Author: intothisshadow


Jan 20, 2022
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intothisshadow

The Expanse Wallpapers

Two new wallpapers, featuring my two favorite characters from The Expanse: Camina Drummer (Cara Gee) and Chrisjen Avasarala  (Shohreh Aghdashloo) 😀 Both actors did a wonderful job with their respective roles!

Cara Gee was great in Strange Empire so I was very happy to see her show up in The Expanse, and I’ve been a fan of Shohreh Aghdashloo since 2005 when she was in a dozen episodes of 24. So having both of them in my favorite genre media (space tv series) – and not only that, but which is also my  favorite current space tv series based on an excellent series of books – was just a treat 😀



Jan 13, 2022
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intothisshadow

Barbara Stanwyck Wallpaper

My first wallpaper of the year is of Barbara Stanwyck, as Connie Colby in The Colbys. Back when I first saw this show in mid-80s, she was my favorite along with Stephanie Beacham as Sable. Prior to the start of the show, I had just seen Barbara Stanwyck in several black & white Hollywood classics and though she was so awesome in those, and was so happy to see her every week in The Colbys 😀 



Jan 13, 2022
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intothisshadow

The Friday Five for 14 January 2022 – TV Shows

Answers to this week’s questions at https://thefridayfive.dreamwidth.org/107390.html

1. What is the first TV show you remember watching?

Pikku Kakkonen, a Finnish tv series for little kids. It started in 1977 when I would’ve been 3 and I know I watched it because it just has always felt familiar and like I’ve always known it. But the first one I have an actual memory of watching, is Nils Holgersson aka Peukaloiset retket aka The Wonderful Adventures of Nils aka Nirusu no Fushigi na Tabi (1980 – 1981). When I was a kid, Nils Holgersson was very important to me, and I still remember the Finnish version song from the tv series.

I have very faint memories of other little kids things but I’ve no idea whether they were tv shows or movies, or what they were. I couldn’t explain these enough to, say, to my Mom or other older people for them to ID them.

2. What is the first “grown up” TV show you watched?

I’m not sure! I started watching them early I think. Maybe Seven Brides For Seven Brothers (1982 – 1983) or The Thorn Birds (1983)? Those two are certainly some of the oldest first run tv shows I remember watching.

The earliest Finnish grown up tv series I remember watching is Vihreän kullan maa (1987 – 1988), then I can’t remember watching Finnish tv shows until Tuntemattomalle jumalalle in the 1990s. I don’t like watching Finnish language movies and tv shows because of the awful dialogue. Either its wooden and unnatural, sort of formal and not how people talk in real life, or the rhytm is natural but pronounciation is unclear and I need subtitles because everyone is mumbling their lines. Basically I can never forget these are actors saying words, so I don’t watch Finnish things except for a very special few cases where the thing in genres I prefer and is so praised that I want to check it out.

3. What is the first TV show you watched from the start to finish when it aired live (i.e., not via reruns)?

One of the kids shows, like the Nils Holgersson one mentioned above.

4. What is the oldest TV show you’ve watched?

Edited: Actually, looks like it’s I Love Lucy! That one started in 1951. Alfred Hitchcock Presents, according to IMDB. I’m not sure all episodes were aired/if I caught all episodes if they did. The oldest Finnish one is propably Heikki ja Kaija (1961 – 1971) that I’ve seen some of on re-runs at some point ages ago.

5. What is one TV show you will stop and watch if you come across it on TV, even though you’ve seen every episode at least 20 times?

I don’t watch live TV anymore except for special things such as the governments COVID-19 sitreps (not all of those anymore either) or the Independence Day Reception every year (one eye on it, one eye on something else). Back when I did still watch live TV, Sledge Hammer! and Dark Skies were shows I always watched if I could even on re-runs. Otherwise, there haven’t been reruns of tv shows I’m a huge enough fan of on tv channels I have had access to.



Jan 7, 2022
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intothisshadow

Look On 2021 – Reading Meme

 

How many books read in 2022?

37 fiction novels cover to cover. Two novels I couldn’t finish – one because I just couldn’t muster enough interest beyond the beginning, and one because I ran out of time to finish it before it needed to be returned to the library due to it having other holds on it waiting. That one I will re-borrow sometime this year.

Plus something like a 1,5-2 million words of fanfic, propably.

Plus a bunch of non-fiction books about baking, and random subjects such as iron defiency or pictorial history books about my home town.

Favorite first-time read?

Ancestral Night and Machine (White Space #1 and #2) by Elizabeth Bear.

Least favorite first-time read?

