I was so excited to see the Project Hail Mary movie, I couldn't wait! We didn't make it to the theaters so my husband and I watched it the day it came out on Amazon. It was cute and funny and had beautiful visual scenes, but I was still disappointed. I wish more than anything that I had seen the movie before reading the book.
I usually expect that the book will be better than the movie, that's just almost always the case, but I felt that PHM left out so many important and wonderful details from the book that they could have included, and they also changed Stratt's personality in a way I didn't care for, and Ryland's as well. The scene of Stratt singing was unnecessary and didn't fit for her character imo. They should have included the scene where Grace saved Rocky after the issue with the ship in Adrian's orbit (and then almost accidentally killed him... but I'm kinda glad they left that part out, heh). Grace was much more of an intelligent scientist in the book, and more of a goofball in the movie. They had things on the ship that didn't make sense (like the virtual reality room, the windows which would have allowed space radiation into the ship since astrophage couldn't block it there, several unnecessary accessories like a ball that he plays with and party hats). The book was so well written but I felt the story just wasn't expanded upon enough in the movie. They left out a really funny part from the book with the scientists' relationship... and with Grace's amnesia and not knowing his name at first, with him slowly getting back memories over time little by little, blowing up Antarctica to help with earth's climate and save more lives, with how much Grace admired Rocky's skills and respected him, and so much more.
I didn't hate the movie but after listening to Ray Porter narrate the audiobook, it just wasn't nearly as good. I highly recommend listening to the audiobook if you haven't read it yet, or if you saw the movie and enjoyed it first! There's so much more to the story that they just couldn't include in a 2.5 hour movie.
I stayed up late last night talking with my husband after watching the Good Omens finale, but I stayed mostly off Facebook and Tumblr so I haven’t read anyone else’s opinion on it yet. I didn’t hate it, and there were parts that I definitely enjoyed, even parts that were heart-stopping and breath-holding for me, like when Crowley and Aziraphale were asking questions of and speaking to God, and then privately conversely with each other after. I felt that they tried to fit in everything that fans could possibly want from the Good Omens finale, more fan service than anything else, but at the same time I came away disappointed, thinking of the potential for what it could have been if it hadn’t been so condensed. I’m sorry my thoughts might be a bit scattered, I’ll try to organize this as best I can.
I missed seeing Maggie and Nina, even if as different characters. They were in both Seasons 1 and 2, and I expected to see them again. I wish they at least could have been present in the café at the end, as well as Anathema and Newt. I also wish we could have seen Gabriel and Beezlebub, but I was very happy to see Jesus and Adam together in the café, that was fun!
David Tennant and Michael Sheen were of course amazing as usual/as expected. They worked hard to give their characters resolution. I loved watching Crowley throw the ice cream cones over his shoulder and hope we someday get to see a blooper or deleted scene of it since I heard the first take had David screaming when the ice cream went down his back! I loved the finger kiss. I loved the apparent role reversal. In season 2, Crowley was so desperate just to be with Aziraphale and it seemed to be all he wanted, but then at the finale when Aziraphale said that all he wanted was to be with Crowley, it felt like every one of Crowley’s actions from season 2 had been for Aziraphale, to make him happy, and vice versa. Aziraphale went back to heaven to try to fix and change things and make the world better for Crowley, to make him happy, because that is what he wanted all along. They were always trying to show their love and make the other happy all along, and that felt right.
I was surprised and slightly disappointed that God wasn’t played by Frances McDormand, though Tanya Moodie did a good job.
I’m not sure exactly how I feel about the ending and the alternate universe. It really felt like a complete short work of AU fan fiction plugged in at the end. Although the new universe that restarted with the big bang and evolved over billions of years wasn’t supposed to have demons and angels or heaven and hell, was supposed to have complete freewill, clearly God still had a hand in bringing the human versions of Crowley and Aziraphale (and all the other characters present in the café) together. All part of the great ineffable plan in the end I guess. Seeing the ineffable husbands together at their cottage in the South Downs was cute. It felt like they (the writers/creators/producers of the show) tried to give fans what they wanted.
