aired twelve years before I became interested in crime fiction. Even so, I knew it at the time as a pioneering, multi-Emmy winning show. With Tyne Daly recently hospitalized, I was motivated to buy VEI's fortieth anniversary CAGNEY & LACEY DVD set, which includes the pre-Sharon Gless pilot movie and first season and the four post-series TV movies.<br />
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The show is nostalgic today, but also holds up to the best TV ever, delivering realism, action, humor, and heart. I don't know another show that alternates its first credit between its two stars. Watching Daly's performance, I would easily believe Lacey were a real person with her Queens attitude, devoted husband Harvey, and kids.Gerald Sohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03571407711439433431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314249.post-55931500094681079602024-02-23T06:30:00.012-05:002024-02-23T06:57:04.136-05:00DON'T LET THE DEVIL RIDE by Ace Atkins<b>© by Gerald So</b> | <a href="https://geraldso.blogspot.com/2024/02/dont-let-devil-ride-by-ace-atkins.html" title="permanent link">6:30 AM</a><br />
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Ace Atkins' move to William Morrow was announced in April 2022 with the first of a two-book deal being a suspense thriller about a woman who uncovers her husband's double life. Thanks to publicist Jessica Cozzi, I got to advance-review the book, <a href="https://chatterrific.blogspot.com/2024/02/dont-let-devil-ride-by-ace-atkins.html">DON'T LET THE DEVIL RIDE</a>, going on sale June 25.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-UX3gHWeX3Ay2HAnN-RbnxjIPgC7XsIP2c3HzLqpbl6VNpLRDGqugkN5Bm8jU-ADpohNJNGVyq0gA_NrxfzajsXc0j1F5zWVEnK40nDeyHP1M6GGJhG1CKYiFh4yNYvzWk_ynp15j6p6ju-NTJbs5MmufRura5S5K21MCMlyzJXDjLVpKloL3Yw/s1600/DontLetTheDevilRide-169x256.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="256" data-original-width="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-UX3gHWeX3Ay2HAnN-RbnxjIPgC7XsIP2c3HzLqpbl6VNpLRDGqugkN5Bm8jU-ADpohNJNGVyq0gA_NrxfzajsXc0j1F5zWVEnK40nDeyHP1M6GGJhG1CKYiFh4yNYvzWk_ynp15j6p6ju-NTJbs5MmufRura5S5K21MCMlyzJXDjLVpKloL3Yw/s1600/DontLetTheDevilRide-169x256.jpg" /></a></div>Gerald Sohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03571407711439433431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314249.post-23776026401469184832024-02-14T18:30:00.022-05:002024-02-15T03:30:53.280-05:00Vote Snow<b>© by Gerald So</b> | <a title="permanent link" href="https://geraldso.blogspot.com/2024/02/vote-snow.html">6:30 PM</a><br /><br />
You know expelled Rep. George Santos's district? Mine. I voted against him in 2022, and his utter failure forced me to vote in this bleak midwintertime. Fortunately I voted Feb. 3, sunny if cold. On Election Day I was home shoveling five inches of snow. Come November I hope the U.S. avoids the chaos of a second Trump term by voting him down again. Then we can happily watch the courts hold citizen Trump accountable for his litany of crimes.Gerald Sohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03571407711439433431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314249.post-11105167516818264712024-02-09T11:30:00.002-05:002024-02-09T13:14:24.973-05:00Let's Remember<b>© by Gerald So</b> | <a title="permanent link" href="https://geraldso.blogspot.com/2024/02/lets-remember.html">11:30 AM</a><br />
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After Special Counsel Robert Hur announced his findings in the investigation into President Biden's mishandling of classified documents—basically that there was not enough evidence of ill intent in Biden's actions, that they could be attributed to normal memory lapses that come with age—Biden held a press conference as a show of strength. Unfortunately I don't think it helped him, as he incidentally confused the names of world leaders.<br />
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Politics is not for me. I think the United States should work together as intended. We should help each other with our weaknesses, not tear each other down. For example, if a president is genuinely incapacitated, that's what the vice president is for, to mitigate the country's vulnerability. In this sense, a president's potential infirmity isn't a concern. People make it one, manufacturing a talking point to chip away at a candidate's or president's stature.<br />
