Stuff. Things.

[maplemood]

Every time I fall out of journaling and then try to write a catch-up post I remember that my life is pretty boring for the most part...which I don't mind except for when I'm trying to write catch-up posts. But anyway. I've been pretty busy. Some things have happened. More things have not happened. 

1.) My summer class is officially over with! It ended up being a lot more relaxed and less stressful (though not stress-free) than I was worried it would be. It still did obviously take up most of my time, and I haven't wanted to read or write much of anything for the past three weeks or so. I don't want to not want to read or write anything, so hopefully I can get back into the groove of that soon. Hopefully. 

2.) I'm about three episodes into season 3/the last season of Jessica Jones and realizing more and more that the show peaked for me in the first season. It's not that I hated season 2 and I don't hate what I've seen so far of season 3 either but...I'm just not grabbed by it? Either emotionally or plot-wise; I keep switching it off mid-episode and going to do something else because it's...not all that interesting. At least not to me and at least not right now. I wonder if some of that has to do with pacing; NONE of the Marvel Netflix shows had this as a strong point but back in season 1 of JJ Kilgrave was a presence right from the beginning. Season 2 took its sweet time setting up the villain, and season 3 seems like it's going down the same route, and for some reason they way they went/go about that sucks so much urgency out of the plot for me. Not having a good sense of who the villain is for the first couple episodes doesn't leave me all that interested in finding out. Also--I really, really didn't want to be this person but GOOD LORD is Trish getting on my nerves. I love her. I really do love her, and boy do I get the obsession with wanting to be someone special and heroic and to do something that matters (who doesn't?), but her desire to be someone is really starting to overtake her desire to, y'know, actually help people. Which I'm pretty sure is what this season is going for, and I'm pretty sure they'll resolve it in an interesting way (if I can make it that far), but. TRISH.

3.) On the bright side I got a new phone and have been catching up on My Favorite Murder and also getting into The Teacher's Pet; I need to finish The Long Dance, too.

4.) War and Peace keeps chugging on. I'm up to Volume Three, Andrei is very obviously Not Long for This World and I'm much, much sadder about that than I expected I would be based on my reaction to him when I first started. Pierre continues to be adorable and awkward and ineffectual in the most relatable way, Natasha and Princess Mary and Sonya are all lovely and wonderful, Hélène is awful and wonderful, Anatole is pitiful, Dolokhov is...Dolokhov. I know I'm missing more than half the characters, but I really do love every single one and I'm both excited to say that I finished War and Peace and not ready at all to finish War and Peace. 

Comments

[skye_writer]

Glad your summer class went well! As always, it's good to see you around. :)

[maplemood]

Thanks! I'm going to try to get back into checking up on here regularly and commenting on everyone's posts in the next couple of days; I've missed that.

[cmcmck]

If you want another Russian mega read when you do finish, I'd recommend: 'The Brothers Karamazov'.

[maplemood]

It'll probably come down to either that or Anna Karenina, I'm not sure yet!

[troisoiseaux]

I'm actually listening to the latest MFM episode right now!! Is The Teacher's Pet the Australian one? I listened to about half of it but never ended up finishing it...

(Also, yay, War & Peace!!! I'm so glad you're enjoying it!)

[maplemood]

MFM is probably my biggest go-to comfort podcast, which is kind of weird considering its subject matter, but then again Karen and Georgia always manage to be both funny and respectful of the victims. The Teacher's Pet is Australian--I'm about four episodes in, I think? The host is great, and the case really gets under your skin.

I'm totally in love with War and Peace--I held off reading it for a long time just because of the length, but it actually does move along pretty quickly and I don't feel ready to be done with it yet.

[troisoiseaux]

MFM is probably my biggest go-to comfort podcast

Honestly, same!!!!!!!!! Listening to Karen and Georgia is like hanging out with the cool older cousins I always wished I had. Have you read their new book? I've got it on hold at the library.

[maplemood]

I haven't yet, no! You'll have to let me know how it is. :)

Oh yeah, definitely the cool older cousins/cool aunts you always wanted. The ones who'd always watch Forensic Files with you.

[st_aurafina]

The Teacher's Pet had to be pulled because of legal issues, though I think the case is over now, so maybe it will be back? I hope so.

Kilgrave was a really strong story arc for Season One, but I am enjoying the other seasons, too? IDK, I read the Alias comics originally, and the TV show really hits that characterisation right.

[maplemood]

Oh yeah, I heard they took it offline in Australia. I haven't really been keeping up with the case outside of the podcast, but I probably should.

To be fair, I'm not sure how much of me not clicking with this season is down to my state of mind when I started watching and how much of it is an actual issue with the series itself--I do plan on finishing it, and despite being grouchy about it I do love the characters a lot.

[elperian]

I've not been inclined to watch S2 or S3 of JJ for precisely those reasons. Sometimes you just have to let a show go (and with the end of the Netflix MCU era upon us, it's good timing).

[maplemood]

Yeah. It doesn't help that I've been feeling really burned out with the MCU in general lately--they're smaller pockets of it that I'll love forever, but the overall franchise is just starting to exhaust me.