hells_half_acre (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
hells_half_acre) wrote2011-12-13 07:33 pm
hells_half_acre) wrote2011-12-13 07:33 pm
Entry tags:
Gordon Walker, Sherlock Holmes, and Sam's Plaid Shirts
I've started working again. Same job I had before, sadly...which means that I get to research former abuse victims all day. It is both depressing and boring. The only two good things about it is 1)It pays well when it pays, and 2)I can work from home.
Gordon Walker
Yesterday, my sister came home around 3pm and asked if I wanted to watch a movie. So, I blew off work and watched Our Idiot Brother starring Paul Rudd. My sister and I both really like Paul Rudd, just so you know. The movie looked stupid, and it was a little, but it was also hilarious. The ending was especially fantastic.
And guess who was in the movie?! Gordon Walker! Otherwise known as Sterling K. Brown. He played a parole officer. He was very good...it was funny seeing him in something where he wasn't trying to kill Sam.
Sherlock Holmes
Because my job is boring, I listen to podcasts and audiobooks while I do it. Today, I started listening to A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle....because I had never read it before.* And, also, because I'm super excited about Sherlock series 2 starting on January 1st. It's cool. I've only listened to the first chapter or so, but it's really interesting seeing how it was adapted for the TV series. There's some dialogue that is word for word from the text, while other dialogue is modified, while some is cut completely or new.
It's cool to see what conversations from the 1800s can be transported to the present day without anyone batting an eye-lash.
I like the TV version of character of Sherlock better than the book so far - he's too arrogant and talkative in the book, which is saying something, because bbc's Sherlock is pretty damn arrogant and talkative as it is. I also like the TV version of John better too...John in the book is a little uptight - though, I suppose that's unfair, given that he is a Victorian gentleman. Again, I've only read the first bit of the story, so this could change - but so far John lacks that undercurrent of hardened soldier that Martin Freeman pulls off so brilliantly in the show. I REALLY like that dynamic to John. In the book (so far), he's all doctor-y, and "of all the unmitigated gall!"
*I'm supposed to be reading another book-book called Beatrice and Virgil for a bookclub thing, but I haven't even started it yet. I'm also supposed to be reading a book that a friend of mine just wrote and published, but I have only read until Chapter 4 and that was a week ago. I am a bad book reader, because I get distracted by books.
Sam's Plaid Shirts
I was doing up some pie charts of Sam's shirts, but I've run into a little methodology quandary...so, you might not see them for a day or so until I sort it out. Basically, I was trying to do charts by season of Sam's frequency of plaid...but the problem is how to count. I was counting how many plaid shirts he wore vs other types of shirts - but then it occurred to me that the way I was counting, if he wore plaid shirt A 3 times, and striped shirt B once, it would both count as once - because I simply didn't record how OFTEN Sam wears his shirts. I just counted whether they appeared in the season or not.
So, my first option would be to count how often he wears each shirt - but my god, that would be too tedious even for me....and it would take far too long. So, now I'm thinking that I'll just count the shirts that he BUYS each season. So, it'll be a measure of "What sorts of shirts does Sam purchase most frequently?" Does that sound good?
You probably don't care.
Anyway..um, yeah, that's it for me.
Gordon Walker
Yesterday, my sister came home around 3pm and asked if I wanted to watch a movie. So, I blew off work and watched Our Idiot Brother starring Paul Rudd. My sister and I both really like Paul Rudd, just so you know. The movie looked stupid, and it was a little, but it was also hilarious. The ending was especially fantastic.
And guess who was in the movie?! Gordon Walker! Otherwise known as Sterling K. Brown. He played a parole officer. He was very good...it was funny seeing him in something where he wasn't trying to kill Sam.
Sherlock Holmes
Because my job is boring, I listen to podcasts and audiobooks while I do it. Today, I started listening to A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle....because I had never read it before.* And, also, because I'm super excited about Sherlock series 2 starting on January 1st. It's cool. I've only listened to the first chapter or so, but it's really interesting seeing how it was adapted for the TV series. There's some dialogue that is word for word from the text, while other dialogue is modified, while some is cut completely or new.