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I know my vision of togetherness and cooperation is an ideal that happens only when absolutely necessary, but I'll always mantain it would nice if it did more often.Gerald Sohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03571407711439433431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314249.post-88618723918828764082024-02-09T00:17:00.000-05:002024-02-09T11:40:11.132-05:00After Midnight<b>© by Gerald So</b> | <a title="permanent link" href="https://geraldso.blogspot.com/2024/02/after-midnight.html">12:00 AM</a><br />
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I've been a fan of comedian Taylor Tomlinson since hearing her on the <i>Self-Helpless</i> podcast around 2017. I was excited for her game show/talk show <i>After Midnight</i> even though latenight talk has always been too late for me and I don't get around much on the Internet, <i>After Midnight</i>'s inspiration.<br />
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So far I've found the show spontaneous and funny like <i>Whose Line is It, Anyway?</i> and Taylor seems to be enjoying holding court with guest panelists including actors and comedians. Quite a few are new to me. I see them on the show and search them out and enjoy myself further.<br />
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After Midnight airs 12:37—1:37 AM Tuesday through Friday on CBS and is later posted on the CBS website and Paramount Plus.Gerald Sohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03571407711439433431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314249.post-28191740712868809772024-01-29T05:00:00.005-05:002024-01-29T16:19:22.551-05:00The Shoe Must Go On<b>© by Gerald So</b> | <a title="permanent link" href="https://geraldso.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-shoe-must-go-on.html">5:00 AM</a><br />
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Two weeks ago my furnace went out and I had to layer clothing while it was repaired. The cold tightened my muscles anyway, and at the end of the day, I decided to unwind with exercise. I was doing pushups gripping two 12kg kettlebells when I lost my grip and fell. One of the handles strained my left pec. The other bruused my right index finger.<br />
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While resting and recovering, I decided to learn new ways to lace and tie my shoes. As a child lacking dexterity, I learned easier, faster ways to tie shoes, all of which came undone too easily for my liking. Lacing shoes seemed too onerous and time-consuming to be worth learning. Until here I was with some time I had to avoid strenuous exercise. Why not knock out longstanding demons?<br />
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I favor <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-CIQtgvxXg">straight bar lacing</a>. It looks uncluttered and leaves more lace to knot at the end, for which I learned the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6M-JqAQ2CBQ">Parisian</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXHemBywew4">Berluti</a> knots.Gerald Sohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03571407711439433431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314249.post-44967534524872398652024-01-11T00:00:00.007-05:002024-01-11T10:40:00.910-05:00Score<b>© by Gerald So</b> | <a title="permanent link" href="https://geraldso.blogspot.com/2024/01/score.html">12:00 AM</a><br />
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With each year I'm more amazed blogging is still a thing. I wish I could mark this blog's twenty years momentously. I wouldn't know where to begin. The day I start it was otherwise uneventful, not previously significant to me. I'm happy enough anyone keeps up with me since I quit Twitter last March. Feel free to write me sometime.Gerald Sohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03571407711439433431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314249.post-56110723531770306662023-12-24T03:08:00.002-05:002023-12-24T04:37:41.598-05:00Christmas, Christmas Time is Here<b>© by Gerald So</b> | <a title="permanent link" href="https://geraldso.blogspot.com/2023/12/christmas-christmas-time-is-here.html">2:30 AM</a><br />