I felt that Jesus, as he even poignantly states before being erased, didn’t have enough time to make a real difference. I would have liked to see his part of the storyline developed and expanded more, it felt way too rushed. Same with Michael. Even the Metatron disappeared too quickly right at the beginning, I felt like there should have been more to it. I really wish they could have given it the full 6 hours, or at least 3 hours to do more with the story.
I’m curious about heaven and hell. We see humans going to hell in season 2, but you never see humans in heaven, and when Jesus first appears in his new body he asks about his friends and his mother, but the angels simply tell him it’s been thousands of years and they are dead. Well, where are they, if not in heaven?! So humans don’t actually go to heaven in the story then, they just disappear? Why can’t he see them there? Is there a separate part of heaven where human souls are that we never see? We only see the clinical, empty, clean offices where the angels work. The Center of the Universe was interesting and I loved that Aziraphale and Crowley were able to go there in the Bentley.
At the beginning when they show the war between angels and demons, and we see Aziraphale as a general, I was at first surprised. I got the impression in the first season that Aziraphale was a lesser angel, but then I remembered he was a very important Guardian of the Eastern Gate and was expected to command one of the legions during the war of the Apocalypse at the end of season 1, so it made more sense to me then. I like that they showed part of Crowley’s “fall” or “sauntering vaguely downwards,” though it wasn’t what I expected at all. Again, I wish they had more time to visit the past between Crowley and Aziraphale and show more.
I plan to watch it again soon and may have more thoughts but this is all I can think of for now. I should have written down my thoughts last night but I had to get some sleep and this is the first chance I’ve had. Overall (TLDR), I both liked it and also felt a bit disappointed and like there was a lot missing from the story. I’m conflicted on the very ending. It was nice, but also it wasn’t Angel Aziraphale and Demon Crowley who got to live happily ever after, but alternate universe human versions, which wasn’t quite as satisfying.
The first rule of self publishing is to have fun and be yourself.
The second rule of self publishing is to fist fight the CEO of Spotify in the Denny’s parking lot with your keys sandwiched between the knuckles of your fists.
Russell Crowe infamously once had to leg it from the cops after fistfighting a New Zealand millionaire in the toilets of a London restaurant. You are being encouraged to kick this dude's arse in an enclosed space.
But I also don't have to think about it right now.
One of my mantras to help me stay focused on the present and not think about bad things that happened in the past. It would be better if I could forgive, I suppose, but I can not or will not. It's not water under the bridge for me, but a raging river torrent of muddy water and debris that carries the memories away from me, for now.
James Islington's Licanius trilogy, the third book The Light of All That Falls (possible spoilers ahead, if my hunch is correct? I could be wrong)....
When Raeleth first met Niha in Zvaelar (at the end of chapter 29) I said to my husband "Those are Davian's parents!!" I felt instantly certain, I don't know why but it just seemed right. My husband's already read the books but he won't give away whether I'm right or wrong so I'll have to wait and see...
My favorite things about this series are that the issues and challenges that come up are NOT due to miscommunication or lack of communication between characters, which is very refreshing. The characters are all pretty much excellent at communicating and telling each other important and honest truths! Also, that almost all the characters think things through. They don't rush in or jump to conclusions, they actually take time to consider all the information and seriously look at their own beliefs as well as different opinions. It seems so different from most other fiction.
While we're looking up at the Artemis II astronauts journeying to the Moon, they're looking back home at us.
In this image, Earth peeks through the capsule window, reminding us that a view like this relies on the ingenuity and hard work of countless people back home.
In the second image, we see our home planet as a whole, lit up in spectacular blues and browns. A green aurora even lights up the atmosphere.
