by binkman71

Happy Everything

Happy Solstice

Merry Christmas

Happy Hanukkah

Happy Kwanzaa

Gruß vom Krampus

Happy New Calendar

And everything else celebrated at this time of year.

After a rocky start, Dax finally got his first round of chemotherapy treatment for his cancer.  It kept getting postponed due to the doctor determining his blood tests revealed he wasn’t healthy enough for it.  Which seems like an oxymoron of sorts to me, but I’ll defer to the experts.  He’ll start his second round of treatments on Saturday, the 28th of December.  Provided, of course, he’s still “healthy” enough to receive the treatment.  I’m trying to remain positive about all this; the initial prognosis was good, but the delay in starting treatment may have given the cancer time to screw more things up.  Time will tell.

I also celebrated my birthday this year by attending PAX Unplugged 2019.  While I have attended in the past to celebrate all things gaming without video, this year was a slight bust for me.  Aside from having too much on my mind, I just kept running into road blocks on the convention floor.

This game seems cool, I’ll take it!  “Um, we didn’t bring any to actually sell…just demo.”

This looks interesting!  “Thanks!  We’ll be putting up a Kickstarter soon!”

Your sign says the game creator will be signing copies during this hour?  “Yeah, about that, we’re not sure where he is…”

And on and on.  While others went and had a blast, I just kept running into frustration after frustration.  Wasn’t a good convention for me, but was decent enough I will likely still attend next year if possible.

My puppy, Kira, continues to struggle with housebreaking.  She is five months old now, and still not grasping the concept.  It is getting better, with fewer incidents, but I long for the day when the count goes to zero.  She manages to hold it all night, so I’m not sure why she can’t when she isn’t in her crate.  I’m also a bit out of practice on this front, though, as she is the youngest dog I’ve brought home in like 20 years.  (My other rescues through the years have been 6 months or older when I adopted them…Kira was just over 2 months old when she came home with me…)

Oh, and remember my previous post on crafting machines?  I got my Silhouette Cameo 4…and also ended up with a Cricut Explore Air 2.  There are some things they both do very well, and some things they don’t.  If anyone wants to know what those things are, or why I decided on getting both, let me know and we can discuss.

Anyway, I suppose that’s it for now.  The year is drawing to its close, governments everywhere are just a mess, family members and my dog are battling health issues, I’m getting older, and time continues its inevitable march forward.

 

by binkman71

A Bad Year for Pets

I haven’t posted much lately, I know.  I still see lots of movies (thanks to Regal Unlimited), but I haven’t been posting reviews much (go see Knives Out).  I’ve also been playing some video games (Jedi: Fallen Order is excellent), but also not posting about them.

See, after my dog Simon died, my oldest dog, Dax, mourned him pretty heavily.  Then, around September, Dax got sick with some nasty digestive problems.  We medicated him, and all seemed well.  I took my yearly vacation to Orlando, Florida for Universal Studio’s Halloween Horror Nights, and had a blast.  I even took a slight detour to Disney World and Hollywood Studios to see the new Galaxy’s Edge attractions and geeked out to some Star Wars stuff.

Shortly after returning home my employer hosted its yearly picnic.  As a charity this year they welcomed a local SPCA chapter, who brought along a litter of adorable dachshund mix puppies for adoption.  I decided to give one a home, as she was very sweet and seemed to take a liking to me.  Thus, my pack returned to having three dogs.

By October, however, Dax stopped eating as much as he used to.  Of course this lead to some weight loss.  Then his digestive issues came back.  We went back to the vet, and I assumed it was the stress induced by the puppy being in the house.  Dax is 9 years old, so while he is by no means elderly, he isn’t as spry as he used to be.  We medicated again, and hoped for the best.

Things only got worse.

To cut to the chase, by mid-November Dax had lost nearly 20 pounds from his former 65 pound self.  Fur and bones, my vet ran various tests, all of which kept coming back negative.  It was then that, being as thin as he was, they noticed some swelling in his lymph nodes.  One very expensive biopsy later and Dax is diagnosed with lymphoma.

I am referred to a veterinary oncologist who runs another battery of tests.  The good news: the cancer doesn’t appear to have spread to any other organs or systems.  A round of various meds and chemotherapy should help put him into remission.  The oncologist puts his odds at around 80% or more that remission will happen, so we are going forward with the treatment plan.  It’ll take about 10 weeks to complete.

Needless to say, this has been a worrisome preoccupation lately.  I am trying to remain hopeful that the treatment will work.  I’m not sure I can handle losing two dogs in less than a year very well.  I’m also having to try to keep up with the puppy during all this.  A puppy, might I add, who really isn’t grasping the concept of house training.

*sigh*

Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends and family.

by binkman71

Crafting Machines

Those who know me know I like to engage from time to time in various crafty endeavors.  Just last year I learned how to do loom knitting and have made several knit caps that I have given away to friends and coworkers (most of whom graciously accepted, whether they wanted them or not).  Recently I completed my first (and potentially only since I didn’t enjoy making it very much) pair of knitted socks.

So, I dabble.