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The past week has been hectic, a cardiologist checkup for my mother on Tuesday and a dental checkup for me Thursday. Since my mother's pneumonia last year, doctors have been watching her heart as well as her lungs. Recently she redeveloped some shortness of breath, and Tuesday's echo showed another valve had worsened from mild to moderate leaking. The cardiologist adjusted her meds, which seems to be helping. She has a pulmonologist checkup early next year. I know her survival is a gift, and I hope it keeps giving.<br />
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My dental checkup went fine. About three months ago I doubled my home care routine after watching <a href="https://www.teethtalkgirl.com/">Teeth Talk Girl</a> videos, buying a Sulcabrush, an end-tuft brush, and some TePes. Next I'm trying curved soft picks.<br />
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It's another Christmas keeping gatherings small, trying to avoid illness, in the words of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," muddling through. Peace and goodwill today and every day.Gerald Sohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03571407711439433431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314249.post-16574959583348421512023-12-22T08:30:00.012-05:002023-12-22T08:48:57.006-05:00REACHER Season 2 Halftime Report<b>© by Gerald So</b> | <a title="permanent link" href="https://geraldso.blogspot.com/2023/12/reacher-season-2-halftime-report.html">8:30 AM</a><br />
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REACHER Season 2 premiered last Friday and I caught up to Episode 4 this week. Season 2 is based on the eleventh book, BAD LUCK AND TROUBLE, about an unknown enemy killing members of Reacher's former Army unit, the Special Investigators.<br />
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I was most impressed with Season 1's supporting cast and <a href="https://geraldso.blogspot.com/2022/02/reacher-reaches-its-potential.html">remarked</a> that I'd judge future seasons on the chosen story and supporting characters. My issue with Season 2 is said allies are all super-competent at something, similar to Reacher himself. They don't set themselves apart as well as Season 1's cast did. Bigger, badder, better is a common sequel tactic after all.Gerald Sohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03571407711439433431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314249.post-75362172630947753902023-12-05T23:30:00.026-05:002023-12-06T02:45:51.922-05:00I've Finally Seen: INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY<b>© by Gerald So</b> | <a title="permanent link" href="https://geraldso.blogspot.com/2023/12/ive-finally-seen-indiana-jones-and-dial.html">11:30 PM</a><br />
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After some debate, I pre-ordered DIAL OF DESTINY on 4K Blu-ray,<br />
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In 1969 New York, retired professor Jones is drinking alone at a bar when his goddaughter Helena Shaw (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) finds him and convinces him to look for an artifact that dropped from a train thirty years earlier while Indy and her father Basil Shaw were fighting Nazis.<br />
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I expected worse from this movie after its mixed reviews and box office disappointment. I ended up preferring it to CRYSTAL SKULL, but none of the original trilogy. I realize that's not saying much, but then, CRYSTAL SKULL had a important character, John Hurt's Harold Oxley, speak jibberish almost the entire time.<br />
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Critics blasted Helena Shaw as as unlikable, but come on. We're not supposed to like her for much of the movie. I'll remember this one for the unrealistic expectations Disney placed on it because they badly needed a post-pandemic blockbuster. Story-wise, it's fine, an adventure of older Indy.<br />
