Now
(This is a now page, and if you have your own site, you could have one too. Find the archives on the Then page.)
As of May 29, 2025:
Working On
I’m in full tilt mode with work because it’s a very busy summer. I have a family vacation coming up in a couple weeks and then for two weeks in July I’ll be on the Mysterious World pilgrimage to Italy. And since the backend of the network is essentially a one-man operation, it means I have to do lots and lots of work to prepare for my absence. Yes, we’ll be mostly on hiatus those weeks, but some shows we don’t want to stop. On top of that are all the family things that need to get done before both trips (see below) and I’m feeling ab it of the stress.
For many people, summer is a time to slow down and catch your breath, but not me I guess. With so many holidays on Mondays and production schedules that don’t take a holiday, it feels like a lot.
Faith
It’s Ascension Thursday as I write this and in the Archdiocese of Boston that means it’s a Holy Day of Obligation. Unfortunately, I could go to Mass at noon with the rest of the family. I spent the morning getting new tires for one of our cars (which couldn’t wait because we’re taking the car on vacation) so I’m trying to make it to an evening Mass somewhere local.
Scouting
The boys had a fantastic time with their troop in Washington, DC. They even got on the local news briefly during the annual flowers of remembrance ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. I’m sure these memories of a lifetime.
Playing
No time for playing, unfortunately.
Reading
I finally Howling Dark by Christopher Rucchio. As I said before, it’s a good space opera but very long. At times, I wanted to tell the main character to stop crawling up his navel and get on with it. But the final chapters and the big action set piece were very good.
I’m not reading Rick Atkinson’s The Fate of the Days: The War for America, Fort Ticonderoga to Charleston, 1777–1780 by Rick Atkinson. It’s the second book in his The Revolution Trilogy. The first book was excellent and I’ve been looking forward to this one, especially as we approach the 250th anniversary next year. I’m only a few chapters in, but the prologue was surprisingly good, covering the situation in France and the origin story of the Marquis de Lafayette. I’ve just started the chapters that cover the battle for Ticonderoga ahead of Saratoga Springs. Given that we vacationed up there last summer, I’m looking forward to reading those chapters.
Watching
I’ve been biding my time a bit before deciding the next things to dive into. I’ve watched several Stargate SG1 and Atlantis episodes. I haven’t yet watch the Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld animated series because the kids want to watch them. I did re-watch Rogue One, although I regrettably fell asleep during the final battle. I want to rewatch that part. After watching Andor, it still holds up as the best of the new Star Wars movies.
Melanie and I have been watching Murderbot on AppleTV+. We both read and loved the Martha Wells books and looked forward to and dreaded the show. Would they do Murderbot justice? Could they? It’s such a unique character, a robot animated by laboratory-grown human flesh, not really human so not really male or female. The show adheres to the plot of the book very closely. The cast so far is great, very much capturing the characters in the book. I wish they kept the mask on Murderbot more (like they do in The Mandalorian) to make him more “other.” He’s too human. He moves too much when standing still and reacts too much. Murderbot of the books is 90% internal monologue, 10% external reactions. Nevertheless, we’re both enjoying, especially since they’ve captured the humor so well.
The Recruit
Better Call Saul
The Rookie
Babylon 5
Stargate SG1
Stargate: Atlantis
Star Trek (All series)
Doctor Who (classic)
Health
Annual physical was good. All the various numbers check out within parameters. I have a cardiologist appointment next week and he tends to be tougher on me than my primary care physician. Bracing myself for that: Lose weight! More exercise!