It's cool to see what conversations from the 1800s can be transported to the present day without anyone batting an eye-lash.
I like the TV version of character of Sherlock better than the book so far - he's too arrogant and talkative in the book, which is saying something, because bbc's Sherlock is pretty damn arrogant and talkative as it is. I also like the TV version of John better too...John in the book is a little uptight - though, I suppose that's unfair, given that he is a Victorian gentleman. Again, I've only read the first bit of the story, so this could change - but so far John lacks that undercurrent of hardened soldier that Martin Freeman pulls off so brilliantly in the show. I REALLY like that dynamic to John. In the book (so far), he's all doctor-y, and "of all the unmitigated gall!"
*I'm supposed to be reading another book-book called Beatrice and Virgil for a bookclub thing, but I haven't even started it yet. I'm also supposed to be reading a book that a friend of mine just wrote and published, but I have only read until Chapter 4 and that was a week ago. I am a bad book reader, because I get distracted by books.
Sam's Plaid Shirts
I was doing up some pie charts of Sam's shirts, but I've run into a little methodology quandary...so, you might not see them for a day or so until I sort it out. Basically, I was trying to do charts by season of Sam's frequency of plaid...but the problem is how to count. I was counting how many plaid shirts he wore vs other types of shirts - but then it occurred to me that the way I was counting, if he wore plaid shirt A 3 times, and striped shirt B once, it would both count as once - because I simply didn't record how OFTEN Sam wears his shirts. I just counted whether they appeared in the season or not.
So, my first option would be to count how often he wears each shirt - but my god, that would be too tedious even for me....and it would take far too long. So, now I'm thinking that I'll just count the shirts that he BUYS each season. So, it'll be a measure of "What sorts of shirts does Sam purchase most frequently?" Does that sound good?
You probably don't care.
Anyway..um, yeah, that's it for me.
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I saw them pretty much exactly one year ago - so, yeah, it HAS been a bit of a wait. I think they originally aired in August 2010...so, that's QUITE the wait for a cliff-hanger resolution.
It's SUCH a good show though...I've heard from an advanced viewing that it's going to be well worth the wait for the new series.
I have the DVDs too. Just goes to show you how good the show is. The only DVDs I've bothered to buy are Supernatural and Sherlock. (Also proves that if networks/studios just made quality things, they wouldn't have to worry about piracy. :P)
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Also, Beatrice and Virgil! That's Yann Martel right? Have you read the Life of Pi? OMG. I read it when I was... well, just after it won the booker prize, which was 2002? So, 12? Maybe a bit older. But still, SO GOOD.
Also I too am a bad book-book reader. I read more fanfiction than actual novels these days. I'm not even sure why. But I'm trying to get out of it by reading Shantaram. Which might be a bad idea as tht book is 700 pages long...
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The entirety of my New Years plans consist of me watching Sherlock on New Years day. (assuming with the time difference that it gets put on on the internet on New Years day for me too.)
I read more fanfiction than actual novels these days too - and I think it's because fanfiction warns you if it doesn't have a happy ending, or is "dark" whereas novels do not. I have grown more anxious and in need of light entertainment as I've aged....so, I like knowing exactly what is coming.
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Mine seems to be going that way too. Going to London is gonna be expansive. :(
I think fanfiction, for me, had given me a shorter attention span. As in, it's really easy to skim read and skip bits in fanfic. But I find that harder with books (maybe cos it makes me feel like a bad person :P). I think it's also because of the warnngs though. And also books are expensive.
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I get books from the library - so I don't really have to worry about the cost of it all. So, I have no excuse...though, to be fair, finding and reading fanfic doesn't involve leaving my house, which is a bonus. (Getting audiobooks from the library doesn't involve leaving my house either though, so that's nice.)
I think you mean "expensive" though I'm sure going to London is expansive too. ;) Actually, with our whole young/old conversation, it occurs to me that that time I set foot in London was 9.5 years ago as well. Geez...I really should go back and see more than a train-station.
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I have an odd need to own the books that I like. And sometimes to just own the books I read. Part of me wishes I had a copy of every book I have ever read for pleasure - which would be totally impractical. But I'd love it.