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Everyone says this will be the finale. That's what they said about CRYSTAL SKULL...Gerald Sohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03571407711439433431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314249.post-62571091895219838782023-11-25T09:00:00.010-05:002023-11-29T12:23:38.377-05:00Mike Lupica Tour for ROBERT B. PARKER'S BROKEN TRUST<b>© by Gerald So</b> | <a title="permanent link" href="https://geraldso.blogspot.com/2023/11/mike-lupica-tour-for-robert-b-parkers.html">9:00 AM</a><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP4F2Tr49V2VyBJvF0gZGmTWUSOpcE7LSeY-tRpHNVI0qnGFNo5fgEpDWchgwJed89qSFkKsy0E3FJmJhwv1-mWFpGXVN8ckhA8IsNaAILNF850SaINLzazIFEchq3cXaLP--Zs8rIwAZmdvyuh0aNqhThbAcYGBBa3qSMsuoAqzRp8nG4s_0/s1600/RBPsBrokenTrust.webp" style="clear: right; display: block; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="Book cover showing four webcams, one shot to pieces and smoking" border="0" data-original-height="256" data-original-width="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP4F2Tr49V2VyBJvF0gZGmTWUSOpcE7LSeY-tRpHNVI0qnGFNo5fgEpDWchgwJed89qSFkKsy0E3FJmJhwv1-mWFpGXVN8ckhA8IsNaAILNF850SaINLzazIFEchq3cXaLP--Zs8rIwAZmdvyuh0aNqhThbAcYGBBa3qSMsuoAqzRp8nG4s_0/s1600/RBPsBrokenTrust.webp" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table>Mike Lupica's tour to promote his first Spenser continuation, <a title="Click to my review of ROBERT B. PARKER'S BROKEN TRUST" href="https://chatterrific.blogspot.com/2023/04/robert-b-parkers-broken-trust-by-mike.html">ROBERT B. PARKER'S BROKEN TRUST</a>, consists of a virtual event with Scottsdale, Arizona's The Poisoned Pen Bookstore and two in-person Florida appearances:<br />
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<ul><li>Monday, November 27, 6:00 PM Mountain/8:00 PM Eastern, The Poisoned Pen via <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thepoisonedpenbookstore/videos/mike-lupica-discusses-robert-b-parkers-broken-trust/316379034494782">Facebook Live</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HLiemNCTb0">YouTube</a></li>
<li>Tuesday, November 28, 7:00 PM Eastern, <a href="https://pbclibrary.bibliocommons.com/events/653904678fffe94c00c84e14">CROSS MEETS SPENSER with James Patterson</a>, moderated by Charles Todd, Palm Beach County Library, 14350 Hagen Ranch Road, Delray Beach, FL 33446</li>
<li>Friday, December 1, 5:00 PM Eastern, <a href="https://www.verobeachbookcenter.com/events/mike-lupica-presenting-robert-b-parkers-broken-trust">Vero Beach Book Center</a>, 392 21st Street, Vero Beach, FL 32960</li></ul>
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<b>NOV. 28 UPDATE:</b> I've edited the Facebook Live and YouTube links to lead to videos of the Poisoned Pen event. Comment below or join my <a href="https://matrix.to/#/#rbp-fans:matrix.org">Fans of Robert B. Parker</a> public Matrix chatroom to discuss it.Gerald Sohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03571407711439433431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314249.post-70691866365258692232023-11-25T06:00:00.001-05:002023-11-25T10:04:07.531-05:00I Wanna Stop and Thank You<b>© by Gerald So</b> | <a title="permanent link" href="https://geraldso.blogspot.com/2023/11/i-wanna-stop-and-thank-you.html">8:00 AM</a><br />
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My mother, brother, and I had a nice, quiet Thanksgiving. I air-fried turkey burgers and topped them with cranberry sauce and provolone cheese for lunch.<br />
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The next morning I caught myself seeking Black Friday deals, craving a day of rest, and took just one deal, on FRASIER: THE COMPLETE SERIES DVD set.<br />
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Thank you for another year reading my blog.Gerald Sohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03571407711439433431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314249.post-87157620296180496802023-11-15T04:00:00.009-05:002023-11-15T12:03:05.127-05:00NCIS: SYDNEY "Gone Fission"<b>© by Gerald So</b> | <a title="permanent link" href="https://geraldso.blogspot.com/2023/11/ncis-sydney-gone-fission.html">4:00 AM</a><br />
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Australian Federal Police Sgt. Jim Dempsey and Constable Evie Cooper (Todd Lasance and Tuuli Narkle) are forced to support NCIS agents Michelle Mackey and DeShawn Jackson (Olivia Swann and Sean Sagar) when an American aubmariner suspiciously falls into Sydney Harbor to his death during an Australian-U.S. ceremony.<br />
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First airing on Paramount + and Australia's Network 10, NCIS SYDNEY was slotted into American CBS TV as a contigency plan during the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. I've been an NCIS fan from the beginning. After twenty seasons and three spinoffs, it's a tough task to freshen things up, but NCIS: SYDNEY does, with genuinely new territory and younger characters whose futures are more at stake.<br />