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by binkman71

3 From Bill Skarsgård

Okay, so I’ve not written anything here in quite a while.  September brought my annual vacation, then at my company picnic a local SPCA brought puppies.  I went home with a new little girl who has been running me ragged keeping her out of trouble and cleaning up after her!  Anyway, onto some reviews…

“It: Chapter Two”

A movie that needs no real introduction.  Not as good, I didn’t think, as the first, but still quite enjoyable.  Bill Skarsgård’s turn as the titular pronoun’s evil clown incarnation is still fantastic and creepy.

Final Grade: B+

“Villains”

A dark comedy about two thieves (Skarsgård and Maika Monroe) who unfortunately have their getaway car run out of gas on a back road.  They spy a nearby home and break in, hoping to steal the owner’s car or at least siphon gas from it.  Instead, they find out the homeowners (Jeffrey Donovan and Kyra Sedgwick) have some rather criminal tendencies as well.

A fun and twisted romp, well performed by the cast.  Highly recommended!

Final Grade: A

“Castle Rock”

Series by Hulu, streaming on their service.

Based loosely on the fictional town featured in many Stephen King novels and stories (King serves as an Executive Producer and Writer on the series), the first season of the show starts with a new warden taking over at Shawshank Prison after the last warden has died.  Finding a wing of the prison that isn’t used, the new warden sends some guards to investigate and they find a man (Skarsgård, his second King property) imprisoned there, presumably by the late warden for reasons unknown.  The man is mostly quiet and doesn’t talk, but says the name “Henry Deaver,” a former Castle Rock resident turned death row attorney.  One of the guards notifies Deaver, who returns to Castle Rock, intrigued as to why this man would have asked for him.

The series unfolds over 10 episodes, revealing just who the man is, what his connection to Deaver is, and why the town of Castle Rock is plagued with random acts of severe violence.  More thriller/sci-fi than horror (as might be expected by King’s involvement), but I rather enjoyed it nonetheless.  The twists keep coming, and the pacing is very good.  Season two is coming soon (but does not contain Bill Skarsgård in the cast).

Final Grade: B+

 

by binkman71

Scary Hide and Seek

“Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark”

Based on the book series by Alvin Schwartz, this semi-kid-friendly horror piece wraps several of the original stories in an overall package that isn’t quite an anthology. On Halloween night, 1968, several kids break into the old mansion on the outskirts of town, rumored to be haunted by the spirit of Sarah Bellows. The legend says that although Sarah was kept locked up by her family for reasons unknown, if a child crept up to the house and asked for a story, Sarah would oblige and tell them, through the walls, a scary story. Our meddling kids happen upon Sarah’s hidden room in the house, and therein find her handwritten book of scary stories.

Over the next several days they discover that Sarah isn’t quite done with her stories yet. New stories appear in the book starring each of the kids, and each becomes real in horrorific ways. The kids desperately try to find a way to stop Sarah and her tales, before they all fall victim to them.

Though it might be a bit much for very young children, preteens and older into horror — or fans of the books — will find much to like here. Producer Guillermo del Toro and director André Øvredal have put together an enjoyable romp that, while not necessarily scary, definitely has its creepy moments. The main actors are all quite good as well (Zoe Colletti, Michael Garza, Gabriel Rush, Austin Zajur). The creature effects round out the package, with effects wizards turning out some original monsters, as well as bringing some of the book’s illustrations (by Stephen Gammell) to life.

Final Grade: B

“Ready or Not”

When I first heard the title of this movie, I honestly thought it was a bad idea. Taking the concept of the game of hide and seek and turning it into a movie? I assumed it would be as terrible as the many movies made about games of truth or dare. Then the trailer came out, and I was intrigued.

And, I’m happy I gave it a chance.

The movie stars Samara Weaving as Grace, who has just married into the eccentric and fabulously wealthy Le Domas family. Having made their money from board and card games, the family has a tradition that when someone new joins through marriage, the family must gather together and play a game. Said game is randomly chosen by the new family member via a special antique puzzle box which will spit out a card bearing the name of the game to play. While most are completely benign, if “Hide and Seek” is revealed, the new spouse must hide while the rest of the family seeks — with the ultimate goal being to sacrifice the new spouse in a ritual before dawn, lest tragedy befall the existing family members. No one has chosen it in 30 years, so what are the odds, right?

What transpires on screen is two-thirds dark comedy, and one-third thriller. As Grace comes to the very quick realization of just what is as stake, and her new hubby Alex (Mark O’Brien) tries to help her as best he can, the rest of the family is truly out for blood, and the jokes wind down the longer Grace keeps them all running. When the jokes happen they are well timed and fun, and the filmmakers (directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, edited by Terel Gibson) do an excellent job of combining the comedy and the suspense, all the way to the very satisfying and multi-layered conclusion. The cast does a great job at bringing it all to life, with a particularly scene-chewing turn by Nicky Guadagni as Aunt Helene. Also stars Adam Brody, Hery Czerny, and Andie MacDowell.

Final Grade: A-

by binkman71

“Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood”

Quentin Tarantino’s homage to Hollywood, 1969, is a visual masterpiece.  Not just a period piece with people in costumes on period sets.  Tarantino went full scale and had parts of Los Angeles set decorated to appear as if it were 1969.  Streets filled with cars from the era, billboards and ads, and extras all wearing era appropriate attire.  I couldn’t really detect any hint of green screen in use, and searches on the Web insist they simply weren’t used.  This was all practical; built when needed, decorated regardless.  And the result is stunning.

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