Haha yeah. Expensive. And come to London! It's lovely. It has wonderful museums and art galleries. They're what I miss most. Well, that and all my friends. :P
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I'm pretty sure this is the reason for Harlequin's success. Not to belittle them of course (my sister works there), but there's something reassuring about knowing where the story is going.
I have an odd need to own the books that I like. And sometimes to just own the books I read. Part of me wishes I had a copy of every book I have ever read for pleasure - which would be totally impractical. But I'd love it.
I'm the same way. Or was, until I became absolutely broke. Now, suddenly, libraries aren't that bad. :P
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I also think that, as you don't have to turn pages, you are less aware of how much you are reading or how much time you spend doing it. Books, and you can feel one side getting thicker and one thinner as you turn the pages.
Yeah i'm probably going to get to that stage soon. But luckily for me my dad currently has about £300 worth of book tokens that he doesn't mind me using occasionally. :P
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And yeah, in terms of Gen SPN fic, it's about knowing the characters and the universe already.
Also, when you read fic on screen, you can have different tabs open - like your email, or what have you...so it's easier to do something else for a bit in the middle of reading a story. When you are reading a book, there's this desire to get to a good stopping point before you put it down...and you feel like an idiot holding a book and then checking your computer every 10 minutes to see if there's anything more interesting going on (and that's a product of the short-attention spans that the connected-world has given us.)
Man, you can buy a lot of books for that kind of money. :P
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That being said. I have become good at the "walking and reading" thing. I did it a lot in London. Which is potentially quite hazardous. :P
I KNOW. And we do. Though I am trying to read all the ones I have now before I buy more. Which failed spectacularly seeing as I bought two more books last weekend. :/
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I REALLY like audio-books. I kind of wish regular books CAME with audio versions, because it's much easier for me to "read" an audiobook - I can do it while working, or cleaning, or walking somewhere or driving (if I upload it to an ipod or my phone).
I can't read while walking, and I can't read inside vehicles (even when not the driver) because I get motion sickness. So, really, if I want to read a book-book, I have to say "I'm reading this book now and that is ALL I am doing" and after being conditioned to multitask for the past 10 years or so, that's hard to do. It's sad, but true.
Anyway, I should really change that. Learn to manage my time better...that sort of thing. But, if I had a dollar for every time I said that and didn't actually change any of my habits, then I probably wouldn't need a job. :P
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See I don't like doing other things when I'm reading. I could listen to audiobooks, but only of they were stories I already knew. For instance, Harry Potter is a lovely audiobook. But otherwise... no.
Aah I basically taught myself to read while on buses and trains and the such. Buses especially, because along with the tube, it became my prime reading time while I was in London. I've even progressed to being able to read on motorways now! :D Also, thanks to travelling to Norway by ship a lot, I can read on even pretty rough seas. Which is useful, because it's not like there's a lot else you can do while on a ship. Though not on the Irish Sea. The Irish Sea is a nightmare.
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I just can't do anything that involves reading while I'm listening to an audiobook (or writing anything longer than a single word)...anything else goes. Data-entry is fine (which is what most of my job is), because it's just copying...I don't have to put any thought into what I'm reading or writing.
I used to be able to read in the car - and then at some point in my late teens I lost the ability completely...now I can't even read maps for too long in the car.
I've been on the Irish Sea! It IS a nightmare! Haha...I was on this huge ferry, and it was still nearly impossible to walk in a straight line.
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Oh the Irish sea was horrible because we got free passage. On a freighter. Which is great cos... free. But not so great, because instead of taking one and a half hours or whatever, it took 8. :/ I slept the whole way there, else I would have thrown up. It was horrible.
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I think Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman are brilliant in their roles, and I can't wait for the season 2 to start! I don't know if I can watch on New Year itself, but I'm going to try :)
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I've always been a fan of the Sherlock-trope, I guess...the classic, genius + trusty sidekick. Doctor Who is sort of like that too. But man, I don't think any version has ever come close to the awesomeness that is the modern version. Benedict and Martin are just perfect, and they both bring something to the role that makes the characters more real and human than any adaptation I've ever seen before.
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