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"Gone Fission" cut smoothly through the exposition and set up an arc that could carry through the eight-episode season. With the strikes over, NCIS and NCIS: HAWAII will return when that season wraps up.<br />
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<iframe width="480" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GjoBOpnYhaE?si=ODV9XhGz-GRGgfQJ" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>Gerald Sohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03571407711439433431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314249.post-86304058557825738342023-11-05T01:30:00.019-04:002023-11-17T03:15:33.466-05:00Fans of Robert B. Parker on Matrix<b>© by Gerald So</b> | <a title="permanent link" href="https://geraldso.blogspot.com/2023/11/fans-of-robert-b-parker-on-matrix.htmlL">1:30 AM</a><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitWUlt64IPoKHIh1aF8bQODxi_TgNWtLPKeP3w0e-V8KftTyECCSx2bN9741P383x1d0fcEZhyphenhyphenNHKN8Dc4V6LRp3sJzRc2Z_hIbwVXVOj8ay4orxSeBZxsj9W5X2miIsSsiImWJXGs07aywqr7DwD3ThoFzLqutXR014tW7hkGAZ4liEHGl7SKnQ/s256/RBP-NPR-Trace-256.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="256" data-original-width="256" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitWUlt64IPoKHIh1aF8bQODxi_TgNWtLPKeP3w0e-V8KftTyECCSx2bN9741P383x1d0fcEZhyphenhyphenNHKN8Dc4V6LRp3sJzRc2Z_hIbwVXVOj8ay4orxSeBZxsj9W5X2miIsSsiImWJXGs07aywqr7DwD3ThoFzLqutXR014tW7hkGAZ4liEHGl7SKnQ/s1600/RBP-NPR-Trace-256.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by John Earle<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>I recently began using the free, open-source, decentralized protocol <a href="https://joinmatrix.org/guide/">Matrix</a> for end-to-end encrypted messaging. You might use Matrix apps like <a href="https://element.io/">Element</a> to communicate privately with your family or team. The apps also let you create unencrypted public rooms for less-sensitive topics.<br />
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I've created a public <a href="https://matrix.to/#/#rbp-fans:matrix.org">Fans of Robert B. Parker</a> room to discuss his works, the film and TV versions, and the sequels commissioned by his estate. If you have or create an account on a Matrix homeserver, you can join the room at <a href="https://matrix.to/#/#rbp-fans:matrix.org">https://matrix.to/#/#rbp-fans:matrix.org</a>.<br />
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Icebreaker topic: Which of Parker's novels (or the sequels commissioned by his estate) did you read first? Which is your favorite and why?Gerald Sohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03571407711439433431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314249.post-33361065159801097152023-10-30T02:30:00.014-04:002023-10-31T02:50:19.062-04:00Night Tearers<b>© by Gerald So</b> | <a title="permanent link" href="https://geraldso.blogspot.com/2023/10/night-tearers.html">2:30 AM</a><br />
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Two weeks ago, I discovered one of my fitted bedsheets torn. The Boston Linen percale cotton set, mentioned <a href="https://geraldso.blogspot.com/2019/06/the-quest-for-sleep.html">here</a>, had served in biweekly rotation with a Pinzon percale set from May 2019 to November 2021 and triweekly since then.<br />
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I looked to replace it with a second Pinzon percale set since my first is helding strong, but Amazon seems to have discontinued that set. Finding many cotton sheet sets warrantied for two years, I decided on a navy blue Brielle Tencel Modal jersey knit set, having read modal is more durable in bedsheets than cotton.<br />