Mentalisti by Camilla Läckberg & Henrik Fexeus. Just cliche-ridden, meandering and predictable.

Fiction/Non-Fiction ratio?

Probably something like 95% fiction, 5% non-fiction. Roughly estimated.

Author gender breakdown?

4 novels by men, all the others by women as far as I can tell purely by names.

Most books read by one author this year?

8 novels by Minette Walters.

Any in translation?

My mother tongue is Finnish. Majority are Finnish translations from English, a bunch from Swedish.

In languages other than English?

My mother tongue being Finnish, the majority of them! I did read 7 novels in English, and all the fanfic was also in English.

Oldest?

Ruumis jääkellarissa (The Ice House) by Minette Walters was published in Finnish in 1995. That one is probably the oldest this time round.

Newest?

About half of the 37 were published in 2021 and 2020, and that’s too many to list.

Longest Title?

Quickly counting the characters in the longest titles and the winner is… Vedenpaisumuksen lapset by Risto Isomäki

Shortest Title?

Pyörre by Yrsa Sigurdardottir

Longest book?

I don’t know, I don’t keep count of the page count. A lot (most?) of them were in the 400-500 page range.

And of course, many of the fics I read were well over 100,000 words.

Shortest book?

Ruutitynnyri (The Tinder Box) by Minette Walters

Format of books read?

Paper: 35
Ebook: 2

Re-reads?

At least 5 of the Minette Walters that I know because I actually remember reading them. These are re-reads from 90s and 00s. I’m not sure of the other 3 Minette Walters – they might also be-rereads, but I can’t say for sure I remember them.

First book acquired:

Didn’t buy or get a book as a gift this year. All were library loans.

Last book acquired:

Didn’t buy or get a book as a gift this year. All were library books.

First book finished:

I’m not sure but probably Elsewhere by Dean R. Koontz, or Pyörre by Yrsa Sigurdardottir. I usually have at least two books under works at the same time, and these two are the first ones on my list of books read in 2021.

Last book finished:

Ihon alla by Tiina Raevaara

Book that most changed my perspective:

Semiosis/Inteference by Sue Burke

Favorite character:

None. More like favorite concepts. Such as the plant world in Semiosis/Inteference. So different from what I’m used to reading!

Favorite scene:

None

Favorite Quote:

None

What do you want to read in 2022?

I hope White Space #3 will come out – although I’m not even sure if there’s supposed to be #3!

I’m salivating for the last book of The Expanse series – I’m in line to get it from the library. But there are no Finnish translations of the series done, and only one copy in the original language in local libraries so it’ll take months to get it because it’s only just been published. Last I looked I was number 4 waiting in the line, so assuming everyone keeps it only for the month that is allowed and no overtime, I’ll get it some in May.. waah! I’m trying very hard to be patient, but it’s with ill grace!



Jan 5, 2022
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intothisshadow

Look On 2021 – General Personal

Was 2021 a good year for you?

I wouldn’t call it good, but not terrible either. About the same it’s been for several years now.

What did you do in 2021 that you’d never done before?

Started a biologic for migraine. Three days before the year end, but it counts!

Did you meet any of your hopes/goals for the last year?

Spent a lot of the year on long sick leave – that was both a hope and a goal. Because it’s mentally better than being unemployed while knowing I am not able to work even if I got a job.

Hopes or goals for the next year?

I hope the migraine biologic works for me and is effective against my migraines. We should see in about 3 months the latest!

Did anyone close to you give birth?

Nope.

Did anyone close to you die?

Nope.

What countries did you visit?

None.

What would you like to have in 2022 that you lacked in 2021?

Money. Covid-19 to run its course and go into being not a problem. More energy and so more creativity both for online activities and offline ones.

What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Surviving.

What was your biggest failure?

There’s nothing this year that I see as a failure. I did the best I could with what I got.

Did you suffer any illness or injury?

Nothing new – just all the old chronic ones. My left arm pain that I had been having for about 1,5 years got worse towards the autumn, and in December I had an ultrasound and X-ray on it, waiting to officially hear the results from my doctor and what to do about the problem, but I already know there’s apparently a rather large calcium deposit in the tendon of my left shoulder.

What was the best thing you bought?

Nothing specific comes to mind, but I have greatly enjoyed the various fountain pen ink samples and MU print on stickers I bought last year!

Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?

The Finnish political party Perussuomalaiset is always embarrasing and shame inducing.

Whose behaviour merited celebration?

Our Prime Minister Sanna Marin and her government.

Where did most of your money go?

Rent and food.

What did you get really, really excited about?

Nothing.

What songs will always remind you of 2020?

None.