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Hauntings and Other Fantastic Tales - Vernon Lee
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Books
- Hits: 801
A pioneer in the genre of "Psychological" Ghost stories, whereupon allowance is made for both the narrator as well as uncanny origins. Floridly written, it takes a while for the mind to shape itself to the meander of her prose, but worth it, references to classical literature and art abound, Gothic tales evoking the ruins and landscapes of Italy.
COVIDIOTS
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Miscellany
- Hits: 618
The news, the news, the news, constantly updating, refreshing, I'm trying to learn to turn it off, all it does is stoke the anxiety and fuel the uncertainty. Too much news isn't keeping me informed, it's making me a CoVidiot. Given that I was expecting an apocalypse of one sort or another I really, really should have been better prepared...
The numbers, always growing, exponential, always grim, and increasingly under reported. The scale is massive, and the fallout will be immense.
On a lighter note - just looking at the numbers (Don't look east - or SOUTH!!! Don't Look!!!) - Alberta and BC are doing well. Far better than I had predicted or anticipated, which might prove the efficiency of Social Distancing and early action. This is not going to pass quickly, and my own anxiety is mirrored in every article I come across. I don't find that reassuring.
Wondering - as everyone is - what the new normal will be when finally this is over. I would expect some serious changes to the way we travel - and restrictions on where we can travel. Not that anyone in their right mind is going to want to head to the US anytime soon. The fallout with credit, debt, rent, I would expect real estate prices to "Get Real" at some point over this. We - as a nation - should be reconsidering our ethics in dealings with certain countries, by which I mean China - Saudi Arabia - The US. And we should be looking at becoming a lot more self reliant. Cheaply manufactured luxury goods - TV's and Computers - are going to get a lot more expensive. They should be.
So, plans, it being doubtful that any meaningful work is going to come in over the next 4 to six months, are to find a remote area of BC and start panning. I've done the math, pretty sure I can make enough to cover camp costs - $2 - $3 a day times a hundred and twenty days is better than sitting around growing ever more overdrawn with no certainty or expectation of ever returning to a normal world.
3:10 To Yuma
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Film
- Hits: 686
In keeping with the Western Theme, this 2007 film with Christian Bale and Russell Crowe was excellent. Really excellent. Well paced, superbly acted, the most despicable of villains, it has it all. If it had a flaw - it might be the general amorality of the piece - other than a couple of central characters (no spoilers) almost all of the Bandits, Bad Guys and Lawmen were - well, a little too deeply flawed for my taste. I think I need to find something a little more affirming to watch...
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