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You may be interested in the difference between the Brielle Tencel modal sheet set and a Brielle Tencel lyocell sheet set I bought in 2021. Tencel modal processing is less eco-friendly than Tencel lyocell's closed-loop, Among modals, however, Tencel is certified sustainably-sourced and uses less energy and water, causing less global warming and eutrophication. The Tencel modal sheet set can be washed in a cold-water normal cycle where the lyocell set specifies a cold-water gentle cycle.Gerald Sohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03571407711439433431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314249.post-81155880414427293342023-10-29T01:30:00.004-04:002023-12-06T02:50:20.798-05:00Matthew Perry dies at 54<b>© by Gerald So</b> | <a title="permanent link" href="https://geraldso.blogspot.com/2023/10/matthew-perry-dies-at-54.html">1:30 AM</a><br />
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I'm still in denial hours after reading reports FRIENDS star Matthew Perry died today at his Los Angeles home. I had watched Perry before FRIENDS on an 1987 FOX sitcom, SECOND CHANCE. The premise involved an older character played by Kiel Martin who, upon his death, finds himself in limbo, having been not quite good enough to get to heaven. St. Peter grants him the ability to try and influence his teenaged self toward better decisions.<br />
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I next watched Perry in an arc on GROWING PAINS, where he played Carol's charming boyfriend Sandy. In the last episode of the arc, coincidentally titled "Second Chance," Sandy has a car accident and vows to lick the drinking problem that caused it. Tragically he doesn't get the chance, dying in the hospital shortly after appearing on the road to recovery.<br />
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I wish Perry's death hadn't resembled Sandy's. One bright spot is Perry got to publish his 2022 memoir about trying to overcome addiction, FRIENDS, LOVERS, AND THE BIG TERRIBLE THING. I'll remember him as the actor who got to play Chandler Bing, the enbodiment of 1990s wit, the character who said what we all wish we had.Gerald Sohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03571407711439433431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314249.post-85368150087082939832023-09-30T05:30:00.220-04:002023-10-13T09:11:07.034-04:00Fifty Years of Spenser<b>© by Gerald So</b> | <a title="permanent link" href="https://geraldso.blogspot.com/2023/09/fifty-years-of-spenser.html">5:30 AM</a><br />
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2023 is the fiftieth anniversary of fictional Boston private eye Spenser's debut in THE GODWULF MANUSCRIPT. Earlier this week the website CrimeReads marked the occasion with <a href="https://crimereads.com/spenser-50-evolution-robert-b-parkers-iconic-character/">an essay by L. Wayne Hicks</a> including quotes from Parker's late widow Joan, his older son David, SPENSER: FOR HIRE screenwriter John Wilder, and continuation authors Ace Atkins and Mike Lupica.<br />
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A Spenser reader since 1993, I started an online discussion of Parker's works and legacy in 2001 and moderated it until 2018. The perks have included writing a tribute to Parker for a 2007 lifetime achievement award, interviewing Ace Atkins two days after his 2011 announcement as continuation author, and advance-reviewing the Spenser sequels. Here's my look at how Spenser has weathered the years.<br />
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While THE GODWULF MANUSCRIPT is our first glance at Spenser, the additions of psychiatrist Susan Silverman in book two and legbreaker Hawk in book four help reveal him as he endures and elevate the series like Avery Brooks elevates SPENSER: FOR HIRE.<br />
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Books two through ten test Spenser and Susan's love to a breakup that lasts through book twelve. The romantic tension a meaningful part of the series to that point, I miss it in the rest of Parker's entries. In his later years, the characters become settled and ageless, the books virtually standalone. This lets me down as a longtime fan, but lets new readers start with any book, lets Spenser live anytime.<br />
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I covered Ace Atkins' continuation run here and elsewhere at the time. Summing it up, I admire that he didn't pick the characters up in the infinite episodic state Parker left them. Instead, his sequel to Parker's final Spenser read more like Parker in his prime. Atkins didn't ride Parker's coattails. He established his own credibility and made a case for Spenser's relevance with every book.<br />