Follow the Artemis II astronauts on their journey to the Moon:
Sent this to my husband and he said "but where are the elephants the world is riding on?" And I think we've been reading too much Terry Pratchett lately...
if i can impart any one piece of wisdom to y’all, it’s to, whenever possible, assume good intentions
assume people are trying their best, want to be good and treat others well, and that when their behavior doesn’t align with those goals, it’s because of outside factors that are pushing them to their limit
it’s hard to do, it doesn’t always come naturally, but it’s worth it
before anyone jumps in with an “op has clearly never worked in the service industry,” i work in a public facing library job
i have a patron who is mean as a snake. won’t respond when you greet her, barks orders at you, and is generally nasty
i couldn’t stand her & dreaded the moment she walked in the door, until i stopped one day & went “wow, to walk around feeling unhappy enough to treat people so horribly every day. what a difficult way to live.”
and so my tactics changed. i made a point to be extra kind & friendly to her. she changed her hair color one day & when i complimented her on it, she was very caught off guard & said “oh, thank you. my whole life i’ve thought i was ugly.”
now we’re at the point where she shows me pictures of watercolor paintings she made & says hi when she walks in the door. she’s not my favorite patron, but she’s perfectly okay. most unpleasant people aren’t inherently rotten, they’re just unhappy & coping with it poorly
assume people are always doing their best, even if their best happens to fall a bit short. assume good intentions
Curate your hygiene routine, curate your clothing items, curate your home, curate your habits, curate your nutrition, curate your environment, curate your circles, curate you socials, curate the content you consume, curate your social skills, curate your financial situation, curate your emotions, curate the version of you that shows up in public, curate your hobbies, curate your knowledge.
It's wild seeing the people hating on this, who will then reblog Hit Da Bricks or "eat off the good china" memes with no self-awareness.
I think some folks are conflating lifestyle curation with presenting a capital-L Lifestyle for others to consume.
This isn't about neatly capturing, tagging, and running filters on every facet of your life. It's about being mindful of who and what you choose to let into your life.
I'm willing to bet we all have things in our lives that cause pain/frustration that we could let go of or otherwise change, from toxic "friends" to that coffee mug you never use that takes up space in your cabinet.
These are all examples of questions I have asked myself that led to more mindful curation in my life (ymmv):
Did I buy [object] just to have or will I actually use it?
Would I be friends with [increasingly toxic person I've known since childhood] if I met them for the first time as an adult?
Do I use [room in my house] for its typical intent, or do I do something that's specific to my lifestyle knowing that may impact my home's resale value?
Does it take me 30 min to pick out an outfit because I like everything in my closet, or is it because I like nothing?
Am I holding onto [object] because I like it, or because [family member] guilted me into keeping it?
Do I pull over during errands to check out [roadside stand/attraction] or keep going, because of some imaginary timeline I have in my head?
Do I stop reading this book or watching this TV show because I'm not really into it, or slog my way through because I'm not a "quitter"?
Do I alter [common antique object] because it will make me happier, or do I leave it as-is because age somehow makes it "sacred"?
It really helps to have a little voice in your head that pipes up when you make decisions on autopilot, especially when the reason is "that's just how it's always been".
There's a lot we don't have control of in our lives, and a lot we where do have control, but are either afraid to exercise that control, or have never even *considered* we have control.
Sometimes, curation is changing your gender presentation. Sometimes, it is buying duplicate cleaning supplies because you know you won't ever bother to go downstairs to get Windex to clean the upstairs bathroom mirror. It can be as radical as makes sense for you. But it should be mindful, and ultimately, honest.
People picking church have never seen a church conversion, they are a pain in the ass! You have to basically cut off the windows to get an upper floor or live with weirdly too big spaces and it still looks like a church with a sofa in it not a house.
Fire station is the right answer because they already have accommodation which means you can make some part of it look like a normal house but you get to keep the firemen's pole and just think about how great your shower's water pressure is gonna be in a place that was designed to refill a fire truck's water tank!
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