[DVD] Battlestar Galactica 2.0

After re-watching all of (the new) Doctor Who (Series 1) and thoroughly enjoying the mix of humour, drama, accents and whiz-bang effects, it took me a few episodes to get back into Galactica-mode.

At the end of the first season, they'd started to inject a little levity into the scripts but this is a return to dark and gritty, humankind in peril stuff. Which, after I acclimatised, became very compelling and I definitely got caught up in the story. Not always comfortable viewing, and therefore not likely to appear on my watch-again list (I like my "drama" interspersed with craziness/comedy, ala Scrubs, X-Files, Threshold, etc.).

If you dug S1, this second installment will certainly not disappoint. Awesome space battle scenes alone (with a more "real" CGI style I'll always associate with Firefly) made it impressive to watch, and the acting is consistently powerful, making me care what happens to the characters. Throw in guest appearances by Michelle Forbes and Dean Stockwell, and you've got a nice little package.

[Movie] Nacho Libre

If you like dodgy accents, creative salad arrangement, spandex and the weirdest training montage you'll ever see, then this movie is for you.

A little of Jack Black's trademark song styling, extensive use of the word "crazy" and impressive fight choreography add up to a non-stop thrill ride of spills and chills... or, more accurately, a consistently laugh-inducing, warm and fuzzy 90 minutes well spent.

(Thanks for the invite B!)

Curly metal device

I'm not going to be quite as foolish as Liv in talking up the arrival of Spring, since after that post we had gale force winds and plenty of showers for over a week (lucky I was in bed most of the time anyway). So, instead, I will let the new additions to my Walking photoset speak for themselves.

Health watch

A full day of work, followed by a 40 minute walk as soon as I got home, and I'm actually feeling good. Well, my leg muscles are a bit rubbery, but I suspect that's because I haven't walked more than a few minutes at a time in the last 16 days. I can only assume that all the hard walking and good eating earlier this year (plus all the good comment vibes) have helped me bounce back waaaaay better from my post-viral fatigue. I'm actually stunned, in a good way! Considering how totally drained I felt yesterday, I expected to feel at least a little tired today, but I seem pretty close to normal. Yippee, time for a day off!

The rebuilding begins!

I returned to work today and managed a busy 9-4, really getting the feeling that I am needed and I do have a contribution to make, which is something I often find myself struggling to believe. Maybe the only thing stopping me from loving my job is actually recommitting myself to it, getting properly involved in things, rather than handing everything off to others. While I feel thoroughly exhausted right now, and will have to wait to see how I "back up" for another full day tomorrow, I'm actually feeling pretty positive. So, rather than analyse that feeling too much, I'm going to go watch some more Simpsons episodes (since my arms feel like lead and so anything more strenuous will have to wait).

Wotsikmewotch

A slew of DVDs have been keeping me company the past week, and here's a little summary:

Earth 2 - The Complete Series
From IMDB: "Colonists, crash-landed on an alien planet, begin the long trek to their originally designated landing place, facing both alien and human threats."
12 years old, but still extremely entertaining. Despite its sci-fi premise, it really is more about the characters and how they handle the situation the find themselves in. Touching, humorous and often thought-provoking.

Arrested Development - Season 3
Sadly this is the final season, but it went out with a bang. Every episode hilarious and I'm going to have to rewatch just to catch the many jokes I missed while laughing. It was definitely worth the wait. If you haven't seen the first 2 seasons, watch them first, because the number of callbacks to earlier jokes might actually make this series unwatchable for newbies.

Veronica Mars - Season 2
Although I'd already seen the first 15 (of 22) episodes, they were equally enjoyable second time around, and I was consistently stunned by how much story was packed into each 40 minute show. Lots of red-herrings, humour, pop-culture references and a climax that resolved big questions while opening plenty more for the 3rd season (starting October 3 in the US)to resolve. Not a painful cliffhanger ending, though, which was appreciated, and showed some faith that viewers will return for the quality of the show, not because they're tormented by a lack of answers.

Currently being watched: Fresh Prince of Bel Air (S2) and The Simpsons (S8)
Next on the list: Doctor Who (S1) and Threshold (The Complete Series)

Biding my time

Since I'm out of sick leave without a certificate I actually relented and went to the doctor this morning, to find that I have a mild respiratory tract infection. No antibiotic solution, though, so it's just a wait and see approach. In the meantime, I have a whole certified week off, to laze around watching DVDs (good), napping (tolerable) and occasionally coughing my head off (bad). I'm hoping to very gradually return to some exercise over that time, as my knees and back haven't liked the lack of movement, but judging by how poorly my lungs took to a slow 5 minute sunshine shamble at lunchtime I'd say I won't be rushing into any hour-long sessions too soon.

One other piece of good news is that my blood pressure is down to 110/70, which means that I'm probably not as stressed as I sometimes think I am, and that the exercise has made a significant difference (my BP reading had been something like 140/95 last year, which is right in the high pressure zone). That measurement alone will hopefully allow me to relax, in what may possibly be irony, or maybe just some kind of sensible mental feedback mechanism.

So (1) I'm afraid that weekend plans aren't really on my radar (sorry Em!) and (2) a certain J needs her own blog, when the comment is longer than the original post :)

Craptastic

A sickness break from blogging, with no particular end in sight. After foolishly raving about all sorts of positive things, and how good my exercise habits were, etc. I've been sent crashing back to reality with a cold/flu/virus which has kept me from any real work or walking for the past 8 days. I'm supposed to somehow survive a 3 day training course starting tomorrow at 9, when I actually feel worse than I did last Monday, my first sick day since I started on my wonder pills. Since I can't use caffeine, and cold/flu medicine seems entirely ineffective, I remain doubtful of being an enthusiastic participant.

So, as is usual for me when I get sick again, after a whole 3 months of comparative health, I lose my confidence that this kind of chronic illness crap will ever end, that my life is going anywhere, that I know what the hell I want to be doing, blah-de-blah-blah. Some of my pessimism surfaces from a lack of activity, and the distancing effect that being confined to bed has, but the fact that negativity sits so close to the surface just makes me think I'm usually just fooling myself that I'm cheerful, and as soon as I get fatigued and have no energy for self-deception the truth comes out.

And that's why: (1) I call this the World Wide Whinge, and (2) why I shouldn't post when I'm feeling sorry for myself. Nothing is ever as bad as I make it sound (quite how useful a talent that is, I don't know) and I'm sure that once I can do more than move from bed to lounge and back without needing a nap I'll be my faux-positive self again. Hoor-koff-koff-ay!