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Mike Lupica steps into Spenser this November with <a href="https://chatterrific.blogspot.com/2023/04/robert-b-parkers-broken-trust-by-mike.html">ROBERT B. PARKER'S BROKEN TRUST</a>. Before the promotion, he ably emulated Parker in four Sunny Randall and three Jesse Stone sequels. His writing in Spenser's voice, though, is less flowing than Parker's or Atkins'. His Spenser is also quick to explain poetic remarks. These changes lessen my enjoyment, but they may make Spenser more accessible to people not as steeped in poetry. That might boost sales and create demand for further Spenser.<br />
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Similarly, Netflix's 2020 picture <a href="https://chatterrific.blogspot.com/2020/03/spenser-confidential-review.html">SPENSER CONFIDENTIAL</a> didn't aim to please Spenser readers; it aimed to draw Mark Wahlberg fans. Maybe they'd read Spenser from there, maybe not. How many more books, TV shows, movies can there be? The market will decide.Gerald Sohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03571407711439433431noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314249.post-51698400861180270352023-09-25T22:00:00.012-04:002023-09-26T05:07:06.416-04:00David McCallum dies<b>© by Gerald So</b> | <a title="permanent link" href="https://geraldso.blogspot.com/2023/09/david-mccallum-dies.html">10:00 PM</a><br /><br />
Venerable actor David McCallum, most recently of TV's <i>NCIS</i>, died this morning aged 90. McCallum made a lasting impression on me as <i>The Man From UNCLE</i>'s Ilya Kuryakin, pairing gravitas with Robert Vaughn's levity and sending the aspirational message that in a time of cold war, agents from all over the world could cooperate for the greater good.<br />
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Later his one-of-a-kind presence on <i>NCIS</i> helped the show draw older viewers. I think the secret to the show's success is characters of every generation—Ducky, Gibbs, DiNozzo, McGee, Palmer, Bishop, Kasie—respectfully working together.Gerald Sohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03571407711439433431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314249.post-43244107161102077922023-09-25T04:00:00.009-04:002023-09-25T04:10:32.606-04:00Mastodon Update<b>© by Gerald So</b> | <a title="permanent link" href="https://geraldso.blogspot.com/2023/09/mastodon-update.html">4:00 AM</a><br />
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As Elon Musk floats the idea of a monthly fee for all X users, free open-source social networking software Mastodon has rolled out <a href="https://blog.joinmastodon.org/2023/09/mastodon-4.2/">version 4.2.0</a>, with noticeably improved search features letting users find friends and posts by entering key words, phrases, date ranges, or hashtags.Gerald Sohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03571407711439433431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314249.post-32309325472699588982023-09-04T05:00:00.008-04:002023-09-04T05:00:00.151-04:00Retrospective<b>© by Gerald So</b> | <a title="permanent link" href="https://geraldso.blogspot.com/2023/09/retrospective.html">5:00 AM</a><br />
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I didn't receive enough submissions to continue my weekly crime poetry site, <a href="https://poemsoncrime.blogspot.com/"><i>The Five-Two</i></a> for a thirteenth year, so today's poem is the last, "Something Fishy" by J.H. Johns, about the recent arrest of a suspect in the Gilgo Beach murders.<br />
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My thanks again to everyone who contributed to and enjoyed <i>The Five-Two</i>. The site lost a news outlet last year when I left Twitter, but I couldn't stay in good conscience. Also Blogger's post editor lately blinks out in the wee hours, the time I usually worked on <i>The Five-Two</i>.<br />
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Though the main feature is ending, I'm happy to post <i>Five-Two</i> alumni news. Feel free to contact me and stay in touch.Gerald Sohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03571407711439433431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314249.post-11042787176735986042023-09-02T11:30:00.008-04:002023-09-02T11:51:15.616-04:00Jimmy Buffett dies<b>© by Gerald So</b> | <a title="permanent link" href="POST URL">11:30 AM</a><br />
