Media

Oh, the things I do to avoid painting ogres:

Supernatural. Despite the fact that everyone in this series is far too good looking, I enjoy the story lines. Two brother fight the supernatural, and often themselves, in a matter of fact, male Buffy kind of way. I feel dirty.

The Economist. Still my news source. I've been reading the articles online lately, since the afternoons are a bit slow. It has a great calming effect. British news never gets too emotional or sensational.

The Dresden Files. I'm reading the first book, Storm Front. Similar to Supernatural, it's a mystery-fantasy modern day story. I found the TV series entertaining, and the books are equally fun. I'm told they get even better after the first three.

The Wire. Season 4 is on Netflix finally. I was able to watch the first disc but now the second is unavailable. This season is about how the kids and schools fit into the drug crime equation. It's good watching, but not as compelling as the first two seasons.

Sopranos, Season 6.5: Also new on Netflix. Some fun stuff with the various characters, but again, the thrill is gone.

The Office. This one took a while to grow on me, but man is it compelling after a while. Every character is interesting and the inter-office love affair had me consuming vast amounts of "Watch Instantly" programming like a wussy couch potato. I watched everything available on the American series and now I'm starting the British version. Unfortunately, the US version lifted many of the plots, so the British one is less enjoyable. Plus I think I may need subtitles which I can't get online.

Sim City Societies. It's sad, but I spent all day Sunday playing this game. I got hold of some bad milk the day before, so I was feeling sick. I attempted to re-create Las Vegas. It worked, except that I couldn't get the crime under control. No amount of police power would put those pesky sims in line. This game is just less fun than other sim city games. It's more of a simulator than a good game. It's just too easy. You want to make an artsy happy city? Great, you do it. You want to make a crime ridden hell hole? Great, here you go. Where's the game? It didn't keep me from blowing a day off though.

New Games. I learned to play Alhambra last night. It seems like a fun, light game similar in appeal to Carcassonne, but a little more difficult to explain. I'll need to play a few more times to get a better feel for the mechanics. Last week I had fun playing Cutthroat Caverns, a cooperative dungeon delving card game that requires you to come together as a party while trying to back stab your buddy. You can't win without them, but you need to come out on top. Fun.