The Leftovers – season 1

On By Rick McIn TVLeave a comment

The Leftovers is a supernatural drama TV series that aired 2014 – 2017. …

… begins three years after the “Sudden Departure”, a global event that resulted in 2% of the world’s population disappearing. …

Despite receiving average Nielsen ratings throughout its run, the series has developed a cult following. …

Following the event, mainstream religions declined, and a number of cults emerged, most notably the Guilty Remnant, a group of white-clothed, chain-smoking nihilists, …

This show is skillfully done. It’s surprising. Never cliche.

That said, there was not one character I could cheer for.

Not Justin Theroux as Kevin Garvey, Mapleton’s troubled chief of police. Theroux is just as unlikeable in a later series – The Mosquito Coast, based on the novel by his uncle Paul Theroux.

Ann Dowd is excellent, as always. A role something similar to how she played Aunt Lydia Clements in Handmaid’s Tale. Not likeable.

Liv Tyler as Megan “Meg” Abbott is beautiful. But I did not like her.

Paterson Joseph as Henry “Holy Wayne” Gilchrest is somewhat interesting as the charismatic leader of another cult. Ultimately a bad guy.

Perhaps the one character I partly related to was Christopher Eccleston as Matt Jamison, a Reverend.

I’ll probably continue with the next 2 seasons as they are considered better. In fact, Leftovers was  the highest ranked show of the 2010s by Metacritic’s aggregate.

The Simple Truth by David Baldacci

On By Rick McIn booksLeave a comment

The Simple Truth (1999) by David Baldacci is quite good.

The plot sounded more Grisham — a murderer in prison for life wants to appeal to the Supreme Court.

Suddenly everyone who has anything to do with the possible case is at risk of being killed.

This one is definitely above average for Baldacci. I recommend it.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

On By Rick McIn books, moviesLeave a comment

Excellent. Literary students should be studying this book.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a novel by Gabrielle Zevin. 

Amazon named it the best book of 2022.

I’d heard the hype — but didn’t rush to get a copy. The plot didn’t sound all that intriguing.

Over the course of three decades, the relationship between two friends, Sadie Green and Sam Masur, changes as they develop video games.

But it is fantastic. A modern classic.

Delightful. Original. Charming.

All true.

Modern and philosophical.

How many novels feature a love story where the couple are not sexually involved?

All that said, I found the second half of the book not nearly as good as the beginning. Anticipating a poor ending — I am pleased to say the wrap-up is very well done.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Paramount Pictures and Temple Hill Entertainment purchased the film rights for Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow for $2 million.

The Broken Window by Jeffery Deaver

On By Rick McIn booksLeave a comment

The Broken Window (2008) is the 8th book in the Lincoln Rhyme series.

As always, Deaver backs up his entertaining stories with great research.

Though the book was published 2008, it parallels what could happen in 2023 as hackers are winning the war against privacy.

…  a killer has access to the world’s greatest data miner called Strategic Systems Datacorp. He is using detailed information to commit crimes and blame them on innocents.

Lincoln Rhyme, Amelia Sachs, and characters from the previous books, team up to stop the criminal.

DJI OM 6 (Osmo Mobile) Gimbal – my review

On By Rick McIn product endorsements, videoLeave a comment

I liked the OM 4 — but lost the best piece, the magnetic clamp.

SO … purchased the OM 5. Much better. … But it broke for no reason, within a year.

I tried to send it in on warranty, but somehow DJI bungled my request.

In any case, the OM 6 looked yet another big improvement. So I bought it on Amazon for CAD $215.00.

Most importantly, ACTIVE TRACK actually works all the time on the 6. That wasn’t the case for the 4 or 5.

If you take a lot of video on phone, I recommend it. Personally, I like smooth video, not handheld shake.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Battery life is up to 6 hours. You can recharge in the wild with an external, portable battery.

I haven’t tried the Osmo Mobile SE. Cheaper with fewer features.

Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz

On By Rick McIn booksLeave a comment

Anthony Horowitz is an excellent murder mystery writer.

This one from 2016 is a bit of a sequel to the very popular The Magpie Murders.

Moonflower Murders (2020) finds Susan Ryeland broke, running a small hotel in Crete.

For ￡10,000 she’s convinced to fly home to England to investigate the disappearance of a woman from another hotel.

Why?

Because there are parallels between how Cecily disappeared and another novel that Ryeland had edited in the past.

It’s a story within a story.

In fact, if you read this book ➙ you read 2 books. The one based on the other.

The second is called …

Atticus Pünd Takes the Case

In the novel Pünd and his new secretary are hired to investigate the murder of Melissa James, a former actress turned wife and hotel owner. As with the case of Frank Parris, there are many potential killers who could have murdered Melissa such as her husband …

Magpie murders was adapted for TV. It must have been successful as now Moonflower Murders will be coming to the small screen in 2023.

My First Dentures … 🦷

On By Rick McIn about Rick, economics, government, health & fitnessLeave a comment

I now have 2 dentures.

The upper looks good. And is not all that uncomfortable. It does require some concentration to speak clearly. And I do have to eat … differently.

The bottom is larger and much less comfortable. I’m hoping it gets better seated over time. The denturist made some adjustments after a couple of weeks. That has helped. Some.

I’ll go back again in 6 months.

My remaining REAL bottom teeth are in rough shape, as well. I’ll probably have to do something with them in the next couple of years.

One downside with dentures is that you must remove and clean them at night. Put them back in place in the morning.

I do recommend my Denturist Vlad Dumbrava. FutureSmiles, Calgary. Two locations.

Vlad guesstimated the total work at about CAD $3000 — and that Alberta government insurance for Seniors of low income would cover about $2500. That sounded GREAT to me.

He also agreed to rush the top temporary denture so I could travel. And install the other denture on my return to Calgary.

Final ACTUAL cost to me: $648.

I had 5 teeth extracted, as well, in order to make room for the dentures. Those seems to have been 100% covered by my insurance.

Hopefully I can learn to live with dentures. I’m still considering it an experiment.

There are other more expensive options.

Granada, Córdoba, and Spain’s Costa del Sol

On By Rick McIn travelLeave a comment

One of the most popular tourist destinations in the world.

If you want a great BEACH and wonderful weather, head for the coast.

If you are more interested in Moorish history, head for Granada and Córdoba.

There is some decent hiking in Andalusia, as well.

Watch it on YouTube. Rick Steves’ Europe.

His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik

On By Rick McIn booksLeave a comment

This is the first book I’ve read from Naomi Novik.

Novik’s first novel, His Majesty’s Dragon (Temeraire in the UK) is the first novel in the Temeraire series, an alternate history of the Napoleonic Wars in a “Flintlock Fantasy” world where dragons are abundant and are used in aerial combat. …

The dragons of the story are portrayed as sapient and intelligent, capable of logical thought and human speech. The series centers primarily on events involving Temeraire (the titular dragon) and his handler, Will Laurence. …

I found the story refreshingly different. Historical fiction with dragons that speak perfectly on hatching. They learn language through the shell.

It turns out that Temeraire was to be a gift from the Chinese to Napoleon, his personal mount. But the British captured the egg from a French ship.