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After two unspecified health incidents this year, Jimmy Buffett died last night aged 73. One of my professors at Hofstra, who liked my C.J. Stone aviator stories, recommended Buffett's novel <i>Where is Joe Merchant?</i> From there I got into Buffett's music, which reminds me to kick back and enjoy myself whenever I can.<br />
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Here's to you, Jimmy.Gerald Sohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03571407711439433431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314249.post-3437039918588165112023-07-23T04:30:00.040-04:002023-07-25T12:54:21.836-04:00Practically a single bound<b>© by Gerald So</b> | <a title="permanent link" href="https://geraldso.blogspot.com/2023/07/not-quite-single-bound.html">4:30 AM</a><br />
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On Adult Swim's <i>My Adventures with Superman</i>, traditionally metahuman and supernatural villains like Livewire, Silver Banshee, and Parasite have high-tech origins, keeping the show somewhat real and setting Clark further apart. He's the only one with alien powers so far.<br />
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Clark and Lois meet at a convenience store and are instantly smitten. In a few hours working together, she appreciates how earnest and quietly helpful he is. On the other hand she thinks Superman an evasive liar. Answering anyone who ever groused, "Can't Lois figure out Clark is Superman?" intern Lois has, by the fourth episode. This strongly suggests it wnn't be the belabored plot point it's been for decades of comics and shows.<br />
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Clark and Lois's chemistry is my favorite part of mythos. Already, <i>My Adventures with Superman</i> has served it with more focus, continuity, and nuance than any earlier animation. I have no idea where the fourth episode will go. That's truly enticing.Gerald Sohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03571407711439433431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314249.post-48207261766954160132023-07-19T04:00:00.002-04:002023-07-19T04:30:48.979-04:00Strike Two<b>© by Gerald So</b> | <a title="permanent link" href="https://geraldso.blogspot.com/2023/07/strike-two.html">4:00 AM</a><br />
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Last week, the American actors' guild SAG-AFTRA joined the Writers Guild of America on strike against the major Hollywood studios. No telling when things will be resolved, but two unions stoppping work should force the studios' hand sooner. Here's hoping.Gerald Sohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03571407711439433431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314249.post-30722076742388068842023-07-07T14:30:00.008-04:002023-07-08T14:16:22.496-04:00Adult Swim's My Adventures with Superman<b>© by Gerald So</b> | <a title="permanent link" href="https://geraldso.blogspot.com/2023/07/adult-swims-my-adventures-with-superman.html">2:30 PM</a><br />
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In development since 2021, <i>My Adventures with Superman</i> premiered on Adult Swim yesterday and I watched the first episode today via the Adult Swim app.<br />
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On their first day as <i>Daily Planet</i> interns Clark Kent (Jack Quaid) and Jimmy Olsen (Ishmel Sahid) meet slightly more seasoned intern Lois Lane (Alice Lee). Lois is tasked with showing Clark and Jimmy how to make copies. Instead, already on the scent of a huge story, she cons them into helping her.<br />
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This telling of the famous trio's beginnings distinguishes itself in that Clark and Jimmy are roommates. Though Clark tries to hide his powers, he can't look past people (or pets) in peril, and you gather Jimmy is keen to prove the existence of aliens, cryptids, and other oddities because he's been living with Clark.<br />
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Jimmy and Lois talk fast and frequently and Sahid and Lee are up to the task. Meanwhile, despite knowing Jack Quaid's voice as <i>Star Trek: Lower Decks</i>' Brad Boimler and previous smaller roles in DC animated movies, I find his Clark fresh.Gerald Sohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03571407711439433431noreply@blogger.com0